So Few Books ~: BOOK REVIEW for "Swept Off My Feet" and AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Ines Bautista-Yao

Why my life sucks

by Geri Lazaro

1. My dad left when I was a kid.

2. My mom is in love (insert eye roll).

3. With a guy who is like 10 years younger than her!

4. My friends think he’s hot. (Gross)

5. I love ballet but our dance studio has a leak and we have to dance in this smelly studio that doubles as an aikido dojo.

6. There’s this Dojo guy who thinks the studio belongs to him.

7. Friends think Dojo guy is cute. (Ew.) (Okay, objectively maybe but still, ew.)

8. I’m failing algebra.

9. Need to quit either basketball or ballet. Or both.

10. Dojo guy keeps showing up! (Fine, he does aikido in the same building but whatever.)

11. Dojo guy is asking me to dance with him. And maybe he is as cute as my friends say.

12. I don't know what to do anymore!

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****(4) out of 5 stars!

This was a delightful tale, primarily about Geri, a bright but troubled teenage girl. She has some long-term problems (being abandoned by her father, unhappiness about her mother’s boyfriend, etc) and some more recent matters (failing algebra, having to give up basketball and/or ballet, etc). Mostly, she comes across as a pretty sullen and obnoxious teenager. But beneath the bristly exterior, she is actually a nice person. With the help of some other characters in the story, namely Bas (the “enemy” turned friend turned love interest), she is able to work through some of her issues, and start behaving like a pleasant person.

I believe this is the first time I have read a story that is set in the Philippines. While most things seemed quite similar to life in the United States or similar countries, subtle differences did make the background atmosphere of the tale quite noticeable and interesting.

This story came across as very real and authentic. The teenage angst that Geri experiences, and the general bad attitude she often exhibits, felt very familiar to me (both from my daughter’s teen years and my own youth). Bas is the ideal friend/boyfriend; the type of young man that you want for your daughter. Their relationship progresses very organically, with Geri being a little farther behind in figuring things out than Bas. As she begins to work out some of her internal conflicts, her relationships with pretty much everyone in her life improve greatly.

Basically, it was a fun, overall uplifting, clean Young Adult love story. One that I definitely recommend.

“Geri Lazaro, based on the past few weeks, I know it’s going to be one helluva ride, but I’m willing to hang on for as long as you’ll have me.”

(I received a free eBook copy of this title from Loving the Book
and have willingly provided an honest review.)

Ines Bautista-Yao is the author of One Crazy Summer, What’s in your Heart, Only A Kiss, When Sparks Fly, All That Glitters, and Someday With You. She has also written several short stories. Among them are “Plain Vanilla,” “A Captured Dream,” one of the four short stories in Sola Musica: Love Notes from a Festival, “Things I’ll Never Say,” part of the Summit Books anthology Coming of Age, and “Before the Sun Rises,” part of the Ateneo University Press anthology Friend Zones.

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 who lives in the Philippines with her husband and two little girls. Her books are available digitally on Amazon and Buqo.ph.

Connect with the Author here:

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~AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Ines Bautista-Yao~

1) What gave you the inspiration for the storyline?

Quite a few things really. I think what started it off was when I watched the ballet recital of my niece. There were long intervals in between her numbers, so I let my mind wander. And I began to think about the life of a teenage ballerina. What it was like, what her issues could be and so on. At the same time, I recalled the recitals my cousins used to have every year, shows I religiously watched.

I don’t recall why Geri started out as a basketball player but it helped that one of my cousins did both — basketball and ballet. And the commitment to both tore her apart too. But unlike Geri, she chose basketball.

2) Are there any hidden themes in the book that you hope readers will discover?

I don’t think any of the themes are hidden, but I would like my readers to notice how Geri overcomes her shortcomings in order to continue her passion. Sometimes what needs work is not what you’re passionate about, but something else that can help you get there.

3) Are any of the characters based on real people you know?

Geri’s passions are definitely based on my cousin’s. But what I haven’t told anyone really is that Geri’s academic problems are based on those of my doctor’s daughter. My doctor told me that she had to pull her daughter out of her ballet recital because of bad grades. That planted a seed in me which grew three years later.

4) Who has influenced you most as a writer?

Wow this is a hard question! So many people have influenced me, my inspiring English teachers, the authors I love, the family members and friends who have fed my love of reading. It isn’t just one person, but I am grateful for all these people in my life.

5) If you could have any three literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you invite, what would you play, what would you serve, and why?

Oooh! I would have Elizabeth Bennet, Anne Shirley, and Jo March over. A typical young girl’s list (maybe this is why I write YA). I’d love to play the game board Sorry with them (and see their strong personalities come out! It is the game of sweet revenge, after all) and I would serve tea and broas, sweet and soft pastries from Betsy’s Cakes, a local bakeshop in the Philippines. At the end of the day, we’ll all be best friends bonding over laughs and delicious food.