Celestina's House by author: Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez had potential with ghosts and internal demons however plot points never felt fully realized and the characters were not relatable. I never really liked any of the characters, many are selfish and unkind.

This novel is a mix of Filipino culture, myths and superstitions interwoven with real life drama. I was disturbed by the handling of the father/daughter relationship.

I found the narrative excessive and did not advance the plot, including characters that were introduced and then never seen again. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!

I loved this book!!! Wow! What a great ready! This was a first for me by this author but willl not be my last! I recommend this book!!

Celestina was born to a mother who was a rebel and an artistic father. When she finishes high school, the gift from her maternal grandfather was a small trust fund and a house that belonged to her aunt who was murdered during World War II. But it is through that house ( and the ghosts who reside there) that Celestina learns how to heal from her traumatic childhood. Celestina has a few relationships and many one-night stands trying to shut out her past, but when she meets a handsome restauranteur, she finally finds the courage to deal with the trauma from her past. There is a beautiful found family that gives Celestina the courage to heal, but there is some trauma at the beginning of the book that is described on the page. A beautiful and haunting debut novel.

I enjoyed reading Celestina's House! I was looking forward to it as it perfectly fits my reading goal (to read 40 books by authors of different nationalities). I had never read a book by a Filipino, so this was a nice first.

Celestina's mother chose love, but that choice leads to a lot of unhappiness in both their lives. Her father causes them both a lot of trauma due to which Celestina is incapable of normal relationships. Celestina's constant quest for peace of mind is heartbreaking. Trying to find happiness in a cursed house, in relationships that aren't meant to be... Trying to fill up the void within yourself. I think it's very relatable for some people. It is very well done.

Sometimes the dialogues didn't feel a 100% natural, but what I did enjoy a lot were the descriptions of Manila, its nightlife and Filipino society in general. Even though I have never been there, I felt like I could picture it. It made me want to travel.

Thank you NetGalley and Dundrum publishing for the ARC

Atmospheric and filled with yearning, this book tells the story of a young woman haunted by her past and the ghosts of her ancestors.

This richly woven world brings the reader into the superstitious, hyper-religious world of the artistic and upper-class Philippines in the 1960's through the 1990's. Celestina is the child of a disinherited heiress who married the rebellious writer who captured her attention in college. Her parents' uneasy love story forms the base of her life, even as it ends in the ultimate betrayal.

When Celestina inherits the gorgeous home where her great-aunt was murdered years earlier, she chooses to move in, making peace with the ghosts who interfere in her life. She enters a bohemian phase of life, splitting the house into apartments that she rents out to friends and diving into nightlife, though she never really feels at peace.

Years later, Celestina struggles to believe herself worthy of love, even as she yearns for it in her relationships with Johnny, the tattooed singer, and Josemaria, the famous restauranter. But the shadow of the past looms over them, bringing darkness into the present.

A bittersweet tale of trauma, forgiveness and a search for belonging and a place to call home.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting way to delve into the culture and folklore of Manila. The story was a mix of two kinds however and I prefered the folklore one. The cover is stunning and it reflected the inside words and culture well.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I have not read a book based in the Phillipines before and I was surprised at the amount of Spanish, but really enjoyed the other dialects mentioned, as well as a nod to French language and English music. The vibrancy of the Phillopeno world was really portrayed well in food, beliefs, customs, religion, relationships and the importance of status. I really enjoyed being immersed in a new culture. The detail the author goes into when Josemaria was preparing the duck for Celestina was really good - I really felt like the author really knows, understands and appreciates the Phillopeno culture.

I found the beginning of the story really well written. The relationship between Antonio and Celestina is well depicted and disturbingly believable. The abortion scene is pretty graphic and made my stomach turn - clearly well written.

I immediately liked Verg and wanted him and Celestina to have a life together. He only had her interests at heart. I initially thought the Priest with no light was bad, but I'm not really sure if he actually was - was Verg already damaged from events leading up to his time with the Priest? We don't know.

I liked Johnny and hoped they would get back together after the 2 year trip. I wanted them to end up together even at the end! I could not get along with Josemaria - I couldn't imagine him in my mind and his character did not seem to fit what I imagine a restauranteur to be.

