Name: Wahala
ISBN: 9780063211001

Nikki May

Wahala has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

A Novel

Wahala

Lindsay

An incisive and exhilarating debut novel of female friendship following three Anglo-Nigerian best friends and the lethally glamorous fourth woman who infiltrates their group--the most unforgettable girls since Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda. Ronke wants happily ever after and 2.2. kids. She's dating Kayode and wants him to be "the one" (perfect, like her dead father). Her friends think he's just another in a long line of dodgy Nigerian boyfriends. Boo has everything Ronke wants--a kind husband, gorgeous child. But she's frustrated, unfulfilled, plagued by guilt, and desperate to remember who she used to be. Simi is the golden one with the perfect lifestyle. No one knows she's crippled by impostor syndrome and tempted to pack it all in each time her boss mentions her "urban vibe." Her husband thinks they're trying for a baby. She's not. When the high-flying, charismatic Isobel explodes into the group, it seems at first she's bringing out the best in each woman. (She gets Simi an interview in Hong Kong! Goes jogging with Boo!) But the more Isobel intervenes, the more chaos she sows, and Ronke, Simi, and Boo's close friendship begins to crack. A sharp, modern take on friendship, ambition, culture, and betrayal, Wahala (trouble) is an unforgettable novel from a brilliant new voice.

All together i loved this book, it had me crying, laughing and screaming. The character growth was beautiful and the twists were so cunning and thought through. possibly one of my favourite reads ever!!

nell reeves 

Anjorin Molayo 

I love the fact that the book was engaging! Wahala indeed! I knew Isobel was a bad sport from the beginning with the way she was jeopardizing everyone’s relationship and she’s my least favorite character. 
i love the writing style of the book as it gave me insights to what each character was thinking.

A solid 4/5 for me.

Amelia C 

Interesting account of friendship between 3 women (who are all mixed race) and share the Nigerian heritage- all their fathers are Nigerian. The food, language, culture and laugh out loud ridiculousness of Naija ppl were fantastic. Ronke,Simi and Boo’s friendship is put to the test when Isobel and her “wahala” (and ulterior motives)come along. I cringed so much while reading because in my opinion, these ladies were horrible to each other! Well Simi and Boo were horrible to Ronke. The toxicity and unnecessary meanness sometimes made me uncomfortable, however I suppose Nikki May was trying to make a point, to show the reader “what not to do as a friend”. 
⭐️ 🌟.5 stars.

'Sex and the City' with a killer edge for fans of QUEENIE, EXPECTATION and MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER See me, see trouble Ronke, Simi, Boo are three mixed-race friends living in London. They have the gift of two cultures, Nigerian and English, though they don't all 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. A darkly comic and bitingly subversive take on love, race and family, Wahala will have you laughing, crying and gasping in horror. Boldly political about class, colorism and cooking, here is a truly inclusive tale that will speak to anyone who has ever cherished friendship, in all its forms.

Anyaconda

This book didn't sit right with me. I didn't like any of the characters except Ronke and I felt there was so much missed opportunity for character development that just didn't happen. It didn't read like a thriller to be honest, only like a sex and the city novel with delicious food.
I kept asking myself why they're even friends the way they talk to each other.
Not my cup of tea, but I'm clearly the minority (it's me not the book).

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shona Tiger

A version of this review first appeared in The Continent.

Three Nigerian-British friends, Ronke, Boo, and Simi, are living their complicated lives when Isobel enters the scene. Simi, happily married to Martin, but keeping a secret from him, enjoys her job in fashion, although she is struggling to make her mark. Boo is unhappy with her life: a sweet husband, a precocious daughter, and part-time work in her STEM field. Ronke, a foodie dentist, is dating a Nigerian man that her friends don’t rate at all. She’s eager to make things more permanent with him, but remains unsure.

Isobel, an old friend of Simi’s, is rich, glamorous, intimidating, and domineering. She manoeuvres herself into the centre of the group, and into each of their lives, sowing chaos, bringing wahala (the Nigerian Pidgin word for trouble), and widening the fissures she finds. Is she a good and empowering friend, or are her motives evil?

I was rooting for Ronke and getting very exasperated with her friends, but you may prefer one of the other characters, who are all very well-written. There are laughs, relationship tension, and high drama.

There has been some criticism of the book’s seeming anti-Nigerian sentiment. It’s true that there appears to be a certain bias—the three friends are half-Nigerian, half-British, while Isobel is half-Nigerian and half-Russian—so “race” and culture are a large part of what this book is about, with the usual stereotypes playing out. However, it is not done in a ham-fisted way: there is enough nuance to make these points of discussion, rather than lightning rods for Diaspora wars—although, admittedly, this is the view of someone who is neither Nigerian nor British.

The description of Nigerian-British cultural life, from food to parties, means most readers will enjoy this book for the celebration that it is.

I loved the characters that Nikki created, they were so complex and relatable in many different ways. However, I thought the pacing was very slow which is why it took me a while to read. I loved the ending however I think it was very disjointed from the writing at the beginning of the book. Overall, loved the characters and the writing style, but believed the pacing could’ve been better.

Charlotte Squire

Liz B

I really loved the characters and the world Nikki May created, but the book takes a bizarre turn about 75 pages from the end and the tone and pacing of the book totally change. Is this a character-driven literary fiction? A thriller? I don't know and neither does the book. A 3.5/5, but rounding down because the ending really didn't work.

Cheri McElroy

Ronke, Simi, and Boo have been best friends since uni. Life isn’t perfect, nor are they, but the friendship works. Until Isobel joins in. Then all wahala breaks loose.

