This book hit me where I live and I thoroughly loved it. The themes of love, family, and the duty we owe to our families versus the duties we owe to ourselves? Chef's kiss. Add this immediately to the top of your TBR pile.

I was really expecting to love this but unfortunately I just didn't!
dislikes
- surprise pregnancy trope
- MC had no chemistry with Rafael or Elijah
- it was SO frustrating to read from the MC's perspective and about her mother. I understand the cultural and familial pressure she felt but... gah. her mother was absolutely awful and personally, I just don't think there's an excuse for that.
- Rafael was also really frustrating keeping secrets the whole time

likes
- discussion of the importance of culture

I was really excited for this book for many reasons (gorgeous cover, own voices author, set in Toronto) but couldn't get into it at all. The dialogue was unrealistic and cliche, the characters were not fleshed out, and I gave up 120 pages in after realizing I don't care how this ends.

Loved the cover on this — it has an easy shelf appeal that will attract a large audience. The plot wasn’t my favorite but I think the majority of readers will enjoy it nonetheless.

I wanted to love this book so much but I just... I couldn't.

I expected SO MUCH MORE. All the potential was there!

This was meant to be a book about dual identity, culture and how that can affect your love life but that's not what it was.  Instead of being a story about Azere balancing her nigerian heritage with her Canadian identity, it reads like a tale about Azere learning to mange her Nigerianness in order to fit into her Canadian shoes.

As an immigrant, I understand that there are situations where we have to do that but I didn't think that the author explained provided context or explained the issues that were brought up in this book. One thing that could have easily been put in the book in some way is the fact that African cultures ( from our languages to our names, to our food ) are slowly disappearing or being westernized and it's something that has caused many parents to worry about who their children marry. Especially for those of us who live in the Diaspora.

Also, I know that there are overbearing African mothers out there but Azere's mom is practically demonized in this book, along with almost everything else that is Edo or Nigerian - ( except for the food). I just have an issue with that situation and it's one that is becoming very popular in pop culture lately for some reason.

Anyway, I really appreciate this ARC and I'm glad the book is getting a lot of buzz because I'm hoping that this will encourage publishers to give us more BIPOC content but this book was just not the one for me.

A very cool and sexy book, and the chemistry between the two leads is undeniable. But I love that the main focus is the fact that interracial partnerships are somewhat looked down upon in cultures still and that is still prevalent in our times.

This is a great debut novel. I learned a lot from a different perspective than my own. This felt authentic and realistic with a phenomenal main character and plot.

Great novel. A romance novel with a twist. The novel flowed very smoothly. With alternating viewpoints we are able to explore romance, cultural identity and self identity. I do think that Rafael's viewpoint wasn't necessary but overall the novel was still enjoyable.

Thanks to Berkley for my review copy. All opinions are my own. I love that contemporary romance writers have started writing novels that have meat. This book deals with death, family heritage, interracial relationships, and pregnancy in ways that knocked my socks off. I was really impressed by how I could get romance vibes while still having a thought-provoking read. I can’t wait to see what Igharo writes next. 4 stars.

I enjoyed this unique romance about culutral differences, familial expectations, and finding yourself by following your heart. Some of the writing fell a bit flat for me in places, but I loved the characters and plot and will keep and eye out for more from this author in the future.

Such an interesting book! I really enjoyed the characters. I honestly can't believe how long it took my to finally "open it up" and get reading. Ties That Tether is a book I will recommend to many people in my life due to the emotional complexity. Thanks!

Ties That Tether - I really enjoyed learning so much more about Nigerian culture. There was so much that was new to me and I loved learning more about familial expectations, cultural norms, traditions, the food, and so much more! I enjoyed learning about Azere's relationship with Rafael, their cultural differences, and seeing how their relationship grew and blossomed, and how they worked together to gain the support from each other and their families. Such a heartwarming read.

I really enjoyed Ties That Tether. The characters were really well written and the plot kept me interested. I loved the culture that was presented. I thought the writing was also really well done. I would love to read more from this author! I also want to note how beautiful the cover is!

I absolutely loved Jane Igharo’s debut novel! This story is one that I have seen many times before with Azere’s struggle between her Nigerian culture and Canadian roots. The promise she made to her father and her mother’s constant reminder makes this book the perfect blend of romcom and family drama!

