Edited by Ronald S. Lim and Brigitte Bautista. Featuring short stories by Agay Llanera, H. Bentham, Ella Banta, Danice Sison, Yeyet Soriano, Barbie Barbieto, Katt Briones, Bobbi Moran, Motzie Dapul, and Brigitte Bautista. This anthology contains M/M, F/F, F/NB romance stories with happy endings. Some stories have a high heat level.
Release Date: January 27, 2018
Book Cover Design: Dani Hernandez Additional
Photography: Alexandra Urrea & Chachic Fernandez
Summary:
There’s a first time for everything. Gatecrashing a KPop concert with an oppa in a business suit. Taking shelter from the storm with the girl you’ve been meaning to shake off. That kiss that blurs the line between friendship and something more. A one-night stand (or, is it?) with your best friend from across the hallway.
Dive into these 10 stories of first encounters – unapologetically queer, happy endings required, with a smattering of that signature #romanceclass kilig. Whether you’re recalling your own firsts or out there looking for one, there’s a story in here for you.
So, go on.
Turn the page.
Start here.
Love and romance stories are everywhere. Even horror flicks and books include a story arc about male-female relationships. I’ve enjoyed these things for most of my life, but I still found myself ecstatic when I discovered Mina V. Esguerra's books years ago. This was because I could relate to 20-something females from/living in the Philippines.
I’ve enjoyed cishet love and romance stories, but I know that for members of the LGBTQ+ community, it was difficult to find relatable characters from books, TV shows, and movies. There is limited representation of queer main characters. We often see them as supporting characters, sometimes even used as comic relief. Our LGBTQ+ friends would then surely be delighted to read Start Here. Characters in these stories do not only represent Filipinos and queer, they also get their own happy endings here.
Featuring nine stories, this anthology offers a variety of perspectives and also boasts of different heat levels, "The Other Story" by H. Bentham being level 4. I was like, whoaaaa, ang bastos ni Ben! But I liked this story (more than the heat) and actually thought that it could have been fleshed out and turned into a novella.
Honestly, the ones I really liked are the M/M stories. This could be attributed to me having more gay male friends. Reading those M/M ones felt like my friends were just telling me about their kilig stories.
In Agay Llanera's "In the Moonlight," I liked how the author described those jitters one usually feel when starting to like someone. Anyone who's ever liked someone so much would be able to relate to the sweaty palms and heart beating so fast. I also liked how loose threads were tied up before the eventual reconciliation. Oops that's kind of a spoiler, but we all know they all got happy endings, right?
"Shipping Included" by Danice Sison featured two cute (enabler) guys sneaking into a Kpop concert. I liked the sense of adventure of the characters, even when they seemed to be
Ella Banta's "Blooms and Hues" featured an artist and a florist whose families are friends but they never crossed paths. I'll try not to be too much of a spoiler, so the only thing I'm gonna say about this is I liked how Patrick reacted to things and reined in his attraction to Haya at first.
"Luck from the Skies" by Katt Briones featured characters I already know and loved from her first book, Chasing Mr. Prefect. I already loved Chan and Asher even before knowing their history and now, I just liked them even more.
The only F/F I really liked was "Lemon Drop Friday" by Brigitte Bautista. I liked how she vividly described everything. I found this story so easy to read, and even when I cannot relate to the characters, the feelings were familiar. I loved how it sent the message that in love, you don't really need to play games. People will love you as you. No pretensions, no drinks needed. Even if it's as yummy as a Lemon Drop. Also, 100 points for that that quip about the "disaster date."
Overall, this collection is a win! I would not pretend to be an expert on queer romance, but as an ally, I loved that #romanceclass has this to offer. Hopefully, more authors would be inspired to write about queer romance featuring Filipinos after reading this. Start Here.
Add Start Here on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37880247-start-here
Pre-order Start Here on Amazon: bit.ly/rcStartHere
Order Start Here on paperback (PH only): bit.ly/StartHere-PrintPH