I have to also talk about Stella. She had a fairly minor role in the book, but she had an epically sad life. When she meets Celestina at the parking lot the atmosphere between the two is palpable and such a shame. I really felt for her Mum - she's probably the character I could most closely relate to.

My favourite line in the book is "the rain fell like the sky had ripped open". It was very apt, really good imagery for the scene and original.

I would definitely read more from Trinidad Gonzalez.

This book left me with mixed feelings. I enjoyed learning about Filipino culture, especially their daily life, myths, and superstitions. The supernatural parts were well-done too. But the writing style was different, and the characters wasn't develop much. I also didn't like how women were portrayed, especially Celestina's troubling relationship with her father.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC

I received this book from NetGalley and Dundurn Press | Rare Machines in exchange for a free and honest review.

This book tackles ideas about connections, found families, supernatural incidences and trauma. After a traumatic event Celestina feels a need for connection and tries to find love with a series of partners, but due to her experiences she is unable to give affection readily. She is gifted a house by her grandfather and whilst there she begins to assemble her own found family. I found the book fascinating especially learning about Filipino superstitions, nightlife and cuisine (this book is a foodies dream with lots of food descriptions). I think that the trauma and its effects were quite realistic. I would recommend this book but advise readers to lookup the trigger warnings.

In “Celestina’s House,” Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez weaves a spellbinding tale that merges the supernatural with a rich tapestry of Filipino culture and history, reminiscent of “The House of the Spirits” and “Mexican Gothic.” The novel begins with an act of betrayal that fractures Celestina Errantes’s family, leaving her yearning for escape from her unhappy home. Her opportunity arrives unexpectedly through a gift from her wealthy grandfather—a long-abandoned property in Manila’s bohemian district, steeped in mystery and haunted by ghosts.

Celestina’s journey unfolds against the backdrop of Manila’s vibrant but seedy underworld, where she discovers both solace and peril within the walls of her ancestral home. The author expertly explores themes of love, betrayal, and the complexities of family dynamics across three generations. As Celestina immerses herself in the pleasures and darkness of her new life, she confronts the emptiness within herself, seeking fulfillment amidst the echoes of familial secrets and supernatural forces that refuse to be silenced.

The prose in “Celestina’s House” is lush and evocative, painting a vivid picture of a Manila infused with gothic romance and palpable mystique. The novel’s strength lies in its ability to blend the personal struggles of its characters with the broader historical and cultural context of the Philippines. Celestina’s journey towards self-discovery is poignant and haunting, as she grapples with her past, present desires, and the relentless pull of her family’s legacy.

The praise from authors like Kim Echlin, Andrew Pyper, and Patria Rivera is well-deserved, underscoring the novel’s depth and emotional resonance. This novel is a testament to the author’s storytelling prowess, crafting a narrative that is both captivating and thought-provoking. “Celestina’s House” is a remarkable exploration of identity, memory, and the enduring power of place, offering readers a mesmerizing glimpse into a world where ghosts and human desires intertwine in unexpected ways.

For readers captivated by atmospheric settings, complex characters, and narratives that blend the mystical with the deeply personal, “Celestina’s House” is a compelling and unforgettable read.

Pros: Celestina’s House provides vivid descriptions and a detailed and insightful portrayal of Filipino culture, cuisine, and beliefs.
Cons: Excessive narrative and a lack of character development.
Overall, this was a decent read for cultural immersion, but the narrative struggles to engage and I found myself pulled out of the story often.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I was quite intrigued by the settings, the atmosphere, even the feel of the writing early on. Sadly I don't think the story managed to live up to my excitement. A part of me is intrigued to see what comes next from the author, there is some promise in the rough.

This book is so bad that if I could give it a 0, I would. But since a Filipina wrote it, I’ll give it a 1.

Where do I even start? From the god-awful plot? The theme that was nowhere to be found? Tbf, I literally skimmed like halfway through the book because I was not having it. It was boring!!!! Characters are so dull and uninteresting and they don’t even have depth?? They get introduced then get discarded by the author immediately, providing no deeper explanation as to why they even came to Celestina’s life. The only character that stood out for me was Celestina because I was literally only reading it for her because I couldn’t gaf about the others.

