Hellooooo! Today we have another tour stop for BuqoYA! It's always nice to see books by Filipino authors! It makes me proud :)
Click on the banner above to follow the tour!
[Yes, I was listed under May 21, but I needed to do an errand today, so I wasn't able to make a review. Sorry!]
By the way, this tour is hosted by Oops! I Read Again Tours!
Bundle Synopsis
Sometimes it’s hard to choose. Do you stay or do you let go? Should you become friends, more than friends, or stay strangers? Would you risk love for popularity? You’re invited to explore these stories and find out each character’s choice from the heart.
Purchase it HERE!
Purchase it HERE!
Story Synopses
Until the Race is Over by Lyka Caparos
Rico wishes Lianne back in his life, but because of that viral article that Traecy posted on their school paper's website, it appears to be impossible for them to be together again. Traecy on the other hand, had only one wish for her birthday, to spend it with the one she admires since high school – Rico Avila. How can fate brings the two together in a race that would definitely reveal small discoveries that can lead to two choices: either to tear them apart or hope for a more unexpected relationship?
In That Summer by Jayen San Diego
Senior high school student Jane Enriquez is the ‘dream-girl’ of all male students at Southridge Montessori. Well, except the geeky student leader Sean Villamayor. Opposing from the start, Sean never expected Jane would become his partner for this year’s Summer Camp Immersion. Will this be their worst summer? Or will it turn out to be different?
On The Outside Looking In by Claire Du
Seventeen-year-old Freya Mahilum has always been in love with football hotshot Ezra Montelibano. Ezra, who’s too caught up with family pressures and his so-called girlfriend to pay attention to a geek obsessed with him. Freya knows she'd never stand a chance with him, but then fate conspires to bring them together. Will getting to know each other prove that love knows no boundaries or will they find that they're better off existing in two separate worlds?
What About Today by Dawn Lanuza
Aiden's stuck working for his family's amusement park, Funtastic World, for the whole summer. Nothing amuses him, until he met this terrified girl.
Gemma's stuck in Funtastic World thinking she could handle the park's rides. She couldn't. Good thing she met someone to guide her.
As the day comes to a close, Aiden and Gemma ask themselves if one day is ever enough to decide if they were better off as friends or strangers.
Waiting for Whatever by Fay Sebastian
Denise knew pain at an early age. She has been waiting for her true love since she was 11, but she never gave up, knowing she'd meet him someday.
What she didn't know was that she already met the man she's been waiting for, and that he's sitting beside her at the airport. The thought never crossed her mind because she's seated between two guys who broke her heart before.
Barely Even Friends by Kristel S. Villar
For pretty and athletic Emily Fonseca, nothing’s better than getting invited to join Luna East Arts Academy’s most popular crowd, the Elites. She only has to fulfill a list of dares to prove that she’s got what it takes. But will it cost Emily her rekindled friendship with language tutor and childhood friend Noah Calderon?
Excerpt of Barely Even Friends by Kristel S. Villar
“Someone’s coming!” he announced, walking towards me in panic.
I quickly stuffed the paper inside my pocket and closed the drawer in haste. I watched Noah scan the room to look for a place to hide, and tugged me on my elbow when he saw a door at the corner of the room. He pushed me roughly inside just in time the front door opened.
We were in a dark and tiny broom closet. The air stank of floor wax, dust, and wood, making my nose itch. I reached up to rub my nose, but my elbow caught one of the shelves and it made a soft clatter. Noah seized my arm and cupped my mouth with his other hand, hushing me to keep me still.
“Hello?” the female voice asked. I recognized it as one of our substitute teachers, but I couldn’t remember her name.
We stood there for God knows how long as we listened to the shuffling of papers. I felt Noah’s chest rise and fall, and his hot breath on my forehead. I felt the way my small frame measured to his lean build, and the warmth of his hand holding my arm. I closed my eyes, feeling the skin of his palm on my lips and inhaling the scent of his cologne amidst the stench of the closet.
Stop it, Emily, I scolded myself.
The room fell silent a few minutes later. I pulled his hand away from my mouth and leaned over the door to get a better hearing but Noah pulled me back in his arms, perhaps afraid that I would make another noise.
“Do you think she’s gone?” I hissed at him.
“I dunno. I haven’t heard the door open yet. Keep still,” he whispered back.
Review of In That Summer by Jayen San Diego
The first thing I liked about this story was its exposition. Sean and Jane (or Jaine... I'm not sure) were introduced as some sort of enemies, clearly implying that they disliked each other. They both have a certain glare for the other, so on. Sean takes leadership very seriously, and the so-called bratty Jane wasn't really thrilled to be Sean's partner in the summer immersion, so of course, Jane complained about being bossed around. This lead to Sean calling "You Highness", among other things such as scolding her.
I really got a vibe of the typical Filipino Summer in this story, with what the descriptions and imagery presented. The warm night, eating on banana leaves, and sleeping with no electricity next to each other, no malice intended (and done). Also the nativity of the words were useful in some cases such as the instance wherein Sean addressed Dolor as Nay and Piyo as Tay.
That scene, where Sean turned off the light was a very important one in the entirety of the plot. And, it was quite romantic. That's when I realized that the two started feeling differently about each other. Not necessarily in a romantic way, but it was evident that their previous dislike for the other disappeared.
I also liked how the both of them tried to act sultry, and in my eyes, they were successful in doing so.
Lastly, I think the inclusion of the existent familial issues Jane had with her mom (and dad) was a very nice touch. It added to the vibe of the story.
Overall, I think In That Summer is a pretty good short story. As with the other short stories I've read, I really wish I could get to see more of what happens next. If only this were a full-length novel! Haha. With that, I'm also gonna say that this story is an adorable and unforgettable one, and I have to give Jayen credit for creating this!
About the Authors
Lyka Caparos
Because I want something in my life that I think is better than pursuing a degree that is far beyond the expectations of my heart.
Jayen San Diego
Who I am?
I'm Jayen San Diego, a twenty-something who write stories mostly about love. I'm a news archivist by day, fiction writer by night and a self-confess Fangirl in between.
Why I write?
“In order to write about life first you must live it.”
― Ernest Hemingway
They say when we want a moment to last, we close our eyes. Well, for me, I prefer to write it down. Reliving the moments through writing is what I do.
What I write?
Sharing my thoughts about life and love and writing.
From personal anecdotes to life opinions, you can read it here. When my melancholic side is on, you can read poetic post but generally it is a mirror of what’s happening in my daily life.
Claire Du
Claire has been a bookworm ever since she can remember. Her passion for reading started when she met Archie Andrews at the Airport Bookshop. Aside from writing short stories, she also enjoys reading and reviews at http://thebookjunkie.weebly.com, playing the keyboard, and just cuddling with her dog Frou. She's the author of He Loves Me... Not?, one of the short stories in an anthology called Luna East Vol.1 : Kids These Days.
Dawn Lanuza
Dawn Lanuza started writing stories when she was just a kid (the drafts weren't good or even finished). She works for the music industry by day and writes meet cutes and snappy comebacks by night. She currently lives with her family and an adopted dog.
Fay Sebastian
Fay started writing stories since she learned how to write with a pencil, but she only rediscovered her love for writing when she was a high school freshman. Since then, writing has become her life.
Now a Speech Communication student at the University of the Philippines, she writes even during the busiest of days because writing prevents her from being a college zombie.
Why she holds writing instruments in an odd way will always be a mystery to the world.
Kristel S. Villar
Kristel S. Villar covers sporting events for a national broadsheet by day and tries to write fiction by night. In between, she takes care of her husband and son. She has penned "Blast from Two Pasts". a contemporary romance novella, and "The Rumor About Me", her first short story for the Luna East anthology. He second Luna East short story, "One on One" is featured in the quarterly online romance journal, Clara
Giveaway (PH Only)
For this giveaway, you'd have to go to the Buqo office and claim your powerbank!
That would be all for this Tour! There's still one more tour for BuqoYA and yes, Eccentric Everything WILL post a tour stop for that! Until then,
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