We’re revisiting firsts! Some of our favorite authors’ first ever books, that is. Thanks to the Backlist Revival project, I got a chance to enjoy Anne Plaza‘s first ever romance novel, In Over Her Head. Read on to learn more about the book:
All she wants is to get even…
Erika Apostol’s quiet and unassuming life gets disrupted when she learns that Richard Javier, the very same person who broke her heart many years ago, is now back in the country. Her world is turned upside down as old feelings she thought were buried resurface to haunt her once more.
Determined to give Richard a dose of his own medicine, Erika finds herself involved in an outrageous plan devised by her friends. They enlist the help of Jerome Gonzales, an attractive and charismatic DJ (with a playboy reputation), to pose as her significant other.
As the plan goes in full swing, Erika discovers Richard’s jealous side, and that there’s something more to Jerome than meets the eye. Will this grand charade work out the way it should, or will she be left with nothing in the end?
Breaking up is the easy part. It’s the moving on thing that’s a complete and utter chore, because that part you have to do on your own. And that I think is Erika‘s essential debacle in this story. It’s easy to sympathize with her pain; with how horrible she felt after her boyfriend Richard dumped her like that, unceremoniously and over what seemed like a career opportunity. Her heart was left in such fragile little pieces that even after 10 years she still had not picked herself up. So I kind of understand where the push came from when she hastily agreed to the get-back-at-the-ex plan. No, it wasn’t the smartest nor was it the most mature of moves, but coming from that place of hurt, it did make sense.
I liked Jerome. I liked how he was, deep inside, a real cupcake. I liked how he called Erika out and pushed her to make decisions she wouldn’t dare face on her own. I liked how Richard tried with Erika. I’m not sure I would have accepted that Starbucks bag, but that’s just me. I liked Lorra and how much she cared about Erika, though it bothered me a little that a lot of the things happening in Lorra’s life apparently didn’t breach Erika’s radar. (Come on girls, your friendship!)
I got my feels right where I wanted them, plus an extra dose because of Gio‘s voice in my head (heh refer to the #romanceclass podcast). Reading the last few scenes, I agreed with how things turned out. But then I’d mull it over again and I’d change my mind. I think that’s just me too, this general indecision and the fallibility of my feelings. How about you read the book too and let’s discuss?
About the Author
Anne Plaza writes contemporary romance, young adult, and speculative fiction novellas. She has been into writing since high school and has been actively pursuing it on a professional level despite having a totally unrelated bachelor’s degree. Her first contemporary New Adult romance novella In Over Her Head was published in 2013 and was subsequently nominated for the 2014 Filipino Reader’s Choice Awards Romance in English.
When not writing, Anne juggles time in her day job, obsessing over her TV show fandoms, and shopping for new books to add to her growing TBR pile.
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