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Bola-Bola
What happens when you fall in love with your Kuya’s best friend?
Thea Balderama, a 220-pound late bloomer, believes that she will never meet her mother’s incredibly high standards for beauty. Worse, while Thea deals with her deep-seated insecurities about her weight, she must also study to get into her dream university while keeping up with her boy-crazy best friends. Her life becomes even more complicated when Lucas Benitez, her Kuya’s best friend, (and her longtime crush!), returns from the States.
As her attraction to Lucas grows, Thea cooks for him, pouring her passion into irresistible merienda, hoping to reach her crush’s heart through his stomach, in the hopes that he will think she’s beautiful—fat and all. Though Thea knows nothing is a piece of cake, she has a hopeful heart, and she’s hungry for love. Being with Lucas might just be worth the risk.
Thea Balderama, a 220-pound late bloomer, believes that she will never meet her mother’s incredibly high standards for beauty. Worse, while Thea deals with her deep-seated insecurities about her weight, she must also study to get into her dream university while keeping up with her boy-crazy best friends. Her life becomes even more complicated when Lucas Benitez, her Kuya’s best friend, (and her longtime crush!), returns from the States.
As her attraction to Lucas grows, Thea cooks for him, pouring her passion into irresistible merienda, hoping to reach her crush’s heart through his stomach, in the hopes that he will think she’s beautiful—fat and all. Though Thea knows nothing is a piece of cake, she has a hopeful heart, and she’s hungry for love. Being with Lucas might just be worth the risk.
292 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
51 people are currently reading
373 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 5, 2019
Glad that I bought this one. Really cute and wow very relatable!! I experienced (almost) everything! Except the one having a crush with my brother's friend. Because I don't have any brother. Haha anywayy.
As I said, this is very relatable for me. Her mother always telling her something about her weight, she likes to cook, all the kiligs, chats, calls, texts, the friends...
And it's funny that there's a part where I could relate so much because my bf is 4 years older than me. Lucas and Thea have a conversation in the book that me and my bf are always having. It's really funny I even showed it to my bf.
There is some little things I didn't really like, but I just don't want to put it in here. But trust me it was really not important in the story.
I would really recommend this to my friends.
As I said, this is very relatable for me. Her mother always telling her something about her weight, she likes to cook, all the kiligs, chats, calls, texts, the friends...
And it's funny that there's a part where I could relate so much because my bf is 4 years older than me. Lucas and Thea have a conversation in the book that me and my bf are always having. It's really funny I even showed it to my bf.
There is some little things I didn't really like, but I just don't want to put it in here. But trust me it was really not important in the story.
I would really recommend this to my friends.
May 14, 2021
2.5 stars.
This seems like the type of book that would have passed hands among (and drawn a lot of kilig from) my high school classmates. It's very relatable for girls who went to exclusive Catholic schools but I don't think it will land with audiences outside that demographic.
You know a story is going to be ridiculous when a 17-year-old protagonist has thoughts like "I don't like him the way girls like their happy crushes. I like him the way a woman likes a man", and unironically at that. Thea Balderama, from whose first person perspective the story is told, is the type of girl who likes to think that she's a cut above the rest; she feels that unlike her peers, she's serious and isn't shallow. We read at the beginning how disapproving she is of her 'boy-crazy' best friends' shenanigans... and yet, when she herself becomes attracted to a softboi, she's so much worse. It only takes weeks of flirting with him flr her to say things like "he knows me better than anyone" and "there's no other man for me." 🙄
Overall, the book feels like most of the manuscript was truly written by a high school student (i.e. juvenile), with bits of prose added in as the author matured. I can't help cringing at the grammatical errors, pet phrases, and repetitive parts considering that the author's profile tells me that she majored in creative writing and even graduated summa cum laude. Better editing could possibly bring this up to 3 stars.
This seems like the type of book that would have passed hands among (and drawn a lot of kilig from) my high school classmates. It's very relatable for girls who went to exclusive Catholic schools but I don't think it will land with audiences outside that demographic.
