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14th out of 67 books
—
104 voters
My Imaginary Ex
by
Mina V. Esguerra (Goodreads Author)
Here's what happens when you play pretend.
When Zack asks Jasmine to pretend to be his ex-girlfriend, she gamely agrees, thinking it would be fun. A few years later, she still has to keep convincing people that they were never together! Then one day, she finds out he’s getting married—to someone she'd just met once! All of a sudden, things aren’t so clear-cut anymore. Can J...more
When Zack asks Jasmine to pretend to be his ex-girlfriend, she gamely agrees, thinking it would be fun. A few years later, she still has to keep convincing people that they were never together! Then one day, she finds out he’s getting married—to someone she'd just met once! All of a sudden, things aren’t so clear-cut anymore. Can J...more
Mass Market Paperback, 144 pages
Published
2009
by Summit Media
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When I was in high school, in a land far away, in time long past, I would read Tagalog pocketbooks by renowned Filipino romance novel authors, sages of love for the young and dreamy. Reading pocketbooks was a good escape from dreary classroom lessons that, my friends would say, would never help us when we plant or harvest rice,the main produce of our town, the so-called “rice granary” of the province. I would insert a pocketbook in my notebook or book, whichever looked more appropriate in a situ...more
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Jul 20, 2010
K.D. Oliveros
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
My mom residing in San Diego CA
Recommended to K.D. by:
Mina V. Esguerra (the author herself!)
Thank you to Mina, the author of this chicklit, for giving three copies of this book to me as a birthday gift! This is my first time to receive books from an author. I liked this - 3 stars!
To be fair to the likes of Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and Under The Net by Dame Iris Murdoch, two novels that I rated low, please understand that I am rating My Imaginary Ex based on the fact that this is a chicklit (Mina, no offense) so I am rating this based on chicklit standard.
All the books that I rea...more
To be fair to the likes of Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and Under The Net by Dame Iris Murdoch, two novels that I rated low, please understand that I am rating My Imaginary Ex based on the fact that this is a chicklit (Mina, no offense) so I am rating this based on chicklit standard.
All the books that I rea...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Original review posted at Off The Wall
Friends turned lovers is one of the most used and abused plots of all time. I know you've read it in one or two romance novels you have. You've seen it in most Romantic-Comedy movies and drama series you watched. You've probably heard it in one of your chismisan moments with your friends. It happened to someone you know or it happened with you. Hey, it happened to me. So what sets My Imaginary Ex from the rest? Simple—It's how Mina V. Esguerra tells the stor...more
Friends turned lovers is one of the most used and abused plots of all time. I know you've read it in one or two romance novels you have. You've seen it in most Romantic-Comedy movies and drama series you watched. You've probably heard it in one of your chismisan moments with your friends. It happened to someone you know or it happened with you. Hey, it happened to me. So what sets My Imaginary Ex from the rest? Simple—It's how Mina V. Esguerra tells the stor...more
I usually just get tears from reading when the storyline is a bit boring and I am just simply forcing myself at least for the sake of getting to the end of it. The tears were of course induced by drowsiness. A professor once told me that there is a connection between feeling sleepy and lacking capacity to understand during class. I have to do the long introduction because the first thing that I love about “my imaginary ex” is the fact that characters are gradually introduced, it lets the audienc...more
I recommend My Imaginary Ex.
*****
Here's what happened when you play pretend. Love sneaks up on you.
What's the English word for torpe? You know, that guy you're friends with who doesn't make a move on you because he's afraid to lose your friendship? Yeah, that's Zack personified. I'm not a fan of torpe guys, but I can make an exception with him. Besides, I always liked love stories between two people who started out as friends first. I should know. That's my love story right there.
And I agree tha...more
*****
Here's what happened when you play pretend. Love sneaks up on you.
What's the English word for torpe? You know, that guy you're friends with who doesn't make a move on you because he's afraid to lose your friendship? Yeah, that's Zack personified. I'm not a fan of torpe guys, but I can make an exception with him. Besides, I always liked love stories between two people who started out as friends first. I should know. That's my love story right there.
