Reviews | But I Smile Anyway...

Dele Weds Destiny by @TomiObaro @HodderBooks #BookTour

03 Jul 2022 7 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blog Tour, Blogger, Blogging, Book Tour, Dele Weds Destiny, Tomi Obaro

I do love a good book tour and when I got asked to take part in this particular one, I jumped at it, as I had already read the book concerned as an ARC!

Today we look at Dele Weds Destiny, by Tomi Obaro.

The story of three once-inseparable college friends in Nigeria who reunite in Lagos for the first time in thirty years–a sparkling debut novel about mothers and daughters, culture and class, sex and love, and the extraordinary resilience of female friendship.

Funmi, Enitan, and Zainab first meet at university in Nigeria and become friends for life despite their differences. Funmi is beautiful, brash, and determined; Enitan is homely and eager, seeking escape from her single mother’s smothering and needy love; Zainab is elegant and reserved, raised by her father’s first two wives after her mother’s death in childbirth. Their friendship is complicated but enduring, and over the course of the novel, the reader learns about their loves and losses. How Funmi stole Zainab’s boyfriend and became pregnant, only to have an abortion and lose the boyfriend to police violence. How Enitan was seduced by an American Peace Corps volunteer, the only one who ever really saw her, but is culturally so different from him–a Connecticut WASP–that raising their daughter together put them at odds. How Zainab fell in love with her teacher, a friend of her father’s, and ruptured her relationship with her father to have him.

Now, some thirty years later, the three women are reunited for the first time, in Lagos. The occasion: Funmi’s daughter, Destiny, is getting married. Enitan brings her American daughter, Remi. Zainab travels by bus, nervously leaving her ailing husband in the care of their son. Funmi, hosting the weekend with her wealthy husband, wants everything to go perfectly. But as the big day approaches, it becomes clear that something is not right. As the novel builds powerfully, the complexities of the mothers’ friendship–and the private wisdom each has earned–come to bear on a riveting, heartrending moment of decision. Dele Weds Destiny is a sensational debut from a dazzling new voice in contemporary fiction.

My Review

Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love reading books from different cultural backgrounds to myself and they feel like an education to me.
Dele Weds Destiny is set in Nigeria and the story is told through the eyes of three different protagonists; old friends from university.
The story jumps over there different eras, their childhood background, their university years and 2015, when one of them has a daughter getting married, and they are finally together after many years.
All three characters, though Nigerian, come from very different backgrounds and the book explores the familial expectations, the friendship these three young women forge, disappointments, and sacrifices, as well as how fortunes can turn.
A rich, cultural explosion.

Tomi Obaro is a Brooklyn-based writer and senior culture editor at BuzzFeed News. Dele Weds Destiny is her debut novel.

She writes cultural criticism, features, and personal essays which appear t BuzzFeed News, The Morning News, and The Toast.

She can be found on Twitter @TomiObaro and on her personal Website, tomiobaro.com.

No Place To Run by @mredwards #BlogTour @fmcmassociates

18 Jun 2022 1 Comment

by Ritu in Reviews Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blog Tour, Blogger, Blogging, Book Tour, No Place To Run

I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to read and review this amazing book, by Mark Edwards. His latest release, No Place To Run, is the first of his books that I have read, and I was hooked!

Two years ago, on a trip to Seattle to visit her brother Aidan, fifteen-year old Scarlett vanished into thin air. After years of false leads and dead ends, Aidan has almost given up hope.
But then a woman sees a girl running for her life across a forest clearing in Northern California. She is convinced the girl is the missing Scarlett. But could it really be her?
Heading south, Aidan finds a fire-ravaged town covered in missing-teenager posters. The locals seem afraid, the police won’t answer any questions and it looks like another dead end―until a chance meeting with returned local Lana gives Aidan his first clue. But as they piece together what happened, Lana and
Aidan make deadly enemies. Enemies willing to do anything to silence them.
Only one thing matters now: finding Scarlett―even if it kills him.

My Review

No Place To Run by Mark Edwards
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my first Mark Edwards book, and I have to say I was not disappointed at all!
An email out of the blue alerts Aidan to the possibility that his sister who has been missing for two years, may have been found.
Aiden is a Brit who moved to the US for work, and his 15-year-old sister went missing while visiting him.
I was hooked within a few pages, as I became immersed in the story.
And what a story!
Following Aidan, as he chases up a lead from a train passenger who is convinced she recognises a girl seen running across a field as his missing sister, we are pulled into a darker, twist in the tale, as sinister goings-on are uncovered in a small southern town, involving other missing youngsters.
I don’t want to give much away, but, as I said before, I couldn’t stop reading, and the ending was totally unexpected!

About the Author

Mark Edwards writes psychological thrillers in
which scary things happen to ordinary people.
Mark has sold over 3.5 million books since his first
solo novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013
and has topped the bestseller lists numerous
times. His other novels include Follow You Home,
Here To Stay and The House Guest. He has also published six books co-authored with Louise Voss.
His last book, The Hollows, was published in July 2021. Mark lives in the West Midlands, England, with his wife, their three children and two cats. He Tweets at @mredwards.

