Carlisle Santiago is through with men. After the devastating end of a seven-year relationship, she's trying to put her life back together. What she doesn't know is that she is the subject of the patient and methodical observations of blue-haired scientist Matteo Villegas, who just wants to find love himself. She must decide whether she's ready to give love another shot or if this is doomed to be one failed experiment.
Miles Tan likes inhabiting imaginary worlds, from fantasy books to sci-fi shows to cheeky mysteries to role-playing games. She works with websites, plays with graphics, and is now currently painting with words. Finding X is her first published novella. Her short story, Something Real, is included in the YA anthology, Luna East.
Started this one while I was in Baguio (similar enough to Tagaytay, it felt like it was meant to be) for a work trip and finally finished it last Sunday when I was grasping at straws for distractions so I won't do my thesis proposal. Hahahahuhuhu. I planned on reviewing it immediately after but I was a bit too rage-y for that so I let my feelings subside first.
I gotta admit, if you don't have a background in molecular biology/immunology/biology, you might not have any issues with the book. Ultimately, I couldn't suspend my disbelief and just accept the inaccuracies (more like impossibilities and errors). I guess I expected that any science in this book would be correct, or even the reality of applying for grants and publishing. It wasn't even advertised that there will be a molecular biologist character in this one so I thought there wouldn't be any problems because the geology aspect was spot-on (but then again, those were just puns and jokes).
Prior to the disappointment/rage, I was about to rate this book 3 stars. It was cute but I didn't feel very shippy with it. I liked the main character and the love interest enough and I appreciated that it tackled work and heartbreak. I connected and empathized with Carlisle. Sadly, it was Matteo that didn't exactly click with me. Firstly, he came across as a bit creepy to me because of his stalking tendencies and his journal. His journal read like a cross between his personal diary and a laboratory notebook for experiments. I guess that was the point but it read as creepy to me! It didn't come across as a recording of his scientific query and results but AS STALKING. But when I realized that Matteo was a puppy and he's harmless, I felt better but I guess I'll never be that into him. He lacked something I couldn't pinpoint, maybe more of a character aside from his blue hair?
I feel so bad rating this book this way but I can't help my feelings~ It was a cute and okay story and I am usually forgiving with science in books, especially in sci-fi because it's fantasy. For example, I'm fine with some loopholes in time travels or if it's a dystopian/futuristic book, I could assume that that technology was possible. But with contemporaries like this one, I realized that I couldn't deal with that because THIS IS REAL LIFE. I feel so sad and mad because I wish I just didn't know. Or that the book just had a molecular biology student as a character but didn't go into details.
Oh well. This was a cute enough story but if you have a background in biology, just, beware.
Geeky, super cute, touched my heart, made me laugh. Also, this book couldn't have come at a more appropriate time, and I think I may have made an actual life decision inspired by it. Thanks, Carlisle and Matteo. Thank you for reminding me to let people in more easily. Btw, here's a thread of my favorite parts. Enjoy!
I finished this book a month ago, but only had the chance to review it now, XD
This was a fun read that I was able to finish rather quickly because I could not put it down for long! I love the dynamics of their first meeting and their subsequent meetings where both are holding back something from the other but could not stay away for too long.
I loved that Carlisle is so much more than just a loveless girl here. She world hard, she plays video games, she’s saving the world (or at least making a difference) one step at a time. I also loved that Matteo is super smart and nerdy but not insufferable, and adorable instead. There was an element of strong woman/meek man vibe in there but the characters are written well, these stereotypes are whittled down to deliver a story that’s fun and more relatable than I initially thought it would be.
Kudos also for including Matteo’s POV in short but meaningful journal notes. I loved that they’re short enough not to take the stage away from Carlisle but it was enough to say more about the LI than other books with only one POV.
Plus points on hair colors and how important they are in the story, and of course, Matteo’s geological puns! (*oh, and I have not forgotten about the rain + car scene. I don’t think I ever will! ;) )
4 of 5 Stars. Highly recommended for those who are craving for cute stories that does justice to lovable characters. AND YAY, SCIENCE!
*this review also appears on my blog: bentchcreates.tumblr.com
Love isn’t exactly top of mind for Carlisle Santiago when she spends a weekend at a swanky hotel in Tagaytay. Fresh from the end of a seven-year relationship and the year of non-stop work she had thrown herself into in order to forget, all she is looking to accomplish is to recover from her wounds.
But fate has other things planned for her when she meets Matteo Villegas, a blue-haired geologist who’s trying to find out if he can actually make a girl — Carlisle — fall in love with him, despite the fact that he is socially-awkward. Over the course of several days and weeks, Matteo manages to find a place in Carlisle’s life and in her heart.
However, it’s not all smooth sailing for the couple as Matteo’s attempts at winning Carlisle’s heart accidentally reopens the old wounds that she has only been starting to get over. Will Matteo manage to rebound from his misstep and take his friendship with Carlisle to another level? And will Carlisle manage to look beyond her past and see a future with Matteo?
