Reviews

Any Day with You by Mae Respicio

gae's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Kaia lives with her family near a beach in California, and she loves playing with make up and special effects, turning her friends into magical creatures of the Philippines that her great grandfather used to tell her. Her great grandfather, Tatang, has lived with Kaia and her family all her life, until he broke the news that he'd return to his homeland, the Philippines for good. Kaia thought that she would do anything to convince him to stay by making a short movie inspired by the Filipino folktales that he used to tell her. 

This is a sweet and cute book, and although I've read the synopsis that Tatang would be leaving for his homeland, the journey towards it had me bawling until the end. This is written by Mae Respicio, a Filipino-American author which explains why this book is rich in Philippine folklore, myths, and even traditions and food. Despite living in another country, Kaia and her family value the Filipino culture of extended family. This book also tackles creativity and determination to excel in what you love. I don't have any memory of my great grandparents, but this book especially Tatang reminded me of my maternal grandfather whom I called Tatay (tatang and tatay mean father in Filipino). He was a reader and a storyteller too. And he was always that grandparent who loved and found joy being around his grandchildren. 

codellreads's review against another edition

4.0

I loved this family story. Their love for each other felt real. Tatang's wisdom and the stories he shared from his long life reminded me so much of my own grandfather. A lovely MG read.

joanna77_'s review against another edition

3.0

I think the reason I love middle grade books so much is because they’re so hopeful. Any Day with You is about a girl named Kaia whose tatang, her great-grandfather has recently decided to move back to his native Philippines. Kaia, is devastated and tells herself that if she wins a movie competition he’ll stay in California with her.

This book was primarily about family and home and how those we love are with us even if we live halfway around the world. It was so good and I loved all of the messages in it.

Kaia got on my nerves a bit, but I think that’s part about what made her such a dynamic character, is that she wanted to her tatang to stay and she told herself that winning something would make him. It was so sad to read her struggle with this but I loved the way she was able to overcome such thoughts.

This book was a bit short, there wasn’t a whole lot of exposition and a lot of plot points like the grandfather’s experiences in WWII weren’t really fleshed out. I would have liked to see more but as this is a middle grade book, I think the author made the right choice.

I love middle grade books, but I will admit that this one was on the bit of the younger side, still good but very simplistic. Kaia and tatang were the only characters who were super developed. I loved how Kaia wanted to go into the movie industry, reading about her love of makeup and art was so fun!

Regardless, I really enjoyed this book. It was so wholesome and hopeful.

whatirinreads_18's review against another edition

4.0

Thanks to Penguin Random House international for the free book!
I love how middle-grade novels never fail to fill my heart with warmth. I'm so glad I got to read Any Day With You, because inspite of being a book for young people, it deals with certain incidents that all of us can learn from.

I've not read a lot of books from Asian Literature, so I was really looking forward to reading this book, being from Asia myself. Any Day With You showcased a truly beautiful side of Asian culture and how family is such a huge part of our lives. I loved reading about Kaia's family. The relationship that she shared with her family members, specially with her Tatang (her great-grandfather) made the book such a happy read for me. It was fascinating to read about the Filipino culture and customs too.

whatirinreads_18's review against another edition

4.0

I love how middle-grade novels never fail to fill my heart with warmth. I’m so glad I got to read Any Day With You, because inspite of being a book for young people, it deals with certain incidents that all of us can learn from.

I’ve not read a lot of books from Asian Literature, so I was really looking forward to reading this book, being from Asia myself. Any Day With You showcased a truly beautiful side of Asian culture and how family is such a huge part of our lives. I loved reading about Kaia’s family. The relationship that she shared with her family members, specially with her Tatang (her great-grandfather) made the book such a happy read for me. I was hoping for more scenes with Kaia and her sister Lainey, but it’s fine. It was fascinating to read about the Filipino culture and customs too. 

Kaia was a really lovable main character. I loved how confident she was and how she chose to work hard for expressing her talent. Kaia’s best friends, Abby and Trey added their own charms to the story too. The friendship that they shared was so adorable! Their combined determination to win the film-making contest, inspite of being just seventh graders was really inspiring.

Sometimes you’ve to be apart from people you truly love to be close to them even more , and this book reflected this aspect perfectly.



These are some of my favorite quotes from the book :

1) ” 

khansaafathima's review against another edition

4.0

Saat hingar bingar pandemi yang tiap hari bikin frustasi, rasanya cuma pingin baca buku yang heartwarming aja. Melarikan diri sejenak dengan harapan pikiran tetap bisa waras.

Aku mendapatkan rekomendasi ini dari Midnight Reading Club (twitter @iniakunmrc) di sesi Buku Heartwarming. Karena suka cerita yang bertema keluarga (apalagi ada figur kakek dan nenek), akhirnya mencoba buat pinjam buku ini di Libby. I didn't regret it!

Ceritanya tentang interaksi seorang cicit dan buyut yang berasal dari Filipina, namun hidup di Amerika. Sang Cicit (Kaia) suka banget dengan make up & special effect, selain itu dia juga bikin film bareng teman-temannya. Ceritanya mengalir indah dengan akhir yang menyentuh.

If you need a light and heartwarming read, please try to read this one :)

pageprincess398's review against another edition

5.0

Creative Kaia's relationship with her grandfather is relatable to many children, as is her love of magical creatures. Young readers will empathize with Kaia as she tries to keep her grandfather with her and figures out how she truely feels about her big sister with lofty ambitions of becoming a doctor. With filipino heritage naturally through out this story it is a diverse read that is authentic.

librarydosebykristy's review against another edition

4.0

“Any Day with You” by Mae Respicio is a book that runneth over with warmth, love and positivity. I found myself getting choked up several times as the main character, 12 year old Kaia, spent one last summer with her beloved grandfather, Tatang, before he moves back home to the Philippines to live out the rest of his life (he’s 90.)
The world is so sad right now (Wakanda forever!) and everything feels so fragile and tender. Reading this gentle middle grade about a 12 year old weathering the ups and downs of life surrounded by the most wonderful, caring family ever was just what I needed today.

vighnesh's review against another edition

3.0

This was fun, adorable and wholesome but there wasn't anything that really stood out and I don't have strong feelings for this book.

nerdtasticnoms's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25