A Young Adult novel by Louisa Onomé, Twice As Perfect follows a Nigerian Canadian girl dealing with an estranged older brother, helping her cousin plan a huge Nigerian wedding, and pressure from her parents about her future. The only things worth doing are those that will lead to success.
For seventeen-year-old Adanna Nkwachi, life is all about duty: to school and the debate team, to her Nigerian parents, and even to her cousin Genny as Ada helps prepare Genny’s wedding to Afrobeats superstar Skeleboy (“Skeleboy me, Skeleboy this money, everything na Skeleboy…that Skeleboy!”). Because ever since her older brother, Sam, had a fight with their parents a few years ago and disappeared, somebody has to fill the void he left behind. Ada may never know what caused Sam to leave home, but the one thing she’s certain of is that it’s on her to make sure her parents’ sacrifices aren’t in vain.
One day, chance brings the siblings back together. Although she fears how their parents will react if they find out she and Sam are back in touch, Ada’s determined to get answers about the night Sam left—Sam, who was supposed to be an engineer but is now, what, a poet? The more she learns about Sam’s poetry, the more Ada begins to wonder if maybe her own happiness is just as important as doing what’s expected of her. Amid parental pressure, anxiety over the debate competition, a complicated love life, and the Nigerian wedding-to-end-all-weddings, can Ada learn, just this once, to put herself first?
Louisa Onomé is a writer of books for teens. She holds a BA in professional writing from York University and is represented by Claire Friedman at InkWell Management.
A part of the Author Mentor Match round 3 cohort, she is also a writing mentor and all-around cheerleader for diverse works and writers. When she is not writing, her hobbies include picking up languages she may never use, trying to bake bread, and perfecting her skincare routine. She currently resides in the Toronto area.
Seventeen year old Adanna Nkwachi has had her future planned since she entered high school: get into law school to become lawyer--it's what she's good at. Now in her senior year of high school, with everything set for herself and a goal in mind, nothing will sway her decision... that is until she discovers that her long-lost brother who she'd been told had run away from home is performing in town at a poetry show.
As Ada learns more from everything her brother's been doing and grapples with some truths, she'll have to decide if becoming a lawyer is truly what she wants, or if it's her parents wishes making her want it.
This was a pretty decent read! Although I mainly wanted to get it over with because I was bored, the story itself was interesting.
I do really like the message it was sending, and lots of issues here were very much a mood. I think I may have gone through an existential crisis or two.
I found myself understanding how Ada was feeling and I'm really glad with the decision she made about her love life, because otherwise I would've been annoyed💀 I must admit though, Ada as well as all the other side characters... I didn't really feel much towards them, they were just there as characters. minus tayo because my god the hatred i had towards this shallow guy I will say though that the poetry aspects in this book were pretty neat!
Overall, other than being bored for majority of the book and the ending being a bit underwhelming, this was a pretty alright story.
Thank you Harper Collins CA for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!
I listened to the audiobook of this one and I have to say that the narrator definitely helped keep me interested as she did a great job. I loved the poetry bits that were incorporated, especially the very end. I thought that the story had a lot of potential, and I’m not sure it really all came together. It was a little scattered and it moved al title slowly, but overall it was a fun read. I liked the Nigerian cultural pieces that were included and I loved the information about cross cultural kids for the debate.
This story is about Sophie/Ada a Nigerian Canadian girl who has always thought she had a plan - get straight A’s, go to college, go to law school, and be successful. Ada has been working twice as hard to be perfect since her brother ran away from home right before she starts middle school. Six years later she runs into him and learns some things she had no idea about as she is also working on figuring out more about herself.