It’s not difficult to get into the world and the relationship that Tan creates in “Finding X,” mainly because she has created such a likeable character in her love interest.
Matteo Villegas is a refreshing take on the romantic lead, which in recent years has taken the form of the hyper-masculine alpha male, often rough and domineering with a soft emotional core underneath. Matteo is the farthest thing from being an alpha male: he bumbles his way into starting a conversation with Carlisle in the first few pages of the book, and he never really takes on an authoritative voice in the story.
Tan’s triumph is that despite the fact that Matteo rarely displays any of the markers of conventional masculinity, it in no way diminishes his appeal to Carlisle or the reader. In fact, when put beside the more conventionally masculine Erickson Gutierrez — Carlisle’s ex-boyfriend and immediate boss — it’s clear who the better man is.
It’s also a great help that Matteo has such an adorable voice, which Tan reveals to readers in Matteo’s academic-style journals placed before some of the book’s chapters. It’s an inventive way of getting readers to see the inner workings of a character’s mind, and works really well in building up the romance and the tension. Seeing Matteo grow through these journals is pretty satisfying to read.
While “Finding X” has a strong draw in the form of it’s hero, Matteo, that’s not to say that there aren’t things that can be improved. It’s Tan’s first book, and some parts of the work make this abundantly clear.
Some readers, for instance, may not be as enamoured of the book’s plotting as they are of Matteo. While Carlisle does encounter some challenges on the way to her happy ending, Tan isn’t as successful in building up the tension as she is in creating the character of Matteo Villegas.
The Amazon Kindle version of the book — the one used for this review — also had a few typographical errors scattered throughout the text, perhaps caused by the process used to turn the text into an e-book.
Nevertheless, all of these are little problems in a book that is quote enjoyable, with a standout love interest to boot. Romance readers looks for a light and fun read would do well to give “Finding X” a try.
1. There is no shortage in the number of alpha male characters in romance books, but we definitely need more Type B males like the adorable Matteo Villegas. This geek of a scientist is a breath of fresh air. He's definitely the type of guy I would be smitten with in real life - smart and adventurous. I like my guys a little quirky (mabuhay ang mga awkward!), but is not afraid of roller coasters. I also loved how determined and persistent he was to pursue Carlisle Also, don't we all wish to have someone who is attentive enough to remember the things we casually mention we like? Haaay.
2. Like the true academic that he was, Matteo documented the progress of his pursuit of Carlisle. These journal entries in between some of the chapters was an effective way of letting the readers in on what goes through Matteo's mind.
3. I really like it when I see authors put in some valuable trivia or research in their works. Sure, I read fiction works, but I'd love it more if I get something out of it aside from mere entertainment. The theory on UP Diliman's Sunken Garden really fascinated me.
4. Character development for Carlisle, the MC, was also good. We see her transition from being aloof to being more open towards the end of the story.
5. I also liked how both Matteo and Carlisle's close-knit relationships with their respective siblings. I also loved the geology puns so much, so I'm sorry I'm just writing this review now. I know that was my fault. (hehehe)
6. These moments: "Don't worry, the possibility of falling off is very low. And besides... I'm not going to let you fall." He held out his hand almost tentatively, adding a shy grin. "I'm told I've got pretty steady hands."
“Finding x may be as easy as encircling it and pointing out to it when written on paper, but actually figuring out what it was, entailed a lot more than that. Perfection was an illusion; it involved a lot of work, a generous helping of patience, and a huge amount of dedication.”
I'd recommend this book to anyone who believes in love even after being jaded, and to those who find geeky characters swoon-worthy.
So, I'll start this by saying that the plot intrigued me a lot. Plus, blue-haired scientist? I am sooooo in! And I was not disappointed. The pages just flew by as I got more settled into the story (which was not a very hard thing considering how smooth it went)
What I loved the best in the story were the well-written characters. Carlisle, or simply Cas, defied stereotypes of men being better than women all the time especially in the work place. She was so realistically created which is a good thing. The best thing about her that I liked the most is that as the story progressed, I felt how she grew empowered and managed to free herself from the bonds of her previous partner, both romantically and professionally.
Speaking of breaking the norms, Miss Tan did it so well in molding Matteo's character. Turning away from the usual "alpha male", the introduction of the blue-haired scientist was refreshing. As much as I love the other types of love interests, I always had a soft spot for weird, awkward, nerdy guys. Matteo was all of that. The geology puns were hilarious too :) Lastly, the journal was a nice touch to the story because it gives the readers a view on what really goes inside Matteo's head.
This is one of the three stories included in Love is the Answer, a chick-lit bundle composed of #romanceclass novellas, and I must say that Finding X is one of the sweetest geeky stories I have ever read so far. I loved how science and romance beautifully blended in this novella, and of course, who wouldn’t like the blue-haired, journal-writing Matteo? Squee! <3 Another thing that I loved about this book is the relationship of the main characters with their respective siblings. I find it very sweet and funny at the same time. Finding X is really one of the best ##romanceclass stories I have ever read so far, and I really look forward to reading more of Miles Tan’s stories.
