Love Happens Eventually

by Feyi Aina

Nifemi Ajayi is single, not searching and not expecting to ever get married. When her younger sister trips at a family wedding event, a visit to the hospital puts her in the sights of Dr Esosa Aghomo. There is instant chemistry. Esosa ticks every box on her checklist and there’s no reason not to invite him to her grandmother's 60th birthday celebration. Then her uncle, Toba, shows up at the party, tall, handsome and grown out of his teenage awkwardness. He is much cooler than Nifemi remembers and is sporting a sexy new girlfriend who is the cynosure of every eye present. A death in the family and a will reading reveals a big family secret and the truth about Toba’s parentage. This raises many questions for Nifemi, topmost of which is how to handle an uncle who is no longer exactly an uncle. Even more when she finds she can’t trust Esosa. Love Happens, Eventually is full of musings about life, love and the usual Nigerian life drama as seen from the eyes of a single girl from a huge Yoruba family whose least favorite question is when she is getting married.

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 22, 2020

Reviews

[Timi Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Happens Eventually is a sweet romance filled with strong family connections and values. Nifemi, a thirty-five-year-old Nigerian woman, would rather do without the pressures common with single Nigerian women her age—get married. It doesn’t help that she’s dealing with a series of failed relationships, or that her younger sisters are getting hitched by the minute. Despite the odds, Femi is determined to not allow society or her family to pressure her into settling or toning down her moral standard. The story took an intriguing twist when an ‘uncle’ Toba pops up.

Feyi Aina’s masterful ability to hold my attention from start to finish of my reading LHE is one I must commend. Although I found some of Femi’s quirks tiresome, I couldn’t help connecting with her. The romance is sweet, the chemistry palpable. I especially love the reference to Agriculture and some salient themes rarely found in Nigerian novels.

It’s a 4.5 start for me. The only reason it’s not a 5 star is that Femi, relating her experience in the first person POV, seems to know when she’s blushing. Other than that, this will make for a relaxing read.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I picked it up as a part of a reading challenge to read romances by non-American authors, and I wanted to push myself to go beyond Canada/UK/Australia as well.
What I did like:
- the big Nigerian weddings. I loved hearing about every detail, especially the fashion
- that the protagonist is a never been married 35 year old woman who is competent at her job and who on page 1 talks about how much she doesn't like children, especially babies, and how she doesn't want to become a mother
The rest of the book I struggled with though. Even though I go into books with little to no information as a habit, the lack of description proved problematic for me when I started to get the sense "oh no... is the love interest... her UNCLE??" and yes, it is (though it's "not a problem" though because they're not actually blood relatives, and are only 3 years apart in age). There is tenderness and affection between them, but the faux-uncle/cousin dynamic isn't for me. I also really struggled with some of Femi's choices/internal monologue; some of the writing seemed to jump in time/perspective, but as I kept reading, I kept noticing more moments that were patriarchal/slut-shaming by Femi herself, and while I respect that Nigerian culture is different than American, it was jarring for me as a reader, and not something I look for in the romance genre especially. I support Femi to not want to have sex until she's married, and her dealing with the heartbreak and trauma of past failed relationships, but the slow trickle really got to me. I also feel like the Yinca issue was not fully resolved, and I 100% understand why Femi is so frustrated with Toba's handling and explanation of that relationship - it really is not adequately resolved and for him to just say "it was never a relationship" is not the full explanation he thinks it is.
This is also an incredibly PG romance (which once again - no shame! - it's just not for me). It reads more like an 19th century love story, especially as a proposal happens before a first kiss does. I'm not sure if it was my growing disengagement with the book, or the discontinuity between chapters (later chapters in the book I noticed always opened with a philosophical-esc insight from Femi, which I'm not against, but it caused the narrative flow to be interrupted, and the plot progression was not as smooth), but I struggled to stay invested with the story, even beyond the "her love interest is her uncle" aspect.
My other big issue is that Femi - who tells us the ENTIRE BOOK HOW MUCH SHE DOES NOT LIKE KIDS - on the last page of the book has an epiphany where she decides she WANTS TO HAVE TOBA'S BABIES . I was so mad because I hate that trope of being against having kids only to change your mind at the epilogue and it was such a huge part of her identity, that was literally erased in 2 sentences.

