Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook version of this book in exchange for my honest review. The narrator did a great job and was a joy to listen to. I felt like I was listening to Afi herself tell me her tale of marriage, love, self-discovery and growth, boundary setting, and standing up for what she believed in. Afi is an unlikely hero in what is obviously a man’s world, and I was impressed with her courage. She matured and grew up quickly, becoming unafraid to speak her mind, pursue her dreams, go against societal norms and her family’s wishes, and she didn’t care what people would say about her. I found myself rooting for her to get everything she wanted. I cheered on her victories!

The exposure to Ghana family and marriage customs were new to me and I was fascinated by what I learned. Once I started listening to Afi’s story I pretty much binge listened in two sittings as I found myself immersed in a new world that intrigued me.

This book was fully of twists and turns between Afi and Elikem. The family thought they could manipulate a town girl into cunning her husband; however, Afi and Elikem's relationship struggles. He leads a separate life and she is being coached to fulfill her wifely duties to lure him back into what his family expects of him. We learn that tradition, money, and manipulation cannot support a healthy marriage. And Afi is left on her own to decide what's more important, her life or being married to a man who may not truly love her. This story was heartbreaking and doesn't have the traditional HEA but I think Afi's decision was right for her. For a debut novel this was a page turning book and deserves all the hype.

What a lovely and yet heartbreaking story. It is about a women being forced into an arranged marriage and in this certain story the husband didn't even bother to show up for the wedding. CRAZY!!! Also he may be married to someone else...

This was addicting!! So glad I got a chance to read it.

I unfortunately had to DNF this audiobook as the narrator has a very nasally voice and it was disturbing my concentration. Will pick up the book in electronic form.

What a beautiful heartbreaking story. Imagine being forced into arranged marriage and your husband cannot even be bothered to show up to your wedding. Only to find out he is married to someone else as well that his family doesn’t approve of - and they knew all along. What would you do? Highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is very well-written, captivating, and inspirational. Afi is courageous and strong not only for standing up for what she thinks is right and deserve but also not allowing her love for her husband, blind her for the truth. I was heartbroken for her on everything she was put through by Eli and the ill-words she has to endure from Eli’s mom. It’s not hard to relate to this story, especially the whole family set up and traditions. Each character in this book is relatable, except with the uncle, who kind of irritates me. The story gave us an intelligent, beautiful, and passionate woman in a world where the rich think they can do everything they want to the poor, and yet Afi showed them what she’s made of, and that is amazing! If you’re looking for an inspiring read, look no further, read this book!⁣

I've seen this book floating around and was hoping to get my hands on it. This book was better than what I could have hoped for. I learned about Ghana and its customs. It was one of those reads that make me happy to have had the opportunity to learn about different places and how things are done there.
Afi was someone I saw grow into herself and make hard decisions. She was a bit naive and let everyone make decisions for her until she realized she had to look after her own best interests. I did not know how to feel about the situation of the other woman. Because in my mind the other woman was there first. Afi's husband was the one who caused great pain to both women because he could not stand up to his mother. Yet I did feel bad for him at times. I'll need a few days to get my feelings in order.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for providing me with the audiobook.

An entertaining and surprising story about a marriage in absentia in Ghana. I had never heard this term before, so I couldn't wait to hear more about Afi, who agrees to marry a wealthy man she doesn't know to support her family and improve their financial situation. She is surprised when her husband Eli does not come to the wedding, and although he supports her in her education and career in fashion design and moves her from her small hometown to a luxury apartment in the city of Accra, she does not meet him until almost 2 months after the wedding! As this lovely story unfolds, the true nature of her marriage gradually comes out - Eli is already in a relationship and has a child with a woman from Liberia, who his family does not like. It seems like they were hoping his marriage to Afi would get rid of this problem but as you can imagine, things do not go as planned.

