#michellenavajas — Public Fediverse posts

“Afternoons That Tasted Like Love In Manila” a book review by Smitha Vishwanath

I loved the book title, which immediately evokes a sense of warmth and love. In ‘Afternoons that tasted like love in Manila’, Michelle’s words weave a spell that has the power to break through the armour of even the most cynical. She does not look at the world through rose-tinted glasses (as one in love does) but describes the ever-transient nature of love – the excitement, the missed opportunities, the growing out of love, the regret and the memories. You will be reminded of your own special moments as you read the stories in this book, and you will unconsciously become the ‘I’ in its pages.

As for Manila, it wasn’t one of the countries in my bucket list despite all the wonderful things I had heard about it from friends who’ve lived there, but having read the book, I want to visit the city. The places and moments described, against the backdrop of Manila’s afternoon sunand the city, come alive on the pages.

‘From across the street in Manila, the afternoon stretches on like a scene from a film where no one is in a hurry. Jeepneys pass by in bright streaks of colour while smoke from grilled food drifts into the warm air.’ pg 35

More about the book

The author begins with a short note of gratitude to her parents for who she is and how far she’s come as a writer which is heartwarming. In the foreword, Maggie Watson, the author of ‘Pieces of Me and Ephemeral Encounters’, asks, ‘How do you write about love without it becoming a cliché? This is a question that I had before I began reading the book.Maggie Watson says, ‘ To write it well, the reader must feel every exhalation of a heart in love – because in those moments, nothing else seems to matter.’ It couldn’t have been answered better. Michelle takes you back to the time you fell in love and makes you relive the moments with her words.

Michelle Avon Navajas makes you taste love through a deliberate, delicate, slow-paced storytelling. The one-to-two pages stories are short and unconnected.

In a world where we are surrounded by more negative news than positive, and we are constantly battling something of our own, love slips by unnoticed and gets replaced by words like ‘responsibility’ and ‘duty’. And before we know it, the flavour that makes a relationship special is lost. Sadly, the very emotion which brings two people together and gives them the strength to create something bigger than themselves is forgotten. Love exists but no longer excites, and becomes a habit, a ritual, a way of life like breathing or eating.

In the introduction, the author says of Manila, ‘mga kuwentong hinubog ng galow ng lungsod’ – ‘Here, every street corner, every passing glance and every quiet afternoon carries a story – waiting to be seen, felt and remembered.’ I loved the poem ‘Manila Skyline’ in Part 1 ‘Invisible Threads’.

‘that afternoon, / sunset caught in your eyes/love, fierce and fleeting, glowing like the sky./ through Recto’s restless streets, past Mendiola’s hym of lives‘

Reading the first section of «Afternoons that tasted like love in Manila’ brought back memories I had relegated to the background. It made me fall in love with love again.

The book is divided into four sections, and each starts with a tender poem that sets the tone for the short stories in that section. The stories are about falling in love, being in love, heartbreak, making peace with oneself and memories.

In Mendiola, Michelle talks about the ‘infamous 1987 massacre’ on the Mendiola bridge where a couple in love first meet; the bridge is also the site for student protests. The bridge becomes a symbol of something special and memorable, of dissent and pain just like love can be.

In ‘September’, Michelle talks of the changing nature of love, ‘We never know exactly when things begin to change; but somehow, you can feel it approaching, like a quiet shift in the air before everything turns,’ and in ‘Except for that Afternoon’, she says, ‘Why is that regret only finds us at the end – when the moment to choose differently has already slipped away?’
The second part, ‘Half a Goodbye‘, is about relationships breaking due to differing priorities, lack of communication, disrespect and being undervalued while the third section, ‘Soul Searching’, and the fourth section, ‘Wilted Streets’, have stories on unrequited love, broken dreams, appreciating moments of peace, finding the strength within to move past the ache and making sure not to repeat past mistakes by having the courage to fight for love and stand by it.

‘To be held in someone’s heart and still feel lost, to be given everything and never quite understand the shape of what you’re receiving. It is a quiet ache, not of emptiness, but of uncertainty.’
In addition to the tender writing, I thinkthe stories in the book are a good example of the use of pathetic fallacy and foreshadowing in literature.

The sun and the sky play an equally important role in each story as the characters; the changing colours prepares the reader for events to come. From Blindsided, ‘But the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows in the car, and I let the silence fill the space instead, because I feel in my heart I’m still just a comfortable option.
The traffic and the city also serve as a backdrop for the stories – sometimes slow, sometimes busy and chaotic, but continuing to exist and go on even if a person’s world collapses due to a heartbreak. ‘The city didn’t pause for me.’ pg 65
What amazed me was the many ways with which Manila’s afternoon sun is described in the pages of this book, each image as beautiful as the other, if not more.

