Mina V. Esguerra has released another modern romance story that satisfies the pandemic-fatigued reader. Your Place Next Year is a romance novelette that is set in a not so distant future where the world is slowly easing its way into a more “normal” status quo. The book features protagonists who are both in their early forties and are well-established in their careers.
Alia is a female country director who spends one week a year at sunny La Union. She does so to escape the demands of work and city life. She is annually involved with Leandro, an equally successful education tech CEO who chose the surfing destination as his permanent address. When a post-lockdown work encounter in Manila forces Alia and Leandro to face each other outside of their beach trysts, they are led to explore the idea of something beyond their annual hookups.
I enjoyed reading this novelette because of the smart banter between Alia and Leandro. Both of them have their own careers and have made bold lifestyle choices. I could relate to Alia because she bought a townhouse in Antipolo. While I may not live on a mountain at suburbia, I still consider my Quezon City townhouse to be strategically distant from the business districts that I used to work at. The pandemic has forced me to move my freelance career at home, and Alia’s working style of separating “laptop work” from “smartphone work” is something that I also practice. I am also the type who asks hard questions to the men I date, so just like Alia, I expect nothing less from the man I am seeing.
I appreciate how Leandro always asks for Alia’s consent before going further. I like how he shows sensitivity when faced with the possibility of losing Alia. I also like how in the duration of the story, both characters have developed from hookup lovers to a committed couple. The value of compromise is highlighted here. it is especially relevant today. Many people have moved back to the province or away from the city to have better mental health. Relationships will surely take a more dynamic turn once we move to a more “normal” way of life, and it is important for couples to know that compromise is key to making everything work,
I recommend this book for people my age (I am thirty-five) and older! It is refreshing to read a story about people who are done with “adulting” and are transitioning to a more comfortable way of advance careers and lifestyle choices. Your Place Next Year is the novelette that romance readers need this year and in a post-pandemic 2022.
To pre-order your copy, please refer to the following links:
Amazon http://bit.ly/yourplacenextyear
Gumroad http://gum.co/yourplacenextyear
You may also visit Mina’s website to know more about her work as an author and romance writing trainer. She is one of today’s leading writing and publishing teachers, so check out her website today!