3.75 stars rounded up! The non-linear structure of this book initially made my head spin, but once I got a handle on the characters, I was sucked into the family's relationships. Tochi Eze draws the reader deep into questions of generational trauma, mental health, and the lasting effects of these on people and their descendants.

The pacing did feel a bit slow at first, and the character development could be a bit uneven. I wanted to know everything about some characters and others I could sort of take or leave. Still, those minor issues were mostly eclipsed by the depth of the story overall. Two days after finishing, I’m still thinking about the history, family dynamics, and cultural aspects of this book. This is a good debut and I’m eager to see what she writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Sorry, this just wasn't my cup of tea. I read almost half, but there wasn't enough to maintain my interest and I decided to set it aside unrated rather than persist and then provide a low rating on Goodreads (forced to rate here). Maybe if the promised mystery had developed a little quicker I could have got on board.

honestly, i’m devastated to say that this book was just not for me.

from the synopsis, the themes expected to play throughout this book had me curious and interested but the pacing in order to build the story didn’t hook or hold my attention. normally, multiple perspectives and timelines don’t leave me feeling confused, but truly i felt overwhelmed trying to remember who said what, to who and when. the characters weren’t filled in early enough for me to have a clear picture in my head of what they looked like, which i think also dampened my ability to move forward with the story versus how i felt tugged down against it.

i hope that one day i pick this book back up and give it another try…

Pub Date August 5 2025

ARC provided by Dutton, Tiny Reparations Books and NetGalley. Thank you.

review posted to NetGalley & Goodreads

This Kind of Trouble by Tochi Eze
Publication Date: August 5/25

A compelling debut novel exploring family, community and the invisible threads of history. This is a powerful multigenerational novel that follows a family’s attempts to outrun a curse placed on their ancestors. Spanning Nigeria, London and the US, the story centers on Benjamin and Margaret, whose passionate romance is overshadowed by their tribal clan who forbids their marriage due to tragic events that befell their grandparents.

Initially the forbidden love feels heady and tantalizing, but it slowly unravels into something darker. Margaret begins to feel the heavy weight of the ancestral curse. Is it the anger of the ancestors or is it a slow devolution of her mental health? Benjamin unwilling to support the changes he is witnessing in Margaret, abandons her and his young daughter. Decades later, he is reluctantly drawn back into their lives when Margaret becomes convinced that the curse is now threatening their grandson, Chuka.

Eze’s novel is rich with themes of identity, family, community and duty. Margaret emerges as a
fierce independent woman - one who builds a successful career and raises a child alone during a time when single motherhood was heavily stigmatized. The novel explores the complexity of family relationships especially within the communal traditions of Igbo-Nigerian culture, where the boundaries between life, death, spirits and ancestors are deeply intertwined.

The novel skillfully shifts between three timelines: the era of British colonization in the early 1900’s in Umumilo, the ill fated love story of the 1960’s, and the present day urgency surrounding Chuka. Through these interwoven narratives, Eze examines the impact of colonization, the tension between traditional spirituality and Christianity, the struggle between maintaining cultural and community traditions vs embracing modernity.

At its heart, this is a story about family - its strengths, expectations and its burdens. Eze thoughtfully portrays the complexity of relationships through marriage, parenthood and the cyclical nature of children caring for their elders. The novel also offers a nuanced exploration of mental health raising the question: is Margaret truly suffering from a psychological condition or does she possess a deep, spiritual connection to her ancestors, one that demands reconciliation for past transgressions?

While I found the themes deeply resonant and the storytelling evocative I struggled to connect with the main characters on an emotional level, which slightly diminished my engagement with the narrative. Nevertheless this is a great debut novel and I look forward to reading future work.

Jumping between past Nigeria and present-ish United States, this was an ambitious and sprawling story about two people affected by the deeds their ancestors. Unfortunately, the story didn’t really land for me - I had a very hard time connecting to the characters. Many may like this one but it just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

This debut is a multigenerational book filled with mess, magic, and deep emotion. Set between 1960s Lagos, 2000s Atlanta, and a Nigerian village shaped by secrets, This Kind of Trouble follows Margaret and Benjamin, two lovers torn apart by family, culture, and a haunting past neither of them ever fully escapes.

Now, years later, their grandson Chuka is acting out, and the past, spiritual, personal, and ancestral is knocking. What unfolds is a layered, soulful exploration of what happens when old wounds go unhealed and love never gets the closure it deserves.

I loved how Tochi Eze weaved together romance, history, and spiritual inheritance. Her writing is lyrical, grounded, and so Nigerian in the best way, rich with tension, legacy, and truth. Some parts moved slow, but the payoff? Whew. Emotional and unforgettable.

This book reminds us that some kinds of trouble don’t start with us, but it’s still ours to reckon with. Healing requires going back, naming it, and choosing love anyway.

