Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Allow Me to Introduce Myself by Onyi Nwabineli!

This was my first time reading Onyi Nwabineli, and I received Allow Me to Introduce Myself as an ARC from NetGalley. The novel presents a compelling and timely narrative that delves into the complexities of identity, family dynamics, and the impact of social media on personal lives.
The plot is engaging, with several twists and turns that keep the reader invested. Anuri's character development is particularly well-done, showcasing her growth from a controlled and conflicted young woman to someone who takes charge of her own destiny. Her interactions with her stepmother, Ophelia, and her half-sister, Noelle, are fraught with tension and emotional depth, highlighting the toxic dynamics within their family.
The story also explores important themes such as agency, mental health, and the consequences of overexposure on social media. Nwabineli's writing is both insightful and poignant, making the reader reflect on the broader implications of the narrative. Overall, Allow Me to Introduce Myself is a thought-provoking and well-crafted novel. Despite a few pacing issues, it is a strong debut that showcases Onyi Nwabineli's talent for creating rich, multifaceted characters and emotionally resonant stories. #netgalley #allowmetointroducemyself

Allow Me to Introduce Myself explores the issues of influencers using their children for content. It was an interesting topic and one that should be explored, but it also feels a little uncomfortable. The story itself was interesting, but it could have been edited down a bit. Although not the main focus of the plot, I particularly liked the depiction of friendship.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HarlequinTradePublishing for a free copy of #AllowMeToIntroduceMyself by Onyi Nwabineli. All opinions are my own.

After reading and loving Onyi Nwabineli"s debut novel, I was very excited to read her next book. Allow Me To Introduce Myself is such a compelling premise. If you've ever wondered what's going to happen to all of these children of mommy influencers once they grow up and start to assert control over their own images, this is the perfect book for you. I also really appreciated getting to know more about Nigerian culture. The writing is so rich in the ways that it explores complex relationships. I think many readers will be immediately compelled by this novel within the first few chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

cool book about taking back control of your own narrative when the world already knows you a certain way. tysm for the arc.

This was a very interesting book about a phenomenon we are witnessing these days. Allow Me to Introduce Myself tells the story of Anuri, a girl who became famous thanks to her stepmother Ophelia posting about her in social media, granting her momfluencer status. Anuri never asked for anyone's attention and now that she is an adult, still gets recognized and even stalked in the streets. Ophelia probably had good intentions but got addicted to the dopamine of likes and subscribers and sure, the money that came from sponsorships and media coverage. Anuri, now in her twenties, is still healing through therapy, the support of her two best friends Simi and Loki, and her two businesses: hair styling and candle making. I enjoyed reading about this story because it's a very real thing that it's happening these days: hundreds of children are posted online without being aware of the consequences on their development and safety, bordering on child labor with all the product ads and portrayal of their "perfect" family life. I felt very deeply for Anuri and made me think a lot about how these apparently harmless social media accounts can destroy the children's mental health, especially when they become young adults. If you are regularly on social media and are part of influencer culture, either creating and/or consuming, this book is a must read.

This is an interesting look at what it's like to be a social media "influencer", whether you want to be or not.
Anuri's been a quasi celebrity since infancy, thanks to her stepmother's popular social media presence, in which Anuri had been prominently featured until she finally grew old enough to refuse to participate.
Now she's spending a considerable amount of time and energy trying to totally erase herself from her stepmother's "brand", as well as attempting to protect her younger sister from growing up under the same microscope that she did.
This was both entertaining and thought-provoking. It's one thing to want to over share your own business online, but how much should you be allowed to share about your people, especially the ones who can't do anything about it?
Thanks to #netgalley and #graydonhousebooks for this #arc of #allowmetointroducemyself by #onyinwabineli in exchange for an honest review.

It's about time that fiction start tackling the dark experience that is children on their parents monetized social media. This was definitely a heavy read, but it was exceptionally well done.

This was an absolute joy to read! Another thought provoking read I enjoyed reading it and I would recommend this book to all who wants something new and forward to read.

I was deeply ingrained in the blogging era, and watched somewhat skeptically as the rise of mommy blogging and family influencers became so huge. I’ve often wondered how these children that have had their whole lives documented will feel once they’re grown, how they will feel about their agency, self-worth and familial relationships.

This is a societal reckoning I think we’re only just beginning to see the extent of. And when you add in the tiktok kids it gets even worse. The way these parents will put their kids on display despite the obvious predatory nature of it and the willful disregard of these kids’ privacy, ability to consent and safety is just so sad to see. It’s no wonder that a crop of books about this very issue are coming out this year.

Allow Me To Introduce Myself grapples with everything above and more, and does it really eloquently. Nwabineli makes a case for more protections for these kids as we follow one such grown influencer Anuri and her subsequent falling out from her white mommy-blogging stepmother who built an entire empire on the back of her black step daughter. Now, Anuri wants to reclaim her image and her life, but also in effort of protecting her little sister who is just beginning to realize the same strain, as Anuri’s replacement.

I did enjoy this book even though it took me quite awhile to make my way through it. I’d pick it up here and there before bed, never really compelled to read a lot in one sitting. I think the writing was really wonderful but something about the story just wasn’t driving enough for me, and when it did feel like it was building to something huge I felt the actually ending kind of undercut all that. Almost as if the author sort of lost her way at the close a bit. But, on the whole, this was really good and I felt the elements of race and exploitation on top of the issues of child influencing were really poignant, I’d have liked to go a bit deeper with it, actually. There were so many elements about this book I loved and others that I only wanted just a bit more from. Still, definitely recommend to anyone else as deeply invested in this topic as I am!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

In “Allow Me to Introduce Myself,” Onyi Nwabineli crafts a thought-provoking parable for the social media age. Set against the backdrop of London, this novel delves into the toxic dynamics associated with online influence and the price of visibility.

