I really enjoyed this book about Yinka, a young woman of Nigerian background, navigating her life against a backdrop of the traditional views of the older generation ie her mother and aunties.

It was funny, warm and touching. With a cast of strong women I really enjoyed this book and would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Witty, brilliant and vibrant read, every millennial who's ever been asked 'So are you courting?' or similar by older relatives will relate to Yinka in this wonderful book.

I loved the pace, with text exchanges and emails that broke up the pages and invited us into Yinka's friendships and working life, this was an excellent modern look at the dating scene, professional life and finding the most important love of all - self-love!

I loved the British Nigerian voices and think this would be brilliant as an audiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Funny and warm, this book was just lovely. I enjoyed the characters and particularly the relationship between Yinka and the women in her life. Yinka's search for a husband also helps her find out who she really is and what really matters to her.

I really enjoyed reading about Yinka, she's a great well-rounded and likeable character, and so are her friends and family! This is a very well written book that is also easy to read and I got through it very quickly. The settings and situations felt very realistic and together with the interesting characters, it made for an engaging read. I look forward to reading more from the author.

3.5 stars. This a traditional romcom with a Nigerian twist. Yinka is an Oxford graduate working for an investment bank. A devout Christian, she is in her early 30’s but in the eyes of her Nigerian mother and aunties, she is very much ‘on the shelf’. To make matters worse, Yinka is going through an existential crisis, wondering what the meaning of life is and filled with self-loathing.

There were moments that were genuinely funny and recognisable, particularly if you are from any kind of ethnic background. There were also episodes where the author tackled issues I was aware of but that were well-handled, such as the additional prejudice faced by dark-skinned black women and issues around body shape and black hair, as well as the politics of the latter. I also loved hearing how the food was made.

What I liked less was the romcom side of things. There were just too many men for a reader to get behind any of them in particular. If the aim was to present a spectrum, then I don’t think that that was convincingly presented. The other thing that I found really disappointing was whilst we are told Yinka is a capable and intelligent graduate from one of our top 2 universities (‘finally, a fantastic fictional role model’, you think) she approaches life like a teenage girl - lying, exaggerating, playing around on apps and social media as though they are new inventions. I was hoping for a kick ass heroine and sadly, I didn’t get it.

A fun read, it just wasn’t quite as good as it could have been.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Penguin General Uk, for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

What a joy! I defy you not to fall in love with Yinka, warts and all. Lizzie writes all ofher characters with such warmth, I wish I could fold myself into her friend group and family. To me, this was the perfect blend of romance, a friendship story, and a coming of age tale - and I absolutely loved learning more about Nigerian culture, particularly the food. I can't wait to see what is next for this author!

A fresh, funny, light & uplifting look about being true to yourself & loving yourself despite family and cultural expectations.

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? is a fun and fast-paced story that follows a newly-made redundant Yinka try to find a date for her friend's wedding in a bid to avoid the inevitable "where is your husband?" question by the community aunties. I loved the South East London rep and reading about some of the places I've grown up around. As a protagonist, Yinka was kind of annoying. She constantly wallowed in self pity, was jealous of her friends' successes and didn't see how her actions could affect others. Having said that, towards the end of the novel I'm glad we could see a change in her mindset and her willingness to be open and honest about her issues with not only herself but with her friends and family too. Overall, this is a great debut novel and I can't wait to read more from this author!

To many, Yinka would be a role model. She graduated from Oxford, and has worked her way up the ladder to a senior position at one of the best banks in the UK. She is by all means, a successful woman in her 30s. To Yinka, and her many aunties, she is not yet married, and thus a failure.

Crumbling under (mostly self-imposed) pressure to find a date to her cousin's wedding, Yinka commences 'Operation Find-a-Date for Rachel's Wedding' to find a regilious man, who is ready to fully-commit.

Looking for a soulmate, Yinka learns about other forms of love; most importantly, self love.

I found Lizzie Damilola Blackburn's writing style very compelling, but the feminist in me struggled with many aspects of Yinka's character, such as her need to please everyone and find a man. This is an issue that is discussed in the book, and was balanced with Nana, Yinka's bestfriend.

