Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley for this ARC of Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo.
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Ties That Tether is a story about Azere, a Nigerian woman who, all her life, has been told that her duty is to marry a Nigerian man and have babies. When Azere meets Rafael, a white man, and quickly falls for him, all of these plans go out the window. Azere is faced with inner turmoil - she doesn't want to let down her mother or tarnish the promise she made to her father on his death bed, but the heart wants what the heart wants!
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The first chapter of this book has be SO excited for the rest! But with each chapter read, the story felt more and more contrived. At some point, I just found myself no longer interested in the story :(. I REALLY wanted to like this book and I think a lot of people will - it just really was not for me.

There was a lot I liked about Ties that Tether. Igharo writes believable family conflict and explores the impact of culture and new environments in a way that draws the reader in and has them rooting for her characters. Add in forbidden love, and you have the recipe for a fantastic book!

I really enjoyed the relationships and could have (and would have) read many many pages of the dynamics between Azere and her cousin, sister, and best friend. The dynamics were very believable and touching. Rafael fell a bit flat for me, but overall he was a pleasant character.

The dialogue fell a bit flat and felt robotic at times. Often, a sentence started with "yeah." and that started to become repetitive. In addition, I think there was a lot that was crammed into this book. Cultural identity, forbidden romance, workplace dynamics, high stakes, conflict, and the frequent movie references made the book feel "busy" and impacted the pacing.

Overall, I liked this book and I think that Igharo will bring a breath of fresh air to the romance world.

Thanks to Igharo, Berkley & Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review!

This is an interesting romantic debut from a Nigerian-Canadian author. Being Nigerian myself, and a lover of Nigerian romance, this seemed like it would be an excellent match for me. I’ve read this with mixed emotions, the summary of which is that on the balance of things, I think it’s alright and I appreciate the story the author wanted to tell and really respected the own voices nature of that story about culture and love and assimilation and the fear of losing your heritage and disappointing your generations.

Starting with the positives, this story is undoubtedly own voices- the author captured the nuances of a common Nigerian experience especially for Nigerian immigrants growing up in the disapora, but this experience is even applicable locally. I read book with similar themes recently that was very well-written but that WASN’T own voices and reading this book, I can tell that the author understands this cultural experience and expectation because of her sympathy with Azere. I love that the author approached this theme and the relationship between Nigerian mothers and daughters which can be filled with such sacrificial care but also fraught with manipulation and misunderstanding and pressure. I love the moment in the book where Azere and her mother talk about conditional love because I feel like this is such an important theme in Nigerian parent-child relationships. This book made me think about the inherent societal pressures there are on parents for their children to conform to inherited culture and not “bring shame to the family” and how that pressure is inherited by kids to know that the weight of their parents’, community’s and ancestor’s expectations are on them. I definitely related to Azere’s desire to suppress things and pretend that everything was fine. I think this was strongest in the selected theme and for the most part, the plot.

Where this struggled a bit for me was in the execution. I frequently found it a little clunky. The dialogue to me, wasn’t always realistic and the plot felt a little jumpy and not seamless and I think part of this might be teething issues with this being the author’s first book and also with the author writing a romance that she wanted to appeal to both own voices readers and a mass foreign audience. I wish the author hadn’t always felt the need to explain everything but had just let the book rest on what she wrote- for example, every element of Nigerian culture or sayings explained in great detail, every reference to a Nigerian cultural icon (like Tiwa Savage, Patience Ozokwor, Simi etc) explained in great detail, rom-com movie references being given mini-analyses/recaps... it just felt a little too much. I’ve read many books even romances with cultural references that I didn’t know and if I was interested, I Googled to learn, and if I wasn’t interested, I kept it moving. The needing to “glossarize” every reference often pulled me out of the plot and it skewed this book for me into not really being for readers with romantically-underrepresented cultural experiences but a book for “Westerners” to have an insight into an aspect of Nigerian culture.

The other issue I experienced with this is something I sometimes see in interracial romances where in order to justify the relationship with the white character, the “ethnic” protagonist must always somehow drag every relationship they’ve had with dating someone from their culture. It’s like “well I’ve tried dating people from my culture/race and they were toxic messes and so that justifies me dating this person from a different race.” These sorts of implied or overt narratives really irk me. After all, is it because of their race that this new love interest is good/respectful/kind or is it because they are who they are. This book portrayed “dateable” Nigerian men in a certain light and whilst I don’t disagree that there’s a concerning proliferation of Nigerian f-boys, I think this aspect of the book was a little clunkily-expressed and fell a bit into that trap interracial romances sometimes do.