You know a story is going to be ridiculous when a 17-year-old protagonist has thoughts like "I don't like him the way girls like their happy crushes. I like him the way a woman likes a man", and unironically at that. Thea Balderama, from whose first person perspective the story is told, is the type of girl who likes to think that she's a cut above the rest; she feels that unlike her peers, she's serious and isn't shallow. We read at the beginning how disapproving she is of her 'boy-crazy' best friends' shenanigans... and yet, when she herself becomes attracted to a softboi, she's so much worse. It only takes weeks of flirting with him flr her to say things like "he knows me better than anyone" and "there's no other man for me." 🙄
Overall, the book feels like most of the manuscript was truly written by a high school student (i.e. juvenile), with bits of prose added in as the author matured. I can't help cringing at the grammatical errors, pet phrases, and repetitive parts considering that the author's profile tells me that she majored in creative writing and even graduated summa cum laude. Better editing could possibly bring this up to 3 stars.
August 13, 2020
This book gave me 4th year high school nostalgia. The school in the book is closely similar to my high school. So many rules and very religious. The main character and her best friends went through the college entrance exam and acceptance phase. Made me remember my experience. I miss my studying years. I’m not a fan of adulting. Aside from that, I liked how the author used a Filipino food in each chapter to compare to what the main character was going through or feeling.
What I didn’t like about the book is the romance. The main character is 17 while the love interest is 21. That made it uncomfortable to read. Everyone was also fine with it. Other than the Kuya but he eventually caved in the end.
What I didn’t like about the book is the romance. The main character is 17 while the love interest is 21. That made it uncomfortable to read. Everyone was also fine with it. Other than the Kuya but he eventually caved in the end.
April 27, 2021
I laughed, cried, and felt kilig way too many times 😭🥺
June 13, 2022
4.75 out of 5 stars
October 15, 2021
4.75 STARS ROUNDED UP, DOCKED .25 STARS FOR THE AGES BUT IDK MAYBE THAT'S JUST ME
REVIEW:
THERE'S NO WAY THIS BOOK IS REAL 😭 IT'S SO CUTE. WHERE WAS IT WHEN I NEEDED IT IN HIGH SCHOOL.
REVIEW:
THERE'S NO WAY THIS BOOK IS REAL 😭 IT'S SO CUTE. WHERE WAS IT WHEN I NEEDED IT IN HIGH SCHOOL.
February 12, 2022
disgustingly cute and I will never get over “honey bunch” 😭..
it was a cute quick read reminiscing me of my high school days. however, their age makes me so uncomfy.
it was a cute quick read reminiscing me of my high school days. however, their age makes me so uncomfy.
January 26, 2022
I picked up this book because I thought that the concept was interesting and I'm a sucker for lovey-dovey stories. However, I was a bit disappointed with the plot and its characters. The romance revolved around a 17-year-old and 21-year old which made me uncomfortable. I like to think that Thea is a 19-year-old, at the brim of SHS just to make it a bit bearable (but in doing so, I think that there is a fault there). Also, I did not find Lucas, the love interest interesting at all. I tried to like him, but unfortunately, it did not work at all.
I loved how Thea pushed through the struggles of her body insecurites and how she loved and accepted every bit of herself. Her barkada reminded me of my own highschool experiences that we stripped away from thanks to miss corona. I also liked how the author wrote the story (I think the little recipe segments were quite witty). Overall, I think I would have enjoyed this book better it were a bit different (Especially if Thea wasn't a minor) and if I have read it when I was back in my tween age.
I loved how Thea pushed through the struggles of her body insecurites and how she loved and accepted every bit of herself. Her barkada reminded me of my own highschool experiences that we stripped away from thanks to miss corona. I also liked how the author wrote the story (I think the little recipe segments were quite witty). Overall, I think I would have enjoyed this book better it were a bit different (Especially if Thea wasn't a minor) and if I have read it when I was back in my tween age.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2023
**Not yet a settled review**
It's funky. It's full of angst. It's screams attitude. It's everything necessary for the awkward transition between adolescence and adulthood called Teenage years. Bola-Bola recaptures what is like to be a Filipino teenager.
The narrative follows Thea in her daily life at home and at high school. I am a personal fan of the short cooking 'recipes' heralding each chapters of the book. They were unique and consistently funny. The novels had problems for sure, like the near-absent backstory of our protagonist's love interest, and a few of their quibbles felt forced/gratuitous. Her mother is also somewhat a half-baked character. Still, in the end of the day, I cannot truly hate this book.
A comfortable 7/10. Need fresh rereading for updates and justifications.
It's funky. It's full of angst. It's screams attitude. It's everything necessary for the awkward transition between adolescence and adulthood called Teenage years. Bola-Bola recaptures what is like to be a Filipino teenager.
