📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @penguinteen for an early copy of Chasing Pacquiao by Rod Pulido. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Chasing Pacquiao is a story about queer Filipino-American Bobby, who is struggling to prove himself to a community that frowns upon homosexuality. He was outed unexpectedly and has become a target of a very violent bully. He decides to fight back and learn boxing, having Manny Pacquiao as his long-time inspiration. However, Pacquiao publicly declares his stance against queer people, and Bobby's faith--in his hero and in himself--is shaken to the core.

Pulido’s debut novel starts out with paragraphs of what seems to be rants from Bobby, particularly about his coming out and how it’ll affect others’ perspectives of him, as he preferred to stay invisible. There was a lot of vulgar language throughout the novel, which I honestly do not appreciate given that this is a young adult novel but putting that aside, the overall story was a great realization of what it’s like to be judged just because someone is attracted exclusively to his/her same sex or gender. It saddens me that people needed to hide a huge part of themselves just because of the fear of being judged and bullied.

I enjoyed the moments between Bobby and his boyfriend Brandon, they were absolutely sweet and just gave me the “it’s you and me against the world” vibes, especially towards the end of the book. I especially loved their friendship with Rosie, who was super supportive of the couple.

I think the main hook for this novel having Bobby question his admiration for Pacquiao for his homophobic statements needed to be expounded a bit more; it wasn’t until around 85% of the story that this was brought up and I feel it was too rushed on how Bobby processed things. Though fitting and bittersweet, the ending also seemed underwhelming for me given how much it has been hyped throughout the novel's second half.

Rating Chasing Pacquiao ⭐⭐⭐/5. Releases May 2nd, 2023!

The last in the three YA ARCs that I read this month and I really want to like this book because it is revolving on the story a Filipino-American queer teen who idolized Manny Pacquiao until the latter publicly expressed his opinions about the LGBTQ+ community.

I had a hard time engaging with the story and I'm not sure if it's because of the writing style or the voice of the main character but I still managed to finish the book.

Thoughts? I want to commend the author for writing this book but to be honest, there are things that could have been written better than this one.

I am expecting a lot of sensitivity regarding the portrayal of the Filipino community knowing that the author is in the Diaspora part yet there were some parts in the book that I don't 100% agree so maybe, it's just me.

Overall, a decent read and I always enjoy reading/promoting books with brown/POC in the cover so that's a win.

RATING: 3.5stars

As a bisexual Filipino, I was eager to read this book that tackled homophobia within the Filipino-American experience so when word got out that there would be a street team to promote it, I was quick to jump on the bandwagon and did my best to spread the word about this book to get enough points to have access to the ARC. (Update: I was kicked out of the street team shortly after posting this review.)

Perhaps I was too optimistic that I would like this book. But before I get into what I didn't like, I'll talk about the good.

Although I had my doubts about how well the aftermath of Pacquiao's homophobic statements would be portrayed, I was pleasantly surprised. The main character's reaction felt very real and raw, owing to how well-written his emotions were. The feeling of disappointment, confusion, and betrayal practically bled through the page.

Despite the multiple conflicts within this book, it also still manages to have a sense of lightheartedness and a cuteness factor that is much needed in queer stories, especially when most of what is published circles around homophobia. I'd say I'm glad this book wasn't as dark as it could've been, which is a matter of personal preference.

But then I had multiple other problems with this book and I'll start off with the smaller ones.

I found the themes explored to be very in-your-face and the entire cast to be mere caricatures to deliver a message. The side characters can literally be identified as such archetypes as the Ally, the Mentor, the Love Interest, the Bully, and the Wildcard. When the synopsis of the book already explains that it is about homophobia within the Filipino community and the effect that Pacquiao's statements have had, I'd expect there to be a deeper dive into these topics and a more nuanced discussion. Instead what you read from the synopsis is pretty much what you get and little else: main character is inspired to fight because of Manny, Manny disappoints him, but main character rises despite, end of story.

I also felt that a number of things were introduced to the story which seemed to promise a closer inspection on some themes, but are never really revisited or given ample attention when it could have. The book is quite short and I think would have been enriched by those discussions! This includes among others an introduction to domestic abuse and bigoted beliefs as something that can be passed on generationally, drug abuse in underprivileged communities, Filipinos in the healthcare industry, and how bullying in school can affect academic performance. I didn't necessarily need a well-rounded deep dive into any of them; it just felt that they were there for a purpose but hadn't quite fulfilled them. There was also a kind of third act conflict between the love interests that I thought didn't need to be there. To top it all off, the ending felt rather abrupt and left me unsatisfied.

