Bad Love by Maame Blue

Against a backdrop of enigmatic nights scattered with spoken-word poetry in London, Venice, Accra and Paris, Ekuah tries to reconcile her personal journey with the love she struggles with for Dee Emeka, a gifted musician who is both passionate and aloof in his treatment of Ekuah. 
After 18 months together, he disappears from her life, confirming her worst fears about the unstable foundation of their relationship. She attempts to graduate university whilst retreating into herself, searching for new validations and preoccupations from heartbreak. 
Life marches on and Ekuah finds personal fulfilment in her poetry and community work. But when she must choose between her first love and the promise of a new, unexpected love, in the form of Jay Stanley, can she handle the vulnerability and forgiveness required? 
Grappling with her examples of love, Ekuah must forge her own path. With an increasingly successful career, she finds herself travelling around the world. When her rise intersects with Dee's own fame, the two are pushed to reach a final resolution.

Author Maame Blue is a Ghanaian Londoner, podcaster, and author. 
A previous life saw the author as a psychotherapist, but now manages projects for Not-for-Profits. 
Splitting her time between Melbourne and London (currently in London) the author recently saw a lot of kangaroos. So there’s that.
​Narrator Vivienne Acheampong is an actress and accomplished voice artist. Recent appearances have included The Other One, Holby City and Famalam. 

Love is hard. Most of us would agree with that - having spent years suffering through endless awkward dates, or wasting time in a relationship you know isn't right but can't bring yourself to break out of. Thankfully these days, things are a lot less painful for me on that front - but they are for Ekuah - the protagonist of Bad Love. 
Author Maame Blue writes skilfully - hooking you in as soon as the book is begun, and ensuring that the reader gets to know Ekua swiftly. She's real, flawed and rounded - a perfect companion to spend a few hours with, and one who is wholely believable, leading me to root for her to make the decisions that would be right for her, rather than the ones that would make for good plot twists!
For a book that has a relationship lacking trust and honesty at the centre, it's refreshing to see how honestly Maame Blue writes. There is a rawness and a bluntness to both the writing and to Ekua's character that works fantastically - and the author doesn't hold back when talking about the ups and downs of relationships. Dee and Jay also leap off the page - there is a very three dimensional feel to to 'Bad Love', I imagine due to quite how realistic the characters feel. 
Added to that - Ekuah's travels allow the reader or listener to embark on a trip to some wonderful places around the world in her company - which at this point in time is particularly welcome!
I listened to this book on Audible, and was highly impressed by the narration from Vivienne Acheampong too - she fits the voice of Ekuah perfectly for me - and there are wonderful facets in her voice of hope, weariness, and excitement as the story progresses. In addition, she makes Ekuah truly feel like someone who you might know or meet in the street - author and narrator combined have created something truly special that is well worth whiling a few hours away with!
Many thanks to Amber at MidasPR for the opportunity to review this.