Wild Fires by @SophieJaiWrites @fictionpubteam @SusannaPedan #BookTour

27 May 2022 13 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blog Tour, Blogger, Blogging, Debut Novel, Sophia Jai, Wind Fires

I was sent this fantastic book to read and review. A debut by Sophia Jai, set in Canada with roots in Trinidad. Fascinating reading!

WILD FIRES is an astonishingly assured debut that moves between Trinidad and Toronto in a lyrical portrayal of a family undone by grief, regret and long-buried secrets. On a personal level, I love the vulnerability of Jai’s writing. She captures the relationships between sisters, aunts and daughters, all trapped in the ‘swollen silence’ of the big house on Florence Street, with a startingly vivid and distinctive voice. It’s perfect for fans of Ingrid Persaud.

Wild Fires by Sophie Jai
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
This debut novel by Sophie Jai is an interesting insight into the Indo Trini community, and more so about the dynamics within quite a dysfunctional family.
Cassandra heads back to Toronto, Canada where her family settled, after leaving Trinidad, after hearing of her cousin’s death.
But it’s not just a straightforward trip, because she isn’t just there to mourn and attend a funeral. Cassandra knows the family has many secrets, and the women in the family live in ways that are alien to most others. Her own mother is one of five sisters, and they all live under the same roof, apart from one who stayed on in Trinidad with her husband, and another who passed away under tragic circumstances. Also, there are Cassandra’s older and younger sisters.
The story took me a little while to get into, as there is a lot of to-ing and frow-ing from past to the present, with the POV appearing to change, but each trip back adds another layer to the story. There are many secrets hidden within the family, and we still do not learn everything by the end of the story, but Jai’s beautiful prose keeps you hooked.

About the Author

WILD FIRES is Sophie Jai’s debut novel. She was selected as a 2020 Writer-in-Residence and Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford for WILD FIRES, and was longlisted for the 2019 Bridport Prize Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award for a First Novel. Jai was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago. She splits her time between Toronto and London.

The Maidens by @AlexMichaelides #PaperbackRelease @FMcMAssociates

26 May 2022 6 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Book Tour, Paperback Release, The Maidens

Another day, another book to spread the news about!

So, if you are interested in a bit of a thriller, then you may be interested in The Maidens by Alex Michaelides!

Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike – particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens. Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge. Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld? When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything – including her own life.

This is not my usual genre of books to read, but the blurb intrigued me, so, when I was sent a copy, I had to read it.
Mariana is a group therapist and a widow, who has a young niece under her care. When a murder happens at Cambridge University, where her niece, Zoe is studying, Mariana leaves her patients to support her.
From the beginning of the book, it seems that all arrows are pointing to Edward Fosca, a worshipped lecturer at the university, especially since he has a small coven of female students, known as The Maidens, at his beck and call. And more importantly, the initial murder victim and subsequent ones are all members of this coveted group.
Tenuous links to Mariana’s own past mean that she can’t just comfort her niece and leave her. Instead, she decides to stay on and try and find out the truth behind the serial killer mystery.
The story was intriguing, but I felt it lacked depth in certain key areas, and the ending did feel a bit rushed, though surprising.

Buy Here

About the Author

Alex Michaelides was born and raised in Cyprus. He has a MA in English Literature from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and a MA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. The Silent Patient was his first novel. It spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list and sold in a record-breaking 49 countries. He lives in London.

Reasons To Go Outside by Esme King #SocialBlast @readeatretreat @HodderBooks

26 May 2022 17 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Esme King, New Release, Reasons To Go Outside, Social Blast

I am thrilled to be a part of a special social blast for a new release, today. Esme King’s Reasons To Go Outside.

I read this beautiful book as an arc, not long ago, and the beautiful story truly touched me!

Pearl Winter hasn’t been outside in 43 years.
Since she arrived in Dartmoor as a teenager, her isolated cottage has been her whole world. A
place of safety. But now Pearl is utterly alone – except for the postman, the local crows, and her
memories of the summer when her life turned upside down.
Connor Matthews feels like a stranger in his own home.
Since his mother’s death, he’s been adrift from his remaining family and the life that’s always
been mapped out for him.
But when Connor takes a summer job as Pearl’s gardener, their unexpected friendship opens the
door to a fresh start for them both. If they can just take the first step…

Reasons To Go Outside by Esme King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Where do I start? What a beautiful book!
Three main characters and a story that spans over 40 years.
Pearl is a woman in her late 50s, gripped by the hands of aggressive agoraphobia, with not a soul to reach out to or the ability to help herself.
Connor is an 18-year-old with a big life change ahead of him. Something he is not entirely sure he should be doing. and his own dreams which are being squashed to fulfil those of another.
Nate is a 60 something man with not much but memories to keep him going after being made redundant.
All three have a story that ties them together.
It is a story that has its roots in an awful tragedy, but as it grows, and with love and nurture, it bears the fruit of love, friendship, and reconciliation.
I truly loved all three of these characters, and I feel they will stay with me for a long while. And the cast who support them is equally memorable. There is a lot of goodness in this book, which I think the world needs right now.
A story filled with loss, hope, determination and, above all, friendship in the most unlikely of places.

About the Author

Esme King is a former news journalist and a multi award-winning short film writer and director. She was
inspired to write Reasons To Go Outside after interviewing a woman with agoraphobia. Esme lives in Devon with her husband, two children, and rescue dogs Monty and Milo.