My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin publishing for the opportunity to review this book.
I Loved it , funny, warm and easy reading.
It gave me an insight into how regardless of culture sometimes families meaning well can be a pain to be endured, lies are never a good option and how the temptation to fit in can change your whole persona.
Highly recommend this curl up and relax book.

This book is funny and the story is heartwarming. It’s the age old story of Mum and all of your “Aunties” (who are really just Mums friends) want to know why you don’t have a man so you set out to find yourself a plus one for a family wedding. The best thing about this book is that the story doesn’t go the way you expect it to, and instead of being disappointed - you realise it ended just the way it was supposed to.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was unfortunately a DNF for me. I wasn't a huge fan of the lead character and there were tons of cliches. It just didn't hold my attention sadly! I am putting it as a 3 star as I DNFed so as it wasnt for me I cannot judge it.

Yinka, Where is you Huzband? By @lizziedamiblackburn another NetGalley read. Yinka desperately want to find love and just as desperately so does her family. I very nearly wrote this book up, I wasn’t really enjoying it, it is a bit of a slow burner however keep it, it does get better. I was put off at the beginning because I found the language hard to understand and follow. Yinka is part of a Nigerian family, the majority of her friends are Nigerian and therefore part of the Nigerian culture and language. I haven’t ever read a book with characters from a different culture not for any reason other than a books not come across my path like this before and fortunately I think there are more authors readily available out there by authors from different cultures. Yinka is a warm, loving, kind, vulnerable and sweet character. Yinka is part of this huge family and culture, where she wants to make everyone happy however in wanting to make everyone happy, the one person she isn’t making happy is herself. Her cousin is getting married , her younger sister is married and pregnant so there is pressure from her mum, her aunties that are blood related, her cousins and her aunties from the wider Nigerian community for her to get married. Yinka thought she had met the man of her dreams but unfortunately he dumped her, she loses her job also but feels she has to lie to her mum about that fact. Reading this I felt sorry for Yinka it was clear she was trying to be someone she thought people wanted her to be and not someone she wanted to be. The book is an eye opener into a life I thought I had a very tiny in sight into through what we are shown through the press. Yinka explains in one part of the horrible names she was called at school because of her skin colour and she thinks she can’t find a man because of her skin colour. I’m not ignorant enough to not know that things like this go on everyday in real life, after all this story is fiction however perhaps i am ignorant enough to see the bigger picture peoples behaviour has on people meaning just because I’m not a racist and can’t understand for one second how someone can be and I completely understand how those comments can effect someone, it’s the lasting effects it has on someone’s life. I did feel parts that Yinka’s friends were particularly tough in her, when it wasn’t always her fault, they all put pressure on her, pressure that we could all relate to, Yinka was in a job in a certain sector because that’s what she thought was expected of her from mum. I loved this book, by no means is it the best book I’ve read but there’s something about it, you get to about half way through and my opinion changed, take away the slang you can’t understand and actually despite how different your life is from Yinka’s there will be something to relate to and if you can’t you will come away having learnt something I am sure. I would recommend this book but keep with it, it does seem to take ages to read and I would probably give it 3 1/2 stars but it was great to read something that was completely different to what I would normally pick up. 😍 I hope this review articulates what Im trying to say and makes sense! @lizziedamiblackburn

On the surface, this is a light-hearted romantic novel introducing us to 31 year old Yinka, British daughter of a Nigerian widow, who sets out to find her happy-ever-after in a process that sees her meeting an array of unsuitable men while ignoring what's under her nose the whole time. But on the other, it's a real insight into the life challenges faced by a dark-skinned woman who judges herself by other's standards of beauty, and who feels her achievements are constantly unfavourably compared to her peers. Will she ever find the courage to be just herself, and conquer her insecurities?
With colourful characters and an often hilarious narrative, the story offers a tantalising glimpse of the culture and values of the Nigerian community. Even as Zinka's mum prays over her - in public! - that she will find a "huzband" we can't help warming to the true family feeling and close bonds we sometimes seem to have lost sight of in the west.
A fun, warm-hearted and unforgettable read.

Yinka is in her thirties and single. With a wedding coming up she sets herself a tight deadline to find a boyfriend to take as her plus one. With pressure from her mum, aunties, cousins and friends - including her auntie praying for her at her sister’s baby shower to find a husband(!) - Yinka is really up against it.

Whilst the premise might sound like your usual romantic comedy, this book has a lot of heart and Yinka isn’t like the usual heroines of those stories. British-Nigerian and church-going, Yinka doesn’t really drink, is waiting for the right man to sleep with, and feels the expectation of her family to settle down and learn to cook Nigerian food. I adored Yinka and really found myself rooting for her.

This is a really well-written book that covers so many topics - acceptance, mother-daughter relationships, the pressure on women to marry and have babies, body image, careers… but all in an easy to read story about this wonderful character.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly loved this title SO MUCH! I read this in an evening, it was unputdownable. Fresh, witty and SO relatable, Even though I'm not Nigerian or Black, the themes and characters are so universal, Yinka and her friends could be so many woman I know, her family could so easily be my family and her issues with being single and in her 30s are ones that me and so many woman I know deal with! Hilarious and full of heart, I cannot recommend this romcom enough. One of the best romcoms I've read in a LONG time. I can't wait to see what Lizzie writes next!

I cackled. I cried. I couldn’t put this book down.

I see so much of myself and my loved ones in Yinka. Caught at this awkward intersection between historical culture and the expectations that follow, and Yinka’s own wants, desires and choices. And struggling to tell the two apart.

Brilliant storytelling by Lizzie, who does a brilliant job at developing a relatable and yet, unrelateable protagonist. The reader can empathise and get irate at her decision making in the same breath; brilliant.

