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The Girl in the Picture

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Seventeen-year-old Fechi Ajala has always been bright and full of promise, but moving from Enugu, Nigeria, to the quiet town of Birkenhead, England, turns her world upside down. Starting over at Beacon High feels like stepping into a whole new universe filled with culture shock, loneliness, and the endless pressure to fit in.
Then there’s Max—the charming classmate who seems to share her interests, and she’s drawn to him until his mysterious cousin, Darren, warns her to stay away, insisting that Max is trouble. Confused yet intrigued, Fechi finds herself drawn to Darren instead, uncovering layers of emotion she never expected.

When she thinks she’s finally found her place, one reckless, seemingly innocent text threatens to blow it up, leaving Fechi’s reputation in tatters. With her future, scholarship dreams, and place at school on the line, Fechi is faced with the ultimate let the mistakes define her or fight back with everything she’s got.

Packed with drama, heartbreak, and moments that will make you cheer, The Girl in the Picture is a heartwarming story of identity, love, resilience and finding your voice, even when the world is shouting over you.

A delightful read! This sweet and heartfelt story had me completely charmed. Fechi was such a relatable character; her antics made me feel a mix of stress and amusement. As a parent of a teenager, I’m thrilled about this book—it’s a wonderful addition to the repertoire for that age group. Amaka’s writing is masterful, drawing readers in and tugging at their heartstrings. She skilfully immerses you in Fechi’s journey through displacement, fresh starts, and the excitement of young love. I absolutely loved it!
Timendu Aghahowa, bestselling author of The Bishop’s Prodigal Daughter


A poignant YA novel that delivers all the elements I’ve come to love about Amaka Azie’s books—strong, relatable characters, an engaging plot, and emotional depth that is guaranteed to keep you glued to the page.
Empi Baryeh, award-winning author of The Illegitimate Prince

232 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2025

20 people want to read

About the author

Amaka Azie

27 books228 followers
Amaka Azie is an award-winning author of romance fiction set in tropical West Africa.

She explores the beauty and intricacies of the continent in her sweet and sensual love stories.

Born and raised in Nigeria, West Africa, she developed a passion for reading at the age of twelve. Her interest in writing began in secondary school when she joined the press club.

Her books showcase bold and exciting female and male main characters with compelling storylines, and her active imagination has captured the interests of many.

Apart from getting lost in creating fascinating fictional characters, Amaka enjoys reading, painting and travelling with her family. She lives in the United Kingdom with her husband and daughters and where she also practices as a part-time family doctor.

Amaka was named one of the Most Influential Nigerian Authors Under Forty by the Nigerian Writers Awards (NWA) for the years 2017 and 2018.

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Profile Image for Lawlah.
211 reviews17 followers
October 22, 2025
The Girl in the Picture is a delightful and heartfelt read.

The book captures the struggles people face after japa—moving to a foreign country—and how they adapt to a completely new lifestyle. I love how Amaka Azie painted Fechi and her family’s journey as they settled into life in the UK.

Fechi’s character was so relatable, and honestly, every character felt real and grounded. The plot was so engaging that I couldn’t put it down until the very end.

The YA romance between Fechi and Darren was beautifully written and captured the innocence and warmth of young love perfectly.

Amaka Azie has no bad books in my opinion.

I rate it 4.5 stars and I highly recommend it.
Profile Image for Rayo  Reads.
335 reviews33 followers
October 3, 2025
Thank you to Paperworth Books and Amaka Azie for the physical copy.

Fechi’s parents move from Enugu, Nigeria, to the quiet town of Birkenhead, England; roles shift, children adjust, and Fechi finds herself navigating a whole new world. She first crushes on the only classmate who looks like her, then meets Darren (white boy/oyibo). I’ll admit, I was mistrustful of him at first, but Darren won me over, he genuinely cared for Fechi, never pressured her, just stayed steady until one innocent text threatened everything.

Coming from the standard Nigerian home where boyfriends, girlfriends, and sex are rarely discussed, I loved how this book brought a fresh, honest perspective to that gap. I also appreciated how therapy and counseling were woven in—the reminder that communication (between parents, and between parents and children) is so important.

Overall, I loved this book (yes, I finished it in a day!).

I voluntarily reviewed a free advance copy provided by the author and publisher. Opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Abubakar Esther.
7 reviews15 followers
November 14, 2025
‎I just finished reading 'the girl in the picture' and I'm in my feelings...

‎This story came with, a not so subtle punch that made me feel things. I felt sadness, anger, puppy love, loneliness, vulnerability and strength!

‎I love the build of the characters, they're real and understandable. Honestly, this book is like a guide. You see how emotions, actions and words are being played and the consequences they have.

‎The family dynamics annoyed me but as I read, I got to relate with the characters and see things from their views.

