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You, Me, U.S.

Brigitte Bautista (Goodreads Author)

3.95 · Rating details · 37 ratings · 22 reviews

Best friends Jo and Liza are as opposite as night and day. Sex worker Jo swears by the worry-free, one-day-at-a-time dance through life. Salesclerk Liza has big plans for her family's future, and there is nothing bigger than a one-way trip to the U.S. But an almost-kiss, a sex dare, and news of Liza's engagement to her American boyfriend unveil feelings Jo and Liza never ...more

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Kindle Edition, 157 pages

Published April 15th 2019

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· 37 ratings · 22 reviews

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Mar 15, 2019 K.J. Charles added it

Shelves: contemporary, f-f, romance-class

A really striking f/f romance set in the seedy side of Manila. Shop assistant Liza is desperate for a green card marriage to get her and, crucially, her family, to the US, and is on her fifteenth online boyfriend accordingly. Her best friend Jo is a failed singer turned sex worker. They are scrabbling to make ends meet, living lives that grind them down. Then Liza finally snags a sincere American man who flies over to meet and treat her, and quickly proposes. And suddenly things start to shift A really striking f/f romance set in the seedy side of Manila. Shop assistant Liza is desperate for a green card marriage to get her and, crucially, her family, to the US, and is on her fifteenth online boyfriend accordingly. Her best friend Jo is a failed singer turned sex worker. They are scrabbling to make ends meet, living lives that grind them down. Then Liza finally snags a sincere American man who flies over to meet and treat her, and quickly proposes. And suddenly things start to shift as Liza and Jo slowly face up to their desire and love for each other.

It's exquisitely done. The yearning and fear are palpable and compelling, conveyed with some haunting lines: I read this novella in a single sitting because I was completely submerged in the atmosphere and the women's story.

The conflict is as real as it gets. Liza's fiance is a perfectly decent man who is willing to give her and her family, including younger brothers, a life far in excess of anything they could hope for in Manila. This is not a trivial or easy choice to be made on the basis of glib moralising about true love: it's a horrible bind for both women. Jo has never risked offering herself, rather than her body, to anyone; Liza has been seeking the dream of escape and overseas comfort and safety all her life.

The characters do not behave in your standard romance manner (a reminder of how puritanical a lot of romance is, with definitions of 'cheating' that sometimes seem to include ever having sex with anyone but your fated mate). Liza sleeps with her American while grappling with her feelings for Jo; Jo has both paid and for-fun sexual encounters ditto; the book is completely nonjudgemental of this, emphasising women's right to do what they want with their bodies.

This is a sometimes seedy, painfully realistic romance with people who have cheap highlights and smoke and drink till they throw up and don't look good in the morning, and the book is all the stronger for it. It's one of the most intensely real-feeling romances I've read, with powerfully absorbing atmosphere and emotion. (And, I should say, it isn't depressing, despite the often sordid setting and problems. This one shows love blossoming where it takes root, not just in the luxury homes of billionaires.)

I had an ARC copy from the author. There are a few editing issues, which I found trivial in the context of how much I liked this. ...more

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Jun 04, 2019 Geri Reads rated it really liked it

This one really hit the spot. There were so many things that resonated with me. From its Manila setting, the harsh reality of the "American Dream" and of the characters and their struggles.

I'd say it's part romance, part coming of age story between 2 best friends: Jo & Liza as they each navigate their lives and confront their growing feelings for each other.

Set in Manila, Philippines this book further proves that the world is sleeping on books written by Filipino authors. I highly recommend ...more

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Apr 16, 2019 Jenna rated it really liked it

Shelves: f-f-fiction, female-protagonist, new-adult

This is a tough book to describe. As a romance, it didn't really work for me at all. As a piece of fiction, though, I found it really enjoyable in large part due to the fact that it's not a book I've read before; it's its own creature, with a fascinating setting and fresh, compelling leads you just never see in mainstream publishing.