This was a fun story. I wouldn’t say that I liked these Nigerian-British women (they were very self-centered and catty), but the story was a wild ride and the writing was good. Perfect to break out of a reading slump.

'Sex and the City' with a killer edge for fans of QUEENIE, EXPECTATION and MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER Wahala - 'trouble' Ronke, Simi, Boo are three mixed-race friends living in London. They have the gift of two cultures, Nigerian and English, though they don't all 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. A darkly comic and bitingly subversive take on love, race and family, Wahala will have you laughing, crying and gasping in horror. Boldly political about class, colorism and cooking, here is a truly inclusive tale that will speak to anyone who has ever cherished friendship, in all its forms.

Lydia White

hmmmmm… the escalation in the last 10% should’ve started much earlier and been a little more developed. Very much twist after twist with not much time to digest and not really developed. Left at the end with a LOT of questions. Because of this the pacing is definitely off and the first part drags. Hence me taking so long to finish it… Full review likely to come.

Also if you hate miscommunication trope do not read this. These girls are “best friends” but are extremely petty and don’t talk to each other 🙃

Amatullah Mahmud

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT🔴
Omggg,  This name of this book actually describes the book in itself 😭, wahala(chaos) . Really thought there were alot of unnecessary events that could have been avoided (Boo digging her own grave) and her annoying always trying to play the victim till the end. I really wish Kayode didn't die 🥺, to be honest, I'd rather Boo didn't get a mildly happy ending to Kayode dying..I actually preferred Isobel to Boo at the end ...

Melissa Schwartz

Wow, what a wild ride! I’ve been sitting in bed just in shock at the ending; it was so unexpected. Set in London, Wahala is about three Anglo-Nigerian women, Simi, Ronke, and Boo. When Simi’s old friend Isobel comes into the picture, her toxic nature changes their lives in ways they never could have foreseen. I really loved the character development of the three main friends. They were not perfect but were relatable and all in all, cared for each other fiercely. Sometimes Boo’s actions were frustrating to me, but she makes up for it in the end. The inclusion of various Nigerian recipes in the end was really great. My one criticism is that first half of the book was slow and flowed a bit oddly. However, I would still recommend it to anyone.

Anna Campbell

** spoiler alert **
           A very intriguing read about women, friendships, marriage and jealousy. I loved how each woman was so complex, with so much good and bad inside her. I did not expect the ending at all, and I’m surprised that Isobel got away with all she did.

Stephanie Cox

Maybe 3.5 stars. This novel was good but felt like it was a few steps away from being truly great. The characters' world is rich and vivid, but their relationships are less so. I found Simi and Boo more likeable than many readers; I enjoy a woman with sharp edges and ugly desires. But there was a little warmth lacking from the central characters relationships. We're told they're close, but don't really get to see it. I also wanted a little more from the narcissist who acts as a catalyst for most of the plot points; her actions show us she's unhinged but we don't get quite enough of the sparkle and love-bombing that draws the other characters into her web of chaos. Overall enjoyable, though!

Wahala is a page turner, each chapter is centred around one main character, we enter their thoughts and feelings about each other. Ronke is such a loveable character, naive and pure, fiercely loyal to her father's memory but unlucky in love. Simi is rich, successful but lonely since her husband has been working away.  Boo, desperate to ignore her Nigerian heritage but bored of her life... feeling stuck in the mundane world she has created for herself.

Three best friends who met at university and now in their thirties their friendship is as strong as ever, even if their lives are very different from one another. 
Until Isobel returns into Simi's life. Glamorous and beautiful Isobel wants to rekindle their friendship, and connect with Ronke and Boo but is that what she really wants? Or does she have other ideas.
Cracks start to show, the girls aren't talking to each other, except Isobel. What is her deal?

Sex and the City meets Killing Eve but set in London with Anglo-Nigerian leads.
I found this book so wonderfully written and exciting. I was gripped from start to finish. The perfect amount of mystery and intrigue. Constant twists to keep you wanting more! A must read for everyone.

Publication date 06/01/2022

Oluwapelumi Alo 

Kato G

Taylor Butterfield

Julia

Michelle Miller

"Utterly winning…brings to mind Sex and the City but feels more modern, more real. When I closed Nikki May's delicious, hilarious novel, I felt I was returning to joy. I knew it was time to call my friends...time to get into some good wahala of my own." -- Amanda Eyre Ward, New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters and The Lifeguards An incisive and exhilarating debut novel following three Anglo-Nigerian best friends and the lethally glamorous fourth woman who infiltrates their group—the most unforgettable girls since Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. Ronke wants happily ever after and 2.2. kids. She’s dating Kayode and wants him to be “the one” (perfect, like her dead father). Her friends think he’s just another in a long line of dodgy Nigerian boyfriends. Boo has everything Ronke wants—a kind husband, gorgeous child. But she’s frustrated, unfulfilled, plagued by guilt, and desperate to remember who she used to be. Simi is the golden one with the perfect lifestyle. No one knows she’s crippled by impostor syndrome and tempted to pack it all in each time her boss mentions her “urban vibe.” Her husband thinks they’re trying for a baby. She’s not. When the high-flying, charismatic Isobel explodes into the group, it seems at first she’s bringing out the best in each woman. (She gets Simi an interview in Shanghai! Goes jogging with Boo!) But the more Isobel intervenes, the more chaos she sows, and Ronke, Simi, and Boo’s close friendship begins to crack. A sharp, modern take on friendship, ambition, culture, and betrayal, Wahala (trouble) is an unforgettable novel from a brilliant new voice.

Wahala A Novel

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