#FilipinoFriday [1]
The Boyfriend Backtrack
- Dawn Lanuza
- Dawn Lanuza
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Hooray for my first ever #FilipinoFriday post! A little infoblast here: Most local authors and readers (including myself) have 'pledged' to boost their support of Filipino-authored books this 2016 and thus, the burst of little projects that could help Filipino writers get their works out there (click the Share The Love banner to know more!)
One of them is #FilipinoFriday which I learned from Miss April. The experiment is quite simple: You- yes, you- can have the opportunity to read works of Filipino authors under the romance class catalog (http://romanceclassbooks.com/) in exchange of an honest review and a little social media blast. Click the #FilipinoFriday banner to know more!
One of them is #FilipinoFriday which I learned from Miss April. The experiment is quite simple: You- yes, you- can have the opportunity to read works of Filipino authors under the romance class catalog (http://romanceclassbooks.com/) in exchange of an honest review and a little social media blast. Click the #FilipinoFriday banner to know more!
And for my first post on this project, I've read - and LOVED! - Dawn Lanuza's first book, The Boyfriend Backtrack :)
If they say that life flashes right before your eyes when you die, do you also get a flashback of your exes when your perfect boyfriend is proposing to you? At least that's the case for Regina Cortez. There's her dramatic high school boyfriend, her first college crush, the irresistible heart breaker, and the ever elusive one. By backtracking to her past, will Regina make it to 'I Do'? Or will she just keep running away?
I've been wanting to read this book for a very looooong time now and I'm glad that I was finally able to. However, I felt like the Universe has been pranking me with the 'timing' on when I finally get my hands on this since there are some slight parallelism that I've observed between real life-me and the lead.
Regina was a very relatable character, for me anyway. She was described as 'flighty' because of her tendency to run away from her problems and any type of confrontation especially with her exes. Aside from that, she reminds me of how scared I am to actually pursue my dreams just because it seems too impractical. But even though you cannot completely relate with her, you can't help but still root for her. Despite her flaws, you would just *feel* that she deserves her own happiness.
The plot is what actually drew me in upon seeing it for the first time. I just haven't encountered a story with this kind of storyline before which made me more excited to see something this refreshing. The men in Regina's life made things...interesting and got me flying through the pages (as I see these men reflect...people from my not-so-distant past who pops into my life right now)
(1) The latest one whom you can't find wrong in yet can't see yourself with, either;
(2) The one who's actually kind at heart (in some cases) but is a jerk most often than not yet you still might give a chance of friendship with;
(3) The 'mysterious', punk-ish one who's into the non-mainstream music industry - who then turns out to be way too much to handle;
(4) The nice, nerdy guy who isn't really a romantic fit with you but could certainly be a really good friend;
(5) and the always-there best friend whom your friends keep on rooting for you.
I loved the fact that despite showing four different exes (and one current), the author has managed to give each of them a unique spin in their own personalities. I also liked that when Regina has met up with her exes, although things did not go along *that* well completely with all, each guy has managed to share something that can help her be a better person. Plus, she managed to actually have friendships with most of them :)
Speaking of friendships, I loooove the sisterhood between Regina, Leslie, and Jules. They are really, really #goals! 'Nuff said. I've read Jules from before (The Hometown Hazard) and now, I actually want a Leslie backstory since she's the only one I haven't read about yet (+ she's adorable! Love her! <3 ) Aside from her girl friends, it was nice that Regina was actually surrounded by people who loved her so - her workmates and of course, her family (well, her sister anyway. I wished that the issue between her and her parents was more spread out, though.)
And of course, I saved the best for last. THAT ENDING!!! <3 Even though I kinda knew what will happen (because I read Miss Dawn's second book set in the same universe first), I was still overwhelmed with feels! The guy was perf and is the type of book boyfriend I usually pine for hahaha! The resolution was cute and sweet and swoon-worthy - like their history together. Each of their scenes - flashbacks and linear included - actually made me feel *feels*.