Dialogues are poorly executed and I sometimes wonder if the characters are actually humans. The book also has no central theme or whatsoever. Again, characters are introduced and discarded immediately and I could never understand why Celestina had to meet them. Everything was poorly-written and I found myself rooting for no one. I’ll write this next one in Tagalog to better express myself. Sa totoo lang, hindi ko nagustuhan ang pag-execute niya with the Mindanao/Johnny ARC like patawa ka?? Nakaka-disappoint as someone na ipinanganak at lumaki sa Mindanao. “Mindanao” TAPOS DAVAO LANG. Please be serious.

Filipino/Tagalog words were executed correctly though. But the way the characters were exchanging them was odd because I believe no Filipino talks to each other like that.

This book needs to be redone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the e-ARC.

Thank you NetGalley, Dundurn Press and Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez for allowing me to read the ARC of "Celestina's House" in exchange for an honest review.

Although I did really like the writing style of the author and the atmosphere set throughout the book, there was always something missing for me, the characters lacking a certain depth which was very unfortunate considering the events and stories of the characters.

I did like to have a book set in the Philippiness, this was something I throughout enjoyed as well, but my expectations where not met, but that might also be because what this book advertises ( haunted house, spirits, curses etc) is not really met or explored enough for me.

It does pain me to give a two star rating because I try to avoid them as much as possible especially for debut authors, but I did sincerely had a hard time even though it is clear as day that the author does possess the necessary skill and the story and book had a lot of potential.

the descriptive writing here was everything to me - the descriptions of the food and setting in particular were so well done and made me feel so immersed in the story.

i think the reason i didn’t connect with this as much as i would have wanted to was that i just did not gel with the characters. i think this is because i found the dialogue a little awkward to read.

i do think that the descriptive writing is beautifully done though, and i’d read more of this author’s work.

thank you so much to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc 🫶🏻

Mixed bag.

The culture, food, places, superstitions, politics and supernatural elements of the Phillipines are written very well.

But the characters, at times, leave something to be desired (with their choices).
The story jumps around in time sometimes, which sort of puts a damper on the events of a previous chapter.

It is an easy read, though, despite all the local references and food names.

I really wanted to like this book. I lived in The Philippines and loved every chaotic moment of it. The descriptions of Manila are excellent. This is someone who knows and also likely loves the city. I also have sat on the benches at Manila Bay watching the sunset and been absolutely dazzled by the colours of the sky.
But the story, the characterisation and the dialogue are all very clunky. When I'm teaching writing, I always tell my students to read aloud their dialogue to hear what it speaks like - all of the dialogue in this novel could do with this. Often it sounds robotic when spoken out loud. The interactions between characters in speech lose their dynamism due to dialogue that doesn't sound natural. This impacts characterisation. It was easy to picture the characters as the descriptions were so precise but again didn't feel natural. These were 'types' of characters, not fully rounded or well developed. It's hard to imagine people behaving like this. Not the ugliness - that was fine but the responses to the ugliness felt flat.
There is a great story in here - it just still needs a lot of work.

I was so looking forward to reading this...but am sorry to say that I was unable to finish it mostly due to the father - daughter relationship that was wrong, just wrong. It made me very uncomfortable so I just had to stop. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy.

The cover of this book is what first caught my attention and is very beautiful!
I truly wanted to enjoy this story, but unfortunately, it fell short for me and, I struggled to connect with the content and could only make it halfway through before I had to stop.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for giving me the chance to read this eARC

Celestina's House is a novel by Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez, whose blurb essentially boils down to the secrets of the house are the secrets of the heart. It narrates the story of a prominent family in Manila's pseudo-rich district spanning two or three generations with the mother, main lead Celestina & her possible lovers. What this book advertises itself to be is a story about a haunted house that is somehow linked to Celestina. Prima facie & 10 chapters into the book, I thought Celestina was going to die & the curse of it was going to make the house haunted, for any future tenants or renters are going to face the wrath of it.
The book fails to accomplish any of these tasks.