Because the blurb never mentions it, and it's only obliquely referenced at the end of the sample, it's worth noting that the story is set in the Philippines (Manila, This is a tough book to describe. As a romance, it didn't really work for me at all. As a piece of fiction, though, I found it really enjoyable in large part due to the fact that it's not a book I've read before; it's its own creature, with a fascinating setting and fresh, compelling leads you just never see in mainstream publishing.

Because the blurb never mentions it, and it's only obliquely referenced at the end of the sample, it's worth noting that the story is set in the Philippines (Manila, to be precise.) There's a fair amount of slang that Google and I never did figure out, but it wasn't a big enough issue that I docked stars for it.

My biggest issue is that it was categorized as romance, but the romance didn't really begin until the last page--it spent virtually the entire book as a friendship with the potential for romance--and it had a kind of problematic element [to me] in the epilogue that left me feeling like the romance wasn't going to be terribly long-lived. As fiction? That's not a problem. As romance? Kind of a problem.

Regardless, I liked the leads a lot. How often do you see a sex worker as a main character without her job being shamed, used for reader titillation, or shown as a tragedy the character heroically overcame for inspiration points? Jo's a sex worker. She likes it. She has problems, but the job isn't a big one and it's presented in a very matter-of-fact way. It isn't glamorized or demonized, it just is.

Liza's character is a little more familiar, but she had her own issues and, like Jo, I really cared what happened to her. Everything about the book felt far more real and immediate than most fiction (romantic and otherwise) I've read, so much so that it almost had a pulse. It's a far cry from all of those f-f books with CEOs and doctors. This is street-level existence, and all the better for it.

That said, I could use a sequel? I'd really like to see just how things work out for our leads. Because I have questions.

4.4 stars for originality and quality of writing. Worth your time if anything above piqued your interest. ...more

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Mar 16, 2019 retro rated it liked it

Shelves: new-adult, novella, lgbt, contemporary, arc

Received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting read. Definitely an atypical romance, probably more accurately New Adult than any title I've read in the genre. Shop girl Liza dreams of a green card marriage to an American. After many failed attempts at online dating, she's almost there... only for her plans to hit a snag when she shares a kiss with best friend Jo, a tough-talking sex worker who doesn't believe in love.

This novella has a profoundly modern feel and ...more

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Jun 24, 2019 aarya rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction-genre-romance, r-subgenre-contemporary-romance, tag-author-of-color, tag-romance-class, tag-s-ff, tag-s-lgbtqia, owned-in-arc-ebook, year-2019, rating-4-point-5, tag-live-tweeting

2019 Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo: f/f contemporary

B+ lightning review: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2...

Link to live tweeting here: https://twitter.com/aarya_marsden/sta...

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Aug 16, 2019 Amanda rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-stars, friends-to-lovers, lgbtqia-protagonist, romanceclass, written-by-aoc, 2019-favorite-romances, slow-burn

Read this in one sitting on an overnight flight. Bautista is an exquisite writer. I’ve never read another romance like this. In fact, I suspect some people may not consider this a romance, and instead fiction with romance subplot, but I certainly do because the relationship between Liza and Jo is central to the book, even though they spend the majority of it not together.

I don’t want to get into the plot but I’ll tell you what I loved:

-First, the sex worker rep was really good (IMO, granted I’m ...more

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Mar 19, 2019 Danice Sison rated it really liked it

You, Me, U.S.
by Brigitte Bautista

When I saw the author's announcement for the ARC of her latest book, an f/f romance, I jumped at the chance to get on the request list. I read Brigitte's first book, "Don't Tell My Mother", which I loved, and similarly adored her short story, "Lemon Drop Friday" from the #romanceclass anthology, "Start Here", on which I have also contributed as an author.

