To All the leading aunties

Award-winning author Ola Awonubi returns with her sharpest, funniest, and most culturally rich novel yet—The Marriage Monitoring Aunties’ Association. If you've ever dodged a probing question from a well-meaning aunty about your marital status, this book is your catharsis. With whip-smart dialogue, laugh-out-loud scenarios, and heart-tugging truths about love, tradition, and modern matchmaking, Ola delivers a story that’s both universally relatable and beautifully specific.

They lurk behind WhatsApp statuses, pop up uninvited at weddings, and their superpower is matching you with “that nice young man from church”—regardless of your marital intentions. Welcome to the world of Monitoring Aunties.

In my new book - The Marriage Monitoring Aunties’ Association published last week by One More Chapter Books, Harper Collins, I wanted to celebrate—and lovingly poke at—the women who wield silent influence in our communities. But beneath the humour lies something deeper: a complex web of psychology that makes these characters instantly familiar and emotionally resonant.

Emotional High-Stakes

Monitoring aunties often represent generational pressure wrapped in affection. Readers feel torn between irritation and empathy—because even when meddling, these aunties often believe they’re helping.

Their judgments sting not because they’re cruel—but because they’re personal.

Extract from The Marriage Monitoring Aunties Association.

"My Aunt has this kind of pretend sickly-sweet smile on her face. “Why did you allow your hair to revert to its natural state under those braids? I saw you with an Afro the other day.”

"Of course, an afro is feminist, too. God forbid."

“The hair didn’t want to be pulled, preened, or subjected to chemicals. It is an organ and I did not want it damaged any further.” My voice is matter of fact.

Hers, however, has that familiar scornful edge. “Most of our men like women with long hair.”

African aunties and their obsession with long hair. Even if it is untidy and straggly and has mutated into something unrecognisable, if it is long, it is superior to the natural hair God gave us.

“Most of our men?” Obviously, that doesn’t include Jimi, who seems to like me even though my hair wasn’t in long artificial braids when we met.

2. Lets be real

So many of us have either:

• Encountered a monitoring aunty,

  
  

• Survived one,

  
  

• Or secretly become one (yes, I said it).

  
  

Every now and then the readers have sent me messages either cheering for the Sade to rebel or quietly nod when an aunty hits a nerve. This is why I wrote layered characters—they hold up a mirror to our contradictions.

A Goodreads reader has written:

5.0 out of 5 starts. Five Stars!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 July 2025

The Marriage Monitoring Aunties’ Association is a warm, witty and refreshingly grown-up story about love, family and the pressures of cultural expectations. Sade Sodipo is a brilliant lead, navigating her fifties with grace, humour and an unwavering sense of self, despite the constant interference of her well-meaning but overbearing circle.

Ola Awonubi captures the voices of the aunties perfectly, blending comedy with sharp social insight. I really enjoyed how the book explored what it means to be single later in life, especially within a culture that often sees marriage as the ultimate goal. Sade’s reluctance to settle and her quiet confidence in her own timing felt authentic and empowering.

The romance is gentle and slow-burning, which I appreciated. It felt earned and believable. I especially liked that Sade did not compromise her standards, even under pressure from those around her. Her journey is not just about finding love, but about honouring her own worth.

Another Review from Goodreads

A

May 24, 2025

5 Stars!

I loved this book, I loved the themes surrounding family, marriage, age etc. As a Nigerian who s entrenched in our culture this hit hard. I found myself really feeling for the fmc because i know that an unmarried 50 year old will face a lot because of the culture. Seeing the fmc be 50 and want to be a mother and a wife despite fibroids and people talking was emotional. This book also had fun moments especially with the aunties and the fmcs mom. It was portrayed very realistic and I just got it. The romance was cute and a slow burn and I like that the fmc didn’t force herself on the mmc even when people say that she’s too old to be picky. Overall this is a good read and I appreciated the older fmc and watching her navigate middle life. Thanks to the publisher for this arc.

Sade’s mum interrogates her daughter about her marital status regularly but gets annoyed when externals do the same.

Aunt Bunmi constantly pokes her nose into Sade’s business even to the point of trying to set her up with a ‘Lawyer’ which she is supposed to be grateful for at her big age of fifty.

Aunt Gbemi reminds Sade on a regular basis that she is much lower on the organogram of The Good Nigerian Daughter than her own daughter who at the age of thirty has ‘bagged’ a ‘ A Doctor’.

3 . Comic Relief:

The outrageousness of these aunties provides comic relief, but also shields deeper topics:

• Patriarchal expectations

  
  

• Societal expectations

  
  

• Cultural identity

  
  

• The negotiation between tradition and independence

  
  

Laughing at the absurdity makes these themes easier to digest—and easier to discuss.

4. I Remember the Time

• Do any of these aunties remind you of any of the ones you know?

  
  

• Which aunty did they relate to the most?

  
  

• Have they had a “monitoring moment” of their own?

  
  

• What does navigating marriage expectations look like in your cultural context?

By bringing psychological depth to humour, The Marriage Monitoring Aunties’ Association does more than entertain—it heals, provokes, and connects.

Grab your copy here now and step into the world of the aunties at The Marriage Monitoring Aunties Association.💍 You can get it on Audible as well for a more interactive experience.