Hello everyone! It is Monday again and here in the Philippines we just had our long weekend. Last Thursday Pope Francis visited us and even though I wasn't able to see him in person, I can feel the holiness he brings upon his arrival to all the Filipinos. And just what I've said earlier we had a long vacation and this will not be completed without some reading *waggle eyebrows* So yesterday I read Only a Kiss by Ines Bautista-Yao, a very cute story, for its blog tour which starts now! Below is my review of the book and 10 things that we probably don't know about Ines. Don't forget to add the book on your tbr and join the giveaway! :)
When Katie was nine yrs. old she
knew that Chris would be her first kiss, not because she was in love with him
but because he’s the only one who really knows her and could make him do
anything she wanted. But then things
started to change, they met other people and parted ways. When one particular boy came into the picture,
their lives were suddenly thrown upside down. Will these two best friends find
their way back to each other or they’ll have to live without the other one?
Only a Kiss is indeed a cute
story that will have you treasure those little things. I was hooked from the
very first page I get to know these two characters, there were only hundred
pages in this book but their story was told thoughtfully. I adore Katie and
Chris protectiveness with each other, their relationship from being friends to
lovers was showed seamless. In the first part of the story I could see that Katie
was the outspoken one, she doesn’t back down and a tough girl for her age. But
with these strong personalities hides a soft heart that is evidently when it
comes to Chris. While Chris is also the rock to Katie’s life, he stands up with
her and guards her in every way he can. But then as the story goes these two
lovable characters started to grow and met other people. They experienced
feelings and changes that affects to their friendship throughout the story.
The story was written with
different scenarios of Katie and Chris life with their point of views. Some of
these incidents were brief because of the few pages the book requires and I
have no problem with that until I came in to the conclusion. I felt that there
should have been more pages in this part, yes I got the happy ending I hope for
but it was told hastily and the kilig
moment that I felt were short-lived because of this.
To sum it up, Only a Kiss was a good book to star this
year. A book that is not just a book but a story that tells an enjoyable and
humble relationship with friends turns lovers with just the right amount of sweetness.
Only a Kissby Ines Bautista-Yao
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Chamber Shell Publishing
Publisher: Chamber Shell Publishing
Release Date: November 29, 2014
Blurb:
When she was nine-years-old, Katie knew she wanted Chris to give her her first kiss. It wasn’t because she was in love with him (no way, he was her best friend! Besides, she was in love with his fourteen-year-old big brother), it was because she could make him do anything she wanted.
Besides, it didn't really mean anything. It was only a kiss after all.
But then things started to change. They grew up. They parted ways and went to different high schools. And other girls and boys—well, just one particular boy—came into the picture, throwing their lives upside down.
Told from the alternating points of view of Katie and Chris, this love story between two best friends will tug at your heartstrings and leave you thinking how the simplest things can mean so much.
There isn't a lot that people don’t know about me. I’m very open about my writing life plus I have a blog where I write about my mommy life. These are the two seemingly separate sides to me and since I’m quite transparent about both, I actually bump into people who tell me they feel as if they know so much about me (and my kids)!
But they really don’t. Here are 10 things I’m pretty sure only a handful know.
I love animals. When I was in my second year of high school, I owned two dogs, two rabbits, a mongoose, and a Myna bird. A classmate actually drew a picture of me surrounded by all my animals, wearing a zookeeper’s uniform. Today, however, I see what my sister-in-law goes through (she’s a real vet, and an awesome one at that), and I know for a fact that it is definitely not something I can (or want to) do anymore.
I spent a month in England studying English and touring the country. It was one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had. And I remember crying because I was turning 17 without my family. Then a kind Filipina who spotted my group walking along some quaint shops in Tunbridge Wells invited us over to her house and baked me a birthday cake!
I’m not a diehard fan. There are many out there, apparently. But I am a fan nonetheless. I religiously watched Voyager while it was airing and when I was in second grade, I played Luke while my classmates and I did our daily Star Wars role play!
I love the coconut ones (macaroons), but I’ll pass on the pretty, Parisian kind. I know. Horrible. I really wish I did. Just because they’re so pretty.
It’s my husband’s biggest frustration because he’s a neat freak, but books and papers have overtaken our home. I’m trying to fix it though. But between writing my next book and tidying up… well, it’s a tough call.
So everyone calls me Manang.
I even won a best actress award in my freshman year and played the lead when we staged The Glass Menagerie. But I can’t imagine acting in anything today!
I wanted to do something fun so I wrote a “ransom note” from some aliens saying they had kidnapped their English teacher (me!) and would only return me if the students answered the exam questions correctly. Now that I think about it, what if the students had said, “We don’t want her back. We don’t need to answer this!”? Thank goodness no one did. And they even wrote me notes saying they totally enjoyed it!
This explains why I’m confused! I was born in between the zodiac signs Aries and Taurus. So when people ask me what my sign is, I tell them both. And I get to read both signs when I read my horoscope. The problem? They’re usually never aligned. Oh well. Who says you should listen to signs anyway?
My first job included going to different preschools with a Hershey’s Kiss mascot and giving away chocolates to the kids. At one of the schools, the dancer who was supposed to wear the costume didn’t show up! The costume was there, but the dancer was nowhere in sight. With the kids clamoring for the Hershey’s Kiss they had been promised, I wondered if I could do it. I put on the costume and did a silly dance. What made it all worthwhile was when one of the kids hugged me and said, “I love you.”
Thank you so much for such a candid post, Ines!
About the Author
Ines Bautista-Yao is the author of One Crazy Summer, What’s in your Heart, and Only a Kiss. She has also written two short stories, “Flashbacks and Echoes,” which is part of a compilation called All This Wanting and “A Captured Dream,” one of the four short stories in Sola Musica: Love Notes from a Festival.
She is the former editor-in-chief of Candy and K-Zone magazines and a former high school and college English and Literature teacher. She is also a wife and mom and blogs about the many challenges and joys of motherhood at theeverydayprojectblog.com. She has recently launched The Author Project, a section in her current blog devoted to the stories in her head: http://theeverydayprojectblog.com/inesbyao-author-project/
She posts on Instagram and tweets @inesbyao and her author page is facebook.com/inesbautistayao.
