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maeverose's review against another edition
2.5
Most of this book revolves around an unplanned pregnancy and that really should’ve been in he synopsis. I wouldn’t have read it if I knew that beforehand.
I didn’t care for Azere and Rafael as a couple. They had no chemistry. Azere annoyed me because she does. not. communicate. This book relies heavily on the lack-of-communication trope. She keeps things from Rafael for way longer than she should, for no particular reason in some cases, and she just felt like a teenager most of the book with the way she handled things. Rafael keeps something from her for way too long as well. The third act breakup felt really petty and like an overreaction on Azere’s part. It could’ve easily been solved if they just idk spoke to each other maybe?
I was really annoyed that Azere kept talking to Elijah, because he was basically stalking her.
Azere finally speaking up to her mother at the end was very satisfying though.. lol
I didn’t care for Azere and Rafael as a couple. They had no chemistry. Azere annoyed me because she does. not. communicate. This book relies heavily on the lack-of-communication trope. She keeps things from Rafael for way longer than she should, for no particular reason in some cases, and she just felt like a teenager most of the book with the way she handled things. Rafael keeps something from her for way too long as well. The third act breakup felt really petty and like an overreaction on Azere’s part. It could’ve easily been solved if they just idk spoke to each other maybe?
I was really annoyed that Azere kept talking to Elijah, because he was basically stalking her.
Azere finally speaking up to her mother at the end was very satisfying though.. lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Grief, Blood, Death of parent, Cancer, Car accident, Religious bigotry, and Death
Pretty spoilery but important to know if miscarriage or traumatic birth is a trigger for you:donotdisturbimreading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy and Death of parent
Minor: Death, Blood, Child death, Car accident, and Medical trauma
gm_vak's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, and Medical trauma
bookishrealm's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Ties That Tether has been getting quite a few mixed reviews; however, it's a book that I wanted to explore and read for myself. I was interested in the presentation of an interracial relationship where both families were very set on maintaining their cultural values. Igharo did an excellent job at tackling this when the main character, Azere, ends up with a white man. A lot of individuals deal with the idea of maintaining familial expectations in all aspects of their life including romantic relationships. I've never personally had that experience; however, I empathize with anyone who feels stuck in honoring family and following your heart. I can't begin to imagine how difficult that is and I experienced that first hand in Azere's character development. She has the beautiful admiration and respect for her father; however, part of her knows that she may not be able to live up to the expectations of having to marry an Edo man. The narrative around this was great, well-developed.
However, the amount of drama and the driving force behind a great portion of this book did not work for me. It was overdone in a way that's hard to explain and it detracted from the romantic elements of the book. In fact, like many reviewers have stated before me, THERE WAS NO CHEMISTRY between Azere and Rafael. It felt like two friends attempting to navigate their circumstance and experience rather than two romantic partners trying to make it work. There were moments that were cringe worthy for me especially on Rafael's end. I feel like he had a double standard in some aspects of their communication. Then Igharo adds in a love triangle to the story and I WAS NOT HERE FOR IT. Half the time that I read the role of the other character I rolled my eyes or kept questioning why his appearance was even necessary to the story. I'm not sure if it was meant to bring Azere to a moment of clarity regarding her relationship with Rafael, but since I felt as though those two had no chemistry it came off as poorly executed. There is also a scene that I won't go into because it is a spoiler; however, it wasn't a great moment for me as a reader and whether my feelings were right or wrong, I kept questioning why it was added to the book. It could be because I, myself, have experienced that trauma. Regardless, I don't think that a lot of these moments were executed well.
I know it's hard to even understand why I would give this book 2.5 stars if I felt that way, but it wasn’t a horrible book all around. I think that Igharo excelled in some areas and failed in others. The exploration of the blending of cultures was phenomenal and it was great to see that incorporation to the framework of what was intended to be a romantic story; however, I think that it just needed a little more reworking. I'm still interested in seeing what else the author is going to release in the future. I just don't think that this book in particular was for me as a reader.
However, the amount of drama and the driving force behind a great portion of this book did not work for me. It was overdone in a way that's hard to explain and it detracted from the romantic elements of the book. In fact, like many reviewers have stated before me, THERE WAS NO CHEMISTRY between Azere and Rafael. It felt like two friends attempting to navigate their circumstance and experience rather than two romantic partners trying to make it work. There were moments that were cringe worthy for me especially on Rafael's end. I feel like he had a double standard in some aspects of their communication. Then Igharo adds in a love triangle to the story and I WAS NOT HERE FOR IT. Half the time that I read the role of the other character I rolled my eyes or kept questioning why his appearance was even necessary to the story. I'm not sure if it was meant to bring Azere to a moment of clarity regarding her relationship with Rafael, but since I felt as though those two had no chemistry it came off as poorly executed. There is also a scene that I won't go into because it is a spoiler; however, it wasn't a great moment for me as a reader and whether my feelings were right or wrong, I kept questioning why it was added to the book. It could be because I, myself, have experienced that trauma. Regardless, I don't think that a lot of these moments were executed well.
I know it's hard to even understand why I would give this book 2.5 stars if I felt that way, but it wasn’t a horrible book all around. I think that Igharo excelled in some areas and failed in others. The exploration of the blending of cultures was phenomenal and it was great to see that incorporation to the framework of what was intended to be a romantic story; however, I think that it just needed a little more reworking. I'm still interested in seeing what else the author is going to release in the future. I just don't think that this book in particular was for me as a reader.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Medical trauma
megmcreads's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I'm quite torn about this book. On one hand I loved the cultural aspect. I really enjoyed learning a bit about Nigerian culture, specifically from the perspective of someone trying to balance what they were born into and what they moved into. It's a very interesting and rather foreign concept for me. What I appreciated though, was that while I don't personally understand it, I felt Azere's stress and anxieties about doing what was expected of her.
What didn't work for me was a lot of the dialogue and time-line. The dialogue didn't feel natural, specifically between the Azere and Rafael. What really stood out was how often they said each other's names when they were the only two in the scene. That's not a thing people do! And it drove me NUTS! As far as the time-line it felt like we were on a bullet train that only made stops at stations where no one was boarding or disembarking. Lots of needless detail for things that didn't require it.
I'd harp on the explanations of cultural specifics but I have a feeling those would have been pushed by the publisher and maybe not the author. But who knows! I just wish author's didn't have to do that. I do appreciate it from a curiosity pov but I can Google and they often feel like a footnote within the story.
I highly recommend reading reviews for this book from Own Voice readers.
Overall, this book was readable and it was a decent debut! I will definitely read more from Jane Igharo in the future.
What didn't work for me was a lot of the dialogue and time-line. The dialogue didn't feel natural, specifically between the Azere and Rafael. What really stood out was how often they said each other's names when they were the only two in the scene. That's not a thing people do! And it drove me NUTS! As far as the time-line it felt like we were on a bullet train that only made stops at stations where no one was boarding or disembarking. Lots of needless detail for things that didn't require it.
I'd harp on the explanations of cultural specifics but I have a feeling those would have been pushed by the publisher and maybe not the author. But who knows! I just wish author's didn't have to do that. I do appreciate it from a curiosity pov but I can Google and they often feel like a footnote within the story.
I highly recommend reading reviews for this book from Own Voice readers.
Overall, this book was readable and it was a decent debut! I will definitely read more from Jane Igharo in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Medical trauma, and Car accident
jholley926's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, and Medical trauma
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