This is the tale of Yinka learning to love herself and embrace her identity in a very Queenie-esque debut from Lizzie Damilola Blackburn. There were a lot of complex issues addressed in this novel and it’s impossible not to feel your heart break for Yinka as she faces the struggles of love, family and friendship. That being said, I definitely found her to be self-absorbed and disinterested in those around her at the beginning, although she made a quick turnaround at the end.

There was a good mix of personalities from the characters but they could have been fleshed out a bit more and given a bit more depth. It was hard to feel invested in them, especially the ‘love interests’. Despite that, it was an interesting read and a great concept for exploring relationships and societal pressure on young women - whether it’s Ola, Kemi, Nana or Yinka. It was good to see Nana displaying confidence in herself and her identity, and encouraging that in Yinka - offering support and stepping in when she saw her friend struggling. On top of that, she is successful and driven which is always great to see! Maybe we all need a Nana in our lives.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

This is a good book - I really enjoyed learning about another culture alongside your more typical easy read type book. The story is good and you find yourself rooting for Yinka early on.

My only complaint (if you can call it that) is I wasn't gripped by it and so it took me a long time to read!

Predictable but enjoyable.

At first I didn’t like this book, I thought it was silly and superficial, however, I soon changed my mind and was really rooting for Yinka to sort her life out and to see what her friends could see.
This book tells you to and makes you believe in yourself. You don’t need to change, just trust in yourself.
I am interested in reading more from this author.

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn has created an original and engaging personality for her main character in Yinka Where Is Your Huzband. Yinka was born in the UK to deeply religious parents of Nigerian heritage. She is committed to her Christian faith, but when her mother stops the dancing at a family party and insists in praying openly for Yinka to find a husband, it is too much to take. In an effort to boost her status as a successful career woman, Yinka makes a foolish boast. She also resolves to find a plus-one for her cousin’s upcoming wedding. These two knee-jerk reactions lead to conflict and confusion for Yinka, and lots of laughs for the reader.

Yinka is a thirty-one year old South Londoner who doesn’t believe in sex before marriage. This sets her apart from most of her contemporaries and makes it difficult to find a first date, let alone a husband. Undeterred, she makes a plan and sticks to it. It helps that she is part of a wide and warm community where her principles are understood and appreciated. Sadly, Yinka has to overcome unresolved resentment before she can claim the support of her sister and female cousins. Yinka is intelligent, sociable and fun, so eligible single men come her way, but they inevitably turn out to be lacking in commitment or understanding. During a series of hilarious adventures Yinka learns to concentrate on getting what she wants rather than what other people want for her.

With great affection, Yinka Where Is Your Huzband gently pokes fun at the Nigerian diaspora in London. I enjoyed reading about Yinka’s multitudinous aunties, the matchmaking after church services and the kudos of being able to cook Nigerian food and speak Yoruba. I especially love the title, because it mocks the outdated notion that a woman’s status depends on being chosen by a man.

As soon as I saw the title I was immediately interested being from Nigerian parentage and the book more than lived up to its expectation. Coming from a culture where you are nothing with a MRS prefix this is revealed in Yinkas journey from family gathering to other engagements where systematically she is made to feel that she doesn't measure up to what she is supposed to be ie A Good Nigerian Daughter.
I like how the writer shows how Yinka goes about trying to fulfil her mothers dream (which of course is her dream. Not!) and the intricate web of stress she weaves around herself trying to be what she isnt in order to live up to societal expectations.
The characters were realistic and well developed without being farcical and I enjoyed reading how her romances developed and those that didn't and why.
What I loved was how the highlighted how these expectations from parents can affect self esteem and that is something that people can take away from the book.. Especially Nigerian Aunties!
Well done to the author and looking out for more from her!

This is quite the story - and I loved it.

Meet Yinka, 31 years old and working at an investment bank, and to her families horror - still single. Yinka is prayed over by her mother, her aunts and the church as they all hope that she finds a 'huzband' soon. Yinka's situation is made worse by her younger sister being married and pregnant and even her cousin, Rachel, getting engaged. In desperation Yinka makes a plan - she will have a boyfriend for Rachel's wedding. Unsure where to meet eligible men, Yinka agrees to meet a man from church who her aunty knows. Enter Alex. Alex is single, attractive and has a good job - and he seems to be interested in Yinka too.

Throw into the mix Derek, the kindly guy from Church who also clearly likes Yinka. Then there is Donovan, a blast from the past who rubs Yinka up the wrong way - but damn, he is fine! Yinka's friend Nana becomes concerned for her as Yinka starts to change - wearing a weave, lying about her job to her family and falling out with her friends. Will Yinka be ok or is she on collision course with trouble?

