Maybe This Time: Stories of Love and Second Chances

by C.P. Santi

An accidental reunion . . . a sneaky plot . . . things finally falling into place.

Maybe This Time contains three heart-warming stories of love and second chances. Because when fate gives you a break, you grab the chance to finally make things right.

In Sweeter by the Second, when paintings conservator Rina David arrives for the Arts Festival in the heritage town of Jimenez, she’s reunited with Tony, the guy she once loved and lost. Now vice-mayor of Jimenez, Tony wants Rina back in his life and will do everything he can to convince her that they belong together.

Pamela Quiroz hatches a plot to get her parents back together in Exorcising my Ex. But will a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner succeed in reconciling Geno and Viv? After all, it’s been more than fifteen years since they first got together and they aren’t the hormone-driven teenagers they once were. Will wine and cheese balls still do the trick?

Torch, meet hand. Arne Weichmann has been waiting twenty-one years for Bea. Is it finally the right time to make his move and convince her that they are Meant to Be? He hopes so. Because he doesn't think he’ll survive losing the one person who brought warmth and sunshine to his life.

Genres: Romance, Anthologies

ebook

Published June 3, 2016

About the author

C. P. Santi is a Filipina writer based in Tokyo, Japan. She is a wife to an engineer / indie songwriter and is a full-time mom to two energetic boys. She loves cooking, baking, eating chocolate, watching J-doramas, singing at karaoke, and running around the house playing tickle tag. She also loves dreaming up stories about the people she meets.

In another life, she is also an architect and academic.

C. P. Santi blogs about writing and creative stuff at http://thejapayukichronicles.blogspot.jp. You can also view her other works in progress at http://www.wattpad.com/user/cpsanti

Reviews

[Beatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and if you like it too, I recommend Maybe This Time. It contains three stories and all of them are feel-good romances set in the Philippines.

Among the stories, Sweeter by the Second has the most kilig factor and I wish Rina and Tony's story could have gotten longer. I'm so invested and felt so giddy about them.

This is officially my first book for stan asian authors readathon.

[Claire - The Coffeeholic Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding love that was lost. Moving on but never really moving forward. Holding back while secretly holding on. This is how I summed up the three short stories from CP Santi's Maybe This Time: Stories of Love and Second Chances. I can't help but feel the love that Rina & Tony had endured after their breakup, take another chance with Geno and Viv, and finally succumbing to their feelings with Arne and Bea.

It's always nice to read books that feature places in the Philippines. I get to learn more about them without having to travel with a backpack. Such is the beauty of Jimenez, as introduced and beautifully depicted in Sweeter by The Second. Add two old lovers who met again after how many years. Tony has proven that he's matured enough to realize that Rina's happiness is also his happiness, and that's what made him ideal for me.

For the second story, Exorcising My Ex, let me sum it up with these hashtags: #Valentines #BlindDateSetup #sPammy #CollegeSweethearts #Cheeseballs #Aldub

Yep these are mostly the words that stuck to my mind after reading about Pam's VDay setup for her mom and dad. Yep, hashtags, the bane of my existence, LOL. I don't really use hashtags on my tweets or posts, but with the existence of Aldub in the book, I couldn't help it. Yep, #Aldub is featured in this book, ladies and gents, the reason why Twitter exploded a million times last year..

Anyway, enough of the hashtags. Exorcising My Ex is about the right love at the wrong time. Geno and Viv never married but they got a lovechild together and they realized their mistakes during a Valentine date setup by their daughter, Pam. I think this was my favorite story from the book. I love the feeling of seeing Geno and Viv bonding in front of the TV like the happy couple they should have been.

Okay, enough of them, or I might just spill the beans about the whole book. Onto the next...

World Youth Day 1995 brought me a lot of memories from high school. I had attended WYD with my choir mates and met new friends from other countries too, that's why the last story in the book, Meant To Be, is special to me. It took Arne Weichmann twenty one long years to finally act upon his feelings for the then 12 year old ball of sunshine named Bea. Twenty one years! Imagine that. I, for one, do not have that patience, and two, I could never suppress that feeling for a long time especially when my significant other is on the other side of the globe. But Arne was different. He made me swoon for him instantly the moment he laid eyes on Bea, I thought that was magical, from complete strangers to being family friends, to best friends to lovers. I guess they were really meant to be.

