Where We End & Begin by Jane Igharo
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: September 28, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Book Review
Dunni is anxious to return to Nigeria for her friend’s wedding, one of which is seeing her high school boyfriend and first love, Obinna. After 12 years apart, the two reconnect in Lagos. Dunni is engaged to another man back in Seattle, but she can’t help but rekindle the spark she had with Obinna. Things have changed for both of them, but they both hide secrets that threaten to destroy their relationship once again.
Where We End & Begin is told in alternating third-person perspectives from Dunni’s perspective in the present and Obinna’s perspective in the past. I loved this style because it allowed you to see both of their perspectives but still allowed for surprises throughout.
I listened to the audiobook version of Where We End & Begin. The narrator was lovely. She did an excellent job with the various accents and emotions. My one criticism is that I wish there were two narrators, one from Dunni’s perspective, and another from Obinna’s perspective. It wasn’t hard to follow the switch in perspective, but I still think it would have enhanced the experience.
This book is absolutely gorgeous and heartbreaking. Dunni and Obinna have an epic love story. They were high school sweethearts and reconnect in Lagos at a wedding. I loved getting to know them and watching them fall in love, both in high school, and when they reconnect as adults. If you are a fan of second-chance romances, Where We End & Begin is for you!
Thank you to PRH Audio for the advanced listening copy! All opinions are my own.
Synopsis from Goodreads
Dunni hasn’t seen her high school boyfriend, Obinna, since she left Nigeria to attend college in America. Before their devastating separation, they vowed to find their way back to each other one day.
Twelve years later, and their vow is a thing of the past. Dunni works as a geneticist in Seattle and is engaged to a man she doesn’t love but one her parents approve of. Her future is laid out for her, and everything is going according to plan until she returns to Nigeria for a friend’s wedding and runs into Obinna. The shy, awkward boy she loved as a teenager is now a sophisticated, confident man. Things have changed, but there’s still an undeniable connection between them.
As they rediscover each other, their days filled with desire and passion, Dunni is reminded of the beautiful future she once planned with Obinna. But when devastating secrets are revealed and the reckless actions of their past bring new challenges, she’s left questioning everything, including if the love that consumed her as a teenager is still worth holding on to.
About the Author
Jane Abieyuwa Igharo was born in Nigeria and immigrated to Canada at the age of twelve. She has a journalism degree from the University of Toronto and works as a communications specialist in Ontario, Canada.
She writes about strong, audacious, beautifully flawed Nigerian women much like the ones in her life. When she isn’t writing, she’s watching “Homecoming” for the hundredth time and trying to match Beyoncé’s vocals to no avail.
Her debut novel Ties That Tether will be released by Berkley (Penguin Random House) in September 2020.
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Erin Evelyn Reads 