And I agree tha...more
Also posted in my blog Markings of a Dreamer
Having a heist plot with flashback effects and making it fit in a little chic-lit novella is really amusing. I cannot help but gush over the skill of the author having the capacity to put the plot and make it so cohesive, it captured the target market of women and teens who giddy over a good read and the man of their dreams.
While Zack and Jasmine are good friends, they played with the relationship, for the sake of the anecdotes that they keep. You kn...more
Having a heist plot with flashback effects and making it fit in a little chic-lit novella is really amusing. I cannot help but gush over the skill of the author having the capacity to put the plot and make it so cohesive, it captured the target market of women and teens who giddy over a good read and the man of their dreams.
While Zack and Jasmine are good friends, they played with the relationship, for the sake of the anecdotes that they keep. You kn...more
I know I vowed not to read any chick literature in the next decade but I had about two hours to kill on a bus ride so I decided to bring this along. I even covered the cover with a white sheet of paper so people won't see what I'm reading! True story. Haha.
I always try to put myself in the shoes of the author's market especially if the genre is not something I would normally consume. My Imaginary Ex has bestseller (in fact, it already is) written all over it.
The premise:
Two exes caring so much f...more
I always try to put myself in the shoes of the author's market especially if the genre is not something I would normally consume. My Imaginary Ex has bestseller (in fact, it already is) written all over it.
The premise:
Two exes caring so much f...more
When her old friend Lena texts her out of the blue, Jasmine is having a hard time recalling how they became friends in the first place. Then she remembers: meeting Lena is how one of the longest-running lies she’s ever told originated. Lena, who used to date her friend Zack, thinks that Jasmine is Zack’s ex-girlfriend. What at first sounded fun had quickly got out-of-hand, and soon enough both Zack’s next girlfriend, his fiance, Kimmy, and everyone around them thought it was true too. Now that Z...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I am a very girly person and I love fun, cute love stories. Love stories that are written well never fail to make me absolutely giddy. I am not afraid to admit the my girly self squees a lot when I encounter a cute story. One day I was struck with the want of a cute love story and so I picked up My Imaginary Ex. Do you know what happened when I read it? I squeeed. (Is squeeed even a word?)
My Imaginary Ex is a fun, amusing friend-to-couple tale that is very different from the norm. When Jasmine w...more
My Imaginary Ex is a fun, amusing friend-to-couple tale that is very different from the norm. When Jasmine w...more
Originally posted here.
Zack and Jasmine went to the same high school but they were never that close. They reconnect when they bump into each other in college and they become good friends. Zack then asks Jasmine to pretend to be his ex because he's never had a girlfriend before and the girl that he likes doesn't want to be with someone who's never been in a relationship. Jasmine agrees, not knowing the consequences of that little lie. Fast forward to the present day, Zack is about to get married...more
Zack and Jasmine went to the same high school but they were never that close. They reconnect when they bump into each other in college and they become good friends. Zack then asks Jasmine to pretend to be his ex because he's never had a girlfriend before and the girl that he likes doesn't want to be with someone who's never been in a relationship. Jasmine agrees, not knowing the consequences of that little lie. Fast forward to the present day, Zack is about to get married...more
Simple, direct, mundane, guilty pleasure. Yes, MIE is a quick read, no-challenge fluff with the underpinnings of a typical Filipino chick-lit novel and while it is atypical with most English Chick-Lit novels written by Filipinos today, it succeeded for me personally, even ending up dog-eared in the long run through re-reads. Best Friend romances are like Instant Noodles; it comes pre-packaged and is easy to digest, yet there’s something to its flavor that your taste buds crave for. The language...more
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
POV: Jasmine's (1st person)
Reading Level: New Adult
Source: Bought a signed copy.
What is it with Mina, seriously? I can identify myself with Julie. Now, Jasmine. I can somehow feel Mina reads my thoughts and knows my life. LOL. She is like Taylor Swift for books.
This book is really unique. The concept of love starting from friendship is overused, but there is just something on how Mina writes. No matter how common the story is, it IS about the extraordinary story tellin...more
POV: Jasmine's (1st person)
Reading Level: New Adult
Source: Bought a signed copy.
