The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos is a cute romance with a unique twist.

I enjoyed the cultural themes, how engaging the characters felt and the playful plot. A standout read for a person who only started reading romance novels in 2024!

This book has it all, if you ask me!

4.5 stars!

Early copy review:

I absolutely loved the author's note and the foundation of the story. I was very excited to read a story about a Filipino girl being courted by an American guy according to her traditions. I love traditions and culture, being from a background rich in them. The first 50% of the book had me hooked and smiling so big. It was the best part of the book.

The MMC Evan is so sweet and kind. He is amazing. He made me smile a lot and made my heart flutter at times. The FMC was okay, and I wanted to like her for following her culture and traditions, but I did not like her because of her behaviour.

Evan would move mountains for this girl, but Dalisay sometimes did not even speak properly to him. I would have liked it if she had at least tried to do something for him.

After around the 50% point, I lost interest in this book because what mainly interested me was over. It felt like another story or episode of the same story, beginning from there. After 65%, I just skimmed through it to find out what happened.

Overall, it is a decent book, and the first 50% is worth reading. Evan is great, and he deserves to be read about.

⭐3/5
🌶1/5

I received this book as an ARC, and I am very thankful for it.

I've fallen off reading rom-coms a bit in the past couple of years because everything has been feeling very low-effort and repetitive to me. This book, while not flawless or an instant favorite, does feel like a bit of a breath of fresh air in the genre. I love the way Melissa de la Cruz captures Filipino culture and the idea of structuring a book around the Five Stages is certainly unique and not something I've ever seen done before, which really helps elevate this one. While I wish the romance felt a little more realistic (this is very much a lust-at-first-sight situation that doesn't really seem to develop much further beyond that despite the book wanting to convince us these two are soul mates) the writing did not err on the side of cringey like so many recent rom-coms unfortunately do, and it kept my attention the whole time. Would make a great beach/pool read this summer season!

Very interesting and funny story. Quick read and fast pacing. The main characters were easy to love and has a good development
All in all 5 stars :))

This book is a perfect cross-cultural workplace romance! I absolutely love Dalisay and Evan as a duo! The family dynamics and variations of relationship expectations gave so many amazing moments throughout this read! I absolutely loved this story in general! The only thing I’d warn readers about is a homophobia trigger warning (improves throughout the story, but is not sensitive to this in order to provide cultural norms).

The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos by Melissa de la Cruz didn't quite hit the mark for me. On one hand, I was really intrigued by the whole premise of Evan trying to win over Dalisay by going through these Filipino courtship traditions. But on the other hand, there were some aspects of the book that just didn't quite work for me.

Let's start with the positives. I actually thought the characters had some good chemistry, especially Dalisay. She's got this sweet, quirky vibe that made her really endearing to me as a reader. Plus, I loved seeing the diversity in the book – it's always cool to see different cultures represented in stories, you know?

But here's where things get a little dicey. The writing style just didn't click with me. It felt kinda choppy and disjointed, which made it hard for me to really get sucked into the story. And the pacing? Yeah, it was definitely off. I felt like things were dragging at times, which made it tough for me to stay engaged.

Now, don't get me wrong, there were definitely some moments that I enjoyed. I found myself cheering Dalisay on from the sidelines, hoping she'd find her happily ever after. And I appreciated the way the book explored themes of tradition and family expectations.

But overall, I found The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos to be a bit of a struggle to get through. It might still be worth checking out if you're into slower-paced romances with cultural elements, but for me, it just didn't quite hit the mark.

"The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos" by Pauline Angeles is a delightful and romantic novel that explores the traditions of courtship in the Philippines. Evan Saatchi is smitten with his new co-worker, Dalisay Ramos, who has just arrived in Manila to lead their travel app's Asia division. However, when Evan asks Dalisay out, she rejects him for his cheek.

Evan soon learns about the Five Stages, a courtship ritual that lovers in the Philippines have performed for generations. If he wants a chance with Dalisay, he must go through these stages, which include servitude and even singing. When Dalisay challenges Evan to complete the stages, the game is on.

As Evan attempts to win Dalisay's heart and the bet, their courtship turns into a sizzling secret. However, when modern love and family expectations collide, Dalisay and Evan must find a way to carry on a rich history into a shared future.

Pauline Angeles has crafted a charming and romantic story with well-developed characters and a plot that keeps you engaged until the end. The exploration of Filipino courtship traditions adds a unique and captivating element to the story, and readers will find themselves rooting for Evan and Dalisay as they navigate the challenges of their relationship.

Overall, "The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos" is a must-read for fans of romance and cultural fiction. Pauline Angeles has created a beautiful world that celebrates tradition and modern love, and readers won't be able to put the book down until they've discovered whether Evan and Dalisay can make it work.

I'm always looking for reads that highlight Filipino culture or have Filipino leads, so I was excited to read this one. Unfortunately, this was a did not finish for me. I couldn't get in to it. Maybe the writing style wasn't for me. From what I read, however, I do appreciate how de la Cruz highlights the Philippine tradition of "pagligaw" or courting, and the characters seem to have good dynamics.

Just because it wasn't for me, doesn't mean other won't enjoy this read. I'll plan to give it another chance in the future.

In "Five States of Courting" by Dalisay Ramos, I embarked on an emotional journey alongside Evan and Dalisay as they navigated the complexities of love and tradition. Be aware: this review might contain details you'll consider spoilers.

While the instant connection between the protagonists initially caught me off guard, I found myself drawn into their gradual blossoming relationship and the endearing romantic moments scattered throughout the story. The narrative's use of a third-person perspective felt impersonal, but that did not bother me as much as I thought it would.

However, the novel did stumble in a few areas. The handling of time within the narrative was sometimes unclear, and the sudden breakup in the third act felt somewhat forced and disrupted the natural flow of the story. Additionally, the five-month gap left me feeling a bit perplexed, and there were moments where the writing felt rushed, preventing me from fully savoring the nuances of the plot.

Overall, "Five States of Courting" provided me with heartwarming moments of laughter and genuine romance, despite its shortcomings. With a bit of fine-tuning in pacing and character development, I believe the book has the potential to become an even more delightful read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this book.

Melissa de la Cruz always writes a great story and this had the romance element that I was hoping for. It has a great character development and that they worked with the romance. The romance was realistic and worked with the theme of everything, it had a strong plot going on and enjoyed getting to read this.

The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos is a full of Filipino inspired dynamics! I love it. Its fun, its authentic and the characters are so relatable. I can’t help but cheer Dalisay on the sidelines. She is sweet and she has her own quirks. The food references are insane and makes me feel homesick!
Thank you Melissa dela Cruz and Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Sadly, I had to DNF. I just can’t bring myself to read a book that is written in third person. This makes me really sad because I was so excited to read it.☹️