Reviews with content warning for Grief - Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

12 reviews

notapenguin's review against another edition

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5.0

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mariamsaidwhat's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Yinka is immature and seems younger than her thirty-something years. It also feels like I was tricked into thinking this would be a rom-com so I would pick it up. Somehow, I still don’t (totally) mind. It was refreshing to read about someone in her 30s dealing with her insecurities and not being forced into the perfect HEA by the end of the book. I would’ve loved an HEA, but the possibility of something felt more real than any other ending would have.

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taleofabibliophile's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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lgoconno's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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serendipitysbooks's review

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emotional lighthearted reflective medium-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

4.0

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? is a lighthearted read featuring a lovable but flawed protagonist. Yinka is a 31 year old British woman of Nigerian descent whose family is putting pressure on her to marry. To get them off her back she commits to finding a boyfriend to accompany her to an upcoming wedding. But things do not go according to plan. She loses her job, fixates on the wrong man, and makes many questionable choices. But eventually she finds the courage to be true to herself, tell her family how their constant pressure makes her feel, seeks out a job she’s passionate about even if it is in a less prestigious field that her previous one, and maybe, just maybe, finds a guy who might be worth dating.

Despite its overall lighthearted tone this tackled some serious topics including the pressure on women to marry and the problems with family pressure, judgement and comparison in general. Racism and colourism were also tackled, as was the issue of whether people were obligated to be proud of their cultural heritage and what this might look like. This story gets high marks for depicting therapy as a normal part of emotional and mental well-being. I also liked that Yinka was a strong Christian, determined to retain her virginity until marriage, and that she was not interested in imposing her values on others or judging those who believed differently. Such characteristics seem out of the ordinary in contemporary fiction so I found it a refreshing point of difference. I loved the inclusion of an aromantic character, a nice balance to the pressure to marry message. I also liked the inclusion of text messages, post-it notes, computer search histories and planning charts with KPIs. They added a little fun but also provided a quick insight into Yinka’s mind.

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vaniavela's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-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

Yinka, a 30-year-old British Nigerian, has a good job, a big close-knit family and stable friendships. Everything is perfect, isn't it? The only catch is that she is single, and people (including her family) don't seem to let her forget it.

This story covers many topics, such as people's expectations and the pressure our family and culture put on us. It will also highlight some important themes such as colorism, and how it unfortunately influences the way relationships of all kinds (especially romantic ones) are sought and formed.

Yinka feels a lot of pressure from her family, all her friends seem to be getting married or having babies, which leads her to suffer constant comments. It was interesting to read a protagnist who saves her virginity for marriage and tries to be a light drinker.

Now on to negative aspects, I think this book is in the wrong genre. It's fine that there are mentions of religion, but since it covers so many aspects (there's praying, going to mass, even a non-believer character ends up getting into Christianity after making them reflect on it) I think the genre should have been Christian fiction, or at least something other than romantic comedy. It's not even a romance book, it's more of a self-love book. I also didn't like the pop culture references. And lastly, our main character has poor decision making skills, which made me angry at times.

Overall, I think it's a good book.

tw: death of a parent, death of a sibling, racism, mention of dieting, body shaming, cancer, fatphobia, grief.

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2freads's review

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challenging emotional funny reflective medium-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

5.0

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kdailyreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-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

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jessgreads's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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

4.0

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⬜

Title: Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?

Author: Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Author Info: WOC

Setting: Peckham (South London, England

Month Read: January, 2022

Book Type: Hardcover

Publication: 2022

Pages: 384

*January BotM pick

TRIGGER WARNING-

Depression / Colorism / Grief /

"I need to get in touch with who I really am," I say. "Not try to be the person the world wants me to be"

No Spoiler Summary:

Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? is part contemporary fiction, part romance? You follow our lead, Yinka, as she navigates her early thirties void of the passion she is so longing for (and everyone else is embarrassingly longing for for her.) Imagine having a room full of people praying that you find a 'huzband' ---and fast!

Yinka is stuck at a job she doesn't love, mourning a relationship ended years before, and wondering when it will be her turn to get married, have kids, and enjoy the life everyone around her seems to be living. (Well, not everyone --- but most.) The novel is mostly centered around Yinka trying to find a date for her cousin's wedding thats 6 months away, but while we watch her try to achieve her goal, we watch missteps, embarassment, hilarity, sadness, and more within the 384 pages.

Will Yinka find a date to her cousin's wedding? Will she find a huzband? Will people stop publicly praying over her dating life? Well, to get answers you'll have to read and find out.

Review:

I'm really surprised how much I liked this novel, having just read a slightly similar book (Queenie) that I didn't really enjoy. Both books follow Black daughters-or-granddaughters- of immigrants through the London Metropolitan area- but the books tonally couldn't be more different. I think Yinka has such a fresh voice, and despite her failures, you really want to see her succeed by the end of the novel. I love that even at her most pessimistic moments, she still has faith, and she is never bogged down in how sorry she feels for herself. There were so many moments that I think any early something-year-old could see themselves in, especially parts that had nothing to do with the romance aspect of the novel.

The absolute BEST part of Yinka is the supporting characters. There are too many to list, but you know who each and every one of them is throughout the novel-- you never rack your brain trying to remember Auntie Blessing or Big Momma, Donovan or Femi, Nana or Ola-- everyone has such a clear voice, such a clear persona, and you feel like you know each and every one of them-- like you're there. I'd really love a book following Nana, who was probably my favorite throughout the entire novel- she had some of the best lines, and toed the line between being comic relief and a very serious, worried friend perfectly.

Last, but certainly not least- this book really focuses on the power of loving yourself, and I think that especially now this is such a poignant message. I know that postpartum I went through a lot and worked really hard to get back to a place where I felt comfortable in my body-- and a lot of Yinka's inner monologue just really hit me in ways I didn't expect. If anyone reads this book and doesn't have a therapist, they sure will by the end. It's such an important message to send, and furthermore sending the message how counseling and therapy are okay, and great, even- is wonderful. I'm so glad so many characters found what they needed through talking to someone.

Overall, if you like contemporary fiction mixed with a tiny bit of romance- I think this is a book for you. It feels like books I've read before and loved, but gave new life to this specific genre. I'd love to read anything Lizzie Damilola Blackburn writes next and I'm so grateful this was picked up by Book of the Month after all the hype I had been hearing about this. :)

Recommendation:

For books about finding your self worth & also stories of second/third generation immigrants-

Yolk - Mary H.K Choi

Queenie - Candice Carty-Williams

Sankofa - Chibundu Onuzo

For non-white romances:

The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang

Instructions for Dancing - Nicola Yoon

Loveboat, Taipei - Abigail Hing-Wen

The Henna Artist - Alka Joshi

"I realize how freeing it is to say what I think. To stand up for myself."

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