With Love, Miss Americanah is a beautiful coming-of-age story that masterfully blends humor, self-discovery, new love, and the trials of navigating grief. The character of Enore is beautifully constructed, and her doubts and waves confidence provide a great mirror for teens trying to figure out who they are in contrast to who their families or society may want them to be. Igharo also lightly explores the nuances of being a Black immigrant in a country where race is a pivotal part of our society and how the world interacts with Black youth. I loved the relationship between Enore and her little sister; it was built on trust, something akin to friendship, and encouragement that made for a wonderful story of two sisters learning how to rely on one another in a new country and new family situation. The romance that blossoms between Enore and Davi is also a highlight of this story; it was so sweet to watch them tentatively build a relationship that is healthy, earnest, real, free, fun, and deep all at the same time, as they navigated their own personal issues. Igharo weaves a lot into With Love, Miss Americanah and what we end up with is a beautifully rendered story.

With Love, Miss Americanah by Jane Igharo is a heartfelt exploration of identity, love, and cultural roots. The novel follows a young Nigerian woman as she navigates her life between two worlds—her heritage and her American experience—while also dealing with romance and personal growth. Igharo’s writing is poignant and emotionally resonant, with characters that feel genuine and relatable. It’s a compelling story about finding yourself amidst cultural divides, perfect for readers who enjoy thoughtful, character-driven narratives.

With Love, Miss Americanah is the cutest YA read! I loved reading from the POV of a Nigerian student who just moved to America. She hilariously studies popular teen movies to prep for American high school, but not everything goes as planned!
The romance in this book was so sweet, and I absolutely adored watching her find her voice—both literally and figuratively. 💕 This one’s a must-read for anyone who loves heartfelt coming-of-age stories!

I wish i had more books like this when i was younger. I was an avid reader and I wonder if i had more stories like this I would have deconstructed my upbringing a lot sooner. This was a really really good book.

With Love, Miss Americanah follows Enore after she moves from Nigeria to America, starting her senior year of high school in her first American school. She’s grieving the loss of her father and confused about how to fit into this new society. Her cousin gave her 60 teen movies to prepare: Mean Girls, Sixteen Candles, The Heathers, Reality High, High School Musical, Love Don’t Cost A Thing, etc. She makes rules for herself based on the teen norms in movies and breaks them promptly when she meets a cute boy who convinces her to try out for the school musical. I loved this one so much! It had the musical element that was so fun but went so much deeper, and the narrator was phenomenal!!! She went above and beyond to voice the different characters and accents.

One of my most highly anticipated audio and book of 2024! And boy oh boy did it not let me down!!!! I just absolutely love Jane Igharo’s writing. So happy to have been able to read and listen to this one.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was actually adorable and I enjoyed getting to know Enore. Well written, and the references to high school movies was fun! The narrator was great.

Major props to the narrator—she did an amazing job throughout this book. This is my first Jane Igharo book, and I am definitely a fan now. The entire plot and character development were fantastic—truly chef’s kiss! This novel was thrilling and so much fun. I loved the integration of culture and the challenges of transitioning to life in a new country and school. Enore and Davi were so lovable, and Enore's rules had me laughing the entire way through, especially since she struggled to follow nearly every one of them. I also appreciated how Jane highlighted that, as young adults and even adults, we often follow our parents' vision for our lives, but I loved how Enore stepped out to pursue her own path. Enore dealing with the recent death of her father and the accompanying grief made the story feel so real and enthralling.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This is definitely a must-read!

The main character, Enore has lost her father, and now she, her mother, and her sister, have moved from Nigeria to New York state. They are living with her uncle and his family while her mother is adapting and becoming adjusted to creating a life for them in America. To prepare herself for her senior year at a US school, Enore watches a ton of teen movies and writes up some rules for herself to stay safe--like not having anything to do with popular kids, and not getting noticed. However, she ends up breaking almost all of them. First, there's She meets Davi a gorgeous, popular football player, popular, who drawn to Enore. Enore's strict Nigerian mother will not allow her to date before college or participate in the extracurriculars she would like, so soon she finds herself telling her strict mother lie after lie after lie, helped by her younger sister, so she can spend more time with Davi and participate in the musical. Enore never stops missing her father, or thinking about what her mother would do if she knew the truth about how Enore is spending her time.
I loved Enotre's perspective and all the details about Nigerian culture and food, and how teenagers behave differently in Nigeria vs. the US. The details from the teen movies were hilarious as Enore tried to apply them, and naturally they were all so exaggerated that things happening to her are not quite so extreme. I liked that she generally had a good experience, and that while she did feel the pressures of having dark skin in a culture that doesn't value it, It was a great story and held my attention, I think students will enjoy this book.
The audiobook narrator's Nigerian accent really gave the book a lot of flavor.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to preview and review this book.
Rating 4.5

