A review by revolverreads
Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Much like the red hearts and decorations that pop up everywhere for Valentine's during the month of February, the red flags of our main character are virtually impossible to miss.

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn’s debut, "Yinka, Where Is Your Husband," follows our thirty-something Oxford-educated leading lady, Yinka, a British Nigerian who is working hard to maintain optimism in her capitalist nightmare of a job. She’s done everything right so far, is even expecting a promotion, only to be told that she has been made redundant at work. Complicating matters, she had already shared the news of her anticipated promotion with her mother, inadvertently making the entire Nigerian population aware, courtesy of her well-meaning aunties.

Adding to the complexity, Yinka's younger sister is happily married and expecting, while her cousin is engaged, prompting her family to initiate public prayers for Yinka to find her husband. These personal and societal pressures become the backdrop against which Yinka's story unfolds.

Rather than confronting the momentary embarrassment with honesty, Yinka opts to run with the lie, believing that securing a new job will be easy. However, she inadvertently digs herself into an even deeper hole. Apparently, lying is the most fun a girl can have, right next to making a clinical plan of how to find a boyfriend by the wedding, creating a KPI system.

Thus begins Yinka's Mean Girls transformation, who changes everything about herself  to capture the attention of Alex, Bachelor #1, only to discover that he harbors affections for her best friend. The descent into Bachelor Nation only continues, and Yinka seems to find all the wrong men to date.

There is so much potential to sympathize with Yinka, and for the most part, you find yourself doing just that. She’s been sold this idea of a capitalist dream ladder to climb, pressured to adhere to a predefined timeline for relationships and life, all the while contending with overbearing aunties who can't seem to mind their own business. However, her actions, including lying, stealing clothes from her friend without permission, and then taking over her nephew's baptism with a self-centered speech, leave you wanting to shake Yinka and urge her to read the room. She's not a flawless protagonist, and maybe she is not meant to be, but she was definitely a frustrating one to follow.

"Yinka, Where Is Your Husband" is brimming with chaos and marked by some regrettable life choices by its central character, creating a recipe for a good time. Yinka undoubtedly requires a healthy dose of self-love, the guidance of a therapist, and periodic reality checks to navigate the tumultuous journey she finds herself on.

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