Summer Feels: A #romanceclass Anthology

by Kate Sebastian, Elea Andrea Almazora, Erleen Alvarez

Summer loving happens so fast, as you'll find with Summer Feels, an anthology of 23 stories of love under the summer sun by #romanceclass authors. Savor the candied thrill of firsts—first loves, first kisses, first solo vacations—and the bittersweet triumph of second chances. Tour the Philippines as the stories take you to mountain retreats and island paradises. Let the magic of the hot sun, clear blue skies, and lots of love take you on a roller coaster ride of feels. With stories ranging from sweet to sexy, there's sure to be something for any fan of romance.

Featuring stories
Elea Andrea Almazora • Erleen Alvarez • Ella Banta • Rachelle Belaro • H. Bentham • Halina Cabrera • Charlie Dio • Mina V. Esguerra • Elizabeth Galit • Georgette S. Gonzales • Ami Granada • Irene Jurado • Catherine Lo • Arlene Manocot • Bianca Mori • Eris Peñaluna • Farrah F. Polestico • Kit Salazar • Miel Salva • Fay Sebastian • Kate Sebastian • Yeyet Soriano • Marian Tee

Genres: Summer Reads, Ebooks, Anthologies, Romance

421 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2017

About the author

Kate Sebastian has been crafting stories since she was tiny. She spent her childhood reimagining classic fairy tales and inventing new ones, then having her dolls and stuffed toys reenact them in elaborate sets she built by rearranging the furniture in her house.

She loves reading and writing romance and fantasy—especially when the two genres collide.

For more updates, visit www.katesebastian.com, like Kate’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/katesebastianauthor and follow her on Twitter @ImKateSebastian.

Reviews

[Olivia Chanel's Stories in Space · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can find more reviews on my blog Olivia Chanel's Galaxy of Books.

Thank you to the authors and editor Kate Sebastian for my e-ARC of Summer Feels and the chance to read and review this book for the blog tour!

Summer Feels is a book that’s cute and hot, and that makes you want to go to the ocean to take a dip to cool down. I doubt any other anthology will soothe your cravings for a good summer read like this one. The anthology starts out slow with short stories that are cute and lovely, and that will make your heart flutter and then gets hotter and hotter with every story. Towards the end, you will definitely need a fan and/or a dive straight into the ocean. The best part about this anthology was that I got the chance to read short stories both from #romanceclass authors I have loved and admired since before and also new ones where I want to devour every book they have ever written.

I do believe there will be at least one short story (but probably, very likely, a lot more) for everyone. We see so many tropes that I love in this one that I know if you are a romance fan, you will want to devour Summer Feels like you devour an ice cream on a hot summer’s day. Only this anthology lasts way longer, and will probably make you warmer instead of colder. However, you will love it. While I gave this anthology 4 cake slices as a whole, I had a lot of favorites that I believe are worthy of 5 cake slices and I really want to really highlight them here. They made me fangirl, squeal, laugh and just feel as if I was in the middle of the best summer ever which is just what I love about these short stories.

The following short stories were all favorites of mine. Fall for Me by Miel Salva made me fangirl and fall in love with the characters that I cannot wait to read more about in the future. Then there was The Game of Twenty Questions by Elizabeth Galit which was second chance romance with stargazing, a soft spot for me. Moreover, Guide for a Day by H. Bentham also really stole my heart away with this m/m romance where a tour guide and the journalist that was given the tour fall in love. Secondhand Wanderlust by Erleen Alvarez was amazing with its travel vibes, a backstory of sisterhood and a girl finding love while also stepping out of her comfort zone. Four Basic Principles by Bianca Mori was really unique and had second chance romance and beautiful ocean scenes. Wedding Night Stand by Mina V. Esguerra was a really hot short story that makes me want to read the full book where these characters are from, it was just the best. There is also An Overdue Adventure by Kate Sebastian which had a bit of a hate to love story with childhood frenemies together with a bittersweet backstory and beautiful nature scenes. Lastly, Butter Sunset by Halina Cabrera which was steamy and had lots of food references that made me crave seafood. These short stories were all beyond amazing, and I will definitely be checking out these author’s full books in the near future.

An issue I had with a couple of the stories was that a few slurs and harmful words were used. The words crazy, gypsy and queer were all used in inappropriate and harmful ways and were completely unnecessary for the stories. They could have easily been deleted.