The narrative follows Thea in her daily life at home and at high school. I am a personal fan of the short cooking 'recipes' heralding each chapters of the book. They were unique and consistently funny. The novels had problems for sure, like the near-absent backstory of our protagonist's love interest, and a few of their quibbles felt forced/gratuitous. Her mother is also somewhat a half-baked character. Still, in the end of the day, I cannot truly hate this book.
A comfortable 7/10. Need fresh rereading for updates and justifications.
June 19, 2022
Thank you Thea for bringing me back to my high school days 😁 Ever since I've started reading this book it definitely bring back memories 😄
March 24, 2022
I’m utterly disturbed by their age gap. Lucas kissed her when she was literally in high school, 17 years of age, while he was 21 and working.
When Anton said she’s 17 and no one’s smart at 17, we knew by the age of 20 that he was right, especially when it comes to dating.
I hated it, especially when Nikki supported this notion. It was good that she was trying to calm her boyfriend down and not ruin the relationship he has with his sister, but to say that she didn’t bother telling Thea off this arrangement is just plain wrong.
If Lucas was indeed ideal, he wouldn’t make any moves on Thea in the first place, given their current arrangement.
I’d have DNF'd this since I really find it unnecessary to say so much dislike about a book when you can just read something else. However, I’ve been practicing to reduce the number of books I drop. I want to try to struggle more through a book.
Thea’s character is like how other characters are written before—superior to everybody else for not acting like Summer and Dani, and she thinks once she dates, it’s purely out of love, not childish and mature.
The prose was beautifully written, although there were times I had to skim read it to see what happened next asap. There were times that it felt like it was taking up the whole page.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2023
im a sucker for filipino girlhood coming-of-age stories so i really liked this one! although the plot kind of reminds me of the kissing booth lmao but nevertheless i loved how the story explored mother-daughter relationships, female friendships, overcoming one's insecurities, the all girl's high school student experience, and even the use of food as a form of language totally made this interesting and very easy to relate with!
January 9, 2024
i picked up this YA book from National book store because i really want to read more asian authors. this book was made into a TV series on TFC so im excited to watch it after reading it. 7/11/21- finally finished it after a while of reading it and i can say that this book was super kilig and relatable. i found myself relating to the main and her inner thoughts. although the story didn’t really have a big overarching problem, i enjoyed following thea’s story.
December 21, 2021
this story was so good and inspirable to read. and I'm so excited to watch this on 2022 with my favorite teen artist.. even it is short i think the production and the director will make this short but unpredictable..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2023
the age gap is kinda weird (because its 17 and 21) for me but I like to think that thea's a little older than 17 so its okay i guess..
anyways, its really good in my opinion! I really like how I can relate to most of the scenarios and I enjoyed reading this naman :)
anyways, its really good in my opinion! I really like how I can relate to most of the scenarios and I enjoyed reading this naman :)
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January 28, 2022Bola bola
June 6, 2022
finished it in an hour sorry author naccringe ako 😭 kaya inispeedrun ko 🤣🤣
May 26, 2023
Ang kilig! But I do agree with the other reviewers here that the age difference is uncomfortable.
December 22, 2021
This will make you giddy. A feel-good story.
May 31, 2020
Ang cute-cute ng book na ito at nakakagutom! Gusto ko rin yung cover art, parang ang sarap gawing poster. Minsan napapagod ako para kay Thea kasi ang dami-dami niyang ginagawa at iniisip. Ang dami niyang school and extracurricular work. Ganun ba talaga? Very relatable ang mga insecurities niya and I like it na hindi siya pa-victim. I also like it na hindi siya komedyante at hindi din siya loud. May ganoon minsang stereotype kapag mataba ang character. I always look forward doon sa parts na nagluluto siya, nakakatakam ang descriptions parang gusto ko na ring magluto.
May 25, 2025
It was fine. A typical Filipino romance, I guess. Very Wattpad-like writing.
I do love the body positivity lesson, but I’m not the hugest fan of Thea and Lucas’s age gap. He liked her when she was 15 and he was in college… yikes.
I do love the body positivity lesson, but I’m not the hugest fan of Thea and Lucas’s age gap. He liked her when she was 15 and he was in college… yikes.
November 5, 2019
Full Review Coming Soon!
July 11, 2020
This is SUCH A GREAT BOOK!! This book spoke to my soul and it feels like the story was about me(except the falling in love with your older brother's best friend part).
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews