THE BOOK

They were perfect strangers—all perks, no strings. Until they weren’t.

Elan wasn’t supposed to meet Caty. She lived halfway around the world, and he barely left Manila. Yet here he was, giving her a ride to the airport. Convinced that they would never have to see each other again after that day, Elan and Caty started to bond over truths, dares, stolen kisses, and games in hotel rooms and bars.

With brief encounters that turned them from acquaintances to friends — tipping to the point of lovers, always — will Elan and Caty keep settling for a day, or will someone finally dare to stay long enough to discover: Is this love?

REVIEW

Disclaimer: This review is not sponsored. I was part of the International Blog Tour for this book and I was given an e-ARC of the book by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Now, where do I start?

I will be very honest with you. This was the first book I’ve read from Dawn Lanuza, but I wasn’t a stranger to who she is. I’ve been seeing a lot of poems from her poetry collections, and I was able to meet her in February during her book signing event. Her event started after Lang Leav’s book tour. Lang even asked her readers to stay a little longer (yes, pun intended) and meet Dawn.

When I discover artists and new authors, I only look for one thing in particular — they should be relatable. Their works should make me feel that I am a part of their stories. Whether that’s a poem, an artwork, and even in a fictional world.

And guess what? I felt that in Dawn Lanuza’s new book, Stay A Little Longer.

The story was realistic and brave. Initially, I thought that the plot would just have a 24-hour timeline (because of the title). I was surprised that it wasn’t. It wasn’t very hard to follow.

Elan and Caty were also easy to love. I didn’t expect too much because I’m afraid I would be engulfed by my own expectations and I wouldn’t enjoy the book. I’m happy I decided to do that. Dawn’s writing style and character building brought the best out of Elan and Caty. The plot is not your typical boy-meets-girl setting. It shows how couples start and maintain their relationship (bad decisions included). They’re complete opposites, but they also complement each other.

There were multiple times where I just stop for a while and grin because those were some of the best parts of this book. Again, relatable.

Have I told you that this book was also set in the Philippines? I always feel that Filipino pride when Filipino authors (yes, Dawn Lanuza is a Filipina) don’t forget their heritage.

And can we talk about the cover? I love how simple it is — Caty as the subject with her lips painted red and Elan as this mysterious faceless guy. If this cover doesn’t make you want to read the book, I don’t know what will!

In totality, Stay A Little Longer by Dawn Lanuza captivated my heart. Every page gave me hope in finding the strength in love by always trusting the process. It has a mature take on relationships and it will bring you nostalgic feelings of meeting your first love and your first heartbreak. Now, I’m ready to read more of Dawn Lanuza’s works.

RATING

Huge thanks to The Royal Polar Bear Reads and The Nocturnal Fey for letting me join this International Blog Tour!

Also, thanks to Dawn Lanuza and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me an early copy of Stay A Little Longer.

Stay A Little Longer comes out on May 28th, worldwide.

Pre-order your copies here:

AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BARNES & NOBLE | GOOGLE PLAY

BLOG TOUR

May 22

Erika @ The Nocturnal Fey

Rafael @ The Royal Polar Bear Reads

Jen @ Jen D Bibliophile

May 23

Angela @ Hiding Behind Books

Jenny @ Levicorpvs Blog

Alice @ Married to Books Reviews and Blog

May 24

Shaa @ Moonlight Pages

Cathrina @ Puggyreader Writes

Jennilyn @ Rurouni Jenni Reads

May 25

Ynnah @ The Youngvamp’s Haven

Bryan @ Bryan Hoards Books

Rachel @ In Between Book Pages

May 26

Naadhira @ legenbooksdary

Gerald @ Gerald the Bookworm

Danielle @ dmcireadsblog

May 27

Kat @ Reading After Ten

Princess @ Princess and Pages

Provocatrix @ Provocatrix

May 28

Kath @ The Last Reader

Jessica @ Endless Chapters

Rebecca @ Bookingway Reads

THE AUTHOR

Dawn Lanuza writes contemporary romance, young adult fiction and prose poetry. She has two first loves – music and writing – and is lucky enough to surround herself with them. She currently lives with her family and a very loved cream toy poodle.

She sometimes blogs at dawnlanuza.com.