Against the backdrop of her cousin's wedding to a Nigerian superstar, a straight-A student on a path toward law school connects with her estranged brother--and herself--through poetry.

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!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Louisa Onome, and the publisher for eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Adanna is all about the dedication to her family, the debate team, and her cousin's upcoming wedding. Ada tries to keep her parents happy since her older brother, Sam, disappeared from their lives. Soon Sam and Ada reconnect. Ada is worried about what her parents will think if they hear she's in contact with Sam. Ada is determined though to find out what happened between Sam and her parents. With the stress of everything going on, will Ada be able to learn to put herself first?

This book was slow to start but got better as I got further into the story. I like the message of the importance of taking care of yourself first and not letting the stresses of your family, school, etc. get in the way.

3.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Twice as Perfect is an interesting read, capturing the nuances of being Nigerian Canadian and the child of immigrants. Ada deals with being torn between two cultures, working to please her parents while also following her heart, and the reality that everyone will expect her to be “twice as perfect” because of her identity. Even if I do not share her cultural identity, Onomé depicts Ada sympathetically, and in some way, navigating the expectations of parents/guardians and adult authority figures with regard to one’s future is a common one most teens go through.
A major plot point is her brother having deviated from the family’s expectations for him (and become estranged from the family as result), going from working as an engineer to being a poet. I loved the sprinkling of Sam’s poetry throughout, both in and of itself and for how it helps Ada on her own journey of self-actualization.
It does at times feel like some things aren’t given their due, given how packed the book is. As fun as the wedding planning is, it’s much more of a side plot than the blurb suggests. And there’s also some romance (with a love triangle), and I just feel like all of that gets a bit neglected. The main arc is strong, but some of these other elements could have either been cut, streamlined, or fleshed out, depending on importance to the A-plot.
In spite of my issues, I generally enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys multicultural YA contemporaries.

4 stars

Readers looking for a layered young adult heroine who is easy to root for and still has a lot of room to grow will likely fall in love with Ada (aka Sophie, depending on the environment).

Ada, Onome's m.c., is really trying to live up to the title of this novel, but she still can't manage to meet the unreasonable expectations of her parents. The pressure keeps building as Ada's brother leaves home (several years before the novel begins). In leaving home, he also leaves his little sister to achieve all of their parents' dreams on her own, leaving little room for *her* actual dreams.

Unlike many (even most) YA heroines, Ada's reactions are not overblown, extreme, or filled with histrionics. She's upset, and this appears to be wholly justified. Additionally, as Ada starts to find opportunities to release some of the pressure, she begins to feel both relief and new fears about who and what she'll be if she deviates from the clearly determined path. Her ongoing impressions of her parents and brother seem a bit confusing based on the ample evidence that surrounds her, but she does learn and expand her thoughts moving forward.

There's a dash of romance, a big dollop of family drama, some fantastic and intriguing work with identity, and some enjoyable interpersonal platonic relationships, and these ingredients combine to make this novel *twice as perfect* as so many of its fellow YA contemporaries. Fans of the genre should let the lovely cover enchant them into reading; they won't be disappointed. I'm already looking forward to more from this author.

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.

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.

This was an enjoyable, interesting read. The book deals well with identity, growing up the child of immigrants, and familial pressure very well, and I really liked the way that they set up her relationships with her friends, Chioma and Patricia, as well as the relationships with the two love interests, Toya and Sam.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for gifting me this ebook arc.

I was so happy when I had received the book, but I had a real hard time getting into the book to begin with. I at first thought that I was having a hard time with relating to the customers but honestly the writing is what I didn't like very much. It felt stale to me and I wanted to feel more from it especially considering what the content was about. I did love learning about the different cultures and found that very exciting but the rest just fell flat for me, and maybe this book just wasn't for me but I do believe that it could be great for other people. I think people who can relate to exactly what the character is going through might like it much more than I did. For me, in terms of the main character I couldn't relate to everything she was going through but I still did feel the empathy for what she was dealing with.

All in all, I think the book was good and I did enjoy most of what I was reading. So, I would recommend it to a friend if I felt that they would connect to it.

I would rate this 3 stars. It fell flat for me but I still did enjoy reading it.

Thank you again for the gifted copy.

This story follows Sophie/Ada, a Nigerian Canadian teen as she navigates life in High School. With pressure from her family she has chosen to be a lawyer when she grows up and all of her actions must benefit that goal. When he cousin gets married to a popular Nigerian celebrity she must face the fact that she likes 2 boys and has passions outside of school. When she sees a poster with her brother who was kicked out years ago she goes on a journey to find him, opening a door to a different side of her. Can she be herself? Or is she stuck being who she is told to be.

