I started and finished this book in less than 18 hours, so needless to say it is a quick read. It kept my attention and the Nigerian point of view was interesting. A black widow tale with an international twist.

Sharp and terse- I really enjoyed the writing in this book. It's got a nihilistic feel, but I like that there wasn't a pretty happy ending. It was also interesting to read about family and obligation in Nigeria. Even though it's got its bleak story line - the sister really is a serial killer; that wasn't click bait- there is still a dark sense of humor to the writing. I'm looking forward to more from this debut author.

My Sister, the Serial Killer

I thought I might try a change of pace and something new for me with this FICTIONAL  thriller titled, My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Set in Lagos, Nigeria... Ayoola keeps knocking off boyfriends and calling her sister Korede in the night for help. It’s totally getting out of hand and becoming a real problem. Korede is a great problem solver in this instance, because of her job working in a hospital cleaning, she knows how to clean up blood great. And she’s also ace at moving bodies. They make a wonderful team but this has got to stop. Ayoola is a menace to the safety of the men of Nigeria. Despite being the older sister and feeling responsible for her, Korede is worried sick about the situation and is afraid they will both end up in prison.

"Femi makes three you know. Three and they label you a serial killer."

Actually, it’s since been changed to only two killings, but I don’t think many outside the authorities would know that. This was a good crime thriller, fast paced and didn’t take a long time to read. I quite enjoyed it. My thanks for the advance electronic copy that was provided by NetGalley, author Oyinkan Braithwaite, and the publisher for my fair review.

I liked it even thought didn't like any of the characters, but I liked the writing and the little bit of cultural integrations in the story.

So Karode (the plain sister) helps her serial killer sister Ayoola (and the beautiful sister) by cleaning up after the murders and getting rid of the bodies. Well, doesn't that make her a serial killer too?

There was no insight as to why Ayoola likes killing men... But I guess that is what psycopaths do.

Apparently, Korode is happy to live her life j Ayoola and Karode ended up being the same characters they were before.

I loved this book! I picked it up and didn’t put it down until I was done with it. It’s a sly and clever book that is funny in a twisted way. It’s a quick and entertaining read.

This was a pretty quick and easy read. I was hoping for something a bit more psychological and twisted based on the description. I found it to be lacking in any sort of depth and I didn't find any of the characters very likable or relatable which is something I like to look for. Overall I can see why others would like it but I just don't think this book is for me.

An okay read about a pair of sisters in Lagos, one who is attractive and gets all the men all the time; the other who is a neat freak, responsible, a nurse, and cleans up her sister's messes. The messes, in this case, are murders of her own boyfriends. An interesting premise, and a very very fast read - good things! But the characters just had no redeeming values, and they are both incredibly frustrating. The overarching emotion I experienced throughout this book was just frustration - and I do not enjoy being frustrated. There is no twist, no suspenseful thing, no mystery, so I'm not sure what the big deal is there, but I did read it in one day, so the plot moves along.

I was first drawn to this book by the cover and the country of origin - I am enjoying reading mysteries from places outside the North American continent, especially Africa and the Middle East. I enjoyed the layout of this book - short chapters that last no more than a couple of pages - it gives almost a poetic feel. And the author uses little description, opting instead to get right to the point without any flowery language. What results is an interesting perspective solely from the narrator. For example, you learn the names of custodial staff at the hospital where she works, but the maid in her home (who receives more mention over the course of the story) is simply referred to as the "housegirl". The narrator also mentions why she choses particular colors in her wardrobe to elevate her social status. Culturally, it is a treat to be immersed in a world so different from my own, and with such an authentic voice.

The plot stays on course - all events support the plot and its development. I was a little disappointed with the ending, but I not surprised, as the narrator is nothing if not consistent. It was believable, and not over-the-top.

Fantastic. I can't wait to read more from Braithwaite.

This is marketed as a short, darkly funny, thriller.

Well.

It's definitely short.

Korede and Ayoola are sisters, living with their widowed mother in the house their horribly abusive father built. Korede is a nurse, Ayoola is a Youtuber and fashion designer who lives by her beauty and charm. Korede is neither beautiful, nor charming. She is, in fact, terribly plain and quite put upon.

She's also an excellent cleaner. Especially of blood and evidence.

Because Ayoola has a nasty habit of murdering her boyfriends.

This is 240 pages of just...utter disappointment. Because with a title like that, and a premise like that, this should've been gold all around.

The one thing I did enjoy the most was the details about living in Nigeria. As a boring American, I know literally nothing about the region, and I was googling like a mad woman to find out what some of the terms were.

So, there's that.

What is this a satirization of, exactly?

This dark, funny, "thriller" of sorts was exactly what I wanted it to be. Sister relationships may always be complicated, but that between Korede and Ayoola is more so than most as Korede sees it as her responsibility to help her sister take care of the aftermath when she seems to continuously off her boyfriends. Their difficult relationship, the flashbacks to their childhood, and Korede's work at a hospital where she confesses all her secrets to a man in a coma all add some depth and tension to this story. It's not a twisty, tension filled thriller, which I think works in its favor. Excellent writing and voice, and a story that was unlike any other I've read this year.

This is a fresh and unique take on the psychological thriller genre. Korede and Ayoola have a recognizable and relatable sisterly relationship, despite Ayoola’s unfortunate tendency to murder her boyfriends.

The book is a quick read, easily bingeable over an afternoon, and you will certainly feel compelled to read until the end. Touches of humor and absurdity bring a welcome relief to the slog of the thriller genre. Braithwaite has a wonderful voice, and this debut work promises great things in her future.

