I’ve been looking for a book with some Pinoy representation for quite some time, and I’m glad I found this one. As someone who is half Filipino/ half white as well, I had similar struggles while growing up, so I was able to relate to Jay a lot…. even though his ignorant and stupid comments really made me furious at times… The story was beautifully narrated and made me go through so many emotions in such a short period of time. This one quote stood out to me in particular: “It strikes me that I cannot claim this country's serene cores and sun-soaked beaches without also claiming its poverty, its problems, its history. To say that any aspect of it is part of me is to say that all of it is part of me.” I’ll probably continue to think about this book a lot…

“It strikes me that I cannot claim this country’s serene coves and sun-soaked beaches without also claiming its poverty, its problems, its history. To say that any aspect of it is part of me is to say that all of it is part of me.” Beautiful and nuanced writing, a powerful story. Loved it.