Who should read it?

Anybody looking for a short, sweet, quick read on love. The writing is delicate and beautiful. For writers who want to learn the use of pathetic fallacy, foreshadowing, and short story writing. This book is for the young and the old, the ones who found their happily ever after and for those whose hearts were broken. The book is available on Kindle .

https://www.amazon.in/Afternoons-that-Tasted-like-Manila-ebook/dp/B0GYZG81ZB
________________________________________________
My latest book

Available on Amazon (Kindle) and Amazon India (Paperback) Available on Amazon (Intl) Amazon.in (India)

https://mybook.to/ainheritanceofsolitude/

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0H93LQ63J/

This review first appeared on Smitha’s Blog

https://smithavpennings.com/book-review-13-50-2026-afternoons-that-tasted-like-love-in-manila-by-michelle-avon-navajas/

“Afternoons That Tasted Like Love In Manila” a book review by Smitha Vishwanath

I loved the book title, which immediately evokes a sense of warmth and love. In ‘Afternoons that tasted like love in Manila’, Michelle’s words weave a spell that has the power to break through the armour of even the most cynical. She does not look at the world through rose-tinted glasses (as one in love does) but describes the ever-transient nature of love – the excitement, the missed opportunities, the growing out of love, the regret and the memories. You will be reminded of your own special moments as you read the stories in this book, and you will unconsciously become the ‘I’ in its pages.

As for Manila, it wasn’t one of the countries in my bucket list despite all the wonderful things I had heard about it from friends who’ve lived there, but having read the book, I want to visit the city. The places and moments described, against the backdrop of Manila’s afternoon sunand the city, come alive on the pages.

‘From across the street in Manila, the afternoon stretches on like a scene from a film where no one is in a hurry. Jeepneys pass by in bright streaks of colour while smoke from grilled food drifts into the warm air.’ pg 35

More about the book

The author begins with a short note of gratitude to her parents for who she is and how far she’s come as a writer which is heartwarming. In the foreword, Maggie Watson, the author of ‘Pieces of Me and Ephemeral Encounters’, asks, ‘How do you write about love without it becoming a cliché? This is a question that I had before I began reading the book.Maggie Watson says, ‘ To write it well, the reader must feel every exhalation of a heart in love – because in those moments, nothing else seems to matter.’ It couldn’t have been answered better. Michelle takes you back to the time you fell in love and makes you relive the moments with her words.

Michelle Avon Navajas makes you taste love through a deliberate, delicate, slow-paced storytelling. The one-to-two pages stories are short and unconnected.

In a world where we are surrounded by more negative news than positive, and we are constantly battling something of our own, love slips by unnoticed and gets replaced by words like ‘responsibility’ and ‘duty’. And before we know it, the flavour that makes a relationship special is lost. Sadly, the very emotion which brings two people together and gives them the strength to create something bigger than themselves is forgotten. Love exists but no longer excites, and becomes a habit, a ritual, a way of life like breathing or eating.

In the introduction, the author says of Manila, ‘mga kuwentong hinubog ng galow ng lungsod’ – ‘Here, every street corner, every passing glance and every quiet afternoon carries a story – waiting to be seen, felt and remembered.’ I loved the poem ‘Manila Skyline’ in Part 1 ‘Invisible Threads’.

‘that afternoon, / sunset caught in your eyes/love, fierce and fleeting, glowing like the sky./ through Recto’s restless streets, past Mendiola’s hym of lives‘

Reading the first section of «Afternoons that tasted like love in Manila’ brought back memories I had relegated to the background. It made me fall in love with love again.

The book is divided into four sections, and each starts with a tender poem that sets the tone for the short stories in that section. The stories are about falling in love, being in love, heartbreak, making peace with oneself and memories.

In Mendiola, Michelle talks about the ‘infamous 1987 massacre’ on the Mendiola bridge where a couple in love first meet; the bridge is also the site for student protests. The bridge becomes a symbol of something special and memorable, of dissent and pain just like love can be.

In ‘September’, Michelle talks of the changing nature of love, ‘We never know exactly when things begin to change; but somehow, you can feel it approaching, like a quiet shift in the air before everything turns,’ and in ‘Except for that Afternoon’, she says, ‘Why is that regret only finds us at the end – when the moment to choose differently has already slipped away?’
The second part, ‘Half a Goodbye‘, is about relationships breaking due to differing priorities, lack of communication, disrespect and being undervalued while the third section, ‘Soul Searching’, and the fourth section, ‘Wilted Streets’, have stories on unrequited love, broken dreams, appreciating moments of peace, finding the strength within to move past the ache and making sure not to repeat past mistakes by having the courage to fight for love and stand by it.

