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jennikreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, and Abortion
Moderate: Gun violence and Suicidal thoughts
shayrawd's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, and Police brutality
ivannna_u's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The enduring friendship between Funmi, Zainab and Enitan is what makes this book utterly engaging. Their personalities are so different but their connection so deep, which really becomes apparent when we begin to learn more of their history. I loved each of these women for different reasons, and I was hungry to learn everything about them that the book could offer.
Speaking of hungry, if you read this and don't find yourself Googling all the amazing dishes that are mentioned, then we probably can't be friends. From puff puff to efo to jollof rice to pounded yams, the food is so beautifully described I swear my mouth was watering. The way Nigerian cuisine and culture is so beautifully wrought throughout was just wonderful to read.
It's so interesting to start the story in 2015, when each woman has been through so much already, and then to travel back to the late '80s and see how much they each changed because of the events that surrounded them. The way Enitan is torn between her love for her friends and her desire to stop being seen as the lease independent of them; Zainab's passion for literature and her dream of becoming a writer; Funmi's fierce independence borne of a lonely childhood, that transforms into something so unexpected. I was absolutely hooked by this story from the beginning.
Speaking of hungry, if you read this and don't find yourself Googling all the amazing dishes that are mentioned, then we probably can't be friends. From puff puff to efo to jollof rice to pounded yams, the food is so beautifully described I swear my mouth was watering. The way Nigerian cuisine and culture is so beautifully wrought throughout was just wonderful to read.
It's so interesting to start the story in 2015, when each woman has been through so much already, and then to travel back to the late '80s and see how much they each changed because of the events that surrounded them. The way Enitan is torn between her love for her friends and her desire to stop being seen as the lease independent of them; Zainab's passion for literature and her dream of becoming a writer; Funmi's fierce independence borne of a lonely childhood, that transforms into something so unexpected. I was absolutely hooked by this story from the beginning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Abortion, and Abandonment
Moderate: Miscarriage and Sexual content
Minor: Self harm
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thanks to AA Knopf for the free advance copy of this book.
- DELE WEDS DESTINY is a beautiful character study of three wildly different women, whose friendship has endured across decades, distance, and differences.
- I was quite engrossed in their stories, particularly once we got to the flashback section and found out where the cracks in their relationships began.
- However, I found the ending totally abrupt. Not only did the book end at the climactic moment, but hardly anything that was unearthed in the flashbacks was addressed in the present day, and not in any let's-work-through-it sort of way. It was just told to us and then left there. I found it to be a bit baffling for a story and characters that had such promise.
- DELE WEDS DESTINY is a beautiful character study of three wildly different women, whose friendship has endured across decades, distance, and differences.
- I was quite engrossed in their stories, particularly once we got to the flashback section and found out where the cracks in their relationships began.
- However, I found the ending totally abrupt. Not only did the book end at the climactic moment, but hardly anything that was unearthed in the flashbacks was addressed in the present day, and not in any let's-work-through-it sort of way. It was just told to us and then left there. I found it to be a bit baffling for a story and characters that had such promise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse, Rape, Self harm, and Alcohol