Allow Me to Introduce Myself by Onyi Nwabineli is a story that delves into family dynamics, mental health, and the pressures of social media.

At its heart is Anuri, a former child influencer, navigating her strained relationships with her stepmother Ophelia and her father Nkem. Anuri’s mission to save her younger sister from the same toxic spotlight of “momfluencer” culture seems promising, but the execution falls short.

The narrative struggles to maintain focus. Instead of honing in on Anuri’s journey, the plot feels scattered and unnecessarily prolonged. The first three chapters introduce a slew of what feels like random characters that are confusing. The author could have done without many of them.

I am also not a fan of the author’s overly flowery language. It is meandering and I have had to read some pages, sentences and paragraphs more than twice to understand what is being said and its relevance to the storyline. There are parts of the book that I still don’t understand, to be honest.

The book is marketed as addressing the impact of social media on mental health a timely and important issue. However, the execution leaves much to be desired. The first three chapters feel like a missed opportunity to set the stage for a meaningful exploration of the challenges faced by its protagonist.

I hope that as I continue, the book will deliver on its promises, but so far, I can’t tell where it’s going.