An astonishing novel whose brevity belies its depth and emotional range. Ayobami Adebayo’s book, set in and against the political turmoil of 1980s Nigeria, centers around the question, what price will a couple pay to have a child? And how many times, and in how many ways, must that price be paid? Adebayo also explores what it means to have and to be a parent, despite the effects of such circumstances as death, abandonment, infertility, and disease. I could not put this book, which tells multiple stories in spare, moving, suspenseful prose, down. The characters continued to haunt and resonate with me long after I had turned the last page. Book clubs will find much to discuss about STAY WITH ME, which in addition to exploring universal themes, offers a glimpse into Nigerian culture, including the traditional practice of polygamy. STAY WITH ME is a novel worthy of the pre-publication buzz it’s received for its U.S. debut, and exceeded this reader’s expectations. I am grateful to Alfred A. Knopf for giving me the opportunity to read this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I have provided.

Though a relatively simple story, the layers unwrapped throughout the book make Stay With Me a compelling read. Each heartbreaking loss was deeply felt, and each betrayal was hard to take. The ending of the book left me wanting more information and to know how the characters ended up, which I see as a sign of a book well written and characters well developed.

It's not easy being a modern woman in Nigeria. Old customs and family traditions are nothing but a 'pain-in-the ass' for Yejide and her husband Akin. You'd think having a baby was the most important thing in the frickin world! Says who??? Really... says WHO?

I'm aware of the window I was are looking into: a different culture with expectations & obligations in this page turning well written- gut wrenching story...but I laughed and laughed: many times. I found the dialogue hilarious-- THESE PEOPLE ARE NUTS ... I was crackin up!!.....having a wild fun time!!!!
Shame on me for laughing? I don't know - I LIKED THIS BOOK - I ENJOYED BREATHING some humor into the bleakness. I'd like to believe it might have been the author's intention for me to laugh, too. Such a wonderful sense of humor she has - it shows up in her writing.
Plenty of secrets, betrayal, jealousy, grief, anger, .... and love .....
PLUS.......my funny bone was highly stimulated.

Awesome debut novel!
Thank You Netgalley- Knopf Doubleday Publishing- and the 'star' of this book:
Ayobami Adebayo

Hopes were dashed with this one. For the characters and reader alike. Based on the gut wrenching description, and exquisite cover I expected literary prose that would stay with me long after the last page.

The story really begins at what happens along the infertility journey when you wake up and have to decide where do we go from here? Hence, we begin with the second wife. From here, the backstory is provided through alternating perspectives as the present day story unfolds. There are also shifts towards the future some 15 years later.

The characters were flat and oddly constructed. I have experience with infertility, and certain reactions seemed wholly unrealistic due to a lack of depth. Emotions are high and unpredictable when dealing with infertility. The subject matter was explored at an almost superficial.

There was also a good bit of dialogue about the political environment that felt wholly out of place to the story at hand. Young love during a period of political unrest is understandable. But, there would be great deals of ramblings about the military and elections that served no purpose to the story, and did nothing to advance the plot.

This was a quick read, and when I finished I didn't have that feeling. You know what I'm talking about. The feeling you get when you have just finished peering into a novel's soul. And in return, you leave a little bit of yours with it as well. I can see future works by this author definitely getting to that point.

I couldn't get into this book, even after about 70 pages. I need to stop requesting adult books.

My view
This is Ayobamy Adebayo's first novel. I liked the writing, it flowed nicely. Where I found the novel not quite believable I subtracted the 5 it deserved for a 4. When I read a work taking place in a culture I am not particularly familiar with I try to remember our ways and believes might differ which is why I love translated works.
This novel takes place in Nigeria among upper middle class, University educated characters. For the story line to work a certain incident needs to happen, without giving anything away, could such happen?
The main protagonist's Yejide, Akin and Dotun come across well rounded, believable characters, the writing is good, the chapters are easy to follow, taking place in the past and present. Each main character narrates his/her point of view throughout the chapters, very well done.
Even if part of the story line isn't quite believable, sickle cell disease is dealt with heart breaking accuracy, the author introduces this condition within the novel in a beautiful manner.
I liked this novel a lot...my view brings up an incident which in no way should stop anybody from reading "STAY WITH ME "

Highly recommend

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for this arc

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a stunning debut novel, which was on the longlist for the Bailey's Women's Prize for fiction. It tells the love story of Nigerians Akin and Yejide from the 80s through the early 2000's. It is both a complicated and a simple love story told in both their perspectives. In a culture in which polygamy is the norm, this young couple promises to remain monogamous, but can Akin withstand his mother's nagging that he marries another after Yejide fails to become pregnant?

The dual points of view and back and forth timeline could have been confusing, but the author is able to do so seamlessly, and the foreshadowing throughout the novel is well crafted. I thoroughly enjoyed the inclusion of Yoruba customs, traditions and folklore. I would love to read more by this author in the future.

This book was fantastic! It deserved all the praise it received in the UK. The book is about Yejide and Akin and the difficulties they experience in there marriage. This book examines societal pressures about children, being a mother, working through a marriage, the impact of family on a marriage, and so much more.
There were times that I cried, I laughed, and I was completely shocked. This book surpassed my expectations in every way and I cannot wait to get my hands on a finished copy so I can re-read this book and mark my favorite passages. If this is her first novel I cannot wait to see what Ayobami Adebayo does in the future!

Stay with Me by Ayobami Abebayo, a heart wrenching novel set in 1980s/90s Nigeria, almost has the quality of a tragic folk tale. It follows Yejide and her husband Akin, an adoring couple who is struggling to conceive. While they initially shunned the concept of polygamy, Akin faces intense pressure from his family to have children and finally agrees to accept a second wife. The betrayal, jealously and desperation felt by Yejide leaps from the pages. What follows is a series of events that will bestow tragedy after tragedy upon their family. If you are looking for an intense, character-driven read, this debut is certainly worthwhile.

Sadly, Stay With Me feels derivative of Half of a Yellow Sun and other fiction from Nigeria, and Africa in general, that I have read. It is difficult to see what makes it original enough to have been on the shortlist for the Baileys prize for Women's Fiction.

In sparse but always engaging prose, this wonderful debut hooks you right at the beginning, and it never lets you go until the final page. Yejide is dying to get pregnant and in the four years she has been married to Akin, they have been unsuccessful in making it happen. As Yourubas in Nigerian the pressure to have children is great. The pressure on Yejide coming from Akin's family borders on extreme. So, the first of many unwraps comes early in the novel. Akin at the urging of his mother takes on a second wife, despite the fact that Akin and Yejide eschewed the practice of polygamy, vowing not to make it apart of their union.

So Ms. Adebayo has put the reader front and center into the marriage of Akin and Yejide which is in full crumble mode. The novel starts in the present time of 2008 then, she takes us back to their initial meeting and works back to the present to show how we got to a collapsed marriage. She uses Akin and Yejide as alternate narrators to give the readers a balanced look as how the perspective of the marriage failing looks from each party. The heart of this novel clearly is love, and how it looks from various perspectives. As Adebayo works through the various themes in the novel and offers up timely reveals, you will be onboard as an emotionally invested reader supporting Adebayo while trying to wrap your head around Akin's solutions to having children. Adebayo is very convincing in her narrative and storytelling, making the reader a believer and fan page after page. I want to tell you some more about the trials of their marriage but to do so would ruin the pleasant pop-ups that come from reading a great novel. This one will be on 2017 best books of the year. At turns funny, gut wrenching, sobering and thoughtful. A home run. Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced ebook in exchange for a fair and honest review. Book publishes on 8/22/2017.

Interesting read-up because of breezy linear writing and authentic cultural, political interludes. Otherwise the arc is similar to many childless-couple-gone-berserk stories. All the main characters (Yejide, Akin, Dotun) except Funmi felt unreal and untrue.

I simply did not believe this tale. Too many loopholes. How does a university educated, middle class, well-to-do couple not living with their parents, not talk to each other about sex and fertility given their love marriage, the constant negative chatter, threat of polygamy and the husband’s frequent business trips amidst a beautiful wife at home alone, etc. etc. etc.

There are similarities in the dysfunctional and orthodox marital/baby-making experience of Nigerian and Pakistani societies: the superstitions, sages, polygamous solutions, all of it.

Interesting factoid: Nigerian Christians can take up 4 wives too as per tradition - and the wives pay for and raise the kids!

I met the author and grabbed a copy of this stupendous novel at BEA....

This is by far the strongest novel I've read all year. For such a concise novel, she speaks volumes about culture, fertility, marriage. The prose are beautiful and searing, and I was so sad to finish the book. I've told everyone to watch out for this title, and to read it in one sitting as I did. A fantastic debut, and the emergence of a monumental new voice on the literary scene. Bravo!

Lovely novel that sucked me in and never let me go. Highly recommend.

This is a brilliant piece of work! The story follows a married couple in Nigeria who for some reason can't have children and the story begins there. As soon as I started reading about Akin and Yejide Ajayi, I was sucked in. Because of the dual perspectives, I was experiencing their struggles and heartbreak of not being able to have children with them.

The story depicts the things we do for the people we love and how it changes us. I'm literally having a hard time trying to say all the things I want to say, because this book blew me away. I can see why it was shortlisted for the Bailey's Prize.

This is a 5 star read for me. I highly recommend this book to anyone. The storytelling was intricately woven, it kept my interest with the hidden gems that popped into the story at the right time, and the characters were phenomenal. Read it, please! You will not regret it!

At the risk of sounding cliche, Adebayo is truly a "stunning new voice in fiction." This novel is told from dual perspectives, and Adebayo achieves the rare feat of making each voice just as powerful, nuanced and sympathetic as the other. Readers should be prepared to accompany these characters to the very highest of highs and lowest of lows on their journey of marriage and parenting. The setting of late 20th-century Nigeria introduces a specific set of cultural norms and traditions that add an additional layer to the novel, and despite the emotional roller coaster this book will take you on, you won't want it to end.

A gripping story of a two people caught up in the pressure around them. Tender and moving, we see husband and wife struggle to accommodate the demands made by their families without risking their marriage. And even though the book is not without flaws - the plot twists are too predictable at times and the voices of husband and wife are often hard to distinguish - for a first novel the book is an accomplishment. I can't wait to read whetever Adebyo writes next!

I'm not sure what to say about this book. it just got weirder and weirder, harder and harder to relate too. Eventually, I just put it down. Since I did not finish the book, I do not intend to publish a review.