Louisa OnoméRecensioni

From high school debate team to a super star character I feel like this story has it all. Adanna Nkwachi is living up to her parents dreams by choosing one of their approved professions. She is top tier debater on her way to going to law school, but things begin to change as she learns more about why her brother left and living his dreams as a poet.

All while this is going on her cousin Genny is getting married to Afrobeats superstar Skeleboy. This story has a lot going on and def has range from hs debate to wedding preparations. TBH I was sucked in by the wedding aspect of it all since I just finished the book Destination Wedding by Diksha Basu. I love the excitement of love birds and the drama that goes into making the wedding happen. There is always some tea and I am here for it. The cherry on top was the groom is a famous singer which was something different that gives off JLOs Let's get married vibez

I did not expect the book to be so relatable. It was a fictional character that had real life struggles. Especially the family situations, or no way not heard of. That was a big thing in the book her parents expectations and the ocean wide space her brother left when he left her. Nothing is ever easy, we read what she go through, what it takes for her to get where she is. She chooses her own path in life like Sam her brother, which is something i quite liked. Because we can't all be what are family wants and when they push us down or hold us back, that's when we decide to stay or go our own path.

I really enjoyed reading this between the pressure from family and the struggle from different culture. It ended quite nicely. I love that the cover reflects the story, it really goes with it. This was my first book from this author and i really liked it. Thank you for sending me a copy.

2.66 Read my mini review here.½

Twice as Perfect follows 17-year-old Nigerian Canadian Adanna (Ada) who goes by Sophie at school. She is grappling with intense parental expectations especially since her older brother Sam left home and became estranged, forcing Ada to feel that she needs to be Twice as Perfect to make up for Sam's absence. She is striving to become a lawyer, as the only acceptable professions in her family are doctor, engineer or lawyer. She is also juggling debate team and being a bridesmaid in her cousin's massive wedding to a Nigerian music superstar.
In doing research for a school art project, she happens upon Sam at a poetry night and reunites with him. Learning about Sam and his poetry encourages Ada to question whether her plan to become a lawyer will make her happy. She begins to feel both relief and fear about what it will mean if she deviates from her rigidly determined path
Twice as Perfect does a great job of depicting a young person who is torn between two cultures and dealing with the weight of parental expectations. I liked Ada's character and her relationships with her friends and extended family. Although Ada was interested in two boys, the focus of the story was not about getting a boyfriend and the romantic relationships were left unresolved, which was refreshing to see in a YA novel. I loved the vivid descriptions of Nigerian culture and food. Twice as Perfect is a well-written multicultural coming-of-age story.

Thank you to BookishFirst and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review!

Twice as Perfect by Louisa Onome is a lovely YA novel that deals with social issues. The story revolves around Adanna, a Nigerian Canadian teenager dealing with a lot of issues. Not only is she dealing with school and the debate team, she's also having problems with her family. Her cousin is planning a big Nigerian wedding, and Adanna has to help them out. Can Adanna deal with all of these issues from school, family, and even her love life?

Here is an intriguing excerpt from Chapter 1:

"AUNTIE FUNMI PULLS ON THE measuring tape held
tight around my waist. I hold my breath, suck in my stomach a little, because I want the dress to fit, like really fit. But
Auntie Funmi is the best seamstress my mom knows, so she
taps my arm— smacks, more like— and hisses at me in her
strong, Yoruba accent, “Ah- ah! Adanna! So you want to be
doing like this at the wedding the whole time?” And she
holds her breath and shifts side to side like she can’t walk or
bend her knees. “You will just look uncomfortable.”
Chioma snickers from where she’s sitting at the dining
table. She has a swath of bright ankara fabric over one knee
while she flips through a catalog of old-school dress styles.
We lock eyes and she snickers again, none too remorseful
for the situation I’m in. Auntie Funmi is pissed she has to
redo all these bridesmaids’ dresses only two months before
Chioma’s sister’s wedding, and she’s taking it out on me
just because I’m the last girl to be fitted. How is it my fault,
though?"

