Anytime Soon

Anaya's World #1

by Tamika Christy

A 2014 Finalist Award Winner in the African American Fiction category of the Indie Next Generations Awards. Frenzied. Overburdened. Stressed. Overwhelmed. These are just a few ways to describe college senior Anaya Goode's life. Add to this no career prospects following a looming graduation, and Anaya quickly finds herself drowning in the chaos of her own life. Her family and friends demand much of Anaya, and she's struggling to balance herself in the mire. Facing an onslaught of grief, complex relationships, and a life that is full of deafening noise, Anaya must find herself, and maybe even true love and redemption, amid old traditions and new beginnings.

Genres: Fiction, New Adult, College

283 pages, ebook

First published July 15, 2013

About the author

Award-winning author Tamika Christy is a Bay Area native who writes stories that ably tackle big family drama in a light-hearted way. She writes about complicated family dynamics, the devastation of loss, generational trauma, and the family ties that bond.

Reviews

[Monica **can't read fast enough**]

Review to come.

[Selena Haskins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anytime Soon is a story about a young woman named Anaya Goode, whose brother is murdered, and his death remains unresolved. The story picks up where Anaya decides to return home from college to help her family. However, the result of returning home means she has to deal with her parents and sister, and all of the quirks of their personalities and personal issues. Anaya also becomes the "go-to" girl and advisor to her friends. When another tragedy strikes the family, Anaya becomes even more overwhelmed, and takes a deeper nosedive into depression. Anaya discovers that the one person who can really help afterall, is Judy-the therapist she's been seeing for her depression, along with her best friend, Carl, who (unexpectantly)becomes her lover.

While this was a modest story with hints of spirituality, humor, and romance, it kind of fell under its own inertia. I'm not sure if it was intentional since Anaya is a character who is depressed, but it makes the story less climatic. I feel with a little spice the story could have aroused more emotion so that it peaks and not settle in the middle of the playing field.

For a first-time author, Tamika creates a flow that eases the story along with a good pace. I also like her character development and dialogue. She is definitely skilled in the craft of the mechanics of writing and doesn't miss a beat. It's rare to find a near error-free story. I also admire the structure, format, and its overall appeal to readers. This is also why I felt this book deserved nothing less than 4-stars.

I look forward to reading more books by Tamika Christy in the future.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written story. The pacing and the characters are excellent. I was able to put myself within the story. Thank you to the publisher and the author.


This book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Book Reviews by Tara aka Queen of Memoirs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to take a break from social media. While I was away I continued to read and document books in my book journal.
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When choosing which book to read, I knew I had to choose wisely. I needed a story that would not add to my increased level of anxiety. But instead, it needed to help settle my nerves. Calm me. Nothing heavy. I craved fiction. A story about life and love. With all of that in mind, I pulled this book from my bookshelf. And it was the PERFECT CHOICE!
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Author Tamika Christy gifted me with this book “Anytime Soon” last year when I agreed to provide an honest review for her book “never too soon” the 2nd book from the Ayana Series.
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Although I read the books out of sequence, I was still able to totally enjoy both books being that they are so well written. The characters are believable and well developed. I always say, it’s dialogue that brings a novel to life. And this book is heavy on dialogue which I loved. The characters spoke to me. I never had to read in between the lines. The plot was relatable, nothing over the top. Each chapter flowed effortlessly.
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My favorite character is Ayana. She holds it down! Yeah she has her flaws, but who doesn’t?
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I definitely give this novel 5⭐️s.
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Author Tamika Christy took me into Ayana’s World when I needed an escape from my own. It is for this reason, “Anytime Soon” will always be among my literary favorites!

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a OK read. The story skipped around a lot. The story felt
rushed and unfinished.

[Zeinab Dh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read and review this book. I liked reading this one. It is well written, nice plot and characters. It is full of interesting and captivating drama as well as many lessons some of us need to learn. I felt it is very life-related and one should read the messages in it I recommend it

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Had me crying for half the book! The characters and plot were amazing. Definitely a must read.

[Sheila Good]

This book was a surprise to me as the writing was very straight forward. However I thought I could relate to it despite nor being a black woman or an aspiring attorney. The family dynamics and challenges her family faced are very real for a lot of people. I enjoy reading about real people and their real lives even if it is a fiction story. I highly recommend this author and I would definitely read her books again.

