The Real Score

The Real Score by Kesh TanglaoThe Real Score by Kesh Tanglao
Publisher: Independent
Number of pages: 157
My copy: Kindle edition

Caitlin’s friendship with Marcus, the de facto frontman of the world’s biggest boy band Gezellig, has long been an object of scrutiny by almost everyone–their friends and families, the media, and his fans–ever since they “went public” a couple of years back. Who wouldn’t be interested? She was a nobody, catapulted into the limelight of his fame when he struck an unusual friendship with her.

To both Caitlin and Marcus, what they have is a “perfect little thing.” But then something comes along and threatens it.

In a no-holds-barred interview, will they finally be forced to settle the score?

* * *

On my way home from Singapore, I intended to make the plane ride home a chance to make progress in our book club’s book of the month, Lolita. But somewhere after I was able to open my Kindle back again, I realized that I couldn’t focus on the book anymore because my mind kept wandering off. I needed something quick and light, something to keep me company for the next three hours that won’t put me to sleep. So I decided to switch to the latest release from our #romanceclass, Kesh Tanglao’s The Real Score.

Caitlin Tan had a very unusual friendship with Marcus Wayans — unusual mostly because Marcus is a part of the biggest boy band Gezellig, while Caitlin is an ordinary girl working in a media company in Manila, Philippines. Caitlin wasn’t even a fan of their band, until that night she met them through a meet-and-greet that she attended as a favor to a friend. She found a kindred soul in Marcus, and they became best friends, making an effort to keep their friendship alive despite the limelight that accompanied Marcus. But are they really just friends? Because no one in the world thinks so, despite their denial of anything romantic. When something comes along and threatens their friendship, followed by a no-holds-barred interview for a good cause, will the world know what is the real score between them?

I read a few parts of this novella while it was still on Wattpad before Kesh published it. Frankly, it reminded me a little bit of the band fan fiction that I used to read — you know, how this ordinary girl meets the band she’s been a fan of for ages, and then one (or two, or three) fall in love with her, and all that jazz. I wasn’t sure if it was my cup of tea, really, because the type of musician/band fiction I read are the likes of Five Flavors of Dumb or Amplified. But I kept reading on, and I was pleasantly surprised.

This is an unusual friendship story, but it’s not so unusual that it couldn’t be real. I mean, anyone can be friends with a famous person, although perhaps not the way Caitlin met Marcus. Even so, I liked how real they were, especially the band. As I read the book, they became less of band members, and more just ordinary British boys who like to sing. I also liked how the friendship between Caitlin and Marcus progressed, and I saw immediately from when they decided to be friends that they mean it, and they will work for it.  And because the friendship didn’t seem forced, the romantic developments that followed seemed just as natural, like that is the most obvious thing that should happen after.

As with every music-related novel, I wished I could hear the original songs mentioned in the book, but I settled for listening to the ones on the title of the chapters. I really liked reading about the backstage things — how the crew of a tour becomes your family, and how it can go crazy there, and how it seemed so fun. I had this little crazy dream of becoming a band’s roadie, or at least, produce more concerts on my own, and it was fun to read a slice of that kind of life here.

So I take it back: The Real Score is actually far from the band fan fiction I used to read. I finished the book with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face, just as the plane started to descend to Manila. For a moment there, it almost felt like I was Caitlin, making a decision with how her life would go when she got off the plane. The Real Score is a story of friendship and romance, and all the mess that comes when the line between those two blur. Take away the superstar status of the guy and this can be anyone’s story, really. This novel hurt in just the right places, and it made me want the best for the two main characters. But more than the romance, The Real Score is also a story about taking risks, going out of your routine and allowing life’s curve balls to surprise you, both in good and bad ways. You never know what you will find when you decide to take the risk. :)

Number of dog-eared pages: 22

Favorite dog-eared quote(s):

“Is it weird if I ask you….to stay in my life and be my friend?”

“He’s one of the best friendships I’ve ever had. I think it was worth that much effort. If you want to make it work, make the effort.”