I appreciate the ramblings made by Filipina author CP Santi at the end of her anthology. She explained how the short stories came into fruition and how Maybe This Time was inspired by a song. The night I finished reading this book, I had a really good night sleep. Hoping to read more from Santi again, soon!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of the 3 short stories, my fave would have to be Sweeter by the Second. I wish the author would write a book about their full love story!

"We're responsible for our own choices. I've made a lot of stupid decisions in my life."

"But life doesn't work that way. When I learned you were married, I was devastated. But I realized it was my fault. I could have had that, but I chose differently. I really regret losing you, but I don't regret what I've achieved. I just wish we could've had another chance."

"Life is weird. All these years, I'd been looking . . . waiting . . . praying for the perfect girl to come along. Maybe the answer to my prayers came too early. Maybe she was right beside me all along."

[Kat at Book Thingo · Rating 3 out of 5]

CP Santi's prose is always lovely, but medyo bitin.

Full review at Book Thingo.

Reading short story romance is a bit like a cup of hot chocolate on a wintry afternoon. It’s warm, delicious and satisfying, as long as you’re not expecting a cappuccino. Or, in this case, a fully fledged romantic arc. But if you have limited reading time, this anthology packs enough of a punch to satisfy, without that overwhelming sense of just one more page that often means having to catch the next bus, or dinner being slightly burnt.

Each of the three stories has a slightly different structure, which keeps this anthology from feeling repetitive. Santi’s lyrical style is distinctive, however, and it seeps through the narratives. I get the sense that she’s still trying to find the balance between the requirements of writing for the genre — Push that story along, author! — and her natural inclination to linger in a scene and dwell on the quiet moments. These preoccupations aren’t incompatible, of course, but it takes experience to combine them seamlessly. It’s not that I noticed these stylistic transitions overtly, but there’s an unevenness in tone that can be felt under the surface. When she does finds that balance within the story, C.P. Santi's prose is reminiscent of authors like Joanna Bourne, whose narrative introspection elevates angst to another level.

Santi has several grammatical and stylistic idiosyncrasies that I found jarring, and I wish she hadn’t chosen to italicise the Tagalog words in the stories. YMMV, and these are small prices to pay for the pleasure of reading Santi’s prose. Each story ends charmingly with ‘(Not) The End’, reiterating the theme of new beginnings. And if there’s a word that sums up this anthology, it would be: charming.

[Justine from Novels and Panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 Short Stories I’ve inhaled in a jiffy.

Literally filled with stories of second chances and of stories that whatever is meant to be will be.

[Ronald Lim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted on RonReads

Having read none of C.P. Santi’s work before, I honestly didn’t know what to expect once I started in on “Sweeter by the Second”. I was pleasantly surprised that the main characters were in their thirties, and even more so when C.P. kept them that way. It would have been easy to cheat and just tell the story of how they fell in love as young people and then occasionally move back to their current age, but all of the characters remain firmly in their thirties in the stories, with only occasional flashbacks to their younger years. It’s a great move, as most Filipino romance out now does tend to focus on younger people.

I loved the use of innuendo in “Exorcising the Ex” hilarious, and I found the reactions of Bea’s family at the end of “Meant To Be” funny and endearing. I also liked the uncertainty that all the characters felt at the possibility of a rekindled romance. Who wouldn’t after it didn’t work out in the first place, right?

I also found the strong sense of place in “Sweeter by the Second” a very strong draw, and definitely made it the standout among the three stories. I love how C.P. managed to draw such a clear picture of the town of Jimenez in my head with such a short story, and I’d be happy to read more stories exploring that town even further.

And that’s my one nitpick with Maybe This Time: Stories of Love and Second Chances: I kinda wish that all these stories were much longer than they were. Which I guess isn’t such a bad thing to complain about, right?

