What a cool premise for a book, and the book itself lived up to the hype!

The plot moved quickly, in many ways it felt like the pace of the manic social media it was discussing, except much more insightful.

THIS BOOK IS UTTERLY FANTASTIC, WITTY, THOUGHT-PROVOKING and a MUST READ for all of us in the social media generation! I’m marking this book down as one that I won’t shut up about til the end of time! This author has me as a forever fan!

⭐️ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF comes out MAY 28TH⭐️

5.0⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley Graydon House Books and HTP Books for the review copy in exchange for my honest review💜

This sharp and powerful voice will cut deep and keep you thinking. In this coming of age novel, you will explore deep grief and healing with the main character. I could not put this book down, get this in your TBR pile immediatly!

In our world of social media and influencers and earning online, I found this to be very enlightening indeed!

Meet Anuri, a young woman with a traumatic beginning - a mother who died in childbirth, and father who had to deal with depression as a result, ultimately deciding to move from Nigeria to the UK with his baby girl in tow.
In the UK, he had his sister Nneoma, but he hadn’t considered the difficulties of trying to raise a child as a single parent, while navigating a new country and culture.
In comes Ophelia and she’s a Godsend to both father and daughter, or is she?

An innocent suggestion to chronicle the life and activities of a young child online, in such a way that family near and far would be able to follow and feel connected, ends up morphing into a gargantuan cash-making “influencer” project. Through all this, guess who’s caught in the middle…unwillingly too?

This is truly a great read and good for thought in our era where children end up publicized on social media by parents and other adults in their lives. There are ramifications, both positive and negative, in the life of a growing child. Perhaps the adults should keep those in mind?

I’m giving this a 4/5 rating only because I found myself wondering how certain characters added to the story. Some areas seemed superfluous.

I’m grateful to Harlequin Trade Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This book's structure and purpose were different from others I usually read and I was enthralled from the beginning! This story touched heavily on our parents' decisions and social media's influence on our lives. I'd recommend this book for people looking for a contemporary read about family dynamics and findings one's true self.

Social media star without any real consent. The trauma caused by parents making decisions for children without considering the possible damage is a real issue. The author eloquently delivers this message in this funny and yet genuine book. Anuri's journey to save her sister from the same fate is going to be a battle she may not be up for. Very well written and engaging. The character development was on point. I recommend this book.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review

Families and complex relationships are the focus of this book. It's an interesting story that Onyi has crafted. The characters are rich and the dialogue strong. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I found this book quite interesting. The subject matter was different and I was pulled in from the beginning. The author’s writing is beautiful. Very descriptive and thoughtful and provoking. I highlighted heavily.
The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Nwabineli’s sophomore book, like its predecessor, is written in a way that, at every other sentence, makes you stop and shake your head in wonder at how words could be strung together so beautifully. Nwabineli is a master at what she does, but if you read her debut, you know that already.

Perhaps what stands out the most about this book is the way that the love that our main character receives from friends, family, and romantic partners are seamlessly feel so close (for lack of a better word) and make you really empathize with the main character, Anuri. I will say though, at times that got to be too much for me.

Having to constantly empathize with Anuri felt too much that I even started wondering what kind of saints her friends are. And I get it, Anuri was there for them in different ways, but because all we see in the book is the way they are constantly there for her, it felt one sided at times. And yeah, friendship isn’t always so give and take in very equal amounts, but reading about got a bit tiring. Nevertheless, I cared for Anuri and wanted her to catch her break.

The book also does a fantastic job of exploring the ways that social media—which promises to connect us all—can tear the closest people apart. This was done in brilliant way and Nwabineli managed not to make her social media critique cringey and as if it were coming from someone who has never scrolled one day in their lives.

As always, I am awaiting in barely contained excitement Onyi Nwabineli’s next book which I already know will impress me in new ways.