Scan barcode
alexazilla's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this is a biased review as i felt like i was able to understand my own relationship with my mother and what she had to go through to immigrate from the philippines. very similar to “america is not the heart” in that there is a lot of generational trauma that is unspoken and unexplained but still influencing individuals that have physically made it to america.
kaelaceleste's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 and rounding up.
Didn't hate this, in fact I liked the characters and I love a mom/daughter story. Also fun setting and I loved the Filipino characters and culture.
I thought the plot just felt jumbled and so much was happening all of the time. I also cared about the romance plots SO little. I actually found Diana's relationship to be pretty weird lol. Also as a whole, def on the unrealistic side things. I have a personal preference against when things toe the line between being slice-of-life-realistic and this-could-never-happen and this book did that for sure. And as a person who previously worked in a hotel I have major issues with the concept that they just gave someone a room key who was not on the reservation lol
Really quick read and nothing super groundbreaking. It was fine but forgettable
Didn't hate this, in fact I liked the characters and I love a mom/daughter story. Also fun setting and I loved the Filipino characters and culture.
I thought the plot just felt jumbled and so much was happening all of the time. I also cared about the romance plots SO little. I actually found Diana's relationship to be pretty weird lol. Also as a whole, def on the unrealistic side things. I have a personal preference against when things toe the line between being slice-of-life-realistic and this-could-never-happen and this book did that for sure. And as a person who previously worked in a hotel I have major issues with the concept that they just gave someone a room key who was not on the reservation lol
Really quick read and nothing super groundbreaking. It was fine but forgettable
k_plansandreads's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📍Manila, Philippines 🇵🇭
❤️ romance, contemporary fiction
🎧 audiobook
The tale of a mother and daughter, with a close bond, travel to the Philippines to find out more about themselves.
The perfect story mixing family secrets, historical fiction and a touch of romance. The Philippines setting was perfect and really added to the magic. I was expecting this to be more romance and was pleasantly surprised with the story that followed. I must find more of the authors works as this was beautifully written and pulled me out of a reading slump.
📍Manila, Philippines 🇵🇭
❤️ romance, contemporary fiction
🎧 audiobook
The tale of a mother and daughter, with a close bond, travel to the Philippines to find out more about themselves.
The perfect story mixing family secrets, historical fiction and a touch of romance. The Philippines setting was perfect and really added to the magic. I was expecting this to be more romance and was pleasantly surprised with the story that followed. I must find more of the authors works as this was beautifully written and pulled me out of a reading slump.
treasureboxofbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Once Upon A Sunset started off well but then tapered off to a still decent, but underwhelming second half.
For me, the beginning was relatable and had me wanting to read more simply because I felt so connected to Diana and the trials of life she was going through. I have been through some of the exact same things so I found myself feeling sorry for her because I know how she was feeling all too well.
Once we got into the scene of meeting the long lost family (mid-book), this is where the connection to this story started to lose me. There wasn’t anything in particular that let to me into “meh” mode, but I guess it was just… unmemorable. It was predictable and nothing really special or warming happened. It was just…OK. Underwhelming I think is the best way to describe it.
Diana’s relationship with Joshua, a man she met upon arrival to the Philippines, felt forced. To me, this story would have been just fine without the forced need for a love story thrown in the mix. It would have been better off just being a story of a woman and her mother discovering their own identities. A book doesn’t always NEED to have a love story within! The love story in Once Upon A Sunset just doesn’t fit.
I never connected with Diana’s mother, Margo. She just didn’t make much sense to me. Her thoughts. Her social media status. Her “ignore it and it will go away” attitude towards certain things. Free-spirited is one thing. But Margo was a little of something else. I don’t know, she just wasn’t my favorite character in this story.
Overall, this is a book I would still recommend to someone who needs an easy read. Something you’d read while on the plane or on vacation where you don’t want to use any brainpower on a complicated book with a complicated plot. And we all need books like these! A mindless read with a good story and a warm ending.
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced digital copy.
For me, the beginning was relatable and had me wanting to read more simply because I felt so connected to Diana and the trials of life she was going through. I have been through some of the exact same things so I found myself feeling sorry for her because I know how she was feeling all too well.
Once we got into the scene of meeting the long lost family (mid-book), this is where the connection to this story started to lose me. There wasn’t anything in particular that let to me into “meh” mode, but I guess it was just… unmemorable. It was predictable and nothing really special or warming happened. It was just…OK. Underwhelming I think is the best way to describe it.
Diana’s relationship with Joshua, a man she met upon arrival to the Philippines, felt forced. To me, this story would have been just fine without the forced need for a love story thrown in the mix. It would have been better off just being a story of a woman and her mother discovering their own identities. A book doesn’t always NEED to have a love story within! The love story in Once Upon A Sunset just doesn’t fit.