Thank you to NetGalley, Feiwel & Friends, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, Jane Igharo, and Joy Ofodu (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of With Love, Miss Americanah in exchange for an honest review

With Love, Miss Americanah is a debut novel by Jane Igharo exploring Enore's experience with moving from Nigeria to the United States for her senior year of high school. With themes of dealing with loss and finding one's voice, this is a resonating, diverse novel for a contemporary teen reader.

Enore's Transition to America
17-year-old Enore Adesuwa moves from Nigeria to America with her mother and sister after her father's passing. Wanting to navigate her new American high school smoothly, she turns to research teen movies recommended by her cousin Adrian for guidance. Enore approaches this transition cautiously, armed with a set of rules gathered from these films, including the importance of not drawing attention to herself.

Challenges and New Connections
Despite battling her grief, Enore enters her senior year feeling somewhat prepared, thanks to her list of survival rules and the arsenal of American teen movies she is able to reference as needed. When her DVD player breaks, she goes to an electromics store to get it fixed (a thoroughly enjoyable start to the novel), where she meets Davi Santiago, complicating the very rules list she has made for herself. Davi, who is a kind and attractive Hispanic boy, pushes Enore to step out of her comfort zone and showcase her remarkable singing talent. This newfound attention challenges Enore to reconsider her preference for staying in the background and offers her an opportunity to challenge what her mother wants her to become in favor of what Enore wants for her own future.

Navigating New Waters
As Enore explores her evolving confidence and growing feelings for Davi, she also contends with her mother's strict expectations and desires for her future. Alongside Davi's support, Enore finds solace in unexpected friendships and her younger sister, yet another connection she has with Davi as she can tell how much he adores his own younger sister as well. Together, this newfound network of relationships provides Enore with the encouragement and courage she needs to face the challenges of senior year in an unfamiliar place.

Embracing Change and Possibilities
With Davi's encouragement, Enore embarks on a journey of self-discovery, embracing her passions and newfound boldness for singing and performing on stage. As she navigates the complexities of senior year, Enore learns to balance her mother's expectations with her own desires and aspirations, trying all the while to not disappoint her mother, as she too is still struggling with grief, complicating the family dynamic. Enore explores new opportunities, embraces her talents, and discovers the transformative power of love and self-expression.

Final Thoughts
Shout out to the narrator, Joy Ofodu! I loved the accent she had for the character reading, as it is in Enore's first person perspective. It really added to the cultural allure of the character. The comparisons between school in Nigeeria and school in the United States was rather interesting to me. I liked that Enore was able to feed her need of knowledge, even after moving, as well as finding her passion with theater. I am not a huge fan of people pushing others to do something they don't want to do, but sometimes we all need that push to try something new. It's this push that brings Enore to find her true passion and what she wants to do with her life. I thoroughly enjoy a good follow-your-dreams story, especially when it takes courage to stand up to family in order to follow one's own path.

This novel is really such a thrilling and fun debut for teen readers. It demonstrates how grief can affect family dynamics and the importance of being able to talk about loss with someone outside of the family too. It also expressed the importance of finding and using one's voice to establish their own desires, as opposed to the wants pressed upon them by others. This is truly a brilliant novel perfect for classrooms and libraries, a gem any teen reader will enjoy.

Such a cute book! From an educator perspective, this one can easily be added to book club units that include The Poet X, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, and any other coming-of-age books that include teens navigating high school and culture clashes between their immigrant family and the US. I loved that the main character tried to understand American culture through the lens of teen films from the 80s-00s. Not only was it a nice dose of nostalgia for me, but it also connected with my own experience as a child of immigrants. I especially loved that she noted that most American teen movies are limited in their representation, and that this book actually shows a teen-movie-worthy story with a "dark skinned girl with box braids and a non-American accent" as the star.

This book also deals with the loss of a parent and the grief that comes with it. It described the weight of grief perfectly for a YA book. The audiobook performance of the mother's grief was especially touching. The audiobook performance as a whole was lovely. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

Cute YA novel -- nothing blew me away but a sweet read with friendship, romance, culture, and family themes. I liked Enore's comparison to American teen movies (I'm a sucker for them) and her learning her own "lessons" from living as a teen in America as an immigrant.

