As someone who grew up in a swimming team in the Philippines, this book made me miss training so much. I picked this up out of nowhere just because I wanted to read something that could reignite my love for swimming—and god, this was beautiful.

Duet Me Not has a range of themes—from complex family relationships, to friendships, to passion, and self-determination. This felt like a love letter to every perfectionist out there. That it was okay to breathe, to take a break. This may be a romance book, but it's not even the romance plot that made this book special. Sure, June and Ashvin were sweet, but what I loved was the fact that the cast of characters were so domestic with each other. They each had their own struggle, but they were so open, so vulnerable, and were willing to help each other.

In many ways, I saw myself in June. From being a swimmer, to the identity crisis, and to the extent of having a tiny bit of mommy issues because haha, perfectionism. Just like the water, this book felt like home to me.