Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
This book started with dialogue and events that promised an excellent comedy. Yinka's mother and 'aunts' were strong characters, with a solid belief in their culture and her many friends were from a mixture of backgrounds, although this made a lot of characters in the early pages so it was a bit difficult to remember who everyone was. However I found the references to current celebrities and music and the use of modern or Nigerian words / phrases meant I didn't understand everything without using references which interrupted my reading.
I have no doubt that this a well-written book that many young people are likely to enjoy, the fact that it wasn't for me is only due to my age and interests.

I really enjoyed this book. At times, Yinka was very unlikeable but I feel like she wouldn’t have had the same journey of acceptance. A great story about family, relationships & friendship and I will definitely be recommending Yinka, where is your huzband?

Anything but a straightforward 'rom-com' this book covers all aspects of love - family, friends, romance and learning to love yourself.

Yinka is fed up of being asked when she is going to marry and, despite her friends and family interfering, is still very much single! She believes that true love will find it's way and is quite comfortable waiting for it, but her family are not as patient. While all around her are getting engaged, married and having babies, Yinka can't escape the pressure.

This was an easy read with a good heart. Full of funny, heartwarming moments while still having some sobering moments that really made me think. A great bunch of well-rounded and believable characters that all gave something important to Yinka's story.

This was a really clever read - funny, self deprecating while covering serious cultural issues. Yinka's extended Nigerian family are well meaning, praying (literally, loudly and often) for her to find a husband. Yinka is happily single, with a flourishing career. Until she isn't! Her clothes designer best friend is there for her, as are her two cousins, but are they really? There has always been rivalry mainly brought on by their competitive mothers. When cousin Rachel announces her wedding, Operation Rachel's Wedding begins, meticulously planned by Yinka, with KPIs, targets and plans of action, to find a partner for the wedding. Funny, entertaining and ultimately life changing. #netgalley #yinkawhereisyourhuzband

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

If you're waiting for another Queenie, then you should definitely meet Yinka. This book is funny, relatable and emotional all in one. It addresses some important issues such as colourism, self-esteem and sexuality, as well as portraying how we struggle to find our place in the world. I'll be recommending this to all my friends as a great summer read.

Really enjoyed this book about Yinka and her quest for true & everlasting love. Her mum wants that too for Yinka and is a bit too full on about it; reminding Yinka at every opportunity that she is still single and when is she going to find a husband???

Her cousin gets engaged and so begins Yinka's quest/mission to find the One! Her Plus One!

Mission being the operative word as she attacks the problem with precision and uses her operational managerial skills to solve this. Post its are used to set Objectives, KPI's etc. Is she approaching this too clinically?

The mission causes family arguments, fallings out and upset, yet Yinka continues with her strategic plan. - you will love the characters in the book and how successful Yinka is in her search for her true love..

Of course there are reasons why her mum and aunties are so keen for her to find a husband and all is revealed but at the end it's the realisation and strength of Yinka's character that wins the day.

I recommend you read this book, you'll just love Yinka and her family.

I loved learning more about the British Nigerian culture through reading this book. It was well-written and entertaining. I understand the comparisons to Bridget Jones; and as someone perpetually single I can relate. I did find the plot somewhat predictable although it’s good to be right sometimes! A solid 3.5 and would be happy to recommend it.

hank you to Lou at Viking Books for the invitation to the tour and for my copy of the proof in return for a fair and honest review.

This book was just the therapy I needed. Funny, quick witted and desperate to fit the model that her family want her to, we meet Yinka. Yinka is a thirtysomething who has a good job at a bank but to her mother and Nigerian aunties dismay she is still single.

At her sister’s baby shower she is prayed for by an auntie so that she finds her a husband and after the total humiliation of this, she decides that she is going to get herself a date before Rachel’s wedding. Her Aunt Debbie introduces her to Alex who has recently moved to London and she thinks he may be the one. So she embraces her Nigerian heritage to impress him.