3.5⭐

With Love, Miss Americanah, is a book written by Jane Igharo. The main character, Enore, recently moved to the United States from Nigeria, and is now living with her mother and sister, as well as her aunt, uncle, and cousin. Enore is going through a lot of changes, moving, and dealing with the recent loss of her father. The summer before starting her senior year in high school, Enore spends her time watching her older cousins collection of high school movies to help her prepare for high school in America. While doing so, she creates a list of rules that she hopes to not break based on the movies. But this becomes hard when she meets Davi Santiago, who challenges her grow in ways she didn't know were possible.
I loved the characters in this book, the strength that Enore showed, and the development that her mother had as well. I enjoyed seeing how things looked to Enore when she moved to the United States, and the cultural differences that she pointed out between her two homes. I also feel that it is important that Enore recognizes the need for more POC in high school movies, literature, and theatre. I definitely recommend this book! Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher, and NetGalley for a free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed reading this YA of a girl discovering who she really is. The author did a great job at covering the difficulties of being an immigrant living in America, and the perceptions of what an America school is life based off of movies.

A great YA debut from best-selling Nigerian Canadian author, Jane Igharo!! I loved this book featuring Enore Adesuwa, grieving the recent death of her father and learning how to adjust to American life after moving from her home country of Nigeria.

Enore has a few rules she tries to live by and uses classic teen romcoms to learn more about American high school life. She also befriends a boy at school and auditions for a musical, winning the lead. Trying to balance a new romance and challenges fitting in while hiding what she's doing from her strict mother all start to get to Enore.

Moving, heartfelt and full of emotional depth! This was great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Talia Hibbert. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Jane Igharo's adult novels have been favourites of mine so I was excited to read her YA debut! In With Love, Miss Americanah, Enore moved from Nigeria to America with her mother and sister after her father's passing, and this story is all about how she navigated her senior year of high school and American culture vs family expectations. I found it hilarious that she prepared herself for this by watching old teen movies, and this was also a great way to bridge the gap between teen and adult audiences.. I remember so many of those movies fondly and how different things are today led to some of the funniest moments in the story. But what really is the best part of the book is the characters and their relationships with each other, Jane Igharo writes so beautifully about people and all their inner thoughts and how they express them to each other.
And these characters were also beautifully brought to life by Joy Ofodu's narration in the audiobook, she is very talented to portray so many different voices and accents and personalities so well.

This is a cute YA book that encourages you to step out of your comfort zone, embrace the changes as they come and enjoy the moment in real time. Enores move from Nigeria to America during one of her most pivotal school years and all of her careful planning goes out the window once she gets to gets to her new zchool . Her younger sister is my favorite character in this book. Would definitely recommend for teen readers.

I love Jane Igharo's novels so I was elated to see how her transition from adult romance to YA would be and it did not disappoint. I’ve been in a weird place with YA lately, but I found this one to be completely captivating and fun. She so expertly creates tension between the American and Nigerian cultures. The book highlighted the differences between Enore and her mother when it came to adapting to moving to a new country with a completely different way of life. Enore also struggled with who she wanted to be with these differing expectations. There was such a great tension here that made it easy to get involved into this story. The book is full of heart and depth. It was easy to be invested, especially with the stellar audiobook performance. I think this will be a hit with older and younger audiences.

A classic Igharo romance, with emotional roller coaster, family ties, and finding yourself.

Even though this is her YA debut, the most essential strengths with story telling shine bright. I love the dynamic cast of characters in this book. I was so happily invested in so many people in this story.
Enore of course is the main character. I love how she is OBSESSED with teen romance movies and all she does throughout the book is compare her current state to a movie.
I was giddy with all the references.
As per usual we have mother daughter relationships being addressed and I was triggered, but in the best way.
The love story was also a strong thread in this story which I love because it feels like a YA romance through and through.

What a phenomenal audiobook! The way the narrator was able to create unique voices for each and every character, and switched back and forth between them during on going dialogue was a talent!!

With love, Miss Americanah is a Ya Contemporary book about Enore who immigrated to America with her mom and sister after the death of her father. To “assimilate” she watches classic American movies and shows like High School musical and Gossip Girl. She of course comes to find out America is nothing like the shows and movies.

We see her navigate the reality of high school, new friends, first love, and finding her passion for the Arts!

I continuously found my self giggling and smiling to myself while listening. This was a perfect Ya book in my opinion!