Suggested Revised Title: Nearly All The Men in Lagos are Sorry Ass Bitches... jk or am I??

This is a collection of short stories following women who have burned, cheated on, taken advantage of, and pushed to their limits.

Most of these women were blinded by love and put their faith and trust into the wrong man. Some of these stories were of their heartbreak, others of compromise, and acceptance, but the best ones were of revenge, and those who picked up and kept it moving.

Highly Recommend

Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for the ARC copy they provided.

I unfortunately did not finish reading this book. I will say upfront, though, that my putting this on my did not finish pile had nothing to do with the writing quality of Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad. The author has a brilliant sense of humor and style, and the writing quality is amazing. My inability to finish this book is a simple matter of content.

When I picked up Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad, I thought I was in for a humorous commentary on what it was like to be a man in Lagos (the book was listed as Women’s Fiction, but silly me didn’t take that into account, so this misunderstanding is completely my own fault), but once I got into the book, I realized it was actually a commentary on dating Lagos men. Nothing wrong with that at all, the author made me laugh and smile a few times, and I appreciate that, but I’m not one for reading about the trials of relationships, so I decided to put this book down.

In short, did I finish Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad? No. Do I think it’s a bad bit of writing? Also, no. This is a fine book that I think many people will enjoy. It wasn’t the book for me, but that is a simple matter of personal preference, and shouldn’t stop anyone from reading something they are likely to love.

When the author, Damilare Kuku was 16, she attended Chimamanda Ngozi Adicihie's reading of Half of a Yellow Sun. Kuku apporached and spoke to the author, who encouraged her to write a book.. In Kuku's acknowledgements, she thanks Adichie, and says that she hopes that she reads and likes her stories.

The short stories in this book, all of which take place in Nigeria, deal with relationship problems principally between men and women, although other types of relationships surface as well. Most, (I think except for two), of the stories are written in second person, which is not a typical technique. It works really well in this book. Through the stories, the reader gains perspective on certain aspects of romantic relationships in modern Nigeria, and in particular, the stresses that women experience in trying to find and keep men that are faithful and unencumbered by other things in their lives such as their mothers or friends.

This book is highly entertaining and I SUPER recommend it.

I can only describe this as the anti-romance. There was not a happy short story ending in the bunch. The length and tone of each story seemed to be in that sweet spot where you wanted more, but any longer and it would have too much, especially with the second person narration. Even so, men and their awfulness towards women who love them is highlighted throughout, at times quite painfully.

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

I firmly believe it is the universal experience of women, whether we realize it or not, that men are garbage. This idea is affirmed by Damilare Kuku’s collection of twelve short stories set in Lagos, Nigeria. Many of these stories made me laugh but all of them gave me a deep sense of solidarity. A few of the stories are told in second person point of view which really drives home the point that these things could be happening to any of us. And with the opening line of “One night, you will calmly put a knife to your husband's penis and promise to cut it off.” I KNEW I was in for a wild ride. I was not disappointed. I am very happy that this book was given a US release. Congratulations to Ms Kuku

Major content warning for sexual content and sexual assault.

I’ve come to realize short stories are just not my thing. I really tried with book just couldn’t make it through.

This brief yet captivating read offers an amazing glimpse into the diverse stories of women, resonating with relatability. While some narratives felt rushed, a slightly extended length would have allowed for more profound elaboration. Despite this, it remains an overall great read.

I really enjoyed these short stories (even though some of the male characters make your blood boil!) and definitely finished this book wishing it was longer. As is always the case with short story collections, I liked some stories more than others, but all of them left you wanting to know read through to the end. Many of the stories were funny to the point of making me laugh out loud.

My one criticism was that some of the descriptions were very graphic in a way that felt unnecessary. Like they didn't add anything to the story and sometimes went on too long for my taste.

Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad
Damilare Kuku
March 19, 2024
Harper Via
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
* short story
Raunchy, satisfying and outrageous read steeped in the chaos and allure of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest city. It’s a love letter to Nigerian women who always manage to come out on top.
It doesn’t have a lot of diversity but I would recommend it to people wanting a good laugh.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories. They were entertaining and while each one was different, they all followed the “anti-rom-com” theme. I mean, the first line of the first story is about sis threatening to cut off her man’s penis!! How could you not get sucked in!

This was the perfect book to get me out of my reading slump.

This proved to be a swift and amusing read, reaffirming what I had previously suspected about Lagos men 😄. The male characters in this book are portrayed as deceitful, dishonest, and often involved in scams, making them seem unworthy of the women in their lives. This isn't to say that the female characters are faultless; their flaws are simply less emphasized.

What I found less appealing about the book is that due to its title and the overarching theme of the short-story collection, it became predictable that each story would conclude with a man breaking a woman's heart. Furthermore, nearly all of the short stories adhered to a very heteronormative pattern. Even the story featuring gay men followed a similar plot: a man and a woman develop a connection, leading the woman to believe it's a monogamous relationship. Additionally, I believe the book could have benefited from more thorough editing, as certain sentences and word choices struck me as awkward.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review!

I was super surprised with these beautiful stories! They were refreshing and unique. At first, I was a bit confused on what the stories were trying to do, specifically with the sex scenes. They were unexpected and sometimes felt ill-fitting for the tone of certain stories here. I wasn’t sure if they were supposed to be a critical analysis of bad male behavior or just stories of unusual relationships with eroticism mixed in. But I think they can totally be both. That’s one of my favorite parts of this collection. It can be lighthearted and fun while also saying something important about culture, gender, and status. The last story is, in my opinion, the most powerful (and also the most triggering, i’m sure). While some endings fell flat or rushed, this one was particularly perfect. Overall this was so good and I’d recommend it to probably everyone!

A collection of short stories about the men (& women) in Lagos.

I absolutely loved the writing style and subject. Some of the stories are serious, some are funny, a very wide range. Heavy topics like abuse, control, gaslighting are in some stories.

An insider look into relationships and drama and how men think....in Lagos.

Entertaining read! Some stories made me laugh, some were very t9ucjing. It was a great look at the marriage, dating world in Nigeria.

I am a big fan of short stories and this book was nothing but entertaining. Many of the stories made me laugh some made me upset and sometimes I was upset that some stories ended too soon. I am so happy that it is being traditionally published and more people can read it!

Full of comedy but heartwarming at the same time. Have a real insight into marriage and dating for women in dating. Very enjoyable.

I did not think that this was going to be a short story collection, so that is where this fell short for me. I really liked some of the stories (like I actually laughed out loud at some of them) and then some I just felt like I was trudging along. If that very first story was the full length novel, I think I would have enjoyed this much more.

Wonderful read at times hysterically funny at times food for thought.Love the authors writing style looking forward to reading more by him.#netgalley #harpervia

An often hilarious yet also sad look at some of the many ways men violate, disappoint, and disrupt women’s lives. The author is very skilled at keeping dark stories as light as possible and infusing them with warmth and humor.

I had to space out my reading as some of the stories are intense and they have similar themes. Overall I enjoyed most of the stories and recommend this collection to readers looking for bold, funny stories as the description suggests.

Thank you very much to HarperVia and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

5 stars! I really enjoyed these colorful stories. Funny and thought provoking. 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****