‘To be held in someone’s heart and still feel lost, to be given everything and never quite understand the shape of what you’re receiving. It is a quiet ache, not of emptiness, but of uncertainty.’
In addition to the tender writing, I thinkthe stories in the book are a good example of the use of pathetic fallacy and foreshadowing in literature.

The sun and the sky play an equally important role in each story as the characters; the changing colours prepares the reader for events to come. From Blindsided, ‘But the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows in the car, and I let the silence fill the space instead, because I feel in my heart I’m still just a comfortable option.
The traffic and the city also serve as a backdrop for the stories – sometimes slow, sometimes busy and chaotic, but continuing to exist and go on even if a person’s world collapses due to a heartbreak. ‘The city didn’t pause for me.’ pg 65
What amazed me was the many ways with which Manila’s afternoon sun is described in the pages of this book, each image as beautiful as the other, if not more.

Who should read it?

Anybody looking for a short, sweet, quick read on love. The writing is delicate and beautiful. For writers who want to learn the use of pathetic fallacy, foreshadowing, and short story writing. This book is for the young and the old, the ones who found their happily ever after and for those whose hearts were broken. The book is available on Kindle .

https://www.amazon.in/Afternoons-that-Tasted-like-Manila-ebook/dp/B0GYZG81ZB
________________________________________________
My latest book

Available on Amazon (Kindle) and Amazon India (Paperback) Available on Amazon (Intl) Amazon.in (India)

https://mybook.to/ainheritanceofsolitude/

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0H93LQ63J/

This review first appeared on Smitha’s Blog

https://smithavpennings.com/book-review-13-50-2026-afternoons-that-tasted-like-love-in-manila-by-michelle-avon-navajas/

“Afternoons That Tasted Like Love In Manila” a book review by Smitha Vishwanath

I loved the book title, which immediately evokes a sense of warmth and love. In ‘Afternoons that tasted like love in Manila’, Michelle’s words weave a spell that has the power to break through the armour of even the most cynical. She does not look at the world through rose-tinted glasses (as one in love does) but describes the ever-transient nature of love – the excitement, the missed opportunities, the growing out of love, the regret and the memories. You will be reminded of your own special moments as you read the stories in this book, and you will unconsciously become the ‘I’ in its pages.

As for Manila, it wasn’t one of the countries in my bucket list despite all the wonderful things I had heard about it from friends who’ve lived there, but having read the book, I want to visit the city. The places and moments described, against the backdrop of Manila’s afternoon sunand the city, come alive on the pages.

‘From across the street in Manila, the afternoon stretches on like a scene from a film where no one is in a hurry. Jeepneys pass by in bright streaks of colour while smoke from grilled food drifts into the warm air.’ pg 35

More about the book

The author begins with a short note of gratitude to her parents for who she is and how far she’s come as a writer which is heartwarming. In the foreword, Maggie Watson, the author of ‘Pieces of Me and Ephemeral Encounters’, asks, ‘How do you write about love without it becoming a cliché? This is a question that I had before I began reading the book.Maggie Watson says, ‘ To write it well, the reader must feel every exhalation of a heart in love – because in those moments, nothing else seems to matter.’ It couldn’t have been answered better. Michelle takes you back to the time you fell in love and makes you relive the moments with her words.

Michelle Avon Navajas makes you taste love through a deliberate, delicate, slow-paced storytelling. The one-to-two pages stories are short and unconnected.

In a world where we are surrounded by more negative news than positive, and we are constantly battling something of our own, love slips by unnoticed and gets replaced by words like ‘responsibility’ and ‘duty’. And before we know it, the flavour that makes a relationship special is lost. Sadly, the very emotion which brings two people together and gives them the strength to create something bigger than themselves is forgotten. Love exists but no longer excites, and becomes a habit, a ritual, a way of life like breathing or eating.

In the introduction, the author says of Manila, ‘mga kuwentong hinubog ng galow ng lungsod’ – ‘Here, every street corner, every passing glance and every quiet afternoon carries a story – waiting to be seen, felt and remembered.’ I loved the poem ‘Manila Skyline’ in Part 1 ‘Invisible Threads’.

‘that afternoon, / sunset caught in your eyes/love, fierce and fleeting, glowing like the sky./ through Recto’s restless streets, past Mendiola’s hym of lives‘

Reading the first section of «Afternoons that tasted like love in Manila’ brought back memories I had relegated to the background. It made me fall in love with love again.

The book is divided into four sections, and each starts with a tender poem that sets the tone for the short stories in that section. The stories are about falling in love, being in love, heartbreak, making peace with oneself and memories.

