I wrote a review of this book as a part of our requirements in Reading and Writing, and during our recitation, I was asked— if you were given the chance to name the book yourself, would you change its title? If so, what would it be?
I stood there for about a minute, thinking about the highlights of the book, and shook my head.
I wondered about the same thing when the story was still on-going. The blurb states why it's named that way— Amari's biggest mistake was falling in love with Leon, and that's the only mistake of hers she can't laugh about.
But aside from its romantic connotation, I think it can also be correlated with the fact that Amari was a product of a mistake, an affair. In fact, her parents consider Amari a mistake herself. However, the latter chapters of the book showed that Mari was not a mistake they could easily dispose, belittle, and most especially laugh about. I fully believe that it's also one of the reasons why it's named this way.
Losers' Club is definitely one of my favorite series, if not my top one, because I love found-family trope so much! From the first installment, it could be seen how much love and trust the four girls have for one another as they grew up altogether. It was a beautiful thing to read about.
This book, specifically, has a special place in my heart. Hindi ko alam, basta super attached ako kay Mari at Leon. Their love story was definitely a roller-coaster ride, it was unstable, and they went through many push-and-pulls, but personally, I found it beautiful. Na kahit ilang beses kayong mag-away sa umaga, alam mong magkatabi kayong matutulog sa gabi habang nakayakap s'ya sa 'yo. Na kahit gaano kasakit ang mga nararanasan mo, alam mong may taong handang sumalo sa pasan mo.
Leon Ysmael have my whole heart, and he will always be my favorite tinta. His love and respect for his family, for Mari, and his compassion for the people around him was so beautiful. Masyado s'yang perfect, 'di ko kinaya. :(
Amari Sloane is also my favorite tinta girl! Actually, pantay sila ngayon ni Millicent. Aaaa, my babies. She's such a strong, smart woman who never wanted anything but to be seen and nurtured by her parents— yet she also knows how and when to walk away, and it was, again, a beautiful thing. Academically, I'm someone who relates to her a lot. Someone who's willing to sacrifice anything for her studies. At the same time, I wish I was as brave and persevered as she is.
In terms of writing style, Idy is my favorite narrator! S'ya ang literal na “show, don't tell.” She's really good at making you feel what her characters feel, and she doesn't say things directly, she describes them, she lets you ponder over them. Her growth as a writer, from Chasing the Sun, to Words Written in Water, is commendable. I wasn't even that hooked with College Series, but LCS have me in a chokehold.
I really can't wait for Losers' Club to finally have their physical copies, for Katana's story to unfold, and for Psyche's book as well— kung meron man. Currently writing this while WWIW is on-going, which is another favorite of mine!
Future me, reply to this review once;
a. Losers' Club gets published
b. You find your own Mael
:)