This is an amusing account of life as a Nigerian woman in Britain. The main character was enjoyable to read and it was an engaging book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Loved this! So funny and yet so comparable to real life- especially if you’ve been single with people asking when you’ll settle down. I loved Yinka- a single mum whose family are pressuring her to find the one. A great fun read

Really enjoyed this one. Yinka is very relatable. Everything seems to be going pretty well in her life until at her younger sister's baby shower, her cousin announces her engagement and suddenly her being single becomes the focus of the family. She has to find someone to take to her cousin's wedding! Funny, moving, frustrating at times, just a lovely read really.

"'Yinka, I want to help you confront your underlying fears head on. The goal here is for you to be happy as a single woman now while retaining your faith that you'll find love because you deserve it. In other words, embrace the present and not fear the future. Does that make sense?'"

Thirty-one year old, accomplished, Oxford-educated, south Londoner of Nigerian heritage, Yinka is struggling. They mean well, but aside from independent and supportive Aunty Blessing, her mum and aunties (blood relatives or otherwise) all went her to settle down and find herself a 'huzband'. Her younger sister, Kemi is married with children, her friend Rachel is getting married soon, cousin Ola is pregnant and only her friend Nana is single and happy. Yinka is unexpectedly made redundant, not long after seeing her ex-boyfriend, Femi engaged and settled, both of which rock her to her core. Weighed down by her family's and society's expectations, she starts a desperate journey to change herself to find a man before Rachel's wedding. Will she succeed, or is Yinka heading in the wrong direction?

Yinka is smart and engaging, but trying to be someone she is not is exhausting and lands her in hot water with everyone in her life. Tackling themes of friendship, romance, religion, colorism and society's image of Black British women, Blackburn's debut novel delivers an easy and involving writing style with valuable insights. Yinka's beautifully observed and charming tale is hilarious but heartbreaking, and desolate but uplifting, as she finds her way in the world. Much more than a romantic comedy, I was invested in Yinka throughout - shouting 'No!' when she made poor choices and 'Yes!' as she learnt more about herself. I think you'll love Yinka too!

Where do I start with this? I loved it. Totally hooked from the start and I didn’t want it to end. What happens next ? Would love to see this on tv. An author to add to my favourites

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Yinka is 31 and unmarried, much to the dismay of her family who can't understand why an Oxford educated investment banker has no huzband! She is determined to have a plus one by the time her friend Rachel gets married to get them off her case and this leads to a whole series of amusing, excruciating and relatable events!

I absolutely loved Yinka, her friends and family - what a fabulous cast of characters! One of my favourite books of the year so far - please PLEASE give Yinka a Netflix series! Fantastic characters, brilliant writing and a truly fabulous story. Very highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?, is the debut novel from Lizzie Damilola Blackburn and is a warm and sweet book about being in your thirties. Our protagonist is Yinka, who is a 31 year old woman who has a great job at a bank in the City, owns her own flat and drives a Mercedes. To her Nigerian family though, all of this is irrelevant, because she doesn’t have a husband. She doesn’t even have a boyfriend and at 31 they think that time is running out.

The book opens at a baby shower which is being held for Kemi, Yinka’s younger sister. Kemi has both a husband and a baby on the way, but Yinka? What does she have to show for her life? Things get worse for Yinka, when her cousin Rachel turns up, flashing an engagement ring on her left hand. Suddenly, the pressure on Yinka to conform dials up a notch or two and the comparisons between herself and both Rachel and Kemi intensify.

Written using a combination of traditional prose, missives on the Notes section on Yinka’s phone, target plans she draws up in order to find herself a boyfriend before Rachel’s big day and text message conversations between her, her friends and occasionally love interests, it feels very fresh and modern. This method means that we get to really get to know Yinka and her friends and get to grips with their dynamic.

I love a book which tackles female friendships and this novel does it brilliantly. Yinka’s best friends are also her family, so there is not only the usual dynamic between women but there is also the added layer of family relations. They are all used to be being compared to one another by aunties and can usually brush it off, but Yinka is unable to, finding herself trying desperately to mould herself into somebody different. It makes for really interesting reading, and I loved the WhatsApp group set up for Rachel’s wedding where her bridezilla tendencies were allowed to run riot, rubbing salt into the wound for Yinka.

Damilola Blackburn has created a compelling character in Yinka, one who is quite complicated and at times not easy to like. She does some really infuriating things and really tests the limits of her friendships but I quite liked this. It shows that women are under pressure from all quarters to achieve a certain level of perfection, whether that be in their looks, their relationships or their career. This book really examines self growth and maturity, exploring that sometimes bumps come along in life that are difficult to navigate but the results are worth it.

Overall I liked this book. It is a fun read about modern life, friendships and family and explores what it is like to be a woman when your life isn’t going quite the way you expected it to. Recommended.