In Mendiola, Michelle talks about the ‘infamous 1987 massacre’ on the Mendiola bridge where a couple in love first meet; the bridge is also the site for student protests. The bridge becomes a symbol of something special and memorable, of dissent and pain just like love can be.

In ‘September’, Michelle talks of the changing nature of love, ‘We never know exactly when things begin to change; but somehow, you can feel it approaching, like a quiet shift in the air before everything turns,’ and in ‘Except for that Afternoon’, she says, ‘Why is that regret only finds us at the end – when the moment to choose differently has already slipped away?’
The second part, ‘Half a Goodbye‘, is about relationships breaking due to differing priorities, lack of communication, disrespect and being undervalued while the third section, ‘Soul Searching’, and the fourth section, ‘Wilted Streets’, have stories on unrequited love, broken dreams, appreciating moments of peace, finding the strength within to move past the ache and making sure not to repeat past mistakes by having the courage to fight for love and stand by it.

‘To be held in someone’s heart and still feel lost, to be given everything and never quite understand the shape of what you’re receiving. It is a quiet ache, not of emptiness, but of uncertainty.’
In addition to the tender writing, I thinkthe stories in the book are a good example of the use of pathetic fallacy and foreshadowing in literature.

The sun and the sky play an equally important role in each story as the characters; the changing colours prepares the reader for events to come. From Blindsided, ‘But the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows in the car, and I let the silence fill the space instead, because I feel in my heart I’m still just a comfortable option.
The traffic and the city also serve as a backdrop for the stories – sometimes slow, sometimes busy and chaotic, but continuing to exist and go on even if a person’s world collapses due to a heartbreak. ‘The city didn’t pause for me.’ pg 65
What amazed me was the many ways with which Manila’s afternoon sun is described in the pages of this book, each image as beautiful as the other, if not more.

Who should read it?

Anybody looking for a short, sweet, quick read on love. The writing is delicate and beautiful. For writers who want to learn the use of pathetic fallacy, foreshadowing, and short story writing. This book is for the young and the old, the ones who found their happily ever after and for those whose hearts were broken. The book is available on Kindle .

https://www.amazon.in/Afternoons-that-Tasted-like-Manila-ebook/dp/B0GYZG81ZB
________________________________________________
My latest book

Available on Amazon (Kindle) and Amazon India (Paperback) Available on Amazon (Intl) Amazon.in (India)

https://mybook.to/ainheritanceofsolitude/

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0H93LQ63J/

This review first appeared on Smitha’s Blog

https://smithavpennings.com/book-review-13-50-2026-afternoons-that-tasted-like-love-in-manila-by-michelle-avon-navajas/

“Afternoons That Tasted Like Love In Manila” a book review by Smitha Vishwanath

I loved the book title, which immediately evokes a sense of warmth and love. In ‘Afternoons that tasted like love in Manila’, Michelle’s words weave a spell that has the power to break through the armour of even the most cynical. She does not look at the world through rose-tinted glasses (as one in love does) but describes the ever-transient nature of love – the excitement, the missed opportunities, the growing out of love, the regret and the memories. You will be reminded of your own special moments as you read the stories in this book, and you will unconsciously become the ‘I’ in its pages.

As for Manila, it wasn’t one of the countries in my bucket list despite all the wonderful things I had heard about it from friends who’ve lived there, but having read the book, I want to visit the city. The places and moments described, against the backdrop of Manila’s afternoon sunand the city, come alive on the pages.

‘From across the street in Manila, the afternoon stretches on like a scene from a film where no one is in a hurry. Jeepneys pass by in bright streaks of colour while smoke from grilled food drifts into the warm air.’ pg 35

More about the book

The author begins with a short note of gratitude to her parents for who she is and how far she’s come as a writer which is heartwarming. In the foreword, Maggie Watson, the author of ‘Pieces of Me and Ephemeral Encounters’, asks, ‘How do you write about love without it becoming a cliché? This is a question that I had before I began reading the book.Maggie Watson says, ‘ To write it well, the reader must feel every exhalation of a heart in love – because in those moments, nothing else seems to matter.’ It couldn’t have been answered better. Michelle takes you back to the time you fell in love and makes you relive the moments with her words.

Michelle Avon Navajas makes you taste love through a deliberate, delicate, slow-paced storytelling. The one-to-two pages stories are short and unconnected.

In a world where we are surrounded by more negative news than positive, and we are constantly battling something of our own, love slips by unnoticed and gets replaced by words like ‘responsibility’ and ‘duty’. And before we know it, the flavour that makes a relationship special is lost. Sadly, the very emotion which brings two people together and gives them the strength to create something bigger than themselves is forgotten. Love exists but no longer excites, and becomes a habit, a ritual, a way of life like breathing or eating.

