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Unknown 6/03/2012 Add Comment Edit

Familiar Ties by Naya Nikki.

About the book:

Max West is a widower raising Phoebe, his four-year-old daughter. Phoebe has to live with the fact that the day she was born is also the day of her mother’s death. As her fifth year without her mother approaches, Phoebe finds solace in her godmother, Amy Riley, and her daughter, Grace Crawford, another single parent family.
Amy Riley is a successful fashion designer who spends most of her days raising her four-year-old daughter, Grace, while her wayward boyfriend is travelling the world making the next best film. As the fifth year without her best friend looms she finds comfort in her ex-boyfriend, Max, and his daughter, Phoebe.
These two “broken” families have a tough week to face as the dreaded day approaches.However through their past, present and debatable future will their choices affect the outcome both parents clearly want and are simply denying? Or will Phoebe and Grace lose the only “whole” family they have ever known?

Publisher home page(Pre-order here)
Goodreads

Review:

In my opinion, it was pretty obvious from the start how this book was going to end, but that didn't deter me. It's one of those books that you just have to keep reading because you want to know how the ending is going to come about. I have never read a book of this sort of genre but I was extremely pleased by this book. The plot was interesting and unique and there were elements of romance, family drama and friendship. This book really touches you and even though I have absolutely no personal experience of the dramas that the character's faced, I still felt really connected to the plot.

I especially liked the layout of the book, if that's the the right word. Each chapter is a different day and the book actually only takes place over the course of a week, though it feels much longer. Interspersed between the main bulk of the book are flashbacks to different periods of each persons life. You would think that this would make the plot really jumpy and hard to follow, but on the contrary, these little insights increase your understanding of the characters and the plot.

The characters were all very likeable, that is, apart from the one character you aren't supposed to like. This book is written from the third person, but you still feel like you have an insight into how each of the characters is feeling. There are lots of 'aww' moments when reading about the children's antics, but the book's main focus is on the single parents, Max and Amy. It's interesting to see how all the character's fit together from their past and present lives and I just hope that when I grow up, I will have a tight knit support group around me as the characters have in this novel. My heart really went out to all the characters of the group, especially when it came to making those hard sacrificial decisions. You really start to root for certain characters, willing them to follow their hearts and be happy.

The quality of writing was superb and the words simply flowed off the page. I read the entire book in one sitting as time just flew by! I highly recommend 'Familiar Ties' as it leaves you feeling happy and this book is so endearing. This will no doubt be a great read for a warm summer day :)

About The Author:

Born and raised in London, England, Naya Nikki is a student who’s spent most of her life taming her creative streak through writing short stories. She’s signed her first contract with InkSpell Publishing to publish her first book “Familiar Ties.” The story follows the journey of two single parents whose daughters want nothing more than for them to become a happy family.

She is currently earning a degree in English with a minor in Creative Writing that will allow her to build her writing career. When she isn’t at the university, Naya loves nothing more than spending time with her parents and grandparents as well as meeting her friends for gossip sessions over some hot coco.

Official Website
Twitter

Author Interview:

1. Which author, if any, would you compare yourself to?

My favorite romance author is Cecilia Ahern (P.S. I love you). If I ever got compared to her, it would be a dream come true.

2. I believe you are still a student at university, how on earth do you find the time to write?

Yeah I am. To be honest I am really not sure how I fit everything into my life, it’s a miracle sometimes. Let’s just say I survive on lack of sleep a lot…haha

3. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I think my dream started from about the age of 10 or 11, when I properly got into writing stories.

4. What inspired you to write Familiar Ties?

I took a few story lines from various books and shows and re-wrote them to how I would have written them and then merged them together and created Familiar Ties.

5. If you couldn't be an author, what would you be?

I love to work with children, so maybe a teacher or something where I’d be helping children.

7. What are you working on next?

At the moment I am so busy with being a student, my writing is going to go on pause cause I don’t want to miss out on my university life and look back and have regrets.

8. What's your all time favourite book and why?

Does Chicken Soup count? It is just full of amazing and inspiring stories that never fail to put a smile on my face.

9. What advice could you give to any budding young writers?

Write. Do not give up. Someone out there will love your writing. Don’t be afraid to show your work to people, because one day the rest of the world might just get their hands on it.

10. If you could be any character from any book, who would you be and why?

Jo March from Little Women, because a) she is a writer and b) she doesn’t let the fact she is a young woman hold her back in life.