Welcome once again to the #RomanceClass Take Three Project, where I give #romanceclass readers and authors a monthly prompt/question and ask them to list down and briefly discuss their top three answers. This month’s topic was influenced by our most recent event, How to Meet-Cute, where we were treated to live readings of meet-cutes from soon-to-be-published books. (How exciting!)
I asked a couple of #romanceclass authors about their favorite meet-cutes from #romanceclass books they’ve read, and the results are in — check them out! (Links provided for those of you who haven’t yet read the books but wanna give them a try. They’re available on Amazon!)
Carla’s Take Three
Book Title/Author: Feels Like Summer / Six De los Reyes
The meet-cute: Adrian, sweet soft boy from Arabella, asks Jett to be his girlfriend for five minutes. It’s everything I wanted Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist to be.
Why I liked it: Five Minute Girlfriend—need I say more? I do, because they’re both so funny, because they both kind of know it’s more than just a five minute thing.
Book Title/Author: One Night at the Palace Hotel / Bianca Mori
The meet-cute: Consuela thinks moving to Chicago was a horrible mistake. At the long line, she runs into Sam. Sam makes hotdog jokes, and they end up falling for each other.
Why I liked it: This is the meet cute in a line story everyone needs to read! Ugh I wish this happened to me at every line, to be honest.
Book Title/Author: Ghost of A Feeling / Celestine Trinidad
The meet-cute: After a series of horrible life events, Cris stands on the rooftop of her apartment building and thinks it’s time to end it all. But then a man dressed up at the resident ghost talks her down, and he doesn’t seem to have the heart to tell Cris that he’s real.
Why I liked it: Talk about a meet cute. SHE THINKS HE’S A GHOST. I loved the dynamic between Cris/Nathan, and how he never pushes her too much, and treats her with such care.
— Carla de Guzman is the author of If the Dress Fits, The Queen’s Game, and Chasing Mindy
Angel’s Take Three
Book Title/Author: Swept Off My Feet / Ines Bautista-Yao
The meet-cute: Geri and Bas meet at “smelly dance studio” that doubles as an aikido dojo. Geri says the studio is reserved for her dance class, but Bas claims it’s supposed to be used for aikido.
Why I liked it: From the first moment they meet, I already know there’s chemistry between them. They start out arguing, but it’s obvious that Geri already finds this “dojo guy” quite striking. Geri is at that stage where she still thinks boys are gross and annoying, but when Bas enters the picture, she starts getting all these confusing feelings. As a reader, I was hooked—I couldn’t wait to get to know these characters better and watch them fall in love.
Book Title/Author: Chasing Waves / Bianca Mori
The meet-cute: Thirty-two-year-old Mags meets younger guy Luke at the office training room. But before she even sees his face, she gets her first view of his sexy nape.
Why I liked it: I loved how Bianca described Luke’s sexy nape because it’s one body part I never really noticed before. Even before the reader gets a glimpse of his face, we already know he’s going to be hot. Like Mags, I was also “fanning myself and bursting into flames” after reading the scene. Bianca perfectly captures the giddy, fangirling moment that happens when you see your crush or a cute guy at the office—women of any age can definitely relate!
Book Title/Author: Iris After the Incident by Mina V. Esguerra
The meet-cute: Iris and Gio meet when they get stuck in an elevator together.
Why I liked it: The elevator is one of the most overused settings in romance novels. And yet in this book, Mina manages to give a fresh spin on it. I love how Iris was the calm and collected one, and how she thought of writing a note and holding it up to the surveillance camera to alert security. It immediately showed me that she was a brave and proactive character. I also liked the mystery aspect—how the guy was only referred to as “Blue Eyes” in this scene. It made me really curious about him!
— Angel C. Aquino is the author of Love at First Run
Danice’s Take Three
Book Title/Author: Swept Off My Feet / Ines Bautista-Yao
The meet-cute: Geri Lazaro and Bas Mercado fighting over who gets to use the gym space – the ballet class or the aikido class? Geri dislikes Bas (dubbed “The Dojo Guy”) on sight – nothing personal – it’s just that Geri hates ALL. CUTE. GUYS. It doesn’t help that not only is Bas a cutie, but he’s genuinely a good guy with a fluffy heart.