In the introduction, the author says of Manila, ‘mga kuwentong hinubog ng galow ng lungsod’ – ‘Here, every street corner, every passing glance and every quiet afternoon carries a story – waiting to be seen, felt and remembered.’ I loved the poem ‘Manila Skyline’ in Part 1 ‘Invisible Threads’.

‘that afternoon, / sunset caught in your eyes/love, fierce and fleeting, glowing like the sky./ through Recto’s restless streets, past Mendiola’s hym of lives‘

Reading the first section of «Afternoons that tasted like love in Manila’ brought back memories I had relegated to the background. It made me fall in love with love again.

The book is divided into four sections, and each starts with a tender poem that sets the tone for the short stories in that section. The stories are about falling in love, being in love, heartbreak, making peace with oneself and memories.

In Mendiola, Michelle talks about the ‘infamous 1987 massacre’ on the Mendiola bridge where a couple in love first meet; the bridge is also the site for student protests. The bridge becomes a symbol of something special and memorable, of dissent and pain just like love can be.

In ‘September’, Michelle talks of the changing nature of love, ‘We never know exactly when things begin to change; but somehow, you can feel it approaching, like a quiet shift in the air before everything turns,’ and in ‘Except for that Afternoon’, she says, ‘Why is that regret only finds us at the end – when the moment to choose differently has already slipped away?’
The second part, ‘Half a Goodbye‘, is about relationships breaking due to differing priorities, lack of communication, disrespect and being undervalued while the third section, ‘Soul Searching’, and the fourth section, ‘Wilted Streets’, have stories on unrequited love, broken dreams, appreciating moments of peace, finding the strength within to move past the ache and making sure not to repeat past mistakes by having the courage to fight for love and stand by it.

‘To be held in someone’s heart and still feel lost, to be given everything and never quite understand the shape of what you’re receiving. It is a quiet ache, not of emptiness, but of uncertainty.’
In addition to the tender writing, I thinkthe stories in the book are a good example of the use of pathetic fallacy and foreshadowing in literature.

The sun and the sky play an equally important role in each story as the characters; the changing colours prepares the reader for events to come. From Blindsided, ‘But the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows in the car, and I let the silence fill the space instead, because I feel in my heart I’m still just a comfortable option.
The traffic and the city also serve as a backdrop for the stories – sometimes slow, sometimes busy and chaotic, but continuing to exist and go on even if a person’s world collapses due to a heartbreak. ‘The city didn’t pause for me.’ pg 65
What amazed me was the many ways with which Manila’s afternoon sun is described in the pages of this book, each image as beautiful as the other, if not more.

Who should read it?

Anybody looking for a short, sweet, quick read on love. The writing is delicate and beautiful. For writers who want to learn the use of pathetic fallacy, foreshadowing, and short story writing. This book is for the young and the old, the ones who found their happily ever after and for those whose hearts were broken. The book is available on Kindle .

https://www.amazon.in/Afternoons-that-Tasted-like-Manila-ebook/dp/B0GYZG81ZB
________________________________________________
My latest book

Available on Amazon (Kindle) and Amazon India (Paperback) Available on Amazon (Intl) Amazon.in (India)

https://mybook.to/ainheritanceofsolitude/

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0H93LQ63J/

This review first appeared on Smitha’s Blog

https://smithavpennings.com/book-review-13-50-2026-afternoons-that-tasted-like-love-in-manila-by-michelle-avon-navajas/

“Afternoons That Tasted Like Love In Manila” a book review by Smitha Vishwanath

I loved the book title, which immediately evokes a sense of warmth and love. In ‘Afternoons that tasted like love in Manila’, Michelle’s words weave a spell that has the power to break through the armour of even the most cynical. She does not look at the world through rose-tinted glasses (as one in love does) but describes the ever-transient nature of love – the excitement, the missed opportunities, the growing out of love, the regret and the memories. You will be reminded of your own special moments as you read the stories in this book, and you will unconsciously become the ‘I’ in its pages.

As for Manila, it wasn’t one of the countries in my bucket list despite all the wonderful things I had heard about it from friends who’ve lived there, but having read the book, I want to visit the city. The places and moments described, against the backdrop of Manila’s afternoon sunand the city, come alive on the pages.

