It’s very real, gritty and down-to-earth. I felt the everyday aspects of the lives of the two heroines: perennial contractor Liza and unapologetic sex worker Jo. I believed in the reasons why Jo chose her line of work. I commiserated with Liza for wanting to find a better life for her family. I delighted in […]
It’s very real, gritty and down-to-earth. I felt the everyday aspects of the lives of the two heroines: perennial contractor Liza and unapologetic sex worker Jo. I believed in the reasons why Jo chose her line of work. I commiserated with Liza for wanting to find a better life for her family. I delighted in living through their individual and shared adventures.
It is a very slow burn, this love story, and I got confused a bit with the epilogue, specifically the need for that one encounter, but all in all, I enjoyed reading it. I adored Jo and Liza, and their friendship. I reveled in their witty banter from beginning to end (Brij, you nailed it again with this banter!). I loved that when it finally “clicked” for them, it was in such a Filipino location and event. I won’t spoil it for people. Suffice it to say that I loved reading this book and I have learned a lot, specially about the nuances and specifics of Jo’s profession.
I also appreciate the fact that these two characters are very accessible, being at that struggling income class level, and Brij wrote them with such realness that it makes their love story all the more compelling.
Rating: 4 stars
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Some of the aspects I loved in this story:
- Mistress
- Ads
- The One (#14)
- Coke with everything
- Mang Larry’s
- Kojic soap and Gluta
- The Appliance Center
- Chippy
- Cropped tops
- Fading highlights
- The handsy old doctor
- THE PERYA and the Horror/Haunted House –> reminds of a time (many years ago) my sisters, their hubbies, and some cousins, nieces and nephews all went to a local fair/perya. Some of us wanted to try the Horror House and we were daring everyone to be brave. My brother-in-law, who was 5’11 and 180 pounds of pure muscle was front and center. He then said for everyone to hold hands until we formed this single file. Once the doors opened to the house, he yelled, “Takbo (Run)!” and proceeded to run like the wind through the house taking all of us with him. Being one of the smallest, I was at the end of the line and got dragged through the house without actually understanding what was happening. Suffice it to say that none of the “actors” had a chance to do their thing, as they all watched in awe as this single line of almost 10 people just whooshed past all of them. THAT was when I realized, my hunky brother-in-law was deathly afraid of most fair rides and installations. If you want a visual, think Silvester Stallone during his Rambo years–he looked and had the same body type as my dear bro-in-law–and imagine him screaming in his Rambo voice, complete with armalite and blood and grime on his topless form, running like hell as if there were mercenaries on his heels trying to kill him.