Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?
‘A big hearted story about friendship, family and love’ Beth O’Leary
-
-
4.2 • 101 Ratings
-
-
- £4.99
-
- £4.99
Publisher Description
Meet Yinka. And Yinka's mum. And Yinka's aunties. Who are all asking . . . YINKA, WHERE IS YOUR HUZBAND?
--------
'Your bookself needs this . . . full of heart' Jendella Benson, Hope and Glory
'Love story? Nah, more of a self-love story!' Reader *****
Yinka wants to find love. Her problem? Her mum wants to find it for her.
She also has too many aunties who frequently pray for her delivery from singledom. Plus there's her preference for chicken and chips over traditional Nigerian food, and a bum she's sure is far too small as a result. Oh, and the fact that she's thirty-one and doesn't believe in sex before marriage might be a bit of an obstacle too . . .
So when her cousin gets engaged, Yinka commences 'Operation Find A Date for Rachel's Wedding'. Armed with a totally flawless, incredibly specific plan, will Yinka find herself a huzband?
What if the thing she really needs to find is herself?
Hilarious and wildly entertaining, this tale of love, culture, family and friendship will have you rooting hard for Yinka! THE TIMES bestseller and MARIE CLAIRE 'BEST BOOKS OF 2022'
--------
'The most loveable character you'll meet' Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström, In Every Mirror She's Black
'Glorious debut! Read it over two nights and loved it!' Nikki May, Wahala
'Hilarious, insightful and so uplifting' Beth O'Leary, The Roadtrip
'Yinka's world is both hilarious and poignant' Irenosen Okojie MBE, Butterfly Fish
'The spiritual heir to Bridget Jones's Diary' Emily Henry, Book Lovers
'Warm and fun and sweet' Marian Keyes, Again, Rachel
'More than a book about a woman looking for a man. It addresses female friendships, black beauty standards and religion' Mail on Sunday
'A story about friendship, family, romance, and the most important quest of all - loving and accepting yourself' Lauren Ho, Last Tang Standing
'Peckham's Bridget Jones' Evening Standard
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In the case of 31-year-old Yinka Oladeji, the pressure to find a man is both a test of her faith and resolve. Though Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? borrows the singular line of questioning from our titular hero’s aunts (pronounced “auz-band”), Blackburn’s side-splitting novel offers diverse interrogations on modern dating. With her peers and siblings happily married—or at least smugly coupled up—Yinka’s search for The One goes into overdrive when her cousin announces her engagement. When Operation Wedding Date is launched, a witty farce of awkward dates ensues, landing Yinka with more than she bargained for: bumping into exes and confronting her insecurities. Blackburn’s grasp of London’s Nigerian community adds to quick-witted lingo and pidgin that lights up her debut’s pages. Excellently drawn by the Peckham-born author, Yinka’s circle—Ola, Nana and Rachel—shoulder their share of issues (colourism; body shaming; modern dating as a Christian) with humour and grace and reveal how the quest for happiness starts within.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Blackburn's comical debut chronicles a Nigerian British woman's quest to find a date for her cousin's wedding. The title's question is lobbed at 31-year-old Yinka Oladeji by overbearing and traditionally minded people such as her mum and aunt Debbie whenever they see her. At her younger sister Kemi's baby shower, Debbie unfavorably compares Oxford-educated Yinka to her cousin Ola, who dropped out of university for a "shotgun wedding." Then, at an engagement party for another cousin, Rachel, Yinka meets her ex's new fiancée. Afterward, she treats getting a date to Rachel's wedding like a project, but worries that her dark skin and Pentacostal Christian faith might doom her to spinsterhood. After being laid off from her investment banking job instead of getting the promotion she wanted, Yinka checks in with a charity where she once volunteered and reconnects with the annoyingly contrary but handsome Donovan. Once her friends notice Yinka's attempts to appeal to men, such as getting a weave, they stage an intervention to encourage her to remain true to herself. Blackburn's lighthearted tone helps deliver heavy thoughts on colorism, the tension of cultural differences, and the benefits of therapy, as the story moves toward a happy ending on all fronts. This delivers loads of entertainment and a dollop of enlightenment.
Customer Reviews
Lovely
I’ve been getting into books and this helped my passion for it now. It’s funny,moving and inspiring. Definitely recommend it!
Yinka, where is your huzband?
Loved the journey that the author took me on, I felt so connected to Yinka from a Caribbean perspective…. really enjoyed this book.
Fantastic
Witty, relatable and hopeful