It took me a bit to get into, and follow, the story with the multiple POVs, however, I would recommend this book to anyone seeking a good laugh! Mood reading got the best of me, so it wasn't my top pick of the year, however, the comedic insights into current societal norms made me read on.

"For the ones like me who stare at a mirror all day hoping to fix it all with their eyes....... I have broken my mirror, please break yours."

This book was so much more than the title and synopsis suggested and I loved that for memewe meet Temi and her family as she becomes a new adult and want to make a decision about her life that she knows they will not support.

"How do you inform yorn family members that you intend to surgically enlarge your buttocks without receiving a barage of curses?"

On the surface, this is a book about a young lady who wants to undergo a bbl to feel more beautiful and socially accepted, and also gain the ability to get a husband. She has been teased and made to feel inadequate in a society where being shapely is the expected norm. She has also seen the benefits that other girls have received after enhancing their bodies.

On a deeper level, we get to explore more intimate stories and histories of the women in her family and note the similarities of inadequacies they have all experienced in one way of another. At first it was a bit overwhelming getting all the different perspectives, but once I got a handle on it, I loved going back in time to witness the events that impacted each woman's reality.

As usual, this author had me cracking up. The sarcasm is top tier, just like the character's dramatics. I will most definitely read other works that this author puts out in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperVia for the gifted e-arc.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc.i immediately did not like the first person and third person perspective. i thought this was going to be a book about body acceptance or body neutrality and it was, i thought, about just keeping up with the usual beauty standards. there were too many characters you were meant to care about and i ended up not caring much at all.

Well written with both great depth and humor and a strong ending that stays with you. The mature content and language may be too much for some.

I loved this book! I was so excited after I read the short story collection earlier this year to know Damilare was putting a novel out. I read this in one sitting. I love the writing. The humor and love just makes this story so amazing.

I loved this!! Temi is a 20 year old, determined to get a BBL because she knows it will bring her true happiness. Her family on the other hand isn’t as supportive as she would like them to be.

The themes of self love and self acceptance are presented in so many ways throughout the story and it affects on every generation. The author addresses it all with class and a bit of humor. Very well written.

This author is making her way up my list of “G.O.A.T”s. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Funny, and says all the things we never hear. I think the multi-POV was a lot, but in the end it I appreciated all of the characters. 3.5/5 stars. Thanks for including me in the book tour and the ARC!

After finishing her studies at Obafemi Awolowo University, Temi has decided to enhance her backside to attract a man to love her. However, when she tells her mother, older sister & aunties her plan there is an uproar.
Told through a series of vignettes, the family tries to tell Temi she does not need to do this but family secrets, including why Temi’s older sister left their family home & never returned, come out.


I actually gave this a 2.8 but rounded up.

After reading the author's first book, 𝘕𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘥, I was hoping for something different but this book fell completely flat.

This book felt more like a series of short stories, and I wish it was marketed that way. It also felt a bit all over the place, in my opinion.

The book opens with the funeral of Temi's father, and her sister Ladun returning to the family home after moving and exiling herself to Lagos 5 years prior. It switches between multiple POVs of the women in Temi & Ladun's family; all with multiple timelines.
Some stories kind of didn't really fit in with the gist of the story but I think those stories were written to give more insight to the characters and add some layer of depth to them but it just did not work.

I wish that the author wrote this as a cohesive story because it had potential but it's a no for me.

I took a leap and ventured into the realm of litfic, a place I rarely ever go, simply because of this title and gorgeous cover. I am SO glad I picked this book up because not only was 1 literally lol'ing, it also placed me in some extremely pensive moments.
I enjoyed the asynchronous, multi generational POV chapters, which feels momentous considering my ADHD brain usually struggles with style of storytelling.
But I didn't find myself contused and all of it telt so cohesive. Hassana's POV was absolutely heartbreaking for me, because I feel like her experiences speak to the experiences of women in my own mother's generation.
Temi's voice is absolutely hilarious and lighthearted yet complex enough for readers to empathize with her grief.
At the core of it, this book is a flashlight on generational and historic trauma and how women carry, perpetuate, and suffer from it. I highly recommend this book to readers of diverse women's fiction, folks looking to read Nigerian/Contemporary West African literature, and anyone who identifies as a woman and knows what it is like to carry the burden of the mother wound.