"You, Me, U.S." has Filipino characters and is set in Metro Manila. Brigitte Bautista's Manila is gritty You, Me, U.S.
by Brigitte Bautista

When I saw the author's announcement for the ARC of her latest book, an f/f romance, I jumped at the chance to get on the request list. I read Brigitte's first book, "Don't Tell My Mother", which I loved, and similarly adored her short story, "Lemon Drop Friday" from the #romanceclass anthology, "Start Here", on which I have also contributed as an author.

"You, Me, U.S." has Filipino characters and is set in Metro Manila. Brigitte Bautista's Manila is gritty and cinematic. It's mean-streets Manila, a city where tough women like Jo and Liza were able to sharpen their life skills. Both may have come from the province, but the city was where they had their hearts broken, where both came into their own. It's back alleys and police raids, it's goto and pares houses. It's an almost kiss at a staff party. It's after-hours at the department store. It's finding love in a hopeless, hapless place.

I've come to recognize the snappy exchanges between the author's main characters and their love interests in her stories. The ease of the exchange between the characters, as they quip and quibble make it apparent that the wonderful women inhabiting the author's stories have words at the center of their love language. How the characters communicate through turns of phrase says so much about where the relationship is at -- whether it's an intimate friendship or one that suddenly turns flirty and playful. It's the words, but also how the characters say it.

Unlike "Don't Tell My Mother", "You, Me, U.S." introduces a more mature story. We meet Jo, a sex worker whose best friend Liza turns up at her door suddenly having no place to stay. Liza works as a department store sales girl. Both are decidedly blue collar and come from modest backgrounds; Liza's being more fraught with familial obligations many Filipino readers would recognize. Liza's desire to provide for her family "a better life" drives her motivations. Jo, on the other hand only looks out for number one; she's come to terms with the fact that though she has some talent in singing, she'll likely never be a pop star.

I loved Jo and Liza, separately and as a couple. Jo is brash and unapologetic about her life choices. She has sex for a living, and she seems to enjoy it, as she has some control over her pick of clients and is now self-employed. I liked reading about her on the job. She refers to her clients as "ads" because she finds them on online postings. I liked having little glimpses of Jo's ads because they were all so human. I enjoyed it in a voyeuristic way because the inner, sex lives of ordinary Filipinos is such a mystery. I appreciated that sex work takes all kinds, and not just one type of person.

On the other hand, Liza's character and motivations were handled with so much consideration. Many Filipino women have dreams similar to Liza's, the same objective- to marry a foreigner so she can get out of the country and give her family in the province "the American dream". It's common, but the author is unafraid to go deep. Liza has had her share of heartbreak from past online relationships, but she is relentless at pushing for one that will work. It's easy to get frustrated at a character who never lets up no matter how many times she fails at finding love on a dating app, or even to dislike a character so hell-bent on finding a foreigner boyfriend, but because I understand Liza's motivations, I never felt this way towards her. Similarly, it's easy to play her failed relationships and heartbreaks for laughs, but the author does not do that here. Instead, the failed relationships are treated with wry compassion, and with Jo's support, Liza emerges from her heartbreaks bruised but never broken.

When Liza finally gets that relationship that hits all her requirements, the possibility of her leaving Jo's life becomes very real. Jo and Liza's love for each other is obvious to me on the first chapter, but these characters take their time realizing it. It's a slow burn and it takes its time with both characters. There's really no "bolt out of the blue" moment; rather, a slow erosion of feelings that reveal what is really at the core. Both women have turned up in each other's lives to save each other, and their friendship is so intimate that to me there was no question about their being right for each other. While there may still be work to be done and issues to be addressed when they finally do, I'm satisfied knowing that Jo and Liza will face the next challenges with eyes wide open, and holding hands.

...more

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Nov 06, 2019 Xan West added it

Shelves: 2019-releases, author-of-color, f-f-romance, color-yellow, lgbtqia-rom-by-poc, queer-poc-novels, friends-to-lovers, sex-work-fic-non-fic

I really appreciated the sex worker rep, Jo's emotional armor, & the spareness of the prose style in this. I will likely review later, but I want to think about it a bit more first.

