With Love, Miss Americanah—the Young Adult contemporary romance debut from Jane Igharo—sees a teenager move from Nigeria to America and navigate her senior year with the help of classic teen movies and a new crush, all while working through grief and the rigid expectations of her mother.
17-year-old Enore Adesuwa doesn’t dive into things, she walks in carefully. So when she, her mother, and her sister move from Nigeria to America shortly after her father’s death, she wants to be extremely prepared before attending an American high school. Her cousin, Adrian, doesn’t have time to explain the ins and outs to her but, luckily, he recommends the perfect research tool: teen movies.
Still dealing with grief but armed with a set of rules of survival gathered from these movies (including the crucial rule of keeping a low profile), Enore is ready for her senior year. But when she meets Davi Santiago, it may be much harder than she thought to keep to her rules. Because not only is he super thoughtful (and okay, very good looking), he constantly encourages her to share her incredible singing talent. Enore prefers the background but it just might be time for her to take center stage, even in spite of her mother’s strict expectations.
Maybe it would be easier to follow all the rules, the ones Enore set for herself and the ones her mom imposes, but as every teen movie has taught her, a coming-of-age is nothing without a little rebellion. And with help from her crush, her sister, and some new friends who don’t quite fit the roles she expects them to play, Enore’s senior year might indeed be cinematic.

Jane Igharo's profile page

Jane Igharo was born in Nigeria and immigrated to Canada at the age of twelve. She has a journalism degree from the University of Toronto and is the critically acclaimed author of Ties that Tether and The Sweetest Remedy. She writes about strong, audacious, beautifully flawed Nigerian women much like the ones in her life. With Love, Miss Americanah is her Young Adult debut.

"In her YA debut, Igharo has crafted a lively novel that cleverly balances the portrayals of a family coping with grief and the whirlwind of high school experiences. Enore is well drawn, believable, and easy to cheer for, and her developing relationship with Davi is touching. Warm, well rounded, and a perfect combination of entertaining and substantive." —Kirkus, starred review
"With Love, Miss Americanah is the next coming-of-age hit, perfect for fans of Jenny Han. . . Through new relationships, pursuing new opportunities, and taking a stance on what’s important, Enore finds her voice in more ways than one." —Booklist, starred review
"Focusing on both the joy and grief associated with drastic change, Igharo employs lush prose that eschews didacticism and deftly balances high school romance, cultural traditions, and the importance of representation in this confident debut." —Publishers Weekly
"Igharo deftly handles the excitement, intensity, and confusion surrounding young love as well as the mountain of emotions one goes through when mourning a loved one, through characters who are relatable and genuine. A highly entertaining and heartwarming story with a couple to root for." —The Horn Book Magazine
"This book is a hug. It leaves you warmed, nourished, and blissfully content. Enore is such a compelling and relatable protagonist, caught between parental expectations and her own dreams. And there's swoony Davi! What a joy! Read this now!" —Jenn Bennett, author of Alex, Approximately