Why I liked it: The harder they bicker, the harder they fall! As much as Geri’s convinced herself that The Cute Boy is the enemy and pretends not to notice or care less about Bas, he gets under her skin because he’s incredibly kind, and not afraid to show her his vulnerable side. From the get-go, I wanted to dig my elbow into Geri’s side and say “Uyyyy, nagpe-pretend pa siya~!”, and as the story progressed, that turned into “Uyyy, nagfa-fall na siya~!”
Book Title/Author: You Out Of Nowhere / Jay E. Tria
The meet-cute: On a packed South-bound MRT. Kris spots Ringo reading “Pride and Prejudice” and she blurts out a line from the book’s movie adaptation, which catches his attention.
Why I liked it: LBR – who hasn’t been on a packed MRT and wished this would happen to them – a meet-cute with a hot stranger who is into your favorite book/band/movie that they can’t help but connect with you once you flash them the bat signal. This meet-cute was immensely satisfying. Plus, the sexual tension was zinging off the page. I wouldn’t mind if more meet-cutes take place on packed MRTs.
Book Title/Author: The Other Story / H. Bentham (from Start Here)
The meet-cute: (Or, should this called a “meet-hot” instead?) The “men’s spa”
Why I liked it: I could not stop screaming while I read this. I’ll never get over how honest, fearless and hot this was.
— Danice Sison is the author of Shipping Included, a short story from the Start Here anthology
Suzette’s Take Three
Book Title/Author: The Kitchen When It Sizzles / Chrissie Peria
The meet-cute: Olivia Nadal and Nate Olivarez meet in a cooking class
Why I liked it: When a shirtless hunk opens the door and you find out he is going to be the cooking instructor, you bet things are going to be sizzling hot in the kitchen!
Book Title/Author: Submission Moves / Camilla Sisco
The meet-cute: Rose Shannon and Nic Rossi meet poolside in Las Vegas
Why I liked it: Nic had me at hello. The initial meeting between feminist Rose and MMA fighter was fraught with tension, of the toe curling, sexual kind and sets the tone for the entire book.
Book Title/Author: What Kind of Day / Mina V. Esguera
The meet-cute: Ben Cacho crashes a tour group and sees Manila through tour guide’s Naya Llamas’ eyes.
Why I liked it: Ben’s having the worst kind of day and Naya takes him out of his head and makes his day better by allowing him to join her tour group.
— Suzette de Borja is the author of The Princess Finds Her Match and
When She Fell for the Billionaire
Brij’s Take Three
Book Title/Author: The Other Story, Start Here / H. Bentham
The meet-cute: Marcus and Pablo, sex club
Why I liked it: In most books I’ve read, the sexy times start building up around the middle of the book. But, this one starts with all guns blazing! The Other Story opens with steamy sex, and then mellows down to a sweet ending. It’s like a ‘let’s get it on’ kind of thing, worry about the cool down later.
Book Title/Author: Swept Off My Feet / Ines B. Yao
The meet-cute: Geri and Bas, a gym with identity crisis (I mean, is it a dojo or a ballet studio)
Why I liked it: I loved that this book opened with a tense meet-cute. The banter between Geri and Bas, when they were deciding who had a legit claim on the space, set the tone for the whole novel. The conflict and tension at the start made me root for them harder! Like, why, why can’t you see that you like each other? Stop fighting!
Book Title/Author: Feels Like Summer / Six de los Reyes
The meet-cute: Jett and Adrian, beach
Why I liked it: Jett, my girl! Throwing Stranger Danger out the window and agreeing to be a new person’s fake girlfriend. The hook-up with less than satisfactory results that followed was a humorous touch to this pretend-girlfriend meetcute. Adrian did make up for that dud of a hook-up, with his light bulb-screwing and light saber-wielding ways.
— Brigitte Bautista is the author of Don’t Tell My Mother and Lemon Drop Friday
from the Start Here anthology
Have you tried reading #romanceclass books? What’s your favorite meet-cute so far? Share it/them on the comments below! ^_^
Thanks for reading the first two Take Three Project posts — see you next month!