Mess on the Mara

by Cher Terais

Andra was dead set on finding her roots in Kenya; what she did was unearth passions she never knew existed.

Best friends and co-creators of the wildly popular food blog @Gastrafrique, find their worlds turned upside down when presented with not one, but two once-in-a-lifetime opportunities!

But there's a catch... Andra must take the show on the rolling red dirt roads of Kenya. While Kobe is left cooking up a storm, serving “beef-steak”, with a side of longing back in Atlanta.

Andra's stirring more than just stew in the Maasai Mara, serving fierce looks and kicking a little Kenyan "sass", when she finds herself in a big pot of ancestral drama.

Their dream gigs split them apart, but the simmering tension between these best friends? Oh, it's reaching a boiling point.

Question Will all the mess cause the two to blend or burn?

283 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 26, 2023

About the author

Cher Terais is all about love, adventure, and a passport full of stamps! In her books, like Bali Blue, Mess on the Mara, and Tempest in Tulum, she takes readers on stunning, exotic journeys where Black love flourishes in the most beautiful places around the globe.

Her Army days kicked off a lifetime of exploration, leading her to live, work, and fall in love with cultures across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Middle East. Now based in Atlanta, Cher blends her passion for travel, storytelling, and a dash of personal growth into every novel.

Reviews

[Erica A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first ARC read & it did not disappoint!!

I loved this book!! The story & the characters were very relatable!! I loved Andra. She was very straightforward and funny!! I laughed out loud at a couple of her thoughts. Kobe & his family was the perfect match to allow her to let her guard down and receive love. I finished this book a few days ago & it is still sticking with me!!

[Ja'Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

Honey, the mess in this book.

First off, thank you so much for choosing me to be a part of the ARC team!! I had the pleasure of getting wrapped into this romance story sooner rather than later.

Definitely read if you like a nice read involving a mess that is believable and involves a little mystery. The chapters are labeled with numbers and either Kobe's or Andra's name depending on which chapter is in their point of view. This really helps the audience follow along and understand the events better.

I enjoyed reading about Andra and Kobe's adventures both separate and together. Andra made me upset a few times at her decision making process. I hate when people say the father not being there is the reason why the woman chose to do xyz. Also, her mother was no aid in her making better decisions being that one of the choices she made was to try and keep a man from leaving her even after knowing he couldn't stay.

I appreciate the mystery about the person who invested in them was not even hinted upon until the climax. Speaking of climax, I wish either the summary would have warned me about all of the sexual content and very detailed descriptions. I guess I did not read the full title. It just appeared in a chapter out of the blue....BOOM! Some of the sexual descriptions could have been left to our imagination.

The ending was good, however the epilogue could've just been the last chapter since there wasn't a huge time difference. I really was looking forward to having both Andra and Kobe give more realistic vibes. The ending turned into a relationship fantasy/fairy tale. Also even though believable, to just drop on us in the end the motive behind the break ins. There could've been a better build up leading up to the motive.

Overall, well written and a good quick read to escape reality and get caught up in some mess.

[Talilia Conely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an excerpt of the book a few months back and was hooked and couldn’t wait to read the rest. I received an ARC copy and it was definitely worth the wait. I loved the chemistry between the characters. I loved how Kobe and his family loved on Andra and were always supportive of her. I enjoyed the storyline and how everything came together. This is definitely a book I’ll be rereading again.

[Cheryl McGhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

My ARC Review of Mess on the Mara by Cher Terais

Synopsis:
Andra and Kobe have been best friends since 7th grade and are now co-creators of a very successful African food blog, with 5 million followers. Suddenly, they’ve been offered the chance to create a food critic show AND a restaurant showcasing their love for authentic African cuisine. Having never been separated, Andra now flies to Kenya to work on the television show, while Kobe stays in Atlanta overseeing plans for their restaurant. While Andra is away, she reconnects with her father, who abandoned her at the age of four. Now for the first time, Andra must struggle with her abandonment issues, family drama and the fact that her “best friend” aka LOVE OF HER LIFE may be turning to someone else back home.

Andra is a strong, straightforward young black women who goes to bat for the ones she loves, particularly Kobe. Because of the lack of her father’s presence growing up, she would have missed the experience of having a close-knit family, had it not been for Kobe and his family. Kobe, the quiet one of the two, has always been her protector, even when she wasn’t aware. I loved their dynamics and how they always looked out for one another. My absolute favorite scenes in the book: When the women welcomed Andra into their tribe and called her sister because of the possibility of them being connected by birth. Also, the moment Andra and Kobe reunited in Africa (a surprise orchestrated by her father) brought tears to my eyes! If I were to change anything, I would want to hear more from Andra’s mother. She rarely showed any motherly love towards Andra and purposely kept any information about her daughter’s father from her. I wanted to read more about her thoughts, her demons.

