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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?
Publication Year: 2022
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2024 reads: 171/250
2024 tbr: 69/120
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!
0This 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.
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