All in all, this is a summer themed anthology you should definitely have on your radar. If you love reading romance and finding new authors at the same time, there is no better choice than this anthology. There are so many adorable and hot stories in Summer Feels: A #romanceclass Anthology, you will most likely fall in love with a lot of couples in it. In Summer Feels you will see enemies turned into lovers, childhood friends, romances with second chances, men with beards, female soccer players and so much more.

[Elena ( The Queen Reads ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read May 16, 2017 ( but really May 10 )
23 amazing stories rolled into one! With all these swoon worthy feels guess what my favorite was? You guessed it right, The most heartbreaking of them all. 😂

Full review at : https://thequeenreads.wordpress.com/2...

[H. Bentham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will not deny that twenty-three short stories is a lot to process, (I had to take breaks in between, and by breaks I mean reading other books between the stories to even out my feels) that’s why it took a whole month before I finished the entire thing! Haha!

But it was fun discovering/re-discovering different authors’ writing styles, voices and themes this close to each other. I learned a lot from authors who are already my favorites, and those I was only reading for the first time. The gradual (but necessary) rise in heat level was also a good call on editor Kate Sebastian. It made the book cleaner in terms of “flow” and it ensured all authors get equal spotlight whether they’re new or are already established in the literary scene.

I initially didn’t want to review the stories one by one but reading other blogs who said nice things to each and every story was fun and enlightening so I’m gonna do the same here, even if it’s just one liners of what I loved about it.

1. All About That Bass by Fay Sebastian

It was perfect to start the anthology with this sweet and fluffy story. I loved the Glee references and how everything led to #LiRika

2. Alter Christus by Catherine Lo

Certified crowd favourite and I totally agree. While it is true that this stood out because of the heart-wrenching theme, I think I love how Catherine’s narrative flowed artistically smooth and the characters were well-rounded enough to carry such heavy-weight romance.

3. Fall for Me by Miel Salva

Another cute story filled with Filipino food and feels! I can’t wait for the full Yasmin x Igo book to come out!

4. The Game of Twenty Questions by Elizabeth Galit

The pacing of the scenes leading up to the grand reveal of feelings is swoon-worthy! The second chance trope is difficult to navigate but this one nailed it.

5. The Summer You Said Hello by Ami Granada

Sexy voices and on-air flirting sold this for me! And ugh, knowing both of them were playing coy on purpose gave me life!

6. At the Bermuda Triangle by Elea Andrea Almazora

The banter with this one is solid af. I love how the characters talked and ‘acted’ and I especially love the humor and sarcasm in each of them. And then there was the feels! *Kiligs*

7. Beachin’ Summer by Arlene Manocot

#romanceclass shout out! Haha! I love that in this one, the guy is the romance junkie and the girl gets him. In Pagudpud, nonetheless!

8. Buddy System by Yeyet Soriano

The ‘plays’ Carlo and Kit did to finally, finally admit their feelings to each other is A+. And ugh, don’t even get me started on that Javi x random IT guy fanservice scene! I will now stock easy to melt hard candies in my bag for impromptu kissing games! *yes, this is what I’m taking from this story. LOL

9. Busy Out of The Friendzone by Charlie Dio

Gillian, gurl! *snaps fingers in the air!* I love her witty clapbacks and the way Aidan put a “love stamp” on her to get their messages across. XD I enjoyed this so much!

10. Flying With You by Rachelle Belaro

Incredibly sweet and the parts about travelling were great! And OMG, that cake!

11. Guide for A Day by H. Bentham

THIS IS THE BEST STORY IN ALL OF THE UNIVERSE!! Lol. Not really. Even I can’t convince myself with this. Haha. But everyone loves their first born. ;)

12. Ready to Run by Kit Salazar

This take on the friends with benefits trope is awesomely done! I love the powerplay between the athlete and the homebody. Argh. I mentioned that and a recollection of what Chris and Lauren did with their ‘homebodies’ flashed before my eyes!

13. Secondhand Wanderlust by Erleen Alvarez

The twist in this one is unprecedented, but I love it. There is sadness, but also happiness, courage and hope.

14. The Search for The Kissing Monster by Ella Banta

This is incredibly sweet and fluffy and a creative take on the ‘what did I do last night’ trope. I absolutely adore Vincent and his friends and their past to always spend a bit of summer together. Ella Banta’s HeistClub background might’ve influenced the light mystery in this but the romance is apparent and is very well executed overall.

15. Anything Can Happen by Marian Tee

This is where I started to find considerable heat! And omg, ALEXIO, if anyone introduces himself with this name, gurl, I’m telling you, anything can happen!!

