I admit that I went into reading DAUGHTER IN EXILE without knowing much about the synopsis, and was so glad that I did.

The story follows a Ghanaian woman who decides to come to the US, and the immigration process she must go through. It was mind blowing to think that the process was so hard, and my heart went to Lola.

I thought the narration of the audiobook was great, and it pulled me into the story even more.

*many thanks to Harper Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Daughter in Exile written by Bisi Adjapon is a thought-provoking novel about the realities of being an undocumented immigrant in America. Lola is twenty-one and thriving in Dakar, Senegal in the mid 90s. She met and falls for Armand, an American Marine stationed at the US Embassy. He persuades her to move to the US to be with him and the finds herself pregnant and alone in New York. What follows is Lola's struggle to carve out a life for herself and her child in a strange, new place.

Adjapon's writing style is engaging and emotive and she creates relatable characters that the reader will quickly become invested in. Lola is young and naive and once she gets to America, she has to eek out a living in a place that proves to be hostile to Black People.. To add insult to injury, she doesn't have a job, place to stay nor the money to buy a ticket home to her family in Ghana.

On the downside, I felt too many obstacles were placed in Lola's path. I cannot imagine how anyone could handle so much despair without breaking. Also, I was hoping we would hear more from Armand and can't help but feel cheated there was no closure with his situation.

Overall, this is a 5 star read as I was all in my feelings long after the last page. If you liked The Girl with the Louding voice, you will appreciate this book.

Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for a complimentary copy.

“A name isn’t just a name. It’s my family, my dignity.”

Thank you Bisi Adjapon, Harper Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Lola is twenty-one, and her life in Senegal couldn't be better. An aspiring writer and university graduate, she has a great job, a vibrant social life, and a future filled with possibility. But fate disrupts her world when she falls for Armand, an American Marine stationed at the U.S. Embassy. Her mother, a high court judge in Ghana, disapproves of her choice, but nothing will stop Lola from boarding a plane for Armand and America. That fateful flight is only the beginning of an extraordinary journey, for she has traded her carefree life for the perilous existence of an undocumented immigrant. Lola encounters adversity that would crush a less determined woman. Her fate hangs on whether she'll grow in courage to forge a life different from the one she'd imagined, whether she'll succeed in putting herself and her family together again.

This book was gut-wrenching, but also inspiring and heartwarming. I found myself rooting Lola and wishing she could just catch a break. I don’t want to spoil the book, but I definitely recommend giving this book a read. If you’re looking for a book about a woman who will do what it takes to survive and shows just how strong a mother’s love is, this is the book for you.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lola is twenty one and so far life is good. She’s living in Senegal, has a good group of friends, and is dating a handsome American man. When she falls in love, she decides to move to the USA to be with him. Life in America is nothing like Lola planned though and she must overcome a lot to find her way.

Lola’s story brings up a lot of emotions. As a reader, I felt frustrated, angry, and sad for her. There is so much she goes through the feels so unfair. I thought the author really captured what the American immigration system is like.

I did listen to part of this on audiobook and I have to say that the narrator was a mix of good and bad. Her narration of Lola’s parts were all quite good, but her narration of any other characters was extremely distracting. Her impressions of various accents are cliche and melodramatic stereotypes. The volume between the main character and supporting characters was different too. Just a strange audiobook choice for me, so I would suggest reading it instead of listening to it.

All in all, I thought this was a decent book. I enjoyed learning about Ghanaian culture and Lola’s story was moving.

I recently listened to 𝗗𝗔𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗜𝗡 𝗘𝗫𝗜𝗟𝗘 by Bisi Adjapon. It’s the story of a college educated Ghanaian woman who finds herself in the United States after falling in love with an American Marine. She’s pregnant and he’s made promises. Promises that he fails to keep, leaving Lola to fend for herself. The story itself was good even though it felt a little YA to me. That was mainly because of the rapid rate at which problems were thrown in Lola’s path and quickly resolved, often by kind people in the community around her. A few times, this would have felt plausible, but it felt less so the more it happened.⁣
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The bigger issue with this audiobook for me was the narrator, who I’m choosing not to mention. Her narration of Lola was great. A gentle voice, solid and easy to listen to. But, when she did other voices? Nails on a chalkboard. She screeched, she screamed, she did weird deep ramblings, she turned them into caricatures rather than characters. I had a print copy and should have stopped the audio, but I also had a lot going on where I needed to be listening rather than reading, so I soldiered on. It was painful and for that reason, I’m skipping a rating on this one, but I am curious to hear what other readers have thought of it.⁣
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Thanks to @harperviabooks and @harperaudio for advanced copies of #DaughterInExile.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a great reminder how difficult the immigration process can be in the US. Lola leaves her family in Ghana to follow her love, Armand, to the US. She finds herself pregnant and he isn’t who she expected him to be. Her mother doesn’t agree with her choice and tells her she is not allowed to come back home to Ghana. The strength of Lola throughout was remarkable. She is determined and never gives up, even when life doesn’t go as planned. There were one or two scenes that I questioned why it was in there. They seemed odd and out of place. The character development was outstanding, and the storytelling was incredible. I was rooting for Lola the entire time. This would be a fantastic read for book clubs as there are so many topics to discuss. The ending had me in tears. This read was emotional, heart-breaking, and hopeful.

