Bookbed reviews: ‘What Kind of Day’ by Mina V. Esguerra (plus an interview!)

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by KB Meniado THE STORY It’s a bad day for Ben. After years of earnest work, he’s been fired from his job as a speechwriter for a Philippine senator. Name tarnished and bridges burned, he steps into what he thinks is a shuttle ride home, and accidentally joins a tour of his own city.  It was supposed to be a good day for Naya. Her passion is traveling, her hobby is discovering cool things to see and do, and taking people on tours of Metro Manila is her only job right now. An extra person at the last minute isn’t…

Bookbed reviews: ‘Gitarista’ by Reev Robledo

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by KB Meniado THE STORY This historical novel takes place during the rise of cosmopolitan Manila in the 70s. Buildings towered over paved roads, vehicles caused traffic jams, business districts were expanding, and the music and arts scene was a burgeoning form of entertainment and a stark representation of the country’s national identity. Raised by a single mother in the province, guitar virtuoso Alejandro Sebastian is thrust into the classical music scene when he gets accepted into The Conservatory of Music. With the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) a few months away, eccentric maestro Pablo Rocca trains his gifted…

Bookbed reviews: ‘Till Death Do Us Part’ by Irene Recio

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by Gaelle Ansaldo THE STORY Everything in Nikki’s life is picture perfect: her photography has taken off and is now a thriving business, she is reconnecting with old friends, and her husband is nothing but devoted to her. That is, until she discovers a shocking truth that might put her and her family in danger. Get a copy: Amazon (ebook), Bookbed Store (print) / Read reviews: Goodreads WHAT I LIKED I’m not one to read suspense novels but this one made me immediately need a sequel. I had one question after I finished it, “What happened next?!” Being that it was my first #HeistClub novel…

Bookbed reviews: ‘Love At First Run’ by Angel C. Aquino

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by KB Meniado THE STORY After getting her heart broken, 23-year-old Diana Gomez is afraid to fall in love again. But when her office crush Paul invites her to join a running club with him, she goes for it.  What she doesn’t know is that to be a part of the club, she actually has to train for a half marathon—and that she’ll meet Joshua, the handsome club veteran who becomes her unofficial running buddy.  As if it isn’t hard enough to do speed work, interval training, and long runs after work and on weekends, she has to deal with her…

Bookbed reviews: ‘Down and Across’ by Arvin Ahmadi

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by KB Meniado THE STORY Scott Ferdowsi has a track record of quitting. Writing the Great American Novel? Three chapters. His summer internship? One week. His best friends know exactly what they want to do with the rest of their lives, but Scott can hardly commit to a breakfast cereal, let alone a passion. With college applications looming, Scott’s parents pressure him to get serious and settle on a career path like engineering or medicine. Desperate for help, he sneaks off to Washington, DC, to seek guidance from a famous professor who specializes in grit, the psychology of success. He never…

Bookbed reviews: ‘Soul City’ by Mon D Rea

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by Ian Miraflores THE STORY IT’S NOT A JOURNEY. IT’S A DESTINATION. When Nate Cuervo dies in a diving accident, he realizes he isn’t ready to leave everything behind, including his girlfriend and soulmate Samantha. He falls into an underworld prison where the only way out is through an eccentric reaper named Sephtimus Rex. As head reaper, Septhimus leads an army of supernatural Crows tasked with the cold deportation of overstaying spirits from the human realm. But the fates smile on Nate because the head reaper has problems of his own. He has fallen in love with a mortal girl; an…

Bookbed reviews: ‘Love, Hate & Other Filters’ by Samira Ahmed

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by KB Meniado THE STORY American-born seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between worlds. There’s the proper one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter: attending a college close to their suburban Chicago home, and being paired off with an older Muslim boy her mom deems “suitable.” And then there is the world of her dreams: going to film school and living in New York City—and maybe (just maybe) pursuing a boy she’s known from afar since grade school, a boy who’s finally falling into her orbit at school. There’s also the real world, beyond Maya’s control. In the aftermath of…