Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Vintage Love” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Vintage Love

Agay Llanera (Goodreads Author)

4.03 · Rating details · 96 ratings · 25 reviews

26-year-old Crissy Lopez’s life is in dire need of a makeover. Her wardrobe revolves around ratty shirts and beat-up sneaks; her grueling schedule as a TV Executive leaves no room for a social life; and worst of all, she’s still hung up on the Evil Ex who left her five years ago.

When her fashionable grand-aunt passes away and leaves behind a roomful of vintage stuff, the S ...more

Get A Copy

Kindle Edition, 106 pages

Published July 2013

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Vintage Love, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Vintage Love

Lists with This Book

The Kitchen When it Sizzles by Chrissie Peria

Ghost of a Feeling by Celestine Trinidad

romanceclass

105 books — 10 voters

No Boyfriend Since Birth by Claire Betita de Guzman

Filipino Novels

77 books — 106 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.03 ·

Rating details

· 96 ratings · 25 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Vintage Love

Sep 10, 2013 Lynai rated it really liked it

Shelves: filipino-books, ebook, 2013-books

Also posted in It's A Wonderful Bookworld.

Don’t I just love that cute cover? It makes me think of cutesy dresses and and shoes and bags and trinkets — all of which which promise a fun, light read along the way.

Vintage Love is a charming novella about Crissy who suddenly finds herself left with old stuff from her grandmother who recently passed away. Not certain what to do with the unexpected hand-me-downs, she decides to hold a garage sale and in the process, meets Vince, a vintage-shop owne Also posted in It's A Wonderful Bookworld.

Don’t I just love that cute cover? It makes me think of cutesy dresses and and shoes and bags and trinkets — all of which which promise a fun, light read along the way.

Vintage Love is a charming novella about Crissy who suddenly finds herself left with old stuff from her grandmother who recently passed away. Not certain what to do with the unexpected hand-me-downs, she decides to hold a garage sale and in the process, meets Vince, a vintage-shop owner. Their first encounter isn’t exactly a meet-cute and if there are sparks flying, it isn’t because of mutual attraction. Can there be a chance for love for Crissy and Vince despite their pitiful past?

Crissy reminds me of me. I was a shirt and pants girl until my college days and the only time I was forced to change my wardrobe was when I enrolled in law school (there was a dress code!) and since then I’ve grown accustomed to dressing up, and just like Crissy, ukay-ukay has contributed to most of my wardrobe stuff. Hee.

Crissy is a formidable character with the way she resolved to pick up the pieces and move on with her life not because she wanted to please other people but because she wanted it for herself. I loved how passionate she is with her art and how she chose to follow her heart despite the odds. Crissy’s best friend, Bea, is worthy of mention, too. Her story is as interesting and she provides just the right amount of support for Crissy’s character. I’d love to have a best friend like Bea. :)

The book has given me my dose of kilig – swoon – moments and don’t I just love that? I also love it that Vince and Crissy’s romance isn’t forced nor superficial. It is not overdone and exaggerated making the story more realistic and relatable. Many times while reading,I can’t help but reminisce my high school days (FLAMES!) and all those text marathons I used to have with Gian during the early stages of our relationship (hihi). Ah, all the feels indeed, and just in the right places and in right amounts.

I would love to know more about Vince, though. What is his past relationship like? What made him fall in love with Crissy? I think that is the dilemma of every novella writer because there isn’t enough room for character development. But in this case, the author has certainly done the best she could. This is more of a story about Crissy, after all.

To love is a choice. To be happy is a choice. These are the things Crissy’s story teaches. No one knows what the future holds but in order to be happy — to give meaning to one’s life, one must choose to take that first step and plunge right in and hope for the best.

Vintage Love is a story about moving on and being happy, even if it means letting go of the past and just living in the present. The future will just happen. Yes, falling in love has long been vintage, but it is still (and always will be) fashionable. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 01, 2014 Nicole Andrea rated it it was amazing

I have always wanted to read Vintage Love by Agay Llanera (and the rest of those in #romanceclass )which was made possible by my one month vacation! Thanks summer!

Honestly, I can't say anything wrong in it. (Except for the part wherein Crissy asked Bea how she and Mike was doing. Who's Mike? Lol. I just feel that I should say it especially I love Mark in here.) That typo was really forgivable. I love how Ms. Llanera sweep my old soul and made me crave for vintage things. How I wished that I coul ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 04, 2013 Rachelle Ayala rated it it was amazing

Shelves: filipina-heroine

What a delightful book. I was sucked in from the very first line, "Life is full of expiration dates."