‎This book is easy to read, funny, mushy (made me remember my secondary school crushes 😂), and self-introspecting!
‎ Thank you #Amaka Azie, for giving us a young adult novel that all in a family can/should read. Thank you for Gozie; I had my doubts but the boy deserves a clap😂.
‎The girl in the picture is a wholesome read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
‎It was filled with 'naija' sauce, humour, young love, vulnerability, self introspection and family dynamics.
‎I'll definitely recommended this gem to every hands.

‎A whooping 5stars!
‎You dey write Amaka Azie! ❤️
Profile Image for Sonia's  Tales.
80 reviews5 followers
October 10, 2025
Congratulations to @amaka.azie on her debut published book! 🎉

This book tells the story of Fechi, a seventeen-year-old Nigerian girl, who experiences the challenges of settling into a new environment as her family moves from Enugu, Nigeria, to Birkenhead, England. Starting over in a new school, she navigates her way through being the new girl from another continent and the pressure to fit in and be accepted.

First off, I enjoyed this book so much. It was so nostalgic. I deeply understood Fechi and her struggles. The burden of her family moving, the roles reversal that caused the drift in her family's relationship, were too much to handle. She needed to be seen, hence she got together with Darren, thinking she's finally found her person... Sigh!

Initially, Darren seemed too good to be true, for me. How was he effortlessly sweet? I trusted him, until he asked for "the picture." Although, he wasn't the orchestrator of the ugly incident, he had his part too—obviously not fulfilling his end of the deal and lying about it. Fechi's reaction was too calm, fr. The fact that the said Darren wasn't punished... Too cliché. Why must it be only the girls who bear the shame and stigma??? #justiceforthegirlchild.

Fechi's parents also stressed me! Pride and intimidation wanted to finish her father, because his wife took his role as the family's breadwinner, yet he didn't want to humble himself. Whatever "see finish" he got from his wife was his making. Her mother also gave herself BP by constantly nagging and being resentful. A reasonable conversation would have lessen the weight of her burden, but she was too adamant.

This is a really good book, and the way I devoured it in less than 24 hours, was shocking. Ms. Amaka Azie took her time in writing this story. The tone is chef kiss and it emphasized the YA trope. The characters were written well, as teenagers, and it was also evident in their conversations.

I loved the friendship between Fechi, Oluchi, and Chidera. Lisa is a sweet girl. Max, Faye and Larry were so annoying! 😕

If you love YA novels/romance, I highly recommend this story.

Thank you to Paperworth Books and Amaka Azie for sending me this ARC for my honest thoughts.
Profile Image for Lammie.
13 reviews1 follower
October 7, 2025
“The Girl in the Picture” follows the story of Ifechinyere and her family, moving from Enugu to Birkenhead, England. Things switched from 100-0 automatically. Fechi finds herself navigating life, trying to adjust and fit in, especially in her new school. Regardless of however she felt while trying to fit in, she eventually met people that accepted her( her boyfriend and her best friend)

A relatable Nigerian YA novel! This story talks about the struggles that surrounds leaving one’s country to another, especially leaving with the whole family. The struggles that comes with navigating a new life, new school, and the insecurities especially for young girls, in a space where your color, hair texture is different from others…

Regardless of this being Amaka Azie’s YA debut novel, one thing stands out for me. The fact that the African sense of belonging was deeply explored, I mean, Nigerian parents and not wanting their teenage daughters get involved or mixed up with boy issues..that part made me feel nostalgic☺️☺️

I also loved the part where solutions were made for parents that has been struggling to get their feets back on track in a new country. Parents issues affects the kids, no matter how they think they can manage it. As portrayed in the book, external support, like therapy/counseling helps alot.

Characters, down to the story line, it was all relatable and it made the reading experience more fun. I loved it so much that I read it in just a sitting, and I’m ready for another reread.

To Amaka Azie, cheers to experiencing more different vibes from you🥂. Thank you PaperWorth Books for the ARC copy!❤️
Profile Image for Milly.
28 reviews4 followers
November 29, 2025
This is such a solid YA story. It had me smiling, swooning, wiping silent tears, and laughing out loud, and it's also packed with many life lessons. I really wish everyone, especially teens, young adults, and married couples who plan to migrate would read this book.

Fantastic job, Amaka.
Profile Image for Lola.
246 reviews7 followers
October 2, 2025
3.75/4 stars.

I think I have a love–hate relationship with romance books that follow predictable plots. This one definitely felt familiar, but what made it stand out for me was how realistic it was. We’ve all heard stories of messy high school drama before, but this book illustrated it in such a raw, relatable way.

Beyond the romance, the story shed light on bigger themes… like how children who left Nigeria with their parents without proper preparation often struggle to adjust and fit in, body positivity and how a teenage girl feels insecure and different compared to her peers, how marriages and upbringing shape who we become, and yes… how TOXIC masculinity shows up in everyday life (I said that with my full chest).

