Book Review: "Para sa Hopeless Romantic Extended Edition" by Marcelo Santos III

Para sa mga Hopeless Romantic Extended Edition is a romance novel written by popular wattpad author, Marcelo Santos III. The main story revolves around 2 main characters, Rebecca and Nikko with minor characters named Jackie (Becca's bestfriend), RJ (Nikko's bestfriend), Sir Matt (Rebecca's boss & Jackie's crush), Faye (Nikko's ex-gf) and a sub-story featuring Maria and Ryan created by Rebecca. Each section of the book is divided by each character's perspective on the main story.

This book is already catching my interest ever since I first saw the book in its red cover but I did not get a copy. Last MIBF, my friend bought one so I read it.

Dissection

My first reaction while reading the first part (Ryan) was really negative. It's so dramatic. The story (the sub-story) here is that she met a girl at school and then his love bank is getting filled by her and now he needs to admit it to the girl that he likes her (because that's necessary; you will die if you won't) but something happened.

At the second part, it is Rebecca's perspective. She tells the story of her break up with Nikko that happened 3 years ago to Jackie. It's full of flashbacks, licking wounds and how she started conversing with a mystery guy (whom she somehow fell in love with) through a chair. This is romantic if you  are obsessed with this kind of girl-boy stories.

The third part is Nikko's. There are plot twists and conflicts here (that are predictable) so I don't want to talk about it here. I don't want to spoil you. He just recently broke up with his girlfriend (Faye) because he still has feelings for Rebecca. The reason of his break up with Rebecca is revealed in this part of the book as well as the conclusion to his and Rebecca's love story.

The next part is Maria's perspective, a continuation of the first part of the book. You will see a typical Filipino drama twist here. You know, the one when you thought the person died but afterwards they showed up and you realize they are still alive. The conclusion of the sub-story is found here.

The last two sections of the book, Jackie's and Faye's perspectives are tackled. In here, you will see that all the character's lives (except Maria and Ryan's) are intertwined.

What I Think

I cannot review this book fairly if I don't know what "hopeless romantic" means. According to the internet,

"A hopeless romantic dreams of who they will spend the rest of their life with and what the two of them will do together. They want to be romanced with sweet simple things and the thoughtful amazing surprises. They dream of being loved but also loving somebody. They don't just want somebody to hold them. they also want to hold someone. They realize that love isn't just about one person but both people. they are hopelessly in love with being loved AND loving back."

In light of this, here's what I think about the book:

The book is fun to read. It was well-written. I just didn't like the content very much. What I didn't like about the book is its character's overly dramatic lines. I believe it happens in real life, but does it really go to that extent? 

I think one of the main factors why this books sells is that people can relate to it. Somehow some parts of the story happened to them and the author wrote lines and dialogues that a person that is going through this kind of situation cannot decipher.

Another thing that I didn't like about the book is that it projects an attitude or behavior that a person should have or do when they decided that they like a person. A part of a book has a segment where the heart and the brain are debating. The heart pushes the person to tell his feelings to the person he likes while the brain disagreed and the brain looked like it is the bad guy. I will talk about this heart vs. brain part in another post because it would be unfair, and it will contradict the theme of the book, which is for the hopeless romantics.

What the book wants to tell you

After reading this book, I think the main point of the story is this: There is somebody for you even if you fall in and out of love.  It may not be the person you think will be your "forever" but there will be that person who is for you. 

The book is for young people but I don't recommend this if you are emotionally immature or still getting blown from here to there by your feelings and emotions. Read this book with conviction. There's no need to rush into things. 

Verdict

I will rate this book 3 out of 5 stars because it is fun to read and it lives up to its premise that this book is for the hopeless romantics but I just can't take the drama. It makes a difference if you understand that the book is directed to those who are sentimental, dramatic and that sort of stuffs.  I hated most parts (maybe because I don't relate) but if I put it into context, it's a good read.

Para Sa Hopeless Romantic Extended Edition by Marcelo Santos III is published by VIVA Psicom and is available for P195 at all bookstores.