‘From across the street in Manila, the afternoon stretches on like a scene from a film where no one is in a hurry. Jeepneys pass by in bright streaks of colour while smoke from grilled food drifts into the warm air.’ pg 35

More about the book

The author begins with a short note of gratitude to her parents for who she is and how far she’s come as a writer which is heartwarming. In the foreword, Maggie Watson, the author of ‘Pieces of Me and Ephemeral Encounters’, asks, ‘How do you write about love without it becoming a cliché? This is a question that I had before I began reading the book.Maggie Watson says, ‘ To write it well, the reader must feel every exhalation of a heart in love – because in those moments, nothing else seems to matter.’ It couldn’t have been answered better. Michelle takes you back to the time you fell in love and makes you relive the moments with her words.

Michelle Avon Navajas makes you taste love through a deliberate, delicate, slow-paced storytelling. The one-to-two pages stories are short and unconnected.

In a world where we are surrounded by more negative news than positive, and we are constantly battling something of our own, love slips by unnoticed and gets replaced by words like ‘responsibility’ and ‘duty’. And before we know it, the flavour that makes a relationship special is lost. Sadly, the very emotion which brings two people together and gives them the strength to create something bigger than themselves is forgotten. Love exists but no longer excites, and becomes a habit, a ritual, a way of life like breathing or eating.

In the introduction, the author says of Manila, ‘mga kuwentong hinubog ng galow ng lungsod’ – ‘Here, every street corner, every passing glance and every quiet afternoon carries a story – waiting to be seen, felt and remembered.’ I loved the poem ‘Manila Skyline’ in Part 1 ‘Invisible Threads’.

‘that afternoon, / sunset caught in your eyes/love, fierce and fleeting, glowing like the sky./ through Recto’s restless streets, past Mendiola’s hym of lives‘

Reading the first section of «Afternoons that tasted like love in Manila’ brought back memories I had relegated to the background. It made me fall in love with love again.

The book is divided into four sections, and each starts with a tender poem that sets the tone for the short stories in that section. The stories are about falling in love, being in love, heartbreak, making peace with oneself and memories.

In Mendiola, Michelle talks about the ‘infamous 1987 massacre’ on the Mendiola bridge where a couple in love first meet; the bridge is also the site for student protests. The bridge becomes a symbol of something special and memorable, of dissent and pain just like love can be.

In ‘September’, Michelle talks of the changing nature of love, ‘We never know exactly when things begin to change; but somehow, you can feel it approaching, like a quiet shift in the air before everything turns,’ and in ‘Except for that Afternoon’, she says, ‘Why is that regret only finds us at the end – when the moment to choose differently has already slipped away?’
The second part, ‘Half a Goodbye‘, is about relationships breaking due to differing priorities, lack of communication, disrespect and being undervalued while the third section, ‘Soul Searching’, and the fourth section, ‘Wilted Streets’, have stories on unrequited love, broken dreams, appreciating moments of peace, finding the strength within to move past the ache and making sure not to repeat past mistakes by having the courage to fight for love and stand by it.

‘To be held in someone’s heart and still feel lost, to be given everything and never quite understand the shape of what you’re receiving. It is a quiet ache, not of emptiness, but of uncertainty.’
In addition to the tender writing, I thinkthe stories in the book are a good example of the use of pathetic fallacy and foreshadowing in literature.

The sun and the sky play an equally important role in each story as the characters; the changing colours prepares the reader for events to come. From Blindsided, ‘But the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows in the car, and I let the silence fill the space instead, because I feel in my heart I’m still just a comfortable option.
The traffic and the city also serve as a backdrop for the stories – sometimes slow, sometimes busy and chaotic, but continuing to exist and go on even if a person’s world collapses due to a heartbreak. ‘The city didn’t pause for me.’ pg 65
What amazed me was the many ways with which Manila’s afternoon sun is described in the pages of this book, each image as beautiful as the other, if not more.

Who should read it?

Anybody looking for a short, sweet, quick read on love. The writing is delicate and beautiful. For writers who want to learn the use of pathetic fallacy, foreshadowing, and short story writing. This book is for the young and the old, the ones who found their happily ever after and for those whose hearts were broken. The book is available on Kindle .

https://www.amazon.in/Afternoons-that-Tasted-like-Manila-ebook/dp/B0GYZG81ZB
________________________________________________
My latest book

Available on Amazon (Kindle) and Amazon India (Paperback) Available on Amazon (Intl) Amazon.in (India)

https://mybook.to/ainheritanceofsolitude/

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0H93LQ63J/

This review first appeared on Smitha’s Blog

https://smithavpennings.com/book-review-13-50-2026-afternoons-that-tasted-like-love-in-manila-by-michelle-avon-navajas/

Afternoons that Tasted like Love in Manilaby Michelle Ayon NavaJas – Amazon Best SellerReview by Joni Caggiano

Afternoons that Tasted like Love in Manila
by Michelle Ayon NavaJas – Amazon Best Seller
Review by Joni Caggiano

While exploring this latest book, I found myself caught up in my own story. As I read on, I found myself rereading each page and realizing that the style produced vivid imagery that stirred all our senses. This prose could belong to any place in the world where one finds love.