“Fight hard, Cait. Sometimes they only come once in a lifetime.”

“It’s okay,” I whispered, trying to assure him even when I know it’s not okay, and it’s never going to be. “You can let go now.”

Rating: [rating=4]

Other reviews:
Goodreads

 

Well Played

Well Played by Katrina Ramos AtienzaWell Played by Katrina Ramos Atienza
Publisher: KRAtienza
Number of pages: 121
My copy: Kindle edition

Patrice Reyes is starting her junior year at the University and she’s convinced it’s going to be the best semester ever. For starters, it looks like this is the year her team will win the regional football (soccer, for you Yanks) championships. Her subjects are looking good, and there’s even a chance she might finally get somewhere with her rock star crush. But a new classmate—arrogant, cold math nerd—is seriously throwing off her groove. Will she ever get rid of him and have the awesome semester she deserves? Or is there truth to never judging (math) books by their cover?

* * *

I’m a fan of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, although perhaps not as much of a big fan as other friends (I’m still very partial to Persuasion, because hello, Captain Wentworth and that letter!), but I like reading books and watching adaptations of Pride & Prejudice because it’s my first Austen and you don’t forget your first. :) When I heard of Katrina Ramos Atienza’s retelling of P&P set in the Los Banos, I knew I had to read it. Even if I’m not a huge fan of football.

Patrice Reyes is an incoming junior and she believes that it will be her best semester ever. She’s sure her team will win the regional football championships, her grades look good, she has good friends at the dorm, and oh look, there’s a crush. But when cold and arrogant math guy Paul becomes her partner in one of her major subjects, her days are thrown off course. How will she get rid of him to get her perfect semester back? Does she even really want to get rid of him?

I had a lot of fun with Well Played, mostly because it was so much fun matching the characters to the original. Almost everyone had a match, save for a few, which would have complicated the plot a little. I appreciate that the plot wasn’t that complicated, though, because it made the story easier to read, with just enough drama to make me hang on. I liked Patrice and her wit, her loyalty to her friends and her fierceness and her passion for her sport. I wasn’t always fond of her, to be honest, but she made for a great Filipino Lizzie Bennett. :) I also really liked Gia (the equivalent of Jane) and and Deenie, although I can’t decide if Deenie is less or more annoying than Lydia. I really liked Migs (Bingley) too, and he seems like such a nice guy. Paul is such a true Darcy, with the angst and the grumpiness, and all the hidden layers that makes him a Darcy.

My favorite part of the book is the setting, most definitely. I loved how the setting just worked for the story. The setting was based on University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna. I didn’t study there, and the last time I was there was in 2003, but even if I can barely remember anything there, the setting in this book felt so real. I liked the dorm setting and how the setting seemed to be a character in itself. I liked it so much that it was so easy to imagine everything there, and I don’t even have to suspend any kind of disbelief.

I think the only thing that niggled at me was how sometimes the characters didn’t sound like they’re Filipinos at all. They seemed just a tad too foreign when I read their dialogue, like they’re all foreign exchange students. But other than that, I liked Well Played a lot, and I think it’s a pretty faithful and entertaining Filipino adaptation of P&P. Oh, and even if I still don’t really understand (or even watch) football, I must mention that I liked how the sport played a role in the story, too. And that really cute ending after that football game? Oh, I definitely approve. :)

Number of dog-eared pages: 5

Favorite dog-eared quote(s):

When it came down to it, she mused philosophically, there were girls like Deenie to whom romantic attachments come easy; they followed their hearts, got into sticky situations and got up to pursue other adventures. More power to them, but Patrice wasn’t like that. She had too many responsibilities and, to be honest, she was much too afraid of being hurt to fling her heart open the way Deenie did.

“How can there be any hard feelings when there weren’t any feelings to start with?”