If you’re into stories about family, forbidden love, and the power of naming your lineage, This Kind of Trouble belongs on your TBR.

This Kind of Trouble by Tochi Eze is a riveting tale of forbidden love centered on an estranged couple brought together to reckon with the mysterious events that splintered their family.

Thank You NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Tiny Reparations Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This Kind of Trouble by Tochi Eze
Pub Day - August 5, 2025
Rating - ⭐️ 2.75/5

Thanks to @tinyrepbooks for the eARC on NetGalley.

This story takes us 100 years back, tracing the intertwined lives of Margaret and Benjamin, descendants from Eastern Nigeria. A dual timeline, rich with cultural context and layered themes. Sounds like a win, right? Unfortunately, it didn’t quite land for me.

I love a good multiple timeline narrative, but this one felt emotionally distant. The plot had the potential to be powerful, but I didn’t feel connected to the characters or their journeys.

It blends themes that can be viewed through superstition or science, mental illness vs. supernatural forces. Maybe that works better for some readers, but I personally didn’t find it compelling.

👉🏾 Have you read this book?
👉🏾 Do you enjoy dual timelines?
👉🏾 How do you feel about books that blur the line between science and spirituality?

Generational trauma, here I come!

I enjoyed this debut a lot, even though the first 30-40% I was mostly confused but addicted.
With its many characters and wide range of eras/periods, 'This kind of trouble' kept my attention and intrigued me with every chapter. I think I enjoyed the 1900s chapters more, probably because of how different the times were, but I still loved the book as a whole.

3.75 stars from me
Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this ARC.

A very emotional and deep attempt for a debut author.

What this has to say about community, individuality, belonging, and mental heath against religion/beliefs was so well done.

I will record a video on this for release day.

Bold, messy, and deliciously dramatic, This Kind of Trouble pulls you right into a world of complicated love and unspoken truths. Tochi Eze writes with a sharp, modern edge—quick dialogue, vivid settings, and characters who feel both infuriating and endearing. It’s a story about desire and bad decisions, but also about learning yourself in the chaos. Fast‑paced, addictive, and brimming with attitude, it’s the kind of read you devour in one sitting and think about long after.

From the first pages of this book, the reader is immediately drawn into why the two main characters have separated, their relationship, and the mystery surrounding them. The novel takes place over a wide range of time and place, and it was so beautifully written - highly recommend!

In this sweeping novel about intergenerational trauma and family relationships, an estranged couple reunites after decades to make peace with the past.

Tochi Eze has a way with words. This Kind of Trouble is a book that readers will never forget. A story following the lives of two lovers and their family history. A forbidden love that was just too strong to end. The story of Maggie and Bennie will leave readers with questions and a sense of wonder. The story follows the lives of Maggie and Bennie, and how their forbidden love is connected to Okolo and his village. As a reader, you are immediately pulled into the story, learning about the Umumilo people and their customs. While learning about the Umumilo people in 1905, we are also learning about how the British attempted to infiltrate the village and gain control. The story is more complex, but the writing will keep the reader engaged. I enjoyed this book. I think I liked the concept of raising awareness on mental health, specifically on schizophrenia, and what it could look like in another culture. The way the disorder is explored in the novel needs to be examined. But, overall, I did not want to finish this book. I think it ended perfectly.

I did a buddy read with this book. I felt it started off with potential, however, it soon lost its way. There were many characters and I felt this book could have done with a family tree. It probably would have helped understand things better. Overall, it just didn't hit the mark for me.
Rating: 2.75

It took me a while to get into this book but once I was in I was hooked.

This book is told via multiple POVs across a span of years. Set in between Nigeria, America and London we follow Maggie, Benjamin, the Kinsmen. This story is about family lineage, how one decision can change the trajectory not only of your life but of those who come after you.

The author done a really good job and weaving together the family tree (even if it was a little bit hard to envision - adding an actual family tree would be good but I guess that might spoil some of the storyline!) the incidents that led to Maggie making the decisions she did and also touching on mental illness and the impact on family, friends and those you work with.

Benjamin was actually a crook lol. He really was something and at times I was really rooting for him to do the right thing - alas, he disappointed and disappeared.

I did feel the book was a tad long and the chapters were way too long. But it was a good read, it definitely could have wrapped up earlier and not going to lie the ending? What was that!! I was expecting more from all the buildup. It definitely left me and my buddy thinking wtf??

Anyway sha. It was a good buddy read book so thank you for the advanced copy.

This novel spans a wide range of time and place, and it takes some time to connect the various pieces and to understand how they come together. The structure really detracted from my ability to do so, and that in turn negatively affected my reading of it. Some books can seamlessly switch between times and perspectives, but this one didn't quite manage it. The style and structure did not mesh well. That said, the story itself was interesting in that it explored different perspectives and approaches to what some might call spiritual possession and others might call schizophrenia. It brought up questions of what we owe to the past and what it means for the future.

