I bought this book for an assignment for my class on African Literature. I decided to choose Stay With Me particularly because the description talked about marriage and starting a family. I am a sucker for romance novels, so I was automatically drawn to it. Let me just premise by saying I was not prepared for the journey this book was about to take me on. The story follows a married couple, Yejide (the wife) and Akin (the husband), who have been married for four years, but have failed to have a child. They have tried everything from fertility doctors to herbal remedies to try and have a child, but nothing works. Now the way the description on the back is set up, it seems as though Yejide is the only one trying to have a child. But as we read on, we realize she is not alone in her efforts. From the beginning we see that Yejide is a strong spirited woman, who does not take disrespect lightly. It is not hard to develop this character analysis, but it is important to note it, as the events of the story threaten to change it. For four years Yejide has been berated by Akin’s family about being barren and threatening his family lineage. This invasion into her marriage is constant, and she finally has enough after her mother-in-law introduces Akin’s new second wife, who has married Akin for the sole purpose of having a child for him. This infuriates Yejide, as she and Akin had decided their marriage would not be polygamous. After the introduction of the new wife, Yejide takes the matter of getting pregnant into her own hands. This decision opens up a can of worms that unravels as the story progresses, and truly displays the amount of sacrifice that a couple will go through to have a child. Now Akin on the other hand, is the character that had captivated my full interest by the end of my read. His character development had me on the edge of my seat as I kept reading on, which is what I think made the book that much more interesting. Usually when we think of fertility and starting a family, we solely focus on the mother and how she is handling the situation. Adebayo gives us a unique and truly captivating perspective from the father’s end of the struggle to start a family. To those considering reading this book, I advise you to be prepared for the twists and turns that surround Akin’s character. They are truly unexpected but at the same time really show his investment in having a child with Yejide, despite the circumstances. One aspect of the book that I did not really appreciate until the end of the book was the switching of point of view from Yejide to Akin throughout the book. The switches were subtle and often unrecognizable until a page or two into the chapter, which made the read a bit confusing at times. However, towards the end of the book, I began to understand why Adebayo chose to write from both perspectives. Without giving too much away, I can say that there is a shift in hope towards the end of the story, which explains the switch in perspectives. I know I already mentioned this before, but I loveddd the unexpectedness of the plot. The twists and turns are why I 100% would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in it. It’s a beautifully written and truly captivating story that will have you on the edge of your seat the entire read.