I really give this book a 3.5. I enjoyed this story because the MMC was willing to learn about a different culture in the process of getting the FMC. I love a MMC that puts in effort and he did throughout the book. I tried to listen using the net galley app but had a difficult time getting thru because it would repeated go back to previous chapters but finally able to complete the story.

This book just wasn't for me. I have loved all of Melissa de la Cruz's other books. I thought this book was going to be another banger from her. but it just wasn't for me. I will forever read her books though.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the ALC of The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos!

I felt that this one was a bit uneven. I was shocked that they were through the Five Stages before the halfway point of the book so then the third act breakup was just looming over the story. Evan was a bit unlikeable before he and Dalisay got together but once they were a couple he lost any tinge of a personality. Dalisay's personality was uneven. She seems like an assertive woman when she turns Evan down but then she becomes so meek once they get together. I was surprised that the story turned around by the end but getting through it was a bit of a slog.

A super quick YA romance novel that offers an interesting introduction to Filipino dating culture. It’s a cute and age-appropriate read for the young adult audience. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

I wasn't really a fan of this book. I expected the five stages to take up the entire book but it got done so quickly. I would have love seeing more time spent on each stage. I did like seeing a bit into the Filipino culture. I had high hopes for the book but overall, I was disappointed.

audiobook specific: I wasn't a huge fan of the narration. It felt very slow.

A nice quick one! If you like YA romance then this may be your thing, it’s got love, challenges, and an interesting looking into Filipino dating culture!

The books didn’t fully land the mark with me, I will be honest I almost dnf’d, the story was cute and I liked the chemistry between the MC’s but I just kept turning to other things instead of finishing this, but I pushed through and ended up enjoying the story but not my favorite! 3.5 ⭐️’s

Thank you to the Author Melissa De La Cruz for writing this, and to the Narrator Amielynn Abellera as well, I appreciate you sharing it with me!

Big Thank you as well to RB Media and NetGalley for my no cost audiobook copy of “The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos”.

I received this advance review copy at no personal cost and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The story was well done. The Filipino stages of courtship was an entertaining premise. I liked how the story came full circle (sorry if this is vague, I’m trying to remain spoiler free). It was so cute and just made for an adorable love story.

So, I guess my thoughts on this one can be summed up with an "it's complicated". While I really enjoyed the overall story, it just kind of felt, blah. I definitely didn't hate it, but it was super predictable and had kind of a YA vibe. It was super simple, easy read and it was a feel-good, light story. If you're looking for something to listen to or read that you really don't have to invest yourself into, this is a great book. I do love a happy ending and this book definitely supplies that - so, while it didn't wow me, it did click a few boxes.

The audio narration was great, it was a super easy listen and it definitely added to the enjoyment factor. It helped my cleaning project go faster, and that's always a win.

A delightful love story, full of passion, joy, and learning. The characters are relatable and the plot is realistic. We all want to be wooed like Dalisay Ramos.

This book is a blessing for people in their thirties still seeking for a soulmate. It displays how everything doesn’t have to be perfect to be good. Love the writing style, the flow of the book and boy oh boy the heatttt!! Phhewww.

It was my first book from this author and loved how the soft story encompassed family, friendship, love, heartbreak portraying it all beautifully.

Highly recommend and thank you once again for the audiobook.

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.

If you want to read a book with Filipino representation that incorporates our culture, then this is a book for you! As a Filipino, I shamefully admit that I’m not so familiar with these five stages. Courting or ‘panliligaw’ is a part of our culture, especially in the older generations. And it’s good to see this being incorporated in a story that is set in America.

With the title, I expected to see more aspects of the courting culture in the story and thought it would rather be a slow burn romance as this was mostly the case when courting stage happens. Although it was understandable since it was all for a bet, I expected more on it. Though I’d say, it was able to save itself when another panliligaw happens by the end.

At first I was in doubt how it is a spicy romance while the title talks about the five stages, since in our country especially for the older generation, sex before marriage is a taboo. But since this is set in America and tackles more about Dalisay getting freedom from her somehow not-so-perfect and deeply-cultural family environment, it was understandable how things went to that point.

It’s a good read/listen especially for steamy roomance fans who wants to hear more about Asian Filipino culture. But I suggest that you read it instead of the audiobook, I think I would have enjoyed it more had I just read it instead of listening. What really bothers me throughout my experience listening to the audiobook is how all the Filipino characters have this stereotypical-slow-and-strong-Filipino accent. It’s so bothering knowing that not every Filipino talks that way in English, and they have the same accent, intonation, diction etc. The many times I screamed, ‘my god, here we go again, no please, not every Filipino talks like that!’. This is more on the narration part of thr audiobook, though, and not on the book itself. So please take that with a grain of salt.

Overall, it was a decent book that explores various cultures and family dynamics. I hope to see more incorporation of Filipino values and cultures in books someday!