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? is perfect for those looking for a romantic light-read.

*Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an Advance Readers Copy.

Yinka is a gem. This book made me laugh out loud so many times, and it is so rare to find a book where the main character is exactly the same age as you, and in the same stage of life. Exploring relationships, marriage, career, societal pressure, families, dating, friends- I loved the way Blackburn places the importance of therapy for both women and men. It is also not portrayed as something to automatically 'fix' you but to add value and ultimately help learn to accept yourself as you are. The exploration of colourism is very interesting and also how this fits in with societies warped beauty standards, I felt like the reconciliation between Ola and Yinka was slightly over explained but otherwise loved the story and it was a pleasure to follow Yinka into a snapshot of her life.

This book follows Yinka, whose family is determined for her to find a husband. I thought that it was a great representation of what it is like being single and having family pressure you to find love and dealing with this.

I did find that at some points I didn't really like Yinka though - she was very judgemental to the point where I wasn't enjoying reading certain parts, and I thought that the ending was rather rushed and predictable.

In a typical Nigerian fashion, Yinka is under a lot of pressure to get married and set up a family. Not to mention that every step in her carrier is monitored by the beady eyes of her mother who inflates things and decorates them so much that the extended family have a distorted picture of who Yinka really is.
I could so see myself in Yinka and couldn't help falling in love with her character. Hilarious, cheerful novel that made me laugh to the top of my voice. To all the Yinkas out there :)
Looking forward to reading more #lizziedamilolablackburn. Thank you #netgalley.

Yinka, the main character of this novel, was a modern day Bridget Jones to me. She shows the readers how difficult it it in this day and age to find true love, especially given the pressure coming from all directions and regardless of of one’s position on coupledom. A great modern novel!

Many thanks to Viking and NetGalley for the E-ARC!

What a smashing debut! Yinka is a character that will stay with you for a very long time but before that you cannot help but fall in love with her. She's so relatable, smart, funny, emotional, ambitious, single and that too in her 30s - which according to her mum and meddling aunts is just not acceptable. It was so easy to follow Yinka's story, her struggles, how she navigates the pressures of being single, finding love and eventually finding herself thanks to Lizzie Blackburn's effortless writing. It was a treat to read, I laughed, cried, cringed and cheered for Yinka. What I loved the most was how Lizzie seamlessly weaves in multiple themes throughout the story from mother-daughter relation, friendship, love, societal pressures and culture.

This is a charming debut, it's heartwarming, hilarious and a perfect book to perfect curl up with. You will love Yinka!

Yinka is a determined, driven Black woman in South London who is healing her heart after a break up and trying to manage her mother’s Nigerian disappointment in her compared with her younger, married and pregnant sister.

She also has a tight knit group of friends, who are all going through their own changes in the book, told via short conversations with Yinka and descriptions in the book. Rachel is getting married, to Yinka’s delight and disappointment, and they are all bridesmaids. Yinka’s goal is to bring a date to the wedding, so she sets about trying to find one.

I think we should all read books about situations and lives that are different to ours, to learn something new and get a little perspective. I don’t live in London although I’ve visited often enough to understand a little about the river divide between North and South (though I’m not sure if the areas are either North or South). I’m also white, and don’t really know a lot about Nigerian language or culture, so I loved learning a little bit about Yoruba, traditional wedding dress, food, family values etc. I looked up some of the terms I didn’t know (like gele) and felt like I gained a little bit of knowledge. I do understand how some people can be put off by doing a bit of extra research but honestly, it’s not hard when you have the internet on your phone.

Operation Wedding Date takes up all of Yinka’s time, and she starts to ignore her friends and uncharacteristically, lie about what she is doing. Her best friend, Nana, and her work colleagues, worry about her and what she’s getting herself into trying to make her Mum proud. In the process, Yinka ignores the eligible young men in front of her in a series of funny and frustrating encounters – I definitely found myself shouting at her to realise the person in front of her could be a good option too!