This one was just okay for me. The concept had so much potential, and I was genuinely intrigued by the multi-generational storyline. But overall, I felt like the execution didn’t quite land.

The ending, in particular, left me scratching my head—it felt rushed and unclear. Was the curse actually broken? What happened next? I was left wanting a bit more resolution.

While I really appreciated the dive into the family’s history, I would’ve loved to see a stronger tie-in to the justice themes that were hinted at. Some plot points felt unnecessary or underdeveloped, and that took away from the overall impact.

The structure also made it a bit hard to follow. There were so many shifts in location and time that I struggled to stay grounded in the narrative. A more consistent timeline might’ve made the story easier to connect with emotionally.

That said, I still think the story idea was genuinely interesting—it just didn’t come together in the way I hoped.

If you love a multigenerational family drama, go ahead and add this to your TBR and get this story into your possession. Eze navigates the complexities of tradition versus modernity, mental health, and the haunting legacies that shape our identities. I was invested in the story of Margaret and Benjamin's relationship and what led to their separation. Their story is told intricately through the changing dynamics of the setting, Nigeria. I thoroughly enjoyed Eze's debut and look forward to their future work. Thank you, Penguin Group Dutton and Tiny Reparations Books for providing this book for review and consideration via NetGalley.

4.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you to Tiny Reparations Books and Penguin Random House for this e-arc via NetGalley! This is truly one of the most refreshing and notable books of 2025!

If the events of the life one lives is a a result of all past actions made by the people who came before you, the ones who are directly responsible for your coming into the world, are the consequences of their actions, whether folly, righteous, well-intentioned, malicious or simply careless, also for a person to bear in their own life? There's a thought-provoking epigraph before the first chapter of Tochi Eze's debut novel "This Kind of Trouble" that wrestles with the "Western" idea that not only should children, those innocents, not be responsible for the actions and the consequences of such actions committed by their forebearers, but that family is, according to fellow Nigerian author Tola Abraham Rotimi, everyone's first war. The two ideas, in contrast, really sets the stage for this incomparable, riveting novel that brings into focus what happens when tradition and modernity converge and wrestle with each other, what happens when the past and the present intertwine to create events that are fated and altogether mysterious, while also calling into question what makes a family. What does it looks like when a life is lived as the result of the actions taken by our ancestors? And what is a person's life in the context of those actions, some fated, some not? Are the connections each of us has to the past and the present, the ties we have to our family, home people, villages, our communities that produce us, shape us, house us and raise us, the moulds of our identity, the thing that gives us humans form and function?

Tochi Eze has weaved a truly magnificent, insightful tale that beautifully captures the complexity of family history, especially shining a light on the Igbo-Nigerian sense of family. Her story follows two key characters, whose stories are intertwined - a white-passing Englishman of Nigerian heritage, Benjamin Fletcher, and his ex-wife Margaret. Their shared connections and troubles predate their first meeting in the 1960's to their forefathers who come from the same Nigerian village, Umumilo, the start of all the troubles. Through three timelines starting in Umumilo during British-imposed colonization in 1905, Tochi Eze weaves and bobs from the fated events that lead to Benjamin and Margaret's coming together, moving to the "present-day" of the book which is in 2005 when the couple are in their sixties and have become estranged. Benjamin lives in Atlanta, Georgia in the USA while Margaret lives in Lagos, Nigeria, battling a mental illness seeming to be schizophrenia. She's constantly communing with spirits, which in the African religious/spiritual context spells something quite different than what Western medicine/people might understand to be happening.

Margaret has taken to heart the words of Umumilo's dibia, who has determined that all the trouble their family lineage faces is due to a curse in his communion with the gods and the ancestors that preside over the home people of Umumilo. Margaret's quest to seek healing and resolution for her family's troubles leads to a quasi-family reunion/reconciliation. In seeking to explore her fraught family history and committing to the payment the gods seek for clearing the path forward for her and Benjamin's direct lineage of family members, in particular their daughter, Nwando, her husband, Nosa and their son Chuka who attends boarding school. Tochi Eze really has a gift for showing the divergence in how the dibia vs. the psychiatrists treat the unsettling, violent events that Margaret believes has resulted in her spiritual disquiet and the discord in their lives. Is it schizophrenia or are the spirits of the ancestors and the gods the home people answer to communing with her about what needs to be done to correct the wrongs they've perceived as being committed by Benjamin and Margaret's ancestors?

Going back in time and reckoning with the events that led to their current situations, Tochi Eze doesn't give exact answers to all the questions Margaret and Benjamin both ask about each of their forebearers. As the reader, you'll have to make that decision for yourself. Besides being original, riveting and altogether unforgettable, I loved the focus on older characters, the dynamics of a family that's in discord and trying to make peace with each other, the focus on the impact of colonialism on indigenous values and ideas and the treatment of family as a sacred group of people who are related not only through lineage, but also a series of events. This is an extraordinary debut!