ROMANCE

The Last Guy You Kiss

by Carla de Guzman
Afterglow: Harlequin. Apr. 2025. 288p. ISBN 9781335574954. pap. $12.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
COPY ISBN
It’s bad enough that an ill-timed photo of business owner and floral artist Mara Barretto is internet famous, used everywhere in eldest Asian daughter memes, but when her younger sister announces she’s getting married, the pressure for Mara to find someone to settle down with seems to come at her from all sides. Enter Jay Montinola. A good friend of Mara’s future brother-in-law, he’s the one who snapped the infamous picture of her. He also has another claim to fame, though—multiple women whom he’s kissed have gone on to find their future spouses alarmingly soon afterward. Coincidence? Maybe. But if it isn’t, surely a chance at her own happily ever after is worth one awkward kiss? Except it doesn’t end up being awkward at all, and neither Mara nor Jay is ready for what happens next.
VERDICT De Guzman’s second Afterglow book is set in the same universe as Manilla Takes Manhattan. It is a sweet and sexy retelling of a classic Filipino rom-com and sure to appeal to readers who enjoy some humor in their love stories.
Reviewed by Rebecca Moe , Feb 21, 2025
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