IN OVER HER HEAD: A Review + appreciation post :)

"In love, sometimes you have to lose in order to win."

(Spoiler free! Read on!)

TITLE: In Over Her Head
AUTHOR/s: Anne Plaza
PUBLICATION DATE: 24th of October, 2013
AVAILABLE AT: Amazon | Smashwords

So, yesterday, a surprise came through the mail. My giveaway prize from a raffle hosted by Miss Mina Esguerra at her blog minavesguerra.com ! In this modern time whereas almost everything can be accessed, transferred, and redeemed through the web, receiving packages and mails through post gives me such a rush! :)

Thanks a bunch Miss Anne! <3

Well, I received a gift pack courtesy of Miss Anne Plaza, the author of In Over Her Head, which includes an uber cute journal/planner, a set of pens, a couple of adorable keychains (squee! My keychain collection's expanding!), an In Over Her Head postcard and book mark, and A SIGNED PAPERBACK OF IN OVER HER HEAD which I didn't expect because I already got an ebook of it as part of the prize. But seriously, it made me soooo happy! Thank you so much! :D

Anyway, with all that said, here's a review (definitely honest!) of Anne Plaza's In Over Her Head :)

It has been 10 years since Erika was dumped by her boyfriend Richard but she still hasn't moved on. Fast forward to the present, her world is once again shaken as she learns that Richard's back in the country!

Without actually planning to, an opportunity to get back at her ex-boyfriend presented itself and with the help of her crazy friends, Erika found herself pretending to be in a relationship with Jerome, an attractive DJ with a playboy rep.

I'm a big sucker for this type of trope. The pretend-we're-in-a-relationship thing because I think it's fun (not that I plan to do that, of course!) because I find the plot interesting. In Over Her Head is definitely something that you can call interesting.

The characters, as well as the setting, are well-written and are highly relatable. Everybody has gone through those caffeine driven phases while battling off something that needs to be accomplished, right? And of course, I think everyone has an idea on how being dumped feels like (may it be firsthand or secondhand experience). That is what hooks the readers.

Speaking of characters, I liked the characterization of Erika and Richard's friends. They are crazy, wild, and weird but you can see that they are true and real, friendship-wise. The filipino family was also very well represented. It showed the close ties between the family members even though the children are living their own lives already.

Unfortunately, there are some events that are somewhat predictable (I guessed the thing about Jerome before it was revealed) but I was surprised that the ending didn't turn out the way I suspected. I wanted Erika to end up with the other guy which, for me, was more built up through the story. And more fluffy scenes ('cause I like those) between the main character and the love interests would have been welcomed.

"People change. You have to be ready for that because you can't tie a person to you no matter how many promises you make." -Jerome

"You're so caught up in your past that you're forgetting to live in the present (...) You just have to stop looking back and see what's ahead of you." -Jerome

"We do a lot of things we think is right but actually hurt the ones we love in one way or another. But that shouldn't define us. (...) If they truly love you, they will take you back." -Mr. Apostol

"Don't run away from [a shot at being happy] (...) It's about time you let those fears go and pursue the one thing that makes you happy." -Jerome

"Funny how things find a way of falling into place." -Erika

"Ask yourself if you're willing to throw away the opportunity to resolve this huge roadblock in your life. It's just buried there. It's either you have the guts to find that out for yourself or not." -Richard

"Those who stay are the ones who matter." -Erika

Overall, In Over Her Head is a quick light read that is quite enjoyable. I guess I would've liked it better if the main character ended up with the other but that's just me. Still, I understand that there are also certain unspoken girl code about who to date or not. I mean, I've seen this rule get broken in real life by a couple of my friends and I can't say that it's very good. So I guess the ending fits right afterall. I just like the other guy better haha :)

3.5/5 rating :)

Once again, thank you so much Miss Mina Esguerra for the giveaway and Miss Anne Plaza for the gift pack :) It is greatly appreciated!

Check out their sites ( + twitter accts.) and books!

*Mina Esguerra (@minavesguerra) - minavesguerra.com

*Anne Plaza (@anneplaza) - thoughtsbrewed.blogspot.com