Happy Romance Awareness Month, everybody! Which romance novels have you been reading lately, and can I interest you in some Filipino-authored romances?
For this month’s #romanceclass Take Three Project, I asked readers and authors about the places in #romanceclass books that inspired them to dream of a great getaway someday soon. Check out their responses below–maybe you’ll find your next romantic adventure with these books, too!
(Links have been included to the books listed, in case you were wondering where to get them.)
Fay’s Take Three
Book Title/Author: Chasing Mindy / Carla de Guzman
Location: Paris
Why I like to visit: It’s been my dream to visit Paris since I was a kid. <3
Book Title/Author: What Kind of Day / Mina V. Esguerra
Location: The Manila from Naya’s See This Manila Tour
Why I like to visit: It’s technically a ~single place, right? 🙂 I want to see Manila as Naya presented it in the book. <3
Book Title/Author: You Out of Nowhere / Jay E. Tria
Location: South Korea
Why I like to visit: I’m a new fan of KDramas so I think that explains a lot. *wink*
Fay calls the province of Pampanga home, but would love to see Paris, France someday. In the meantime, she is planning to explore the pages of Iris After the Incident in search of a new adventure.
She wishes there would be a #romanceclass book set in the Northern Lights someday, too.
Ailla’s Take Three
Book Title/Author: All’s Fair in Blog and War / Chrissie Peria
Location: MACAU!
Why I like to visit: I’d love to visit the places that Jesse and Five went to during their Macau trip. I also wanna try and experience the things they did (particularly that bungee jump!) + come on, EGG TARTS. “nuff said.
Book Title/Author: Cover (Story) Girl / Chris Mariano
Location: Boracay Island
Why I like to visit: I know it seems predictable but it has always been my goal to visit Boracay just to experience the culture! Plus, I really wanna see and understand what the hype is all about haha
Book Title/Author: Letters About A Boy (from the anthology Promdi Heart: Hometown Love Stories) / Ines Bautista-Yao
Location: Silay, Negros Occidental
Why I like to visit: My fascination with Silay began because of a certain LizQuen (Liza Soberano/Enrique Gil) movie. But reading about Nicolas (AHHH!) and Tin-Tin’s story at the place made me want to see it for myself. Also, who knows? Might meet my own Nicolas there lol
Ailla calls Manila home, but would love to see Greece someday. In the meantime, she is planning to explore the pages of Like Nobody’s Watching in search of a new adventure.
She wishes there would be a #romanceclass book set in Paris (and Batanes please!) someday, too.
(Tara’s notes: I’ve sent Ailla an email and recommended Carla de Guzman’s Chasing Mindy and The Queen’s Game to her, set in Paris and Batanes, respectively.)
Paolo’s Take Three
Book Title/Author: What Kind of Day / Mina V. Esguerra
Location: Manila
Why I like to visit: I would take the special tour that Naya gives of Metro Manila. It is the same space that we inhabit: real as it is fictional and vice versa. It’s an honorable project: navigating and sharing these pockets of hope despite knowing what a terrible world she and Ben find themselves in.
Book Title/Author: Beginner’s Guide: Love and Other Chemical Reactions / Six de los Reyes
Location: In Lab Cafe
Why I like to visit: The “24-hour science laboratory themed study cafe” of Beginner’s Guide called In Lab seems so charming and corny, especially when you eavesdrop on regular customer graduate student Kaya Rubio as she goes on dates here for her love experiment. “Falling in love is irrational. So is pi.” I hope they serve good pi in this cafe.
Book Title/Author: Cover (Story) Girl / Chris Mariano
Location: Boracay, Aklan.
Why I like to visit: Gino’s Boracay is the memory of a Boracay familiar to tourists, a setting for romance that Chris Mariano uses ingeniously to introduce or rediscover the cultural heritage of Aklan. This story is painful to read after 26 April 2018, the date when the Philippine government ordered the island closed to tourists for rehabilitation.
Paolo calls UP Diliman, Quezon City home but would love to visit Japan someday. In the meantime, he is. planning to explore the pages of Bucket List to Love by C. P. Santi in search of a new adventure.
He wishes there would be a #romanceclass book set in 19th century Philippines someday, too.
Kate’s Take Three
Book title and author: Chasing Mindy / Carla de Guzman
Location: Paris
Why I like to visit: Who doesn’t want to visit the most romantic city in the world? But no, for real, Paris is such an old city full of stories and history. More than seeing the usual tourist haunts like the Louvre or the Arc de Triomphe, I’d really like to get a sense of that history. I’d also really wanna know what it’s like to be someone who lives there, in such a famous city, rather than just visit.
Book title and author: Prep & Prejudice / Miren B. Flores
Location: San Enrique island
Why I like to visit: A beautiful tropical island surrounded by turquoise oceans, with a thriving local culture that the resort (thanks to Andrea lol) works closely with to make sure that the development of tourism is sustainable? COUNT ME IN.
Book title and author: Dare to Love / C.P. Santi
Location: Pila, Laguna
Why I like to visit: I’ve long been interested in Filipino architecture and its place in history, and Pila, Laguna is one of those places where history just seems so alive. Even before I read Dare to Love, I’ve wanted to take a day trip here and just wander around. I was also pretty pleased with myself when the name of the town where Gia and her kids lived was described and I guessed it was Pila, and then it was confirmed in the author’s notes!
Kate calls Makati home, but would love to see Morocco someday. In the meantime, she is planning to explore the pages of Bucket List to Love in search of a new adventure.
She wishes there would be a #romanceclass book set in San Francisco someday, too (and is actually trying to write it!).
Have you read any of these books? What did you think about them? And if not, which of these books would you like to pick up next? Share your thoughts in the comments, and watch out for part two of this month’s #romanceclass Take Three Project! <3
