well done exploration of attitudes towards sex and the disparity of treatment of girls and boys in Ghana (and sort of? Nigeria?) and as a historical fiction novel set in the 60s. I disliked the child view but it worked in terms of the story, as Esi grows the viewpoint sounds better but then the story kind of suffers as things happen without enough reflection. Good book but not for everyone.

This is a fantastic and gripping coming of age novel about Esi, who, at the start of the novel is nine and living in Kumawu – a town in Nigeria with her father, stepmother and sisters. She bears witness to many secrets around her and is working hard to figure out how to navigate the world. She tries to parse out the different outcomes that men’s secrets have - such as her father having mistresses, which yields no consequences for him, versus the secrets that are held by the women around her - for example, the shame and humiliation brought upon women who get pregnant out of wedlock. Esi has been separated from her mother, who now lives in Lagos, for reasons that are discovered later in the book. There is also an interesting focus on Nigerian politics. Esi cares about her education and works hard to get into the Kibi Girls Middle School which places her on a track to become a teacher. I loved getting to know Esi and occupying space inside her very curious head. This book was originally published in 2019 under the title Of Women and Frogs in Nigeria and was acquired by HarperCollins this year so now it’s being distributed in the US, which is fantastic because it’s a beautiful and important story. Thank you to Netgalley and Harpervia for the advanced review copy of this book.

This is a coming of age story about Esi, a half-Ghanian and half-Nigerian girl living with her father, stepmother, half-sisters, and brother in Ghana. It begin in the 1960s. Esi grows up in a patriarchical society during a time of political unrest. She experiences abuse from her sister and her teachers. She idolizes her father, but learns that he has secrets and is confused by his hypocracy. He always impressed upon her that she is smart and should receive the best education, yet in her society, "a woman's glory is her huband."

WOW! I gravitate toward books that allow me to escape from my suburban life and this coming-of-age gem did not disappoint! Set mostly in Ghana (along with Nigeria and Senegal), we follow Esi from girlhood to womanhood, as she explores her passions (and passion!) in life (and she is quite passionate). Esi is brave, independent, loving, and strong. I LOVED this book and will be recommending it to everyone!

I love books that expose me to different cultures and experiences. I enjoyed the character of Esi and her growth in this book, but did find her to come off as more mature than is realistic for her age. Mostly, I appreciated the feminist themes this book attempted to tackle. This book did a good job of describing the plight of some African women in regards to gender roles and sexual expression. Bisi allowed her characters to be flawed and real,

3.5 stars. Set in post colonial Africa, this is an eye opening coming of age title that looks at belonging, agency, bodily autonomy, feminism, and sexuality through a lens I had, before now, never had the honor or opportunity to look through. Following along with the character of Esi as she grew up was both heartwarming but also very, very heartbreaking.

Wow, what a journey. Esi is a spirited child who learns hard lessons as she grows up. Kayode is as romantic as romantic heroes get. They learn to reach for what they need and want out of life. I would have loved a HEA but Ms. Adjapon knew what she was about and gave us just the right ending instead. Thank you for this free copy, this review is of course my humble opinion.

I really wanted to love this book. it started out with such promise, but after reading close to half of it, I gave up - mostly because Esi, the main character began to feel less unique, and more forced - her observations and interpretations of her life and what was happening around her were not believable, and it read as though she was a much older woman trying hard to be a 9 year old. Its also was not believable to me that a father would bring his daughter along when he snuck out to meet his girlfriend, leaving his wife at home, and, let Esi sleep in the bed where they were having sex. In the end, it all felt forced and ridiculous, I was not engaged, and simply did not care enough to keep reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. For the most part I enjoyed this book. It was well written, and brought to light problems that women face in this culture that people outside of the culture might not be aware of. My only issue was the main characters "voice" she did not seem like a young kid in the beginning of the book. This caused me to have a hard time seeing her growth because it seemed like she was already grown.

I absolutely loved this book. The writing is exquisite, lyrical, and hits you straight in the heart. It's a coming of age book that reflects time and place. Watch out for this author. She's amazing. I'd easily recommend this book to anyone.

This is going to probably be a new favorite of mine!
This is so good y'all! The writing I think was a big Yay for me! Absolutely loved it!
I found this novel to be powerful, real, Coming of age! Just a really good book!

Esi knows she is her father’s favorite, and she, in turn, worships him. But she also knows the beatings and terror he metes out when he is displeased with her stepsisters are unfair and counterproductive, driving the family apart. And sometimes, she remembers her own mother’s last desperate embrace before Esi was sent to her father’s custody, never to see her mother again. Set in the 1960’s in newly independent Ghana, this is the story of a smart, observant young woman’s struggles and triumphs in patriarchal society where all the power and reward that she seeks is held in the hands of her father and his surrogates. Beautiful clear writing and an engaging, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking story.

Esi’s story of finding herself was inspiring and beautiful but also challenging to read due to the level of trauma she experienced. It was sometimes difficult to track the passage of time in the book as she develops from a young girl to a powerful young woman, with a fierce sexual awakening.