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Mar 16, 2019 Nina 321 rated it really liked it

Shelves: genre-fiction, author-ofcolour, genre-romance, author-woman, world-philippines, queer, reading-women-challenge-2019, diversity, z-read-2019, reviewed

An entrancing novella from the Philippines, written by an author who’s a member of #romanceclass, a hashtag I had not heard of but which is huge in the Philippines. This is a HEA (or HFN at least) novella, focused on women who have sex with women and with men, who have sex for money or for marriage, and all of this is presented in a liberating unjudgemental way. It’s just no big deal. The sex is hot and consensual (a requirement for #romanceclass). The prose and the setting are gritty and real ...more

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Apr 29, 2019 Sarah marked it as did-not-finish

Not sure quite why I couldn't finish this. It was really well written, but it just didn't engage me. It took me weeks to get through half of it, even though it's a pretty short book. And I just wasn't feeling the chemistry between Jo and Liza at all, so I had no investment in the romance--maybe friends-to-lovers is just not my thing.

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Apr 09, 2019 H. Bentham added it

"Touch where it burns, provoke and prolong what feels good, stop when it hurts."
•
This is coming out next week !!! and I have to be one of those people who screams at everyone to GET THIS! LOL. I loved it! It was a little heavy and gritty compared to what I usually read, but then again it reflects a different Filipino experience that I knew existed, but haven't read in fiction, much less in romance, like this.
•
Jo is a sex worker (and this part of her is dealt without prejudice throughout the "Touch where it burns, provoke and prolong what feels good, stop when it hurts."
•
This is coming out next week !!! and I have to be one of those people who screams at everyone to GET THIS! LOL. I loved it! It was a little heavy and gritty compared to what I usually read, but then again it reflects a different Filipino experience that I knew existed, but haven't read in fiction, much less in romance, like this.
•
Jo is a sex worker (and this part of her is dealt without prejudice throughout the book; it's just her job, as it should be) and Liza is a saleslady who stuck in contractual hell and her only prospect of salvation is marrying her American fiance. This self-sacrifice is hard-hitting (and were the reason for most of my tears. Anything with family issues shoots me straight to the heart.) They share Jo's rented apartment for most of the story, and this is where their apparent attraction blossoms into a full romance. •
I have to be honest, I went into this dreading the aspect of cheating described in the blurb. But Brij's masterful writing made it seem like the cheating was a mere technicality in the grand scheme of things bec the protagonists fcking deserve each other. They've been through so much, individually, that I wanted them to be together and be each other's respite. They cannot be faulted for their baggages and these in turn heightened the stakes of the relationship. I ~hated that the HFN didn't come sooner (give my bby's a break!) but it made so much sense that they had to work out their issues separately before returning to finally be in each others arms. I also want more of the HFN, but I'm still adding this to my 2019 faves,
•
"Here, under the slates of the ever-changing lights of the perya, they kissed. The kiss was the night, the world, and the universe. It was fireworks, It was "Bingo!" and shrill shrieks towards the gods of fortune."
•
*I received a Free ARC for an honest review from the author.

*This review also appears as a bookstagram on my IG: @bentchbites ...more

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Apr 07, 2019 natalie rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-devoured-in-2019, romance-class-reads, authors-of-colour

Loved the complexities of Jo and Liza. loved how Jo and Liza's sexuality was so normalized. It wasn't ever shown to be a problem for others.

Also at no time was Jo's profession as a sex worker ever demonized by the author, which I appreciated. Too many times I find little snide commentary that slip in painting sex workers in a terrible light but this was never the case here. There was one moment when one of Jo's dates learns what her job was and they aren't happy about it but i felt like Jo's ...more

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May 08, 2019 iam rated it really liked it

Shelves: sapphic, lgbtqia

3.5 stars
Quite lovely romance about finding the line where the dreams we've been chasing meet the reality we live.

Content warnings include: cheating, sexual harassment, mild violence, sex work, sex on-page, hate against sex-workers; mentions of intimate partner violence/domestic abuse.

Liza and Jo, both living in Manila, have been best friends for years now. While sex worker Jo has come to terms with her dream of becoming a pop star never becoming reality, Liza is working hard towards her dream ...more

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May 14, 2019 kb rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-reads, filipino-authors

I love a good old slow-burn romance but then again (who doesn't) the bigger reason I'm drawn to this book is the SOCIAL COMMENTARY. It's like a huge MIC DROP, lol. If you ever wonder what's going on on this side of the world where poverty and ~miseducation continue to prevail, this book is what's up. Coming from that phenomenal debut novel Don’t Tell My MotherDon't Tell My Mother, this author is once again bringing something new to the table, and the rest of us should sit back and enjoy.

Here are ...more

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Jun 08, 2019 Cleo rated it really liked it

Shelves: aoc, bi-romance, f-f

3 1/2 stars rounded up. Lovely and unusual friends to lovers f/f romance set in Manila.

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Apr 03, 2019 Yeyet Soriano rated it really liked it

It's very real, gritty and down-to-earth. I felt the everyday aspects of the lives of the two heroines: perennial contractor Liza and unapologetic sex worker Jo. I believed in the reasons why Jo chose her line of work. I commiserated with Liza for wanting to find a better life for her family. I delighted in living through their individual and shared adventures.

It is a very slow burn, this love story, and I got confused a bit with the epilogue, specifically the need for that one encounter, but ...more

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Aug 08, 2019 Brianna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: api-author, filipinx, kindle, lgbtq, primary-poc-characters, read-in-2019, romance, sex-workers

I read this is practically 1 sitting - it moves along beautifully and there was so much about it to love. For one, I am always drawn to books set in the Philippines or featuring filipinx characters. This book brought together some very real aspects of life in Manila and the filipinx experience that aren't often featured in books - the way your life is not your own but instead often beholden to your extended family, internet dating to find American or European spouses, the hierarchy of ...more

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Jun 21, 2019 Lucie Wyeth added it

Shelves: asia, america, bi-pan-yay, class-differences, contemporary, f-f, romance, sexy-bits, working-class

Really enjoyed the setting and circumstances, the struggles, the immigration dilemmas. Well, “enjoyed” as in that POV needs to be a more common thing, not enjoyed as in “YAY FUN TIMES.” I just didn’t feel the spark from the love story. I rooted for the girls as individuals, and as friends, but not necessarily as love interests. Would definitely recommend the book though, just for the rest.

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Dec 14, 2019 Jamie rated it liked it

Shelves: romanticals, queerly-beloved

I buy the friendship, not so much the soulmates 4-evah. More books to deal with immigration realities, though. :(

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Apr 09, 2019 Chi rated it really liked it

Shelves: mid-shelf

I never have coherent enough things to say in book reviews, but I just needed to stress how RAW and BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN this book is.

Signed,
Jo's Bitch

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May 07, 2019 Kate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites, filipino-authors

Actual Rating: 5 stars

THIS IS THE WOKE FILIPINO ROMANCE BOOK Y’ALL NEED IN YOUR LIFE BOOTS THE HOUSE DOWN.

There are so many discussions this book could start off: the fetishization of Asian women by white men; the sex industry and the dehumanization and abuse of those who work in it; the issue of contractualization or “endo”; the harassment of women. Brij Bautista really hits all the spots with this book, which is simultaneously a hard-hitting social commentary and an ultra-sweet romance.

Jo’s ...more

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Apr 09, 2019 nikki rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-books

Jo and Liza. Jo and Liza. Jo and Liza. Jo. Liza.

This book was so real. At some point, I had to put down the book and take a break because it just hurts so much. Jo with the realities of being a sex worker in the Philippines. She has come to like it. There's no shaming whatsoever on what she does for a living. Liza, on the other hand, with that American Dream that a lot of Filipina has, going through online dating sites and hoping someone could save them and give them a better life and hopefully ...more

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