A Broken People's Playlist by Chimeka Garricks is an anthology of twelve beautifully written short stories. With each short story, he transported me to his hometown of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. In researching some of the stories, I discovered an official playlist on Spotify that changed the story's meaning for me. The stories within the book took me on a journey into people's lives from the worst of times to the best of times, the reality of living. After discovering the playlist on Spotify, I listened to each song before rereading the corresponding story. Listening to the music with the corresponding chapter changed my perception of and interaction with each person. Initially, I was going to rate this book a four, but with the addition of the playlist, I gave it 5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with a complementary electronic copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A Broken People's Playlist is a compilation of twelve stories. Each story deals with real-life issues like love, betrayal, character, or redemption. Most of the stories are relatable, but I would have preferred less sexual content and profanity.
The main characters live in the native city, Port Harcourt. I appreciated learning about life in a different part of the world.
Some of the characters and storylines intertwine, adding interest.
Each chapter features a music-inspired title, but I didn't find the song lyrics in the stories.
Many of the stories included a twist. I really enjoyed that storytelling aspect of this book and would definitely read more books by this author.

A Broken People's Playlist is probably one of the best anthology books that I have read in a while. This was such a beautifully composed book of short stories. Some I really wish were longer as I was enjoying the pacing of them.

A Broken People's Playlist is a series of short stories that takes place in Nigeria. The narrative and descriptions in each story transports you directly there. I've never been to Nigeria but I felt this book gave me a more intimate view of it from someone who lived there and grew up there. 'Lost Stars', 'Hurt', and 'I put a spell on you' were my favorites that I found myself going back to read for a second time. An extra plus that I was able to find on Spotify is that there is an official playlist that connects to each of the song titles. It was a nice addition to listen to after reading the book. I love music and just being able to tie them together with the book was just amazing for me. It helped me see what the author was thinking behind each chapter.

One thing I wish was that there was definitions page or footnotes throughout the book, there was a lot of words or cultural things I had to research further just to understand the context a little bit more. It did not put me off in reading the book, I just wish the information was a little closer to understand quicker.

Overall I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I had a great time reading it and some of the stories are definitely my favorites, but in giving my thoughts of the overall read I would give it a high 4 versus a 5. Some stories I enjoyed more then others and I would highly recommend anyone to check this book out.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperVia for allowing me with an advance reader's copy of this book.

Great book, engaging, Kept my interest and was a refreshing quick read! With a cute premise playing on beloved songs, this book was great for the modern enjoyer of all types of media. It gave a gorgeous insight into Port Harcourt and was overall so beautiful and worth the read!

Thank you to Net Galley and HarperVia for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I was able to listen to the audiobook as well as read the ARC and I would recommend both. These are stories are beautifully written enhanced by their titled song. I listened to all the songs at the end of the book but I would recommend listening to them before and after you finish each story. They are all bittersweet in some way. These stories are so full even though they are short stories. They could stand on their own. Some of the stories are related through a common character but they are basically about life and relationships taking place in a certain town in Nigeria (same town that the author grew up in). People are looking for love, forgiveness for mistakes they’ve made, and want to have hope. 4.5 stars.

4.3 Stars
One Liner: A wonderful collection of short stories

A Broken People’s Playlist is a collection of twelve short stories set in Port Harcourt. The stories deal with various life stages, situations, moments, memories, and more. The characters are varied (though a few appear in more than one story, which doesn’t affect the readability) in personalities, professions, and age groups.
The common theme is that the stories are inspired by songs. I don’t know a single song mentioned in the book, but it didn’t make any difference. The stories are independent. Some have music as the central theme, while others don’t.
An interesting point is that many stories come in the second-person POV and read very well (not an easy thing to achieve). That said, an anthology cannot have all hits, and this one is no exception. However, the quality of writing and execution is top-class. The character arcs are subtle yet perfect. It’s not common to have such layered characters in short stories.
The setting is an integral part of all stories and just enough to visualize everything. There are a few native words that can make it a little difficult, but it’s easy to go with the flow (as always, I winged it).

Here’s a list of stories in the book:
Lost Stars – 4.5 stars
Oh, my! The story starts out quite casually, but soon we see the layers peeling off, revealing the depth of emotions. The climax and the ending made me teary-eyed (not an easy task). The writing is almost off-handed and distanced, which is a perfect choice for the plotline. A solid start to the collection.

