Nikki May

Once I started, I was hooked. It was easy to slide in to these friend's lives. It was fascinating to watch their lives as they had their little grumbles but lives they loved fiercly. But once Isobel arrives on the scene, you can really feel the tension ramp up. I enjoyed this as an audio book and it was so good. The narrator did a great job of really giving personality to each POV in the book. The twists as it all unravels is so good as is the tug and pull of the bonds of friendship. I loved this one!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.… (more)

This novel is very rich in detail of the Nigerian culture, fashion, foods and music. Jollof rice, moin-moin a traditional Nigerian meal made from beans, onions, peppers, spices, and other ingredients, highlife bands with talking drums, steel guitars and accordions, agbada and ankara attire. There is Ghanaian TWI language that I had to look up for meaning, Spanish and French language.

The novel is very entertaining, at times funny, and it has a mystery element as well. The story deals with institutional racism, abortion, family dynamics, multicultural differences, infidelity, unconscious bias, class, deceit, sexism and more.

The chapters alternated between each characters point of view. Food played a major part in the story as they bonded over brunches, special occasions and events bringing them together as well as a link to their culture. The storyline kept my interest with the complex and deep characters, brilliant writing for a debut novel. There are recipes at the end of the book as well as a Spotify playlist.… (more)