I LOVE when a book entertains me from the first page to the last (without lagging) and Mess on the Mara did just that. This book was funny and had me hanging on every page to see what would happen next: DEFINITELY had thriller vibes, with a little spice added for good measure. I would HIGHLY recommend it to others.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY ARC REVIEW: I have to be honest, when I saw this was a friends to lovers book, I thought it was going to be just another FTL Drunken night that went to far kinda book. It was FANTASTIC. A nice slow burn, lots of character development, a nice understanding of the heritage… I feel like I was in Kenya with Andra and in the restaurant with Kobe. Well done queen, brava.

[Taylor Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy of this book from the lovely writer! Thank you to Cher Terais for letting me read her book in advance*


Is this book a literary masterpiece? No. But did I have so much fun reading it? Absolutely. If it weren’t for work and life I would’ve finished in one sitting. The writer did a great job of setting up her characters and world. It was very nice to have a black love story- and it was that. Unapologetically black. Hilarious, fun and sexy. While some of the plot lines were a little ridiculous and unrealistic I really didn’t care because the characters reactions were so funny. Great beach read!

[Karma Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially I couldn’t deal with Andra, but I warmed to her. I didn’t like how she treated herself and everyone in her life. But baby when she started to find herself and truly step into her own, I couldn’t wait for her to love and be loved. Im also a sucker for best friends falling for each other so Kobe and Andra filled me with so much warmth. Their journey to love is turbulent and entertaining. Go read Mess on the Mara to follow their journey from beginning to end.

[A. Anderson Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot times in Hot ‘lanta!!

Mess on the Mara introduces us to Andra and Kobe. Friends since the age of 13, bonded by their feelings of loneliness… Andra and Kobe’s story is one of the best friends to lovers I have read in a long time. This is a modern day telling of love that feels timeless. Cher Terais took us to Kenya and Atlanta in this beautifully written story. Andra and Kobe run a food blog online that launches them into the mainstream world of food and entertainment. However, can the best of friends survive the stress and commitment it takes to make it big? Only time will tell. In addition to giving the audience a sense of the social scene of Atlanta… We also get to experience Kenya, and the continent of Africa in a way not normally seen in the world of romance. This book feeds in to the explorer side of the reader with vibrant visual storytelling of the splendor of Kenya. This is a great read for any time of the year, but especially the summer.

[Meka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Andra and Kobe individually and together. Their vibe is chef’s kiss and goals. This story is heartfelt and relatable to many young women seeking relationships with parental figures. My heart felt for her during her time of discovery and rejoiced when everything worked out. I love Kobe and how his family accepted Andra as one of their own. I wish Andra and her mother would have been able to begin repairing their relationship before the father entered into their lives.

I absolutely loved this book. When I reached the epilogue I felt a loss. I could have read more of their story.
This is a very good read and highly recommend.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kia Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I froze. A million more thoughts. All my suppressed feelings. Anger. Frustration. Hurt. Love. Remembrance. All tormented me in that short span of time. I wanted to flip a desk and run to him and fall in his arms at the same time.