When Chrissy's favorite grand-aunt, Mama Maring, dies and leaves behind a house full of vintage clothes, collectibles and furniture, Chrissy and her BFF, Bea, decide to hold a rummage sale to raise money for a well deserved vacation.

Chrissy had been working way too hard at her job as a TV producer and she hadn't had much of a social life, having been dumped by her one and only boyfriend five year ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 16, 2014 Anne rated it liked it

I love the nuggets of wisdom in this story. I loved Crissy's spunk and positivity despite unfortunate things happening one after the other -- that truly took some courage! I agree with the reviews that the romance was just an extra factor. The ending was satisfying as well. Great chick lit debut for Agay! ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2013 Charlotte rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary

This review is first posted on: Thoughts and Pens.

I was actually apprehensive when I chose to read Vintage Love for today’s Filipiniana Sunday feature. Heaven knows how I sucked at fashion appreciation. If truth be told, fashion is the least of my worries in life. Thankfully, Vintage Love is more than fashion talk since it’s infused with lessons about moving on, taking the leap and making choices.

In Vintage Love, we get to meet Crissy Lopez, a 26 year old TV Executive Producer, who’s too caught This review is first posted on: Thoughts and Pens.

I was actually apprehensive when I chose to read Vintage Love for today’s Filipiniana Sunday feature. Heaven knows how I sucked at fashion appreciation. If truth be told, fashion is the least of my worries in life. Thankfully, Vintage Love is more than fashion talk since it’s infused with lessons about moving on, taking the leap and making choices.

In Vintage Love, we get to meet Crissy Lopez, a 26 year old TV Executive Producer, who’s too caught up with work to the point that she stopped making herself look good by being contented with wearing ratty shirts and binging on unhealthy foods. Her life suddenly took a dramatic turn when she met Vince due to her grandaunt’s vintage collection.

Being someone who isn’t into fashion, Vintage Love is a refreshing story for me. It delved into the finer details of Ukay-Ukay (which I’ve done only once in my life not because I am a snob but I am too impatient having to stand up for hours and dig into endless pile of clothes) and of course, vintage items. To be honest, I don’t really like antiques because they gave me the creeps ever since Shake, Rattle and Roll’s Halimaw sa Banga episode. But Vintage Love has got me thinking suddenly and even made me browse the net just so I can look at some references on how to best visualize Crissy’s vintage get ups. Yeah, I know, I’m that lame when it comes not only with retro fashion but with fashion in general. But yay, at least this book managed to pique my interest. xD

Another thing that I loved about Vintage Love is our male lead, Vince Lazaro. Although the story was told in Crissy’s POV, it didn’t stop me from swooning over him. He’s your typical good guy with a quirky attitude. I liked it that even with his gentleness; he wasn’t a pushover and has the guts to challenge Crissy’s principles. On the contrary, I am still figuring out my feelings for Crissy because one moment, I like her and then the next, she makes me frown. Maybe it’s because of what happened in Boracay where she let herself get fooled by Benj again. It wasn’t like her. I mean, Crissy was introduced to me as sensible and the type of person who doesn’t dove into situations that already burned her. The latter was proven when she initially refused in having a relationship with Vince because she is not ready yet. However, when she was in Boracay, she immediately acted differently when she saw Benj, her ex-bf. I understand that she may still have feelings for the guy but I didn’t expect that she’d immediately hang out with him without caution. It was almost unbelievable because she hadn’t seen the guy for how many years and their breakup was quite ugly with him cheating on her. Sure, I get that she wanted to act civil in front of him but it doesn’t mean that she has to instantly follow him like a dog. The way she acted didn’t coincide with the personality of the girl I knew first.

Plot wise, I must say that the story flowed in a regular pace without the romance becoming invasive. Vintage Love focuses more on Crissy’s journey about picking up the pieces of her old shattered life, choosing her passion over a big job promotion and rediscovering the things that she used to love. However, while I am contented with the plot, I have a small issue with it which I will discuss in the next paragraph.

Vintage Love, though a charming read, was far from perfect since I could spot flaws here and there. I actually tried ignoring them but I just couldn’t. For one, the story started with Mama Maring dying. There was a funeral but what happened next was somewhat unrealistic because I’ve never seen Crissy actually mourn for the old woman considering that they’re close. Well, there were mentions that she missed Mama Maring but I didn’t feel that she actually grieved for the old woman. Another thing is that, Benj’s coming back to her life was some sort of a plot device to provide additional tension to the overall story. If I am going to review the synopsis, it clearly stated that Crissy’s past has caught up with her threatening to drive her into grief again. That part of the synopsis alone made an impression that it will be an important part of Vintage Love instead of becoming a side story. I assumed that half of the book will be about a love triangle drama between Crissy, Vince and Benj. Instead, that twist only happened for a day and presto, I can forget about it after a few pages.

