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![Wahala: A razor-sharp debut of love, race and friendship for fans of SEX AND THE CITY by [Nikki May]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41BxwgpnONL._SY346_.jpg)
Wahala: A razor-sharp debut of love, race and friendship for fans of SEX AND THE CITY Kindle Edition
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SEX AND THE CITY with a killer edge for fans of BIG LITTLE LIES, EXPECTATION and MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER
SOON TO BE A MAJOR BBC TV SERIAL
'A journey of friendship, revenge and finding your true self. Gripping' STYLIST MAGAZINE
'I would definitely recommend this book to friends. I already have!' STEVE WRIGHT, BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB
'What makes this slow-burn story of friendship and vengeance refreshing and original is the exhilarating ease with which it portrays a London steeped in the colours and sounds of Lagos' THE TIMES, Best Popular Fiction Books of 2022 so far
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Ronke, Simi, Boo are three mixed-race friends living in London.
They have the gift of two cultures, Nigerian and English.
Not all of them choose to see it that way.
Everyday racism has never held them back, but now in their thirties, they question their future. Ronke wants a husband (he must be Nigerian); Boo enjoys (correction: endures) stay-at-home motherhood; while Simi, full of fashion career dreams, rolls her eyes as her boss refers to her urban vibe yet again.
When Isobel, a lethally glamorous friend from their past arrives in town, she is determined to fix their futures for them.
Cracks in their friendship begin to appear, and it is soon obvious Isobel is not sorting but wrecking. When she is driven to a terrible act, the women are forced to reckon with a crime in their past that may just have repeated itself.
Explosive, hilarious and wildly entertaining, this razor-sharp tale of love, race and family will have you laughing, crying and gasping in horror. Fearlessly political about class, colourism and clothes, the spellbinding Wahala is for anyone who has ever cherished friendship, in all its forms.
READERS ARE OBSESSED WITH WAHALA
'This book is absolute fire. I could not put it down. Fantastically written, the story is so engaging and tense. Sexy, dark, addictive. What an incredible novel' *****Reader review
'Dark and addictive with a surprising twist (that i won't give away!) and Nikki's writing is completely flawless' *****
'I couldn't believe it was a debut. I couldn't put it down. Nikki May has written a fantastic story of friendship, revenge and jealousy' *****
'Wonderful characters with plenty of rich and vibrant detail of their shared culture from hair to food' *****
Authors love WAHALA too:
'Witty, tense and entirely addictive' ABIGAIL DEAN, author of GIRL A
'Funny, tragic, piercing portrait of modern women and friendship written in glittering and discerning prose' EMMA STONEX, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS
'Terrific. 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
'This has bestseller written all over it. Fast-paced, funny, shocking, unputdownable. I loved it' PAULA HAWKINS author of GIRL ON THE TRAIN and A SLOW FIRE BURNING
'Sharp, precise, unapologetic, modern. In one word, Exquisite!' Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström, author of IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK
'I have a feeling this book is going to be huge' MARIANNE CRONIN, author of THE ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF LENNI AND MARGOT
'Fantastic! Brilliant writing about food and friendship. I was left wanting more' SARAH PEARSE, author of THE SANATORIUM
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherTransworld Digital
- Publication date6 January 2022
- File size2774 KB
Product description
Review
A fun, juicy read with a dash of drama, just like all the best friendships.--Good Housekeeping
"Wahala is a solid, slow-burn, page-turning mystery...Worth the read."--Associated Press
"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
"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
"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
Contemporary female friendship goes glam in this lively debut novel with remarkable depth.--Washington Post
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
"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 --This text refers to the paperback edition.
From the Back Cover
"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.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.About the Author
Born in Bristol and raised in Lagos, Nikki May is Anglo-Nigerian. At twenty, she dropped out of medical school, moved to London, and began a career in advertising, going on to run a successful agency. Her inspiration for Wahala came after a long (and loud) lunch with friends.
--This text refers to the paperback edition.Product details
- ASIN : B093652GRY
- Publisher : Transworld Digital (6 January 2022)
- Language : English
- File size : 2774 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 375 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: 63,722 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Born in Bristol, raised in Lagos, NIKKI MAY is Anglo-Nigerian. She ran a successful ad agency before turning to writing. Her debut novel WAHALA was inspired by a long (and loud) lunch with friends. It will be published around the world in January 2022 and is being turned into major BBC TV drama. She lives in Dorset with her husband, two standard schnauzers, and way too many books.
You can follow Nikki on Twitter: @NikkiOMay
Or Instagram: @nikkimaywriter
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Customer reviews
Top reviews from other countries