Mess on the Mara is book 2 in the "A Wanderlust Romance" series and a friends-to-lovers trope. Right off the bat, I was curious which route Cher Terais would take on this one. There are a couple of different ways to successfully execute a F2L book and I must say, I both enjoy and was irritated at the same time.
Wait now! Let me explain. I ENJOYED the way the author laid out steps in which these two became lovers. HOWEVER COMMA these two got on my nerves with the secret pining and avoidance that almost ruined their friendship. So, let me start from the beginning.
Andra and Kobe (the main characters) have been best friends practically since the day they met in middle school. Kobe was new to the school and getting bullied for being straight from the motherland. Andra was emotionally distraught because her favorite teacher was leaving the school because he was getting married and moving. Andra took her frustrations out on the bully, essentially gaining a friend out of Kobena Abara, which she didn't really have beforehand.
We learn in the beginning of the book that the friendship between Andra and Kobe sparked a shared interest in African cuisine and they became well known online by their blog/social media platform Gastrafrique (or Get Ya Freak On as Kobe's dad jovially calls it). They feature a variety of African meals they've made themselves from the whole diaspora as well as featuring reviews of restaurants they have visited.
We open chapter 1 with the two announcing to their followers (fellow African Food Freaks) on IG Live that they have reached a milestone of 5 million followers. They shout out their day 1 supporters and read off some of the comments scrolling the feed. This is where we find out that Andra is the extrovert while Kobe is the humble, laid back of the two. This chapter is also where I spotted the first clue that good ole Kobe had a thing for his best friend. Even though the chapter was in Andra POV, her description of his expressions and interaction with her during the live and before a date she was going on right after the live let me know right then that our hero was not feeling her being with another man; i.e. I should be the man on your arms. But, for whatever reason, he kept the shade to a minimum. It didn't stop her from going out though.
After the foundation was made, things got... complicated. Sort of. The two besties soon find out they are being propositioned to both open a restaurant in Atlanta, where they live, and start a reality tv show based on the content they feature on their blog/social media pages. The caveat is, the tv show would start off in Kenya, causing the friends to be separated for longer than they had since Kobe when to culinary arts school in France. But they put their grown folks britches on and agreed to do the ventures simultaneously, especially since they wouldn't have to come out of pocket for anything and they had an anonymous venture capitalist funding it all. The contact person even told them that the offer was drastically skewed in their favor and she was NOT lying.
This is also where we find out more info about Andra's background and family life. She has a love/hate relationship with her mom and her KENYAN father... abandoned her. So, of course, with her filming in her father's homeland, my antennas went up. I just knew she would eventually run into him in some way, but the way she discovered him had me hyped. There were many times after that discovery that had me swinging in the air of my mind.
Between the almost kiss at the airport, Andra seeing A LOT more of Kobe than she ever had, Kobe's reconnection with his high school sweetheart and Andra meeting her father's side of the family, I completely understand why this book is called MESS on the Mara. Because baby, they were a hot ass mess and honestly, some of the things they did could have been done off page.
Example: Someone asked a question on SM awhile back about how people feel when there are detailed (relation)ships on page of the main characters with other people before the 2 MCs get together and I must say this, I don't like it. lol I don't care about how good Keland can put it down in bed or how well Shay can suck him off. And I damn sure didn't care about how sexy Carmel still looked since the last time they'd seen each other. They were non-mf-factors in the story until that plot point was delivered. I definitely could have lived without the sex and it's dialogue with those non-factors. But that's just my opinion.
Oh yeah, and Crazy Balls (Kobe's mastiff) needs to get her intuition checked since her senses didn't allow her to treat Thing 2 the same way she treated Thing 1 when they were in Kobe's house. Where was her instinct to know that B---- was trifling like she felt about the first one?
And another thing... The slap heard (and veiwed) around the world that Andra delivered should have been a two-for-one special with mother and daughter. I understand how the daughter's misunderstanding and love for her mother may have made her feel a way. However, don't get what you don't understand get yo ass whooped. Andra handled her a lot nicer than I would have. But she knows how to be graceful, I guess. lol
All and all, I was pleased with this book. I am curious to see how things played out behind the scenes with Andra's parents after everything was said and done. I will say that... I want to thank Cher Terais, once again, for allowing me to receive an advanced copy of one of her books for an honest review.

[L. Shauntel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good best friends to lovers romance. I loved Kobe from the beginning. It was evident he loved his bestie. But Ms Andra couldn’t see it. It took her traveling across the country. Bitter exes popping up. For her to be like…i think I might have feelings for him. I loved Kobe’s family and. How they loved Andra and immersed her in their culture. Now Ms Evelyn. We need her to seek therapy, cause she is a piece of work. Who talks to their child like that.

It was dope to see Rhiannon from Bali Blue pop up with her family. Heyyy girl.

I loved this story and you need to read it.

[Jodee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not sure what to expect when I started this book. The title gave nothing away at all.

Kobe and Andra are two long time friends who are living that social influencer life. Their Instagram has just reached 5K followers and so the offers are starting to come in. Then they get an offer that is way too good to refuse.

They each face challenges and question what they know and what they are doing.

This was a very cute and good book. I would definitely recommend this to friends who read.

[SL Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great read

Kobe and Andra started out as childhood best friends and later business partners. Their feelings weren’t revealed until they were separated. Add in family drama and other relationship drama, and it made this book a quick read. As you read, you don’t know if they will end up together but enjoy the ride anyway. There were a few typos but not enough to detract from the story. Can’t wait to read the next book from this author!

[Brianna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Andra and Kobe who have been best friends since middle school. They are now adults and navigating through this life they have created via social media. I love how relatable both of the main characters are , I love their development over the course of the book. There is the perfect amount of love, spicy, and mess packed into this beautiful PAGE TURNER, I could not put it down once I started.

[c_g.77 · Rating 5 out of 5]

it keeps getting better and better

This has been my pleasure reading Ms Terais’ second book and man, gotta tell ya, she’s got me hooked. I love the miscommunication trope her MC’s have. I love the exotic places they are from. And I love that HEA she keeps bringing! I am hooked and I cannot wait to read another one. If traveling and romance are two things u love as much as I do-check out the Wanderlust romance books.

[Thresa Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story line

A love of a lifetime between two friends. A missing dad, an angry, scorned mother a daughter who grew up with issues. Finding a family in her new best friend and all the things as they realize they loved each other more than friends. So much going on, what a great story 💕

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

😘😘😘😘

Who does love a friends to lovers story. The connection and friendship that Kobe and Andra shared was special and sweet. This was a good read about friendship, forgiveness and finding love right under your nose.

[Atedra Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just messy lol

Whewww this was a hell of a read,( in a good way). I enjoyed it from the beginning to the very end.!!!