[Christina Coplan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felt like I was hanging out with my best friend

Can’t wait for the next book to come out. Tamika Christy is a talent. I was ignoring Facebook so I could finish reading the book. She had me emotional and now I miss all the characters.

[thebookwormscorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anaya Goode and her family suffer a great tragedy in their family; everyone grieving in their own way. Anaya's brother Andrew is killed at a party one night and a year later, there's still no leads. Anaya returns from college to help her family out. When she comes home she's bombarded with all of her family's problems and drama. Let me tell you, those people were a handful! I honestly don't blame Anaya for always feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and depressed. She was always put in the middle of everyone's issues.
Not only does Anaya have to deal with family issues but she also has to worry about her friends and their issues. Especially when it comes to her fired Sophie. Sophie is also doing cocaine. Sophie's continual flaky behavior has made Anaya say enough and do her own form of intervention with Sophie. Then comes Anaya's own personal and love life. Anaya starts working at a law firm after one of the professor's from her previous job at her college recommended her. As time passes both of them start to fall for each other, sometimes Jeff showing more interest than Anaya. Why? Anaya also has to worry about Carl. A young man that worked with her at her previous job as well. So much drama .What I find a little disturbing about Jeff and Carl is their obsessive behavior towards Anaya. To me they didn't even know a lot about her that much to spring the "L" word on her. Even Jeff has his little demons and secrets. After a year of up's and down's another tragedy hits the family and Anaya is forced to make decisions that will alter her life and everyone else's around her. For this being the author's first book it was an excellent story. There's instances I wish there was more background on certain characters to see how they ended up in their situations. I overall enjoyed the story. I'm looking forward to reading part 2 of the Anaya Series.

[Waukena Cuyjet · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started the book I thought it was a sex-in-the city type story. Shortly into the book, it became quite clear that the characters unlike those in sex in the city come from a strong moral background. Even though they are young adults, they are accountable for their actions to mother and any of extended family who can read their faces easily as well as feelings of guilt. Regardless of what you do Monday through Saturday, you are going to be sitting at the matriarch’s table come Sunday after Church.
This is definitely not just about do gooders, so the adult behavior leaves our protagonist with deeply rooted guilt, immense concern for a sister/friend all the while obsessed with the thought of an imaginary life with her love.
The obstacles in this family are not any different than a lot of other families but no one is going through a struggle alone.
I thought, “how could all this happen in one family?” Is the author only filling up pages in the book? Well, the more I got to understand the individual character’s challenges, the enormous amount of love and support surrounding each member demonstrated the quality of the people and the strength one gets when there’s a collective love that is the most powerful force in the home.
I found the book enjoyable, an easy flowing story and felt like I was leaving, not wanting to, some really nice people when I finished it.
I really could have read more. I hope to read more from this author.

[Shameka · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can tell this book was the first one that this author has published. Some of the writing seemed rushed and unfinished and the story jumped between multiple plot points in a way that didn't always seem cohesive. But the story itself is so good that I didn't mind that there were some rough spots. I found the plot to be realistic and enjoyed reading about all of the characters. I liked that they were all flawed but they were still portrayed in a way that showcased more than just their imperfections. And I liked the message that there is a chance for redemption no matter how far one may have fallen. This story just really resonated with me. I definitely recommend this book.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the first chapter I wasn't sure this book was going to hold my attention or interest. However, Anaya's challenges with Jeff come into play and, although predictable, the situation is one that many readers would probably relate to in some way or another. I know I could!
I felt for Carl and his character. It was refreshing to have candid, realistic opinions and outlook towards Anaya rather than sugar coated romanticized character chemistry. The story comes together well at the conclusion and I loved the relational transitions as the family grows through another crisis at the end.
Thank you Voracious Readers Only for the complimentary copy of this book.

[Katrina Baxter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story that this book tells could be a pretty good one, but it ended up feeling like I was reading someone's diary. It moved fairly quickly but never felt fully developed. I also thought the unsolved murder of Anaya's brother would have some sort of focus in the story, but... nope. Also, everything about the Jeff storyline was incredibly irritating. I hope this book wasn't autobiographical in any way because that dude would be a walking red flag.

I received a copy of this book to review from voraciousreadersonly.com

[야일 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, this book didn’t do much for me. I failed to get invested in the characters and their relationships. The use of words like “girl” really bothered me. The plot was all over the place and the book seems too slow but rushed otherwise. I will read the second book just cause I got a review copy otherwise I really am not interested. Sorry!

