What do readers think of Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo? Write your own review.

I couldn't put this book down after reading a few chapters. At first, it was like visiting a foreign land. The language, customs, and culture, as well as the names, were unfamiliar to m e. Soon I was immersed in the love story of Yeside and Akin as they deal with the pain of childlessness, the death of a child, a second wife, and feelings of guilt, betrayal, and forgiveness.

The political situation in Nigeria forms a suitable backdrop for this story of unfulfilled hopes and betrayals.

This is a wonderful book. It touched me on so many levels as a woman, wife and mother. Written very well with believable characters. Interesting details about another country with its cultures and beliefs. Yejide is a complex woman, who is insecure with her own self worth and looking for love and stability. During her marriage with Akin, there are struggles with his family's expectations and although he truly loves her he has his secrets. Politically, Nigeria is in constant turmoil and this makes daily life extremely hard on everyone.

The main thread through the book is about love, loss and forgiveness. I would highly recommend this book to any reader.

Stay With Me is a well-written story of a young couple and their struggles with infertility, cultural norms, and trust. With every page turn, there was a new shock in their lives that shook my very being. It shows the two sides of their story and how each faced the same challenges. A very sad story, but filled with many meaningful messages. One of my favorite books and I would recommend to those looking for a short, impactful read.

This story reminded me of The Gift of the Magi in the way in which each spouse selfishly gives their love to the other in such a way that the gift becomes, somehow, meaningless - and yet the love of each other is so overriding that in the end, that is all you see. The first chapter gives the foreshadowing of the heartbreak we will witness, but the story builds slowly, and it is easy to forget that foreshadowing. It is, surprisingly, not a tearjerker, just so horribly sad. And yet there is redemption in the end. Saying anything more would spoil your reading of this elegant, thoughtful and well-developed story.

Stay With Me, a slim first novel by Ayobami Adebayo is filled with emotion about a naive college educated couple facing infertility and their interfering family's cultural superstitions. 1980s Nigeria still practices polygamy and is facing political unrest and violence. Yejide is made to feel that she is failing her husband by not giving him a child to honor the family.

The book is very emotional and sad and showcases Yejide and Akin's deepest feelings about their suffering.Not a happy read but very powerful and beautifully written. Many thanks to BookBrowse for the chance to read and review Stay With Me.

"Stay with me" is a novel of one couple's life, set against the backdrop of Nigerian culture and gender expectations. The character of Yejide is well written and likeable.I felt her love and pain of losing her children. The story develops through the views of Yejide and her husband Akin; what each imagines the other is thinking...which, of course, is never the reality. There is much pain in this story, and I felt all of it. But there is also the hope of freedom, forgiveness and redemption.

The constant political instability in Nigeria is the backdrop to this story of love and secrets. Akin, the husband, and Yijeda, the wife, face infertility, family pressures, and dark secrets that finally force them apart. I am always fascinated with cultures that blend the old ways with modern life in a seamless way. Yejida tries potions and prayers to no avail. She is a strong woman that seems destined to be alone, no parents, no children, no husband. There are interesting secondary characters that flesh out the narrative.
I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time writing this review without revealing the plot. Look beyond the good story and you will find universal fears, foibles and feelings. A great debut novel.

This is the best book that I have read in some time. One can almost forget how an author can beautifully unfurl a plot with a line of well chosen words. The revelations are well paced and the characters well drawn. Chapters alternate between the wife's viewpoint and the husband's. The book is about their love but as the wife's father tells her: love is a test.