Shina!

by Tobiloba Afolayan

Shina is a firebrand activist, philanthropist, and the people’s loudest cry for justice. Destined for greatness, he carries a divine calling and a secret that could destroy him. Lilah, a rising journalist with ambition and a gift for uncovering truth, finds her path to influence colliding with Shina’s destiny.
As political tensions erupt across Nigeria, love becomes a battlefield. Betrayal strikes deep, and in the silence of his downfall, Shina must confront the God he abandoned, the woman who broke him, and the destiny he can no longer outrun.
A lyrical, unflinching retelling of Samson and Delilah infused with the spirit of the Sorosoke generation and echoes of the EndSARS movement, Shina is a story of conviction, sacrifice, and the fragile line between justice and vengeance.

241 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2026

Reviews

[Lawlah]

I just finished buddy reading Shina, and wow, what a ride! This book is a fantastic retelling of the Samson and Delilah story, filled with drama, passion, and powerful characters.

The story follows Shina, an activist fighting for the rights of the citizens and exposing corrupt politicians. He falls for Lilah at first sight, and from there, everything unravels.

Lilah’s character really tested my patience—she’s incredibly selfish. I’ve never encountered a character as self-centered as Lilah, and she only seems to care about her own interests. Honestly, she didn’t deserve Shina.

Tade, however, was one of my favorite characters. His unwavering support for Shina and his dedication to finding him made him such a standout.

I really enjoyed how the author wrote this book—it was an emotional rollercoaster and a beautiful retelling of a classic tale.

This is a 3.5 star read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves intense, character-driven stories with a dash of romance and a lot of drama!

[Lola]

Soft DNF, I will pick it back up later

[Rayo Reads]

Shina is an activist, philanthropist, and the people’s loudest cry for justice, but he is just a man who is susceptible to lust, particularly about one specific woman who is destined to be his doom.

Shina! is a Samson and Delilah retelling set in a modern world, but before I continue any further I just want to say that love really blinded Shina's eyes oooo. Right from their second meeting I knew that Lilah was not a good person, so why Shina was so enamored with her, I don't know!

Lilah is a journalist, and she will do anything just to get a story. She is selfish, self-centered, and I don't think she even loved Shina at all. Lilah is bad news, and it's so unfortunate that Shina decided to love this person 🤦🏾‍♀️. Someone asking for the secret to the source of your strength once is bad and raises some questions, but this girl asked thrice 👀🫠. At that moment it was as if I could enter into the story and shake Shina, whether that would bring small sense back to him. If this is not foolishness, I don't know what is.

One thing I appreciated is that in the bible, we were not privy to a lot about Delilah, and even after the betrayal, we were simply told she disappeared. But I loved in that Shina! we got to see more about Lilah, how she went from "I don't care" to "I genuinely care about this man and I can't stand to see him suffer". That was something we didn't quite see in the bible. Still yet, God will judge you Lilah 😭

[Testimony]

It was doomed before it even began… and I still went in anyway!

By the last line, I just sat there with that bittersweet feeling books leave behind when you know things could never truly end well.

This book is a retelling of Samson and Delilah, woven through themes of love, betrayal, faith, and ambition.

I’ll be honest, I disliked Laila from her very first POV 😭 She was so desperate for success that it felt like she would sacrifice anyone for a headline, and I just kept wanting to enter the book and knock sense into Shina’s head.

I especially enjoyed the second half of the story. From the middle to the end, the tension became gripping and I couldn’t stop reading.
Love it!!!

[Dukss❤️📚]

Shina is such an interesting and emotional modern retelling of Samson and Delilah, and I honestly loved how realistic the story felt despite being inspired by a biblical narrative.

The story follows Shina, an activist who genuinely cares about people and justice. He moves around places like Lagos and Abeokuta exposing corruption and trying to help ordinary citizens by speaking up against politicians hiding food and resources meant for the public just for political gain. His character felt passionate, selfless, and deeply committed to doing what was right, even when it came with sacrifice.