All in all, I think this is a good story, a very recognizable story to many people who struggle to find a balance and hold on to their culture and heritage in the middle of that space between the inevitability of cultural assimilation and the fear of loss and separation from heritage that breeds cultural fundamentalism. I appreciate the author trying to bring it into mainstream romance. The execution wasn’t my favourite but this was a debut and the author wrote a book that was interesting enough that I didn’t put it down till I finished once I started.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing for gifting me this free book!

Truthfully, a tad disappointed - but still a soapy, quick, romcom. If you’re looking for a breezy read with some substance behind it - I would recommend. If you’re looking for a steamy romance - less so.

A terrific romance that so much more, exploring family tradition and obligation, finding love, remaining true to one's heritage, and understanding the immigrant experience. A captivating read!

I loved this #ownvoices coming of age romance! It was so interesting to see the overlap between Azere's Nigerian roots and culture and see my own experiences as the child of Indian immigrants come through as well. Azere was a well-rounded and written character, but I didn't always get the same from Rafael.

I raced through this work, but did feel like the novel was a tad rushed - we didn't get to Rafael's motivations as a character until the last 15% of the book.

Would recommend to anyone looking for a fun weekend read.

All her life, Azere has known she must marry a Nigerian man in the hopes of persevering her culture. After her father’s passing, Azere’s family emigrates to Canada and is taken under her uncle’s wing. With the help of her mother, Azere fully intends on solely dating within the Edo community -- something she promised her dying father when she was twelve. She patiently goes along with every date her mother sets her up on, regardless of compatibility, or how disinterested she is. After another date goes horribly wrong, Azere finds herself at a bar, where she catches the eye of Rafael Castellano: a man who is charming, captivating, and white. When their one-night stand turns into something more, Azere must decide between continuing to live the life that pleases her family, and her feelings for Rafael.

The opening line of Ties that Tether is "Culture is important. Preserving it, even more important”, which I think truly sets the tone of the entire book. How far would you go to preserve their culture? What would you give up to stay connected to your roots? And more so, how do you learn to stay connected to your roots while intertwining them with other roots and building your own home?

I found Ties that Tether to be a quick and easy read. At times, it felt like watching a rom com, and I found myself gasping and laughing along with Azere. While I don’t typically love “love at first sight” as a trope (I tend to find it underdeveloped), I loved how it played out in Ties that Tether, and the way we got to see their feelings develop past that first night. As a main character, Azere was really easy to root for. As a daughter of immigrants (and also an immigrant myself), I found myself empathizing for Azere and her experiences with acculturation. The struggle between wanting to please your parents who have sacrificed so much for you, and trying to figure out how to be your own person was all too relatable. Having to learn which parts of yourself to shed in certain settings, and when, was something heartbreaking to read as it reminded me of my own experiences. I could so easily picture 12-year-old Azere learning “What does it mean to be Nigerian? What does it mean to be Canadian? What does it mean to be Nigerian-Canadian?”, and trying to simply survive. And what I appreciated most, was that she was still grappling with that same question at 25 -- a reminder that we’re never done learning and discovering ourselves and our identity.

"My mother didn't understand the struggle of trying to reconcile my heritage with my new environment at such a young age. She didn't understand I had to survive middle school and high school, not as a Nigerian, but as a Canadian. To her, I compromised and lost parts of my identity. To myself, I made room in my life for two distinct worlds. I redefined myself - created a new identity. And my mother resents me for that."

Just like Azere, I have a major love for rom-coms, and loved every reference in Ties that Tether. In all honesty, Ties that Tether felt like a rom-com itself. It very much followed a rom-com storyline and pacing, to the point where parts of it felt a little predictable, but I was still incredibly charmed by it. That being said, I do wish that Igharo had dug deeper into the story and into Azere’s journey of self-discovery. As a love interest, I found Rafael to be a little too perfect. A little too charming, too pretty, and for that, a little unlikeable. I wish we’d gotten to know more about him, and more so, that his backstory was revealed earlier in the book. In fact, I wish I’d gotten to know more about everyone -- I was so intrigued by Azere’s family members, her coworkers, her best friend, and I wanted to know more! Some other aspects of Ties that Tether that I adored were the underlying themes of fate (cue Taylor Swift’s invisible string), the strong women & female friendships, and the fierce family ties.