To sum it up, even with Vintage Love’s flaws, I still found myself entertained by it. I wouldn’t hesitate endorsing it to fans of retro fashion and even to those who aren’t. You can simply ignore the fashion talk and follow Crissy on her journey to self-healing and realizing that happiness is a choice. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 25, 2013 Tina rated it really liked it

Shelves: ebooks, filipino, contemporary, romance, 2013, chick-lit, romanceclass

Original post from One More Page

There was a time in my life when I pored over fashion blogs, especially those blogs where the authors showcased the outfits they made with half the items from thrift store shopping (aka ukay-ukay). I can count the number of times I went thrift store shopping with one hand, so I am a little envious with those people who seem to score so much good stuff in these stores while I can't seem to find any. I think this is some sort of talent, or you know, you just have to ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 31, 2013 Charlie rated it really liked it

Read other book reviews at Book Junkie Joint.

Fashionably and impeccably engrossing! Author Agay Llanera mixes the potent combination of love and fashion in her romance novella Vintage Love.

In Vintage Love, we meet Crissy, an overworked twenty-something woman who rediscovers her passion for fashion and even finds love all because of her aunt's vintage collection. From the on-set, I really liked Crissy. She's hard-working and dedicated to her work, which is something we can glean from the way it t Read other book reviews at Book Junkie Joint.

Fashionably and impeccably engrossing! Author Agay Llanera mixes the potent combination of love and fashion in her romance novella Vintage Love.

In Vintage Love, we meet Crissy, an overworked twenty-something woman who rediscovers her passion for fashion and even finds love all because of her aunt's vintage collection. From the on-set, I really liked Crissy. She's hard-working and dedicated to her work, which is something we can glean from the way it took over her life.

As for Vince -- the love interest. I really liked that he's quirky. He came off a snob, but I like how it was justified. And when he and Crissy started getting to know each other, it was sweet. I like how he found reasons and excuses just to see and talk to her.

I appreciate that the romance aspect in this novel wasn't forced or didn't happen too soon. I love how everything was allowed to grow and branch out naturally.

Story-wise, Crissy's story is easy to follow. I find her voice really relatable. She's an example of a person who set aside her artistic passions for a more realistic life plan, which is something most people do. Fact: artistic pursuits are often inadequate as a means of livelihood, hence most people settle for a regular non-artistic job. This is why Crissy is very relatable. She settled for what's practical, rather than pursue her passion. However, I appreciate that when she finally decided to take her own leap, she did it for herself and not because of some other reason like heartbreak.

What else?

Ah! The ukay-ukay (pronounced as 'ookai-ookai')! In the Philippines, it's okay to shop for used clothes, bags and shoes in little tents. I used to go with my Mom in ukay-ukay shops, but I never really got the hang of scouring for clothes. I guess finding a treasure in an ukay-ukay shop is an art, it takes practice, and I never really had the time and patience for it. Hee.

And of course FLAMES! Way back in elementary, I and my friends used to do this. It was silly, but it was fun. Actually, even until now, some of my classmates in law school still do this just for the fun of it. It was fun to read about this in a romance novella. Maybe someone from abroad can try it out, too, and see the fun in it.

Oh, and I also love the message of positivity that is imbibed within this little treat of a romance novella. The message of this novella is this: everything is a choice. Being happy is a choice. If you experience a setback, you still have the option on whether to wallow on pity or pick yourself up and live on. I love how Crissy chose to be happy and live her life rather than allow her pains to consume her. She's on touch cookie, that she is. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 29, 2020 H. Bentham added it

I got this a while back but have been saving it for tough times (bec Agay Llanera's writing is beautiful and soothing) and I needed to be soothed a few days before the lockdown started and it was PERFECT!⁣
⁣
Granted, the tone and themes were more similar to early chicklit I read before I discovered contemporary romance that I prefer now, I very much enjoyed Crissy's transformation and going through the whole "life makeover" she had been denying herself at the beginning of the story. The romance wi ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 05, 2015 Amae Dechavez rated it it was amazing

Lately I'm developing a thing for vintage design that's why the title of this book really caught my attention. (Plus the cover reminded too much of my awesome childhood :)

Although I cannot say I can relate much to the main character, Crissy (I'm more of a Bea than a Crissy), this book succeeded in capturing my heart, and I guess all girls' hearts because the main message it sends is that not everyone is perfect. (Loved how realistic this book was*) We don't have to be perfect; we just need to c ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 30, 2015 Jay Tria rated it it was amazing

I've been seeing a lot of good things said about Agay Llanera's writing. I've one-clicked all her books since then, but it wasn't until I grabbed copies of her print books at the Manila International Book Fair that I finally got to read my first Llanera book, Vintage Love. And wow, weren't they ALL right about her.

