I first noticed The Smart Money Woman because of the hype; probably due to the release of Season 2 of the movie series. I kept seeing reviews of the book everywhere, so I decided to check it out myself.

First page in, and my first thought was, “another overhyped book”. The writing style felt basic, and honestly, it put me off. But by the end of Chapter One (Broke), I was already telling my reading partner, “Omo, seems I judged this book too fast o”. By Chapter Three (Where Is Your Money Going?), I was hooked. I finished reading it within five hours—the first time in a long time that I read a book till the end in just one day (the last one being Rakiya by Ellis Shuman and Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi, last year).

So yes, the book is engaging, full of substance, and valuable. Arese Ugwu knows her stuff when it comes to personal finance, and she does a great job of simplifying it with Zuri’s story. Each chapter ends with a Smart Money Lesson and practical exercises, which, honestly, gave me flashbacks to primary school English textbooks with those comprehension passages. But in a good way. Everything you want to learn about money—budgeting, saving, investing, debt management—it’s all in there. The ending lines, in particular, stuck with me.

She would rather live like a princess forever than live like a queen for a few years. She is the sort of woman that we are all capable of becoming. I’ve described who she is to me, but I want every woman who reads this book create and become her own version of the Smart Money Woman.

Sure, they market it as a book for women, specifically Nigerian women, but as we all know, money problems are universal. Men, Africans in general, and even people outside Africa have something to learn from this book.

The Smart Money Woman Review

The Smart Money Woman Review

Because let’s be real, one problem we all really can’t escape is money problems, no matter how frugal, or, should I say miserly, you are with money

Now, my only issue was keeping track of the many characters and their multiple POVs. It would’ve been easier if the author stuck to a one-person POV, instead of slipping back and forth between Zuri’s narrative and the broader story. It made the characters feel flat sometimes, with no strong backstories or enough time to develop fully. Also, there was too much telling at certain points instead of showing. The dialogue felt tired, and the storyline was too predictable, with clichés like Adesuwa’s cheating husband, the overly convenient deus ex machina of Tsola boarding the same flight; the classic enemies-to-lovers trope, the classic “when are you getting married and bringing me my grandchildren” African parent trope too.

Still, if I were to rate it, I’d give it a 4/5. The content is solid, and the lessons are great. There’s a sequel, and I’ve seen a few good reviews, but I don’t think I’ll be checking it out anytime soon. I’m still journaling the lessons I picked up from this one.

Now, let’s talk about The Smart Money Woman TV Series.

My intention was to do a full book vs. movie analysis, so right after reading the book, I went straight to Netflix to search for the series.

The Smart Money Woman Netflix

Netflix search results for “The Smart Money Woman”

Then I checked YouTube and found it there.

I watched the first episode… and zoned out. No offense to Arese or the actors, but I’m usually not a fan of recent Nigerian movies. The acting often lacks zeal, and honestly, I’m just not a movie person.

The only movies that keep me awake are psychological thrillers and horror (case in point: I didn’t watch Squid Game 1 when it first dropped, but when Squid Game 2 came out, I binged both in three days. Meanwhile, I’ve been watching Ozark for close to a month now. But The Platform? Finished it in one sitting).

So yeah, The Smart Money Woman series? I just couldn’t get into it. I didn’t find the characters compelling enough to hold my attention. Maybe I’ll try again later, but for now, I’ll just stick with the book, and its sequel, when I get the chance.

 

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