This was a lovely read that I really enjoyed. Yinka is an identifiable and relatable character with an authentic voice - you can't help but root for her.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really really enjoyed this book. I found it to be such a refreshing take on a 'romance' that was laced with family drama and humour throughout. For me this book demonstrated the fierceness of independence whilst equally showing the fragility of the very thing that we find empowering and how just anybody's life can change so easily.

I really enjoyed the character development throughout this book and liked how Yinka in particular grew and developed through her experiences. At times she was painfully unaware and frustrating however this was just a credit to the style of the writing and the investment I had in the characters.

I found this book the perfect mix of light hearted and humourous without feeling weightless. It did explore many bigger topics however did this in a tasteful and easy to digest way making for an overall easy read.

Although I did enjoy the romance side of the book i did find Yinka's approach to this a little tedious at time and although I understood the reasoning behind the 'lists' and this aligning to her character I didnt particularly enjoy that element of the story

Overall i really enjoyed this book and the style in which it was written. I found what Yinka was going through relatable particularly the societal and family pressures around her role as a woman in her 30's. I loved the focus on friendship and the importance of a support network and talking about problems as well as the humour that sat throughout- as somebody who grew up in a Christian household it made me reflect and laugh at all of the times we too have prayed for things that the focus of the prayer has probably not even wanted and been cringing inside. A great debut novel by Blackburn and I will definitely be reading any of her future work

I so wanted to love this book... In the end, I'm not sure I even really liked it...
I get that Yinka was supposed to have problems, but 20% into the book, and it seemed like everything but the kitchen sink had been thrown at her (and the kitchen sink was soon coming round the corner!) For someone who's 31 and has held such a lofty, high-end position in the cut-throat world of finance, she seemed remarkably insulated and even naïve to the point where it started to get TSTL for me... How did she live all this time?
As such, everything just felt too over the top, though this was exactly what I went in looking for, having gotten acquainted with big and bold Nigerian culture from shows like 'Bob Hearts Abishola'. But this one just never settled into anything, and it left me on the fence... I didn't even like Yinka at one point, so then how could I even like this story?
Sadly, fell flat for me... Such high hopes, but it tried to be too much and missed the mark on my end

I adored this book.

It was nice to be immersed in another culture and learn about it alongside this warm and funny book.

We written and really enjoyable.

Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? was a slightly different book to what I thought it would be. I thought it would be your stereotypical romance, but I was wrong. It was so much more than that.

Yinka is constantly dealing with pressure from her mother, and her endless aunties, and dodging questions about when she is going to get married. She is thirty-one, single, and has just been made redundant from her job. A job she had told her mum she had just received a promotion at. Yinka spends a lot of time hiding from her mum, having not quite worked up the courage to tell her the truth. Yinka is from a Nigerian family and it was interesting to get an insight into life in a different culture.

‘You can’t force your heart to believe what it doesn’t want to.’

After her cousin, Rachel, gets engaged and Yinka runs into her ex-boyfriend with his new fiance, who she may still have feelings for, she decides it’s time to find herself a date for the wedding. She puts herself out into the dating scene, meets her aunties friend, all whilst applying to new jobs at investment banks. Alex attends her mum’s church and Yinka makes an effort to go and thinks she gets along great with him. However, her friends and cousins start to notice that she is changing herself into the perfect girl.

‘I need to get in touch with who I am. Not try to be the person the world wants me to be.’

Whilst out with Alex, she attends a volunteering event to help the homeless, and bumps into her old friend from a charity camp years ago, Donovan. This book is a romance, however, I would say it’s main storyline is about Yinka navigating life, learning to stand up for herself in front of her family and discover what she really wants. Many relationships start out rocky at the beginning of this book, such as Yink and Ola’s, her cousin, but this novel shows that these relationships need to be worked on in order to be successful.

I really enjoyed this book and its messages. I also loved the very slow burn romance, and wish we got to see a little more of it! The female friendships in this were great and I loved how real all the characters felt. I definitely recommend this one!

A lot of books with single female protagonists in their 30s end up being compared to Bridget Jones but in Yinka’s case I think it’s a warranted comparison.

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? follows Yinka who after losing her job and bumping into her ex boyfriend...and his new fiancée is left in somewhat of a life limbo.

Her cousin is getting married and she’s determined to come to the wedding with a plus one, so we follow her somewhat erratic schemes to get there.

I loved Yinka, although she made some questionable decisions she was so likeable and relatable to me and I really enjoyed following her journey - the side characters were all also great, well-rounded and three dimensional women which is rare in a romantic comedy! My favourite character was Nana, Yinka’s best friend who is trying to launch her own fashion empire.

