The Nigerwife by Vanessa Walters is one of those novels where the mystery keeps you guessing until the very end. In this book, we meet Nicole and her auntie/surrogate mother, Claudine. When Nicole marries Tonye Oruwari, she trades her life in London to live in her husband’s homeland of Nigeria. Years later when Nicole mysteriously disappears, Claudine travels to Nigeria in an attempt to discover what has happened to her. When she encounters Nicole’s husband and his family, Claudine discovers there seems to be a lack of interest and urgency in the entire family to find out the truth about Nicole’s disappearance. Claudine then sets out on a course of discovery to determine what has happened to her niece. This novel not only gives you a good mystery, the characters, especially Nicole and Claudine are very well developed. We learn about their past together and how events and decisions impacted their relationship. We also learn about the many secrets and prejudices the Oruwari family carries. Against the background of Nigeria and its traditions, superstitions and misogynistic lifestyle, the mystery of Nicole’s disappearance unfolds. I enjoyed this book. Mystery lovers will have fun with this intriguing novel.

The plot twist definitely caught me by surprise, and I loved all the background info on Nigerian culture/Nigerwives, but overall the pacing was a little off and I just wasn’t that intrigued :(

The setting in The Nigerwife is so well-described you can actually feel the swampiness, the suffocating heat, the sweat dripping off of people. The author transports the reader to Lagos while she develops a picture of the culture, today and in the past. The story wraps around the disappearance of Nicole, a Nigerwife (a term for foreign-born women who move to Nigeria with their husbands) who was educated and raised mostly in London and now holds a law degree. After two years of marriage Nicole moves with her husband, Tonye, and their one-year old son back to Nigeria where Tonye was born and raised, to live in the same compound where he' works for his well-to-do father who oversees the family with a strong paternalistic hand.
There are no rose-coloured glasses in this look at Lagos, nor are the Nigerians who populate this novel people one might be interested in getting to know. In fact, no one is who they initially seem to be, even the aunt Claudine who raised Nicole after her mother died of a drug over-dose. Estrangement, greed, what comprises love, friendship -- are all themes in this story.
While most of the characters are well-developed/believable, the question the book leaves me with is how a type-A personality, which Nicole certainly must have been to earn a law degree, how did she turn into a simpering person content to be taken care of, pampered even, with all that is available to the wealthy families of Lagos. Is wealth that seductive??

What I liked:
✨Dual POV/Timelines: I love this format. Nicole narrates the past, and Claudine narrates the present, giving the reader a complete picture of Nicole’s life in London and Nigeria.
✨Cultural Commentary: The Nigerwives feel a little like characters in The Real Housewives of Lagos - social climbers, wealth status, and everyone out for themselves. In the wealthy society of Logos, secrets are more important than the truth, which creates a lonely life for Nicole.
✨Narration: Dami Olukoya and Debra Michaels add depth to the story, create tension within the marriage, and intrigue to the mystery.

If you get a chance to read this one, I highly suggest reading the author’s note before reading the book. The author’s note adds context to the Nigerwives, Lagos culture, and Nigerian history. This context enhances the story.

Good Morning America Book Club Pick for a perfect beach read! I agree! Look at that cover! The reviews are varied so I wasn't sure about it, but let me just say I enjoyed it. I'm not sure if it was the beauty of Nigeria or the actual mystery thriller that caught my attention and held it, but it worked for me. This was a twisted variety of characters.

Nicole lives a perfect life with her handsome Nigerian husband in a beautiful home in Lagos. The whole community is glamorous people the opposite of her life with her troubled family in London.
She now has a nanny and two sons. What she doesn't show on the outside, is darker than her real life!

When she goes missing with some friends on a boat trip, an investigation opens finding fissures in her perfect life. Her Aunt Claudine from London goes on a hunt for her and finds a life quite the opposite of her glamorous facade. It becomes dark through the rest of the story revealing secrets of violence in her life and many consequences to this pristine world.

I enjoyed it although there were times it became lengthy and drawn out, but other than that I could not help myself being drawn into the case and her mysterious egotistical husband.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of those books that was written for television. I believe it will be a better series than read. Parts went in and on when few words could have done the job. Contrived ending.