Overall, Twice as Perfect is a delightful YA novel that will appeal to fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Hate U Give. One highlight of this book is the diverse representation of the characters. I liked reading about a character with Nigerian background. I don't think I've read any books like this before, and I think it's so important for under-represented characters to take the forefront. As a reader of Chinese descent, I also appreciated the scenes on Asian names. I did take off 1 star, because I typically enjoy books in other genres more. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA novels in general, I recommend that you check out this book, which is available now!

teen fiction - Igbo Nigerian-Canadian teen balances debate team/college aspirations and what her parents want with what she wants in love and life.

took a while for me to get into her voice and character but I really liked this. would also be great as audio b/c Naiga accents and spoken poetry.½

Dragged

I had such high hopes for this book based on the premise. The best part of this novel for me was learning a bit of Nigerian culture, especially concerning family arrangements and expectations, weddings and dress, and food. But beyond this, the only reason I finished reading this novel was because I wanted to write an honest review.

First of all, the point of view character Ada (or Sophie to everyone but her family) was someone I never liked or even cared about. She felt selfish, rude, and conceited to me. Ada and the other characters in the book all felt superficial and lacking dimension.

Second, nothing ever seemed to happen. The plot dragged and spent too much time in Ada's head, voicing the same insecurities over and over. I never looked forward to reading this novel each day.

Another part that I didn't enjoy was the ending. It felt abrupt and was definitely too predictable. Too many unresolved family issues and life choices were left hanging.

Secrets carry the plot.

O-Kay!

Insights into the mind and gradually bracing actions of Ada/Sophie interweave with slow-moving Nigerian Wedding build-up and her recursive law school withdrawal.

The Cultural Appropriation Drama competition was both adroitly handled and enlightening, while the back and forth choices between best boy Tayo and (maybe gay?) Justin felt like real high school drama.

Even with Ada's many complications, believing that she would be TWICE AS DUMB
by: 1. Inviting Sam to Genny's Wedding without her permission and
2. Lying to him about that invitation was hard to believe Further complicating the plot is her stupidity in risking ruining Genny's Wedding when there was no reason at all to set up her parents with the son they had not seen for six years.

At the conclusion of TWICE, we still don't know why Sam never contacted Ada after his parents threw him out. And why, in six years, did Sam not simply get a STARBUCKS job and pay his parents back with a simple explanation for his betrayal of their $...?
And why did neither he nor Genny did not simply lift the burden of the mystery from Ada with a simple message...?

A photograph of the Poetry Slam Poster would be welcome!½

This reminded me of the musical In the Heights and Angie Thomas’s books.

When a brick is thrown through the window of the Ginger Store, which is like a second home to Chinelo (or Nelo), it threatens to change her world forever. Now, her best friend Kate’s family, who run the store, may sell it and move from their lower-income neighborhood, Ginger East. Nelo and Kate are the only two left in their group of friends, and Nelo worries that she’ll be left all alone. She launches a quest to prove that the brick was thrown by an outsider, not someone from the neighborhood. The incident also brings some of their childhood friends back, as everyone has a different reaction. This was a book about the ties we have to our communities.

Onomé isn’t afraid to have her characters show complicated emotion and challenge each other on their perceptions of the world. We have Nelo, who fiercely loves her neighborhood just as it is, and ends up on TV for it. Then the boys, Bo and Rafa, who left but still have ties to the area. This book tackles tough topics like gentrification and exploitation and the judgement low-income communities face from the outside world.

I also loved that Kate and Nelo’s friendship faced challenges, and none of the characters were perfect. But in the end, their love for each other wins. It was also great to see Nigerian rep in a young adult book.

It was powerful to see how each of the residents and former residents of Ginger East reacted to the changes in their neighborhood.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.