Thanks # netgallery for this book in exchange for an honest review. I struggled through the first quarter of the book and just couldn't get into it. I had read a lot about it prior so I kept reading. I'm glad I finished. Excellent story about friendship and women's experiences with work, family and relationships. Recommended

The marketing of this book does it a disservice. This is *not* a thriller. It *is* a suspenseful look at a group of friends, one that starts off light and gossipy, and slowlyyyy circles the drain into dread. The relationship(s) and secrets between the characters were really well written, and while the end wasn't a surprise, the journey was worth it.

This started out as a story between friends. Slowly as a new character was added and friendships were strained, this loss of friends over time seemed to be the theme. The book took a sharp twist into thriller when new motives were introduced. I can't wait to read more from Nikki May.

Not necessarily the easiest book to read when life is busy or you’re in a reading slump but an excellent story.

Grateful I read it on my Kindle which helps with pronunciation and word translations. I needed that a lot reading this story.

I did not expect the ending. It’s upsetting that not all the characters got the ending they deserved. That’s all I will say not to spoil the story.

Loved the plot! The core three were amazing until they met the bad apple. Truly important to listen to elders and trust your gut. I would recommend this story to friends. So grateful the artwork lured me in.

Boo, Simi and Ronke, three best friends, are each in a different place in adulthood - dating, married without children and married with children. When Simi's childhood best friend finds her the drama begins. This book was a little slow in the beginning but overall well written. The ending came as a complete surprise too.

This was entertaining and well written. I love drama in my books rather than my real life and this delivered. I didn’t love the characters and felt there were some pacing issues, but it was still a fun read. Thanks for the galley!

Simi, Boo and Ronke are inseparable best friends. Living their imperfect lives, struggling with regular life…work, relationships and families. Always have each others backs.
Along comes Isobel, an old friend from Simi’s childhood. She immediately insinuates herself into the trio’s friendship, but is she a true friend or a manipulative wrecking ball?

Wonderful characters. Great Nigerian references, yes I had to google a few words!

Fabulous read, couldn’t put it down. What a crazy ride!

I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own. Thank you Harper Collins and Netgalley

Wahala is set in London and centered around this group of friends, Ronke, Simi, Boo. When they met, their shared experiences drew them together. As the years have gone on, they have gone on different paths, but still remained close friends. When Isobel enters the group, Boo and Simi quickly follow her lead while Ronke remains suspicious. Slowly, cracks begin to form in the group.

Each chapter switches between the main characters allowing us to get to see their perspectives while also getting to see exactly what was going on with Isobel and how she could possibly be up too.

The backgrounds of each character was interesting. They each had their own thing going on and where clearly really fleshed out. I loved seeing their different backgrounds and how that affected not only the character, but the group itself. It made their dynamic a little difficult, but also fabulous as they all tried to figure out how to mesh their backgrounds and wants that are now starting to clash a little bit.

While I did like how they were all trying to navigate Isobel and how they were starting to clash with one another, it did become a little repetitive. There was a lot of communication issues that caused a lot of the drama through the book and really pushed the thriller aspect to the end of the book.

Wahala was a good read. I had a good time, but I do wish that it was a little less repetitive.

I considered DNFing this book but pushed on in the hopes it would get better. Sadly, I didn’t like any of the characters. They were mean, whiny, annoying, overly dramatic, and lacked depth. The overall story bored me and certain aspects just really bothered me. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me.

Excellent read! The characters are unforgettable and carefully developed. I could not put this book down. I’m definitely giving this another read!

Wahala means trouble and boy does it ever in this book about three women who were friends until a fourth comes along and makes things interesting. Each of these women have a connection to one another and all are going through different experiences in their lives. Boo is married and has a child. Ronke is dating and would like to be married and have a child. Simi is married and her husband wants a child but she is sure if she is ready for one right now.

For a debut novel, Nikki May does a really good job of keeping the book interesting. I had a difficult time putting the book down and kept wanting to know what would happen with these three women.

I don't want to spoil the story so you will need to read for yourself about the trouble that gets stirred up between these women and threatens to destroy each of their happiness. Great book!

QUICK TAKE: I was into WAHALA for probably 75% of the book...the drama, the soap, the characters. But the ending completely ruined it for me...half-baked and so underwhelming without any closure or reader satisfaction. It ultimately affected my final rating on this one. Too bad.

nteresting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Predictable and honestly it was a struggle to keep my interest. Way too long. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a great book - light, funny, with a little twist. A lively book about female friendships. I think readers will enjoy it and liken it to a sort of Sex and the City type read.

This novel is billed as comic and/or satirical. I found it to be neither. A mean and mean-spirited book which felt very misogynistic to me. Not a book I would recommend.

Three best friends who share a half British, half Nigerian background have their friendship upended when Isobel is introduced into the group. Simi knew Isobel from Lagos when they were kids, but now Simi lives in London with her husband Martin. Boo is married to Didier and has a daughter Sophia, struggling with the rut of being home and only working two days a week. Ronke is a dentist, in a serious relationship with Kayode, even though her friends don’t trust him as they feel negatively about Nigerian men. Isobel is like a storm that blows in and everything begins to change. I really liked the characters, the story line, and couldn’t put it down. Enjoyable and well written, recommended. Thanks to Neygalley for the ARC.

This book was such a shocker! It follows 3 close friends who have been friends for an incredibly long time. Everything was good until one of them introduces a fourth and it really throws a wrench into all of their relationships. I loved the drama aspect and the fact that you expected a certain ending and you were completely wrong. This book did a great job of being a book of drama, but also intertwining power dynamics that make everything feel like a thriller. I was hoping for more twists and shocking events throughout- but overall this was a great debut.

I looked up Wahala and found that it means trouble in Nigerian. And boy is there trouble. In addition, it’s about friendship, trust, loyalty, secrets and betrayal. I was drawn in right from the start. It centers around three Nigerian women living in London. I know next to nothing about Nigeria, so the rich culture sprinkled through the book kept me interested. But it is really the complex characters and their relationships that kept me turning the pages. The author does a great job expressing her own voice and making it relatable to those outside her voice.

I kept seeing Wahala compared to Sex and the City. I was such a huge fan of the original show. And I must say this is so like the show and not really at all. All at once. If that makes sense. And while sometimes billed as a thriller, this is really an OwnVoices drama. There is a slight mystery that you don’t even realize is occurring until it unfolds late in the book.

This is a solid debut novel with a spectacular cover. It’s honestly the reason I first noticed the book. You should check out the lives of Boo, Simi and Ronke and let them entertain you.

Wahala translates as trouble, but by the end of Nikki May’s remarkable debut, trouble is a major understatement of what happens.

Three mid-thirties Anglo Nigerian women (Ronke, Simi, and Boo) are long time best friends who live in London. Then Simi’s childhood friend Isobel shows up and insidiously weaves her way into their friendship and their individual lives. Isobel is a master at learning the friends’ secrets, even the secrets they keep from each other. She carefully rations out those secrets to divide the three friends and seek revenge for events that aren’t revealed until late in the book. And while Isobel’s evil machinations propel the plot, the exploration of the lives of Ronke, Simi, and Boo individually and together was equally compelling. And the descriptions of Ronke’s food - oh it made me so hungry!

I highly recommend “Wahala” and look forward to whatever Nikki May writes next.

My review was posted on Goodreads on 2/7/22.

An enjoyable look at female friendship with a really surprising ending! The characters are clearly drawn and I found myself immediately hooked in their lives. Now I need to find someone else who has read this so I can talk about the ending!