Title: Wahala

Author: Nikki May

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Doubleday

Publication Date: 6th January 2022

Rating: 4/5

Cover:

Summary:

Ronke, Simi, Boo are three mixed-race friends living in London.
They have the gift of two cultures, Nigerian and English.
Not all of them choose to see it that way.

Everyday racism has never held them back, but now in their thirties, they question their future. Ronke wants a husband (he must be Nigerian); Boo enjoys (correction: endures) stay-at-home motherhood; while Simi, full of fashion career dreams, rolls her eyes as her boss refers to her urban vibe yet again.

When Isobel, a lethally glamorous friend from their past arrives in town, she is determined to fix their futures for them.

Cracks in their friendship begin to appear, and it is soon obvious Isobel is not sorting but wrecking. When she is driven to a terrible act, the women are forced to reckon with a crime in their past that may just have repeated itself.

Review:

I’ve been reading some great reviews of Wahala and I can now confirm that the praise is definitely warranted. Plus, as a did note, I adore the cover! The story follows three friends in their mid-thirties living in London – Ronke, Simi and Boo. All three are mixed race, and all feel quite differently about both Nigerian and English culture. The three women are inseparable until an old friend of Simi’s, Isobel, turns up out of the blue and starts causing wahala (the Nigerian word for trouble)!

I absolutely flew through Wahala! I found the story completely addictive and whilst Ronke, Simi and Boo are definitely not perfect and all make some extremely questionable decisions throughout the book, I still found something relatable about all of them. They, mostly Simi and Boo, are not particularly likeable at times but I actually really enjoyed that. Not everyone is likeable all the time, in fact almost no one is and I felt like Wahala covered some really interesting and controversial issues on subjects like motherhood, age, race, female friendship and the meaning of family. The plot also took some turns that I absolutely did not see coming which is always fun and the author has created a truly fabulously twisted character in Isobel. Wahala is shocking, insightful, witty and an impressive debut which fully deserves the praise it has garnered. I enjoyed it immensely!

★★★★

Thank you so much to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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