Book Review: LOVE ON THE SECOND READ

Love on the Second Read by Mica De Leon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love romance books.

There was a time I used to read nothing but romance. I read romance back when it was looked down upon, so my book club friends and I took to wrapping those bodice ripper covers in opaque wrapping paper. (Today, if you dare raise an eyebrow at romance readers, it's YOU who will be given an aggressively questioning glare back. Do this at the risk of being judged as a narrow-minded snob, you elitist Lit major, you.)

The good thing that came out of reading all those romances is the realization that this genre is a grown-up's Disney fix.

It's the bone-deep assurance that it all will work out fine, in the end.

It's acknowledging that joy is a choice, no matter what curveballs and balls of waste Life throws at us. Heck, to read romance is to choose idealism and light and hope, a revolution against this culture of despair and death. And that is no small thing, and worthy of respect indeed.

So I particularly enjoyed LOVE ON THE SECOND READ! Mica de Leon's debut romance is special because it's my favorite kind of book: a well-written, cleverly nerdy one by a Filipina, and set in the Philippines, where characters have real problems (and not first class, white people ones) and have been through the trauma of the pandemic and the pain of losing family along the way (I abhor books that gloss the pandemic over, like it was a minor blip when it was anything but).

It was so good, I read it in one sitting one glorious Saturday afternoon.

I had plans. I was going to go out.

But the first few pages drew me in and so I was compelled to read it while drinking 3-in-1 coffee instead of an overpriced latte from a fancy cafe that only accepts credit cards (these have NO place in Manila! #hugot).

Reading this brought joy, and Pinoy pride as well! Mica de Leon joins that ever-growing list of world-class writers picked up by international publishing companies, and when you read her excellent first book, you'll understand why. She writes with a confidence and ease that is amazing in a debut book.

This is a romance that booklovers will love, the geekier the better. Where else can you find Austen quotes amidst Star Wars and Red Rising references?

Reading this brought back memories of flirtations in bookstores, crushes blossoming over conversation about books you read to get closer to said crush.

I also love reading books with value added, and Mica does this with an amazingly detailed insider look at the world of Philippine book publishing. Our two leads are both editors who take their office rivalry up a notch when they're forced to collaborate on a book that straggles the line between sci fi and romance.

This romance felt extra real to this Filipina, but it is universal, too, in the appeal of clever dialogue, references to global literature, and the twin blessings of good pacing and a clearly drawn plot.

This book is one of the most joyful I've read in a while! Will be on the lookout for her next books!

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