We Were Girls Once

By: Aiwanose Odafen

Narrated by: Nneka Okoye

A Simon & Schuster audiobook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every listener.

Critic reviews

‘Odafen writes with great insight and compassion about life, sisterhood, family, community and power. Each of her characters is so fully realised, their histories so richly drawn that they feel alive. This is a superbly written novel’

‘A gorgeous story of the redemptive power of friendship. With moving and immersive prose, Odafen invites us into the lives of three friends whose lives take remarkable turns, diverge and return to each other. Deftly, gracefully, she paints a vivid and unflinching portrait of Nigerian society of the past and present, its failures and triumphs… I thoroughly felt this book’

Engrossed

What a beautiful journey. Behind the backdrop of events that shape a resourceful and resilient people. I hope to read more from the author.

The author must keep the books coming 💕

The book is written from three first-person narrators: Ego, Zina, and Erife. These are the children of Uju, Ada, and Chinelo from the book Tomorrow I Become a Woman by the same author. This book is the sequel.


While I enjoyed each of the three stories separately, I don’t think that Erife’s story gelled well with the other two stories. She almost felt like a third wheel or an afterthought. I believe this story could have stood alone in its own book.

Don’t get me wrong—Erife’s story was good, and it gave me insights into Nigerian politics. The powerful Mrs Aluko was a standout character for me, with her sharp one-liners like “That’s what money is for” and “Only the poor can afford to marry for love, my dear”


In Ego’s story, I enjoyed seeing the perspective of children of domestic abuse survivors and how growing up in such a household affects their views of love and life.

I loved seeing her mother Uju and Akin find their happily ever after. I loved the loving husband he was and how supportive he was of her children, and seeing them settle and enjoy America.

Ego’s story reminds me of Americanah. Ego explores her ideas of race and politics in Britain through her Twitter account, similarly to how Ifemelu in Americanah explored hers in a blog.

I feel Ego’s account of the immigrant experience was well done, including the loneliness, isolation, and the feeling of not quite fitting in, despite having spent years in the country and gaining permanent residency. The quote that a person could love a country simply for the people it held in it resonates strongly with me.

I also enjoyed Ego and Chimeka’s relationship—a depiction of true, long-lasting love that we rarely see in African literature novels.

I’m most connected to Ego’s story because I think it’s the most emotionally charged, whether through her surviving domestic abuse in her upbringing, or her own physical assault, and her feelings of isolation in a foreign country. I think this story was a strong start.


Zina’s narrative was also interesting—exposing us to the world of actors and the couch casting that often happens in the industry. Although she’s troubled, she is also a lovable character. I loved Zino for her and was happy she had her happy ending too.


Overall, the book is loaded and chewed off a lot! It tends to be very political and touches on topical issues we’ve seen in recent years—from Brexit, the Obama administration, the Me Too movement, the infamous Sex for Grades documentary, End SARS, the COVID pandemic, George Floyd, and much more.

There is a lot going on in the book and a lot of characters to keep track of. By the end, I felt like the book I ended with was not quite the one I began with.


The narrator is extremely gifted! She brings the book to life and makes it so enjoyable. I love her “phone voices” and how she narrates each character. She is truly living in her purpose. 👏🏽

Beautiful book on friendship

Outstanding book as it weaves you through a friendship of three friends. The narrator Nenka also did a sterling job in narrating this beautiful book. Absolutely loved it!