“They had time. Not enough, never enough, but enough to matter. They always had that.”

They were perfect strangers—all perks, no strings. Until they weren’t.

Elan wasn’t supposed to meet Caty. She lived halfway around the world, and he barely left Manila. Yet here he was, giving her a ride to the airport. Convinced that they would never have to see each other again after that day, Elan and Caty started to bond over truths, dares, stolen kisses, and games in hotel rooms and bars. 

With brief encounters that turned them from acquaintances to friends — tipping to the point of lovers, always — will Elan and Caty keep settling for a day, or will someone finally dare to stay long enough to discover: Is this love? (Goodreads)

This is a story of a fun modern woman and a shy, timid man. Both are heartbroken, sad and lonely although they try very hard to convince themselves and the people around them otherwise. On a chance encounter they find unexpected warmth in each other’s arms, albeit knowing it’s only temporary. They met at a point in their lives when the familiarity of a lover with the coldness of a stranger is just exactly what they needed. Their story takes place over a span of years, in between the quiet of rural San Juan and glitzy New York.

“Elan kissed her hello. It went on and on–the longest hello he’d ever said.”

Caty is one of the most honest characters I have ever met. She is hurting but she makes up for it by taking on a strong personality to hide her sadness and vulnerability. Elan is the ultimate cinnamon roll. He is sweet and funny–well at least for me it’s so funny how he can’t make a decent joke. He is awkward in a really cute way, too. She is a creative while he on the other hand is a left-brainer.

“I’m starting to think home really isn’t a place. Not particularly. It’s a feeling. I think home is with you.”

Caty and Elan makes for that kind of couple to whom you just want to shout at “Just kiss already!” and “Get a room!” but in a nice way, of course. They have all these fun conversations with real chemistry and sparks flying everywhere. I love them so much that it’s the first time I’ve ever created a movie dream cast! It is free to dream, right? 😛

“It’s already hard for two people to be together, but to be apart while trying to make the relationship work? What’s the point of it all?”

As fluffy and sweet as the book is, it also touches briefly but powerfully on grave topics about various complex relationships such as unrequited love, cheating husbands, long distance love affairs, and even domestic violence. It reminds us that it is okay not to be fine all the time, and acknowledging that there might be something wrong in our current situation is always the first step to healing.

“I’ve always thought that for a relationship to begin, one person had to be braver than the other.”

People can be blind and stupid when in love. In order to get a chance at happiness, one needs to remember to be brave. This book is all about seizing the moment. It’s about knowing what you want, and trusting your instincts to guide you home. One of my favorite takeaways is how the author also portrayed love as a sense of urgency. How, we only know that we are truly in love when we can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives with that one person. And when you are finally with your person, love is also about choosing each other everyday.

“When you’re in love, everything seems urgent. Everything has to be now.”

Upon writing this review I have come to realize why the title speaks so much to me — there is a time in every person’s life that one would be compelled to say these four little words to a special someone. Because what is love but a deep connection–whether romantic, platonic or familial. We all have at least one person who comes into our lives for just a fleeting moment. No matter if it’s an hour, or a week or a decade. Sometimes even a lifetime is not enough. We will always want to have more time with the ones we love–just a little more, just a little longer. 🌷

Big thanks to Dawn Lanuza and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing an ARC of this wonderful book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Dawn Lanuza writes contemporary romance, young adult fiction and prose poetry. She has two first loves – music and writing – and is lucky enough to surround herself with them. She currently lives with her family and a very loved cream toy poodle.

She sometimes blogs at dawnlanuza.com.

Book Details

Stay a Little Longer by Dawn Lanuza

256 pages

Expected publication: May 28th 2019 by Andrews McMeel Publishing

ISBN 1524851051 (ISBN13: 9781524851057)

Buy Links

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY | ABEBOOKS | BOOK DEPOSITORY | ALIBRIS | INDIGO | BETTER WORLD BOOKS | INDIEBOUND

Special thanks to Erika of The Nocturnal Fey and Rafael of The Royal Polar Bear Reads for giving me the opportunity to join this international blog tour. Visit and support all the awesome book bloggers who also participated in the tour:

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