WATTYS 2021 WINNER (YOUNG ADULT CATEGORY) Country girl Yngrid Bartolome only wanted two simple things: 1. To enjoy music 2. To enjoy music together with her best friend Rafael Castro Yngrid knew that deep inside her, Rafael holds a more important part in her heart. Sadly, Rafael is a busy man who has a lot to carry on his shoulders; their lives were simply far apart from each other. With the exchange of cassette tapes every 17th day of the month with one another, Yngrid hopes Rafael will notice her feelings for him someday. Even if it means a heartbreak, and a friendship that may fall apart. •• Language: Filipino

wattys winner 2021 editor's pick nov 2021 Naloko, nasaktan, at isinumpa sa langit na siya'y magiging stronger and better habang yakap ang bote ng alak. 'Yan si Megan Espirtu. Nang lokohin siya ng kanyang high school boyfriend na si Derek Lorenzo, ipinangako niya sa sarili na magsisisi ito dahil sa susunod na mag-krus ang mga landas nila ay siya na si Megan 2.0: successful, prettier, and so much better, until ten years later. Derek is set to be married to a socialite and celebrity vlogger. Si Megan? Well, hindi siya successful, hindi rin siya prettier, at higit sa lahat ay naiwan siyang bitter. Hindi lang iyon, siya pa ang assistant ng wedding planner ng dalawa. With the wedding of her ex and a reluctant artist as her only salvation to not be fired, Megan is faced with the question that has been silently mocking her: was it really his loss or hers?

PUBLISHED UNDER LIB Note: If you're not into flawed characters who make wrong decisions, don't read this. Save yourself from stress. Started: 10/07/2020 Ended: 11/18/2020 Elora Chin Valencia grew up in a toxic Christian family where she was viewed as the black sheep. Araw-araw ay ipinaparamdam sa kanya ng mundo na wala siyang lugar sa sarili niyang tahanan. She was a consistent dean's lister and an obedient daughter, which left her wondering what she had done so wrong to be disregarded as a speck of dust in the wind. They made her feel like she was just dirt, filling up the empty space. The one who would never have her own safe place. Feeling all of this contributed to her endless suicidal ideations. Baka nga tama sila. Baka nga wala siyang halaga at kailanman ay hindi na sasaya. She almost believed that. She almost held onto that notion. Not until she met the man in his BS Civil Engineering uniform and gorgeous grin, Troy Jefferson Dela Paz. He kissed her forehead, and her loud thoughts were silenced. Her demons calmed down. Her foes were defeated. For the first time in her life, she had proven her family wrong---a happy Elora Chin was possible. She was loved and well-taken care of. Troy embraced her sharp parts, not minding the wounds he might get. But fate had a lot of cruel things in store for her. Because when she thought she had reached the peak of happiness, she found myself drowning alone in the ocean she now called home, alone in her shame, alone with the waves she couldn't tame.

PUBLISHED UNDER LIB Note: If you're not into flawed characters who make wrong decisions, don't read this. Save yourself from stress. Started: 09/09/2020 Ended: 10/07/2020 Solene Clemente was a typical Civil Engineering student who struggled to put up with her studies. Kung pwede ngang i-bake na lang ang napakaraming itlog sa test papers niya, ginawa niya na. At a young age, she experienced the harsh reality of life-poverty, abuse, and a broken family. But, as someone who could see the bright side of everything, she knew she could make it with only her mother and best friend, Duke Laurence Sanders, whom she secretly loved. Kahit pa naghihirap, basta kasama niya ang ina, kaya niya. Kahit pa madalas niyang hindi maintindihan ang lessons, ayos lang kasi may Duke naman na tuturuan siya. Na kahit gaano kalupit ang tadhana, patuloy siyang lumalaban sa buhay dahil may dalawang taong sumusuporta at nagmamahal sa kanya. She became too dependent on the love they could offer. But little did she know, like the sun she adored, she was destined to be alone.

Love Trilogy #2 This work of fiction may include potentially disturbing readings, scenes and discussions around topics such as sexual, self-harm, physical violence, emotionally triggering materials, death and suicide. Please engage in self-care as you read this work. Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Tessa Young is an 18 year old college student with a simple life, excellent grades, and a sweet boyfriend. She always has things planned out ahead of time, until she meets a rude boy named Hardin, with too many tattoos and piercings who shatters her plans.

Synopsis: Shaylie is a typical fifteen-year-old girl from a religious family. Terrence, on the other hand, is not your average boy. To Shaylie, Terrence has always been the enigmatic, aloof, talented and temperamental older brother of her best friend, who has never given her a second look. Until they are thrown together in a date. Their first date sparks an unlikely romance that confuses Terrence, who has long pushed people away because of a secret he has kept throughout his life. But Shaylie is patient with him, giving him a chance to feel things he has never felt with anyone else before. Will they overcome the challenges that stand in the way of their budding love? Or will a happy ending ultimately be too much to ask for? -Pop Fiction

Synopsis: After losing Terrence, her first love, to an illness, Shay begins to believe that she can't fall in love again. She holds on to a sketch of Terrence's best friend, "Nathan" and looks for him just as she had promised Terrence. Much to her surprise, she meets "Nathan" when she enters her new school, Trinity High. But "Nathan" introduces himself as Jiroh and denies knowing anyone named Terrence. Thus begins the story of Shay and Jiroh, a boy whose past is inexplicably tied to her own and whose present offers a possibility of a new love. "I'm another 'what if, Shay," Jiroh says. Will Shay let herself fall in love again or will she hold on to her past with Terrence? Can one really move on from one's first love? -Pop Fiction

Imogen Harrison has been dating campus heartthrob Parker Yapchengco. But no one knows about it. Bagaman pumayag si Imogen na ilihim nila ni Parker ang kanilang relasyon ay hindi nawawala ang kanyang mga agam-agam tungkol dito. Buti na lang at madalas siyang damayan ni Shiloah Suarez, ang bagong transferee sa kanilang eskuwelahan na kabaliktaran ang ugali kay Parker. Will she be selfish and stay with Parker while keeping Shiloah by her side? Or will she break up with him for good and choose someone she can be with in public?

Once upon a time, nagkaroon ako ng crush, 'yun nga lang, hindi niya alam ang existence ko. But that one summer, nagbago ang lahat. A short story written by Alyloony in collaboration with Cornetto <3 Movie version: This Time