This book is a complete gem and I enjoyed every moment I spent with Korede and Ayoola!

Firstly, I have never read a book that took place in Africa...Lagos Nigeria to be precise and it made this book much more interesting for me.

Korede and Ayoola are sisters. Korede is the sensible one that makes her living as a nurse and also cleaning up after her sister Ayoola. Ayoola is flighty, addicted to social media, but mostly Ayoola is beautiful. No man can seem to resist her charm. Or, better yet, her appearance.

The thing is that Ayoola bores of her men quickly and when she's done with you she is DONE with you and she may even get a little stabby to prove her point. When Ayoola has these moments of murderous intentions it is Korede to who she calls to help. The always efficient Korede comes to save her time and time again.

But what happens when Ayoola sets her sights on the doctor that Korede is infatuated with? You'll have to read it to find out.

Oyinkan Braithwaite, I adore you and your humor. You made these characters come alive. And THAT COVER is perfection! I'd like to frame it and hang it in my house.

My only gripe is the ending. It was very abrupt. 4 stab worthy stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for proving me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Amazing book! Subtle and fascinating. I've been recommending it to everyone! An interesting look at family and love and crime. Definitely a front runner for my favorite read of the year.

The plot concerns a sister who keeps killing her boyfriends (and we have no question she will continue to do so because it's convenient for her to do so) and the sister who cleans up after her, even as she questions her own motives for why she keeps helping her. Ayoole is a beautiful, self-centered narcissist, Korende is her plain, dedicated and hard working sister. While Ayoole has no question in her mind that Korede will keep helping her tidy up her messes, the reader journeys with Korede through the possibility of turning her sister in and you're never quite sure if she's actually going to do it.

An enjoyable, quick read with a slight tongue in cheek tone.

A great novel! I read this book quickly. I loved the narrator and enjoyed the surprising conclusion.

Super quick, dark read. Almost more like a short story or novella. Intense and worth it! Love the title too.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Here is the publisher’s blurb. I’d suggest only reading this much of it. It gives away too much of the story, IMO. I picked this book based solely on the cover, title, and the author’s name.
Satire meets slasher in this short, darkly funny hand grenade of a novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends.

"Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer."

Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola's third boyfriend in a row is dead. Korede's practicality is the sisters' saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning

I read an advanced review copy ebook from Netgalley. We call them ARC’s. If you subscribe to different services or get on publishers’ lists, you can receive ARC’s of books to review before they are released. It’s pretty cool. I am not sure how to comment on this without giving anything away. Basically, I really like it even though I don’t like any of the characters in the book. I can't really tell they are in Africa. I was disappointed about that part. This story reads like any other story of a place I have never been in the USA; except for a few words (that I hope will have definitions in the finished publication), the traffic police, and a mention of a chief. Since it's a great character driven story, not much detail about the city/country where they live.

Korede is the older sister who enables Ayoola, her younger spoiled sister (as does the entire world cuz she is just that pretty). Right off the bat I am not that sympathetic to either of the sisters. Korede cuz she complains bitterly about Ayoola but says nothing and keeps enabling. Ayoola cuz she is a killer and a spoiled brat. Yet I really liked this book. It was thrilling in a way. I did read parts out of order. The chapters titled Father intrigued me. I had a theory about his death and wanted to see if I was correct. I also read ahead because I wanted to know if Ayoola killed Korede’s crush. It’s a short read so I had read a third of the book by the time i skipped around. It was great. I hope she writes more and that they get published/released in the USA as well.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Well, Ayoola has done it again. Korede arrived at the apartment to find her latest boyfriend stabbed in the back, blood everywhere. She cleaned and with Ayoola’s help dumped him in the lagoon, with the other body. Korede decided that her sister, was without a doubt, a serial killer. But she always had good reason to kill. The men were abusive. It was self-defense! But was it. And now Ayoola has Tade, the doctor at the hospital that Korede has been falling in love with, under her spell. Now Korede has a choice to make: does she protect the man she loves or her sister.

So this was an interesting book. It takes place in Lagos and there is a sordid history between Ayoola and Korede, that stretches beyond the bodies that Ayoolas has left in her wake for Korede to clean up. This novel is really an exploration of that relationship. Told in first person by Korede, you really understand from the beginning her frustration with her sister and her powers of manipulation. It’s never really clear how much Korede trust Ayoola, but it’s obvious that she feels that no matter what she has to be her protector even when it puts her own life and future in jeopardy. These two characters were very well developed. Braithwaite did a really great job revolving the plot around the relationship of these two sisters and their sordid past. What this book lacks though is world building. There is no complexity to their existence or their world. This book could have taken place anywhere and nothing would have changed.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It was easy to read and I was able to finish it quickly. I was intrigued enough in the relationship between Ayoola and Korede to pay attention to the nuances between them. I think part of my problem with this novel though is that it is being touted as “darkly funny” and I didn’t find it funny on any levels. There was no comedic relief. It was just like reading any other fiction novel which had a few moments of comedy but nothing that would make this novel humorous.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this. I think I was expecting dark humor, and that’s not really what I got. The story was interesting enough to keep my interest, and short enough to read 85% of it in a couple of hours. I was generally rooting for Korede, but I wasn’t sure what kind of outcome to hope for. I feel ambivalent about the ending—let down, but still appreciative. I really couldn’t stand Ayoola, but I think the author did a good job of portraying the way Korede related to her. I was interested in the Nigerian setting, and I hope when the book comes out, it will have a glossary and pronunciation guide for the words in Yoruba.

An unbelievable and at the same time completely normal relationship between two sisters with very different paths. Leaves you thinking about the characters long after putting down the book.