Ten novels with heroines who are hot messes

Justine Sullivan was born and raised just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, where she failed to learn how to shuck a crab and never attended a single Orioles game. She did, however, discover a passion for reading at her local Harford County Library. She went on to study English Literature at the University of Delaware and then earned her master's in journalism from Boston University and has since spent a number of years working in both newsrooms and the world of branded content. Sullivan lives outside of Boston with her husband and two terribly behaved dogs. He Said He Would Be Late is her debut novel.

At Lit Hub Sullivan tagged ten favorite novels with heroines who are hot messes, including:

Wahala by Nikki May

Why have one hot mess heroine when you can have three? In Nigerian culture, “wahala” means “trouble.” So sets the stage for this delightfully messy novel about three Anglo-Nigerian besties navigating friendship, motherhood, ambition and betrayal.

This book is juicy; so many twists and turns, I had whiplash by the last page.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue