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| Calling Romeo by Alexandra Potter |
The title sounds like your usual romance novel and I thought it will be just one of those that I would enjoy reading and then forget about in a month or so. I was surprised to find out it was anything but ordinary. It's actually the first time I read something where I'm already halfway through the book and still not sure who the girl's gonna end up with.
The story started with Juliet getting stood up by her live in partner, Will, on their Valentine's date then getting drenched by a hot stranger driving and even hotter car. Yada, yada, yada.... In the first few chapters, I was sure she will end up with that stranger. I was actually getting bored and was thinking of choosing another book. It's the usual formula right? And I was thinking, same ol', same ol'. But as I read further, the plot thickens and I was relating more to Juliet than any other character I've read about. So I kept reading; getting interested how the story will go.
Juliet is unlike any other romance novel character I've read. She's the most real I've encountered so far. That's probably why I relate to her more. Their story starts more than a year after they've moved in together. So it's what comes after the and they lived happily ever after bit. That's what makes the characters more real and relate-able. Because it's true what Alexandra Potter says, at the end of every rom-com movie, the characters fall in love and get together and for some of us, we do wonder "what happens next?" And this book shows that.
Calling Romeo shows what happens after the curtains are drawn in every fairy tale. When Cinderella and Prince Charming have moved in together and gotten to know each other a little too well. It's the reality every couple face at one point in their relationship. It's when those kilig moments of your first few months together are getting few and one or both may be feeling neglected, disappointed with their partner, disillusioned, even. It's when reality bites you in the ass and reminds you that life is not a fairy tale and happily ever after is not what it's all hyped to be. Because in real relationships, there are happy days, bad days, fights, tears, you name it. Relationship requires hard work for it to last. It's not all movie dates and weekend getaways. It's that day to day effort to see that person you're living with as the person you fell in love with despite his absence because of work or that mess he made in the bathroom. After the afterglow of getting together has passed, it will be up to the two of you to find and make those kilig moments.
In the middle of the story, you will get torn between cheering for Juliet for going after her own happiness or getting mad at her for cheating on her boyfriend. Growing up in a patriarchal society like ours where cheating is condoned if committed by a man but looked down gravely if committed by a woman, it's easy to be close minded about Juliet's decision to get into an affair. Her boyfriend was being an ass so I say go for the other dude. But then again, life throws things at us and we choose how we deal with it. And no matter what, we should always choose the right thing.
The most endearing part of the story for me was, of course, the ending. I was getting antsy to finish the book to know how they'd get back together and although it wasn't all that dramatic, I think it was perfect. You can feel Juliet and Will's awkwardness at being together in the same place after months and in a wedding no less. I love Juliet's answer when Will asked her if they could ever go back to what they were. She said, "I don't wanna go back". Because there really is no point in going back to that place that lead them to where they were. And for any relationship to work, the past should be left where it is - past, and it's the future we should be looking forward to. It's hard to forgive, true. But as Violet said in the book, "You've only got one life, lad, and it goes faster than you can imagine. If you love someone, whatever's happened, you can always work it out..."
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