Special thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this review copy.

[Toni Duke · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG... What a great read!

This book was full of love and life lessons about friends and family. I gave it a "5" rating because it was such a lovely, well-written book.

Highly recommended for anyone, but a lot of lessons and food for thought for those in their early 20s just learning how to navigate life and appreciating family and friends.

[Brittni Kitten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not for me. The storyline was good, characters believable, and well written. I just can't stand the selfishness of the main character. She doesn't even realize how selfish she's being, and blames everybody else. I think it was more the type of selfish she was that turned me off more than anything. I just couldn't get around her to really enjoy the rest of the book.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately this one just couldn't grab me and pull me in. I felt like it was missing a little something to keep me intrested in the plot. It was like just reading the day to day tasks of someone I don't know

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so captivated by the characters in this story. The love and the life long friendship of these women is amazing. This is a family broken and being held together by love and faith. This is a must read.

[Robyn Creighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the story and I really liked the lead character and all her experiences. It was a very easy read, and I couldn't wait to see wha5 would happen next.
I sometimes felt the author treated us as stupid by over explaining things.

[Jfbuckingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book did an extraordinary job accurately portraying the intricate layers of relationships and human beings in general. Very engrossing read.

[Chos3n On3Sp3aks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suggest reading

A great story about love, heartbreak, grief, and a whole lot more. I don't want to give anything away,but I feel that it will be a great read for teens and up.

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

[Noreen Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read with a clanger of an ending. Would recommend it if you were interested in some light reading

[Eshana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this as a free copy through voracious readers. It had a good basis but felt slightly rushed and could have had more development.

[Tami · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good, it has potential to be great though with a few tweaks. It kind of jumped around a lot. I received my copy from voracious readers for my review.

[African Americans on the Move Book Club · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anaya Goode and her family suffered a horrible loss- Andrew, her brother, was murdered and no one had answers. Without closure, Anaya and her family suffered, but they had to pick up the pieces and move forward. That is easier said than done; the tragedy reshaped them individually and how they related to one another. Anaya adopted the Mother Superior mindset –everyone needed her or did they?

Anaya Goode is perfect and everyone, including her friends has severe issues. They just can’t seem to live a normal, happy, moral life. They all need Anaya to help them keep it together; at least that’s what Anaya thinks. Once she makes a life altering decision, will she be able to keep the truth from her family and friends? More so, will Anaya be able to keep the truth from herself?

Tamika Christy uses first person to provide us a look into the mind and world of Anaya Goode. The problem is Anaya is confused about everything. She has no idea what she wants out of life; she does however come to a shocking realization about who she wants. This revelation is shocking to absorb as a reader, because it basically comes out of nowhere. The development of her relationship with Jeff was hard to accept because there was not enough explanation. How did their feelings evolve so quickly? We only see a few conversations between them before he reveals how he feels.

The middle of the story is filled with her involvement with her best friends, Carl, and her family. It was quite busy. The family scenes were priceless and added humor and balance to the story. The last several chapters are what give the novel life. There was quite a draw on emotion. I really wish Anaya was more three dimensional, with there being so many things pulling her attention the plot was sketchy. With that being said, it was a fast paced read and Christy is working on another novel of which I would like to read.

Trenika
AAMBC Reviewer

[Susan Hanshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lead to read Anytime Soon as a result of my professional relationship with Tamika Christy. I didn’t expect to find such talented writing from a debut author! From the very beginning, the lively dialog and storyline make this a book that is hard to put down. The flaws of Anaya Goode and her close community of friends and family are entertaining while at the same time they taught me a few things about how I might be more forgiving with my own relationships. This book left me wanting more. Bravo!

[Sally Whitehead · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book much more than I did, but unfortunately it just fell flat for me. It's not a resoundingly bad novel for a debut writer, in fact some of the dialogue (especially from the protagonist's mother) was pitch perfect. However overall, the plot was weak, the characters steadfastly two dimensional and much of the writing clunky and childlike.

Glimmers of a goodread but not quite there.

[Terri Leidich · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all have families that we can't live without yet they drive us crazy at the same time and wanting to leave the nest and jump into the world, but yet don't. Author Tamika Christy has done a good job creating characters and scenarios that many of us can relate to. The book is a good entertaining read that made me chuckle, shake my head, and overall thoroughly enjoy the process.