Rating: [rating=4]

Other reviews:
Sab the Book Eater
Book Junkie Joint

Cover (Story) Girl

Cover (Story) Girl by Chris Mariano Cover (Story) Girl by Chris Mariano
Publisher: Independent
Number of pages: 122
My copy: ebook from Smashwords

1) She has amnesia.
2) She’s on the run from her father’s creditors.
3) She’s enjoying her last days on earth.

Ever since Jang Min Hee walked into Gio’s small museum, she’s given him one excuse after another about why she’s vacationing at scenic Boracay Island. Rarely has Gio’s neat and organized world been shaken like this. Soon he finds himself scrambling over rocks, hiding in dressing rooms, and dragging her out of bars. But how can Gio tell what’s true from what isn’t? Their worlds are getting unraveled — one story at a time.

* * *

The first time I went to the island of Boracay in the Philippines ended in some sort of disaster, and I haven’t really “recorded over” that memory yet. To the uninformed, my month-old phone took a dip in the saltwater on our last day at the beach, so the last few hours on the island was kind of stressful. Not to mention that moment where I thought I was going to drown at Ariel’s Point while I was snorkeling, and that it was rainy half the time. It was a good vacation in some ways (Hello, Boracay PubCrawl!), but you know, not exactly the most relaxing one.

I haven’t had the chance to go there again, but I got a taste of the island when I read Chris Mariano’s Cover (Story) Girl. Chris is a fellow book blogger and a classmate in #romanceclass, so it was no question that I will buy her book the moment it was released. Cover (Story) Girl is about Gio, who works in a museum in the island of Boracay, keeping it neat and organized and ready for visitors. In the middle of preparing for an exhibit, Jang Min Hee walks into his life, and starts messing with it — literally and figuratively. Thing is, Gio wasn’t sure what’s keeping her in the island and why she’s sticking with him. She tells him all these stories and he goes along with her, sometimes even saving her from some trouble. Gio is mystified…but how will he know which among Min Hee’s stories are the truth?

Okay here’s the thing: I was just a teensy bit hesitant about this because of the Korean angle. I’m not a fan of K-pop, or K-drama or anything Korean, really, except maybe for the food. And maybe Daniel Henney. Every time some friends squee over Korean stuff, I just look blank, like how I look blank over anime. I was kind of worried that I wouldn’t get or like the story, because of the Korean things…but I’m glad to say that it didn’t. I liked Min Hee a lot. I liked what I learned about her from Gio’s eyes, and how she seemed so flighty at first and then had more depth later on. She provided a fun contrast against Gio, who likes his routines and his organized life. Okay, maybe he can be a little boring, but it worked well for the story, and I liked how he lost this as he spent more time with Min Hee. Gio reminds me a little of Macy from Sarah Dessen’s The Truth About Forever, all organized and perfect until people came and threw her out of the loop. Gio is the kind of good guy I like reading in fiction, and it was fun being in his mind in this story. I liked reading his POV, and I think Chris did really well with it.

The story can feel a little slow and quiet, but I think that adds to the charm. You won’t really get too many exciting things at the start, except for Gio and Min Hee’s banter. The quiet flow of the story fits into its setting, which was my favorite part. I really liked that this was set in Boracay. I’ve only been there once, but reading this made me miss it. I liked how Chris focused on the quiet part of it and not much on the partying that happens there. I was never really a party girl, so I appreciate how there was more of the lesser known side of Boracay (and Aklan) in the story than the usual. And of course, the calamansi muffins. Oh my Lord, this book will have you craving for Real Coffee’s calamansi muffins, if you’ve had them before. If you haven’t, then  you might want to bake some on your own, instead. (I really should do that.) Because calamansi muffins are yummy.

I really liked Cover (Story) Girl, if it’s not too obvious yet. By default this can be considered as a summer romance read because of the beach elements…but if it’s rainy and cold where you are now (which is also how it is on my side of the world now), Cover (Story) Girl is also a really good rainy day companion. Come to think of it, it’s a perfect companion anytime you want some swoon. :D And again, don’t forget your calamansi muffins!