I've seen this book compared to Cinderella or Crazy Rich Asians, but I don't think these comparisons do justice to this unique coming of age story, as Afi gradually finds her own way through complex family and social influences, amidst the beautiful and colourful descriptions of Ghanaian culture. Soneela Nankani's narration and the accents of all the characters made the story even more real to me. After listening to a few chapters, I would go back to the ebook to re-read some of the surprising twists in the story and could really hear the words in her voice! I loved learning more about Ghanaian life through this wonderful story and can't wait to see what Peace Adzo Medie will write next!

His Only Wife is an engrossing story that hooked me from the very first line: “Elikem married me in absentia; he did not come to our wedding.”. The novel tells the story of Afi, a young woman who works as a seamstress in a small town in Ghana. When Faustina Ganyo, her benefactor who also happens to be her widowed mother's boss, arranges her marriage to her own son, Afi views it as a great honour and a lifetime opportunity. She feels indebted to Aunty and wants to please her own mother. Before the marriage Afi is informed of Elikem's particular situation: he has a daughter with a woman from Liberia, whom is hated by the Ganyos. Afi is meant to replace her, to bring Elikem back into the fold of the Ganyo family.
Once in Accra, Afi finds herself growing restless. In spite of her beautiful new apartment and her newly acquired wealth, she questions the validity of her marriage: after all, she only saw her Elikem years previously and has yet to meet him as her husband. Her Aunty, her brother-in-law, and her mother try to placate her anxiety, telling her tall-tales about the 'Liberian woman' who has brainwashed him and of Elikem's daughter poor health. When Afi finally gets to meet her husband she finds herself falling head-over-heels for him. He's attractive, influential, and Afi is willing to conform to the role of ideal wife for him.
As time passes, and Afi begins studying fashion and bonding with her brother-in-law's lover, she begins to chafe against the constraints imposed by the Ganyos, who time and again tell her not too demand too much from her husband, and remind her—subtly and not—of the advantages brought by her marrying 'upward'. When Afi grows increasingly jealous of the 'Liberian woman', she begins to disregards the Ganyos' and her husband's wishes and demands.

Quotidian spaces and seemingly ordinary conversations lead to fraught disagreements and disconcerting realisations. Afi's flashy new abode is the setting of many tense scenes, with her husband, the Ganyos', her mother. The drama 'caused' by the 'Liberian woman' creates a lot of conflict between Afi and her husband (and the Ganyos in general). As Afi grows tired of her circumstances, of being told to be grateful and to sit tight, she begin to crave autonomy and power in her own marriage.

While the tension between Afi and the rest of the characters made for some pretty absorbing scenes, I found myself growing increasingly frustrated by Afi. While it made sense for her to be naive, she just seemed to get used to her new life pretty fast (she treats staff poorly). Her devotion verging on obsession over Elikem didn't really convince me. One meeting and she's seemingly in love? Yet, for the majority of the novel he dons't treat her nicely, showing 'kindness' only once or twice towards the end of the narrative. That she believes all the gossip about his 'other' woman also struck me as unrealistic. Given that she's aware of how the Ganyos treat and speak of the people who 'wronged' them, surely she would at one point consider the possibility of those stories being less than truthful? Then it seemed that all of a sudden the idea of this 'other' woman was unbearable to her, when she knew from the very start that he was already in a relationship with someone else (making Afi the 'other' woman).
Her character development is kind of rushed. At the end she finally seems to get her act together, but by then I was no longer enjoying her narrative.
Part of me wishes that the Liberian woman had also been given a pov, making the novel feel less biased. I also wish that we could have seen more of Afi without the Ganyos (for example scenes while she's studying fashion would have been nice, or even her socialising with more people outside of her apartment).
Still, Medie does touch upon relevant issues, such the impact and pressure exerted by family and social expectations, and emphasising the double standards in marriage throughout the course of her narrative. Medie also depicts the sexist attitudes of those in Afi and the Ganyos' circle (a friend of husband says this: “man wasn’t made to be with one woman. You’re a lion, you should have an entire pride!” and I saw red).
Love, jealousy, betrayal, and angst add some spice to the story, making for some mostly entertaining reading material.