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tymcarter's review against another edition
4.0
This was a heartbreakingly good book! Adebayo does such a great job of roping you into the character’s emotions as if they are long time friends sharing their stories with you. As someone who does not come from a culture of polygyny, it was hard for me to wrap my head around the idea as the novel unfolded. I couldn’t imagine vying for a husband’s attention within a house full of other wives wanting the same thing.
Adebayo also does a wonderful job of peeling back the layers hidden beneath intrusive in laws and the pressure on women to have children. There are plenty of twists and turns in the story, but the one that binds everything together is the one least talked about within the realm of infertility. Overall, this was a good book and a quick read that will leave you wanting more.
Adebayo also does a wonderful job of peeling back the layers hidden beneath intrusive in laws and the pressure on women to have children. There are plenty of twists and turns in the story, but the one that binds everything together is the one least talked about within the realm of infertility. Overall, this was a good book and a quick read that will leave you wanting more.
amdoyle89's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. A lot happened without the scenarios being super drawn out and too detailed, except when it got to the end. I wasn’t a fan of the end which is why I gave 4 stars.
juliaeconner's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tiredenglishteacher's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Adebayo is a genius. Her work so beautifully highlights the depths of pride, love and grief. Masterful
exploration of the human experience. Astounding that this is a debut novel. This book created a small hole in my heart.
exploration of the human experience. Astounding that this is a debut novel. This book created a small hole in my heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
marci_in_maine's review against another edition
5.0
What a beautiful book. The language is simple yet so lyrical and I felt like I knew the characters so intimately so quickly. I read it over a weekend and my only complaint is that it wasn’t longer because I didn’t want to leave this world.
vchavoya3's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aa2q7's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the exploration of this particular couple's relationship, but when I was finished, I was left thinking that all the mess in the book could've been avoided if Akin had been honest and vulnerable with the person he pledged to whom he pledged his life and love. Akin betrays his wife repeatedly, so some of the spoilers were really no surprise.
Some plot spoilers so I don't forget all the twists and turns that happened in this book:
Some plot spoilers so I don't forget all the twists and turns that happened in this book:
Spoiler
The whole reason Yejide can't get pregnant is because Akin is impotent but he just tells her that some men stay soft, and that's fine! She gets pregnant by Akin's brother, a scenario Akin has setup without Yejide's knowledge (though she consents to the affair). Two of her children die from sickle cell, and she disappears for years before realizing her third child survived into young adulthood.jwtindall's review against another edition
4.0
I can’t really wrap my head around this one. The story was so heart wrenching and frustrating that I read it quickly, but now I’m also sad it was over so soon. I’m giving it 4 (3.5) stars because I think it deserves it (the slow reveals through the time jumps were superb), but I still don’t quite know how I really feel about it as a whole. I’m left wanting more. Beautiful but just hard.
christinamapes's review against another edition
4.0
This story is heartbreak after heartbreak, but it's so engaging and beautifully written. I loved the alternating POV, well-developed characters, and time period. I can't believe this is a debut novel!
I received this book from NetGalley for review purposes.
I received this book from NetGalley for review purposes.
reidob's review against another edition
4.0
I always approach reviewing books based in another culture with great trepidation. Though I enjoyed Stay With Me very much indeed, it is always my fear that, as a white American male, I may be entirely missing the point of a novel that is primarily about the travails of a Nigerian woman.
Nonetheless, what makes this book so compelling is not so much rooted in the culture in which it occurs as it is the universality of the struggles we face when our hopes and dreams cannot be fulfilled. It is this which makes it possible for me to feel I can write this review with a clear conscience.
Yejide wishes desperately to have children. In her culture, this is a measure of the value of a woman's existence. Though she is college-educated and a successful business woman in her own right, she still does not feel she can be fulfilled without this badge of her fullness as a woman. To this end, she tries many cures and other ways, both in Western and traditional medicine, to achieve this end. Without engaging in any spoilers, it is fair to say that she meets with mixed success. Finally, a solution is found that is not entirely to her liking, nor that of her husband, but still seems to give her what she most passionately desires. As with so many Faustian bargains, however, this does not turn out entirely as she wishes.
But what gives this wonderful book its power is not the dry facts of the plot, but the wondrous and vibrant nature of the characters Adebayo so skillfully creates and nurtures. Very little seems contrived or unnatural to these characters, no matter how extreme their actions. At a few points the reader is inclined to scratch his or her head and wonder about the overwhelming power of denial or naivete (or both), but even these moments serve to enrich rather than detract from this compelling story, a story that transcends the culture in which it is based and speaks to universal truths of our existence as human beings.
Overall, a very auspicious debut. I will look forward to reading future offerings from this author with great relish.
Nonetheless, what makes this book so compelling is not so much rooted in the culture in which it occurs as it is the universality of the struggles we face when our hopes and dreams cannot be fulfilled. It is this which makes it possible for me to feel I can write this review with a clear conscience.
Yejide wishes desperately to have children. In her culture, this is a measure of the value of a woman's existence. Though she is college-educated and a successful business woman in her own right, she still does not feel she can be fulfilled without this badge of her fullness as a woman. To this end, she tries many cures and other ways, both in Western and traditional medicine, to achieve this end. Without engaging in any spoilers, it is fair to say that she meets with mixed success. Finally, a solution is found that is not entirely to her liking, nor that of her husband, but still seems to give her what she most passionately desires. As with so many Faustian bargains, however, this does not turn out entirely as she wishes.
But what gives this wonderful book its power is not the dry facts of the plot, but the wondrous and vibrant nature of the characters Adebayo so skillfully creates and nurtures. Very little seems contrived or unnatural to these characters, no matter how extreme their actions. At a few points the reader is inclined to scratch his or her head and wonder about the overwhelming power of denial or naivete (or both), but even these moments serve to enrich rather than detract from this compelling story, a story that transcends the culture in which it is based and speaks to universal truths of our existence as human beings.
Overall, a very auspicious debut. I will look forward to reading future offerings from this author with great relish.