As for some of my bigger issues with the book, one is that the main characters consistently dig at the antagonist's physical appearance, including the fact that he has acne and is fat. While I understand that these are teenagers who have been abused and harrassed by said antagonist, it certainly does not make me like them. Am I supposed to root for characters who resort to insulting someone's acne and fatness when they dislike a person? Where do they draw the line? And as someone who has been bullied for being acne-ridden and chubby, I cannot help but find such behavior offensive. These aren't insecure grade schoolers, these are older teens who should know better at their age. I feel that readers who have been bullied for their acne would not feel the most safe reading this book as the main characters call the antagonist names from his appearance.

I also disliked how much of the dialogue felt unnatural and poorly written. As a reader of juvenile fiction, I believe my tolerance for cheesy and predictable lines is pretty high so I can let those parts of the dialogue slide. But what I found I could barely stand was how awkward certain Tagalog words were used. Having grown up in the suburbs of Metro Manila, I am well-acquainted with what English sprinkled with a bit of Tagalog sounds like, from your regular small town Taglish to the more metro conyo. But the use of Tagalog here just felt very off. At first I thought that perhaps I am just not that familiar with how Filipino-Americans speak but from my limited interactions with the few that I do know and from other FilAm authored books I've read, I haven't encountered dialogue that felt quite as stilted as this.

Finally, my biggest complaint about this book that docked a star from what could have been a generous three-star rating: the fact that it repeatedly says that the Tagalog word "bakla" is a gay slur. I don't know if any other homeland Filipinos have read this prior to its final edits because this to me was such a blunder that could easily have been prevented. Any modern native Tagalog speaker knows that the only time that "bakla" is used as an insult is when misogynists try to humiliate a man (straight or otherwise) for displaying effeminate traits or behavior. It is not the Tagalog equivalent of the English f-slur which is how it is used in this book. The main character repeatedly takes offense to be called "bakla" when the word literally just translates to "gay" or "queer" which he accepts himself to be! So it doesn't make sense for him to be fine with being called gay but not bakla. On the outset it might seem like a small mistake, but for homeland queer Filipinos who read this, it is incredibly Western-centric and dismissive of the decades-long use and reclamation of the word. "Bakla" is our word for "gay" and "sangkabaklaan" is our word for the LGBTQIA+ community. Reducing a word that we celebrate during Pride and in recent years even use as a term of endearment for friends both queer and straight to something as pungent as a slur grossly misrepresents the Filipino queer experience.

For these reasons and my general lack of enjoyment of this book does it merit two stars from me.

A tentative 3/5 stars

TW: homophobia, physical assault, bullying, child abuse, violence

I think that this book did a lot of good things such as discussing the homophobia within the Filipino community (as a consequence of colonization), the importance of having a strong group of friends who love and support you, and becoming comfortable in your own skin during a time when you’re marked as an other for wanting to do so.

The thing that I think this book didn’t do such a good job at was tackling the plot it promised. It wasn’t introduced until about 73-78% of the novel which meant I just read a novel idolizing Pacquiao before we got to the meat of the novel. When we did reach the plot that we were promised in the synopsis, to me, it felt like it got brushed to the side with “see, look! Terrible shit happened because he was a terrible person” which consisted of Bobby’s mother telling him that he was bad and his best friend saying Pacquiao lost his Nike sponsorship.

By the time I reached the ending, I felt like it wasn’t as deserved as I wanted it to be. And by deserved, I mean, Bobby did deserve to start to feel comfortable in his skin and to feel happy, however, his way of confronting Pacquiao did not feel deserved.

Overall, I anticipated a lot, and I wanted there to be more.

What do you do when your hero publicly announces his stance against queer people? We all know these examples, right? Does such a person fall off their pedestal, or don’t you believe that someone you looked up to could be so intolerant and will they still be your idol?

Bobby is bullied when he’s forced to come out of the closet. So he decides to follow his inspiration, world-famous boxer Manny Pacquiao and starts boxing too so he can defend himself. But then Manny calls gay people worse than animals.

Rod’s writing is engaging and vivid and immediately pulled me into Bobby’s story. I had to warm up a bit to Bobby at first and didn’t always like his (re)actions. But Bobby really grows in this story and I like flawed and messy teens. A special shout-out to Bobby’s boyfriend Bran(don) and Luke, the gym’s owner. Bran was such a cute cinnamon roll and I adored the dancing scene! Luke was like a father to Bobby, and I loved his protectiveness.

