I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Three long term friends get together as grown women to celebrate a wedding. They learn many things about each other's lives.

Dele Weds Destiny
by Tom Obaro
Pub Date: June 28, 2022
Knopf
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. For fans of His Only Wife, this was a great follow-up to experience an unfamiliar culture and experience well-developed characters.
Dele Weds Destiny is a novel about mothers and daughters, Nigeria & America, and above all the power of female friendship.
Good read!
3 stars

Dele Weds Destiny
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 6/28/22
Author: Tomi Obaro
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Pages: 256
Goodreads Rating: 3.77

TW ⚠️: Abortion, Violence

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing Group for providing a digital copy of the book for me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Funmi, Enitan, and Zainab first meet at university in Nigeria and become friends for life despite their differences. Now, some thirty years later, the three women are reunited for the first time, in Lagos. The occasion: Funmi's daughter, Destiny, is getting married. But as the big day approaches, it becomes clear that something is not right.

My Thoughts: The narrators are the three women, Funmi, Enitan, and Zainab, told from their POV. Each chapter is clear on which voice it belongs to, which I love to see in books. The POV also switches the timeline from the past, to the present. This is a slow burn that driven by the characters. The author takes the time to explore each of the women, what they did, where they have been, and where their lives are headed; I appreciated this aspect. The focus of this debut novel was on friendship, how beautiful it can be, how challenging it can be, and how rewarding it can be. The author’s writing was creative, inventive, and engaging. The ending seemed rushed and not complete. May this opens it up into another book, as a series. Either way, overall, it was a good read that I enjoyed.

For fans of His Only Wife, this was a great follow up to experience an unfamiliar culture and experience well developed characters

Enitan, Funmi and Zainab have been best friends for over 30 years. They begin their journey in college and have now reunited to celebrate Fummi’s daughter Destiny getting married in Lagos. Each woman carries their own baggage, regrets and triumphs. I found this book very special and took time to read it as I wanted to soak up the culture and different languages. The writing is so descriptive I found myself playing each scene out vividly in my head. I loved all three women and how both their individual and group journeys weaved together. It showcased how imperfect we all are as we navigate through life. I enjoyed each of their past stories more than the present and the ending felt abrupt but I’m hoping that means a sequel perhaps! I really enjoyed this book and would recommend everyone to read. Thank you to netgalley and Knopf Doubleday publisher for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. Thank you to the author Tomi Obaro for writing an beautiful debut novel.

Dele weds Destiny is a difficult book to review. Obaro’s voice was fresh and clever, and her writing pulled you in and gave each of the three main women a unique voice. I loved the flashbacks to their time in school and how they became friends in the first place, and there is so much to think about in terms of their relationships with their families.

There was something lacking, however. There were many characters I wish I knew more about, and elements of the womens’ lives that could have been better fleshed out. The ending was also incredible abrupt and gave no sense of satisfaction or closure.

I will however be excited to read whatever Obaro writes next!
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

For me, the best thing about this book was the setting and the opportunity to learn more about life in Nigeria. The characters were also good. The ending, though, felt very abrupt and I wanted to know what happened after that. I’m glad to have read this book and it is made me even more interested in life in Nigeria. There’s a lot to unpack here with each character and their progeny. It might do very well as a book club selection as it has universal themes with a cultural twist.

This book is a hard one to rate. On one hand I loved the author's voice, the pithy one-liners and observations of Nigeria, and the characters had lots of depth and back story. On the other there was no real plot, the blurb revealed everything that was going to happen (and a lot of these events happened in a weirdly distanced way) and it kind of stuttered to an end.
I guess where I land is I'm looking forward to reading the author's next book, but wouldn't strongly encourage a friend to read this, which is a shame because her voice is great.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Really good potential that totally lost steam.

DELE WEDS DESTINY seemed like my kind of book: generational differences, female friendship, nuanced depictions of a specific culture. This is very much a character driven novel, which I typically enjoy, but the structure felt very strange. I wished the first and second parts had been reversed, and the ending is so jarringly abrupt it took this from a 4-star to a 3-star read.

I also hope the publisher rewrites the book jacket copy, as it reveals way too much of the plot.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for this review.

This book was amazing. I honestly did not want it to end. The author does a great job of telling multiple stories and tying them into each other. I would definitely recommend!

I loved so so many things about this book, but really what shone brightest for me were the women. Simply put, the way they were portrayed, the fierceness in their loyalty; the comfort they found in one another, all came across really genuine.
Although there were a lot of different characters and various subplots, the writing kept me hooked and I read it in one sitting.
It was paced really well, and I loved getting transported to Lagos, with the vivid celebration descriptors, I felt like I was at the wedding.
The ending I thought could have been wrapped up a bit better, as the book builds and builds to the events of the wedding and I found myself wanting to grab hold of the finer details.
Overall such a heart warming read, and incredible knowing that it’s a debut novel from the author.

A fantastic literary story of female friendship, Dele Weds Destiny allows the lifelong friendships of its three protagonists shine against the background of their lives. I loved these women, and how resilient each is in her own way. The dynamics between these women, their mothers, and their children (especially their daughters) was touching to read about and helped paint the picture of why these women are so close to each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and hope other readers discover it for themselves!

This was a very well written book about three friends who met at university and their journies as they become mothers and wives. I understand that there is only so much that a writer can do but I feel like many characters weren't given justice. It felt like the book spent a little too much time tending to an American audience (which I understand is the primary audience for this book). Otherwise, this was a solid book that is a quick read