🥳 A lovely, light-hearted fun read. I can see why people are describing this as having Bridget Jones vibes. It certainly runs on a similar thread of accepting oneself and finding confidence while juggling the challenges of single life/careers/family.

Would recommend this to people who enjoy women's fiction. I wouldn't call it a romcom however as the romance isn't the central theme.

❤️

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This book was a cute and funny. Nothing groundbreaking and a little bit too obvious (for me) in how it would all plan out but still an enjoyable, well written read. One for fans of chick lit.

I’m not quite sure what I was expecting from Yinka, but I really enjoyed reading about her quest (or rather, her family’s quest) for a husband. And it’s probably because it’s not just about that. As Yinka’s family become more pushy about her lack of a life partner, she becomes more unsure about the direction her life is taking. Probably triggered by her losing her boyfriend and then her job, and feeling the need to keep that last piece of news from her family, causes her untold problems.

I loved all the Nigerian culture, and I feel as though I’ve learnt a lot.

The relationship between Yinka and her friends was a bit puzzling at times, and she seemed to struggle to relate to them - and I think that may have been because she was struggling with her mental health, as well as the cultural expectations. Hence Yinka’s pressing need to find a date for her friends wedding (which sounds spectacular, by the way!).

I loved how Yinka grew up as a person as this book went on, and how the ending showed that this was a long term process.

Recommended!

Loved loved this book and fell in love with Yinka! Its written so well, with piles of pathos. And while its written from a Nigerian perspective (which in itself was really interesting), transcends all cultures.

Yinka is over 30 and under pressure to settle down, get married and provide some grandchildren. Her sister, cousins and most of her friends are partnered up, and her family highlight her singledom by getting the community to pray for her....regularly. The hard part is Yinka would like to find her person too. So she makes a plan.

So many relatable questions and messages, and many of us (myself included) have felt the social pressures to get married, especially once you hit 30. This plight is not unique to the Nigerian culture. I was completely absorbed in Yinka's journey, loved her humour and practicality, enjoyed her culture and would happily have joined her circle of friends. She is real, warts and all, and the Next Bridget Jones.

This was a funny, light-hearted tale in the spirit of Bridget Jones. There are some excellent discussions of colourism and racism. I found some of the fears of singledom a little surface level and found it a little difficult to relate when all the characters did get a happy ending in the end. I also found the mixed media elements a little off-putting at times but I wonder if that was more the medium of the E-book. What I did really love was the great exploration of female friendships and female relationships in this book.

Loved this book!!! What a debut! Every chapter was gripping and I loved Yinka. A really fun and moving read

This book is bloody fantastic. It gives Bridget Jones vibes but brought up to date. The characters are lovingly developed and relatable. Yinka does some silly things, and you want to shout at her, but you still root for her all the way. Love the depiction of the complicated family dynamics as well. Highly recommend!!!

A funny but heartwarming story about a British Nigerian on a journey of self-love & discovery. The themes of motherhood, friendship and religion are explored in this book really well.

This book was so much fun to read. I think a lot of people will relate to this book, yet there is a uniqueness to the character and story that readers will learn more about others as they go along. Gorgeous book!

I really enjoyed this - I was expecting a light hearted romance but it went much deeper than that.

The characters are very well developed and easy to relate to.

I feel quite ambivalent about this book. From the reviews It felt like a light hearted holiday type read set within a London Nigeria background. Whilst this was interested as it is not often represented in British literature I felt that there was little depth or strong story line. I'm sure this would be thoroughly enjoyed by many people but just isn't the type of book that I enjoy reading.

Love this book! relatable, funny and completely unique to anything i've read previously. this has been a superb read and I cannot wait for more from this author.

This was a fabulous book and I loved reading every minute of it. Such a wonderful insight into the Nigerian culture of a thirty something single woman whose mother and relatives are constantly trying to marry off. A romcom that makes you smile and laugh.

Meet Yinka: a thirty-something, Oxford-educated, British Nigerian woman with a well-paid job, good friends, and a mother whose constant refrain is "Yinka, where is your huzband?"

What a fun book!

If you're into the Bridget Jones Diaries or Queenie, then this is the book for you!

I loved the Nigerian accent, and parts of the book were very funny. But, yes there's a but, I found myself losing interest and, with a lack of concentration, needing to re-read passages. Eventually gave up DNF.

I absolutely loved this book, Yinka deserves all the hugs and love available. Although I have no experience of Nigeria and it’s culture, I was drawn into the family and all it’s extended Auntys and cousins and loved the dynamic of them all. A brilliant coming of age and acceptance story.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I think one of my favourite & more recent developments of the romance genre are books that mix together romance, character development and cultural themes. Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? is an engaging and humorous novel that brilliantly does just this— balancing a 30-something-year-old woman’s exploration of love and her engagement with traditional Nigerian cultural values.

'Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?' is not the book I thought I was about to read. The blurb and title are certainly truthful, letting us know that Yinka is feeling a huge pressure from her family to find someone to tie the knot with, an 'huzband'. Rachel, Yinka's cousin, announces her engagement as Yinka's sister's baby shower, everyone else's lives seemingly dashing forward where Yinka's is at a standstill. Commence Yinka aiming to secure a relationship by the wedding and ultimately pleasing her mother and aunties.

Sounds like a standard romance right? I thought I was about to follow Yinka pursuing someone all wrong for her before fate collides her with the person right for her all along. I sincerely underestimated this book though, with Yinka's exploration of her career, friendships, family relationships and self being far more poignant that any attempts at romance. Yinka is not always particularly likeable but this makes her real and her character arc satisfying to follow.

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn's debut is a fantastic read. I can't wait to read the next one! 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable read, yet Predictable at times. I’m sure most people will relate to Yinka , with most scenarios throughout the book! Definitely one to add to the reading list!

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn shows us Yinka's life.  Her family is Nigerian, and so all the older ladies in her community are her aunties, and they all want to know why she isn't married yet.  Yinka wants to know that too!

Her cousin gets engaged, and she wants her bridesmaids to work on something for her wedding.  Yinka chooses finding a date for the wedding as her project.

This is a really enjoyable story, with the difficulties of trying to live up to family expectations, and the expectations of the men in her life.

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? was published on 31st March 2022, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Lizzie Damilola Blackburn on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin.