I LOVED, LOVED Abi Dare's debut book, The Girl With The Louding voice. I picked this up and didn't realise it was a sequel. The plot really didn't have enough meat to it for me. I really couldn't finish it and had to move on.

How can we not fall in love with the charismatic teen, Adunni, all over again - ‘The girl with the louding voice’ from the Nigerian village Ikati, whom gets her chance ‘to roar’ and teach us the reader, oh so much.

To receive a formal education is Adunni’s ultimate dream, and the book opens with the imminent promise of her starting a new school in Lagos, under the new care of Tia. Everything is prepared for her attendance the next day and Adunni’s excitement is palpable, until the fated knock on the door throws everything and everyone into jeopardy. Lives are literally at stake.

The story is largely told from the perspectives of Adunni and Tia, but we also hear from a number of smaller, but very important female voices with their own stories to tell (via the ‘Zee Zee’ show) relaying the often traumatic and brutal treatment they have received from the hands of men in control / power.

There are some hefty subjects dealt with here - rape, female genital mutilation, grief, tribal tradition and superstition, climate change, violence, childhood marriage, motherhood and identity. There are also numerous lighter moments of heartfelt humour, when I literally laughed out loud; Adunni’s broken English and misinterpretation of English, often adds to this.

It’s through the course of the novel that we truly come to further appreciate how crucial education is; in preventing catastrophes and cruelties toward women and girls, particularly in third world countries where misogyny and ignorance is rife.

As Adunni declares - ‘Our land is bleeding, the world is bleeding, and it is the girls that are suffering the most’.

With Adunni’s roar, will she attain the freedom and justice she deserves, along with her fellow female companions? You must read it to find out.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Hodder for providing an ARC. I absolutely loved it!

📚ARC Book Review📚

🔖 And So I Roar by Abi Darè
Genre : General Fiction (Adult), New Adult, Women's Fiction
Pub date: Aug 8, 2024

When Tia accidentally hears a secret conversation between her very sick mother in a hospital bed in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and her aunt, it sets off a chain of events that makes her determined to uncover a secret her mother has been hiding for almost twenty years.

A few days later, back home in Lagos, a brave fourteen-year-old girl named Adunni, who ran away from her village in search of a better future, is lying awake in Tia's guest room. Tia has helped Adunni enroll in school, fulfilling her long life dream of getting an education. Suddenly, there's a frightening knock on the front gate. This is just the beginning of a scary experience that forces Tia to make a difficult choice between protecting Adunni or finally discovering the truth.

📖: Adunni is one of my favorite book characters, and I was really excited to read this book. I strongly recommend reading "The Girl with the Louding Voice" before reading this one.

With dual POVs (Adunni’s and Tia), I witnessed Adunni's life after her rescue from Big Madam and her husband. I also gained a lot of insight into Ms. Tia's life and how her past experiences have shaped her beliefs and the causes she fights for.

Adunni, driven by her courage and strong moral compass, returns to Ikati to clear her name of Khadijah's mvrder and help her brother Mayus. The majority of the plot unfolds in Ikati, revealing a string of events and secrets.

I must commend Abi for her remarkable storytelling skills and her ability to weave words together with near-perfection. Adunni's character remained delightful and humorous, even in the midst of tense situations. She truly is an extraordinary character.

The book covered so many themes without overwhelming me, effectively conveying its message. The plot swingled back and forth between very slow (dragged a little) and very fast pace that kept me on the edge of my sit. With its length, binge reading is almost not possible, you'll most likely need more time to read and absorb the plot.

Adunni finally “roared” and it was so lovely to see her win her fight against patriarchy, barbaric traditions and illiteracy.

And So I Roar is the captivating sequel that both stands on its own, yet also seamlessly continues the story from "The Girl With The Louding Voice." Set in Nigeria, the novel follows the intertwined journeys of Adunni and Tia,
Through their experiences, the novel confronts themes of tradition, misogyny, and the impact of global issues such climate change on vulnerable communities.
Although the book can be read on its own, it’s even better if you’ve read The Girl With The Louding Voice.- I can’t think why you wouldn’t want to read it anyway!!!

An engrossing read that educates, inspires, and tugs at the heartstrings. Both books should be on the shelf of every High-school library!

ARC REVIEW- This book was my book of April; I love books about women of all backgrounds finding their voice, and this really is that. Set in Nigeria, Adunni and Tia are the two protagonists, and each character gets their own POV chapters. The plot starts immediately- maybe because this is a sequel, but can absolutely stand alone- and doesn’t stop.. It’s honestly an unputdownable read. Each line gets more intense and the pressure made my palms sweat but it was
This book is simultaneously heartbreaking and joyful- celebrating the strength and resilience of girls in impossible situations, expertly and carefully crafted to not be so triggering, to be empathetic and not at all sensational. The book covers key issues relevant today through perspectives rarely regarded in reality, giving a voice to the voiceless. And girl, are the voices LOUD.
Adunni is a young girl, coming from a small and poverty stricken village in Nigeria, and is honestly the highlight. I have never encountered a character like her- she was so real, so vibrant; her character voice so roaring. She is so lovable and so it makes it even more difficult to go through what she goes through, both in her backstory and throughout the plot. She’s so full of love and pure feminist delight that warmed my heart and broke it simultaneously. The characters are so gorgeous, Tia, too, has such a distinctive voice- so separate from Adunni’s perspective you can hardly believe it’s the same author, except for the absolutely masterful way she is crafted, that can only be from Abi Daré and Abi Daré alone.
I don’t want to spoil it with the plot points, but the way this character-led story weaves in environmentalism, highlighting the socio-economic disparity between states that have plenty decimating the ecosystem of places like Nigeria, which in turn then leads to further difficulty when already impoverished and underprivileged areas begin to further rely on traditionalism due to the lack of infrastructures in place, which kickstarts a lot of this plot. Moreover, it is impossible to escape the beauty of the women throughout this novel, the way that even in the worst places and the worst situations, and no matter what each of them are going through- the perseverance and love and respect shown by each to each. I adored this book and can’t wait to read more from this author.
Received an ARC, thanks for NetGalley and Hodder

