Layemi

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I was concerned before I read it that it would be just story after story of men cheating. While about half of them were that, there were other types of stories too that were a nice break. For one of the stories, to be honest I don’t see what the guy did wrong, the woman didn’t do anything wrong either so I wondered a bit what what the point of the story was.

The stories were interesting and engaging, not as funny as Only Big Bum Bum Matters Tomorrow, but still a good read. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4, 3.5 because I think some of the stories could have been funnier instead of just about the guy cheating on his parter, at a point listening to his thoughts on why he’s deceiving his partner or being asshole being funny got old fast. But 4 stars for the pacing and how entertaining the stories are.

This book was a quick and entertaining read, I read it in 45 minutes in one go. It was funny in parts, but a little sadder than I expected as well. The story was almost unbelievable but very human at the same time, the author managed to weave in a couple of interesting and important themes into this novella. Three stars rounded up to four for hour entertaining it was. This is my second book by Oyinkan Braithwaite, I’ll definitely be reading more!

I really enjoyed this book, a lot more than I expected to, 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. All the characters were really well done, and realistic. The main character is definitely not a hero, but you root for him anyway because despite his many issues and infidelities, he still come across somewhat as a good person which can't have been easy to do for the writer. The book is hilarious in so many places, I had to take breaks to finish laughing and wipe my tears before continuing. The ending felt a tiny bit rushed, but at the same time it fit the fast paced nature of the book, and thinking it through I don't think there was a better way to end it. I devoured this book in probably 4-5 hours total, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will read more books by the author!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. The book is definitely about more than what the premise implies, it's not just about Temi and her quest to have a BBL. It's also about the women in her life and all they have been through that makes them who they are today, and in turn sort of helps to form their perspective on what she wants to do. It's more serious and somber in places than I expected, but overall it was a funny, quick, entertaining read that I couldn't put down till I was finished. There's quite a bit of back and forth in terms of timeline, but it's very well done and really adds well to the perspective of who everyone is today. Very relatable for anyone that grew up in Nigeria or a world in general where women are judged by their bodies.

I read this book in a 4.5 hour stretch, plus 20 minutes the next day. I wasn’t quite sure at the end what I thought of it, and had to think through if I think it’s a 4 or 5 star book.

I liked most of the things about the book, the stories of the characters are realistic and seem to reflect well the situation in Nigeria at the time, some of the factors of which still last till today. Tolani’s relationships with Rose and her neighbours are relatable. I don’t want to give to much away, but though the ending of the first part was foreseeable, it still had the intended effect on the reader, and you keep reading to see how things go.

The part that I am conflicted on the most is the sections on Tolani’s mother’s life. The first time, I thought we were just going to hear her story once, but as we kept going back more and more times I realized it was part of the novel (and re read the back which confirmed it). To be honest, at first I was not interested in her mother’s story and considered glazing over it whenever it came up, but I am glad I read it as well because it was interesting, and her defiance and confidence was a welcome feature in a story about the times she lived in.

By the end though, I was still not quite sure on the connection between Tolani’s story and her mother’s. The two are related and reflect two women living through different times, but something in the connection of the two stories was just missing for me.

However, I’m still giving the novel 4.5 stars rounded up to five because I think not seeing the connection is my fault, not the author’s. It’s almost like I know something is there but I’m not thinking of the story in the right way to understand it. It still deserves five stars because it’s beautifully written, engaging, and as I mentioned an accurate reflection of a period in time.