As well as being lighthearted and hilarious, this book also delved into deeper topics. It explores the concept of colourism, which as a white woman, was really eye opening to read about. It also tackles grief, the gentrification of London, virginity, religion, aromanticism and so much more.

I loved it - and I think Bridget would love Yinka too.

This was such a funny, refreshing women’s fiction debut novel. This follows the life of Yinka who hasn’t got over the breakup of her previous relationship and is having to manage the pressure from family to get married. With a successful career, close family and friends, Yinka has everything she wants. However, a change in circumstances and pressure from her family gives her confidence a battering and Yinka finds herself deliberately changing, in order to find a boyfriend.

With well-rounded characters, I found myself caught up in the complications and upsets that Yinka gets into.

As with many women’s fiction novels, this is lightweight and entertaining. It isn’t saccharine but is warm and funny. Yep, the ending is no surprise, but the book wasn’t a slog to get through.

Well worth a read.

Hilarious, moving, fast-paced. I loved reading this novel. Yinka was so vivid as a character, and there was so much humour in the book, even when serious topics were being talked about. I will say that at times, some parts read like a YA novel, considering the character is supposed to be in her 30s. Overall, however, I loved the book and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

A total joy to read! I have been reading quite a few thrillers and needed something light hearted and this was the perfect change I needed. It really shows the true meaning of extended families and female friendships. It such a great and easy read, I was laughing most of the time reading this. I loved Yinka, she is such a strong female character, I felt as though I went through every emotion with her. Now when I think of this book it will make me smile.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for my free e-copy

I loved loved loved this book! Very rarely do I find a story with characters I love as much as Yinka

This follows Yinka - a single 31 year old and what its like to have Nigerian family living in the UK without a huzband yet. There really was a great mix of characters in this book, from her Mum to her Aunties, friends and work colleagues,

All Yinka seems to hear about is the fact she has not settled down yet - so she sets out to have a date for her cousins wedding.

I thought Yinka and the book in general was really funny and very relatable as I am also a single female in my 30s. I did also really feel for her at times, as although she does try to put on a brave face, we find out about troubles and problems she has faced from being dark skinned and has confidence issues

I really hope there is another book - a part two as I would love to see more from these characters,

I will be recommending and keeping an eye out from more from this author

This was an entirely different book for me, I did go in quite cautiously however, I think it was excellent. It kept me reading, held my attention and I loved the language throughout. I found myself trying on many occasions to say 'huzband' how I think it would be pronounced but that just made me laugh!

I loved the sense of culture and the Nigerian romance throughout the book, it was so entirely different to anything I have read before. it was upbeat, fun and romantic all in the one sitting and honestly, I love how it was something I would not have picked up but loved it. It has opened my eyes and I would absolutely recommend to everyone.

Thank you to Lizzie and Netgalley for allowing me this ARC.

This book caused a rollercoaster of emotions in me. I would go from laughing to feeling incredibly angry at Yinka, to then feeling really sad for her, all within a single chapter. At one point I couldn’t understand why Lizzie Damilola Blackburn had made the main character so unlikeable. But as she started to redeem herself, I found myself appreciating her journey even more. Blackburn has done any amazing job at making the protagonist so affecting.
This book was funny, charming, and definitely maddening. Definitely a must read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I must say the title drew me in immediately. Growing up in a Christian Nigerian household the cultural and religious references resonated with me and felt very familiar. I also love a book where I can place the location (Peckham) mentioned and can share experiences that Yinka, the main character has when visiting.

Whilst the characters are funny, some deep issues are touched upon and discussed between Yinka, her group of friends and family. Whilst in the beginning of the book, you’re led to believe that Yinka’s main motivation is finding a huzband you’re really taken on a journey where the reader delves more into Yinka’s life and the issues she faces. There are issues that are more openly acknowledged and discussed in society now, ranging from identity, colourism and faith. I enjoyed how the author eased us into these, by telling the story from Yinka’s perspective so we were on the journey with her when she becomes enlightened about her fears and insecurities. I loved how the author also used her friends and families lives to also demonstrate how others who may seem like they have it all together, are actually facing their own battles too.

As soon as I picked up this book, I found that I just kept wanting to read another chapter to find out what would happen next. From the humour to the self-realisations, this was a great read.

Yinka Where’s Your Husband
Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

A decent debut novel. Lighthearted & funny. Yinka is a great character and I would certainly recommend this enjoyable read to lovers of romantic fiction.

Thanks to @netgalley for the chance to read and review this title.