Aṅụrị Chinasa, scarred by her childhood as the face of her stepmother’s social media empire, seeks to protect her younger sister, Noelle, from the same fate. Enabled by their father, Aṅụrị’s stepmother, Ophelia, built her fame on sharing Aṅụrị’s life—photos, videos, and anecdotes. But for Aṅụrị, the cost of hyper visibility outweighed the material benefits. Now, as Noelle begins to exhibit concerning behavior, Aṅụrị fights to liberate her sister from stardom.

Nwabineli’s novel is a powerful exploration of family, identity, and the consequences of living in the public eye. The alternating perspectives provide insight into the flawed motivations of Aṅụrị’s parents.

The writing, reminiscent of Zadie Smith’s “White Teeth,” offers wry observations on life and humanity. “Allow Me to Introduce Myself” critiques without alarmism, inviting readers to question the allure of influencer culture.

For those seeking a timely and thought-provoking read, this novel delivers. Nwabineli’s skillful storytelling invites us to consider the hidden costs of visibility and the power of self-discovery.

A woman who grew up under her stepmother's constant posting of her on social media decides she will estrange herself from her family. However, when her younger sister might be subjected to the same fate, she decides she has to step in.

I really like the commentary this one was making about childhood "stars" that were forced online by parents. However, the structure made it harder to enjoy. It flashed back between past and present without much indication of shifts. The ending was also ok compared to the rest of the story.

This was an anticipated read for me because of the cover. I did not know what I was getting myself into when I picked this up.
An exploration of how social media can affect childhood and eventually adulthood. This is a book that is very timely. Anuri is turned into an influencer by the association of her stepmother. It provides a discussion on how much exposure is too much, whether kids should even have social media accounts run by parents, and how to obtain autonomy once your life is consumed by social media.

From the beginning of this book, it was hard to read. I had to switch from eBook to audio to understand how the author was framing this story because I was genuinely confused. Anuri is fighting to save her sister from ending up in the same situation as her, all while trying to get redemption for her exploitation. I was here for all of that once I understood what was going on. Where the book began to not hit the nail on the head was when Anuri really just gave up on me. I guess she did all she could do, but I feel like she could've done way more in terms of her sister. This is a white woman exploiting Black children at the end of the day.

I digress. I'd still recommend this because it centers on a timely topic.

A book on influencers from a perspetive I haven't encountered yet. This was good summer reading. Great characters, propulsive plot, stakes high but not too high...throw this in your summer reading bag.

Where do I start? I was so excited to read this after reading the synopsis. The step-daughter of an influencer wanting to live a life outside of the spotlight? These are new territories as we see social media only grow bigger every day. One might argue that Anuri is the more influential one, considering that's who Ophelia's audience really wants to see. I thought the story was really promising but unfortunately it did not live up to the hype. The plot had so much potential and I feel it didn't follow through. In the end I was left disappointed with the execution and an okay read that could been phenomenal.

I hate to say it.. but I had to DNF this book. It really saddens me because I RAVED about Onyi's last book but this story just felt like it was dragging.
Great premise but I just couldn't connect with the characters... I got to about 30% before I called it quits!

I really loved the premise and themes discussed in this book but never felt fully invested in the characters.

Anuri has had her entire life scrutinized by strangers as her stepmother started blogging and recording every part of it when she was very young. After the tragic death of her mother at birth, her father hired a nanny who then became her stepmother. Years later Anuri has a half-sister and is fighting to make sure that the same thing does not happen to her sister, while also dealing with the fall-out of not wanting all her childhood available online anymore.

I loved all the discussions of children who grow up with their lives broadcast on the internet and what part of that they can have control over. It's a very important discussion and timely topic.

I loved the relationship between Anuri and her sister and what Anuri was willing to go through in order to try and protect her.

I also loved the slow-burn romance that was developing between Anuri and Christian, their playfulness was so entertaining and he was so endearing. Anuri's friends were also very funny and provided some very sweet moments of support.

I will definitely check out more works by Onyi Nwabineli as I did really like the themes discussed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

After reading both her debut and sophomore novels, I have to admit that I absolutely love Onyi's writing style. "Allow Me to Introduce Myself" narrates the story of Anuri and her struggle to escape the exploitation she has endured since she was fourteen, orchestrated by her stepmother. As an adult, she has managed to free herself from some of the harm, but to prevent her sister from suffering the same fate, she embarks on another emotional rollercoaster. Anuri undergoes significant self-discovery as she helps her sister, learning a lot about herself in the process. The novel primarily follows Anuri's perspective, but also provides insight into the minds of her stepmother and father, offering a more well-rounded experience. I am completely on #TeamAnuri though. I would like to express my gratitude to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC; I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

I thought this was a really great premise. Although the flow of the plot had some hitches. The characters were engaging. I did enjoy this book overall.

This one really sounded good but I just couldn't get into it. Likely just a wrong book wrong time thing or a me thing. Sadly I DNF at 20%. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read an early digital copy in exchange for my honest feedback. The writing was great but the audiobook was hard to connect with.