[Jem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let it be known here on out that I do not believe in second chances, and this book just became the exception. Okay now that that’s out of the way, let me just squeal my way into writing this review. I assure you that reading this book will give you pure, unadulterated fluffy, feel good giddy feelings.
I loved the locations. I loved that the characters are a bit older, and are happy and settled with their chosen careers. I loved the familiarity and connection that every character had with each other. You can feel in their banters that they knew each other well, and knew how to make each other tick.
Sweeter by the Second
This is my favourite one because there's just something about Vice Mayor Tony. He is unapologetically charming and single-minded in getting Rina back. He is so smooth and sweet, and he kind of reminds me of this boy.
In a few chapters, you see that they care a lot for each other, and the bridges weren’t really because they had justifiable reasons for their parting.
PS. My old boss’ name is Rina so it’s a weird experience to read an MC with her name. Hahaha
Exorcising my Ex
This was the funniest, I think. This story is just so full of nostalgia and familiarity, with Aldub and cheeseballs references. I think Geno and Viv needed the time apart to grow into their future selves, and their future selves just fits. They fit so well. I also think that Pam, their daughter, just made the story a 100% more endearing.
Meant to Be
Well, this is the epitome of delayed gratification, aye? 21 Years, My God!
I savored and loved each one of these stories, they are super short and yet super satisfying! I literally rolled over and over on my bed because I cannot contain all the hoity-toity feelings it gave me. READ IT! READ IT!

[Marian Rosary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it's the romantic in me speaking, but I am a firm believer of second chances. While they are rare and hard-earned, they definitely exist for me. I love that this was the focus of C.P. Santi's short story anthology, Maybe This Time: Stories of Love and Second Chances.
While I'm familiar with #romanceclass books, this is the first time I've read something written by C.P. Santi and I gotta say, I love what she did with this trope. I don't read much second chance romances because I find them to be very angsty (usually, what with all the baggage and etc) so it's refreshing to see it executed in a light manner but still, never losing that kilig. Add to that that all her characters are very much adults as they are all in their thirties, which is awesome since most people view adults as uptight, mostly serious beings.
The first two stories, Sweeter by the Second and Exorcising my Ex, were both my personal faves. (Though it doesn't mean that I did not like the third story, Meant to Be. It definitely had its merits but I guess the first two stories made me more kilig by just a smidge.) The only thing I hated about this was it was a tad too short for my liking. I wanna know more! :( I'll be on the lookout for more of C.P. Santi's work, that's for sure. :)

[Ana Tejano]

* Also posted on It's Time, Ana

The first time I read C.P. Santi's book, Be Careful What You Wish For, I was giggling quietly as I went through the pages. There's something so fresh and authentic in her writing that I knew immediately that I would read her other books, too. I had the same experience with her YA book, When Cocoy Became Kikay, so when the opportunity to read her collection of short stories came up, I immediately jumped at it. (Albeit late to read, but still!)

Maybe This Time: Stories of Love and Second Chances  features three short stories about...well, love and second chances. Haha. Similar to her first book, the characters here are a little bit older than the usual contemporary romance novel - more accomplished, more settled into their lives, and maybe have allowed themselves to not really think about love and romance because of this reason. And yet love finds them again, in the form of old lovers, teenage daughters, and old friends.

I really liked how we get to see older characters in these stories who still fumble around love and romance, telling us that we're all probably just fumbling along, trying to make things right at this front. Haha. But I guess because of their age and their accomplishments, they also know exactly what they want now, and then they go get it. The stories were funny and heartwarming and of course, provided all the feels you'd want/need in one sitting. (I read this in an Uber ride with a bit of moderate traffic.)

My personal favorite from this collection is Viv and Geno from Exorcising my Ex. I just loved how their current situation came from a complicated background, but still they made whatever they had work for the sake of their daughter. Though the story was short, the author provided enough back story for us to understand where they were coming from, and then you'd want them to get their happily-ever-after, too. (Okay fine, perhaps more for the sake of sPammy, because she's such a darling.)

