Leave Your Mess at Home

Leave Your Mess At Home by Tolani Akinola Pre-order now for April 14, 2026.

Leave Your Mess at Home by debut author Tolani Akinola is a sharp, big-hearted, and hilarious family drama about four Nigerian American siblings whose buried resentments, secrets, and longings erupt when they’re reunited for the first time in a decade.

The Longe siblings are spectacularly fumbling their parents’ American Dream.

Sola, the eldest daughter, has been estranged from her family for ten years—and now she’s back in Chicago, secretly and reluctantly, after a public breakup and a career-ending scandal. While she attempts to rebuild her life in silence, her siblings are unraveling in their own ways.

Anjola is pining after her best friend—who just got engaged to someone else.
Karen, the baby of the family, is a college junior struggling with her sexuality and self-worth.
Ola, the golden child, is expecting his first child and quietly questioning his marriage, his choices, and how to raise a Black son in America.

Sola’s unexpected return pulls them back into each other’s orbits, and everything comes to a head at their Nigerian immigrant parents’ chaotic Thanksgiving table. What follows is a long-overdue reckoning with the past—one that forces each sibling to confront who they’ve been, who they want to become, and what family really means.

Warm, witty, and emotionally resonant, Leave Your Mess at Home is a heartfelt exploration of forgiveness, identity, adulthood, and the ties that bind us. Perfect for readers of contemporary family sagas, immigrant narratives, and character-driven fiction filled with humor and heart.