Fuji House of Commotion meets Everyday People in this funny yet serious satire on what it means to be a woman in Nigeria, particularly a skinny one.

I read this in one sitting. It wasn’t what I was expecting. It was raw, it was emotional and took me down memory lane.

OBBMT follows the story of Temi who is hell bent on having surgery to increase the size of her backside. What follows is a whole lot of drama that the reader is not prepared for.

Even though the writing style is the author’s signature style, it did not do this book justice but for me it didn’t take anything away because I was invested in all the family drama/dynamics and the tea spilling.

Even with all the fun and humour laced through, the book explores deep topics, such as body dysmorphic disorder, assault, r*pe and trauma.

I enjoyed how this took me down memory lane from the melodramatic aunties to the comical prophets and alfas to the street slangs to the Yoruba parties to the music, you can’t help but be immersed in the world the author has created.

I don’t know what the author was playing at with that ending but it is open ended and so much liberty has been given to the reader to create their own ending, except maybe a sequel is in the works.

If you love funny yet serious books with some dose of family drama (naija style) then you will enjoy this.

This was definitely a unique read, I enjoyed the comic relief. The polyphonic POV was a bit much at times but I did enjoy each persons story. Overall this story highlights the fad of BBLs and digs into the messages of body image, self-worth, self-acceptance, and family dynamics. It does a great job of capturing the Nigerian culture and gives an insight into the pressures of being a woman.

Damilare has a way of sucking you into a story and keeping you entertained throughout with the humor she provides. I especially love how she gives you the backstory along with connecting it all in the end to Temi doing a check mate 😂😂

🅼🅸🅽🅸 🅱🅾🅾🅺 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆

🍑 𝙊𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝘽𝙞𝙜 𝘽𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙪𝙢 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙏𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬 by Damilare Kuku🍑

▪️ 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: As a Black woman with no big bumbum, I can tell you I relate hard to Témì’s insecurity. In a world where cosmetic procedures are as routine as an eye exam, too many women are trapped in these unrealistic expectations of beauty. I loved how KuKu takes a trivial topic mixes a dose of family drama for a funny, important message about self-love, family, and belonging.

▪️ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲: It’s simple—don’t be swayed to alter your body before you’ve even developed and grown as a woman. Never go through with a cosmetic procedure for someone other than yourself. Self love and confidence pushes bullies upside down and flabbergasted. You are enough. You are beautiful. Period.

▪️𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: Why, yes, of course! Thanks to @everand_us and @harper.audio for audio access. This audiobook is narrated by Weruche Opia. Opia is the narrator behind other great reads like Babalola’s 𝙃𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙚, Onoseta’s 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, and the upcoming novel 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙈𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙇𝙖𝙣𝙙 by Nikki May. I loved every bit of the audiobook—the accent, the passion, and boldness.

▪️𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

▪️𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱: For readers of adult fiction by Nigerian authors, with topics discussing body image and perception, the BBL cultural craze, family drama and sagas, betrayal and lies in marriages, family unity and belonging, and high expectations and beauty standards forced on women and girls.

Big thanks to #partners @coloredpagesbt, @harpervia, and @damilarekuku for the #gifted book and my spot on the tour! Please swipe left on the images to see more about my reading journey.

🏷 #OnlyBigBumbumMattersTomorrowTour #DamilareKuku #ColoredPagesBookTours #gifted #BlackAuthors #bookreview #BooksToRead #Bookish #Bookstagrammer #BookLover #wellreadblackgirl

Thank you Netgalley and Harpervia for the e-Arc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I immediately read the authors debut book before diving into this book. I had such high expectations. I wanted to love it but for me it was just ok. The writing felt a bit jumpy and a bit rushed. I will try the author again.

