Description

Fabulous friendship novel with a killer edge for fans of BIG LITTLE LIES and EXPECTATION

SOON TO BE A MAJOR BBC TV SERIES

‘A journey of friendship, revenge and finding your true self. Gripping’ STYLIST MAGAZINE

‘I would definitely recommend this book to friends. I already have!’ 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

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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!’ Lola Akinmade Akerstroem, 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

Publisher Review

Wow, what a debut! I was left wanting more - more of Ronke, Boo and Simi and more of Nikki's brilliant writing about food and friendship. Warm and fun, I loved watching the more sinister side to the story emerge. Fantastic! * SARAH PEARSE, author of THE SANATORIUM * Has all the makings of a modern blockbuster * VOGUE * 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 * Pull up a seat at the brunch table for this delicious debut novel as the lives of three women are unsettled by a seductive interloper. WAHALA is like the best gossip with friends: witty, tense, addictive * ABIGAIL DEAN, author of GIRL A * I have a feeling this book is going to be huge! It examines friendships that are held together by the thinnest of threads, all the doubts and questions that come from the choices women face, self-destruction, good intentions, bad intentions and a creeping sense of... well, trouble * MARIANNE CRONIN, author of THE ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF LENNI AND MARGOT * A funny, tragic, piercing portrait of modern women and friendship written in glittering and discerning prose * EMMA STONEX, Author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS * WAHALA delivers! Nikki's style is warm and comforting on one page and razor-sharp on the next. There's a twist folks, and it's not one I saw coming. * LIZZY DENT, author of THE SUMMER JOB and THE SET-UP * Sometimes it's not enough to just read a novel, you actually want to climb inside it. I adored hanging out with Ronke, Boo and Simi and I miss them already. * CLARE POOLEY, author of THE AUTHENTICITY PROJECT * Bold, juicy and real! WAHALA is tense and powerful, it's friendship at its best and its worst, and it's THE book to read this year! * LAUREN NORTH, author of SAFE AT HOME * Sharp, precise, unapologetic, modern. In one word, Exquisite! * Lola Akinmade Akerstroem, author of IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK * Dazzling and bursting with life. WAHALA is as joyous, complex and all-encompassing as female friendship itself. I loved it. * TAMMY COHEN, author of THE WEDDING PARTY * LOVED Wahala. Funny and sharp - I completely fell in love with the characters. Definitely one to add to your list * LAURA MARSHALL, Author of FRIEND REQUEST * This story draws you in and spits you out, breathless. Echoes of Atwood's The Robber Bride but so its own thing. A treat. * KATE SAWYER, author of THE STRANDING * Dark, fresh, compelling - all about female friendship and with an outstanding cast of vibrant loveable (and not-so-loveable) characters * ELIZABETH KAY, Author of SEVEN LIES * WAHALA hooked me from page one and kept me enthralled till the (TWIST!) end. A riot of colour and noise, friendships, enemies, secrets, lies and soul food. Written with a lightness of touch. Insightful, clever, and honest. I will read anything and everything she writes * ERICKA WALLER, author of DOG DAYS * Wildly entertaining * THE BOOKSELLER * 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. Their loves and wahala ("trouble") brought to mind 'Sex and the City' but felt more modern, more real. When I closed Nikki May's delicious, hilarious novel, I knew it was time to call my friends...time to get into some good wahala of my own * AMANDA EYRE WARD, author of THE JETSETTERS * Fast-paced and filled with witty dialogue, and the book explores the depth and complexity of friendships between women * INDEPENDENT: 10 BEST BOOKS BY BLACK AUTHORS * I LOVED this absolute cracker of a book about the cuckoo in the next and a toxic female friendship. Highly recommended * LIZ NUGENT, author of LYING IN WAIT and OUR LITTLE CRUELTIES * Full of food, humour and pitch-perfect observation * STYLIST MAGAZINE, 'Books you cannot miss in 2022' * I loved hanging out with Ronke, Simi and Boo. A brilliant portrayal of how complicated friendships can sometimes be * NINA POTTELL * May's nuanced exploration of race and gender makes this refreshing. This will leave readers intrigued to see what May does next * PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY * Nikki May builds a propulsive reading experience as she slowly reveals Isobel's manipulations while keeping the reasons behind them hidden. Compelling character studies of each of the women don't shy away from the jealousies and judgements that sometimes make the line between friend and enemy razor thin...A fascinating look at the dark side of female friendship * KIRKUS * May seamlessly weaves love, betrayal, self-reflection, and Nigerian food, clothing, and customs into this fast-paced debut...Fans of domestic suspense will revel in this tale of friendship, family, and forgiveness, set in the cultural milieu of Lagos * LIBRARY JOURNAL *