Amusing tale of Yinka. She feels she had let down her mother by not finding a husband. Her ex had a new fiancee. Yinka plans to find herself a man are thwarted. It is a coming off age book with Yinka realising that she had to love herself and be a good friend. Highly entertaining

I loved this book from the outset. Lizzie Damilola Blackburn is a fantastic world builder and I instantly understood the dynamic between Yinka and the people impacting her life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel; it is fun, witty, and wonderfully relatable, whilst covering some complex issues that, although many readers may not have directly experienced, can feel every little emotion Yinka experiences throughout this fantastic novel. Yinka's relationship with members of her family and friends is so relatable and I found myself grinning in the final few pages as Yinka finally comes into her own, takes control and finds acceptance. Would definitely recommend this novel.

This is a hard book to review. At first, I really enjoyed it, and I thought it might very well become a 5 star read. I really liked the writing style and the voice of the novel, which very much kept me engaged. But the longer the book went on, the more I felt it was dragged out a lot and it didn't feel like it was going anywhere. I did really like the focus on family, and because of that, I also really liked the ending, but the middle part made it less enjoyable for me.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. Other readers may enjoy it more, but I could not get into it and ultimately did not finish it.

Who needed a novel about a British-Nigerian woman in her thirties who constantly has to navigate her professional life, her love life, her friendships and her cultural identity all while trying to find a decent answer to the dreaded question: “Yinka, where is your huzband?”?

Turns out, I did.

This is a fun, light novel that left me cackling, literally laughing out loud at the antics of Yinka and her family members. Coming from a Nigerian household in the UK, I found joy in visualising how the aunties would hold themselves, how they would dress and talk, even down to the accent. I was also seriously wondering whether we all have lived the same life: long, emotional, loud prayers from concerned relatives, religious watching of black TV, Candy at weddings…

Black, British, Nigerian, Christian, Woman.

My friend, Yinka. I wanted to shake her to see sense sometimes. For a person who had to deal with deep-rooted insecurities related to colourism, religious expression, balancing traditional Nigerian cultural norms and modern British societal expectations and everything in between, she seemed to see the people around her in a very superficial and somewhat immature way. This was extremely prevalent in her love life, where she didn’t seem to delve beyond the appearances of potential future partners, and that annoyed me to no end. But I felt for Yinka. I wanted the best for her and felt proud of her on her journey of self-discovery and redemption.

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn’s debut novel is just lovely, and I would recommend it to all. It is a heart-warming, cringe-inducing, smile-causing, tear-jerking treat of a story.

“Remember, the midnight sky is just as beautiful as the sunrise.”
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Dear NetGalley, thank you for the ARC.

I really enjoyed the Nigerian culture in this book and the supporting characters. However for me Yinka wasn't very likeable. I struggled to resonate with her choices, given she was an educated thirty something. The writing was good however and I'm sure many people will love Yinka.

I adored ‘Yinka, Where is Your Huzaband?’! Yinka is such a wonderful, relatable character. Yinka lives in London, the daughter of Nigerian parents. She is 31, smart, successful… and still unmarried much to her mother’s dismay. Her mother and aunties have traditional expectations for her to be married and have children. She has ardently pursued education and a successful career, but is still finding herself and getting over her ex-boyfriend. Yinka hatches a multi-step plan to find a date for her friend’s upcoming wedding. I loved Yinka’s world and you just can’t help but root for her to find her way and assert her true self while you read this book. I especially liked her best friend Nana and sister Kemi. I loved the down to earth and realistic way relationships are presented in this book.

Thank you Viking and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst I did enjoy this book I found it very hard to like Yinka. For someone with her own house and a degree she seemed to lack sense and a moral compass and made some very questionable decisions. That said the story was an interesting insight into Nigerian culture and did have some amusing moments.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for the ARC.

The book focuses on Yinka, a young Nigerian woman living in London. She navigates the tricky balance of a career, friendships, family and trying to find a relationship. It’s an easy read overall, although at times Yinka came off as a little self involved. But, I did find a lot of the Nigerian cultural references, and the interactions between Yinka and her family and friends, pretty relatable.

An interesting fun read revolving around the Nigerian community in Peckham. I certainly learnt a lot about this group of people with their strong Christian beliefs and morals. Spoken through the main character Yinka a 31 year old struggling to keep the high expectations of her family together with modern life London. Many of her issues affect people from all cultures, with trying to be everything to everyone, which are so easy to relate to.

I did struggle at times with the writing style and the download foibles but this did not detract from the overall enjoyment. Many humorous moments and several heartwarming too.

3.5 stars
This took me a little while to fully get into and I did find myself putting this down and picking it up.
I couldn't and didn't relate to Yinka as much as I hoped I would, which kept her at more of a distance that I would have really liked.
She definitely frustrated me at times. She also felt a lot younger and more immature than she was supposed to be.
However, I did enjoy learning more about Nigerian culture and could sympathise with the pressures of being at a certain age.
This was a fun story but it could have been much more.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

YINKA, WHERE IS YOUR HUZBAND by LIZZIE DAMALOLA BLACKBURN.

Yinka is a thirty something, Oxford graduate. She is a British Nigerean who has everything going for her… except she is still single, much to the despair of her mother and aunts.
Yinka’s friend is getting married and Yinka sets herself the task to meet someone before the big day to be her plus one.

This was such a fun read, with great humour and a real heart.
There is an eclectic group of well rounded characters who bring this charming tale to life.

Yinka Where Is Your Huzband, is an uplifting read and I can only describe it as the new Bridget Jones.

Fabulous!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With thanks to #Netgalley and #PenguinUk for an arc of this excellent book.