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC! It took me a long time to get through the first third of this book, because I feel like the pacing really lags but also because (I think) this is not my fav genre/vibe in a book, BUT that said, once the plot kicked in more and it was more clear what the conflict was, I enjoyed this a lot. I think more spoken word and getting the brother/poetry/family set up quicker would’ve helped me feel more invested, more quickly, but ultimately I was happy with where the story went and I can see the value of this as a coming of age story, especially for kids whose parents are immigrants/have particularly high expectations for them/ etc.
While this maybe wasn’t my fav book/the thing for me on a personal level, it is definitely something I would be happy to have in my classroom/recommend to students 🤗

Very ably balances multiple plotlines, with a strong main character leading the way. The discussion of code-switching and trying to embrace and balance two different cultures was particularly well-done and poignant, and I loved reading about Nigerian traditions and heritage, and the immigrant community. However, the secondary characters didn't feel fully rounded, neither of the potential romantic relationships seemed to have much spark, and I felt that the ending was a bit pat - the storyline about future planning and disappointing parents wrapped up very quickly and a little too nearly considering all the buildup, while the romantic/interpersonal parts seemed to trail off without much resolution. I also felt that the reveal about the details of Sam's running away didn't absolve him as much as the narrative seemed to believe that it did, and I must once again beg writers not to include actual excerpts of work that the other characters compliment heavily as it is very difficult to live up to that.

A well-written and very relevant YA contemporary.

Twice as Perfect is an engaging, often entertaining, and always heartfelt look at growing up in Canada as the child of immigrants-the feeling of being caught between two worlds, the conflicting expectations, and the complications of family.

3.5 stars
This book follows Adanna as she helps her cousin prep for her wedding to a famous Nigerian Afrobeats superstar. In addition, Ada is determined to learn why her brother, Sam, was kicked out of the family a few years ago, and she is questioning her choice to go to law school. Add to this a bit of a love triangle, and Ada’s struggles with learning where, exactly, she belongs, and you have Adanna’s story. To me, there was a lot going on, both for plot purposes and general character development, and when that happens I never feel like every element gets its due because so much is packed into a shorter story, and some parts don’t have enough room to really play out. I did really enjoy all the Nigerian representation, and I also liked that this book took place in Canada. Ada’s struggles with her family’s expectations and her own expectations for herself were shown really well in the book because they are shared by so many, especially those with immigrant parents. There was less wedding planning than I anticipated, since it seemed like the main plot from the synopsis, but I still enjoyed what we did get. I would recommend picking this one up!

"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 sides of yourself?

The "Ada" self vs the "Sophie" self
The traditional vs the unexpected
The old friends vs the new relationships
Family expectations vs Following your heart
Debate (and law school) vs Art (and a new path)

"Tayo and Justin are pretty different, but more than that, I'm pretty different when I'm around them. Ada would be 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.

Twice as Perfect by Louisa Onome is a heartwarming, Netflix-series-ready story that introduces us to a Nigerian Canadian young woman, Adanna. Her immigrant parents, especially her father, are very strict and expect her to be successful in one of the three only acceptable professions- doctor, engineer, or lawyer. And up until this moment, she has followed that path laid out for her. Never questioning, never straying. But in the lead-up to her cousin’s over the top nuptials to a bonafide Nigerian rap star, Adanna’s life doesn’t look so focused after all. First of all, there is her estranged brother, Sam, that the family never talks about, who shows up at a poetry slam festival and brings the house down. Then, there’s the “useless” project in which she’s supposed to try to be spontaneous and artistic, two things she definitely is not. And, of course, the two boys in her life that are trying to be more than friends and represent two very different parts of her reality. After Adanna is reunited with Sam, she begins to realize that there might be more inside of her than great claims and counterclaims in debate club. And, that she might not want her life to be as planned out as her parents demand. But, the question is, can she still honor her parents, and be who she truly is? I throughly enjoyed Twice as Perfect. The way that Onome wove the Nigerian and immigrant experiences into existence was flawless, and the whole sub-story of Genny’s wedding provided the right touch of comic relief. Adanna and Sam’s relationship felt very true, and the reluctance Adanna feels is understandable. Anyone can relate to the feeling of falling short of expectations and questioning the uncertainty of one’s future- high school students will relate hard to this story. The ending was a wee bit rushed, but satisfying nonetheless. This one will definitely earn a place in my classroom library.

This is a wonderful coming-of-age novel by Louisa Onomé entitled Twice as Perfect. The characters were well-rounded and the plot is refreshing!

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!

I loved the voice of this book. Such a wonderful story of family expectations, being pulled in multiple directions, and a huge Nigerian wedding to cap it all off. Excellent story, keeps moving, recommend to all YA readers who love realistic fiction.

TWICE AS PERFECT was a resonant read🤩. The depiction of Nigerian culture was well rounded, while her exploration of parental pressure, and finding courage in the midst of that was thoughtful. Louisa deserves her flowers for a story that is both universal and specific at the same time!

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.