Hadassah Olakanpo

I was never bored reading this book. I didn't want to put it down. It was thoroughly entertaining. Each chapter is about a different husband. Sprinkled throughout the book are the latest gossip from magazines, giving us the scoop on Hollywood's stars, particularly Evelyn Hugo and her scandalous love life. It was fascinating and ironic how some articles could not have been further from the truth. As readers, we truly know what has been going on behind the scenes. Evelyn was calculating in how she wanted the media to portray her life, no matter if it hurt the people closest to her. Her image was the most important thing to her. But she regrets later putting herself first, and not loving boldly and sacrificing for the one she loves. Her image determined her money and fame that she had worked so hard to accumulate over the years, coming from a low background. You admire Evelyn's passion and determination to live out her dreams of becoming a star. Half of Evelyn's marriages are means to Evelyn catapulting to fame. Constant reminders of the song "Fucked My Way Up To The Top" by Lana Del Rey entered my head as I read on. The style and finesse in how Evelyn lures her admirers in, charms them and has them practically on their knees, begging her to marry them is admirable. Very femme fatale. But surely, this is not the case of all her lovers. Evelyn is not as cold as she seems. Despite her tough exterior, she has feelings like the rest of us. We cry when she cries, and we want to throw a shoe at the men who toyed with her precious little heart. Throughout the book, the author never failed to mention how beautiful Evelyn was: her blonde hair; her face that would make heads turn; her beauty that was otherworldly. And, she knew it, and used her pretty privilege and sex appeal to get what she wanted out of life. But other times, the author reveals Evelyn's vulnerability -- believing in love again after finding a man who swept her off her feet, only to discover that he only loved the idea of her, and did not see her for who she truly was. It is blissful how Evelyn finds the true love of her life, and unexpected. Their story made me believe that true love exists and is worth fighting for.

Finished in one day. Despite the stories being fiction, I believe that their diversified, outrageous portfolio reflects ill-fated dating experiences in Nigeria. Sex, lies and scandal. I thoroughly enjoyed the thematic range of the 12 scandalous short stories. From pastor's cheating scandals told by his devoted wife to a society of nouveau riche women who shared empathy of being married to gay men, but staying with them for the financial benefits. To the shocking, vile affairs experienced in a relationship with a serial cheater to the contemptuous boyfriend's mother who has already selected a daughter for her son to marry, and sees you as no match for her son. To years of bearing the emotional weight of infertility, only to discover that the issue lies with your partner. To falling in love with a married billionaire whom you didn't know was married, and placed you as his side-piece instead. To switching your type when it comes to dating because nearly all the men in Lagos are mad: scammers, liars and cheaters. To experiencing real love but pushing the woman away because you're afraid of fucking things up, after seeing how your father ended his marriage with your mother and destroyed any fantasy you had of happy endings... Damilare Kuku covers the worst-case scenarios, and neatly encompasses them in 200 pages!!! The book is addictive, thanks to her selected format of short stories that keeps her writing varied, fresh and exciting. I laughed several times throughout reading this engaging piece of fiction. I was thoroughly entertained. I felt every wave of emotion: joy, anger, amusement, shock, sadness, confusion. My favorite short piece was "I Knew You." It was a heartfelt story of love and loss by a man with an avoidant attachment style that didn't cherish a good thing until was gone. It reveals how self-sabotage and a lack of healing from issues that affected us in our childhood will most certainly affect our relationships in our adult life, if we don't effectively deal with them through self-awareness, reflection, introspection and therapy. This is a warning to all lovers!! Heal. Also, I LOVED the intimacy in this book. Kuku wrote it in a way that prioritised foreplay and mastered the art of female pleasure. Her descriptions were delicious.

THIS BOOK EATSS. This is the perfect second chance romance. First of all, the main characters, Elliott and Macy are lovable. I think every girl would agree with me when I say that I would want Elliott as my boyfriend. I really enjoyed Christina Lauren's flow of writing. At first, I was annoyed at the dual timeline, oscillating between past and present because I thought Elliott and Macy's childhood time together was so lovely, and I wanted to stay in that scene, and not go back to the present, in the next chapter, where they're separated. The stories portrayed in each timelines were also not related in any way. However, Lauren masterfully blends the past and present stories together towards the end and the dots start connecting. We, as readers, find out why the pair were separated in the first place. I loved reading their intimate scenes throughout the book; they were described wonderfully. Lauren's amount of intimate scenes was not too much, not too little, just right. They were so beautiful, raw and personal that you could feel the love they had for each other oozing out of the pages. 5 stars .