Music – 4 stars
A story about a boy growing up in a broken family and the role of music in his life. The story looks like it is limited to one phase of his life, but gives us the entire picture of the past and the future. The characterization is top-class. It’s not often that short stories have such strong characters.

Hurt – 4.5 stars
A dying man decides to arrange his funeral when he’s alive. The story isn’t about the funeral, though. It is about people, their actions, flaws, regrets, repentance, and more. The second-person POV is impactful in this one and hits the reader with strong emotions when you least expect it. Wonderful!

Song for Someone – 4.5 stars
Another story in the second person POV, and just as impactful as the previous one. How does a woman break the toxic cycles in her life? Can she even do it? The story goes back and forth, giving snippets of information to build her character arc. I love that this one has the kind of endings I enjoy.

In the City – 3.5 stars
A policeman fighting demons, a drug peddler, and an innocent young man looking for a chance to get a decent job. How does a chase gone wrong change their lives? This theme is familiar to me (we have enough movies with it). The story is structured to continue the suspense, and the ending is blunt. However, I knew what would happen and didn’t feel as emotional as I thought I would.

I Put a Spell on You – 4.5 stars
The title says it all! The lives of three friends are changing, and they can’t stop it. Given the tone of the stories until now, I didn’t expect something lighthearted and funny. This steals deals with toxic relationships, but the overall tone is a touch humorous and teasing.

I’d Die Without You – 4 stars
What breaks a broken man who can’t cry even though he wants to? The story is written in the second person POV and has a distanced narration to suit the character. It is compact and contained with just enough ease at the end. The ending rounds up the theme and offers a different perspective.

Beautiful War – 4 stars
What happens when a husband confesses to cheating on his wife, especially when he was considered the faithful kind? The story comes in the second-person POV of the husband and the first-person POV of the wife. Knowing both sides makes the ending even better.

River – 3 stars
This is a story about an unlikely but strong friendship between two young boys and how their lives change when they join confra (something like a local rowdy gang). I can see why this is an important story, but somehow I couldn’t connect with the main character despite the story being in the second person POV. The ending is good, though.

Love’s Divine – 3.5 stars
What happens when a young teenage boy with dreams about becoming a football star gets a chance of a lifetime? This one has great potential and almost hits the mark. However, the main plot is predictable, which dims the overall impact. Like the previous story, the ending is very good, in fact, just right for the main character.

Desperado – 4 stars
A womanizer tries to get his wife back and finds something more precious. Yet another story in the second person POV. It starts almost like every other piece, but the writing and character development are strong. The ending is half hopeful, though the readers can guess it could go either way. The relationship between the two is beautifully presented.

You Suppose Know – 4.5 Stars
Oh, my heart! This is such a tender and touching story. I don’t want to say anything except that it is the best of the collection. Stories with loving and bickering older couples are a favorite of mine. This one does full justice to the theme.

To summarize, A Broken People’s Playlist is a bitter-sweet and heart-touching collection of stories about people we find around us.
Don’t forget to read the author’s note. It’s heartfelt and informative. As a writer, I can understand the struggle with novels (one reason I prefer to write short stories). Nevertheless, I hope the author will not give up and finish his second novel. I sure want to read it.
Thank you, NetGalley and HarperVia, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #ABrokenPeoplesPlaylist
****
Rating rounded up to 5 stars on Amazon

This was…just…beautiful. This collection of 12 short stories is a fantastic read! It’s all about love, loss, and forgiveness. Some stories hit me way harder than others, but each left an impression. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to each and every person who can decipher the alphabet. I’ve got to go back and see what else this author has written while silently praying this wasn’t a fluke!!

I like the authors take on music and how I relate to the book. Each short story had a title of the song and this was related to what happened to these people in the short story. They dealt with a lot of different issues boyfriend's abortion and I think it was really interesting how they tied it all together. And how people can change in life. They also talked about how gangs awesome influenced people in this book as well. And how every song dealt with the loss of something or the game or something. Everybody had their demons in this book everybody had to deal with the issues and how it related to their past and to their future. It's very interesting how Nigeria has different types of culture and how people react to different things thanks. Inner culture. Especially the cover is really interesting because it it says. Broken people they're not broken people they just have issues. The song will explain how they are broken but how they overcome challenges. It's a well written book because it's hard to do short stories in this type of form.

