Great read!!

I enjoyed listening to this book. going back to it every moment I had to listen until the end.
am in my 50s and yet so enjoyable and relatable to my early years.
the language is flavourful and poetic brilliantly helping you immerse yourself into the story.
Definitely reading the paperback!

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6 people found this helpful

half-hearted?

I found myself frustrated often. I believe my expectations were the main offenders. I felt the character and story never quite reached authenticity. Reluctant to give something raw. I found myself in want too often to say I enjoyed it. Performance was very well done made it tolerable. Saying all that I didn't hate it just felt it should have been advertised as teen reading and missed out a sentence here and there to keep PG for said teens.

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3 people found this helpful

Robbed of an ending

I enjoyed this story, even if a bit predictable, until the end. I feel I dedicated 8 hours to an ending that left me feeling robbed of my time.

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1 person found this helpful

Really enjoyed

I got this book free with my membership so kinda thought it would be boring. But it was really an enjoyable listen.

It felt realistic, like it could of been mine or a friends real life story.
I’ll definitely look out for Maame Blue in the future.

It ended short but at the same time right- not every story needs to end like Cinderella.

Overall a good ‘Easy listen’

The narrator was also v good- good time and pronunciation.

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1 person found this helpful

I loved the narrator. She brought the story alive.

This book has brought me back into the Audible world. I enjoyed this book.

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1 person found this helpful

part modern love story, part coming of age

Bad Love is a compelling debut novel that is part modern love story, part coming of age. The novel's narrator and protagonist recounts her first relationship, one that blurred the line between 'good' love and 'bad' love.
Ekuah, a British-Ghanaian university student in London, meets Dee on a night out with her friends. From this very first encounter, Ekuah feels a pull towards him. Dee is attractive, ambitious, and possesses an air of mystery. While Ekuah is inexperienced in love, she is not wholly naïve. Dee's casual attitude towards their relationship soon begins to test their bond. They exchange bitter words, give each other the silent treatment, they make up, only to fight and make up again. Dee clearly prioritises his music and career over Ekuah, yet he also seem happy to have Ekuah to himself. After eighteen months together, Dee ghosts Ekuah: he doesn't reply to her texts or calls, nor does he show himself when Ekuah looks for him at his place.
Ekuah is devastated. After graduating Ekuah meets Jay. The two find themselves growing closer thanks to their community-oriented work, and together they organise poetry events. Ekuah, smarting from Dee's 'disappearance', is the uncertain one in this relationship. Her feelings are further complicated by Dee's 'reappearance' into her life and by her parents' crumbling relationship.
While Blue brilliantly renders all of the places Ekuah visits (such as Venice and Accra), when writing about London, the setting truly comes alive. Ekuah's voice will undoubtedly hold her readers' attention. I deeply emphasised with her, even if she wasn't necessarily always 'good' or 'kind', especially when her mother was concerned. Yet, Ekuah's vulnerabilities are rendered with clarity, and I felt on her behalf. Through Ekuah's story, Blue's presents her readers with a realistic portrait of love, one that definitely doesn't view love through rose-tinted glasses.
While not much happens in terms of plot, Ekuah's evolving relationships—with Dee, Jay, her parents—had me captivated. Blue's scintillating prose, her realistic examination of the many faces of love, her nuanced and realistic characters, make for a truly heart-rendering read.
The ending is perhaps the only aspect of Bad Love that I found slightly unsatisfied. And a teensy part of me wishes that the Mafia had been left out of Ekuah's lightening trip to Italy.
Still, I thoroughly recommend this read, especially to those who prefer realistic love stories.

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1 person found this helpful

engrossing

loved it. Was captivating and the characters had multiple layers. I can't wait for the sequel!

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1 person found this helpful

Beautiful story about messy love

I don't normally like romance, but this was refreshing and too real. It's hilarious, sexy and at times emotionally devastating, the narration is clear and compelling, I'm so glad I gave it a shot.

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Okay read

It felt like a story of immature love actually. I felt like the protagonist was quite whiny and unrealistic and even quite selfish. I still enjoyed it to be fair but it’s likely I will forget about this book.

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wow

finished this in a day, couldn't stop. the whole story the performance and the writing had me hooked from the very first sentence to the last. Can not wait to read more of Maame Blue's work.

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