Breakup Book

Every breakup has its playlist. 

How do you get over a seven-year relationship? 21-year-old Jill is trying to find out. But moving on is a harder job when Kim, her ex-boyfriend, is the lead guitarist of the band, and Jill is the vocalist. Every song they play together feels like slicing open a barely healed tattoo. 

Jill’s best friend Miki says she will be out of this gloom soon. Breakups have a probation period, he says. Jill is on the last month of hers and Miki is patiently keeping her company. 

But the real silver lining is Shinta. Having a hot Japanese actor friend in times like these is a welcome distraction. This gorgeous celebrity has been defying time zones and distance through the years to be there for Jill. Now he is here, physically present, and together he and Jill go through old lyrics, vivid memories, walks in the rain, and bottles of beer. Together they try to answer the question: what do you do when forever ends?

I love the angst, honesty and rawness of this book. I felt like I was watching a film--the characters' actions, dialogues, even the transitions in between scenes, played out clearly in my head. I can tell that the author put a lot of effort into it, even penning the lyrics of the songs mentioned in the chapters, but I read it effortlessly--which is a benchmark of a good book.

It made me reminisce about my 20s, when I was indie-band follower, and experiencing that elusive high because of a guitar riff, or how the bassline perfectly complemented the melody. And yes, it had me swooning over the non-band member, which, come to think of it, is a trope present in two of my fave books--Attachments and Lola and the Boy Next Door.

I look forward to Tria's future books, and the next installment of her Playlist series, wherein I'll be rooting for the friendzoned character. Go figure.

Booked and Bushed!

A confession: I haven't attended the Manila International Book Fair since it was pulled out from Megamall. And from the way I panic-bought yesterday, it was probably just as well.

 Before going there, I reminded myself over and over that I was there to sign books; NOT to go crazy buying them. But how could I not? Especially now, that I'm shopping for two. And believe me, there was a lot more that I wanted to buy. But maybe, I should let my wallet recover first.

It was heaven seeing all sorts of books and book-lovers gather in one place. And what made this event more special was that I finally saw two of my novellas in print.

Still, that wasn't the best part. The most winning moment of all was seeing #romanceclass-mates, fellow readers and writers, social media-buddies, and the woman who got me started on this path, come in full force, buying our books and having them signed. If it weren't for these people, and lots of other people silently supporting us local indie writers, I don't think publishing companies would sit up, take notice, and take a chance on our lovingly crafted stories.

THANK YOU, everyone.