Drawn into each paragraph, I was reawakening memories of my first love.Most of us fall in love at some point in life, and I saw myself in each fresh passage, each new section.The intensity of everything standing still or fading into the background, the aching desire for even the slightest show of affection.

Afternoons that tasted like Love in Manila – Transported me magically and sometimes painfully to my first time in love.And I felt all those feelings again through Michelle Ayon Navajas’ words.  

Let me share some quotes from the pieces that I found encased my own vivid memories of first love and loss. Please find each quote and the name of the piece it is held within below; I think they will resonate with people from all over the world.

Stuck in Time – “Honestly, I could sit here forever,” I think.Each moment in this cocoon of steel feels like an eternity wrapped in silk . . . “

“Not trapped, not stalled, but anchored here with you, where the noise fades and the moment feels endless . . . “

Our Story – “Every word on those pages is a fragment of us, like pressed flowers between paper, small moments we kept even while the world kept moving.”

Brandy – “a delicate sip of experience, like finding a hidden grove in a familiar forest.”

Until Soon – “I felt your gaze burning into my back, the weight of our goodbye trailing behind me like a shadow.”

Soft as the Leaving – . . . “the quiet tasting of almost”

Blindsided – “I had learned to make myself small enough not to be missed.”

Exit – . . .“the silence felt unnatural, almost violent in its suddenness.”

Mottled – “The sunlight turned cold, sifting through the blinds in pale, mournful strips.”

Love has many faces, and this author has managed to capture them all and unfold them over time.In one of the most moving pieces, I was brought to tears, thinking of how cruel and embittered some can be toward one who gives their love.The descriptive and foretelling poems are an accent in the best of places.  

I feel grateful to this author for sharing an experience, as it is not easy, even now, for me to recall that I never had a chance to say goodbye.Definitely a five-star read.

Amazon Link Purchase:

Afternoons that Tasted like Love in Manila: Navajas, Michelle Ayon: 9798181814578: Amazon.com: Books https://share.google/bRjL3mwLBnrm73v1v

Joni Caggiano

Joni Karen Caggiano is an internationally published author, poet, and photographer. Her debut poetry book, “One Petal at A Time,” (Prolific Pulse Press, LLC) was an Amazon bestseller. She is a three-time Pushcart Nominee and 2024 Best of The Net Nominee. Joni is a regular contributor to Hotel Masticadores and has collectively contributed to four additional Masticadores Magazines. On Spillwords, she won Socialite of the Year 2023, 2024, and Publication of the Month for November 2022 and June 2024, and has been a regular contributor for five years. Joni’s work appears in a dozen anthologies. Her website is https://the-inner-child.com.

Afternoons that Tasted like Love in Manilaby Michelle Ayon NavaJas – Amazon Best SellerReview by Joni Caggiano

Afternoons that Tasted like Love in Manila
by Michelle Ayon NavaJas – Amazon Best Seller
Review by Joni Caggiano

While exploring this latest book, I found myself caught up in my own story. As I read on, I found myself rereading each page and realizing that the style produced vivid imagery that stirred all our senses. This prose could belong to any place in the world where one finds love.

Drawn into each paragraph, I was reawakening memories of my first love.Most of us fall in love at some point in life, and I saw myself in each fresh passage, each new section.The intensity of everything standing still or fading into the background, the aching desire for even the slightest show of affection.

Afternoons that tasted like Love in Manila – Transported me magically and sometimes painfully to my first time in love.And I felt all those feelings again through Michelle Ayon Navajas’ words.  

Let me share some quotes from the pieces that I found encased my own vivid memories of first love and loss. Please find each quote and the name of the piece it is held within below; I think they will resonate with people from all over the world.

Stuck in Time – “Honestly, I could sit here forever,” I think.Each moment in this cocoon of steel feels like an eternity wrapped in silk . . . “

“Not trapped, not stalled, but anchored here with you, where the noise fades and the moment feels endless . . . “

Our Story – “Every word on those pages is a fragment of us, like pressed flowers between paper, small moments we kept even while the world kept moving.”

Brandy – “a delicate sip of experience, like finding a hidden grove in a familiar forest.”

Until Soon – “I felt your gaze burning into my back, the weight of our goodbye trailing behind me like a shadow.”

Soft as the Leaving – . . . “the quiet tasting of almost”

Blindsided – “I had learned to make myself small enough not to be missed.”

Exit – . . .“the silence felt unnatural, almost violent in its suddenness.”