I loved Yinka, loved her path to discover more about herself and loved how she dealt with ther family.
I was fascinated by the description of the Nigerian culture and the well crafted plot kept me turning pages.
It's heartwarming, funny, and compelling.
An excellent story that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thanks so much Penguin Random House for sending this to me!!!! here is my honest review.
This book was kinda a hot mess to me!!! Like it was a mass of cliches and stereotypes the mc was 31 going on 13 and the romance was non existent for the most part, a lot of it was delusion. Okay so we meet 31 year old Yinka who’s seems the only person in the world without a man let alone a husband the breaking point the plot of throw book is when her mother prays for her a huzband at her younger sister Kemis' baby shower. Here she realises that she must find a man or die trying. This desperate unhinged desire I liked, I got behind, the pressure both internal and external felt real to me. Anyway this sets her off on a journey where she cannot stop lying- like she would rather die than admit that ummmmm life and finding a man is not going so great, these lies soon are getting the best of her turning her into someone she nor her loved ones recognise. but the game is the game, and until things reach a breaking point is Yinka able to look within herself and be true to what she sees. this book had sooo much promise but the execution felt so flat me. Yinka moved so mad and not always in an endearing way, she sometimes read like a 40 year old trying to be cool and not in an ironic way- "this dress is, in one word, fire' ??? I don't want to say she didn't feel Black enough for me and I'm not Nigerian but at times it felt like she was clinging to her Britishness a bit too much, going thru things that I feel like she should of dealt with or been familiar with in her twenties at least. for example she begins to develop feelings for this guy Alex who is very proud of being a Naija boy and so for him she decided to sprinkle Yoruba into her messages to him, a language she before was fine not not really knowing or speaking. For him she decided to learn, cook and eat more Nigerian foods or at the very least know the names of them so she could understand Alex if he were to mention them. Even tho and she mentions this a few times she was more of a fish and chips kinda gal. like that was so sad to me. and then another instance that annoyed at her big age 31 she was worried about how a white man would feel about her "kinky hair and dark lips and chocolate skin?" EVEN THO she was on a dating site that photos and profiles. likeeeeeeeeeeeee. Lastly stereotypes aside *eye roll* her friends and family her so flat to me, some of the hearts to heart chats got me but they were few and far between with fair dollops of cringe. the highlight of this book and I felt like he was marred by bias was one of the love interests we meet later on which reminds this book is barely a romance novel more so a self discovery, dare I say coming of age contemporary chick lit which I did not realise!
2.5 stars.

Yinka is single and her Nigerian family prey she will marry and settle down Yinka doesn't want to. She has a good education and a good job and a man in her life is the last thing she needs. She's been there, tried being with a man, it didnt work, she gave up. But her cousin engagement changes her mind. 


Some of her family treated her awfully and she reacted in a way I would expect. She was treated like a child and reacted like a child at times which was so funny to watch it play out. I did see it from both sides. She did seem to be a little lost and I just wanted to hug her. In the end I did think she found herself. 

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

. Whilst this book sounded right up my street as a kind of Bridget jones read, and it was a relatively easy one,, I found Yinka's character too annoying to read. Her way of thinking and what mattered to her just felt weak and unprovoking,. Overall, whilst I liked that this was a story about Yinka's self-discovery arc, for the plot and the age of our characters everything felt quite immature and let it down for me as I couldn’t connect or care for Yinka like I had hoped.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Yinka's Nigerian aunties frequently pray for her delivery from singledom, her work friends think she's being too traditional (she's saving herself for marriage), her girlfriends thinks she needs to get over her ex already, and the men in her life.... well, that's a whole story. But Yinka herself has always believed that true love will find her when the time is right.

This book is heart-breaking in places and funny in others. Yinka makes a lot of bad decisions in her life but she still has three good friends and an aunty who helps her confront her problems. The story covers societal, family and cultural pressures. All Yinka's friends seem to be getting married or having babies. The story is told from Yinka's perspective. It's a quick and easy book to read. Filled with some great characters that bring the story to life. This is a well written feel good story.

I just loved this story all about Yinka and her quest for a huzband. Or perhaps that should be her mother's or aunties' quest, as they seem rather preoccupied by it. There is a bit of familial rivalry between Yinka and one of her cousins, due to Yinka's Oxford degree.

I really enjoyed the way that female friendship and family ties are portrayed in this book. Plus also learning a little bit about Nigerian culture. Sensitivity is also shown when discussing the charity sector and homelessness.

Yinka goes through the motions in this book. She questions her identity. It's a great read that I highly enjoyed.

Yinka is single. Her mum and her Auntie Debbie never miss a chance to ask her when she will settle down. They pray (often publicly) that she'll find a huzband like her younger sister and cousin. But Yinka has a degree from Oxford and a good position in an investment bank at well as unresolved feelings from an earlier breakup. As the pressure piles on she decides to take drastic action to find a man. But the results aren't what she, or her loved ones, might have hoped for.