𝗗𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝗹𝗲
𝗕𝘆 @𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗱𝗷𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗻
𝟰𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝟭/𝟯𝟭/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 -- 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄!

🎧 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:
𝟭𝟭 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝟱𝟵 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀
𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘄𝗮𝗮 𝗕𝘂𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲

📖 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸
Twenty-one-year-old Lola is living her best life in Senegal, until she meets and falls for Armand, an American Marine stationed at the U.S. Embassy. Lola decides to leave her home country and follow Armand toward a new life in the United States. But life in America is not at all what Lola signed up for, and the plans she and Armand had made shatter into a million pieces. An unexpected surprise makes everything even more difficult, and the stakes even higher. Poor Lola runs into obstacle after obstacle, getting burned at every turn, and experiences stigma, racism and gross ignorance at the hands of Americans. Stranded in the U.S. with nobody in her corner but herself, Will Lola be able to pull herself out of this horrible situation, despite the tower of cards stacked against her?

💭 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
Daughter in Exile has it all! It's culturally-rich, timely, and important, with lively, vibrant, authentic characters. Lola will find her way into your heart and stay there long after you finish reading.

I read Daughter in Exile in print + audiobook and really enjoyed both formats! The narrator was able to perform a wide range of accents. This character-driven novel is a tragically realistic portrayal of the experiences of undocumented immigrants, as well as a testament to the strength and willpower of women. 💪🏻 Lola is an inspiration and this book was a great read! 💕

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Audio for my gifted ALC. Review has been posted to IG and Goodreads.

Good story. It started strong but as it reached the middle, it was exhausting to read Lola experience so much trauma back-to-back. However, I am glad it was written because I am sure real immigrants have experienced this treatment. The writing was descriptive and lengthy. The narrator did an excellent job of bringing each character to life - specifically with each voice truly embodying the persona of the characters. 3.5 stars but rounding up for ratings.

Lola welcomed me into her home, pulled up a chair, gave me a warm cup of tea and told me her story. It's one I'll never forget and will think of often.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Summary: 21 year old Lola, from Senegal, has a head full of plans and a heart full of dreams for her life. What she didn't anticipate was falling in love with the wrong man, getting on a flight to America and leaving everything and everyone she knew and loved behind. Once she arrives in America, nothing goes as planned and the path that life takes is full of obstacles, broken hearts and babies. Determined to go back to her homeland, she works hard trying to save money and get her Visa. She is determined to leave a mark and make her own way! This is a story of the love for family, the drive to work hard, and the sacrifices made to achieve what seems impossible.

Pace: Slow-Medium

I listened to the AudioBook Version of this book and I feel that the narrator, Anniwaa Buachie, pulled me into this story in a way that I wouldn't have experienced reading the physical book. I felt like I was in Lola's home, sipping tea and listening to her tell me her life story. I found myself so frustrated that nothing seemed to go her way, and thinking how unfair her life was. Only to realize this is the plight of so many, and they aren't fiction, their stories are real. This book seems as though it is a voice for those who've made this journey. We see that Lola overcomes so much but none of her pain and grief is minimized. There are real themes; raw relationships, complicated family dynamics, being an undocumented immigrant, being taken advantage of, experiencing racism and ignorance... it's all here. Lola shows us that we can get back up and face the darkness because we all have a bright light inside us.

Bisi Adjapon's writing is stunning. I have not read The Teller of Secrets, but guess what I bought immediately? I fell in love with the soul in her story-telling and I have a feeling this will be one of my top reads of 2023!

I requested this ARC and I'm so glad because I don't know that I would have discovered it. Such a special story. Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio!

#daughterinexile #netgalley #Bisiadjapon

Thank you to Harper Audio for the review audiobook copy of Daughter in Exile by Bisi Adjapon. This book is narrated perfectly by Anniwaa Buachie; the different voices, pacing/tone setting, and of course cultural nuance was excellent and I think make this book stronger.
The story itself is engaging, thought provoking, and a necessary reminder that the lives of immigrants remains so unknown, indeed undocumented in so many ways, and calls into question what it means to leave a country but not to leave one's identity (and yet be asked to not celebrate that identity but be punished for having it). The story is heartbreaking but also filled with determination. I highly recommend this as a wonderful option for inclusive focused book clubs and for fans of books such as Infinite Country.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. I learned a lot about Ghana and its culture and people. The author developed the characters very well and wrote believable. strong dialogue.
Many times throughout listening to this book, I felt so sorry for Lola. "That poor woman!" I exclaimed out loud as something else in her life turned into a disaster. That type of reader involvement results from great storytelling a character development. I felt as though I knew Lola. I cared about her, wanted her to succeed and wanted to step in and help her.
I would recommend this novel for reading groups. There is so much here to discuss. I would also like to use this novel as an ESL book club selection. My students would enjoy reading about Lola's experiences in the US.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Daughter in Exile by Bisi Adjapon is a story filled with hope.
The story centers on Lola an aspiring writer with a great job whose life comes unraveled when she falls in love with an American Marine. When her mother disapproves of her choice in men their relationship is tested.

This story about mother love and what defines most women, cuts straight to the heart.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the audio ARC in exchange for my review.