Number of dog-eared pages: 9

Favorite dog-eared quote(s):

He wondered what it would be like to be blind as the proverbial bat, flying in the darkness boldly, content with what his other senses told him instead of the distractions that sight might offer. Maybe he’d just follow the scent of vanilla home.

They were both looking elsewhere, as if trying not to care about contact and intimacy and things that trembled.

But her soft vanilla scent still clung to the air, stubborn and unyielding. He thought it smelled like regret.

Rating: [rating=4]

Other reviews:
Rachel Neumeier

Other features:
* Chris talks about how her cover came about
* Interview with Chris by Mina V. Esguerra at Publishing in Pajamas

Parasite

Parasite by Mira Grant Parasite by Mira Grant
Parasitology # 1
Publisher: Orbit
Number of pages: 512
My copy: ebook review copy from Netgalley

A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite – a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system – even secretes designer drugs. It’s been successful beyond the scientists’ wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives…and will do anything to get them.

* * *

Mira Grant is back, and she’s not writing about zombies. This time around, she’s writing about worms — tapeworms, to be exact. Genetically engineered parasites that everyone in a future world has, that somehow keeps the world healthy. It seems impossible, but SymboGen Corporation made it so, and everyone in the world has those tapeworms that they try to keep healthy. Even Sally Mitchell, a girl who survived a freak accident. She was almost dead, but suddenly, she’s alive, with no memory of her old self. She’s considered a SymboGen miracle, and she tries to live her life as normally as she can while she tries to live a new life from the old Sally that everyone knows. But it’s not so easy, especially when people are starting to have a sleeping sickness, the kind where people start to shamble like…well, zombies. And they’re getting violent. And somehow, they’re always all around Sally.

So Parasite got me excited because this is Mira Grant, the woman who wrote my most favorite zombie series so far. When I started reading this, I kind of felt bad that she wasn’t writing about Shaun and Georgia and the rest of the Newsflesh gang, but I was excited to dive into this new world that she wrote. As with Feed, Parasite‘s world-building is very detailed, so much that I felt that if I tried to look for research about the SymboGen implants, I felt that I would find some. The articles and the passages inserted in between read like real ones, and I actually read them instead of just ignoring them (like I do sometimes), so I can get into the story.

Sally/Sal reminded me a little bit like Georgia, but less of the bad-assery that the latter had. I liked her, because she seemed like a genuinely nice person, albeit a little confused. But it’s understandable given her predicament. I liked her family, too, even if it felt a little strange that they seem to be all high-profile ones. Truth be told, almost all the characters in this book seemed to be different shades of gray — I’m not sure who’s really a good guy or if they’re somehow a part of the bad group or something. The only person I was convinced was on Sal’s side was Nathan, her boyfriend, but then sometimes I don’t feel that too much, either.

The story was action packed at some, but it got a little too long and rambly at some point. I knew Feed was also like that, but I didn’t really notice it then because I got the topic (blogging) and I liked the zombies. In Parasite, I struggled a little, because sometimes I felt like I couldn’t keep up with the science talk. Kind of like how I felt sometimes with Deadline. That being said, though, there were a lot of parts that kind of made me go “WTF?!” because of pure…well, strangeness of it. Like, I don’t know, extracting x number of pounds of tapeworm from someone’s body? Er, right. :/

Overall, though, I liked Parasite. As always, there was a time when I truly worried for the characters, and I really wanted to get to the bottom of the story. Of course, since this is a part of the series, I didn’t get most of the answers I wanted because they will be revealed in the next books. My prediction did come true, though, and I saw it coming the moment it was explained in the book. I won’t say what it is, but it’s definitely kind of…well, surreal and again, WTF?!

If you’re a fan of Mira Grant’s Newsflesh trilogy, Parasite may be a hit or miss, depending on how attached you were to the former. I liked Parasite, though, even if I terribly missed my zombies. But there were some kind of zombies in this book anyway. Not quite the zombies I know, but I’ll take it anyway. If you’re into medical science fiction (is my term correct?), then you will probably enjoy Parasite. 