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.
ever since her older brother ran away, ada has felt the need to fill the void he left and become twice as perfect. she’s at the top of her class, on track to become a lawyer, and never steps out of line. but when she runs into her estranged brother, who is now a poet, she starts to question whether everything she’s built up to is what she really wants.
ada has my entire heart! she’s felt so much pressure to live up to her parents’ dreams for her, to the point of questioning if her interests are even her own. i loved how she got to explore her artistic side through poetry and got to form a bond with her brother because of it.
the family dynamics were really interesting, as well. in addition to her relationship with her parents and her brother, throughout the novel, ada is helping her cousin genny with wedding preparations. we get to meet more of her family this way, and i loved how much care went into the wedding planning!
i would recommend this to anyone who enjoys coming-of-age novels!
The same wonderful authentic and funny voice that I loved from her first book, Like Home. This book does so amazingly well at capturing the struggles of feeling caught between two worlds as a child of immigrants. And even though sometimes my girl was stressing me out, I loved how heartfelt this story was, and how much it spoke to the complicated nature of families.
Thank you to netgalley and Macmillan for allowing me an early listen of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Feiwel & Friends for my beautiful finished copy.
Ada was such a relatable character, I saw myself & I saw so many of my students in her in so many ways! When I was younger, my siblings and I attended private and charter schools and we were the minority. I can recall the times I tried to fit in with my white friends to hide the fact that I was so different from them. I definitely appreciated the representation of all the high expectations that immigrant parents place on their kids to go to college and get into a specific career for a “better future”.
𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐃: 👌🏽 Aspects of the Nigerian culture 👌🏽 The character development of Ada & her parents 👌🏽 The lovable MC
As beautiful as this story was, I do feel as though it dragged for a bit, I found myself wanting it to just end already at some points. I think the plot around the wedding could’ve been shortened tremendously in order to focus on the main plot a bit more. I also wish we had more insight from Sam, he seemed like such a great guy.
Twice as Perfect is about Adanna Nkwachi, balancing school, the expectations her parents set upon her and the gap her absent brother, Sam left in her life. But when they coincidentally meet again, Ada takes time to truly understand how happy and satisfied she's been with her decisions.
This is an easy read, I particularly enjoyed the insights into Nigerian culture and way of communication the most. Also the talks about children of immigrants and the career choices available to them to strengthen their footing in the world were articulated so well!
Ada's relationship with her brother was something I wanted to see more of, loved how they gathered the courage to walk on their own path and stood up for each other. Actually I would've liked to see more of her relationships with every side character, they all seemed deep-rooted.
Ultimately, the conflict wrapped up easily and quickly without discussions between both parties. I won't spoil, but I wanted Ada and her parents and people close to her to talk and understand Ada and her own conflicts.
1.5 stars because Ada/Sophie's story had so much potential and the opening chapter gave me hope. But, this was such a scattered, loosely constructed story that fell short of initial expectations. Plot lines were presented but not followed through on. This was one where it seemed like the author said, "oh, let's have her do this, do that, but things weren't fleshed out enough. With some guidance from a good editorial team, Ada/Sophie's life experience could have been a much better read.
TRIGGER WARNING AND OTHER INFO AT THE END OF THE REVIEW
This book was, overall, really good!
Things I liked about the book!
Starting off positive. I liked the story a lot. I could very easily get lost in it and read the whole thing in a single sitting. It was well written, addicting, and exciting all at once! I also love the was the author included Canadian and Nigerian culture in her story telling!!
Things I didn't like about the book!
My main gripe with this book was actually with my main girl Ada.
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Book Title: Twice as Perfect Standalone or Series: Standalone Author: Louisa Onomé Genre(s): YA, Romance, Contemporary Recommended Age Rating: 12+ Reasons Why: Language (including the f-word frequently), romance (hand holding) Recommended for Fans of: Other books by Louisa Onomé Overall Rating: B++ Brief Summary: Ada, a Canadian-Nigerian teenager, has a lot going on. Her cousin is getting married to a famous Afrobeats singer named Skeleboy and is planning a huge Nigerian wedding, Ada needs to get into college and win debate so she can go to law school, and . . . her brother who was kicked out years ago. Ada sees him everywhere.
But fate works in mysterious ways and Ada realizes there may be more to life than simply what's expected of her.
