Nothing comes close by Tolulope Popoola

 I read this book on a whim. I abandoned Noo Saro-Wiwa's book because for whatever reason I just never really got into it but as I am currently preparing to spend 9 months doing field work in Nigeria I will come back to it later and see if it takes my fancy while I discover Abuja, Calabar and Lagos.

I saw the book Nothing comes close by Tolulope Popoola in the November issue of Pride Magazine and randomly one day decided that whilst life has kept me insanely busy,  I have missed the joy and excitement that I get from a new book (no am not sad, I just like to read) so I went to the iBooks store and bought it for £1.99. I have made a mental note to buy a hardcopy because its like one of those feel-good-movies you watch that makes you smile and you just want in your dvd collection even though you know you will probably never watch it again.

I am going to start with the end. As cheesy and as predictable as the ending was, I found myself grinning like a cheshire cat and squealing. I mean really it was like a good rom-com,well... a rom-com with a murder, husband-snatching, angry wife, two break-ups, the birth of a child, one untimely arrest, two make-ups, two shocking confessions of the past, one proposal, one wedding, mother-inlaw issues. Ok, so maybe a little less like a rom-com and more like a romatic drama. Nevertheless, the book chronicles the relationship of blunt, no-nosense taking Lola (so she liked to think) and the mysterious Wole: the man who claimed he could put an exact date on the day he decided to never tell a lie again (lool).  Both Lola and Wole had close knit friends who's story we got to hear a bit of from time to time. On Lola's end there was the wannabe fashion designer Maureen, the adventurous Temmy, the motherly Funmi and the in my opinion confused Titi. Wole had womanising Kene and his sensible brother Mark.

One of the things I really liked about this book was the dialogue. It was very relatable and real, although sometimes I did find myself thinking do people really talk like this? Do people actually call dj's fresh and begin conversations with their sisters by saying sister? Well I guess some do. I did also think that their lives were rather dramatic, I mean so much happened in the first two months of Lola and Wole's relationship but I guess that is what made it an interesting read. The book isn't stop your life and read it 247 amazing, but its a feel-good read that had me smiling at the end.

On to the next book. Not too sure what it will be but am thinking maybe The Street by Biyi Bandele or something by Lara Daniels if I can stomach another romantic drama.
Merry Christmas
Byyee