Maybe This Time  is a perfect collection to give you a dose of warm, fuzzy feelings about love finding ways - sometimes with a little help from you. :)

[Ailla Magcamit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read full review HERE! :)

Story ratings breakdown:
Sweeter by the Second - 4
Exorcising my Ex - 4
Meant to Be - 3.5

The first story, Sweeter by the Second, lives up to its name. The sweetness is really evident between Rina and Tony. I also loved how I managed to get a glimpse of the beauty that is Misamis Occidental. It sounds so lovely and the people, so warm! Plotwise, I found it...interesting. I mean, yes, it was a bit cliched but there's this sense of "newness" to it that you'd still want to read on and know how things fell into place. Speaking of it, I loved the conclusion! The characters' decisions were actually the total opposite of what I expected them to do. Nonetheless, I can say that it was a lovely surprise *wink*

Moving on, the second story is actually my favorite. Exorcising My Ex was funny, heart-warming, and just simply beautiful. I liked the opening sequence as well as the plot twist that it entailed. Geno and Viv showed that maturity is the key. They acknowledged their mistakes and did their best to right their wrongs during their past and I think that is the important thing. Another aspect that I liked is the overall youthful vibe of the story. Come on! Cheeseballs? Arcade? Full-grown adults watching (and obviously enjoying) Aldub? Sold! Lastly, the ending was really cute!! :3 Candidate for the best daughter awardee: Pam!

Meant to Be, the last entry in the anthology, gave me Love, Rosie feels! I mean, 21 years??? Also, as a fan of love stories which starts out as friendship, this one really hits the spot despite minor problems (which is probably just me haha) I liked the set-up also reminded me of the pinoy telenovelas in which everyone in the family is simply rooting for the leads to get together and be done with it. Of course, the ending phrase was absolute perfection and I guess, summarized the heart of the whole anthology: "In His Time"

[H. Bentham · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are parts of my full review on my blog, bentchcreates.tumblr.com

I got my free ARC because of a promo(and because I honestly love, love, LOVE Short Story collections!), so here’s me, spreading out the word.

This book features three short stories about relationships that have not reached “forever” status the first time, but have been special enough (and lucky enough!) to be given another chance to really make it work out this time.

Stories:
[1]Sweeter by the Second
*What I loved most: C.P. Santi’s vivid descriptions of Jimenez, Misamis Occidental! I’m officially putting this on my list of places to visit.

[2]Exorcising my Ex
*What I loved most: Viv’s character. She’s the sophisticated, intimidating type who will surprise you with her arcade video game skillz! LOL

[3]Meant to Be
*What I loved most: The twenty one year wait. Because it didn’t seem to make sense to me, but once you get to read it, it perfectly makes sense! And what Arne does at the end was just - ugh! My heart melted like butter on hot cross buns!

I am a sucker for meant-to-be stories, the notion that someone who’s destined for you will eventually find their way back, so this has been a wonderful reading experience for me. Oh, the feels I had to suppress because it’s weird for a grown man to squeal in kilig on the MRT!

Anyone one who knows me knows that if I absolutely adore something, I wouldn’t stop talking about it, but if I start yapping about it, I run the risk of spoiling the good parts to you.

4.5 STARS - I’m holding half a star hostage, until C.P. Santi releases more of these shorts because they are very well written and well, it came at a really tough work week for me, so it served as an amazing, sweet escape from reality.

Buy your copy, read, and then talk to me about feels! :)

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best collection ever! All three stories in the book have unique charms I can’t describe, and by the time I hit the ending of the last 3rd story, I felt my heart sunk, thinking “aw, no more?”

This was the second book I’ve read from C.P. Santi, and I would say that I love it more than Be Careful What You Wish For.

The first story “Sweeter by the Second” is my least favorite, but I love the storytelling. The way the author vividly describe the town made Jimenez so alive in my head. I like the melancholy touch but not so dramatic feel.

The second story “Exorcising my Ex” was cute and funny. I loved how the daughter played matchmaker to her parents. I can’t sympathize with Viv and Geno’s past, though, probably because I’ve always been mature for my age that I found their reason for drifting apart stupid. Being young isn’t an excuse. The past aside, the present made me giggled and restless in my seat. My favorite remains to be Pamela.

The third story “Meant to Be” is my most favorite. I love the interaction between Arne and Bea, the way they transit from friends to lover super kilig! Also, I could kiss the author’s cheek for writing “Blue-eyed Viking at your side” this is my biased opinion I married one. Haha :D And the ending of this story is also the best. I love Bea’s family to the point that I wish to be a part of it. Hehehe :D

Despite being busy with my writing and catching deadlines, this book keeps me dragging me back to read. Luckily I manage to resist the temptation and read it in three days. One story a day. I would have loved to sit and read the whole book in one sitting, but that would destroy my fun of enjoying it slowly. (sigh) I wish the book had more stories.

