TWICE AS PERFECT by Louisa Onomé
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I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review.
Adanna Sophie Nkwachi is no stranger to pressure. She’s always top of her class (or second in her class after her debate partner, chief rival, and maybe-crush Justin) and rocketing toward a career in law. So she can handle being a bridesmaid to her diva cousin and her Nigerian pop icon fiancé, no matter how many times she changes her mind on the dresses, and even if it means deciding whether she wants to cause a furor among the aunties by inviting her other maybe-crush Tayo as her plus one like he insists she should. She can even handle being two different people: obedient Ada in her close-knit Nigerian community and driven Sophie at school.
But a group project in art class? That’s too much.
The required art elective at school doesn’t seem to be getting Ada any closer to her law career, and the assignment pushes her out of her comfort zone. Worse, it throws her into the orbit of her estranged brother, Sam, who became a poet at some point during the six years they haven’t seen one another. But Ada’s encounters with Sam–and with poetry–make her dig deeper into her past and into her heart. Is it possible for her to be a perfect daughter and be happy? Maybe the epic wedding of the year is the perfect chance to reunite her not-so-perfect family.
Onomé builds an immersive, character-rich world around her protagonist in this heartfelt contemporary novel. As she learns more about herself, Ada finds a place for herself as an individual within her family and her community and negotiates the challenge of pursuing individual needs while still caring for those around her. Clear, conversational prose with a first-person narrator provides the perfect voice and vehicle for this story. I highly recommend this one to fans of YA contemporary literature!
Susan the Librarian 