I enjoyed The Lagos Wife although it took a little while for this book to fully draw me in.
Nicole is living a picture perfect life in Lagos and is part of a tight knit community of glamourous expat wives. It is only when Nicole disappears that the cracks in her perfect life become apparent. With no answers to her nieces disappearance, Claudine travels to Lagos and begins her own investigation in what happened to Nicole. Told over a dual timeline, this was a slow burn but from the halfway point, the pace picked up and I was hooked. While the pacing was a little uneven, the writing is not and was consistently good throughout the book. I loved reading the vivid descriptions of Lagos, in particular.

A decent read but lacked the suspense which I expected from reading the synopsis.

3.5 stars,

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

This was a fascinating read and I flew through this. It was so compelling I didn’t want to put it down.

We follow two perspectives. Before is Nicole, a wife and mother of two young boys who has left London to move to Lagos to live with her husband’s family. There we learn of her unhappiness, of feeling like she doesn’t belong, of her growing distance from her husband. After is Claudine, Nicole’s aunt who raised her after her mother died. Upon learning that Nicole has disappeared, Claudine travels to Lagos to try and uncover what has happened to her niece. The dual perspectives worked so well. We switch views each chapter and we have Claudine following in Nicole’s footsteps. We also learn of the tensions in their relationship and Claudine’s intense desire to save her niece and her frustration with the husband’s family and police who don’t seem to care and are putting very little effort into searching for Nicole. They’re more concerned with avoiding scandal and preparing for a wedding.

The pacing in this book was great, the gradual unravelling of the mystery and the way Claudine is able to get under people’s skin and challenge them when she thinks they are lying was great. This was a really compelling and interesting mystery novel that explores family dynamics and what it means to be a foreign born wife in Nigeria. This wasn’t a perspective I’ve read much about before and it felt like such a unique and fascinating read.

Claudine has travelled from London to Lagos, Nigeria's unofficial capital city, to investigate the disappearance of her niece, Nicole. Split into flashbacks from Nicole, and Christine's present day narrative, this novel deftly weaves together both sides of Lagos - the sparkles and the underbelly.

I enjoyed the characterisation of everyone I was introduced to in The Lagos Wife (a preferred title to "The Nigerwife") and the the story moved with pace, highlighting nuances of Lagosian culture in a way that felt very familiar.

Finally, on my last visit to Lagos, I spent time at Badagry witnessing the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade. As a British Caribbean diasporan, the experiences and feelings described there around everything from the museum to the attenuation well and the sea beyond were fantastically expressed.

The book is written from the point of view of Nicole and her aunt Claudine, their stories are told in different timelines, converging to Nicole’s disappearance. I felt emotionally invested with both women and could empathise with the situations they found themselves in.

Whilst the story is essentially about the mystery of Nicole’s disappearance, during her investigations we learn about Claudine’s family history and how family trauma has impacted both women and contributed to the sequence of events that has lead them to Lagos. I enjoyed this aspect and didn’t anticipate the significance of Claudine’s story.

The book also looks at isolation; cultural isolation as well as isolation within a marriage and family. I was fascinated to learn about the Nigerwives, a real life support network of women who offer foreign wives living away from their homelands support and a surrogate family.

Lagos itself plays a big part in the story and is almost a character itself. I wasn’t surprised to read that the author had lived in Lagos for a time, her descriptions of the landscape and the cultures were extremely vivid and really brought the setting to life.

For me this was a multilayered read, the mystery of Nicole’s disappearance is the hook and drives the pace as you race towards the revelation of what happened to her. It’s also a thought provoking read that has you questioning the dynamics of family, the influence that culture and tradition have in our lives and the impact of generational trauma. I really enjoyed it and recommend it for anyone looking for a multi layered mystery. It would also make a great book club pick.

Corruption, different cultures and fear are all part of this story well told of the life of Nigerwives which are foreign wives of Nigerian men. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

The Lagos Wife is a mystery thriller told in two perspectives, the first being Nicole Oruwari, a British born Caribbean woman who gave up her life in London to become a "Nigerwife" joining many expat women who have come before her. In this foreign land she has to face the tumultuous waters of navigating marriage, motherhood, and cultural expectations. As she battles against losing friends and loneliness she goes missing. The second perspective is of Claudine, Nicole's aunt, who flies to Nigeria to play detective; her story is one of regret and determination.

As this was a mystery/thriller I was excited to dive in however I thought the pace of the book was too slow and the ending rather disappointing. I did enjoy the cultural commentary and the importance placed on community - that felt very authentic to the setting.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.

3.5 stars. This was a book of two halves for me - I found the first half slow and difficult to get into but I'm glad I carried on reading as I enjoyed the latter half much more.

