Print List Price: | $17.99 |
Kindle Price: | $14.99 Save $3.00 (17%) |
Sold by: | HarperCollins Publishers Price set by seller. |
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
OK
Audible sample Sample
Wahala: A Novel Kindle Edition
"Contemporary female friendship goes glam in this lively debut novel with remarkable depth." -- Washington Post
"Great fun and extremely smart." -- npr.org
NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2022 BY Vogue * Marie Claire * Glamour * Essence * Oprah Daily * Entertainment Weekly * Bustle * PopSugar * CrimeReads * and more!
An incisive and exhilarating debut novel following three Anglo-Nigerian best friends and the lethally glamorous fourth woman who infiltrates their group—the most unforgettable girls since Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha.
Ronke wants happily ever after and 2.2. kids. She’s dating Kayode and wants him to be “the one” (perfect, like her dead father). Her friends think he’s just another in a long line of dodgy Nigerian boyfriends.
Boo has everything Ronke wants—a kind husband, gorgeous child. But she’s frustrated, unfulfilled, plagued by guilt, and desperate to remember who she used to be.
Simi is the golden one with the perfect lifestyle. No one knows she’s crippled by impostor syndrome and tempted to pack it all in each time her boss mentions her “urban vibe.” Her husband thinks they’re trying for a baby. She’s not.
When the high-flying, charismatic Isobel explodes into the group, it seems at first she’s bringing out the best in each woman. (She gets Simi an interview in Shanghai! Goes jogging with Boo!) But the more Isobel intervenes, the more chaos she sows, and Ronke, Simi, and Boo’s close friendship begins to crack.
A sharp, modern take on friendship, ambition, culture, and betrayal, Wahala (trouble) is an unforgettable novel from a brilliant new voice.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherMariner Books
- Publication dateJanuary 11, 2022
- File size2794 KB
Customers who bought this item also bought
From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“The novel’s strength lies in May’s attention to her main characters’ identities. ...May’s breezy prose is well suited for these moments of casual intimacy, unfolding over drinks, at the hairdresser’s or at the kitchen table, where all the best gossip takes place.” — New York Times
“If And Just Like That... isn't exactly satisfying your modern Sex and the City itch, may we present to you Wahala. This dazzling debut centers on three Anglo-Nigerian best friends and the glamorous fourth woman who infiltrates their group....We couldn't help but wonder if they might need something stronger than a cosmopolitan to survive this.” — E! Online
“Sharply observed…sophisticated and culturally adept…May is a masterful chronicler of Black upper-middle-class life and ennui in Britain. Wahala is both great fun and extremely smart in how it captures some of the central issues in modern city living: women's evolving roles in home and work, interracial relationships and multicultural identity, the current of competition that runs through so many friendships and daily interactions and, most of all, how easily intimacy can morph into enmity." — NPR.org
"A fun, juicy read with a dash of drama, just like all the best friendships." — Good Housekeeping
“Nikki May's debut novel, Wahala, melds the beach read with the thriller—with a little dose of Sex and the City energy on the side.” — Entertainment Weekly
"Contemporary female friendship goes glam in this lively debut novel with remarkable depth." — Washington Post
“Wahala is a solid, slow-burn, page-turning mystery...Worth the read.” — Associated Press
“This has bestseller written all over it. Fast-paced, funny, shocking, unputdownable. I loved it.”
— Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train and A Slow Fire Burning
"I couldn't get enough of the four women at the heart of Nikki May's utterly winning debut novel, WAHALA. Every evening, I sank into my bubble bath, eager to return to the lives of May's deep and complex characters: Simi, Ronke, Boo, and the fabulous (but maybe evil) Isobel. Their loves and wahala ("trouble") brought to mind Sex & the City but felt more modern, more real. When I closed Nikki May's delicious, hilarious novel, I felt I was returning to joy. I knew it was time to call my friends...time to get into some good wahala of my own." — Amanda Eyre Ward, New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters and The Lifeguards
"Wow, what a debut! Brilliant writing about food and friendship, warm and fun, and I loved watching the more sinister side to the story emerge. Fantastic!"
— Sarah Pearse, bestselling author of The Sanatorium
“Pull up a seat at the brunch table for this delicious debut novel, as the lives of three friends are unsettled by a seductive interloper. WAHALA is like the best gossip with friends: witty, tense, and entirely addictive.” — Abigail Dean, New York Times bestselling author of Girl A
"Witty, boldly contemporary, and sharply observed, this book is an illicit peek into the very secret lives of women--their fears and desires, their weaknesses and dreams, their relationships between each other and with a world too often fraught with prejudice and class divides. This is a must-read debut by a brilliant new voice in fiction."
— Nita Prose, author of The Maid
“I got so immersed in the lives of Simi, Ronke and Boo, such flawed, lovable women, I just raced through Wahala. Nikki May writes so well about friendship, food, fashion and the many ways modern women can stumble in their careers and personal lives.” — Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures
“I devoured it, Nikki May’s voice is sharp, precise unapologetic, and modern. In one word – Exquisite!” — Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström, author of In Every Mirror She’s Black
"Brilliant… a funny, tragic, piercing portrait of modern women and friendship, written in glittering and discerning prose." — Emma Stonex, bestselling author of The Lamplighters
"If you loved My Sister, The Serial Killer, and Expectation, this is a must-read. My only regret is not being able to read it beside a glittering swimming pool while sipping a cocktail!" — Marianne Cronin, author of The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot
"This is one of those books you want to crawl inside and inhabit. I loved hanging out with Simi, Ronke and Boo and I miss them already." — Clare Pooley, bestselling author of The Authenticity Project
"May seamlessly weaves love, betrayal, self-reflection, and Nigerian food, clothing, and customs into this fast-paced debut." — Library Journal (starred review)
"May's exciting and powerful first novel offers twists and turns that will leave the reader questioning how we’re going to get from A to B and loving every part of the ride." — Booklist
“An ode to female friendship with an unforgettable plot.” — Real Simple
“The upshot is a funny, slightly murdery story about three women and their wahala, or “trouble”—their boyfriends, their professional aspirations, and their weaves.” — Glamour
“Sharply funny and insightful, Wahala tackles realistic issues around colorism, race and imposter syndrome, while reveling in culture, fashion and food. (Recipes are included.) It seamlessly blends the friendship fiction with a more sinister thriller aspect. Readers will fall in love with this group of friends, hold their breath waiting to discover their fates and eagerly look forward to more from May.” — Shelf Awareness
"May's sharp and snappy writing, dialogue, and character work keep tightening the screws on a tension-filled plot that straddles two countries, like its protagonists....I could hardly turn the pages fast enough." — Popsugar
“A Sex and the City-esque story with thriller vibes.” — The Skimm
“Highly entertaining... an insightful look at racism, classism, female friendship, heritage and jealousy, while straddling a fine line between a light mystery and a hard-edged novel.” — Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Sort of like Sex and the City, but set in London. And with mystery. And murder." — Cosmopolitan
About the Author
Born in Bristol and raised in Lagos, Nikki May is Anglo-Nigerian. Her critically acclaimed debut novel Wahala won the Comedy Women In Print New Voice Prize, was longlisted for the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award and the Diverse Books Award, and is being turned into a major BBC TV drama series. Nikki lives in Dorset with her husband, two standard Schnauzers and way too many books. She should be working on her next book but is probably reading.
Product details
- ASIN : B0929BMXXY
- Publisher : Mariner Books (January 11, 2022)
- Publication date : January 11, 2022
- Language : English
- File size : 2794 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 397 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 0063084252
- Best Sellers Rank: #200,811 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #715 in Friendship Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #902 in Cultural Heritage Fiction
- #1,214 in Women's Literary Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Born in Bristol, raised in Lagos, NIKKI MAY is Anglo-Nigerian. Her critically acclaimed debut novel WAHALA won the Comedy Women in Print New Voice Prize, was shortlisted for the Diverse Book Award and the Fingerprint Debut of the Year Award, and longlisted for the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award. It's being turned into a major BBC drama series.
THIS MOTHERLESS LAND is her second novel.
Nikki lives in Dorset with her husband, two standard schnauzers, and way too many books. She should be writing but is probably reading.
You can follow Nikki on Twitter: @NikkiOMay
Or Instagram: @nikkimaywriter
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Ronke was the star of the book, she was very kind and stuck to her morals, even when a questionable gossipy newcomer tried to mess things up. She was gracious and empathetic throughout. I was not a fan of how often her friends mentioned her weight/looks in a bad way.
Boo & Simi definitely fell faster for Isobel's antics and it was kind of frustrating to watch them join in on the blame games and become so quick to lie to their friends and spouses.
We didn't know these characters pre-Isobel and I think that would have helped, so the reader could really get a feel for just how much Isobel messed with everyone's heads.
And the ending was super fast paced and answered a lot of questions, very quickly.
Top reviews from other countries
The ending was a bit anti climatic but oh well
I look forward to reading more books by this author. But hopefully exploring a different genre of black womanhood.
It’s a terrible portrayal of Nigerian men and mixed women tbh. The author should have put more thought into bringing down her own culture. Nigerians are richly cultured people with lovely hearts and big personalities, she focused so much on the negatives, there’s internalised hate definitely.
I hope this doesn’t get turned into a tv series, it would further her narrative and we don’t need the world to see us in a negative light.
Three women who all have links to Nigeria but are now living in the U.K. can usually depend on one another for help, emotional support and true friendship.
Isobel randomly contacts one of the women and slides herself into the group slowly and attempts to become one of the gang.
You will discover lots about each of the women throughout the chapters of this brilliant book, but usually Isobel is meddling somewhere in the background, pulling everyone’s strings.
I think it’s a bit of an eye opener to discover some of the things that families had to put up with when the women lived in Nigeria. The family that visited from Nigeria are very noisy and opinionated and that made me laugh out loud.
There is an awful lot of trouble caused throughout the book and people get into all kinds of hot water which is quite painful to read about at times.
A thoroughly excellent read all in all.