Matagal nang pangarap ng romance writer na si Athena ang makapagbakasyon sa Amanpulo. Kaya nang magkaroon siya ng pagkakataon na makapunta roon nang wala ni singkong gagastusin, complete with accommodation, sinamantala niya iton. Everything was perfect except for one thing: may makakasama siyang hindi lang antipatiko, mukha pang galit sa mundo - si Carlo.
Okay na sana dahil guwapo ito, pero unang engkuwentro pa lang nila, kinunsumi na siya nito nang bonggang-bongga. And to make matters worse, ka-share pa niya ito sa villa na tutuluyan niya.
Isang araw ay kinailangan niya ang tulong nito at hindi naman siya tinanggihan nito. At nang magkasakit siya, inalagaan at binantayan siya nito. Dahil doon, unti-unting lumambot ang puso niya rito. She started seeing him in a different light. Kaya mula sa pagiging nuisance, naging hero material ito sa nobelang isinusulat niya. Dumating pa nga sa puntong lihim na niyang hinihiling na ito na ang hinihintay niyang "the one." Pero suntok sa buwan yata ang hiling niya dahil nalaman niya na hindi pa rin ito nakaka-get over sa alaala ng namayapang kasintahan nito...
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Tama si Cady Lorenzana sa characterization ni Athena. Taklesa nga ito. Ang odd lang ng engkwentro nila ni Carlo sa airport dahil tinalakan kaagad ni Athena ang binata. Nabwisit pa si Athena dahil "sinungitan" rin siya ng lalaki. I don't know, the guy offered to help pick up her things, right? Siguro iba lang ang tono ni Carlo sa isip ko. At siguro super tactless lang ng tono ni Athena sa akin. I mean, who does that in real life? Nabangga lang ang katawan, giyera kaagad. But it's fiction, right? Only the brave gets tangled into an interesting story. So patatawarin natin yan. :D
Carlo strikes me as someone who has a calm demeanor. And I was impressed na consistent ang katangian niyang iyon throughout the story. Well-thought ang mga sinasabi niya. He's wise, he's composed. In short, kabaliktaran ni Athena. I guess that's why they clicked, opposites eh. Carlo is also mysterious, hindi ko lang matukoy kung dahil ba sa misteryoso talaga siya o dahil sa past nila ng ex-girlfriend niya. Diyan ko lang siya hindi mabasa.
Isang eksena pang napa-cringe ako because of disbelief ay 'yung encounter among Athena, her ex-boyfriend, and his new girlfriend. The confrontation is a semblance of juvenility. I mean, they're adults. Plot twist, sure, a bitchy new girlfriend. But, for the love of God, the adult thing to do is to be an adult, to be the bigger person. Ewan, comment lang naman. Hindi kasi kapani-paniwala na ganun ang engkwentro sa pagitan ng tatlong matatandang tao, doktor pa 'yung isa. (Tama, 'di ba? Doktor 'yung ex ni Athena? Hehe.) Anyways, I guess the author was just staying true to Athena's tactlessness. Nonetheless, it was a cringefest.
As for Carlo and Athena's romance, it felt fast-paced to me. Or maybe not really fast-paced. Nakulangan ako sa build up ng author sa kanilang dalawa. I remember myself thinking habang binabasa ko ang nobela, "Shit, I'm almost done with the novel and that's gonna be it?" Kaunti na lang ang ililipat kong pahina at hindi ko pa ramdam ang build up sa kanila. I mean, in a larger sense, two weeks is a pretty short time. Even if it's spent in the perfection that is Amanpulo. Two weeks. Iyon ang time bomb na given sa hero at heroine para magka-inlove-an. At the end of Chapter Eight, nakalagay pa "Mahal na niya si Athena." Ang bilis, lalo na't may gineget-overan siyang pumanaw na babae. I guess that says a lot about Carlo as a man, as a partner, and as a human. He may be composed, but he's fickle. I mean, he was clearly still super invested in Bianca at the beginning of those two weeks, and even during those times. And then suddenly he's just not? How come? Two weeks lang 'yon. At ang bigat pa ng pagka-connected niya kay Bianca. He was blaming himself for her death. That's how invested Carlo was. I don't buy it. Dead Bianca and Present Carlo's connection was dark, deep, and intimate. Masyadong na-overpower ng backstory nina Bianca at Carlo ang present happenings kina Carlo at Athena.
Mas invested lang siguro ako sa hero ng nobela dahil sa separate story niya(the one including Bianca), to the point na I feel violated when Carlo "cheats" on Dead Bianca with Athena. Which, I guess, should not be the case dahil mas maka-empathize dapat ako sa heroine kaysa sa hero. I don't know, I just tend to have that kind of thinking. I guess it would have worked for me kung mas matagal ang time bomb na nakalaan sa hero at heroine para madevelop, lalo na outside Amanpulo. I mean Amanpulo was supposed to be the beginning, right? Tapos paglabas nila, mahal na nila ang isa't-isa. Siguro gusto lamang ng writer na lumutang na it was love at first sight between the two, or love at two weeks' sight, or whatever. Which is not wrong... if you don't have a backstory as abysmal as that.
On a different note, I just want to commend the writer's laid out imagery of Amanpulo. Very well researched and very well utilized into a romance writing. Ang vivid lang ng presentation to the point na magugustuhan mong magbakasyon rin doon dahil lang sa nabasa mo, magugustuhan mong magbakasyon kahit hindi mo nakikita sa pictures dahil malinaw ang pagkakalalahad. I guess that's a plus.
Rating: 2.5/5
On a different note, I just want to commend the writer's laid out imagery of Amanpulo. Very well researched and very well utilized into a romance writing. Ang vivid lang ng presentation to the point na magugustuhan mong magbakasyon rin doon dahil lang sa nabasa mo, magugustuhan mong magbakasyon kahit hindi mo nakikita sa pictures dahil malinaw ang pagkakalalahad. I guess that's a plus.
Rating: 2.5/5
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