This is such a funny, engaging and heartwarming book. I loved Yinka, but I wanted to shout at her, ‘you are lovely as you are’ as she tries to make herself what she thinks a husband will want. I loved the characters in the book, the strong female friendships and I enjoyed reading about her culture, family and the bonds they have.

It is an absolute joy of a read, and I have already been recommending Yinka who is like a Bridget Jones figure, as she navigates the world with difficulty and her own self worth. I totally, totally loved it !

5 stars *****

Loved this! Yinka is such a likable and relatable character. What I thought was going to be a light-hearted romcom turned out to be a much deeper exploration of the pressures on a single woman in her 30s to get married. Tired of the constant questioning from her various aunties of "where is your husband?" Yinka sets out on a mission to find herself a date for her cousin's upcoming wedding. Full of big characters, funny moments, and a whole lot of heart, Yinka realises she actually needs to find herself first.

Okay this book was absolutely amazing! I couldn’t put it down, it was laugh out loud funny but also held such a big messege. I really reasonated with Yinka on many levels and this is definitely a book I’m glad I read.

I felt like this was about me!. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Yinka is a truly relatable character! A career that isn’t going well? struggling to find the one? toxic relationships? insecurities? There is something that Yinka is going through that everyone can relate too.

Yinka isn’t your classic badass heroine, instead she is a modern day warrior who remains resilient and willing to look in the mirror and challenge herself, with some help, of course.

This was a truly wonderful book that I will be recommending to friends.

Thank you Ellie Hudson at
Penguin Random House UK for the opportunity to read this enlightening novel.

Yinka is a single, career girl from London and is surrounded by smug marrieds and is regularly prayed for by her mum & aunties to find a huzband.
She has many obstacles to overcome and find self love, whilst facing dilemmas facing her career and friends.
I loved following her antics and wished to give her a talking to at times followed by a hug.
The book is brutally honest about Yinka’s lack of confidence and trying to “fit in” and complying to society but her courage and integrity shines through.
A great read!

Although along the lines of a popular plot theme at the moment, this book goes well beyond a twenty-something ‘finding herself’ storyline with avenues of friendship, family, colourism and insecurity. Blackburn’s portrayal of many different tricky subjects shows great research and I found myself hooked throughout Yinka’s journey.

I appreciated the level of detail of the characters and in such a short space of time, Blackburn was able each individual member was given a backstory enough to make them real and relatable, which can often be difficult to do. I particularly enjoyed the exploration of sibling and friend rivalry and how this lends itself to Yinka’s struggles and ultimately, resolve. It is funny, deep and well worth the accolades.

I initially heard of Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? at an online Penguin Showcase where the author Lizzie Damilola Blackburn talked about the concept behind the book and I instantly knew that it was a story that I wanted to read. And having just finished reading it, I can honestly say that it lived up to all of my expectations and so much more, it's a funny and thought-provoking read that I'm sure so many of us can relate to regardless of what culture, nationality or religion we belong to.

From the outset you can't help but feel for Yinka who is under impress pressure from her family, especially her Nigerian mother, when at her younger sister's baby shower she finds herself at the centre of attention when the elders pray for her to find a huzband! And then her cousin announces that she is getting married which sets in motion a plan for her to find herself a date for the wedding and not have her elders matchmake for her.

Yinka is a character that I'm sure a lot of us women can relate to in one way or another. I too found myself in a similar situation to the one that she did at the baby shower, but for me it was at a family wedding when I was a few years older than Yinka is when as one of the only singletons I was seated at the table with the oldies and was quizzed about why I wasn't married.

I really felt for Yinka but have to admit I did a fair bit of cringing too at some of her actions and the white lies she told along the way because she didn't want to disappoint anyone. To me it felt like she wasn't comfortable in her own skin and that she didn't like herself and the life she was living. I wanted to shake her and say 'You are good enough in who you are, what you look like and don't need to change yourself to find love or self-worth'.

There are so many secondary characters that deserve a mention as they all played their part brilliantly; her friends Nana, Jo and Brian who are by her side through the good times and the bad, her sister Kemi, cousins Ola and Rachel, but my favourite character has to be Aunt Blessing who was the voice of reason for Yinka when she feels like no-one understands her.