The girl with the loading voice is one of the last books I read before I started writing book reviews I enjoyed that book and love this way the way this book carries on from where the last book finished so we discover more about the main characters in the first book
I particularly liked the way the lead adult character writes to her lover letters even after he died it was a very clever way of telling us more of her backstory.
The story starts immediately the previous book finishes and we discover the Young woman Adumni seemingly saved from her servitude and about to start school at the age of 14. unfortunately things are not as smooth sailing as it looks like and the story progresses with her being taken back to her village of origin where a ceremony is due to take place accusing her of murder.
The setting of most of this novel is back in the home village and is extremely atmospheric
The novel covers lots of big issues such as illegitimate birth ,genital mutilation and early marriage of African girls as well as effects of climate warming and deforestation with subtlety so that you don’t feel you’re being preached at
The author has a clear easily red flat flowing pros style and I found the novel an easy relaxing read
The author has the skill to describe her characters very well and the way that they behave in the unusual circumstances they find themselvesin seems entirely real
I originally copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published in the UK on the 8th of August 2024 by Hodder and Stoughton.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, and my book blogbionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com.
After publication it will also be on Amazon UK

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an early Kindle copy of 'And So I Roar' by Abi Dare.

And So I Roar is the much-anticipated follow-up to the incredible 'The Girl With The Louding Voice', published in 2020.

At the start of the book, Adunni has been offered a school scholarship and is finally safe from being owned and physically and emotionally hurt. Adunni is excited to start school and is living happily with Ms Tia and Doctor Ken.

Unfortunately, the night before school starts events transpire that make the next few days crucial for her future as she is forced back to Ikati to fight for her freedom and that of many other women too. We also hear Ms Tia's story, her relationship with her Mother, and her life before meeting Ken Dada, both Adunni and Ms Tia's future lives are dependent on one another and the story twists and turns, building to a climactic ending.

This book covers many major issues in the world today, as we all should be aware climate change and global warming are at a frightening pinch point, and we see a not often reported perspective, of how it affects Africa, and how it may be the fault of bigger and greedier economies around the world.

We are also shown the disparity between modern and traditional Nigeria, the latter bringing me to tears more than once, villages that are uneducated and hiding behind tradition to perpetuate misogyny, FGM, and general abuse of women.

Adunni is a stunning character who believes that women are stronger when we work together. I'll finish with my favourite line from the book which illustrates this.

Adunni: "if they are removing the ladder for us to climb, let we women bend our backs on top of each other, and make a ladder for ourselves by ourselves".

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'And So I Roar' by Abi Daré.

I feel like I missed something when I started this book. And I did. This is a unspoken about continuation of Abi Daré's famous 'The Girl With The Louding Voice' and although you definitely can read it without reading that book because I did, I definitely wish I had read the book first because I felt like I had missed something the whole way through. However, Daré's writing style is so beautiful and confident and outspoken that it was worth the large mass of confusion.

You can still appreciate this book even if you have not read The Girl with The Louding Voice, but I highly recommend reading it first to have a more impactful experience. Dare’s writing is distinct and authentic, and I enjoyed getting immersed in the lives of women in Nigeria and how the characters learn to fight for themselves.

This novel can be read as a stand alone story or as the "Further Adventures of Adunni" who featured in "The GIrl With the Louding Voice." In this continuation of the the story Adunni has runaway from the village, is enrolled in school and has found refuge in the home of a woman called Tia, in Lagos. Tia, has overheard a whispered conversation between her dying mother and her aunt and wants to find out what dark secrets her mother has with held from her. Tia finds herself conflicted when her own quest comes into conflict with her protection of Adunni as trouble from the village follows and threatens Adunni's new life. Adunni will need to make her voice not just loud but a roar this time.

This story kept me turning the pages, hoping that Tia and Adunni would have happy endings. It was interesting to read about life in Nigeria both in the city and contrastingly in villages for girls and learn how much misogyny, abuse and the horror of modern slavery still exists. Girls lives mean nothing. The women and girls are so resilient and courageous. Intersting, educational and heart wrenching.

I loved The Girl With The Louding Voice so I was really excited to read this book and see Tia's journey as she discovers family secrets and the danger / chance of redemption that lies ahead

This is a really interesting story about the African women who choose NOT to stay in their lane - for very good and often harrowing reasons.

In a follow up to her smash hit novel The Girl with the Louding Voice, Abi Dare gives us another memorable tale of family secrets, the lies we are told, and the principles we choose to stand up for. We also catch up with Adunni again.

Set in Nigeria, the book tells the story of an unforgettable set of characters. This one is worth your time.

I picked this up, based on the fact I'd really enjoyed the girl with the louding voice.
I hadn't realised that this, was in fact the further adventures of Adunni.
If you liked the last book, we've more of the same.
Absolute charm from Adunni, absolute horror at the situation she, and most of the young village girls find themselves in.
It's dark stuff.
Abi Darè has given this character an incredible voice, and she really does roar.