This is one of those books where if you adjust your expectations, you’ll end up liking it a lot. The publisher has this billed as a thriller, comparing it to My Sister, the Serial Killer and The Last Thing He Told Me. Readers, pay attention to those comparisons because that will tell you the type of book you’re getting into. Yes, I read this quickly, but this isn’t an edge-of-your-seat thriller full of cliffhangers and twists. This is a domestic thriller, and a very good one at that. Its focus is interpersonal relationships and how those relationships are shaped by one’s environment.

I think some people might be upset by the ending, and I was at first. I’m not the biggest fan of epilogues. Usually they are a cop out for plot building, an easy way just to skip to a future ending. But after a lot of thought, this worked for me. If I go back to the author’s purpose and what she has been showing her readers about the country she’s writing about and the interpersonal relationships that result, it might just be the only ending that makes sense.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story takes place mostly in Nigeria, Lagos to be more specific. However, one of the main characters is in almost constant contact with her family members back in her home in England. Claudine travels to Lagos after her niece, Nicole, has disappeared without a trace. Claudine was like a mother to Nicole, and she intends to find out what really happened to the beautiful young mother, even when Nicole's husband and the husband's wealthy family do not seem to be worried about finding her or finding the truth. As Claudine begins asking questions, she begins to uncover secrets and wonder if she can really trust any of the people who were well connected to Nicole. The story line goes back and forth between Before with Nicole narrating and After with Claudine narrating, so readers get snippets of information in order to try to piece together what really happened to Nicole. This is a well-written story with some disturbing themes of familial duty, treatment of women, and aristocratic life. The ending will leave you a bit breathless, as well.

The Nigerwife
By Vanessa Walters
Pub Date May 2, 2023
Atria
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Written by debut author, Walters, I believe this should be classified as more of a slow burn literary mystery. I was very disappointed that it was compared with such interesting thrillers.
Loved the cover! Stunning.
Unnecessarily wordy which I disliked.
3 stars

There was a lot to like about this one. I loved the auntie- she took no crap and was suspicious and tenacious. It did take me longer than I expected to get into this- I thought it was a thriller going in and found it to be more of a slow burn literary mystery. The setting was lush and I like that I was never quite sure who was telling the truth. I enjoyed it!

Yes!! This beautiful cover, incredible artwork, inspiring storytelling needs to be shared with the world. It is rare that storytelling is created in such a manner that evokes emotion with readers and audiences. #thenigerwife #netgalley

What I liked:
1) Dual POV.
2) Set in Africa
3) The overall potential of the plot itself.

What I didn't like:
1) Pace. Way too slow and doesn't pick up until almost 60% in.
2) Writing. Boring, inconsistent engagement and at times, the dialogue felt hollow.
3) Past timeline. Could've been cut down in the first half.
4) The actual execution of the plot.
5) Characters. Lacked depth and connection.
6) The ending. Rushed and quite frankly a hot mess.
7) This isn't a thriller but more a family drama.


A sidenote:
In the blurb, it states "... perfect for fans of My Sister, the Serial Killer and The Last Thing He Told Me."

I disagree with the mention of My Sister, the Serial Killer. It's insinuating that The Nigerwife is also interesting. 🤷🏾‍♀️

On the other hand, just like The Last Thing He Told Me, The Nigerwife has the dual timelines leading up to the disappearance in the presence, family drama and secrets, listed as a thriller when it's not, boring plot and characters, slow pace, etc... They're both unfulfilling stories.


Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a copy for an honest review.

✨ Review ✨ The Nigerwife by Vanessa Walters

This was such an addictive audiobook - I could hardly put it down. The book follows two timelines - the first through Nicole's POV as a wife of a wealthy Nigerian and mother of two kids, and a second later POV from her auntie Claudine who travels from London to Lagos to help investigate Nicole's disappearance.

The twisty story explores Nicole's growing discontent with her marriage and her life in Nigeria as she tries different things to find fulfillment. The book was not only entertaining but also shined light on the problems faced by Niger Wives, women from abroad who married Nigerian men, many marrying into wealth and social status. In addition, Claudine's struggles to investigate Nicole's disappearance reveal problems with finding justice in the wealth-driven upper echelons of Nigerian society.

