Evan Saatchi can’t keep his eyes off his new co-worker, Dalisay Ramos.
Newly arrived from Manila to lead their travel app’s Asia division, nothing matters more to Dalisay than tradition and family. When Evan asks her out, she soundly rejects him for his cheek.
Evan learns from his Filipino friends that Dalisay expects more from potential suitors. If he wants a chance with her, he’s going to have to go through the Five Stages: the courtship ritual that lovers in the Philippines have performed for generations.
At first, Evan is skeptical—what, exactly, does “servitude” entail? And he has to sing?! But when Dalisay bets Evan that he doesn’t have the nerve to make it through the stages, the game is on.
As Evan attempts to prove to Dalisay that he can win her heart—and the bet—Dalisay is driven to distraction by Evan’s sexy labors, and soon their “courtship” turns into a sizzling secret.
But when modern love and family expectations collide, Dalisay and Evan must find a way to carry a rich history into a shared future.
Featuring a memorable cast of characters navigating the intersection of cultural traditions, workplace dynamics, and the magic of true love, this heart-warming Asian American romance is perfect for fans of Kevin Kwan books, Red String Theory, and other voicey Asian American authors. Melissa de la Cruz thoughtfully explores the push and pull of contemporary desires and deep-rooted familial expectations, all set against the backdrop of a will-they-won’t-they workplace romance that will leave readers swooning.
Title: The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: Union Square
Expected Publication Date: July 9, 2024
Review:
Thank you to Union Square & Co. and NetGalley for providing me with an audio galley of this title to listen to and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Evan can't keep his eyes off his new Filipino coworker Dailsay. When he asks her out and she rejects him, he learns from his Filipino friends there's more to dating in Filipino tradition than what American's know. On a bet, Dalisay encourages Evan to do The Five Stages of Courting traditional for her people. But along the way, things get blurry and Evan and Dalisay fall for one another. When Dalisay's world is turned upside down, she realizes going back to her traditions is best. But can she stay away from Evan? and most of all, does she want to?
I'm a nurse and have been immersed in a bit of Filipino culture since I started in the industry. I was anxious to read this book and learn some new information about the culture. And it was fun!
I really liked watching Evan learn about the Filipino courtship ritual. It was a testament to opening yourself up to new culture and realizing your way is not always the right way. But it was also interesting to watch Dalisay adapt to American culture and realize the same thing. Sometimes when we are so set in our ways, it can cause us to miss out on new things we may love.
The Filipino representation in the book was great. It absolutely sealed what I know of my friends and coworkers. It also made me want to learn more. Cruz captured what it means to be Filipino in America. How holding on to traditions is just as important as opening yourself up to new things.
The romance was nice, though a bit forced in the beginning for me. It was insta-love and I'm not really a fan of that. I understand attraction but it just seemed like more than that and I wanted more of a progression given the idea that the five stages were meant to take you through it.
This is not my first de la Cruz book and I can see her writing style does not change even with a change in genre. It's quite choppy. Her choice of third person narrative often took me out of the story. With romances I really like to hear the voice of the characters and the third person didn't convey this for me. This also made the pacing very slow for me and I felt myself having to push to pick the story back up once I set it down.
Overall I found the book a bit of a struggle but it's worth it for the cultural aspect if you're wanting to learn a bit about Filipino culture and tradition.
Author:
Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.
Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.
She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.
Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).
She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.