I honestly wasn’t expecting to pick this book up. I entered a giveaway on BookishFirst just because, and I ended up winning and finally reading it!
This is a YA coming-of-age story that focuses a lot on social issues. We follow a Nigerian Canadian teenager who is dealing with a lot right now: school, debate team, and family.
I loved the diversity in this book. In a way, it reminded me so much of The Hate U Give with the social issues. I also think the Nigerian culture in the story was beautifully portrayed and had me so invested.
It did take me a few pages to get into the book and writing style. Also, YA tends to be a genre that I have mixed feelings towards. This one was enjoyable for the most part and had a stunning portrayal of these characters.
I also liked that our MC was helping her cousin with the wedding. It added so much to the issues she was already having, but I think she managed just fine. It was inspiring reading about how she overcame these struggles.
Onome is such a beautiful storyteller. I don’t think I have read a book with a Nigerian character, but this was a great start. I wish the ending wasn’t rushed and slow at times, but I enjoyed this book for the most part and I think it’s worth the read for the representation!!
Thank you BookishFirst for the giveaway win in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts are my own!
Ada aka Sophie has always planned to be a lawyer. Ever since her brother, Sam, got into a fight with her parents and bounced (thus crushing their dreams that he become an engineer), Ada has felt the weight of her parents' expectations. When she happens on a poetry night, she also happens upon her estranged brother. Hoping to reconcile Sam and her parents, Ada gets Sam an invite to her cousin Genny's wedding to afrobeats superstar Skeleboy. But things don't always go as planned, and Ada finds herself questioning so many things.
July has been a horrible reading month for me, so I was super happy to read something that was actually really great. Onome captures the duality of someone trying to exist in two cultures at the same time. Ada even has two names. She's Adanna to her family, and Sophie at school. Then there's the duality of her life, and what happened with her brother. Throughout the book, it seems like Ada is constantly being pulled in two directions, whether it's in regards to her future, or her brother, or even the boy she wants to date. I really enjoyed reading Ada's story. She was a well-crafted, believable character, and I think that many kids, whose parents have high expectations for them, could probably relate.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. I really enjoyed Yinka Ladeinde's narration. She really made the book for me, bringing a whole Nigerian family to life. I definitely recommend this book.
DNF at 25% I was really looking forward to reading Twice as Perfect by Louisa Onomé, but I must say I was very disappointed. After reading an excerpt of the first couple chapters, it truly sounded promising. The premise of the book is interesting and I thought I would relate to the protagonist. Unfortunately, it simply didn't live up to my expectations.
First off, the plot seemed very underdeveloped in my opinion. This made the book feel really slow, and I just couldn't keep reading, waiting for it to get better. It felt like things were dragged out, and nothing was necessarily planned out. Again, I liked the idea of the protagonist meeting up with her estranged brother, but it was taking forever for that to happen, and in the mean time, nothing really happened.
Furthermore, I did not like the main character, Ada, at all. I understand that she was going through a lot, but she was very rude and pretentious in the first quarter of the novel. That being said, I will admit that I don't know if she developed more throughout the book since I stopped reading 100 pages in. Ada also made a comment towards the beginning of the book that women with bad skin shouldn't go makeupless. This was not only uncalled for, but I also try to promote body positive books for my followers, so this was definitely not the book for me.
Overall, between not liking the main character and feeling as though the novel lacked a concrete plot, this was not one of my favorite books. Again though, I want to reiterate that I only read the first quarter of the book, so it is completely feasible that these aspects changed in the last three quarters of the novel.
Thank you to HCC Frenzy for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Twice As Perfect follows a 17 year old Nigerian Canadian girl, Adanna Nkwachi, dealing with an estranged older brother, helping her cousin plan a big Nigerian wedding to Afrobeats superstar Skeleboy, and pressure from her parents about her future (To become a lawyer and be successful)
I enjoyed this book! It really shows the struggle for immigrants (especially children with immigrant parents); being torn between two different cultures and also the familial pressure to pursue a “successful” career (doctor, engineer, lawyer)
Adanna was a relatable character and I really liked her relationships with her friends/family. The Nigerian rep was refreshing and I love the Canadian setting. Overall, I think this is a great coming-of-age story.