I found this overall super engaging, and the audio really hooked me in!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: thriller / mystery
Setting: Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
Pub Date: 02 May 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ thrillers with strong women
⭕️ cultural misunderstandings
⭕️ dual POV / dual timeline books

Thanks to Atria and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

I wouldn’t necessarily this book a mystery/thriller but women’s fiction. It was a slow read but beautifully written.

I liked reading this book.
I’m always interested in stories where people go missing and wondering what happened to them.
Claudine’s niece is missing so, although they are estranged, she flies to Nigeria to investigate.
The story is told in the before and after so readers can absorb Nicole’s story as well as Claudine’s because both have quite the baggage of secrets.
The ending was sort of a cliffhanger so will there be a follow up?

Ohhhhh. I love a good mystery that feels real. I feel like I was plopped into this world and was truly on the road to figure out what happened. I’m completely blown away at how gripping this book was!

I wanted to love this one but I just didn’t.

It’s marketed as a thriller but it was more mystery than thrill and I found it quite underwhelming.

In the beginning of it I was invested but after about 25% I started to realize I just wanted it to end. I never connected to any of the characters nor did I feel strongly for them (not even Auntie Claudine) lol..

I think I’d try something else by Walters in the future.

The Nigerwife by Vanessa Walters is a captivating debut novel.
This is how you write a domestic thriller novel.
The story grabbed my attention immediately, but I couldn’t have guessed how engrossing, smart and well-plotted the book would be.
What a wonderfully told story with just enough mystery to keep the reader invested, and also enough character and relationship development to provide drama and suspense.
The suspense is palpable, the mystery deep and compelling.
The plotting is tight, the pacing so pitch perfect it was impossible to put this book down.
The mystery kept me engaged in this domestic thriller, so much so that I was locked in. I didn’t want ti out my Kindle down.
A compelling story of family, secrets and wealth.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The story of Nicole and her disappearance in Nigeria led me down an unexpected path where I was spending my time thinking about all of the cultural differences experienced by the Nigerwives and how isolating it must be to live in a culture so different from the one Nicole grew up in. This novel explores culture, wealth and how wealth can be corrupted, and family trauma. The mystery at the center of the plot kept me turning pages - I liked the timeline of Nicole before the incident more than the timeline of Claudia - her aunt- trying to find her. Overall this story was enjoyable and I would recommend to people who like mysteries and thrillers with more at the heart of the story.

Nigerwife - the foreign wife of a Nigerian husband who takes up residence in Nigeria.

Nicole Oruwari is of Jamaican descent and lived in London until she made the decision to move to Nigeria with her handsome husband, Tonye and her two sons. Tonye’s family, which includes his parents, live in an opulent mansion in Lagos. She is leaving her troubled family home where she has always felt like an outsider although she was among family. The anticipation of a more luxurious and grand life excited her but what she found was more loneliness, isolation and depression. Even being a part of the exclusive “Nigerwives” did not provide the fulfillment she thought she would have being married to Tonye in such a beautiful and lavish city.

Nicole’s life looks so perfect, but a very different picture soon begins to emerge. Nicole disappears after a boat outing in Ikoyi harbor with little details of what happened, or if she’s alive or not. Her aunt Claudine who took on the role of a mother image to her when Nicole’s mother died, travels to Lagos to get answers about Nicole’s disappearance. She is shocked to find that life seems to be moving along fine for Tonye and his family and there was very little investigation into what could have happened to Nicole. Claudine starts her own investigation and learns so much about Nicole’s life, secrets and the stability of her marriage.

THE NIGERWIFE was a slow burn that was quite worldly so I found myself putting down more than I should have. When I did become invested in the story, I found it bottomless and a bit disjointed. I wanted to know more about her life with Tonye before the move to Nigeria, what their life was like in the early stages in her marriage and before kids to see why it was desirable for her to leave her family and move to a foreign country with him. As I learned more about her character, I was not able to empathize with her. I found her a bit messy and I questioned her relationship as a mother as there was very little interaction with her kids. The mystery of her disappearance kept me engaged in this domestic thriller.