Twice as Perfect — Louisa Onome

A Nigerian Canadian teen navigates family pressure, a complicated love life, and the search for her own happiness in this heartfelt YA novel.

Seventeen-year-old Adanna Nkwachi's life revolves around duty: to school, the debate team, and her Nigerian parents. She's even helping her cousin Genny prepare for her wedding to Afrobeats superstar Skeleboy. Ever since her older brother, Sam, disappeared a few years ago after a fight with their parents, Adanna has felt pressure to fill the void he left behind. She thinks the only things worth doing are those that will lead to success.

But when chance brings the siblings together again, they start reconnecting and Adanna learns more about Sam's new life as a poet. Working to repair their bond, she begins to wonder if her own happiness is just as important as meeting others' expectations. As the Nigerian wedding-to-end-all-weddings approaches and anxiety over the debate competition mounts, Adanna must navigate parental pressure and a complicated love life to discover what truly matters to her.

Set in Canada and brimming with Nigerian culture, Twice As Perfect is a heartwarming story of family, first love, and finding your own path amidst the demands of duty and tradition.