*Disclaimer, he has to have this Alexio’s good looks and abs, ofc. LOL

16. Four Basic Principles by Bianca Mori

I love the efficient use of alternating POV’s in such a short piece! That in itself is impressive, but wait ‘til the steamy kilig (along with the glorious bickering!) takes you by surprise!

17. Love After Summer by Irene Jurado

I love the names of the characters, as well as the CAKE! LOL. Ooh, and wedding hook-up fizzles and sizzles until the romance is palpable. It’s a lovely read.

18. Lucky in Paradise by Farrah F. Polestico

I didn’t think I’d enjoy this as much as I did but it was amazing! The non-promise and pining and the eventual second chance drama made me feel things from a part of my heart I didn’t know I still had access to! Haha!

19. The Swimming Instructor by Eris Peñaluna

I thought this started YA-ish so I wondered why this was put farther up the steam level, and then we’re talking about hiding swimmer’s tents, electric touches and voila! We’re in sexy pool palooza! I need moarr of Jandro x Ariel!

20. Wedding Night Stand by Mina V. Esguerra

I knew this story was hot from the onset, but oh my god, when it did turn super hot, I was still caught unawares and so happy for Andrea! I haven’t read What You Wanted yet (which I’m now planning to correct in the following couple of days!) but familiar characters make this even more endearing!

21. An Overdue Adventure by Kate Sebastian

I’ve been around Cebu countless times but I haven’t gone on an adventure similar to Hilary’s. I should probably do that before I turn thirty and I MUST stock up on Aloe Gel because that’s how you get sun gods to give you what you want! Hehe. I also adore the Bisaya representation of this one! I miss the Queen City so much now!

22. Buttered Sunset by Halina Cabrera

I can’t decide what I love most about this. Is it the illustrious scenic descriptions of the food and places? The fact that there was a sort of courtship (four/five meriendas is the modern day ligawan, imho)? Or that Sol is a woman of power who knows precisely how and when to use said power? All of the above, probably.

23. Then Derrick Was Back by Georgette S. Gonzales

I was angry at Derrick because he was clearly just playing with Nadia’s heart the first time…and then he wasn’t! Argh! Georgette’s superb writing got me so affected I was ready to vent tweet about German boys and why we need to avoid them, but good thing I waited ‘til I finished the story. Hihi. Let’s not avoid them, okay? :P

So that’s that. Haha.

The thing about anthologies by different authors is that not all will be suitable to my reading tastes. But I guess with this one, it’s okay. Some stories seemed to have been paced too slow for me, but when I managed to push through with it, I found that the ‘slowness’ was necessary groundwork for the kilig fireworks to explode by the end. And in the others I found things I wish my story had, or things I knew could be developed more, etc., etc.

I also got to read more straight steam than I can usually take (*this is prude of me to say considering I devour M/M smut like crazy) but I appreciate how hot/loving/raw the scenes were depending on the author and her target audience. And yeah, sex scenes of this kind are far better than smut in comparison, straight or queer.

The Summer Feels stories are short enough to get to the bite-sized HEAs and still let you enjoy your summer activities. If anyone asks me what I did this summer, well, I went touring up from Pagudpud and down to Gen San twenty-three times over!

6 of 5 Stars. I mean, 5 stars are enough for the anthology on its own. +1 Star for my story because I love my work and I deserve it.

*The full version of this appears on my blog: bentchcreates.tumblr.com

[Winter Aragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology made me more appreciative with the Philippines and Filipinos are believer of romance and true love. I discovered places that I would definitely want to visit someday. The 23 well-crafted and beautifully written short stories put a smile on my face, increase my faith that one day, love will find its way to me and I should not close my door for second chances.

I recommended Summer Feels to you are who new to Romance Class and for everyone who loves the authors behind this beautiful community.

Watch out for these stories:

*Most heartbreaking story: Alter Christus – Please have tissue beside you. I couldn’t stop the tear that slipped from my eyes after reading it.
*Favorite Best Friend Story: Busy out of the Friendzone – Gillian and Aidan are cute being best friends, but they are more adorable as a couple!
*Most Heartwarming Story: Secondhand Wanderlust – Ally’s Diary is too memorable and April following her sister’s footstep is very touching.

I'm grateful to be part of this blog tour. Thank you very much for the ARC, Miss Kate! :)

[Sayyeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, Kate Sebastian, for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think I’m not the only one who had the song Summer Nights stuck in my head while reading this book. Summer Feels is a compilation of romance stories set during the summer, and is a perfect companion while going out and enjoying the season.

What I really liked about this anthology, is that the stories were diverse. Not everything had a happy ending, not everything was all feel good (one actually hurt my heart omg pls), and it just takes you through a roller coaster of emotions.