Then there’s Laila — ambitious, determined, and honestly very selfish at certain points in the story. As a journalist trying to secure a bigger role in her company, she agrees to set Shina up without really thinking deeply about the consequences of her actions. What made her character feel human though was the fact that she wasn’t completely heartless. She actually loved Shina, but ambition and selfishness clouded her judgment, and by the time she realized the weight of what she had done, the damage had already been done.

One thing this book really spoke to me about is how not everything that looks good is actually good for you. Sometimes opportunities, ambition, validation, or even love can pull people into making decisions that slowly take them away from their values, convictions, and even their relationship with God.

I also appreciated that the story carried deeper lessons beyond romance and betrayal. It touched on faith, purpose, corruption, selfishness, consequences, and how easy it is to lose direction when God is no longer at the center of your decisions.

And honestly, one of my biggest takeaways from this book is this: whenever you feel far from your faith, retrace your steps. Sometimes we don’t suddenly drift away — it starts with small compromises and choices we convince ourselves are harmless.

Overall, Shina was emotional, thought-provoking, and meaningful. It’s a story about love, betrayal, ambition, purpose, and faith wrapped in a modern Nigerian setting that made everything feel even more real and relatable.

A 4.5⭐️

[Blessing Reads]

This was such a powerful and emotional read. Shina’s story is a strong reminder to always put God first in whatever we do. Like, no matter how far we think we have grown or how rich we become, we should never leave God behind or act like we no longer need Him.

Shina is an activist. Fearless, passionate, selfless and overly protective. He fought for the people like they were is own family, and he cared deeply about humanity. I admired his courage so much and his need to speak up for what’s wrong.

Lilah is a rising journalist. She pissed me off so much, she is such a selfish character. She cared only about herself, her career, and what she could gain without thinking about how her actions would affect the people she loves. And she meeting Shina was the biggest opportunity she needed to take her career to the next level and that’s where everything began falling apart. What started off as a beautiful relationship, turned into the worst nightmare because beneath it, betrayal lies, secrets are hidden, and selfish intentions are revealed.

This book explored so many important themes, betrayal, corruption, sacrifice, solid friendships, activism, failed leadership, love, God’s grace, loyalty, selflessness and government failures. This book is packed with so many lessons and insights. It is emotional, intense and real.

One thing I loved about this book was the solid friendship. Shina’s friends were so supportive and amazing. The way the stood beside Shina even when he made the wrong decisions, it added so much warmth to the story.

The writing style is amazing, the pacing was smooth and the characters delivered on every point. And the ending was exactly how I imagined, nothing more and nothing less. This book was beautifully written, deeply resonating and unforgettable.

Applaud to the author for this masterpiece. A solid 4.5/5⭐️❤️‍🩹

[Beloved Katherine]

First of all, I think we can call this book whichever way we want Shina (mi do) or Shina (do mi) because this guy had me rolling my small eyes every now and then😂Chaiii!
But honestly, this was such a beautiful read.
It's a retelling of Samson and Delilah, so obviously, I knew how the story was supposed to end. And yet, somehow, while reading Shina, it felt like I didn't. I was still hoping and wishing maybe this time things will go differently😭
This book took me through a proper rollercoaster of emotions. There were moments I was angry at certain characters(Lilah being a major )moments I was frustrated, moments I was just staring at the book like, " Shina what are you doing?" And there were moments that were so emotional I actually had to pause.
And Lilah... I honestly have no words. Because if I open my mouth ehhh😂 Let's just leave it there, because just when I thought she was low, she went lower.
Tade and Mariam are beautiful souls, their loyalty is one to be envied.
Beyond the romance, betrayal, politics and everything in between, Shina also carries some really weighty themes about purpose, justice, sacrifice, vengeance and what happens when we lose sight of God while pursuing what we believe is right.

And as I read about the political tensions and the things happening in this story, I couldn't help but think about Nigeria.
May God rid us as a nation of all the Phils and his goons. Amen.

[Amaka Azie]

Shina, an activist falls for Leila, but Leila has a mission. To be the biggest journalist ever.
What happens when she will do anything to achieve that goal, even betray her lover?
Read Shina to find out.

[Damola]

A lovely read.