May 13, 2017

Wicked Review: Summer Crush by Jay E. Tria, Tara Frejas and Six de los Reyes


Format Acquired: Kindle Edition
Date Published: April 9, 2017
Genre: Romance, New Adult



Beach. Love. Rock and roll.

When life, love, and rock and roll come together on the sandy beaches of La Union for music festival Summer Crush, expect nothing less than the crashing of lips, bodies, and waves against the shore, against each other, and against your soul.

Allow these three tales of love to take you away for an unforgettable weekend.

Ana’s life as a corporate warrior, graduate student, and girlfriend to indie rock band boy Miki starts to spin out of control, and she wonders if it is love that has to give. (You Only Need Reminding, Jay E. Tria)

Newly reinstated EG Project roadie Filipina Legaspi flies with her band back to the Philippines for Summer Crush, unaware of the emotional waves that engulf her when she sets foot in the beaches of San Juan, La Union. (Almost There, Tara Frejas)

Rhys has three problems: Arabella, the theme song with the Trainguy, and singing live for the first time—and now also on that list is Isaiah, sea-sweet Mango Rum kisses, and long overdue decisions she’s intent on avoiding. (Ocean Eyes, Six de los Reyes)


I love these three women. They are the holy trinity of music romance. I swear to God. They are just absolutely amazing. All three stories are set in the author's others book. You Only Need Reminding by Jay E. Tria is set in the world of her Playlist series. Almost There by Tara Frejas is set in the world of Scandalized. Ocean Eyes is set in the world of Just For the Record. If you haven't read any of their other books prior to this one, don't worry. It won't be confusing for you.

You Only Need Reminding by Jay E. Tria

When I read Songs to Get Over You, the second book in the Playlist series, I met Miki, guitarist of Trainman and the lovely corporate warrior that is Ana. While I loved Ana, I didn't like Miki very much. But after You Only Need Reminding, my feelings have started to soften for dear Miki.

Since Ana is a corporate warrior, she's always working 24/7/365. Poor Ana. You'd think that her relationship with Miki would somehow help her destress. Well, it doesn't. I got to know Ana more in this story as she struggles to find the perfect balance of work and life. Don't we all?

So, Miki, being the angel that he is, whisks Ana away to La Union to watch them perform for Summer Crush. But it wasn't without any bumps along the way. Miki was the ever supportive boyfriend to Ana and I would be lying if I said I didn't fall for Miki.

It's the last Friday before freedom. Miki knows it is better conquered with extra rice.

Bless Miki's heart. I understood Ana's struggle. I am at that point in life where I want to achieve a few certain things at this age or at that age. While mine is not as ambitious as Ana's, I admire her strength and her determination to want those things to happen to her. But, sometimes you have to accept that not all things work out the way you want to.  
 Especially you, your person. Because of all the things you want to do and all the things you burden yourself with.

Almost There by Tara Frejas

The second story was more chill than the first. Fi is back as roadie of EGP, East Genesis Project, and they're in the Philippines to perform for Summer Crush. How I missed Steven, Minchan and Yihwan. They're just such a fun bunch of boys. I want them to be my best friends.

While Gabriel and Fi are finally dating, there's still Yihwan. Yihwan who finally realized that he has feelings for Fi. Oh, Jo Yihwan. He was literally almost there in Scandalized. But alas, fate had other plans.

To say that my heart didn't break for Yihwan is an understatement. I have an entire playlist of really the saddest songs in K-Pop and I was listening to it while nursing my broken heart for Yihwan.

For those of you who are working on letting go. It's not easy, but we'll get there eventually.

Truer words never spoken.

Ocean Eyes by Six de los Reyes

Meanwhile, I haven't read Just for the Record. But I knew of it's main characters, Rhys Yalung, in Feels Like Summer. She's a musician under the same label with Arabella, Adrian's band. She is considered to be a genius and well, Little Miss Boss, as Franklin of Arabella "fondly" calls her.

Rhys and Isaiah's relationship is considered to be well, either toxic or mutually beneficial. Beneficial because they were just there for each other fulfilling each other needs. But their timing sucked. Rhys is in a relationship.

We're already in a mess. Have been in it long enough. Aren't you tired?

While this trope is reminiscent of Feels Like Summer, it still has a different spin on this because of the long history Rhys and Isaiah had. I have yet to discover that history when I read Just for the Record one of these days.

But suffice to say that, Ocean Eyes gave me a mix of pain and happiness. No choice is ever easy. To see Rhys fight for what she finally wants definitely paid off in this one.

Loving Isaiah is all the things all at once. From indifference to lust, from lust to trust, and from  trust to love, and somewhere between the lies they find truth.

So there. Even if these stories were different on their own, it blended so well together. It's as if Summer Crush isn't an anthology but like a single entity. #romanceclass authors wielded their magic once again. How I wish theses characters were real and I could see them in person? I want them to be my best friends. Mainly because they have good music taste. PISLABRAKENROL (*winkwink*)


Six de los Reyes has been reading and making up stories for as far as she can remember. In fifth grade, she learned to write about the stories she wanted to read. As a pretend grownup, she writes contemporary romance novels. Her day job doing science has something to do with with being part-time mermaid and a part-time labrat. She currently lives next to the see. Check out her other titles:

- Just for the Record
-Beginner's Guide: Love and Other Chemical Reactions
-Sounds Like Summer

Connect with her: Twitter

Jay E. Tria is inspired by daydreams, celebrity crushes, a childhood fascination of Japanese drama and manga, and an incessant itch to travel. She write contemporary young adult and new adult romance. Sometimes, paranormal fantasy too. Check out her other titles:

-Songs of Our Breakup
-Songs to Get Over You
-Songs to Make You Stay
-Majesty
-Blossom Among Flowers

Connect with her: Twitter

Tara Frejas is a cloud-walker who needs caffeine to fuel her travels. By day, she works in project management and events, and she writes down her daydreams at night. She began publishing fiction for public consumption in 2004, posting her pieces on various online channels like fan forums and Blogspot, eventually exploring other avenues like Livejournal, Soomp!, Tumblr, and most recently, Wattpad.

Aside from her obvious love affair with words and persistent muses, Tara is very passionate about being caffeinated, musical theatre, certain genres of music, dancing, dogs, good food, and romancing Norae, her ukelele. She owns a 6-month-old male bunny named Max who sometimes tries to nibble on her writing notes.

Fun fact: She's a Piscean. Go figure.

Check out her other titles:
-Paper Planes Back Home
-The Forget You Brew
-Hustle Play/Settle the Score
-Waiting in the Wings

Connect with her: Twitter