3.5/5☆

I read Nigerian author, Damilare Kuku's debut short story colletion, "Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad" when it first came out, and loved it. This book is equally as entertaining, and a strong message as well. 
 
Following her father's death, Témì informs her family that she plans to have a Brazilian butt lift. Although beautiful, she feels cursed to have a flat bottom (or bumbum), so unlike that of her mother and sister, and has become obsessed with having the exceedingly popular plastic surgery performed in Lagos to correct it. 
 
As the story unfolds, we meet all the members of her family, and come to know the multitude of secrets and lies that have lived among them since before Témî and her sister, Ládùn were even born. The hypocrisy is mindboggling, and Témì feels justified in doing as she pleases, despite her family's strong opposition, because she feels that they have no room for judgment. 
 
The characters in this novel sparkle and keep the reader turning each page with delight. I especially admired Kuku's message to the younger generation who fall prey to society's expectations to be "perfect and sexy." She asks, "When did perfection become the goal?" She reminds young women, "You are enough."

I knew I had to read this after reading "Nearly All The Men in Lagos are Mad" and falling love with Kuku's writing. This book was hilarious and shocking just like I knew it would be. I was surprised about what I was really getting into. I knew one of the character's, Temi, wanted to enhance her backside but I didn't expect this multi-generational tale. I loved getting all of the family members backstories but at times it got overwhelming and I couldn't keep them all straight. It definitely added to the entertaining nature of the book but at times I found myself questioning if that person's story was relevant overall. I found myself listening to the book in only a few sessions. I devoured it but at the end, I found myself slightly disappointed. Was the issue really resolved? What was the point of this wild ride? Don't get me wrong, I'll definitely read another book from Kuku. I just thought this was gonna be another five star read like NATMILAM and it honestly had the potential to be.

Rating: 3.75/5

Thanks to Harper Via for the eARC and finished copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really loved the authors first book Nearly All the Men in Lagos are Mad even though short stories are not usually my thing. So I was really looking forward to this one.
This one was fun too, but i felt like it was not as good as her first.
That's not to say it wasn't a good read! It really was! I would recommend it for sure.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed Kuku's debut book of short stories, Nearly All the Men in Lagos are Mad. This novel was a fun read, but it does not work as well as her short form, in my opinion.
The second-person narration was not easy for me to get into; When other narrators are added, the book gets a bit challenging to follow.

I appreciated the humor and the relationship between the women in the protagonist's family. It was a good read overall.

Thank you, NetGalley, HarperVia, and Damilare Kuku, for providing an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Damilare Kuku's short story collection Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad and was looking forward to reading this novel. In some ways, because there were multiple points of narration, it could almost be read as interlocking stories. All of the narrators are women in a family. The main character is Temi, who is a student at university who does not like how her body is shaped. She sees the addition that other women get after getting a Brazilian butt lift, and wants one for herself. But the book is really about the relationship between the women- Temi and her sister Ladun who has left home, their mother Hassana and their two of their aunts. Because there are so many perspectives, I did not feel like there was much plot movement in this book, and the viewpoint kept changing from second person to third person to first person depending on the narrator which was a bit of a struggle for me. I enjoyed reading another novel based in Nigeria and I look forward to what Kuku writes next.

Thank you to HarperVia for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

I loved Damilare Kuku's earlier book of short stories, and I had high expectations for this novel. I think perhaps I extrapolated what the book would be about -- a linear story of Temi who wants to get cosmetic surgery, her challenges, the outcome, etc. Instead the story was told from multiple view-points -- all various women in her family -- and didn't focus on Temi and her decision very much at all. The book opens with Temi deciding she wants to do this for herself (based on societal pressure and norms in Nigeria), but then each chapter looks back at her sister, mother and aunts, revealing their own struggles in a male-based society and the secrets they have carried. In this way, it also felt a bit like short stories -- each family member had their own chapters and backstory. It didn't feel like a cohesive novel with a singular plot, but was more an expose of the injustices and pressures placed on Nigerian woman of all ages. I did like the book, it just wasn't what I was expecting. I will happily read whatever Kuku publishes next!