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn gives an excellent insight into the dynamics of Nigerian families and the pressure on young women to find a husband and raise a finally while also dealing with modern expectations to get a good education and a successful career. Unfortunately, I found Yinka insufferable for most of the book. Her issues are very real and relatable but she's terribly immature and inconsiderate. She's clearly not intended to be unlikeable but her attitude and behaviour gets very tedious after a while. There's some redemption by the end but I found it a struggle to get there

I have no doubt this book will be very special to, and resonate with many people and that the representation it offers is both significant and important. In Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? Lizzie Damilola Blackburn explores what it is to be a Black British early thirty something woman, caught in between conflicting cultural demands and expectation. She deals with significant topics such as self worth, self belief and colourism. There is a lot to praise here. That said, I found that I just couldn’t connect with this story and that was mainly due to my dislike of the central character.

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? centres on Yinka, an early 30s Black British woman. Of Nigerian descent but British born, Yinka lives her life straddling her two cultures. She wants to find love and her mum wants to find it for her. Her many aunties are also trying to ‘help’ Yinka find het huzband. Upon her cousin’s engagement Yinka sets a plan in motion to find herself a huzband, but really is it herself she needs to find?

As a character I found I really didn’t want to Yinka at all. She’s a early 30s woman, with a mortgage on a flat in London, a good job and an Oxbridge education and yet she behaves more like a selfish teenager throughout most of the book. Whilst I appreciated that Yinka is under a lot of pressure from her family to meet their expectations, she herself treats those closest to her poorly, lying to them at many points throughout the novel. On several occasions she even takes the focus away from others’ very special days and makes it about her.

I understand what Blackburn was trying to do in showing Yinka trying to change herself to please others and then coming to realise that she needed to be able to accept and love herself first and foremost. This is certainly a very important message, and I was pleased for Yinka when she reached the end of her self esteem arc but by then I just didn’t care for Yinka in the way I hoped I would.

With all that being said there were some characters that really did stand out for me. I liked Yinka’s best friend Nana, she was unapologetically herself, supportive of Yinka but also held her to account. I thought Aunty Blessing was a lovely character, again she was supportive of Yinka in a way that her other maternal figures were perhaps not. I also thought Donovan came across really well throughout.

Personally I couldn’t connect with Yinka and wasn’t especially invested in her journey, that said I still think this is an important book in what it offers and explores.

Yinka is an Oxford graduate with a high-powered job. However, none of this is important to her Nigerian family who believe she should be married already. At every family event they pray for her to find a husband. This begins to affect Yinka’s self-esteem and along with some major life changes things seem to spiral out of control.

When will Yinka find a husband and is that all she needs to be happy?

This was fabulous fun and offers a glimpse into the British Nigerian community.

"Then be yourself...you need to embrace who you are."
Meet thirty one year old Yinka. She is an Oxford graduate of Nigerian origin who works at an investment bank. As educated and financially stable as she is, it's still not good enough for her mum or her aunties as Yinka is still single and according to them, she needs a "huzband". After a mass prayer during her sister's baby shower, where everyone prays that she Yinka finds a "huzband" soon; Yinka starts to let their words get to her. In fact, her mum and aunties words affect her so much that without realising it, it begins to affect her self-esteem and after losing her job, her life seems to spiral downwards.
As entertaining as this book was, I found Yinka's character frustrating to read. Her way of thinking and her supposed goals in life were immature. Her sudden attachment to any man she came across was annoying and her lies and deceit were exasperating. Overall, this was a story about Yinka's self-discovery; but had she been a bit younger and more naive, the character's thoughts and decisions would have been more believable.

I loved this. Bridget Jones for the millennial 30-something who wants something a bit more, well, realistic and relatable. Genuinely a laugh-out-loud book, compulsively readable, and engaging. Yinka is so relatable and charming. The quirky text exchanges, Google searches, and technology-snapshots of her world made me chuckle. It was everything I hoped for and more.

This was purely fabulous and hilarious - chick lit at its finest and liveliest. I felt properly comforted, pensive and spirited. I can't fault it at all!

When I first started this book, I wondered whether I'd done the right thing. Yinka's situation--large Nigerian family, aunties everywhere as all women of a certain age are aunties, and her attempts to live a normal 'English' life away from this cultural pressure, felt awkward at first.

But then I realised how much we had in common. The excruciating decisions over what to wear to a party. Always getting it wrong. The wondering what to say to a boy, and over-thinking every detail afterwards. The attempt to be a career girl...although I never said I'd get a promotion before I'd got it! And Peckham has changed since my acquaintance with it, although that doesn't matter too much. It's London, and London is...

This is beautifully written, with Yinka's voice shining through. It has a style of its own, and the occasional interchange of text messages could be off-putting, but then again, also shows her inadequacy at expressing herself in a social situation. I really ached for her through so many situations - and how can anyone cope with such dreadful, interfering, family members? I'm so glad I missed out on that.

I'm not sure that the book delivers on Yinka actually finding herself, but maybe she does come to terms with her life by the end of it. And as for some reviewers who think she's too old at 31 to be thinking the way she does about dating boys - trust me, it's no different at 50!

Great fun, with a lot of life lessons inside.