What is it with Mina, seriously? I can identify myself with Julie. Now, Jasmine. I can somehow feel Mina reads my thoughts and knows my life. LOL. She is like Taylor Swift for books.
This book is really unique. The concept of love starting from friendship is overused, but there is just something on how Mina writes. No matter how common the story is, it IS about the extraordinary story tellin...more
(Repost from the original entry) Although the story line is quite common (best-of-friends-turned-lovers) in the romance genre, the story telling of Mina Esguerra made it an engaging read. Zach and Jasmine are likeable characters despite being torpe and clueless for nearly nine years. I also like the two exes who helped to nudge them into the righ direction. I loved the parts of the story where Jasmine reminisces their "moments" especially in their college days where it seemed that they were just...more
I am happy to report that I started this year reading Philippine lit and while Mina V. Esguerra’s My Imaginary Ex might not be a top-of-the-head choice or recommendation for college lit professors out there, I’m also glad to report that none of my brain cells went to waste when I read this. The plot may not be that original – young love grown into true love between college best friends who have shared a secret lie – but believe me, it’s in the way Esguerra writes it. The dialogues are snappy; th...more
Although the story line is quite common (best-of-friends-turned-lovers) in the romance genre, the story telling of Mina Esguerra made it an engaging read. Zach and Jasmine are likeable characters despite being torpe and clueless for nearly nine years. I also like the two exes who helped to nudge them into the righ direction. I loved the parts of the story where Jasmine reminisces their "moments" especially in their college days where it seemed that they were just merely "just friends" but in rea...more
This book is very interesting because I haven't read anything quite like it yet (Well at least written in English. I've had my fill of Precious Hearts Romances thank you). I just sort of can't believe that Zack could stand being away from Jasmine for varying lengths of time if he's really very much in love with her. Must be that thing called insecurity.
All in all, it's a good read. I've reread it and it doesn't lose it's magic, though I liked it much much more before. Must be because I'm not int...more
All in all, it's a good read. I've reread it and it doesn't lose it's magic, though I liked it much much more before. Must be because I'm not int...more
Did I ever mention that I am on a Mina V. Esguerra marathon? :D My Imaginary Ex is already my seventh — the ones which I’ve already read are Love Your Frenemies, Fairy Tale Fail, Love Your Frenemies, Interim Goddess of Love #1, and No Strings Attached. So far, I have been satisfied with the chick-lit high I expected from Miss Esguerra, and I was ever so glad to have received three of her books in print last Christmas!
I made the mistake of reading Love Your Frenemies before My Imaginary Ex becaus...more
I made the mistake of reading Love Your Frenemies before My Imaginary Ex becaus...more
Dec 17, 2010
Janus Vielle (The Blair Book Project)
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
owned-paperback,
filipino-reads
I'm not much of fan of chick lit, but I was intrigued with "My Imaginary Ex". The title itself is attention-grabbing. I'd give it more that 3 stars if I was an ultimate fan of Chick Lit.
The setting was very much correlated with our typical everyday lives, which makes it good enough to feel like it's taken from a true-to-life story. There where some events I was able to relate to, like having schoolmates whom you're not really close to back in high school then suddenly become one of your closest...more
The setting was very much correlated with our typical everyday lives, which makes it good enough to feel like it's taken from a true-to-life story. There where some events I was able to relate to, like having schoolmates whom you're not really close to back in high school then suddenly become one of your closest...more
Welcome to the Friend Zone!
Zack and Jas had a nine year stay in the friend zone until they finally succumbed to love without the "platonic" beside it. Well, okay, it was not really a real friend zone per se, they were a couple in denial. And as the saying goes, sa hinaba-haba ng prusisyon, sa (Anito)simbahan din ang tuloy.
I enjoyed reading this book not because I liked Zach nor related with Jas. Actually, I related more with Zach (but not pertaining by his being torpe) and not quite sure if I ha...more
Zack and Jas had a nine year stay in the friend zone until they finally succumbed to love without the "platonic" beside it. Well, okay, it was not really a real friend zone per se, they were a couple in denial. And as the saying goes, sa hinaba-haba ng prusisyon, sa (Anito)simbahan din ang tuloy.
