Leave Your Mess at Home - Tolani Akinola 🏡 4/14
Release Date: April 14, 2026
Sola Longe, eldest daughter, estranged from the family, is secretly back home in Chicago for the first time in a decade. She’s a newly single and recently disgraced influencer trying to quietly put her life back together again. The other three Longe siblings aren't doing much better.
Anjola is in love with her best friend, who just got engaged to someone else; Karen, a college junior and the baby of the family, is grappling with her sexuality and self-image; and Ola, the golden child with a baby of his own on the way, is questioning his marriage and how to raise a Black son in America.
Sola’s unexpected return sets them on a crash course towards each other, and when the four siblings find themselves together again at their Nigerian immigrant parents' Thanksgiving table, a decade’s worth of secrets and a lifetime of resentments explode to the fore.
In the wreckage of their fateful reunion, each Longe is forced to reckon with the past, take stock of what really matters, and find a way back to each other. Big-hearted, hilarious, and wise, Leave Your Mess At Home is a poignant exploration of forgiveness, unconditional love, and becoming who you want to be, asking the question: what do we owe to our families, and what do we owe to ourselves?
Having read 'Leave Your Mess At Home' by Tolani Akinola, I was deeply moved by how authentically it captures the complexities of family dynamics and personal identities within a Nigerian immigrant context. Sola's return after ten years creates a stirring narrative that resonates with anyone who has felt the push and pull between family expectations and personal growth. What stood out to me was the vivid portrayal of each sibling's inner battles—from Anjola's bittersweet love story to Karen's exploration of her sexuality and self-image, and Ola's wrestling with fatherhood and marriage. Their struggles highlight real-life issues many individuals face today, especially in culturally rich but sometimes stifling immigrant families. In my own experience, reconnecting with family after long periods apart can bring both healing and conflict. This book brilliantly shows that such reunions force us to confront both past wounds and enduring love. The Thanksgiving scene feels especially powerful as a catalyst for both tension and understanding, reminding me of how food and tradition serve as grounding elements in family healing. Moreover, the novel’s exploration of forgiveness and unconditional love encourages readers to reflect on what we owe our families versus ourselves—a question that is often difficult but essential to personal peace. It’s rare to find a story that is both humorous and wise while tackling such serious themes. If you appreciate adult contemporary fiction that sheds light on multicultural family experiences with warmth and honesty, this book is a must-read. It’s a beautiful reminder that even when our lives seem messy and fractured, there’s always hope for reconciliation and becoming who we truly want to be.
This sounds good! Adding to my tbr.