Call Me Naeto

by Timi Waters

Every rise masks a deadly fall. Especially his.

Being seventeen and about to graduate high school is likely one of the best years for most teens. Not Naeto. With desiring a life contrary to his father’s plans and simmering sexual tension threatening to ruin his friendship with his best friend Zino, his life’s a twisting mass of complications.

Getting a full-board scholarship into Charleston, a top-tier dance academy in Arizona, should have smoothed things out, but complications have a way of finding Naeto.

First he meets Eloise, Charleston’s star pupil trapped with the ghost from her past, and his awakened heart yearns for nothing more than to capture hers. Then he learns the girl he loves would do anything to hold on to her past including giving up her present with him and a face from his past comes calling with plans of his own.

452 pages, ebook

First published March 3, 2023

About the author

Timi Waters is a West African writer. Her love for psychology and thought-provoking books led her into asking questions, finding answers, and asking more questions.

While Haven is her first published work, Timi has written and published short stories which featured in international bestselling anthologies. Her eBooks, The Red Lines Trilogy topped OkadaBooks and Bambooks bestseller charts for weeks.

When Timi is not writing, she’s poring over non-fiction and psychological thrillers, hosting tea parties with her characters, and lip-syncing to Nicki Minaj and Eminem’s rap.

She currently lives in Dallas, Texas.

Reviews

[Rosemary Okafor]

Can I give this more than a 5-star rating, please?

This is a young adult romance story I love ehn. Goodness! The dialogue... It was as if the author entered the minds of typical Gen Z young adults. The language they used was so relatable.

Then the characters, so developed. How can I write this without giving a spoiler?

I just love how this author writes. I don't know what goes on in her head when she writes but I love her works.

This is a very well-researched work. The ballet scenes, the explanations, and all. I am not a ballet person but this book drew me into that world and I enjoyed it.

[Somtochukwu Nnakife]

Call me Naeto tells the beautiful story of love, talent and passion that spans across countries and continents.

It tells the story of Naeto, a beautiful 😜,handsome Igbo boy who is also the only son of an Igbo business man, who dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer.
While ballet is his dream, his father’s dream for him is engineering.

Timi Waters is an amazing writer, she weaves and spins words to leave a last impression on the minds of the readers. She has a unique writing style and a way with words that gives readers a run for their money. Her mixture of songs and words and her knowledge of ballet and it’s lingo is something to be admired and envied.

On a scale of 1-10, I give this book a 9.

This book is a must read, so please do well to grab your copy.

I received an Advance reader’s copy and this is my honest review.

[Adesuwa Nwokedi]

Timi did something with this one!!! I think this is my favorite of her books yet, and that’s saying a lot considering how much I love her work. ‘Call Me Naeto’ is an absolute MASTERPIECE. First of all, there’s this phenomenal story, a love story you don’t even see it coming. I don’t do YA normally but Timi crafted this so beautifully, I was soon roped and invested in all the angst and trauma of the characters. And the heat? Omo, fire is an understatement. Then the nuances, the outstanding attention to detail. I can’t praise this nook enough abeg! Excellent read.

[Margaret]

A brilliant mix of passion, love, friendship, family, and ballet!

"I am, at last, that Nigerian ballet boy called Naeto."

Highly recommend.

[Timi Waters]

In this school, Charleston.

This art, Ballet.

One teeters between fame and extinction.

The other risks it all for the spotlight

But only one of them would rise when the curtain calls.

Call Me Naeto. The untold story of a male ballet dancer.