About the Book
Meet Yinka: a thirty-something, Oxford-educated, British Nigerian woman with a well-paid job, good friends, and a mother whose constant refrain is “Yinka, where is your huzband?”
Yinka’s Nigerian aunties frequently pray for her delivery from singledom, her work friends think she’s too traditional (she’s saving herself for marriage!), her girlfriends think she needs to get over her ex already, and the men in her life…well, that’s a whole other story. But Yinka herself has always believed that true love will find her when the time is right.
Still, when her cousin gets engaged, Yinka commences Operation Find-A-Date for Rachel’s Wedding. Aided by a spreadsheet and her best friend, Yinka is determined to succeed. Will Yinka find herself a huzband? And what if the thing she really needs to find is herself?
Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? is a fresh, uplifting story of an unconventional heroine who bravely asks the questions we all have about love. Wry, moving, irresistible, this is a love story that makes you smile but also makes you think–and explores what it means to find your way between two cultures, both of which are yours.
My Review
A reason I enjoy reading so much is books having the ability to expand my mind and offer me knowledge through the words of the author and characters. While I would describe this as a romantic comedy, there are several elements that make it unconventional and modern, focusing just as much on being in love with yourself as well as others. Yinka straddles between two cultures, which makes finding a partner – or huzband, as often referred to in the story – extremely difficult and she now finds herself in her thirties still not married, not common in the Nigerian culture. She is saving herself for marriage – not exactly common for an American, especially according to her friends – and often feels unsure of herself and her place. With her cousin’s wedding coming up, Yinka feels the pressure to not attend alone and single once again – but can she really find a huzband or even boyfriend when she hasn’t found herself yet?
The story did start out a little slow for me and I worried I wouldn’t be able to click with the characters enough to keep me invested. I’m glad I stuck with it because just a few chapters in and I was happily immersed in Yinka’s journey to self-love and possibly real love, her aunties making me giggle and the use of her spreadsheets giving me a good chuckle. It felt relatable even though I don’t come from a similar background, and because of that I also learned a lot about the Nigerian culture. This debut novel is one not to miss for your spring reading list!
4 stars
