idek how to feel about this lmao like i love a queer story and i understand what the writer was trying to do. but at the same time it felt like the main character was conveying the same 2 emotions for most of the story 😭 he feels so limited, like theres only 2 or 3 things happening in the entirety of the story honestly. and the authors note did clear up some conflicting feelings i had but ehhh ,,, might have been the writing style that threw me off. feels like it was trying to be modern while keeping the flowery prose and it didnt work well imo. also the changes they made to the original characters of pnp,, i dont like that there was a clear sort of villain? like why was there a whole agreement for the estate and everything. couldnt even let bigots be bigots. and even then their behaviors were so on the nose they were basically caricatures of who they were in the original text. i will say that it was wonderful to see that he got a good ending and had accepting parents but mrs bennets good opinion felt so random ? 😭 i dont think i felt the "i want whats best for you" motherly attitude that would make the ending make sense and instead just felt how much she conforms to society. but u could argue that oliver is an unreliable narrator lmao. oh well

AGONYYYYY 😭😭 man the first half was lowkey so slow w all the exposition which is why i took so long with this book but its so short and i finished it soon after i got into it again lmfao. im sickkk the last 2 chaps 😭😭😭😭😭 my wanning :(

i was given an Advanced Reader's Copy for this book in exchange for my honest review.

been a while since i've read a romance like this one. it's exactly as advertised -- low stakes, grumpy x romance, small town with a tight-knit community. they're cute tropes, and i think there was a clear message that was conveyed in the end.

overall, it's a 3 star read for me. in terms of plot and character, the first half was great. the setup was good, and they felt like whole characters that can stand on their own. i especially liked how they had different perceptions of themselves whenever the chapter POV would change (i.e., penny was more uncertain of herself on her end, while lucky saw her as typical cheery tourist).

there are just two main things that put me off: firstly, the writing style. maybe it's a matter of preference, but to me it was cliched and repetitive. just within the first chapters i noticed how the metaphors used felt typical and.... uninspired and, sometimes, out of place. and although i won't fully credit the repetitive nature to the author -- it's one of the downsides of writing in first person. once i noticed it, i couldn't stop noticing it lol. lots of clauses would begin with the same phrase, and there was a whole paragraph where every sentence started with 'I'. i will give the writing credit and say that i really liked how the settings were described! i like how it didn't shy away from using words that are native to san juan and describing them instead of using some alternative terms to make it more 'digestible.'

secondly, that latter half. it felt rushed, and, again, maybe it's because of my preference that i wasn't super into the parts when they were together TvT. it also felt a bit like they (the characters) were spoon-feeding how they feel to me (it's been lowkey happening since the start but became more noticeable near the end). i wanna see how it actually affects them! rather than the phantom, metaphorically physical feelings in their hearts or wtv.

i will also say that i understand that this is a short book and it should be expected that it will be fast-paced. i just can't help but think this could have used a few more chapters for it to read better.

okay with all that said, i still liked this book enough i swear. the side characters were lively and memorable, and they were all separate people. i mentioned it a bit already but the settings were described vividly i was lowkey in la union with them. and everything felt distinctly Filipino despite being written in English. in the end, their individual character arcs were wrapped up nicely and i rooted for them and their dreams!

in conclusion read this if you want a fun Filipino romance with cute tropes tbh