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? is not a love story in the traditional sense, it's a heart-warming exploration of family, friendships but most of all it's a story about self-growth. A fantastic debut from Lizzie Damilola Blackburn and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? is a fun light hearted read that will be perfect to enjoy sitting by the beach or in your garden with a glass of wine. There are a multitude of reviews which compare the book to a Nigerian Bridget Jones's Diary and I can totally see the similarity. The characters are vibrant and it was great to see the snippets of traditional Nigerian culture mixed with everyday London life. For me it felt a little bit like read a YA novel rather than a book about someone in their thirties, so while I did enjoy it I didn't love it as much as I was expecting to.

Nevertheless I'd definitely recommend it for someone looking for an enjoyable easy summer read.

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot (plenty of reviews like that out there!)

I absolutely loved this book! There are some great characters, banter, humour and genuinely sad moments too, It was interesting to get some insight into Nigerian culture - and to realise that families (particularly Mums and Aunties) are the same the world over in their attempts at matchmaking when one has reached a certain age without being married with children! I could relate to Yinka's feelings about herself, and cheered her on at every step.

Without giving away the plot, I was delighted at the ending and happy with the way things worked out for Yinka. It would be great to read more about these characters - they have more to say I'm sure.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

So my three star review is partly because I was expecting a different book. This wasn't so much a rom com as it was a journey of self-discovery for our main character, Yinka. But... She really annoyed me. I feel like we were told a lot of the reasons that she acted the way she did and felt the way she did, but there were so many scenes I wish we experienced firsthand. Not because I want to revel in her misery, or expect the trauma or racism to be centred in black narratives, but because not seeing these scenes lessened my connection to Yinka. She came off as selfish at times (leaving your sister who has just given birth at the hospital, who you actually like, with a message saying you really have to wash your hair because your mum and aunty are mean to you? So insensitive.) This is just one example, there are so many times she lets the people in her life down. And there were reasons, but these didn't feel enough. She also tells so many lies and seems to have a hard time empathising with others eg her cousin whose mother constantly compares them, she can't see that this is the exact same issue she has with her mum comparing her to her sister.

She also seemed woefully naive about the world and this didn't make sense - she's worked in a bank, and studied at Oxford both places that I think you'd learn things pretty quickly.

She does learn and grow but I just wasn't quite in her corner enough to celebrate her wins. I do not think you have to like a character to like a book, but I do think that in the kind of story being told here it would definitely help.

I did enjoy a lot of the side characters in this book. I particularly enjoyed reading about Nana. I also liked that there was an attempt to broaden the representation from hetero romances only and this worked well (as sometimes this type of thing can be clunky or seem like an afterthought).

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I would try another book from the author, this one just wasn't quite right for me. I'm sure a lot of readers will find themselves or people they know reflected in the story and I'm glad books like this are being published.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

I absolutely adored this book. Yinka felt so real and even though I am white and Irish, I still felt that I could somewhat relate to her. I loved learning about bits of Nigerian culture.

I will definitely read Lizzie's next book.

Yinka, Where is Your Husband? is the story of Yinka, a Black Woman of Nigerian heritage in her early 30s. Despite being a highly educated, motivated woman, she is patronised by her family as she is not yet married. Initially happy to focus on her career, Yinka begins to bow to the pressures on her to keep her family happy and starts to change who she is in order to become who she thinks she should be.
Supported by a cast of strong women - my absolute favourite character is Nana who is completely and unashamedly herself throughout - Yinka works through her crisis of self to discover who she really is.

On the surface a very funny and easy to read comedic romance, this novel contains very serious messages around racial perceptions (especially around beauty ideals) and societal expectations. The majority of the characters are going through some issues, and it is only when they stop comparing themselves with others (social media playing a large part) that they begin to work towards happiness.

A very enjoyable read with a positive message.

It's ok to be a mess and not have your life sorted. An updated Bridget Jones. You can always rely on your family to point out your failings. When life carries on around you and you get left behind. Hilarious.