What I liked:
Firstly, I really liked the atmosphere the author creates around Manila, Philippines & the sprinkling of the language, the native language, the use of slangs, the native terms, I really appreciate that in a the book. It brought out a slight bit of a cultural angle. At the beginning, I enjoyed how the relationship with her parents was built up. Celestina's relationship with her mother is shown as aloof, not as close while her father has been shown, *spoiler alert*, as a predator. In the first few chapters, when this is done, even though it freaked me out, you can tell the red flags, you can see where the story is going, but there is this hope at the back of your head, this will lead to a proper plot. In those few chapters, I was, I will say invested as to what will happen & as predicted, the thing happens - for those limited chapters, the book has a good hook.
The cover is decent too.

Now the thing with this book that I did not like is so much that it far outweighs the pros of this book. Firstly, coming to the father & Celestina's character, even if you have to show some sort of abuse, familial abuse & how she was groomed & bred by the father, you do it so it has a consequence on your story ultimately. What this book could not achieve in the end was how it impacted Celestina. Her character comes out to be so boring, so bland I couldn't bear to hear her talking even. She has no substance, her past, her future, it's all very linear, there is no depth to her character & the trivial father event is treated so lightly, almost as a floating character of convenience, which really, really undermines the severity of what happened to Celestina as a kid.

Further to that point, the father makes a comeback in the final chapters of the book & it is of almost no consequence again. Why was this entire plot point in the book if you did not want to make a big deal out of it? To me, it felt more like an advertising piece or a marketing strategy, something sensational that would sell well on booktok, I guess, where you could sensationalize it with a catchy caption saying a "book where she is abused by her father" but then it amounts to nothing. And following this thread, ultimately reading this book, I kept wondering what is the main plot of this book? What is the theme? What is that thing that the author tries to achieve by writing this book? Either your book has a plot, either it has a good story, either the narration is very well done or it is a character-based story, Celestina's house is none of those things - that is my main problem. I do not actively want a story to be there in my book, but then at least the writing should be good. For example, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is one of those books where it just follows one character, but the writing is so well done that you feel invested in the character. This book, you do not feel invested in a single character, let alone the main lead. Everybody is temporary, there are too many people & you do not feel interested in any one of them. I did not like how this book does not know what it is about. It tries to do too much and then ultimately it is not able to do anything.
Again, following the thread that I just mentioned, another thing about the characters is there are so many characters with so many useless backstories that we did not need. That time could have been cut out because it makes the novel unnecessarily long or it could have been given to Celestina so we understand her feelings and emotions better so we could be invested in her more. But all of that was pushed aside & we get some random person's circumcision scenes???! which.... why do I have to read that if it is not going to have any impact on your plot??? So this book, by the end, post the 60% mark, I must admit, I skimmed through it because it was not worth my time. I was very close to DNFing it. The only reason I did not give it a DNF or a 1 star, instead I went for 2 stars, are the reasons I mentioned above, that there are some redeeming qualities to the book. I do want to encourage more stories from Southeast Asia, more that talk about the culture & more about the native slang, though this book has none of that vibrant culture. So in that vein, I do want to encourage it plus I found the cover of this book to be extremely pretty, however, again, the cover has no consequence on the plot & vice versa. What does this cover signify? Usually you have a cover that will have small details but this just has some flowers & a snake. I mean, I get the snake but it doesn't make any sense. You would think that there would be a beautiful house with dragons and two towers on the cover because that is all the book talks about but then...

Also, someone in the Goodreads reviews wrote this very beautiful line in their review that this book was supposed to be about a haunted house and it turns out to just be about Celestina hopping around in Malina trying to find love - that just sums up the book. I do not want to see her love hopping especially when her love interests are so bland because she herself is so bland that her love interests seem worse. I do not remember even a single name of any love interest because they were just of no consequence. I could not bring myself to care about the guy she finally ended up with either. If only the romance was readable I would not have to complain about the book being so boring & lacking the haunted house aspect as promised but yeah, ultimately, nothing about this book will keep you hooked, it will intrigue you in the beginning, that I accept, only to eventually crash and burn from there.

Overall, this book is not worth your time. I believe it should have been heavily edited. I believe it should have been beta read and there should have been advanced reader copies. I do not think it should be published in what it is right now. It is very off-putting to read & I honestly felt like I wasted a lot of my time reading it.