Mottled – “The sunlight turned cold, sifting through the blinds in pale, mournful strips.”

Love has many faces, and this author has managed to capture them all and unfold them over time.In one of the most moving pieces, I was brought to tears, thinking of how cruel and embittered some can be toward one who gives their love.The descriptive and foretelling poems are an accent in the best of places.  

I feel grateful to this author for sharing an experience, as it is not easy, even now, for me to recall that I never had a chance to say goodbye.Definitely a five-star read.

Amazon Link Purchase:

Afternoons that Tasted like Love in Manila: Navajas, Michelle Ayon: 9798181814578: Amazon.com: Books https://share.google/bRjL3mwLBnrm73v1v

Joni Caggiano

Joni Karen Caggiano is an internationally published author, poet, and photographer. Her debut poetry book, “One Petal at A Time,” (Prolific Pulse Press, LLC) was an Amazon bestseller. She is a three-time Pushcart Nominee and 2024 Best of The Net Nominee. Joni is a regular contributor to Hotel Masticadores and has collectively contributed to four additional Masticadores Magazines. On Spillwords, she won Socialite of the Year 2023, 2024, and Publication of the Month for November 2022 and June 2024, and has been a regular contributor for five years. Joni’s work appears in a dozen anthologies. Her website is https://the-inner-child.com.

Book Review: Afternoons That Tasted Like Love In Manila by Priscilla BettisFlash Fiction and Poetry

Book Review: Afternoons That Tasted Like Love In Manila by Priscilla Bettis
Flash Fiction and Poetry

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2026 by Priscilla Bettis

Format: Kindle

Afternoons that Tasted Like Love in Manila is a collection of flash fiction and poetry. Navajas writes about romance, loss, loneliness, and the magic of Manila.

The flash stories are often observational, not particularly fast-action, short plots. There are insightful conclusions or preludes like “You never realize how deeply distance can unsettle you until it leaves you missing someone you love so much it feels like you’re losing your way” and “I finally understood that not every story is meant to end the way it begins.”

Navajas’ poetry is soft and lyrical. She plays with sounds and never forces the meaning on the reader. “Sunsets” was my favorite.
I enjoyed this short treasure of flash fiction and poetry so much. Five stars!

Amazon Link Purchase:

Afternoons that Tasted like Love in Manila: Navajas, Michelle Ayon: 9798181814578: Amazon.com: Books https://share.google/aEEbhmqHDrqTtdMDL

Priscilla Bettis is an avid reader and a joyful writer. After decades coasting along as a lukewarm Christian, and after a few more years of writing in the secular horror genre, she experienced a series of events that can only be described as epiphanic… in the God sense, not the light bulb sense, though that also applies.

Now Priscilla writes Christian fiction and poetry. She is working on her first literary Christian novel.

Priscilla lives in small-town Texas with her two-legged and four-legged family members, and she often wonders why people don’t go Christmas caroling anymore.

Christian fiction review blog: https://thewellreadfish.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PriscillaBettis

Book Review: Afternoons That Tasted Like Love In Manila by Priscilla BettisFlash Fiction and Poetry

Book Review: Afternoons That Tasted Like Love In Manila by Priscilla Bettis
Flash Fiction and Poetry

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2026 by Priscilla Bettis

Format: Kindle

Afternoons that Tasted Like Love in Manila is a collection of flash fiction and poetry. Navajas writes about romance, loss, loneliness, and the magic of Manila.

The flash stories are often observational, not particularly fast-action, short plots. There are insightful conclusions or preludes like “You never realize how deeply distance can unsettle you until it leaves you missing someone you love so much it feels like you’re losing your way” and “I finally understood that not every story is meant to end the way it begins.”

Navajas’ poetry is soft and lyrical. She plays with sounds and never forces the meaning on the reader. “Sunsets” was my favorite.
I enjoyed this short treasure of flash fiction and poetry so much. Five stars!

Amazon Link Purchase:

Afternoons that Tasted like Love in Manila: Navajas, Michelle Ayon: 9798181814578: Amazon.com: Books https://share.google/aEEbhmqHDrqTtdMDL

Priscilla Bettis is an avid reader and a joyful writer. After decades coasting along as a lukewarm Christian, and after a few more years of writing in the secular horror genre, she experienced a series of events that can only be described as epiphanic… in the God sense, not the light bulb sense, though that also applies.

Now Priscilla writes Christian fiction and poetry. She is working on her first literary Christian novel.

Priscilla lives in small-town Texas with her two-legged and four-legged family members, and she often wonders why people don’t go Christmas caroling anymore.

Christian fiction review blog: https://thewellreadfish.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PriscillaBettis