Overall, it was pretty good and I liked it. So go grab a copy of this if you need your dose of romance set in summer days drifting away to, oh, those summer nights.

Full review over at: https://literaryhues.wordpress.com/20...

[Jazz Keep Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

the first #romanceclass book i've read and it feels great! this is a collection of 23 stories and I love each of them. It feels good to be able to relate the things, foods, places that was mentioned (specially food because i crave with every food they mentioned) and I really feel close in the story. supporting filipino authors so my next read is still a romanceclass book!

[kb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading this for 3/4 of the year, lol, but what a ray of sunshine! Will post review later~

[Bookbed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is one of our Recommended Reads! Read our post here.

Please note: We don't use ratings but for this purpose, we tag books with three stars by default.
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[Fay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer Feels is an adventure that will take you to different places as you feel different kinds of emotions. Every story has something to offer – and in this collection of 23 love stories, I hope you find at least one that will capture your heart. ❤

Full review on my book blog: http://wp.me/p4gfJt-Kv

[Ailla Magcamit · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All I had was the now, and I wanted to embed this moment in my mind just before everything ended."

Took this photo last May 2019 during my first La Union trip and during that time, I was so sure I'll be coming back after a year. Seeing it today made me realize how fast things can change and all you can really do is savor the present, amiright?⠀

So while stuck at home, far away from the waters *cue tears* I picked a summer-themed anthology for the second week of #RCReadathon2020! This collection of 23 stories under the sun - with heat levels across the board - reminded me of sand between my toes, seabreeze through my hair, and the feeling of being swept away by the waves 🏖 Exactly what I needed.⠀
⠀
[Sidenote: As much as I want to go back to Elyu, now I really wanna visit Moalboal, Cebu huhu pls]

Plus points because it introduced me to several new, promising authors (alongside top favorites!) Can't wait to read more from them ✨⠀

[Ádria · Rating 3 out of 5]

As histórias são boas separadamente. Ao juntar tantas numa só antologia, o livro ficou cansativo e repetitivo. Eu adorei os elementos da cultura filipina, as narrativas, os cenários... Mas era a mesma coisa em quase todos os contos; o mesmo sentimento e as sequências de eventos muito parecidas. Tem alguns sim que mudam o cenário, então a história vai para outro lugar, mas são poucos.
Em resumo, era assim: moça vai para um hotel lindo e paradisíaco, seja para viajar, seja trabalhando... encontra um cara que está por lá por algum motivo x. Os dois se gostam, trocam olhares. Eventualmente, ficam juntos. Fim.

[Gemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

Alter Christus,
The Summer You Said Hello,
Guide For A Day,
Ready to Run,
The Swimming Instructor,
Wedding Night Stand,
An Overdue Adventure

were the only stories that didn’t make me want to die of cringe over how they were written. Most of the stories were clunky to read; the prose felt disjointed and doesn’t flow quite smoothly which takes you out from immersing fully in the story.

The stories I listed above — I got nothing but admiration and praise for. Those were all “awwww ❤️” or “oooooh”

[Booklover.pia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it a LOT. I started reading it in March and I just finished it today (mood reader hehe). This book brings back my urge to have an adventure. However, I can't do it right now because of the pandemic. Thanks to @heykebe for this book. I joined her twitter giveaway and luckily, I'm one of the winners!

[Marian Rosary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer Feels is now my quintessential summer read. Totally recommend this anthology. Kilig vibes all over <3

Will write a slightly longer review when I'm feeling a little less lazy. :P (23 stories can be a bit overwhelming hehe)

[Ami Granada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading all my co-authors short stories. Amazing people!

[Lovelene Pearl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much! Reading one story after another was like a roller coaster ride. I’ve read a few books that are a combination of short stories from amazing authors and this one is not far from it. I feel so proud of these authors tho. The stories were also perfectly arranged, from the first story that feels like cute and conservative to the next stories that are getting more mature and sexy but still romantic. I like how this book emphasizes the different places you could spend your summer with in the country, it feels like I’m discovering more places to go visit. There were also stories that however short they were, it really touched me to the bones even if I couldn’t really relate to the story but the author just spoke to me and poof! All in all, I rated this book with 4 out of 5 stars, individual ratings are listed down below. I would totally recommend this book especially during summer, if you read this on different occasion you would surely crave for the beach and the heat.

[Emily]

I picked this book on Kindle Unlimited and then I had to cancel it so this anthology is on hold until I read all the other books I have on my tbr list.