I never connected with Diana’s mother, Margo. She just didn’t make much sense to me. Her thoughts. Her social media status. Her “ignore it and it will go away” attitude towards certain things. Free-spirited is one thing. But Margo was a little of something else. I don’t know, she just wasn’t my favorite character in this story.
Overall, this is a book I would still recommend to someone who needs an easy read. Something you’d read while on the plane or on vacation where you don’t want to use any brainpower on a complicated book with a complicated plot. And we all need books like these! A mindless read with a good story and a warm ending.
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced digital copy.
adifferentreadingview's review
4.0
An unexpected quick read full of heart warming moments. I wasn’t expecting to speed through this as fast as I did but towards the end it just kept getting better and better, I had to knew what happened! Captivating and full of heart, I loved this story and it was the best way to kick of FAHM. I did feel a little confused towards the end bc I didn’t feel like Leora and Lolo Tony got closure. While the letter from Leora’s mentor mentioned that she wanted Leora to be able to move on with her life, it never explains why Lolo Tony didn’t try to come back for her or figure something out, but I understood why he wanted to make sure that she moved on and that’s why he had his wife write the letter to Leora. In the end the story itself was tied into a perfect little bow and I did enjoy the story, I loved that in the end nobody was malicious and they were all trying to make sure that everyone was happy and well taken care of. I’m sure that once Lolo Tony got married he wanted to make sure that the whole family got along but with all that money it was kinda sad that he never tried to reach out to Leora or his daughter in the end. I would say that the story felt like it was a quick read but that the closure just didn’t feel like enough for the story. I did enjoy listening to this book and I definitely thought that it was captivating enough that I listened to it pretty quickly, which is rare for me.
booklover1974's review against another edition
4.0
4,5 stars
Last year I won ”The Happily Ever After” by the same author and really enjoyed it. If I hadn’t won that book I would probably never have read it but now I’m so grateful for that win because now I have a new go-to author! This new novel I got a month ago for my birthday and now I’ve read it.
For me, this novel was even better than "Happily Ever After"! It has a very kind tone with the characters and I appreciate that they are mature characters. I really rooted for them all and enjoyed these hours of reading with joy. Reading at its best!
The story felt personal to the author and when I read the Acknowledgements in the back of the book, I understood why. I'm not going to give anything away but I got emotional reading it.
The bad thing is that now I have to wait for a long time until her next book.
Last year I won ”The Happily Ever After” by the same author and really enjoyed it. If I hadn’t won that book I would probably never have read it but now I’m so grateful for that win because now I have a new go-to author! This new novel I got a month ago for my birthday and now I’ve read it.
For me, this novel was even better than "Happily Ever After"! It has a very kind tone with the characters and I appreciate that they are mature characters. I really rooted for them all and enjoyed these hours of reading with joy. Reading at its best!
The story felt personal to the author and when I read the Acknowledgements in the back of the book, I understood why. I'm not going to give anything away but I got emotional reading it.
The bad thing is that now I have to wait for a long time until her next book.
readincolour's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Tif Marcelo's The Key to Happily Ever After, so downloading her latest, Once Upon a Sunset, was a no brainer. As she did with The Key (whose character's business gets a brief mention in Once), she delivers smart female characters her readers have come to know and love.
I love historical fiction and I love a good HEA and Marcelo manages to blend both of these genres flawlessly. Told through present day encounters and a series of letters exchanged by her grandparents, Once Upon a Sunset takes readers on a journey from Washington, DC to Philippines as the two protagonists learn about their family history, about their mother-daughter relationship and, ultimately, about themselves.
Once Upon a Sunset was a really solid read. I really appreciate Tif Marcelo's characters and my introduction to the Filipino troops who served in WWII for the U.S. It's one of those little known history facts that should be acknowledged and celebrated more often.
I love historical fiction and I love a good HEA and Marcelo manages to blend both of these genres flawlessly. Told through present day encounters and a series of letters exchanged by her grandparents, Once Upon a Sunset takes readers on a journey from Washington, DC to Philippines as the two protagonists learn about their family history, about their mother-daughter relationship and, ultimately, about themselves.
Once Upon a Sunset was a really solid read. I really appreciate Tif Marcelo's characters and my introduction to the Filipino troops who served in WWII for the U.S. It's one of those little known history facts that should be acknowledged and celebrated more often.
therese_nook68's review against another edition
5.0
My full spoiler free review is up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WNrUqC4pgg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WNrUqC4pgg
emzrichy's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0