The Debut Diaries

"Wow! Sounds like a lot of fun!" he exclaims and my heart dies.

"What did you say?"

He cannot be serious right now. He is not supposed to think that this is going to be fun. He is supposed laugh in my face then head downstairs to his group of friends and distract every girl in the cafeteria with his freaking face. That is how it's supposed to go.

"Yeah, I'll be your date thing."

NO. This is not how it's supposed to go.

***

Carmen Estrella is NOT a party animal. No, no, no. She'd much rather stay home on her couch or hang out with her friends in a much more "low-key" manner. If she's feeling adventurous, maybe she'll even make it past her driveway.

Definitely not interested in the party scene.

So when Carmen's family and persistent 70-year-old grandmother insists on her having a Debut party for her 18th birthday, she doesn't hesitate before disagreeing.

Unable to back out of the Filipino tradition, Carmen finds herself in a compromising situation of trying to find her Court of Honour and personal Escort when she hasn't spoken to the male population since birth. The plan? Ask Brennan Coleman, the most popular boy at school, get rejected, and fake being heartbroken so that her family will back off.

However, when "the plan" doesn't go as planned, and Brennan miraculously agrees to be her date, Carmen finds herself pushed into the world of Filipino chaos, party planning, and handling Brennan Coleman at the same time.

Meanwhile, they might even learn a thing or two about what it means to live in a diverse society.

TW: some parts dealing with racism and racial slurs, colourism, homophobia and transphobia, mental illnesses (eating disorders and suicide), and acts of violence. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.