Now the next question is: will you ever agree to have a tapeworm inside you if it would make you live longer?

Number of dog-eared pages*: 8
* Since this is an ebook copy, I counted the total number of highlighted/bookmarked parts. :D

Favorite dog-eared quote(s):

After all, what’s the point of helping create an apocalypse if you’re not going to be around to see it?

But there were too many people I truly cared about for me to ever agree with a plan that started “we’re going to wipe out the human race.”

Rating:  [rating=4]

Other reviews:
Eveline’s Books
Tea & Fangirling

Vintage Love

Vintage Love by Agay LlaneraVintage Love by Agay Llanera
Publisher: Self-published
Number of pages: 114
My copy: ebook from Amazon Kindle Store

26-year-old Crissy Lopez’s life is in dire need of a makeover. Her wardrobe revolves around ratty shirts and beat-up sneaks; her grueling schedule as a TV Executive leaves no room for a social life; and worst of all, she’s still hung up on the Evil Ex who left her five years ago.

When her fashionable grand-aunt passes away and leaves behind a roomful of vintage stuff, the Shy Stylista inside Crissy gradually resurfaces. Soon, she feels like she’s making progress — with a budding lovelife to boot! But the grim ghost of her past catches up with her, threatening to push her back into depression. To finally move on, Crissy learns that walking away is not enough. This time, she needs to take a leap of faith.

* * *

There was a time in my life when I pored over fashion blogs, especially those blogs where the authors showcased the outfits they made with half the items from thrift store shopping (aka ukay-ukay). I can count the number of times I went thrift store shopping with one hand, so I am a little envious with those people who seem to score so much good stuff in these stores while I can’t seem to find any. I think this is some sort of talent, or you know, you just have to devote more time in it so you can actually find something. Anyway, it’s been a long time since I last scoured thrift shops, and reading Agay’s Vintage Love kind of made me want to go do it again.

We meet Crissy Lopez in Vintage Love – a 26-year-old producer from a local network, whose life needs a serious make-over. Her usual wardrobe consists of jeans and sneakers, and her schedule gives her little free time for herself. To top it off, she’s still hung up over her ex. When her stylish grandmother passes away, leaving her with all funky vintage items, Crissy decides to do something with her life. But what will she do if her past decides to catch up on her just as she is making progress? Can she make that leap to leave it all behind?

Vintage Love is as cute as its paper-doll cover. I liked Crissy from the start — she seemed like a very smart heroine who is caught up with her career, and it’s something that I think everyone her age can relate to. I liked how she was passionate for her art, but not really her job, and how she went for what she really wanted to do as the story went on. Plus, there was more to Crissy than just the romance — the story had her really trying to improve herself, and the romance seemed to just come along as a bonus. The secondary characters in the book were also quite interesting, with the sort-of subplot for her best friend, Bea. This subplot wasn’t intrusive and it fit the story well, and it makes me want to have a little spin-off for her too. Mama Maring is another secondary character I really liked, and her presence in the novel was really felt even if she wasn’t really there.

The romance angle is cute and swoony and I really liked the text messages part, where lead interest, Vince, tried to cheer her up. Hee, I liked it because that thing was one of those “moves” back in college, when text quotes were still the “in” thing. Using that style in the story just fits in the whole vintage thing. The romance was pretty grounded and realistic, and it gave the characters enough space for their attraction and their relationship to develop, and even heal from whatever issues they both had. We can learn a lot with what Crissy went through, and the story’s lesson on choice. My favorite quote in the book sums it up very well:

At any given moment, at any given struggle, you always had a choice. Even happiness was a choice.

Vintage Love is not just a romance story, but also a story of strength and recovery, finding yourself and going for what you love. You don’t have to be a fan of vintage stuff to appreciate this novel. I think we all have a little bit of Crissy in us, and I hope that after reading this book, our inner Crissy’s will find the strength to take a leap of faith, too. :)

Rating: [rating=4]

* Get Vintage Love from Amazon.com
* Get Vintage Love from Smashwords