This was such an enjoyable read. I loved the courting of Dalisay by Evan and learning about some of the cultural differences was very interesting. I would absolutely read another of this author's books. And the narration for the audiobook was excellent as well, I felt the emotion with every word!

I initially wanted to read this book because of the author. Unfortunately, this book was a big let down. The story was good, but predictable. I loved the cultural aspects of the love story and trying to understand one another. This book is in real need of editing, however. The copy needs to be tightened significantly. In addition, there are sex scenes that seem to come out of nowhere. It felt like I was reading from two different genres. Is this a rom com or is it smutty? It just didn’t feel like a consistent voice throughout.

MF
Long timeline
Two different cultures
Workplace romance
Dual POV
Single narrator

Rating: 3/5 - I enjoyed this book but it isn't one that I will reread
🌶️: 1/5 - there were a few intimate scenes that were short and not particularly graphic

TLDR: Cute story

Overall, I enjoyed this read. It was cute and made me smile. The book covers more time than your typical romance novel which was interesting. The flirtation was cute but I do feel that the relationship wasn't that deep. I just didn't see where the love and devotion was steming from. It wasn't severe enough to make me DNF the book (which I will normally do if the MCs have a shallow connection). There was a strong focus on the FMC's culture which I enjoyed. I tended to agree with the FMC or at least understand her perspective but when she was wrong she was really wrong. I would not have blamed the MMC for letting the third act break up be permanent. Also who is the two years olds father?! Where is he?! Maybe I missed that explanation but that side detail bothered me for the entire book.

ARC Review:

This story had everything I look for in a Rom-Com. The awkward first encounter, the best wingmen of friends, family tension, steamy love scenes, and the big second chance (which I absolutely loved the second chance romance trope and how it was used in this book). And of course, the happy ending! This book was filled with humor, culture, and quirks. And I LOVED IT!

Since Evan had to go through five stages of courting, I will give the top five things I enjoyed about this book.
1. The way Evan respected and loved Dalisay ~ Having a character not be ready for intimate relationships is rare in romance books these days, and being in that same boat I loved the way the author wrote the feelings and standards that Dalisay had. I also loved that Evan respected and loved her to respect what she wanted.
2. The Courtship Ritual ~ This was so unique, I for one had no idea that this was even a thing. I loved learning a part of a culture. This ritual was full of humor and romance. I admired every aspect of it. I have new expectations now haha!
3. Dalisay's confidence in what she wants ~ I love a strong girl who knows what she wants in her future partner and won't settle for less! PERFECTION!
4. The narrator nailed the character's voices ~ I was given the ARC audio of this book and the narrator nailed the characters! She did amazing on the accents too making it clear to understand and sound realistic.
5. The cultural aspects of the characters ~ I loved seeing the heritage reflected in both Evan's and Dalisay's lives. I loved the traditional and strong family values in Dalisay but I also loved the modern and independent values in Evan. This was a unique opposites-attract aspect that I admired the contrast to.

Big thank you to the RBmedia Recorded Books and NetGalley for the awesome opportunity to dive into this audiobook! Thanks for letting me join the adventure early!

The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos by Melissa De La Cruz

A heartwarming Asian American love story, full of new customs and traditions, funny dialogues and the perfect choice for all rom com lovers!

Dalisay is so warm and kind when she talks to her new team that is completely understandable why Evan can’t keep his eyes of her.
Evan “has to introduce himself” and soon, what if she’s already engaged or has a boyfriend, he’s not a home wrecker.
They have the most interesting dialogues and it shows how hard it is for Evan to navigate Dalisay’s customs and traditions. He definitely doesn’t know a thing about Filipino courtship rituals, he’s at a complete loss!
Tradition is important, at least for Filipinos and it doesn’t matter how well travelled he may be, he knows nothing of the Five Stages! Even less that they can take years! It’s hilarious!
Next step, Evan needs to get Dalisay to give him a chance to fulfill the tasks. Will she be able to get out of her comfort zone? After all when she got her promotion, her father got sick. She’s scared and that’s fine, but she can’t deny the attraction she feels for Evan.
I do assure you this: it will be an emotional rollercoaster and so many values will be put to the test. Sometimes, making the right decision and feeling peace in all areas of your life may take longer than expected and may even be extremely challenging.