Thank you @berkleyromance for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Before we go any further into this review, can we please just talk about this cover? HOLY MOLY, it is stunning. I read this book on my iPad but you better believe I pre-ordered a physical copy to have it on my shelves forever.

Now for a quick mini review because I do not want to spoil anything! I loved Azere and I loved Rafeal! Their story started off with a one night stand after meeting at a hotel bar but it ended up being so much more. Something happens that made me almost put it down but people I trust told me that it was really good so I powered through. And they were right! There were a lot of twists and turns but ultimately Azere discovered what truly made her the happiest! Lastly, another one of my favorite parts was what I learned about the Edo culture thanks Azere’s relationships with her family.

Go pick this one up soon! It’s out this Tuesday, September 29th!

oh boy, what a perfect rom-com setting for me. I felt right at home with the protagonist and the entire characters. I didn't only identify with the book 80% of the storyline, but it was an absolute delight. An own voice book at that

Blurb ':

Azere must choose between love and her family as she tries so hard to honor the promise she made to her father at his death bed and be an obedient daughter of her conservative mother who is adamant on preserving her Nigeria heritage/culture by matching making potential suitors for her (thus making the promise be fulfilled)


But when another match-made date night -by-mom goes wrong, Azere ends up having a one night stand with Rafael Castellano, which unexpectedly evolves into something serious (and his totally  white) .

Azere is caught between her growing feelings for Rafael and the compulsive need to please her mother who will never accept a relationship that threatens to dilute Azere's Nigerian heritage.

Azere can't help wondering if loving Rafael makes her any less of a Nigerian. Can she be with him without compromising her identity? 

I particularly enjoyed the romance movie's references/scenes the author made trying to imagine Azere's case in them. It was both hilarious and damn cute.

Lots of likeable characters, ofcourse my favorite was her mother though (she reminds me of mine and the typical Nigeria mother's characterization).

I do find Azere's character sometimes annoying and overly unnecessarily dramatic. I didn't care for her character sometimes. She didn't seem mature enough for me, I sort of find the sibling exhibiting the strong will and mature thinking that I would have loved to see Azere had. But that's also what makes the book interesting enough.

The sort of love triangle (not exactly one because Azere wasn't exactly in love with Elijah) was also fun to read too. And i love how Elijah's character was written as a total villain.


I deeply appreciated the cultural depictions of Nigeria delicaese, music, attire and the language as well. It's always fun reading a book that identifies with me and this was well written.

MY only dissatisfaction was the angst. It was unnecessarily too much sometimes

If you are a fan of interracial romance

Love learning about West Africa cultures (Nigerian as matter of fact) and Chick lit, you might want to grab this.

Thanks to the author for the gifted copy

When 12 year old Azere's father was dying, he made her promise she'd marry a Nigerian man. Even though she's now an adult with a career, his voice (along with her mom's frequent reminders to be a good, obedient daughter) still rings in her head. So, naturally, after she falls fast and furious for white Rafael, she feels torn and extremely guilt stricken. Will she let her parents' wishes overpower her own hopes and dreams? Or, will she listen to this advice from her best friend, Christina?

"Let go of the life you've planned and accept the life that's waiting for you."

To say that I enjoyed this impressive and touching debut is an understatement! It was in turns, romantic, fun, steamy, original and at times, heart wrenching bringing tears to my eyes several times. Last but not least, the pop culture references were a welcome surprise. If you've ever questioned your own decisions due to someone else's voice in your head, then give this delightful rom-com a try!

"I believe in destiny, but I strongly believe destiny isn't all-powerful; it gives a portion of its influence to us. We have the choice to accept or reject its plans."

Location: Toronto, Canada

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a story about love, culture, and finding your happy ever after. I appreciate how strong the main character, Azere, is. She comes from a conservative Nigerian family who wants her to restrict relationships to members of her own ethnic group in order to preserve their Nigerian heritage. However, Azere has is bold and makes her own choices.

Seeing Azere struggle with her identity as a powerful woman and in relation to her family kept me fully engaged with the story. I really felt for her and wanted to see her succeed while still making her family proud. I learned a lot from this #OwnVoice romance.

As a reader, you’re brought along through all Azere’s emotions, fears, and life hurdles. This book has plenty of romance, steam, dilemmas, discussions of immigration, interracial relationships, and some great characters. I enjoyed it.

I give it 3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 for this review

Ties That Tether is a sweet OwnVoices romance that you don't want to miss! A wonderful debut by Jane Igharo!

Two people from different cultures (each carrying different grief) find each other by chance, and must decide if they can choose each other despite their differences.