I had certain expectations for this book that weren't met, but that's not the fault of the stories. I expected for more of the stories to be based around music, but there were only 2 or 3. A lot of the stories are also written in second person, which is not my personal favorite. The stories were enjoyable to read but I would have been okay if I had gone without them. I definitely can see this being someone else's ideal collection but it wasn't for me.

In a Nutshell: I am dazzled by this collection! One of the best anthologies I have ever read, EVER! Touching, realistic, well-written. Great character development. Captivating beginnings and perfect endings. Grab this ASAP!

The only reason I had grabbed this anthology was that gorgeous cover and the title. Music has a great role to play in my life, a close second to books. Therefore a collection titled ‘A Broken People’s Playlist’ was bound to enter my agenda. I am so glad it did!

This anthology has twelve stories, all matching the theme set out by the title.
1. Each story has a ‘broken person’ as its key narrator. The brokenness could be due to a broken heart or a fractured relationship or a dysfunctional family or a shocking life experience. The reasons are varied, but the impact on the character is profound, making the story enthralling.
2. Each story has been ‘inspired’ by a song. The musical glossary at the end provides the name of the songs that provoked the author into writing the tale around it, and what a varied playlist it makes for! The titles of the stories are taken straight from their respective songs. (This makes the story titles sound somewhat cheesy; don’t let that dissuade you!)

In all honesty, I didn’t know most of the songs that were mentioned as catalysts for these stories. As such, I have no idea if the stories matched up to the feelings laid out in the song’s music or lyrics. But even without this knowledge, my enjoyment of this collection wasn’t impaired one bit!

The language in the stories sounds so authentic that we are immediately transported to Port Harcourt, the place where most stories are set and where the author grew up. I didn't understand some of the local words but that didn't hamper my understanding much. The stories stay true to the Nigerian theme, and depict the positives and the negatives of the culture in equal measure. (The depiction appeared quite authentic to me, but only a local would be able to confirm the genuineness of the portrayal.)

All the stories have a common foundation of love, family, and of course, music. In fact, music plays a more direct role in some of the stories, but even the ones without open instances of music were heart-touching. (Don't miss out on the author's note at the end, that highlights the role of music in more detail.)

The character development is outstanding, which is a feedback I cannot give for most short story anthologies. The broken people in a few stories search for fulfillment, to fix themselves, or to move on. In other stories, they use violence, cheating, and adultery. In either case, the central character is detailed out so well that you will understand their emotions. You might love or hate the characters, but you won’t be able to feel apathetic towards them. A couple of the characters come in multiple stories but no need to remember them, as the stories are not interlinked.

What surprised me was the number of stories that are written in the second person pov. This is the toughest voice to write convincingly, and even if authors use it, they don’t write more than one story of an anthology using this grammatical voice. This collection however has a majority of the stories written in this point of view. Even better, the voice is brilliantly written, and never sounds fake or forced.

As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the twelve stories, ONLY ONE story went below the 4 star mark. (Actually, that was also a 3.5 stars for me, so it definitely wasn’t bad.) I don’t want to list out eleven stories here, so will just mention my top favourites with 5 stars each:
Hurt – A man arranges a funeral for himself. Not as morbid as it sounds! Loved how realistic this sounded despite such an unrealistic premise.
I Put a Spell on You – Men talking about something that scares them most. You wont ever guess the reason behind the events. Hilarious!
You Suppose Know – The last story of the collection, and the best one to end it with. Left me with a teary smile. Simply beautiful. Don’t want to reveal anything. Discover it for yourself.

Honorable mentions with 4.5 stars:
Music – A teenager gets back at his father. Enjoyed how this story didn’t play the typical way.
I'd Die Without You – Do past sins come back to haunt the present? Poignant!
Desperado – Can a couple still be friends after a divorce? Such a sensitive portrayal of this topic. Wow!

This is one collection I would recommend with all my heart. Even if you read it as a general anthology and not as one inspired by songs, you will find it impactful. At the same time, if you aren’t fond of the second person pov (some readers don’t seem to be comfortable with this voice), be warned in advance that it is almost omnipresent in this collection.