For all spicy scene lovers, De La Cruz definitely knows what she’s doing! Those scenes were spicy! You’ll be delighted with this novel! I deeply enjoyed it!

Did not finish at 10%.

I received this for free as an advanced reader copy audiobook.

The premise sounded interesting; however, the writing drove me absolutely nuts.

I HATE third person present tense. I seriously do not understand why authors would ever use it. Like, why!? What are you trying to do? If it's first person present tense, at least I feel like I'm in their head as they go through life. But third person makes no sense. Do you have people following you around narrating your life?

Maybe it would be possible for me to persevere in reading this book if it were written differently; however, the story wasn't compelling enough to get me out of my absolute constant annoyance at hearing a third person narrate what is currently going on with the characters. And the constant cutaways to explain things? Ugh. This isn't my book.

Rated 3.5 Stars

The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos was cute with a bit of angst. I loved that it tackled the immigrant experience and what that looks like while dating someone outside your race, values and culture. I liked the characters however there were certain things that Dalisay did that didn't sit right with me and definitely impacted my overall enjoyment of this story. As for the narration I think the narrator did a great job of bringing this story to life. I loved the way she switched up the accents to suit who was speaking. Overall I found this to be enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more by this author.

What a great romcom. I enjoyed this book all the way around, the story, the characters, the narrator, even the cover.

♡𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 &| 𝐞𝐀𝐫𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰♡
3 🌟
-
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 :
•rom-com
•Filipino Tradition
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The premise of this story is what caught my attention. The Filipino's tradition aspect of the five stages, the same courtship ritual that lovers in the Philippines have performed for generation. The pacing was a little weird to me, and I felt like the FMC Dalisay was a little selfish in the beginning. Even though it was a bet between her and Evans. I felt like if she wanted him to go through the five stages, she should have at least tried to get to know him as well. Like whats his favorite color, drink, flowers, etc. She didn't realize she didn't know that stuff until 50% in the book. The romance development throughout the book was good.
The narrator Amielynn Abellera did a good job telling this story! The audiobook is 4🌟.
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 July.9
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Thank you, Netgalley, RB Media for the (ALC)-audiobook and Union Square for the (eArc)-eBook for my honest review.

I found this to be such an interesting read, especially learning about the five stages of courtship and getting to learn more about the culture. While it may have originally started out as a bet, Evan soon found himself committed to the courtship task. I really loved the gift giving stage and how absolutely savage Dalisay was as she trashed the teddy bear and bit through the balloons to pop them. She was holding nothing back as she completely and thoroughly rejected Evan’s gift. One of the more interesting yet heartbreaking elements was watching the MCs navigate their cultural differences and the level of impact this differences had on their relationship. Fair warning, this does have the dreaded third act breakup, but it does give us the opportunity to experience the five stages a second time leading to the more than worthwhile zoo scene. I combo read this book between ebook and audiobook. I enjoyed both versions. Amielynn Abellera did really well with the narration, and if you’re on the fence trying to decide between the two, I would recommend the audiobook, but there ins’t a wrong choice.

I loved the premise and multicultural aspects of this book. This type of “humor” doesn’t appeal to me, so I’d consider it more a light-hearted romance than a rom com. The writing is strong and the characters are well developed. I enjoyed the narration.

Ultimately, though, I couldn’t get past the MMC hitting on a co-worker on her first day—it was gross and predatory and totally inappropriate. Her reaction was even worse—assuming that he was looking for a hookup just because he invited her for a drink after work. The whole setup was awkward and soured me on the book.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

The chemistry between MCs was apparent from the first meeting. The book had lighthearted humor, great chemistry and fun side characters that kept the story moving. The romance was a slow burn but appropriate for the MCs to romance each other and be believable.