(Spoilers!!) Pros: This book was sweet and beautiful. Rune and Poppy meet when they are 5 years old, and they instantly become the best of friends. Once Rune develops a crush on Poppy, they soon form a relationship over the many years that they grow up together. They live right next door to each other; they go to the same school and they hang out every single day. The dialogue between them shows the all-consuming love they have for one another. From two people who seem inseparable, Cole's plot of forcing them to separate is effective and emotional. The pair gradually find their way back to each other after years of no contact, abandonment and emotional wounds have damaged their relationship. An ill-fated event occurs, and Cole makes the couple's last adventures together thoughtful, beautiful and memorable. The epilogue could not have been more perfect. For someone that was hesitant on including the epilogue, THANK YOU TILLIE FOR LEAVING IT IN!! The best ending ever. Really warmed my heart. Cons: I didn't give it a 5/5 because it is boring in the middle but the ending more than makes up for it. I feel that the scenes of them together were also sappy, like how you would imagine a couple saying goodbye to another and they keep saying to one another "I love you"; "No, I love you more". That's how Rune & Poppy's connection felt most of the time like they were unhealthily attached to each other. They did have a childhood romance so perhaps this was the author's intention.

Sherry Argov, a pure genius. She's cracked the code: the dream woman needs to NOT GIVE A F*** WHEN IT COMES TO THESE MEN PERIOD. Stop staying up late to see if he'll call; stop thinking about what he's up to; stop imagining a future with a man you met two weeks ago; stop bending over backwards to please a man that has not proven he is worthy of your time. RESPECT YOURSELF. Don't be overly emotional and write men paragraphs; they don't give a f***. You are showing weakness by showing how much you care about his actions towards you. Give him the silent treatment everytime he falls short on your standards. When he is desperately calling you and making himself go mad, wondering why he hasn't heard from you, then you can, while remaining calm and collected, state to him how you feel ("I feel" phrases - "That made me uncomfortable"; "I feel uncomfortable") and your boundaries. That's how you maintain your power. OWN YOUR SEXY. BE INDEPENDENT - have your own thing going on; HAVE A FULL AND HAPPY LIFE with hobbies, friends and goals; guys should be your 5th priority behind God, friends, family and goals. Don't like a man until you know he loves you. Please pick up this book and memorise its attraction principles.

Dolly, Dolly, Dolly! This book might go down as one of my favourite books ever. This was the second memoir I read, and I absolutely loved it. Dolly's storytelling, humour and personality instantly make this book enjoyable and fast to read through. There are several lines in the book that I've highlighted, in awe of how beautifully and descriptive they are written - Dolly's use of similes are *chef's kiss*. The book chronologically goes through Dolly's life, starting with her tween years (11-13) to her late twenties. My favourite parts of the book include, at the beginning, her addiction to MSN messaging boys and her fascination, excitement and wonder of talking to boys. I laughed at this. Although I'm Gen Z and she's a Millenial, I could relate to this 'boy crazy' stage and was reminded of my early talking stages with boys on SnapChat. Dolly then goes on to recount her many embarrassing but truly exciting, carefree, young and fun nights out at uni. Sprinkled in throughout the book are Dolly's many short-term encounters and relationships with men, and I believe she truly learned something valuable from each of them, whether it was something about herself, or the types of men she had found herself involved with. It was sometimes very intimate and comforting, reading the conversations she would have with them; the life stories she would comfortably share. Although, Dolly argues that mostly everything she knows about love is from her long-term friendships with women, which she is much stronger at keeping than her relationships with men. I was really proud of Dolly when she unpacked and realised a lot of things in therapy. I was proud of the personal struggles she had overcome; the self-esteem she built; the addictions she broke. I was proud of her character development, and the message she was portraying to women (and men). I feel that this book is for the people who feel a bit behind in life; maybe, they're friends are all in long-term relationships, and they feel left behind or every single relationship they've been in hasn't lasted long, and they're questioning if they should give up on finding "The One" altogether. That's the same question Dolly had in mind. I don't think she's given up, though. But maybe that's no longer a concern for her. I truly believe she's found acceptance, but hasn't lost hope. Give this book a read; you won't regret it.