[Feyi Aina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obanifemi Ajayi, is finicky about guys but comes from a big Nigerian family who are keen on celebrating every event together. For them it’s an opportunity to roast family members, catch up on everyone’s latest gist, and meet potential new additions to the family.

With her sisters in various stages of marriage, Nifemi is constantly being teased by everyone about when the big date will be. Outwardly she pretends not to care, but secretly she finds herself dreaming about her wedding day and hoping to meet that one guy that will make it happen. She especially hopes that her grandfather Pa Awotude will be there to give her away.

Nifemi's random musings about love, life and the usual Nigerian life drama makes this book a fun read. Especially when Nifemi finds love in the least likely of all places.

[Jumoke Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a beautiful love story with loads of psychological nuggets and pointers on choosing the right partner.

Like I'd often tell the Nigerian women around me, marriage is not an achievement; it's a choice. Instead of worrying about a ticking biological clock that might lead you into settling for the wrong one, focus on developing your abilities and doing what makes you come alive.

Because in the end, (or las las like we often say) Love will happen. Not the love of the wrong one, but the love of the right one who aligns with your goals and vision.

And if it doesn't happen, then that's OK. Just live your life.

[Maranatha Abutu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nifemi Ajayi, a single Yoruba woman whose younger siblings are all married is under pressure to find a man of her own as she approaches forty. An unfortunate incident at a family friend’s wedding leads them to the hospital where she meets Dr. Esosa Aghomo and invites him to her grandmother’s 60th birthday celebration. Her uncle, Toba, shows up with a new arm candy as always after disappearing from studies for a couple of years. A family death and a will-reading reveal Toba’s parentage, leading them to confront the one thing that had been staring at her all along.

I finished this book in one day because I wanted to quickly get to the part of Uncle Toba, who was no longer Uncle Toba, lol. This was also my first time reading this author @feyi_aina and I was not disappointed. The style of the writing was easy. The plot was enjoyable. There was a lot of relationship advice thrown in every chapter too. It was written from the female lead’s POV, we saw a lot of her inner dialogues which weren’t so pretty because she was afraid of her fear of loneliness and not so much of her biological clock. I did not like that it ended with her wanting/having a child because I think it pushed forward a narrative that women do not sometimes know when they want especially when it does not conform to conventional societal norms.

Love Happens, eventually explores the following themes;

✨Romance
✨Family drama
✨Big family
✨Wedding
✨Agriculture

I rate it 4.5 stars.

[Agnes Kay-E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the third story I read that started with a wedding in 2022 with an exceptional difference is the protagonist’s dislike for babies. It could have stemmed from the pressure to get and the comparing of the number of babies she should have had if she was married at the same time with her friends. Pariola’s struggle with being single is made worse by the many frogs she has had to kiss and her dates are gate even worse. Femi, on the hand, is tired of dating the wrong women which he always seems to attract.

I love the play of Pariola’s despair against Femi’s hope in finding the right partner. It’s a story of looking for something in Sokoto (far away) which is in your shokoto (under your nose).
I wasn’t comfortable with the line of a love interest with an uncle who wasn’t an uncle. It played out well but it did irk me. I would have absolutely loved to see a love triangle between the doctor who ticked all the boxes, protagonist and Toga.

[Kadiri Christabell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in love with this book.
The growth of the characters and self realization.

[Nkemakonam ENEBELI]

I love the marriage/wedding scenes, it depicted a typical upper middle class/wealthy family wedding. I understand the main characters, especially Toba. I enjoyed reading the book