4.45 stars, based on the average of my ratings for the individual stories.
(If your knowledge of maths is even a little good, you will realise how rare it is for the average of twelve numbers to cross 4.4 when the range possible is 0-5!)

Dear Mr. Garricks, if you ever get frustrated with that second novel you are struggling to complete right now, please do not give up on it, because this reader is eagerly waiting to read more of your works.

My thanks to HarperVia and NetGalley for the DRC of “A Broken People's Playlist: Stories (from Songs)”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Note: The content and the language makes this collection suitable only for adults.

You'll notice names reappearing and enjoy connecting the threads between these loosely connected stories.
Each one inspired by a song title.

In all honesty, I DNF’ed this book after the first 2 stories. It wasn’t because I felt like it was boring, I just feel like it wasn’t my time to pick up this book. I do plan picking this book back up again because I really love a collection of short stories.

A collection of stories of people experiencing loss and heartbreak. Through sudden death, abandonment, mistreatment, illness and more.

This was a pretty dang depressing read to be honest.

This collection of short stories by Chimeka Garricks will be published on March 21, 2023. Harper Collins provided an early galley for review.

Short story collections can often be a mixed bag for me as a reader. If they are all of the same genre or involve the same characters, they can sometimes lose their unique identities if they are read together in a short period of time. Where these kinds of collections work for me is when they each have something distinguishing about them and each have something to say. This collection falls into that latter category as it is about different characters who happen to live in the same location. This is, however, one of the first short story collections I have read by a single author. When that happens, the stories are coming from the same place so it can be harder to make each one pop in a different way.

As someone who has loved listening to music his entire life, I like that songs inspired the author to write the stories. The musical mentions always connect with me too. Some are subtle, mere backing soundtracks if you will. From the choices, the author and I have several touchstones where we overlap. Music brings people together just as universal story themes do.

I had two minor quibbles. Some of the Nigerian phrases and slang were lost on me. Perhaps it is just some things that get lost in the translation. They are not critical to understanding the tales or relating to the characters. But, as a reader, the unfamiliar terms throw me a bit off of my rhythm as I am going through a story. The other thing was some of the stories had the narration with "you" - which implies to me that the reader is one of the characters (which we are clearly not). Again, this just falls into reading preferences of my own, so individual mileage will vary.

A beautiful collection of stories set in Nigeria. These stories are touching funny and revealing of modern life.

I enjoyed this collection of short stories. The characters were all flawed and seeking redemption from those they have wronged. There was song lyrics or mention of songs in the stories. This was a great touch that I related too. The stories flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.

****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review***

A Broken People's Playlist is a collection of short stories, mostly centered around all kinds of love, based on songs. While I enjoyed most of the stories, they each took me a little while to get into, and by the time I was truly enjoying them, it was time for the next one (which might be more of a reflection on my reading habits surrounding short stories than the book itself). This is a book I never would have picked up on my own, but I requested it because I loved the cover, and I'm glad I did. The stories were touching and interesting, and while I didn't love the pacing, I really enjoyed all of the characters it centered.

Highly recommend this one! This was my first book to read by this author but definitely won't be my last. The characters will stay with you long after you finish the book and you will find yourself wishing the story would never end.

I can't remember the last time that I read a book (or a book of short, slightly connected stories), read the author's notes, then went straight back to re-read the entire thing. But that is exactly what I did with A Broken People's Playlist. Upon my second read, I made sure to find and listen to the song that was the title of each short story, which made that second read even more enjoyable.

This collection of stories about modern adults in and around Port Harcourt, Nigeria is one of the most enjoyable pieces of fiction I've read in a while--and I read a lot of fiction. It's actually worth reading twice because it took me to the halfway point to realize that they were connected, some tangentially, some directly. I will say that anyone with issues about infidelity as a plot device may not find these enjoyable, since it is definitely a theme. But it helped bring a realism to these stories that I appreciated.

My favorite of all the stories I read three times--Song for Someone is a story about female empowerment, addiction, recovery, victimization, and redemption. All in a tightly written, beautifully woven package of words.
5++ stars

What an interesting read offered as an advanced reader copy! I would have never picked it on my own, but the cover drew me in, and the pages flew by! Very modern, yet the author offers many perspectives regarding these short stories, all set mainly in Port Harcourt.