The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and the movie references were well-placed and touching. The characters have depth and strength that really develops in the end. Very minimal open-door steam, but a sweet romance that I only wish was more slowly developed instead of a flash-forward montage. I really enjoyed the in-depth look at family obligations, traditions and culture, as well as interracial relationships. I'd highly recommend this one!

{Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for a gifted advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.}

I won this arc from Berkeley Romance. Thank you! I enjoyed this book so much. It was quite the roller coaster ride from the beginning. This book took you on a journey of two people from different cultures brought together by fate. It most definitely had all the feels and I could not put it down. An amazing debut by Jane Igharo. Release date is September 29th. Definitely get yourself a copy!

Raise your hand if you’re ready for a romantic comedy that is super sweet. Now raise your hand if you’re also ready for a diverse heroine (it’s an "Own Voices" story) and a great storyline that’s practically plucked from Nollywood? I have both hands way up!

In "Ties that Tether," Jane Igharo introduces us to Azere, a funny, flawed heroine with a heart of gold. She loves her family and her Nigerian culture deeply, and even promises her father that she will marry a Nigerian man in order to ensure her future family is 100% Edo. But her story takes an unexpected turn when she meets Rafael, who is handsome, intelligent, caring, and…not Nigerian. What happens after what was supposed to be one night together turns into more for both Rafael and Azere? The answer is more gasp-inducing drama than a daytime soap opera and a Nollywood movie combined.

As a Nigerian-American reader, I am so glad this book exists. It was so cool to see parts of my background reflected in Azere’s family, the food they eat, and the attire they wear. It was an added plus to what was already a fun, romantic read. I am not of Edo descent, so I appreciate the important role Azere’s culture plays in the story. Being Edo both helps Azere and hurts her - it’s complex – which reflects cultural experiences in reality. I enjoyed the supporting characters on the whole (I would love to read their stories, too), but I found that one character from Azere’s past didn’t seem like a great fit for this story. And while some portions of Rafael and Azere’s romance felt a bit saccharine, the story’s twists and turns offered a dramatic boost in momentum and definitely enhanced the story. I would recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance, and romance readers with a desire for diversity in the love stories they read.

First I want to say I love the Ties That Tether book cover. GORGEOUS!!! Secondly I can’t wait to read more book from Jane Igharo.

What I liked:
- I thought that Azere was well developed and I could relate when it comes to self-identify. I was born in Haiti but raised/live in the United States it took me a long time to embrace both Haitian and American culture.
- I really liked Azere and Rafael's relationship even though there were parts that were super cheesy.
- I really liked this book was more than just romance; it had a little of family, tradition/culture and interracial relationship problems.
- I LOVE when a book is actually able to make me laugh out loud or make talk to myself.

What I didn’t like:
- There were a lot of rom-com movie references in this book which I felt took away from the story.
- Some of the conversations were force or awkward.

What I Wished Happened:
- I really wanted to read from Rafael’s perspective more.

Steam: Open Door

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for ARC in exchange for my honest opinions

This book is powerful and wonderful and just perfect! Its hard to say much without giving it away but it is a truly amazing book as we get a view inside what its like for Azere a Nigerian women who emigrating to Canada when she was 12 to keep culture and heritage alive for herself and future generations like she promised her father.

Igharo writes a story of Edo culture for the reader to get a understand and view into along with, ups and downs of what its like to be an immigrant in a new place like Canada and the pressure to keep your traditions alive but also be Canadian. The blends of the cultures in this book are powerful, with the two POV. You will be happy, sad, and cry with this one. The bond of friendships, families, tradition, home country, new country, and today's world all come together for this one. This is a must read story or a JUST READ IT!

Overall, 5 stars and 3.5 steam


Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First, I want to say how beautiful this cover is. I love the vibrant colors, the representation through skin tone and hairstyle, and the mirror image of the guy through the glasses. When I first saw it, I was immediately like I'm reading that!

Second, I stayed up all night just so I could read this book. Then I immediately fan-girled and wrote a Tweet to the author to tell her just how much I loved it. In Ties That Tether, you get to see parts of the Nigerian culture through words, phrases, and traditions in comparison to the character's (and author's) experience as an immigrant in Canada. You get to see the holds that family has over your life and how you might end up with someone you don't love just because you want to please your parents.

I'm not Nigerian but I really related to this character. All my life my parents have stressed the importance of dating within my own race and how we've got to 'stick together'. I dated a few white and light skins when I was younger and was immediately labeled the daughter who would Most Likely Go White. You should've seen their faces when they found out that Tony, my partner and (of course) soulmate, is black.