As someone who has never been to Nigeria and doesn't know much about its history, I found the descriptions of the changing environment and the old and new cultures clashing really interesting. The vibrancy and fragility of this area of Nigeria, and the energy of its inhabitants was brilliantly written and brought it to life. My favourite character was Claudine, she felt the most three-dimensional and the past timeline parts of the book related to her life were some of the most enjoyable. Some of the other characters felt thin and not fully realised, I didn't really have a feel for their motivations or thoughts.

I thought the ending was a clever twist and it left me wanting to know what happened in the following months and years - there were so many ways it could go.

I'm not sure I would categorise it as a thriller, there is a disappearance at the heart of the story and we do progress through investigating it, but it feels much more like a family/life choices/relationships commentary. This isn't a bad thing, and I liked that aspect of it, but the expectation from the blurb never really hit for me.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5

I was thrilled to be accepted for an ARC of The Lagos Wife (formerly titled The Nigerwife), as I’ve been wanting to read more mystery-thriller books. The blurb of this one sounded right up my street, particularly since a family saga also really appeals to me:

Nicole Oruwari has the perfect life: a handsome husband, a palatial house in the heart of Lagos and a glamorous group of friends. She left London and a troubled family past behind to become part of a community of expat wives.But when Nicole disappears without a trace after a boat trip, the cracks in her so-called perfect life start to show. As the investigation turns up nothing but dead ends, her aunt Claudine flies to Nigeria to take matters into her own hands. As she digs into her niece's life, she uncovers a hidden truth. But the more she finds out about Nicole, the more Claudine's own buried history threatens to come to light.

Told from two perspectives, this book was a fascinating insight into the lives of housewives in Lagos. We follow the narratives of Nicole, who has gone missing after a boat trip, and Claudine, her aunt, who plays detective when her estranged niece goes missing. Walters beautifully illustrates Lagos in an expat wives’ frame: beautiful homes, glamorous friendship groups, children that they can boast about. She paints Nicole as the woman who has everything, leaving us to wonder what could’ve happened in this picture-perfect scene. She also gorgeously paints the scenery of Lagos, diving deep into nature and the sights, smells and sounds – as a reader, it totally transports you.

However, I don’t think you could truly bill The Lagos Wife as a mystery-thriller. There are certainly mysterious elements, but it’s a slow-burner read that feels more like a family saga. It lacks the excitement and tension – especially considering there’s a missing person case at the centre of the story – that’d ‘make’ a mystery-thriller, but it’s a great read nonetheless. I particularly loved learning more about this small community of expats and expat wives; a snippet of Nigerian life. And, I also really enjoyed Claudine’s perspective, offering a deeper insight into Nicole’s life – sometimes a dual-narrative feels pointless, but it drives the story forwards here.

I also did a spot of research and discovered that the book has been optioned by HBO for a TV series, so if you’re interested in this family saga-style story, I’d absolutely recommend picking it up ahead of the pilot. An enjoyable read that widened my perspective.

Set in Lagos this gives a fascinating insight into the life of a "Nigerwife"; the mainly expat women who are living a life of privilege within the more affluent sections of Nigerian society. It demonstrates racial and social discrimination and the difficulties faced by the women who marry into the close knit families. The tension builds throughout as the truth about Nicole's disappearance is kept until the very end.

Nicole moved from London to Lagos With her husband Tonye and kids. Her Aunt Clandine raised her following her mothers death. Since Nicole moved to Lagos they dont speak. However when Nicole disappears Claudine drops everything and goes to Lagos. The family have secrets. Could these be an hindrance to finding out the truth?
Loved this book from start to finish. It was easy to read and the pace was just right.

I found the writing in this one a little overly descriptive which didn’t work so well for me as it took away from the pace of the story that I want from this type of book. It wasn’t for me but the concept and story is a great one so I’m sure others will love it!!

Claudine has flown to Nigeria to search for her missing niece” Nicole. Nicole had previously moved to Nigeria with her husband and small children to live a fairytale life. However, after her disappearance following a boat trip cracks, begin to appear in this perfect existence. As Claudine search continues we learnt more of both her and Nicole’s previous life in London. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel, but it certainly dragged me into the culture of customs and expectations of life in Nigeria.No spoilers what a shock at the end. Although a slow burner, this novel had me hooked and I’ll be looking for more from this author. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.

The Lagos Wife opens with Nicole, a British woman who's moved to Lagos, Nigeria, with her husband. Five years on and with two young boys, Nicole seems unhappy and unfulfilled. We meet her in-laws with whom she lives in a large compound on Victoria Island and the group of wives, Nigerwives, a collective of foreign women who've married Nigerian men and moved to Lagos.

When Nicole goes missing, her aunt Claudine, who raised her when Nicole's mum died, flies to Lagos to help find her. From this point, each chapter flips between both perspectives in a combination of a crime/thriller and a character study.