This was a fun romcom that shared a lot about culture. I thought that was great. But also it’s important to know that just because someone says you should something a certain way doesn’t mean that’s the only way.

Fun cute and funny. Love a nice light hearted emotional romance that makes you feel things. The narrators killed it as well

I couldn’t get into This book. I tried to start the audiobook and generally found it slow. Then the title was archived prior to me being able to continue so I wasn’t able to finish.

This was my first Melissa de la Cruz book and I truly enjoyed it so much! I absolutely loved the audio and I just flew through it I had such a good time. The narration was really good and I didn't want to stop listening. I did wish I felt more of the chemistry between the two main characters but I will be recommending this book!

If this was a YA book, I would understand the immaturity of Dalisay. However she’s an adult and her drama halfway through the story seemed immature. I was enjoying the story until then, but I lost interest after that (I did finish the book though). I really like the five stages of courting plot, that was interesting, however I would have liked more emphasis on it. I also like her sister’s story that is woven in and wish more family stories had been added. I think more family history would have added to Dalisay’s backstory, especially since she kept claiming that Evan didn’t know her or where she was coming from. The audiobook narrator was good, everyone’s voices were very distinct and added emotion to the story.

*Provided an ALC (advance listening copy) audiobook from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos-a standalone

By Melissa de la Cruz-new to me author

Publication 7-9-24, Read 7-19-24

Genre: Rom-Com, Multicultural Interests

Tropes: attraction at 1st sight, family drama, slow burn romance, Filipino courtship rituals, book lovers, office romance, LGBTQIA+

Setting: San Francisco, CA

⚠️ h is a virgin, closeted gay (not H/h), homophobia

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for this ALC🧡 ! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

The narrator is Amielynn Abellera with all characters read by 1 person. The voices fit the characters with standouts of Evan, Dalisay, and Pinky. Their voices were the most distinct, but I could easily tell the difference between all characters. The reading style brought the story to life and the pacing flowed easily with the story. The narration and the author were in sync, and the narrator paused and announced at the start of a new chapter. The book had a table of contents which helped me follow along with the audio.

Dalisay Ramos(26) has just been hired by Overnight-a travel app company. She has been given the job Evan wanted- Senior Editor of Urban Asia division. They meet, Evan asks her out, but she says no. Dalisay is from Manila and believes in Filipino courtship rituals. Evan has to prove he's seriously interested in her. They bet that if Evan completes the five stages Dalisay will give him her tour of Asia for work. If he doesn't complete them, she will go on one of his trips.

This was a truly romantic journey that Evan wooed Dalisay by putting in a little effort. It was refreshing to see them put in the work to get to know each other's interests, friends, and family before hooking up. I loved the drama from Nicole(her twin sister) and their mother.

My recommendation is to read the audiobook because you can adjust the speed, skip parts easily (if desired), and picture the characters more vividly.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫Audiobook Review

What a great read! I truly enjoyed this book and it was a fun multicultural romantic comedy. It was sweet and had some spice. Our FMC Dalisay Ramos is Filipino and has recently moved for a new job from Manila. Evan Saatchi our MMC, is instantly attracted to his new coworker. Evan is rejected by Dalisay when he asks her out.

Evan soon learns that in the Filipino culture there are five stages to accomplish before you can officially date. Evan decides to go through these five stages and it made for such a cute book. I loved the cultural influence and enjoyed learning about it. The romance was also so much better with a proper courtship instead of the current hookup culture.

The audiobook was narrated by Amielynn Abellera and she did a fantastic job. The accents were great and really enhanced the storyline and characters.

🩷 Office Romance
🤍 Travel lovers
🩷 Filipino & Asian Rep
🤍 Matchmaking
🩷 Proper courtship

Thank you to the author Melissa De La Cruz and Net Galley for the advanced copy of the audio book!

This was a good book. Probably more of a 3.5, but I always round up.

Evan meets Dalisay Ramos at work where she’s just moved from Manila to take a senior editor position with a travel magazine. He’s immediately struck by her beauty, style, travel experience and he asks her out pretty quickly. This turns out to be the wrong move. Dalisay is very in touch with her Philippine culture and a potential suitor should make a real effort. She turns him down flat.

When he tells his friends-two of whom are also Filipino- they let him know she expected more from him. He and Dalisay end up making a bet that he won’t go through the 5 Stages of Courtship. At this point, it’s literally just a bet without a real romance on the line. I think, gentle reader, you know this ain’t gonna stay a bet.

There’s so much going on in this book: there are gay side characters, cultural disparity, and some steamy times.

It’s really interesting reading about the courting and why these acts are important. It’s also very important to see how this tight-knit family merges their values into their new American life.

All in all, a good book worth reading.

I received an ALC from #netgalley. All thoughts are mine alone.

#romance #contemporaryromance #arc #lovestories #courting #audiobooks #narrators #voiceacting #voiceactors