It also goes along with how you can't judge someone by the culture they were raised in. It's hard to tell who is racist, who is a pushover, and who is truly willing to stay and put up with your family because they love you - when you are only looking at their ethnic background. The struggle the main character goes through to listen to her heart or the generations of ancestors is visceral and shows on the page. It might make you agree to anything - as we see over and over.

That being said, I wanted to slap this main character up the head a few times (which I'm sure she might've gotten from a parental figure a few times). Girl, get it together! Might I also mention how important it is to show healthy girl-friend relationships!? Everyone needs someone in their corner (even me...I need friends, ahora) and I love how more and more these days you are seeing secondary characters who are more than just a device thrown in to further the plot. Also, I think I'd like to see a sequel with her best friend as the main character and finding love!

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I'm so glad that I read it. I felt like it was the first romance in a long time that didn't make me roll my eyes or frustrate the hell out of me - which is saying a lot. Y'all know how I love my mushy stories.

If I had a star system, I'd give this book 4 stars! Thank you Jane Igharo for introducing us to the culture with an experience that is relatable and honest.

This debut novel blew me away!

I was immediately sucked into Azere’s life. The pacing and rhythm of this book was perfect. My heart broke for Azere as she struggled with her duty to her family and culture and her love for a man who does not fit into her life as the perfect Nigerian daughter.

I loved this glimpse into the life of a Nigerian Canadian woman and her juggling with multiple identities and cultures. Igahro does a fantastic job of tackling this issue.

I loved the chemistry between Azere and Rafael. It was undeniable. I want to be friends with Azere and Rafael was just so charming! I was rooting for them from the very beginning.

This book is an emotional story of a young woman torn between a chance at true love and staying true to her family and culture.

I can't wait to read what Jane Igharo writes next!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3469227502

Review will be posted on Instagram on 9/29/20 at https://www.instagram.com/ablondenooknerd

This adult romance book was amazing, from beginning to end! The struggles we go through to please our parents and find the partner we feel connected to is a real challenge especially in this book. Mixing cultures is a beautiful thing but hard for some people to accept when two people are in love. I highly recommend this book!

Well that wasn't what I was expecting!!! I thought this book was going to be another contemporary IR romance but it was a lot more than that. This book was about culture, traditions, family obligations, assimilation vs survival, and so much more.

Azere meets and has a one night stand with Rafael, only for a month later to be coworkers who are desperately trying to keep their relationship professional. It doesn't last long because both Azere and Rafael are very attracted to each other. But Azere made a promise to her dying father she would marry a Nigerian man. Azere as a dutiful daughter tries her best to keep this promise but of course Rafael complicates the matter. Do you choose your family or someone you are drawn to?

We spend quite a bit of time go back and forth with Azere for her to make a decision. Initially I was like come on already, but after reflecting I think it's probably pretty spot on how difficult it can be to be in an IR when you've ALWAYS imagined being someone of your own background. Azere is weighing- is a relationship with someone you barely know enough to cut family ties (her mother threatens to disown her if she does). Some people might think that's being melodramatic but what I think Igharo does for the reader is paints a picture that it isn't always that simple to put love first. Women are the carriers of tradition and how can that tradition carry on IF your partner has different background than you. I think as a romance reader we want the happy ending but IRL making it work is a lot harder, so yeah the back and forth was probably necessary. I really loved that Rafael was not the typical machismo Spaniard but still exhibited some manliness i.e. mowing the lawn or confronting Elijah (leave my woman alone), but he was also sensitive and attentive. While he was dealing with his own demons he still tried to show up for Azere. Chef's kiss.

Now the book wasn't all perfect, the romance movie references or the dead pan lines explaining this romantic gesture should play out was a bit distracting, the reasoning is explained in the author's note (if you read that). Also, I was a bit uncomfortable with the tether. While I am a romance reader and will always root for the couple, I worry about the messenging that romantic love can save you. Those 2 things really made this book 4.25 or 4.5 star book for me. I think what made up the difference though, was the side characters Efe, Jacob, and Christina. They really shined through and gave me good feelings how family and friends play a crucial role especially when your life is in shambles. With that being said, if Igharo wanted to make this book into a series I would so be on board.

CW: parent death (cancer), car crash resulting in death (spouse and unborn baby), panic attacks, fainting spells, microagression, familial manipulation, and birthing trauma.