Overall, it was just superb. The plot, the characters, the writing style (with its flashbacks and all), and the music! That one definitely added character to the story and helped me visualize more. Like Chase, I have the tendency to create scenes in my head while listening to songs haha :)
Regina was a very relatable character, for me anyway. She was described as 'flighty' because of her tendency to run away from her problems and any type of confrontation especially with her exes. Aside from that, she reminds me of how scared I am to actually pursue my dreams just because it seems too impractical. But even though you cannot completely relate with her, you can't help but still root for her. Despite her flaws, you would just *feel* that she deserves her own happiness.
The plot is what actually drew me in upon seeing it for the first time. I just haven't encountered a story with this kind of storyline before which made me more excited to see something this refreshing. The men in Regina's life made things...interesting and got me flying through the pages (as I see these men reflect...people from my not-so-distant past who pops into my life right now)
(1) The latest one whom you can't find wrong in yet can't see yourself with, either;
(2) The one who's actually kind at heart (in some cases) but is a jerk most often than not yet you still might give a chance of friendship with;
(3) The 'mysterious', punk-ish one who's into the non-mainstream music industry - who then turns out to be way too much to handle;
(4) The nice, nerdy guy who isn't really a romantic fit with you but could certainly be a really good friend;
(5) and the always-there best friend whom your friends keep on rooting for you.
I loved the fact that despite showing four different exes (and one current), the author has managed to give each of them a unique spin in their own personalities. I also liked that when Regina has met up with her exes, although things did not go along *that* well completely with all, each guy has managed to share something that can help her be a better person. Plus, she managed to actually have friendships with most of them :)
Speaking of friendships, I loooove the sisterhood between Regina, Leslie, and Jules. They are really, really #goals! 'Nuff said. I've read Jules from before (The Hometown Hazard) and now, I actually want a Leslie backstory since she's the only one I haven't read about yet (+ she's adorable! Love her! <3 ) Aside from her girl friends, it was nice that Regina was actually surrounded by people who loved her so - her workmates and of course, her family (well, her sister anyway. I wished that the issue between her and her parents was more spread out, though.)
And of course, I saved the best for last. THAT ENDING!!! <3 Even though I kinda knew what will happen (because I read Miss Dawn's second book set in the same universe first), I was still overwhelmed with feels! The guy was perf and is the type of book boyfriend I usually pine for hahaha! The resolution was cute and sweet and swoon-worthy - like their history together. Each of their scenes - flashbacks and linear included - actually made me feel *feels*.
Overall, it was just superb. The plot, the characters, the writing style (with its flashbacks and all), and the music! That one definitely added character to the story and helped me visualize more. Like Chase, I have the tendency to create scenes in my head while listening to songs haha :)
"Some words just need to be heard." -Thomas
"It takes work. But I guess when you choose someone you completely love, then it's worth it." -Patty
"You have to have a little more faith in people. You have to keep believing." -Patty
"You deserve to be with someone who loves you better, too. (...) You'll get there. You just have to believe that you deserve it. Because you do. Don't even think that you don't." -Patty
"I didn't know that that could be possible, that you could be in love and not know it until something shakes you to your very core." -Regina
The Boyfriend Backtrack is actually the second work of Miss Dawn that I've read. I liked it as much as I liked The Hometown Hazard and I actually thought of giving it the same rating. However, I just needed to add that .5 because of how relatable the story is at the time that I've read it :)
I'm pretty sure that Miss Dawn would now be included in my auto-read authors after seeing how amazing she weaves her stories. And yes, I am looking forward to seeing more of her soon!
I'm pretty sure that Miss Dawn would now be included in my auto-read authors after seeing how amazing she weaves her stories. And yes, I am looking forward to seeing more of her soon!
Five out of five rating for Dawn Lanuza's The Boyfriend Backtrack!
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| 5/5 rating! :) |
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