Will You Cry When I Die?

by AnakniRizal

Theo never cried since the death of his first dog when he was five. At present day, Theo is a lethargic university lecturer when he fatefully encountered a mysterious woman named Juniper who asked him an odd question, "Will you cry when I die?".

What Theo doesn't know is, Juniper is under a secret program called Project: Afterlife.
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Will You Cry When I Die?
Standalone Novel #2 of Inspired Series
Written by AnakniRizal
*Note: You can read this without reading the first (Wake Up, Dreamers!) Inspired Story.

Wattpad Version

First published April 23, 2019

Reviews

[Brendan Tolentino]

I finished Will You Cry When I Die? by AnakniRizal
on August 7, 2022 4:30 P. M.
(Late update in Goodreads)

Review:
*tears in one's eyes + recovering from crying silently*
The last two lines and the last paragraph of the book did it for me.
Congratulations, Demi. You finally made me cry.
It's Sunday today, by the way...how fitting for the story's themes.
Hooo...what a journey.
What a ride to alot of things happening by the way!
Anyways!
Will You Cry When I Die? is a Taglish (Tagalog and English, mixed) language novel now published in print by PSICOM Publishing Inc. in the year 2020, in the country of the Philippines.
Originally published online in Wattpad and the novel tells the story of a man named Theo, a university lecturer; Juniper, a woman, who happens to meet Theo in one place and decides to ask the question to him: "Will you cry when I die?".
With Theo's past, slowly being revealed throughout the course of the story and of Juniper's side of the story being revealed of what really happened as to why their meeting with each other occured; Juniper has knowledge of something that Theo doesn't know and have and that something involves life and death and something called "Project: Afterlife". Paired together with the dying days she has left to live on this Earth with someone she chooses to approach with, together with her strange question and including the factor as to why Theo is chosen of all people, she would give him something. Something that his heart is waiting to know and is waiting to be opened in a dormant place, a certain something that only she has answers to and of the memories and moments waiting to be created and be revealed in the future in the stories of their lives.
This is not just about their stories and moments, but there is something else: Something out of their control waiting to strike, something that would interfere, something that they would have to work together to solve it.
Something or someone hungry...for more.

This is the first Tagalog-related language book that made me cry and I have to say, the author did a good job at creating certain specific scenes and moments that are honestly impactful and made goosebumps on my skin, particularly the ones were everything seems quiet and only two people or few people are left and the ones that cause an impact are the words and realizations said and made by the characters in the story. Things get deep in few moments and things get familiar in the story as it progresses, it may not be original sometimes but it provides a stepping stone to kickstart the core message and lessons of the story and it's actually good to see the efforts made by the author and my advice for Demi is to keep writing and keep practicing because I do see the potential of her as an author and that just makes things interesting to look forward to in the future.
The novel has a lot of genres by the way. There are elements and genres in the novel involving Slice-of-life, Mystery, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Action, Thriller, Contemporary and if ever this novel is ever adapted into a film—to which I wish there could be one—it would be Drama also.
Overall, it may not be a perfect nor a novel filled with so many original ideas, but man...did it made me think about things, particularly life in general. And the very core message/lessons of the story, once you strip out away the familiar tropes and situations/events, is where I think is original and truthful to it's words and that it can be applied in real-life itself, just like the lessons learned by Theo himself and of his journey in life.

Rating: 4.3/5 stars

Reasons for the rating:
• The part of the story after the 2nd paragraph break in Chapter 24 and onwards towards the ending made me add additional points from 3.5 stars to 4.3 stars and it's also because of the build-up that led to it.
• Liked and appreciated the portrayal of the male characters in the story. Not going to lie, it's actually good for me!
• The philosophical moments, I love it. I want more but what's left is what's left of it, but I do enjoy it actually.
• Attempts to be deep and I like how it played out in the story. So, additional points!

That is all for my review! Here's the first simple quote that I stumbled upon reading that hit me personally and I have to follow it more often which made me also believe in myself and be inspired by it:

"Take your passion and make it happen."

(Especially including the last two lines and the last paragraph of the novel to which I won't spoil it...that made me cry HAHA)

Additional notes:
I bought this book as a birthday present for myself, to support the author for teaching me writing tips and tutorials online when I was in high school. And of course, to support local authors and to try reading the "Inspired" series.

[zelly.ace ۶ৎ ࿔⋆]

The book tackles the perspective of a person who dies and then comes back to life for her love of her life. It's a fantasy book, so expect the unexpected. I like the way the author give a questions na kahit ika mapapatanong 'din ng "what if mangyari 'to?, why if nangyayari to?". The biggest thing that I love about this book is that they give me much more about the quote "live your life to the fullest," kasi 'di natin alam baka bukas kunin na ta'yo ni Lord. So enjoy your life and be thankful that you're still alive. Nakaka lungkot lang isipin na may mga tao talagang namamatay dahil naging mabait or naging matulungin lang sila, just like how Juniper and Arlo died. This book is good; it's just that the transition is a little bit confusing for me or ako lang talaga ang problema hahaha. And one more thing, I know Tito Ivan died and so did some other members of the Project: Afterlife, but I hang on to the part and ask questions "What happened to Rosy? She died too, and did Camille came back?" Though I enjoy reading this book, give it a try too. Enjoy reading 😊💗

[Pamela]

I had high hopes for this book since the author is really famous. I didn't expected this to be a sci-fi. It's my fault because I didn't understood the plot, I just grabbed this because I heard a lot of good reviews about the author. I immediately knew who Juniper was. I realized what Ivan did. The plot twist are no longer a twist at this point. I prefer Maria for Theo. Galilee was obsessed. It's also weird to name your kid after your ex, even though it's her who bound you and your wife together. Also Rosie's case was never finished. Did she die? What happened to her biological parents? All in all I felt like I was just forcing myself to finish the book.

[Genard Mungcal]

I honestly didn’t enjoy this story. The plot twists felt excessive, making it hard to follow and leaving the revelations unsurprising. I expected more, especially since I liked one of the author’s previous works. It might resonate with others, but it wasn’t for me.

[Vitsy]

This is the first book that I have read, this story gives the mix signals (for me) it can be romantic,funny, sad or can make you feel sad, people need to read this, totally recommended!

[Meenara]

The plot was good. I didn't like how it was written. The first half was boring but it eventually became interesting. I hoped the author focused more on the side of how Theo developed feelings for Juniper. Although, it was given that his heart is familiar with Juniper, the author should've elaborated more in that part.

P.s. The book has a lot of grammatical errors, I wish they proofread the book for people like me who want to improve their English skills by reading.