Review: Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

Title: Flat-Out Love
Author: Jessica Park
Format: Kindle Edition

Publication: April 11, 2011

Source: Own Copy, Bought from Amazon

Flat-Out Love is a warm and witty novel of family love and dysfunction, deep heartache and raw vulnerability, with a bit of mystery and one whopping, knock-you-to-your-knees romance.
It's not what you know--or when you see--that matters. It's about a journey.

Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it. When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

Flat-Out Love comes complete with emails, Facebook status updates, and instant messages.

My Review

Why this book?
I asked bookish and author friends for book recommendations for the Love Month and of one of my favorite authors, Mina V. Esguerra, suggested this book. I remember I purchased it off Amazon during the #BuqoSteamyReads period because she also included Flat-Out Love in the list of books we can read to get us started. I read it amidst the other 6 books I'm currently reading because books like this is my brand. I'm originally a Chick Lit Monster before Philippine Lit lured me into her cave. And also because, I need something light and does not involved analysis or blood.

The Plot
Told in third person narrative, this is a story of the fun and witty Julie Seagle and her one year saga with the Watkins Family. Julie just got off from high school and can't wait to be a college girl, but life isn't that easy especially in College (cranky teachers, annoying classmates, braggart officers - no, you won't see them here haha), so when she learns that she got scammed and have no where to go in Boston, she turns to Erin, her mother's College buddy for help, Erin lets her stay in their house in Cambridge and you will find out about the rest when you read this book.

Who were the main characters?
There's the headstrong Julie, the hot guy Finn, his sister, the adorable-yet-crazy girl, Celeste, the other brother also known as the swoon-worthy Matt and the almost too typical Watkins couple.

Favorite character?
Seth would be my favorite character. He is not a main character as you can see above but you know, who wouldn't love a cute and crazy-over-you barista?

What did you like most about the book?
Definitely the witty banter! It's as if the characters in this book studied the language of sarcasm and word play all their life. Their Facebook statuses (yes, this book is so advanced it has Social Media!) inspired me to think before I click, to not just blurt out anything that came to mind right away when I can mull things over so I can pretend I am very smart. Ha! Not that I'm saying that Julie isn't smart or pretending to be one, she sure is very brilliant, I on the other hand is the pretender. Get it? Haha. Okay, let's cut the pretenses.

What did you like least?
I hate that this book proved to me that I'm completely dysfunctional that I already know all the twists and turns (spoiler much?) without it unravelling before me.

What did you think of the writing style?
Oh, I'll definitely read more of Jessica Park!

If you could change something, what would it be?
The cardboard characters and I'm not pertaining to the cut-out. I just feel they all talk alike and that lead me to all the spoilers! But if I changed that, we won't have a story, would we?

What did you think of the ending?
I like it so much. Not too over the top and definitely something believable.

Some thoughts
Flat-Out Love is more than your typical crazy in the head romance. It speaks of insecurities, responsibilities and family ties. It not only tells you how to fall in love but of how some homes deal with everyday life as well. It tells us, life isn't perfect but guess what, someone will come along and will make it less painful, less stressful, and more 'livable' because yes, you are finally enjoying it.

Favorite Quotes

“Then she did what any girl would do: she Googled him.” 

“I 'Facebook like' you, but I'm not IN 'Facebook like' with you.” 

“He just wasn’t the guy, you know? I want the guy. The everything guy. Not the dumb Prince Charming, nauseatingly-perfect everything guy. That’s pathetic. I want the flaws-and-all everything guy.” 

“It's a calm like you've never known before, and you don't want it to end.” 

“You were focusing on the facts instead of the feeling.” 

“Christ, now was not the time to turn into a thesaurus.”

“Maybe you're missing something obvious. Don't overanalyze.”

“I'd just have to meet the right guy. Someone who isn't ordinary. Someone who get someone I fit perfectly with. I want heat, chemistry, an undeniable connection. You know what I mean? I want it all. I'm done with ordinary and mediocre.” 

“Love is a portion of the soul itself, and it is of the same nature as the celestial breathing of the atmosphere of paradise.” 

Check out all my Flat-Out Love inspired tweets:

Oh eto na. Note to self. Must finish: Scan, FMNCE, Breaking All The Rules and then I'm free. So, why am I still reading Flat Out Love? Haha

— Biena Magbitang (@bienamichelle) March 24, 2014

Julie, Julie, Julie. Why so witty?

— Biena Magbitang (@bienamichelle) March 24, 2014

I remember my first time in Starbucks, I asked the barista for an SBC Javakula. "The one with brownies please" She gave me java chip instead

— Biena Magbitang (@bienamichelle) March 24, 2014

Book Review: Girl Meets World by Claire Betita de Guzman

Girl Meets World by Claire Betita de Guzman
Publisher: Summit Books
Number of Pages: 143
My Copy: Paperback

From the author of No Boyfriend Since Birth comes another modern-day romance that’s sure to tickle your funny bone—and touch your heart. Mia Tupas is your typical shy girl daunted by the idea of talking to strangers and content with a humdrum routine of shuttling between work and home. But right after a fortuneteller spies a man in her future, Mia meets Leo, and the two hit it off immediately. There’s just one problem: Leo lives in Bangkok, and Mia balks at the mere thought of getting on a plane—she’s never even been around the country!

Still, the possibility of romance is tantalizing, and Mia manages to keep in touch with Leo through e-mail. But when she finally works up the courage to fly to Bangkok and find out where she stands, she discovers that Leo has left for Bali on the very same day.

Will Mia get her much-awaited chance at love? Join her on this entertaining, cross-country quest through Bangkok, Bali, and Vietnam for the man who just might be The One.

I highly recommend this book to all guys out there, yes, this will definitely boost your ego. Here's this conservative homebody so eager to travel across Asia Pacific just to get to a guy, a guy whom she just met once. 

Yes people, we Filipinas are THIS desperate in finding our True Love... NOT!

What happened to women empowerment, Ms. Author?

I thought this book is all about girl power. After reading some chapters, I told myself... Ahh, finally, a girl protagonist who doesn't declare that she graduated from Ateneo, that she drives her own car and have the luxury to spend, spend, spend. Finally, a very typical Filipina. But why did she have to be... so jologs and kiri-kiri? 

And... to make it worse, none of the 'coincidence' seemed real to me. She kept on seeing acquaintances in this trip, how lucky can one get (free ticket, free hotel, free villa etc.)? No one told me that this is a fantasy book.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Book Review: The Breakup Diaries by Maya O. Calica

The Breakup Diaries by Maya O. Calica
Publisher: Summit
Copy: Paperback (First Edition)

The Anatomy of a Breakup...

Twenty-three-year-old self-proclaimed nice Girl Monica Tanseco is finding out the hard way that in order to survive a breakup, you have to grow up - fast. Sure, breaking up is hard to do, but who knew it involved:

- Denial, followed by desperate bid to get back together involving promises to do everything to make him happy

- Sever loss of sleep, appetite and self-esteem

- Acute paralysis - or maybe death - of good judgment

- Compulsive tendencies to document every event, feeling and fantasy in a manner of reporter trying to make sense of things

- More compulsive tendencies to over-examine relationship carcass and over-analyze cause of death as couple

- Getting a life

When her perfect boyfriend - college hoop star certified hottie and young hotshot eagle Itos Ongpauco - decided to call it quits, Monica, barista by day and dreamer by night, found herseld stepping out from behind the coffee counter and out of her comfort zone - into the mad world of magazine publishing.

While starting out at the bottom of the food chain as the overworked, unpaid intern at "M" magazine can obliterate any trace of self-esteem, anything - including bitchy bosses, temperamental photographers, rather dull but oh-so-hot male models - is a welcome balm to her pains. Never mind that her freebie-obsessed boss treats her like an on-call, 24-hour proxy service. Never mind, that, sometimes, when she's had too much alcohol, male models become irresistible. Never mind that, despite having just had her heart broken, the possibility of love presents itself again.

Bought this one 10 years ago and absent-mindedly forgot that I haven't finished it. Thanks to 7-Eleven's rack, I saw this book's 10th year edition and that instantly reminded me that I actually have this at home. A friend of mine even told me, I hoard books too much and treat them like wine, but srsly, I wanted to retort that I now plan to read all my 'owned and unread' books right away, if only time will permit me to. Oh well, I just wish it won't take 10 years before I read all those books I hoarded.

Okay, now unto my real review. I have mixed feelings about this book. That is all. Perhaps, now at 23, same age as the protagonist, I find her a little bit immature for our age, child-like and very guarded. But that didn't stop me from reading it, it was actually well-written, you'll just find Tagalog words in it and that might annoy you (Phoebe, don't tell me I didn't warn you haha) but by large, this book is something I'd recommend to girls who devour Chick Lits as all the aspects of everything Chick Lit is in it, but yes, it's also too good to be true. I just find it annoying that it ended that way, I almost felt the writer and publishers took away almost three chapters and jumped to the conclusion right away. 

This is a break-up diary, but if you'll ask me if I'll recommend this to girls nursing a broken heart, I think, I won't, I'm kind of sure about that. Nothing in this book will help you kiss your ex goodbye permanently except the last chapters of the book, it will just make you feel more miserable, with the realization that some people are lucky enough to find a new job, make out with hot guys and make their dreams come true because they are heart broken. Life is not as blissful as that. Never. 

Oh well. I'm glad I didn't read this when I was 13, else I'd be programmed to believe that breakups will bring out the best in you, because coming from personal experiences, it won't... but you know, maybe, just maybe it will, but most of the time, it isn't as pleasant like that.

Rating: ★★★☆☆