This is my first time reading a Louisa Onomé book, but I’ll definitely be checking out her other book and I’ll be looking out for her next book
This releases on June 7, 2022 wherever books are sold
Twice As Perfect is a relatable, heartrending young adult novel about choosing one’s own path despite immigrant parental expectations. Set against the background of a big Nigerian wedding, Onome celebrates Nigerian culture, while highlighting the plight of immigrant kids who sometimes feel “not Nigerian enough.” If you enjoy young adult books about family, this one will be right up your alley.
This was my second book from this author. I really enjoyed the characters. They were flawed, and they each came with their own stories to follow as the story moved. Plot is something that can make or break a book for me, and this plot of this book was one that was easy to follow. Twice as Perfect had a simple story that was easy to follow, and sometimes you just need a book with an easy-to-follow plot. I enjoyed the writing in this book just as much as I enjoyed the writing in the first book I read from this author. This book didn't have any romance, but the family dynamic was interesting to read about, and I enjoyed learning about the friends Ada had. I recommend this book to fans of the YA genre. I'm a person who really has issues with pace in books, and this book's pacing issues for me, and so that's why it was only 3 stars. I still think this book was fine, but it wasn't a new favorite or anything.
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
As a fan of Like Home, I was excited for Twice as Perfect. One of the most meaningful elements of this book has to be the ways in which Ada navigates her feelings having to be twice as perfect. Not only in the ways in which BIPOC teens aren't given second chances and the ways in which they almost have to be perfect examples. But also in how with her brother out of the picture - for some unknown reason - she has to be twice as perfect. The golden child carrying the burdens of two.
The ways she articulates the pressure of her parents on her shoulders? Heart wrenching. It's about feeling like our parents have sacrificed for us - and they have - all for our chances and our future. But what happens when we want to deviate? When we might not be as perfect as they want? Not to mention the unresolved sibling tension and drama! Where is Sam and what happened to him? While the sibling complexities was one of my favorite elements, I felt like its conclusion was kind of hasty and I would have liked to see more resolution.
I really enjoyed this book. It had a little love triangle, a little family drama, and a lot of culture. The main character was very likable and relatable. It definitely took me back to some of the things I struggled with in high school, like trying to figure out what career path will make you happy. If you like Never Have I Ever on Netflix, I would recommend this book.
This was my first venture into Nigerian/Canadian cultures joining together Enjoyed learning about the various foods, events around an upcoming wedding.
Twice as Perfect follows 17 year old Adanna Sophie Nkwachi, who is balancing school, her debate team, helping to plan a wedding, and fulfilling her Nigerian parents expectations of her. She wants to make her parents proud, especially after her older brother disappeared a few years ago and left a stain on the family name. One day, Ada and her brother Sam coincidentally reunite, and learning about Sam and his poetry encourages Ada to look within herself and acknowledge whether what is expected from her is what will make her happy.
I really enjoyed this coming of age novel, a lot of what Ada was going through can be quite relatable to many students, especially high achievers. Having her unsure of what she wanted to do in the future made her easy for me to connect with, and while she was a very indecisive character, she eventually finds herself throughout the novel.
This book is a great representation of the struggles of children of immigrants; especially the cultures in which a "doctor, engineer or lawyer" are the only 'successful' career paths parents acknowledge. Readers are able to see the damage of this mentality in the book, and asides from this mentality, I also really loved all of the other cultural references!
I loved Ada's relationships with her friends and extended family, and I do wish we got to see and hear more from Sam. His story was interesting, and learning more about him would have been fun. The way Ada goes by "Adanna" to her Nigerian family and friends but by "Sophie" to her classmates and debate team was also really interesting. Ada makes comments about using her 'white voice', and it was sad but definitely eye opening to read about the ways she adjusted aspects of her personality to fit into a white society.