***Review was first posted here

[Angeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book last Saturday, lured by its cute cover and the promise of feels brought about by second chances. I was able to finish it in a day, capping my Wednesday on a happy note.

Maybe This Time has three short stories about finding love the second time around. For "Sweeter by the Second", we have Tony and Rina who were together back in college but had to part ways to chase their dreams. They meet again after a few years after accomplishing many things in their lives. In "Exorcising my Ex," we have Pam's parents Geno and Viv who didn't get married when Pam was conceived. They opted to go on separate paths to accomplish their career goals while raising their child. Lastly, we have Arne and Bea in "Meant to Be" who met when they were young and became the best of friends regardless of the distance. Arne is in Europe while Bea is in the Philippines.

These stories are rather common but CP Santi delivers it in a light, refreshing way. Kilig vibes are all over the place. You could feel the love the characters have for one another which shows that, if you are meant to be together, you will be.

My fave is "Exorcising my Ex". It's cute. Pam is such an adorable teenager while Geno is like, the best dad -- the type who will do what he can to relate to you and be your friend. Geno texts like a teenager and he's probably a bit over 30 while Pam is 13. I'm so amused at their text messages.

[Jay Tria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how these short stories are still brimming with Santi's signature humor and sweetness, but this time with a little bit more adulting. I love how she's able to get into the heads and hearts of these couples, now grown-ups and years apart from the young, hormone-fueled lovebirds they were before, and find the itch there that most of us might recognize. What if years before, I chose wrong? What if all this time it was really you?

Rin and Tony, Viv and Geno, Arne and Bea--everyone had their own dreams, their own distractions, their own plans that somehow kept love from surviving. A theme like that usually results to heavy stuff, but in Santi's capable hands the stories came out light and relatable, sincere and heart-warming, and of course, many colors of kilig.

[Agay Llanera · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading this anthology, I was practically smiling the whole time. The stories remind me of those movies I used to watch at the Hallmark channel when I wanted to de-stress and feel good about life in general. Because really, good things happen as often as the bad things. And this book chooses to celebrate them by talking about second chances in love. My favorite is the second story, about how an almost-married couple drifted apart, and found each other again, all thanks to their meddling but well-meaning teenage daughter. But I liked all the stories, which had a dream-like quality, making them seem like fairy tales, but could actually happen in real life. Read this if you need your dose of happy ever afters.

[Lynai · Rating 4 out of 5]

C.P. Santi’s When Cocoy Became Kikay was a pleasant discovery in my reading life this year and I made it a point to watch out for other books by the author. It was not a surprise that I also enjoyed Maybe This Time. This latest release is a compilation of three short stories all revolving around a single common theme as suggested by the title: second chances, mostly in love but, as I soon discovered, also in life.

Continue reading.

[Myra Espino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read

This is the first time I read this author's work. Interesting stories. I love the first story than the others, but I just wish that I found how it ended (not sure if it's a part of a whole book or what because this author is new to me). Anyway, the other stories are also ok, not bad. What I did not like tho is that some of the expressions of the characters, I'm not used to the words they are using when it comes to me reading books.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe This Time was such a nice fluffy collection of short stories that focused on romantic second chances (which I'm really a sucker for when it comes to this genre). The stories were all written really well, the plot weren't overly complicated and dramatic, and the characters sounded authentic.

I'll be posting a full review of this soon on my blog.

[N.G. Peltier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think out of the three stories Exorcising My Ex was my fave. I know they all have that same theme of second chance at love, but that one stood out the most. i really loved the parents being set up on a Valentine's Day date by their daughter. Hilarious and adorable.

All in all i liked these quick reads.

[Sab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only complaint: I wish these weren't short stories. But hey — short and sweet, right?

[Aira Irish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and Sweet. I hope this short stories are longer at least it sustain my feels for the characters.

I want more. hahaha

[Camelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!!!!