Llanera's writing makes me feel as if I'm reading about a friend, about someone I care about and that I am sincerely cheering on. And those were the feelings that stuck with me from th ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 04, 2017 meiasquared rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fil-lit, 2017-reads, reigns-my-heart, owned-books

That was one heck of a ride! This story sweep me off my feet and feel different konds of emotions. Full review on my blog soon!

Overall, the lessons and emotions this story bring are all well-executed that when you're on the last page, you wanted to read Llanera's other works too for she really knows how to deliver it close to home. Though I like it and the ending was satisfying, I couldn't help but to feel that there's missing. Like I want more answers to the questions that dwelled in my mind a ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 21, 2013 Cassandra Javier rated it really liked it

Shelves: by-filipino-authors, swoon-worthy

(more detailed review on The Enigma Of Herself on sept 13th for the Hello/Vintage Love book tour :))
I love, love, love this book! It has that uber chick-lit feel that will make you smile, go "kilig" and warm your heart.

Vintage Love is the story of the workaholic Crissy and the cool dude Vince who meet via a love of Vintage things, movies, and art. It's the perfect read when you're feeling low and need to feel better. It's a great book that will make you realize that it's not too late to go for w ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 05, 2014 Katrina Atienza rated it liked it

I really liked this one -- it's a pleasant, straightforward story with some hidden wisdom in its lines. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2016 Kevin rated it liked it

Wow! This book is surprisingly good! It was like watching a well-played Rom-Com without it being too cheesy.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 18, 2014 April ~ The Reading Belles rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ebook, favorites, phauthors

Such an enjoyable read! Everything's just so nice and funny! ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 14, 2015 Julie rated it really liked it

Shelves: tagalog-slash-authored-by-filipino

Very charming and nakakakilig! :)

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 24, 2020 H. Bentham added it · review of another edition

flag Like · see review

Feb 02, 2018 Pia Flores rated it really liked it

I liked Agay's female protagonist in the book Vintage Love, she depicts the underground portion of Filipina women in the working sphere who are trying to earn their living so much so that the life is put on the sidelines. Hard working, gorgeous, creative and the general dilemma of our generation - lost. When adulting turns Crizzy Lopez into a zombie TV executive, her creativity drips down the drain until an opposing factor comes and gives her a nudge to act on those dreams hidden in a pile of al ...more

flag Like · see review

Jun 29, 2019 Mariel Sigaya rated it really liked it

Vintage Love was an enjoyable read. I thought it’s plot would be heavy drama. But nope, it’s a feel-good read about self discovery and finding love in the process. I actually like the fashion bits wherein the author took inspiration from vintage items. Everything is laid out on the cover. And while reading, I glimpse at each item as I realized that it is part of the story.

flag Like · see review

Jan 10, 2021 Polly rated it liked it

💙: the friendship dynamics; swoon-worthy female and male main characters; made me miss pre-pandemic life because of the thrift shopping and Boracay trip scenes.
🙅🏻‍♀️: I feel like the story was rushed; it was just an “okay” book for me.

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 29, 2014 Kristel Kristel rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014, chick-lit, filipiniana, romance, asian-lit

This is another contemporary romance novella written and self-published by my classmate in #romanceclass, an online writing community where I am part of. It tells the story of Crissy, who decided to have a makeover after inheriting stuff from her fashionable grandaunt. In the process of her makeover, she meets Vince, and thus begins a story about taking a leap of faith and fighting the ghost of her past. I've always admired Agay's writing and this story didn't disappoint me. While it tackles abo ...more

flag Like · see review

May 15, 2015 C.P. Santi rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book. From the relaxed pacing, to the characters (and their awesome quirkiness), the sweet ending, and the themes of taking chances and reinventing oneself. The narrative was beautifully textured and the descriptions were really vivid. I could almost see all the great stuff Crissy found in her grand-aunt's apartment, and I wanted to rummage with her :-) Definitely worth a read! ...more

flag Like · see review