Leave Your Mess at Home: A Novel
"Warm, smart, hilarious, delicious, riveting."—Curtis Sittenfeld, New York Times bestselling author of Romantic Comedy
“Powerful… There are multiple messes in Leave Your Mess At Home; I loved reading about every one of them.”—Rachel Khong, New York Times bestselling author of Real Americans
**A Best Book of April: People, The Millions, Atlantic Journal-Constitution, The Root, Muses of Media
**A Most Anticipated Book of 2026: Electric Lit, SheReads, HelloBeautiful, ScaryMommy
The Longe siblings are really botching their parents' American Dream.
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?
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Community Reviews
Where is family when you need them most? And what happens when the very people who should be your safe haven are the source of your deepest wounds?
This was a truly remarkable read. I enjoyed getting to know the Longe family and unpacking the complicated dynamics between the four siblings. Each was navigating personal struggles rooted in their upbringing, whether shaped by love, expectations, resentment, or painful experiences.
I appreciated seeing how each sibling confronted their challenges and how differently they perceived one another. It’s amazing how siblings can grow up under the same roof and walk away with entirely different experiences.
Sola and Ola were the stars of the story for me, each facing some pretty significant life challenges.
Sola, who was ostracized by their mother, abused in secret, and estranged from her family carried so much pain. My heart ached for her. Ola, the only son, was married, impending fatherhood, and the overwhelming realization of what it means to become responsible for a child.
Karen played the role of peacemaker, and Anjola had her own issues. I guess her always having to be little Miss Perfect, may have been her way of protecting her Sola and redirecting negative attention away from her. That’s a huge weight for a child to carry.
I loved the exploration of African traditions and expectations within an American upbringing. The tension between honoring your family’s heritage and embracing the world you’ve actually experienced was fascinating.
Told through multiple POVs, this is a slow-burning, endearing story about family, identity, & forgiveness. I always adore a good family drama, especially around the holidays, when family takes center stage.
Mess had me reflecting on some of my own family mess - grudges, misunderstandings, and unresolved conflicts that linger. Life is simply too short. Sometimes healing means learning when to extend grace, when to forgive, and when to finally put the mess down. 🤎
This is an honest, messy, emotional, and hopeful story about familial relationships. The journeys of the Longe siblings are written with nuance and I found myself feeling anger, empathy, frustration, sadness, and hope throughout the book.
What makes it stand out is how it examines the way nurturing, environment, and social norms shape identity and offers a look into the specific experiences of immigrant children while still being universally relatable in its exploration of belonging, family dynamics, and the human struggle of figuring out who you are and what you want. The characters are flawed in ways that feel real. I loved this book.