Wahala is a Yoruba word meaning trouble and in this lively comedy-drama wahala walks into the lives of Ronke, Simi, and Boo, three Nigerian-British friends living in London. They have all experienced racism in their day-to-day lives though haven’t allowed it to hold them back.
Now in their thirties, they each face new questions about their futures. Ronke is keen to settle down though insists any potential husband be Nigerian; Boo is finding marriage and motherhood a strain; while Simi, working in high fashion, is frustrated by her boss constantly referring to her 'urban vibe'.
Then Isobel, a glamorous friend from Simi’s past, arrives in town and quickly inserts herself into the women’s lives. It’s not long until she’s creating waves and even if the friends are unaware, it’s clear to the reader that she’s trouble with a capital W. Still, no further details to avoid spoilers.
‘Wahala’ celebrates the fusion of British and Nigerian cultures in relation to its protagonists’ lives. I found this a highly engaging novel that is a brilliant exploration of friendship. Of the women, Ronke was my favourite though someone needed to sit her down and talk to her about body image. Being Size 12 is not ‘huge’!
I felt that ‘Wahala’ was wonderful. It is funny and heartwarming in places, poignant in others, and also delivers on plenty of tension, mostly through witnessing Isobel’s machinations, and some twists.
In its opening chapter, titled ‘Aftermath’, Nikki May is very clever in planting a number of clues before moving back in time four months to chart the journey to those events. Each subsequent chapter cycles through the viewpoints of Ronke, Boo, and Simi. May finishes with a few recipes that had featured in the novel.
There has been a great deal of prepublication buzz about this debut novel and I felt that it was definitely warranted. Given my positive experience, I feel that it is likely to prove popular with book groups as it is well written, readable, and provides plenty of opportunities for discussion on its themes.
Very highly recommended.

By Nikki May
Different, that’s one word I would use to describe this book. For me, it was like reading a reality show instead of watching it.
Set in London, this story mainly follows three friends, Ronke, Simi and Boo.
The three friends seem really close until Isobel, a friend from the past arrives. We start seeing holes in the tight friendship. Isobel is a crazy character, she gets close to each of the other ladies and brings out the worst in them.
Themes covered in this book include race (all three girls are mixed-race) culture, marriage, friendship and parenting.
The writing style is conversational which makes it an easy read.
I love the cover, especially the UK version pictured above.
The ending part of this book reminded me of My Sister The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite and I’ll better stop there before I drop more spoilers.


Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 March 2022
By Nikki May
Different, that’s one word I would use to describe this book. For me, it was like reading a reality show instead of watching it.
Set in London, this story mainly follows three friends, Ronke, Simi and Boo.
The three friends seem really close until Isobel, a friend from the past arrives. We start seeing holes in the tight friendship. Isobel is a crazy character, she gets close to each of the other ladies and brings out the worst in them.
Themes covered in this book include race (all three girls are mixed-race) culture, marriage, friendship and parenting.
The writing style is conversational which makes it an easy read.
I love the cover, especially the UK version pictured above.
The ending part of this book reminded me of My Sister The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite and I’ll better stop there before I drop more spoilers.


But don’t be fooled into thinking this is a ‘feel good’ story - be warned there is plenty of blood!
Three girlfriends, best friends since childhood, sharing love and strong ties, reluctantly accept a fourth woman into their tight knit group, whom they inadvertently share secrets with, secrets which could blow their worlds apart. Slowly she picks apart their natural easy friendship. Subtly separating one and isolating another - it’s like letting a fox into a hen coup!

Some sections of the narrative may appear “larger than life” but that is the nature of Nigerians. Warm, often funny but really human characteristics.
I would thoroughly recommend this book.