Be aware there’s lots of homophobia and violence in Chasing Pacquiao. The book isn’t exactly dark, there are many fluffy moments, but it definitely has its darker parts. They fitted the story, though. In my opinion, the book could have been a bit longer, the ending felt a bit rushed and my brows knitted together because of the Bruno Scars thing. But overall, I really enjoyed Chasing Pacquiao and think it’s a great debut.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

For over a week, I’ve been trying to articulate my thoughts on Chasing Pacquiao. I’d been looking forward to this book release for quite some time, so thanks to Rod Pulido, Penguin, and NetGalley for the eARC.

The first thing that stands out to me is how well Rod Pulido integrated Bobby Agbayani’s intersecting identities - queer, Filipino-American, less privileged socioeconomic status.

While there are many YA novels that involve queer protagonists dealing with bullies, not many of them are as proactive as Bobby Agbayani, who steps out of his comfort zone to learn to box to defend himself (Rod’s writing about Bobby learning to box was so compelling that I looked up local boxing gyms). Like Bobby (and many others with Filipino heritage), I was a fan of Manny Pacquiao and was disappointed by his homophobia. I appreciated how the book addressed that issue, and how Bobby’s friends handled it in a sensitive way.

Though my level of anticipation was high, Chasing Pacquiao exceeded my expectations. I’m a fairly voracious reader of YA fiction, and I can’t remember encountering another book that had such a relatable representation of Filipino-American culture. I had never heard of Tanaga (a Filipino poetry style) before, so I found myself learning things I didn’t know about my own culture.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA fiction, but especially those who share identities with Bobby. Rod Pulido’s debut novel is an excellent start for an author who will hopefully write many more books in the future.

Truly a masterpiece. I had wanted to read this book for so long, and I'm incredibly grateful for being able to read it before it comes out. I loved Bobby’s story, his friends, his struggles, and how much he matures. Not only that, but I felt inspired by his determination and resilience. And I adored all the comic book references.

I loved all the main characters. Rod Pulido made me care so much for them because they felt like real people. And the worldbuilding and pace were amazing. It was difficult to put the book down to sleep at night because I kept wanting to read more.

Something I really liked was that the story started with the main character already in a relationship. That made it possible to see more about Bran’s and Bobby’s love for each other. It wasn’t a falling in love story, it was them already in love but struggling to overcome their differences, and maturing while caring so much for each other. I love them. This book had stunning representation, for queer people and poc. And I learned so many things about Filipino culture and cuisine! Now I’m dying to try ube one day.

You can tell how much effort and care Rod put into his work, everything felt so well done and real.

Thanks to Rod Pulido for letting me be a part of the street team and to Viking Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for the eARC. These opinions are my own. I was so engrossed in this book! Couldn’t put it down! Bobby is trying to get through high school without people finding out he’s gay. This makes things difficult with his boyfriend, and things get a lot worse when he’s outed. After getting beat up he’s determined to not let it happen again, he takes up boxing figuring he can follow in his hero, Manny Pacquiao’s footsteps. But with a bully who’s out for blood can he learn to fight before it’s too late? And what about when his hero turns out to be just another homophobe? I enjoy a good book that shows a queer character standing up to his bully and fighting back! I love that Bobby was determined, strong, and so lovable! I enjoyed that there were more complexities with Bobby besides just his bully, difficulties and differences with his boyfriend Brandon, and awkwardness with Brandon’s parents! All of these aspects helped to create such a relatable character in Bobby while not taking away from the concept of standing up for who you are and fighting for it! I loved that Bobby had such a good support system, though reluctant! Plus I enjoyed Rosie and Brandon’s relationship and their side story! Plus who doesn’t love a good mentorship story! I highly recommend checking this book out! Can’t wait to read it again when it comes out!

A solid, fast-paced, character-driven debut that takes a lot of pride in Filipino and queer identity. I was somewhat triggered by the bullying and violence the MC faces, especially given the very real attacks on LGBTQIA+ rights and lives lately, but I loved Bobby’s determination, self-awareness, and confidence in his identity. And I was glad for his friendships with people who genuinely cared for and supported him and wished him well.

I also really appreciated the way this book tackles the downfall of our heroes and idols, and the complexities of reconciling a figure who once gave you so much to look up to, but is suddenly revealed to be deeply problematic, even actively against the very existence of people like you.


Content warnings for Anti-LGBTQ+ slurs (in English and Tagalog), homophobic bullying and violence, queerphobia, prevailing grief around the loss of a parent, details about injury, blood, abusive father (side character).

A heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting book. Can't wait to recommend this to anyone and everyone I know!

This is the book I needed as a child, especially since when I was younger all these coming of age books were about white kids. Overall I really enjoyed the book and seeing Bobby’s perspective on life and Rosie was such a fun character to watch as well..