Clearly, the narrative format lends itself to a comparison to Bridget Jones and her diary – told in first person, Yinka records stats against Operation Wedding Date and it also includes texts and emails in a similar way. I think this is different enough to be a spiritual cousin rather than a remake, in the same way that Bridget Jones is a relation to Pride & Prejudice.

I also think I’d like to spend some more time with Yinka and her friends, and it lends itself well to perhaps being a series of books where we get to know the other women in each one. I definitely want to hear more about Aunty Blessing, Yinka’s QC aunt who has discovered dating sites as a mature woman.

Recommended for anyone who’s felt the pressure to get married and settle down, as well as people who want to see more Black representation or learn more about it. It reminded me in some ways of The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris or Home Coming by Luan Goldie.

Thanks to Netgalley and and Penguin for the DRC – this book has a release date of March 2022 so plenty of time to get your pre-orders in!

Here we follow Yinka a 31 year old Black British-Nigerian who has just been publicly prayed for and humiliated at her sister's baby shower. Being the only single female left in her family and feeling nothing but pressure from her Mum and Aunts, Yinka sets off on a mission to find herself a date for her cousins wedding but in reality all she really needs to find is her true authentic self.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱
- Yinka. Absolutely loved her! You laugh, cry and cringe with her all of the way
- The multi-generational ties
- Cultural links and traditions
-  The relatability of the characters
- The cover. Please do judge this book by it's cover

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱
- The toxicity in some of the friendships. I mean it made the story, I just didn't like them being mean to Yinka.
- Yinkas need to change herself
- That it ended. Honestly, I just loved it.

This is chic-lit at its absolute finest.
More books like this please!

(Huge thank you to @netgalley @penguinukbooks @vikingbooksuk @lizziedamiblackburn for this arc in exchange for an honest review)

And I thought MY mother was desperate for me to find a man to settle down with; at least she didn’t pray for me at a public gathering for all to hear…yet.

I love reading books written by, and written about, people from different backgrounds and cultures to my own - in this case, Nigerian. It really opens my mind to new characters and new ways of life. There was almost a sense of Bridget Jones’s Diary with this book, but with extra spice. Lizzie has written a love story for the modern age. A love story between a man and a woman, between mothers and daughters, between friends, and with ourselves.

I love Yinka and really feel a kinship with her; there’s a lot about her that is true for my own life too. She is hilarious and isn’t perfect by any means. She works hard and she tries, but that doesn’t mean she succeeds at everything. She’s a human being, and humans make mistakes, and that’s what makes life fun.

The writing is so clear and concise, not rambling at all. Everything and everyone is meant to be there. I think some authors, when writing comedy, end up struggling to portray the desired humour and it becomes a bit stilted. But Lizzie has found the right balance and the humour leaps off the page. The writing is so rich that Yinka instantly becomes your best friend and you walk alongside her every step of the way.

It’s hard to believe this is Lizzie’s debut novel as everything about it is so accomplished it feels like it’s been honed by many years of experience.

A fantastic read, funny and so relatable
It portrays the multigenerational ties of identity, self-love and finding your own way

I have no idea Nigerian culture at all but it seems like in every culture, you will have nosy relative asking why you are single.
I dive into this book without any expectation but this book is wonderful story of family, frienship and romance. It made me curious of some Nigerian culture mentioned in the book and I did some learning.

I picked this book up because author Emily Henry compared it to "Pride & Prejudice". And it surely is. Personally, I think it's even better.

Yinka's story was a full journey. Not only we can see ourselves in her struggles in some way, of course, if you're a Black woman like her even more, but I am enthralled by her culture. It's so vivid and colourful and vibrant and amazing. I'm kinda sad that it's not more represented.

I love that Yinka is that kind of character that feels it all, she goes from 0 to 100 and there's no error margin. She hits low and she makes mistakes but she's capable and strong to rise up and finally grow into her own. It was so inspiring to watch her manage every aspect of her life that was giving her pain as well as finally acknowledging that she's enough and lovable as she is.

Truly recommend this book to everyone.