It took me forever to get to this book but I am so glad I did. I love seeing more romance books with black main characters. As a black women myself, I loving my own culture and people who look like me reflected in my romance. I loved seeing how cultural differences can positively and negatively affect a relationship especially dating outside of your race/ethnicity and even religion. I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to more books by this author. 4/5 stars.

Ties That Tether is such an interesting book. Also a very important one I'd love to see more people read and being someone who rarely reads romance, it's a testament I got through to the end. I actually really loved this heroine, a rarity for me in the romance genre. She was bubbly, slightly quirky and had an actual sense of humour that had me giggling at times. Thinking on it, I could almost call her more laidback than the hero — not surprising considering his backstory, but quite nice to read, almost like an inversion of it tropes. Certainly different to what I’m used to reading. I also liked her relationship with the hero, not perfect because nothing is, with its rocky moments, but sweet and wholesome. I was able to empathise with them both.

What stops this being a favourite is the writing style: a bit analytical at times, overly descriptive, and there’s quite a bit of telling (what happened in the immediate past in prior chapters) instead of showing, though I understand the passage of time has to occur somehow.

There’s also the heroine’s mother who I feel had something of a personality transplant in the second to last chapter. We unfortunately never see her care for her daughter on the page but are expected to think that because she says so, she does love her. It fell a little flat to me, and not entirely organic. The resolution felt too quick. I feel like it should have been left open-ended, a work in progress because she put the heroine through a lot of stress.

Loved IT! Jane Igharo’s debut is one of my favorite reads of 2020. this is the story of Azere, who immigrated to Canada from Nigeria as a child. she is constantly feeling the pole between her Nigerian culture and emvracing her new Canadian home. she made a promise to her father on his deathbed that she would Mary a Nigerian man. A promise that her mother reminds her of on a regular basis. when Azere meets Rafael she is instantly drawn to him even though he is definitely not Nigerian. A one night fling can’t hurt, right? Well it looks as though the fates have other plans.

This book was the perfect blend of romcom humor and family drama. Azere was such a great character and I really felt for her. She really was so torn between two worlds. Rafael was a great guy who really tried to be supportive and understanding. I had a hard time with Azere‘s mother. I really could not understand her actions, although I did try to remember that she is from a different culture than me. there were also quite a few pop culture references woven throughout the story that I loved. A fun Romance with a lot of heart.

*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

This is a promising debut of an emotional, thought-provoking story about a young Nigerian woman named Azere, who at the age of 12, promised her dying father to preserve her cultural identity by marrying a Nigerian man. Fast forward: She experiences a dilemma where her one-night stand with a man outside of her racial and cultural identity proves to be a potential deep, meaningful connection. What can she choose? Choose happiness for herself (i.e. a life of possible happiness with Rafael) or keep her promise to her father?

The book was mostly a very entertaining read where the two main characters' chemistry was on point! It became a bit too cliche for me at a few moments, but I do love soap operas! I felt it was a unique book as it does have elements of diverse cultures and viewpoints with universal themes.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this moving ARC with me in exchange for my honest opinions and for introducing me to a brilliant debut author.

I really enjoyed this romance novel that was surprisingly deep & had a lot of substance. I was rooting for these two and there were some truly beautiful moments in this book!

This was a really cute read, and actually I just sat down on the sofa intending to make it through the first 20% and ended up reading straight through. I was expecting it to be a little more hard hitting from some of the reviews I had read, but really it was just a sweet romance story with some family drama thrown in.

I did find myself cringing at times, why Azere and Rafael couldn't just talk to each other was a mystery. Im not a massive fan of books using lack of communication as a plot device and to be honest there is a lot of that on offer here, but luckily the sweet relationship of the leading pair overshadowed it so I still enjoyed the book.

As debut novels go, this one is not bad at all. It's got a lot of depth with regards to family relationships, particularly in Nigerian households. As someone who grew up in a blended household, of British-Nigerian, it was quite refreshing to see this take on how hard that can be. The difference in culture is pretty stark when you're living it, particularly attitudes towards women, and I was rooting constantly for Azere to find her voice and speak her truth to her mother.

4 stars from me.