Like Nobody's Watching by Tara Frejas
11:20 PM
After reading Waiting in the Wings, a lot of people
Summary
It's all fun and games until someone catches feelings.
If there's something Pio Alvez is good at, it's pretending to be someone he's not. On stage and on-screen, the actor has mastered the art of becoming the characters he plays, and his new role should be no different. After all, how difficult would it be to pretend to be smitten with a beautiful, intelligent go-getter like Audrey Alonzo?
Perhaps it's more difficult pretending not to be.
I was really excited to read this, but life has been overwhelming lately and I had to put Pio aside. Once I actually started on it though, I couldn't seem to stop. Every free time I had, I sneakily read.
I liked all of Tara's books that I've read - Scandalized, Settle the Score/Hustle Play, Almost There, and of course, Waiting in the Wings. I can say now though that Like Nobody's Watching is my new favorite. Not just because F's face is on the cover and I end up picturing him as Pio, but also because in this book, Tara really challenged herself. If you've read her other books, you'll see the difference on this one. It makes me happy when the MCs and LIs make the author braver.
Their fake relationship and rules are so cute, I remembered how in love I was with the Kdrama, Full House. I also wondered if there were people who pretended to be a couple and didn't end up together. (JM of BookFreak Revelations actually said he had friends from college who were in this situation. My question is still HOW???)
Characters from WITW - Jericho, Erin, and Ramon - were also featured here, but we were also introduced to new ones like the Alvezes - Cecilia, Isagani, and Datu - and the Alonzos - Viv, especially. Both Pio and Audrey had good family dynamics, and I especially liked how closely-knit families were used as supporting characters in this story. It's so Pinoy.
Both Pio and Audrey were moving on when they met. From his being basted by Erin plus the downward spiral of his career, and the end of her 10-year relationship. They're both struggling, but we are shown how resilient they both are. Again, very Pinoy.
I also liked how Audrey found herself again, through Pio's help. She was able to go back to the things that she loved like watching plays, and Pio actually admired how she was good with her work.
Pio, on the other hand, still got an A for his efforts on this book. Though younger than Audrey by four years, he proved himself to be mature enough to be with her. He's also such a thoughtful guy *insert heart eyes emoji here* and though portrayed as flirty, he was such a softie. He feels sad, he calls his mother. He feels devastated, he cries. I like guys who are in touch with their feelings and Pio is exactly just that.
Like Nobody's Watching is such a beautifully-written story that features Pinoy culture - OPM, theatre, closely-knit families, and resilience. If you liked Waiting in the Wings, you'll like this one as well. If not more.
You may purchase Like Nobody's Watching from Amazon.
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