I enjoyed reading this book not because I liked Zach nor related with Jas. Actually, I related more with Zach (but not pertaining by his being torpe) and not quite sure if I ha...more
The characters in this novel were strong and unique, each of them having a different voice, even if it’s just a minor character. The supporting characters, Lena and Marjorie, were fun, and convincing, while Kimmy, the main antagonist, was just as hateful. The story was painted over a setting that was very believable, and I could actually imagine where they went at this party or
I think the strength of My Imaginary Ex is not just in its characters, but in how the story was told. The jumps back in...more
I think the strength of My Imaginary Ex is not just in its characters, but in how the story was told. The jumps back in...more
Feb 28, 2012
Willow
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
To all the hopeless romantic people like me! ;)
One word to sum up this book: kilig! If you are a hopeless romantic like me, or as my friend's sister have said "to those who lost their passion for reading", read this book and you won't regret it! Mina Esguerra is one author who knows how to make her readers feel good. You would want to be Jasmine in this book so you can have your own Zachary.
I read this in a few hours, re-read it some more, slept with a smile on my face and woke up wanting to read it again.
It's that good!
I read this in a few hours, re-read it some more, slept with a smile on my face and woke up wanting to read it again.
It's that good!
Why do we always realize thing when it's a bit too late? This story was exciting! Yes, this is what happens when you play pretend but isn't sweet to develop love after a friendship. I would kill for this kind of love story. I also like the fact that the author was able to bring me to familiar places (like the Summit building) and other familiar places (Makati). I like this book as it helped me in to thinking through things I'm currently going through.
This book is those kind of books that are rated good reads:) I just knew when I saw this at the bookstore that I should buy it. And, yes, I bought and read it.
The story was very simple. The title simply says it all. It all started in college and ended somehow 9 years later or so when protagonist Jasmine was asked by her friends to stop some "major event" to happen. The story was dictated in the same way the author wrote in her other books. I like it. This book, over all, was nice.
The story was very simple. The title simply says it all. It all started in college and ended somehow 9 years later or so when protagonist Jasmine was asked by her friends to stop some "major event" to happen. The story was dictated in the same way the author wrote in her other books. I like it. This book, over all, was nice.
Purchased this one for about three dollars and it was a very enjoyable light read. I'm giving this two and a half stars because I think this should have been a full-blown over-three hundred-pages-book instead of being a novella. It was what would one call 'bitin' but of course, as I am used to reading long stories, it was kind of expected.
I'm looking forward to reading Mina Esguerra's other books.
I'm looking forward to reading Mina Esguerra's other books.
Love starts from friendship. I believe it is an autobiography of Mina. Just kidding. She writes so well. I like the sequences of the story. It is awesome that their relationship is unplanned but it blooms naturally. They grow together as friends then they find themselves loving each other. That matured love we all dream of.
What is an imaginary ex? He is your type. The one you see around you. In this book, you see him in Zach but it could sum of all parts of the guys you encounter in your life....more
What is an imaginary ex? He is your type. The one you see around you. In this book, you see him in Zach but it could sum of all parts of the guys you encounter in your life....more
Aug 02, 2011
Katy
added it
This book is actually a very fun read. It's short and light and very "now". The romance that takes place between the two main characters would surely stir some "kilig" feelings in you. "Jas" is a very believable protagonist.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Quite impressive. But somehow, there's a movie I've seen before that has the same plot which is that all exes are seeing, meeting and planning for something, you know, to save the male protagonist.
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Mina V. Esguerra writes contemporary romance and young adult novellas. She has a bachelor's degree in Communication and a master's degree in Development Communication, put to good use in her work as trainer and content management consultant. Mina lives in Metro Manila, Philippines, with her husband and daughter.
She finds inspiration in the lives and experiences of other people, so the answer to "I...more
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She finds inspiration in the lives and experiences of other people, so the answer to "I...more
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“My calendar lately is full of work. And you.”
—
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