I enjoyed reading about Nigerian culture and liked the character of Nicole. I wished the plot had been sharper, not much actually happens and it does feel quite exposition heavy. I also don't love when perspective changes so frequently - for me it means you can't get lost in a character and their journey as deeply as I'd like.

Overall, I thought the book could have been much shorter and therefore more compelling and captivating.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book ahead of its release.

Overall I liked this book, it is a good story and has lots happening to keep you engaged and hooked. However, I found the twists and turns to not be as surprising as I would have liked, and rather predictable, and by the last few chapters of the book I was getting bored.

The Lagos Wife is a serious book that is nevertheless easy to read. At times it seems like a domestic thriller and at other times a psychological study of the way history, tradition and conservatism (small c) affect families, often for the worse.

Claudine travels to Nigeria when her niece Nicole goes missing. Nicole is a Nigerwife - the foreign wife of a Nigerian man. Chapters following different timelines and featuring each woman, interweave to create a narrative that slowly reveals past traumas. Nicole and Claudine are West Indian Londoners and have their own devastating history to deal with. Neither woman fully understands the customs of Nigeria or the way of life in Lagos, a vibrant but violent city,

Though Nicole's husband, Tonye, appears not to care, Claudine is determined she will not rest until she either finds Nicole or discovers what has happened to her.

The book is slower paced than most thrillers but makes up for this with its greater depth of characterisation and examination of the past.

I'm always seeking out books set in Nigeria or written by Nigerian authors so this book caught my eye on Netgalley!

I really enjoyed the Lagos setting and learning more about the dynamics of the city. It was interesting to read about the culture of rich families there, the pressure put upon the younger generations to get married, have children and take on responsibility. Very different to the family relationships here in the UK.

It was also interesting to read about foreign wives who are called “Nigerwives” (pronounced Nijerwives) who have their own community and support group. These are women from all over the world who relocated to Nigeria after marrying a Nigerian man.

The plot itself wasn't hugely compelling. There is the mystery of Nicole's disappearance, dual timelines of before and after and dual POVs, Nicole's from before and her Auntie Claudine's in the present day. But it wasn't hugely attention grabbing and did plod along a bit. There were some interesting reveals at the end though which kind of flipped the book on its head and made me wish there were a few more chapters!

The characters also felt a bit flat, I didn't feel like we really got inside their heads that well!

I've heard it's been picked up by HBO and I think it would make a cracking TV series, a Nigerian Desperate Housewives maybe!

I loved this - the narration has such a brilliant vibe to it. It pulls you along and before you know it you’ve read the book in one sitting. A great book, really unique and full of twists.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

A great and enjoyable thing for me about this book was the detail about life and customs in Nigeria, specifically Lagos. It is always good to learn through entertainment rather than looking up non fiction books. I thought the Nigerwives was a made up thing but amazingly it is not, it's like a throwback to the 1950s when women knew their place and were kept in it. I also found it interesting how dismissive the family in Nigeria were of Nicole's Carribbean links.

The story has quite a few few secrets and twists that I did not see coming but somehow it's a bit flat. I did not feel engaged with any of the characters, not even Nicole who doesnt seem to have much liveliness or personality. When Claudine visits the Slave History museums, there is a well which the captives were forced to drink from before being put on the dreadful ships and it seems that the well contained herbs to keep them docile. I was wondering if Tonye and his family were sedating Nicole as she seemed so listless and drfting.

Also, given the rigid social customs and patriarchy of her cultural milieu, I was surprised at how openly Nicole behaves with Eliot, going to his flat and staying out most of the night etc. But maybe no one cares about affairs as long as they are not flaunted (actually not unlike how it is supposed to be in the UK upper classes - after heirs have been produced, the wife can do as she pleases as long as she is discreet).

I suppose Claudine is the most sympathetic of the characters but there is darkness in her past with her family and with Nicole and although we find out a couple of big things, it is mostly hints so she, too, seems unknowable.

I am glad I read this book because a lot of it was new and interesting to me.

Nicole is a London-born, working class woman married to a wealthy Nigerian. She disappears and her aunt, Claudine, takes it upon herself to find out what has happened to her.
The story is told from the perspectives of Nicole in the past and Claudine in the present.
It provides a fascinating insight into the lives of the multi-cultural 'Nigerwives' who come from different walks of life and countries and whose connection is that they are all married to middle class Nigerians. This world is completely unknown to me and I found the background and concept compelling. The descriptions of a divided Lagos - desperately poor in parts and fabulously wealthy in others - were a real eye opener.
It was a bit of a slow burner of a plot but it picked up pace as it gambolled towards its dramatic and surprising conclusion.
I enjoyed the novel and would recommend it. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

This doesn't really work for me - too much extraneous detail and exposition, and not enough focus on the plot. DNF