janinesmp3 's review for:

The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo

2.0

lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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This was cute! But I didn't like the writing style much (why was "black" capitalized when referring to Kira?) and I guess it felt a little weird reading about Filipino-Americans as a full Filipino who grew up in the PH. Like, the Filipino things in it were the names, the food, the karaoke,

Lila's mom being a nurse, maybe Lila's mom's tendency to gossip before leaving a party

. I'm grateful for the representation, I guess, because I've never read a Fil-Am book before. But as someone who's read works by Filipinos in the PH, it's different, you know? The food in this was comparable to the variety of recipes used in Banana Heart Summer by Merlinda Bobis. But as a STEM major who likes to write, I resonated with Lila in her struggles. Except I have no choice but to study STEM, lol.