The book had a cute ending, and overall I really enjoyed it! Thank you Louisa Onomé and NetGalley for the eARC!
Adanna Nkwachi is a seventeen year old Nigerian girl who has had her future planned out for herself for years. She will graduate highschool, attend law school and make a name for herself. Her life has always been about meeting the high expectations of her parents, especially after her brother abandoned the family and she was left to feel she had to be twice as good at everything.
But when she is given an art project assignment that brings her to a poetry slam her life changes. She finds her brother, who she hasn't seen in six years, on center stage performing and he's good. And with his help she writes her own poetry to perform and she discovers she may be good at other things. And she questions whether the future she has planned is truly the future she wants.
This book was rather slow. In fact I would likely have quit after the first twenty pages had I not been reviewing it. Although the author certainly writes with strong detail and you get a great feel for the characters it really lacks any excitement and drags on. I suspect those who enjoy family drama type books would enjoy this one as it is well written. But it's not for me. Unfortunately I can only give 2.5 stars.
"I have two different parts of me that I wish I could share But not one is greater than the other is great and I don't know who can relate.
Because I am the only one of my kind the first and the second: the whole. You can't mispronounce these two anymore."
Adanna Sophie is a senior in high school who is trying so hard to make everyone happy that she doesn't know how to be happy herself.
Her story asks the question: how do you merge the two halves of yourself?
The "Ada" self vs the "Sophie" self The traditional vs the unexpected The old friends vs the new relationships The family expectations vs following your heart Debate (and law school) vs art (and a new path)
"Tayo & Justin are pretty different, but more than that, I'm pretty different when I'm around them. Ada would be a bit too crass for Justin, and Sophie, too tame for Tayo."
I loved following Ada's journey in this book. I think the debate competition is especially apt. "There is no appropriating what you really are." So much good food for thought, and no simple answers.
Whew…this one was painfully slow for me. The book felt soooo long….a lot of words with very little plot. I was bored most of the time because it was so redundant, I felt like the main character only talked about 3 things the entire book. 😩 I was never really excited to pick it back up and start reading again… I just wanted to finish it.
Twice As Perfect is a story that does a great job of looking at the impacts and divides between different generations of immigrants, but the execution could still be better than it is. Onome centers her story around Ada, a child of immigrants from Nigeria to Canada. The Nigerian culture is very strong, and the family is part of a very close-knit community that maintains many traditions from their home country, while having sky-high expectations for their children that are being given a chance for a better life. This can be challenging for their children, including Ada. Her parents only consider careers like doctors, engineers and lawyers to be acceptable and this results in her older brother Sam being kicked out of the house and nothing but the highest standards for Ada. Which is great for Ada until it isn’t. They are rigid standards that she’s formed herself to, which makes her a pretty difficult person to be around – something that her partner in an art class points out to her when Ada decides that the class and the project is stupid and that she’ll likely have to do all the work because she’s the smarter, more driven person - without ever bothering to try and get to know Patricia. But the class opens up the opportunity to see her brother again, and it also exposes her to things she and her parents have closed her off to for years, which makes her question how much she really wants to become the lawyer her parents want her to be.
Even though Ada’s parents have good intentions, they go about it in a really awful way. Kicking her brother out and then refusing to explain the situation (or ever refer to him again) creates a horrible situation for a teenager still in the home. Getting angry because your kid wants to be a kid even though they’re meeting your expectations and following your rules is unrealistic. Never allowing your child to explore what they might be passionate about and disowning them when they go behind your back to do so is toxic. Onome shows the extremes of this in this story, and how wanting too much for your children can backfire spectacularly.