Now, let’s talk about Max. I honestly don’t understand his character. Was he planning to marry his cousin or what? The way he craved attention was just too much. For him to go to such ridiculous lengths? Please. What Darren did to him was small!! if it were up to me, they should have tied him to a tree and beat him with naked wire.

Faye turning out to not be a problematic character shocked me, i won’t lie. I thought she would have been the mastermind of all the dramas lol.
I’m not a big fan of Darren but i love the way he asked Fechi for him to be her boyfriend. There’s something attractive about a guy asking a lady to be “her boyfriend” instead of asking her to be his girlfriend. I know it’s the same but maybe it’s just me.

The ending, though, i didn’t really like it. After building such a grounded and believable story, it wrapped up too quickly and felt a little unrealistic. Personally, I wouldn’t have reached out to Darren first. Whether he did it or not, Fechi’s whole life almost crumbled due to their cousin drama.

That said, it was still such a fun read. It’s been a while since I picked up a Nigerian YA romance, and this reminded me of how refreshing they can be. A beautiful publishing debut, and massive congratulations to Amaka Azie!

Thank you to Paperworth Books for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for doyin.
51 reviews
December 15, 2025
The story follows Fechi, who moves from Nigeria to the UK with her family. The relocation was not easy, she misses her old life, school is completely different, and suddenly she’s the only Black kid in class. Adjusting was tough, and things at home weren’t any better because her parents were constantly fighting.

But then there’s Darren. Fechi meets him at school, and their friendship turns into a relationship, a little source of joy amidst all the chaos. Of course, things get messy at some point and almost jeopardize her admission into the new school, but that just adds to the tension and drama!

What I loved about this book was that it was so fast-paced, I was literally turning pages non-stop, and before I knew it, I was done. I also loved how it showed the struggle of leaving your country and navigating a new life abroad. And I really appreciated how the parents were able to tackle their problems through therapy, realizing how their fights were affecting Fechi and her brother, and finding a way forward.

I would have loved if there was more school drama, some tension with classmates, like Max and his girlfriend or just more interesting moments at school.🤭

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was such a good read, sweet, relatable, and very fast-paced.
Profile Image for Aisha Ahman.
56 reviews1 follower
December 13, 2025
You know that feeling when you’re the new girl, trying to fit in but still hold on to where you came from? This book captures that perfectly.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this one as much as I did, but honestly, it felt so natural to read. Amaka Azie really did something here, writing a teen story that actually sounds like teens, not adults trying to be relatable. The way she captured that mix of confusion, excitement, and finding your place in a new world felt so real.

The Girl in the Picture follows Fechi, a Nigerian girl starting over in England , and from the first few pages, I could feel her awkwardness, her excitement, and that quiet struggle to belong.
It’s not just about school or friendships, it’s about identity, pressure, and finding confidence in a place that constantly reminds you you’re different.

Then comes Fechi’s little romance with Darren, which started soft and believable ...shy smiles, stolen chats, that nervous excitement of someone finally paying attention to you. It feels honest, like watching a friend fall for someone who might be good for them, but also might not.

Then everything flips when a private photo leaks, not brutal for the shock, but for what it does to her life, whispers at school, scholarship on the line, people suddenly confident they know her whole story.

What hit me hardest wasn’t the gossip but the fallout, her family unraveling, the mix of anger, fear, and shame at home, and Fechi trying to piece herself back together while everyone points fingers. I felt everything for her....embarrassment, fury, and quiet pride as she chooses herself again. The author keeps it real... no glossy rescue, just messy feelings and small acts of courage.

It gave me that warm, nostalgic feeling of being young and trying to figure out who you are, awkward moments, quiet victories, and all.
There were parts that made me pause and think, wow, I’ve felt that too.

If you want something that feels honest, heartfelt, and easy to blend into, this one’s worth picking up. It’s one of those stories that reminds you that growth doesn’t have to be loud, sometimes it’s just about learning to breathe in a new place.
151 reviews6 followers
October 14, 2025
The Girl In The Picture follows the story of Fechi Ajala and her family who relocate to the UK and the different life changes that come with relocation to a new country, learning to adjust and adapt to those changes.

I must say despite it being a YA fiction, it carried the needed depth for the story. I liked the reality of the writing. I appreciate that the story was well researched and each character was well developed. Just when everything was going well for Fechi, poof!!!, there came the plot twist😯😯🙄🙄.
I was so surprised, I really didn't see that coming and it brought that perspective to the book's title. Fechi reminded me of my seventeen year old self so much and how it is like being from a typical Nigerian family with strict rules to abide by😁😁.

One beautiful part of Amaka's books is that we see the infusion of counselling which births many lessons to be learnt and this one wasn't an exception. I like that you leave readers drawing inference from the every day lives of the characters.
I'm really not a fan of YA fiction, but this was so beautifully written that captivated me from start to finish💯💯👍👍.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews

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