THE FIVE STAGES OF COURTING DALISAY RAMOS

Cultures clash when an American travel writer pursues his Filipino co-worker.

Evan Saatchi wants nothing more than to be promoted to senior editor at Overnight, the travel app where he works as a writer. But when Dalisay Ramos—a new staff member who’s just moved to the U.S. from the Philippines—gets the gig instead, he finds the disappointment softened by his instant attraction to her. When he asks her out for a drink, though, she swiftly rejects him. Dalisay doesn’t believe in “American hookup culture” and is dedicated to the traditional Filipino values her parents ingrained in her from childhood, including a courtship ritual called the Five Stages. These stages, which include buying thoughtful gifts and performing a serenade, are meant to prove a man’s seriousness in pursuing a relationship. But Evan isn’t interested in serious romance and thinks that jumping through all those hoops is too much for just one date. That is, until Dalisay bets Evan that he can’t get through all Five Stages, offering him an all-expenses-paid trip through Asia that comes with her new position at Overnight if he does. What starts as a bet quickly turns into something more, as Evan and Dalisay become increasingly drawn to each other. But will their differences prove too big an obstacle to overcome? Keeping Evan and Dalisay at arm’s length for the first third of the novel results in a flimsy romance, and the author is more adept at building sizzling sexual tension than cultivating a deep emotional connection between her protagonists, though discussions of cultural differences are handled with sensitivity and depth.

A Filipino courtship ritual is a uniquely interesting plot device in this sweet rom-com.