Ada for me was not a particularly likable character until late in the book. She’s so focused on balancing two sides of herself (Nigerian Ada and Canadian Sophie) and meeting parental expectations that she’s stuck-up, judgmental and rude to many of the people around her. The book feels like it needs a stronger emphasis on one particular storyline. This bounces between a debate competition, a wedding, reuniting with her brother Sam, exploring writing poetry of her own, and ultimately a confrontation between Ada and her parents. I wish Onome had toned the wedding storyline way down and focused on the dynamics between Ada and her family members instead. I’m guessing she made it such a large focus both to share wedding culture and that Nigerians can have their own celebrities, but it was too much of the book and the celebrity obsessions and shallowness were annoying to me.
The potential I saw in the author’s uneven and not quite fully realised first novel is very much evident here. This is lighter fare, fully embodying - celebrating - Nigerian culture - especially the food and the language, which I can hear in my head as I’m reading - yet totally digestible to Western ears/minds. It is also an interesting exploration of being that first generation - cross-cultural - kid, and the internal/family/community tension and conflict that comes with it.
This is also a love letter to Toronto - particularly Etobicoke - and she gets the basics of the geography correct. Not least of this is her inclusion of a reference to ‘my school’ that I taught at my last 20 years, and where I was Teacher Librarian, the Etobicoke School of the Arts (ESA, p127). But even at that, where she uses lots of real places - even bus routes and bus stops - she chose to anonymise other places. Why? Keep it real, or not… but why mix and match?
I also appreciated that she did not take the easy route re boy-girl relationships. She could so easily have had Sophie/Ada hook up with either Tayo or Justin… and she chose not to. Kudos. I will admit thought that while I never really expected it - there was nothing to signal the likelihood - I would not have been surprised had she gone for a polyamourous relationship involving the three of them. But had she done that she would have ‘distracted’ from the main plotline… so again, kudos to her for not going there.
That’s not to say that there weren’t aspects that drove me buggy:
- Slow to get started - really not much of anything had actually happened by page 100; - Repetition - especially Sophie/Ada whining to herself about not being ‘artsy’ or ‘good enough’ to make up for her (absent) brother.. it actually gets a bit tiresome…; - Tendency at times to be a bit preachy - part of the reason she chose ‘debate’ as the vehicle? - easy to include speeches (and what is it with two recent Canadian YA books with debate clubs as an organising principle? It’s not like debate is that big in public schools in Toronto…); - Overnight transformation of the parents - particularly Dad… complete 180 comes about pretty fast… not enough groundwork prior to this for me to believe that he has his ‘come to Jesus’ moment so quickly after kicking her out of the house; and, - Happily ever after ending - at least the promise of something that will become so.
At the end of the day this is a light-hearted and entertaining read, that speaks to a community we don’t usually see reflected in our literature - YA or Adult.
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!
YA fiction is often about the protagonist experiencing profound growth as they form and articulate their identity as demonstrated by events and experiences as well as evolving relationships. Twice as Perfect brings us the Nigerian-Canadian perspective as we follow high-achieving and ambitious Ada (aka Sophie) codeswitching between her Nigerian family and community and her non-Nigerian school/friendships. There are typical adolescent happenings (a big debate tournament, a school assignment that takes Ada outside her comfort zone, her interest in a couple boys from school) but there's also some things that are much bigger or grander (her cousin's wedding to a major Nigerian music superstar, the disownment of her older brother by their parents). Throughout the book, we're immersed in the vibrant Nigerian immigrant community through snippets of conversation, foods, and traditions (this would be a fun audiobook!).
I appreciate the insight into a different immigrant community especially as there are certain themes that are universal regardless of the home country (e.g., sacrifices for the younger generation, conversations about language and assimilation/connections to culture, the value or role of education for the children of immigrants, etc.). A bit more than the first half of the book was a bit slow and felt a bit tedious - perhaps even extraneous. While there were some small snippets that helped with character development, I think a lot of this could have been trimmed back significantly. It was only about two thirds of the way through the book that the story started picking up and I found myself staying up to finish. The writing especially in the first portion could've been condensed and the characters could have been a bit more layered, but I did gain insight into the Nigerian community in Canada.
Many thanks to Bookish First and Feiwel and Friends for the early copy of Twice as Perfect.