Plus factor: those corny geology jokes really had me laughing coffee out my nose. :XD
Favorite quote:
Matteo leaned back in his chair. “I don’t understand though. Sounds to me he’s taking a lot of things for granite.”
This story is a breath of fresh air. It's something interesting and refreshing. I love every scenes in the story but my favorite part is when Matteo vent out his thoughts through his journal entries very witty. How he execute his plans to make Cass be his girl. Very innovative! hahaha
I find it quirky and adorkable especially the guy is not your usual male lead strong personality with a painful past , your typical business guy in a suit or a bad ass slash rock star.
The characters are lovable... You can definitely relate to them especially to Cas. She went through a break up and find herself back on track. She move forward from her old flame and learn many things in life not only in love but also fight for something right. Have faith in your self and believe in second chances in love.
Way to start my #romanceclass marathon. Picked this novella as the curiosity got into me (clever title). The story was about Carlisle struggle in moving on (after a 7 years relationship) and trying again in love. And true to itself, second chance in love only happens for those who are willing to put the past behind.
I love how the author plays the story, with no red herring and in a straightforward path since page one. Love the cheesy, toe-curling scenes between the MC and LI. Love the geographical puns (even if sometimes it's too much). Love the hair. and most especially love the awkward nerd yet hot guy with a passion in Science named Mateo (heehee). This is a novella worth reading. Thumbs up!
This book was ultrasweet, giving you all the delicious tingly sugared halo-halo feelings the entire ride. Matteo is deadly cute with light blue hair and Carlisle is too smart and too skittish for her own happiness. I love the geology jokes, nerd humor, the outrageously awesome notebook Matteo kept about his experiment on getting Carlisle to fall in love with him. The Evil Ex got his comeuppance too, and through the entire story, we see how capable Carlisle is, even while she doubted herself. I also love that she is a female programmer, although a front-end developer, she still provided the leadership to make sure the nightly builds were on track, while her douchebag boss (and Ex) took all the credit.
Awesomely fun book. I can't wait to see what Ms. Tan comes up with next.
Not every love interest is made of rock-solid sexy body; there are also those who can make you swoon with geological puns and nerdy remarks without being boring. I love that Matteo is far from the usual alpha male LIs we read on romance novels these days, though he still makes heads turn with his blue hair (my peg for him is Nicholas Hoult's character of Hank/Beast in X: Men, and he's really cute with those glasses on). I love Miles' writing and Matteo's journal entries, and was surprisingly got all giddy at the end of the story. It may have lacked sexual tension between Carlisle and Matteo at some points, but it does not diminish their love story. This is one of the romance stories I've read that stood out.
When we were asked to read a couple of books in preparation for #SparkNA in April this year, I got drawn to Finding X and decided to buy it on Smashwords. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed. I really liked the breezy kind of way it was written (I finished it in about two hours--would have been just an hour if I didn't do oral readings of certain parts for my friends' amusement), and certain scenes just made me squee like the hopeless romantic I am. I don't want to spoil the story for anyone else who is planning to read it, but I really, really love the entire sequence that involved the theater... because I could relate to it a lot, in many different ways.
P.S. Each time I see a guy with blue hair now (I have, twice, after reading this book), I think of Matteo. :P
Cute cute book. Matteo is kind, sweet and almost torpe, but he is pulled away from breaching that line by his sheer determination to get the girl--by employing scientific method at that--, all while not being a jackass. Even the supposedly jackassy move he made didn't feel like so to me. I liked Carlisle too, and though there were times I wanted to shake her shoulders for declining and swaying the many times she did, I also understood where she was coming from. And yes, yes, I love love the geologist puns. Don't take anything for granite, kids!
I confess, it was the blue hair that *really* caught my attention at first :-) But loved how Matteo's character developed throughout the book, his geeky sweetness was truly attractive and the journal entries added an extra scientific oomph to the whole narrative. I also like how Carlisle slowly opened up during the course of the story. The grand gesture she made at the end made me want to visit a salon too ;-) Hihihi. Oh, and Matteo's sister Marian was adorable! I wish she'd get her own story!
The geek shall inherit the earth. I liked the character of Matteo a lot. Though I wish there was a conclusion to the journal he was writing. I was interested a great deal with the blue-haired guy. I hope Miles writes more! Great work!
This book was ultrasweet, giving you all the delicious tingly sugared halo-halo feelings the entire ride. Matteo is deadly cute with light blue hair and Carlisle is too smart and too skittish for her own happiness. I love the geology jokes, nerd humor, the outrageously awesome notebook Matteo kept about his experiment on getting Carlisle to fall in love with him. The Evil Ex got his comeuppance too, and through the entire story, we see how capable Carlisle is, even while she doubted herself. I also love that she is a female programmer, although a front-end developer, she still provided the leadership to make sure the nightly builds were on track, while her douchebag boss (and Ex) took all the credit.
Awesomely fun book. I can't wait to see what Ms. Tan comes up with next.