Hello and welcome to Big GAY Energy.
I'm Caitlin and I'm Fiora. Come along with us while we dive
into the fun and nuances of queer media.
Representation matters and we're here to talk about it.
Cheers, queers. Today on the big gay agenda,
we're going to be, well, not we I Fiora.
We'll be discussing the novel Harmony Secret in a super
special big gay book club, Caitlin.
And I'll be joining me today because Caitlin hasn't read the
novel, but Caitlin has watched the series.
And if you're missing Caitlin, please head over to YouTube to
check out our Harmony Secret reaction videos.
And if you want all, well, you'll have a few on there and
they're highlighted cause like copyright and stuff.
If you want full length, add free reactions to all of Harmony
Secret, become a Patreon member where Caitlin and I watched it
and we had so much fun watching the show.
So you will not be disappointed if you're a fan of Harmony
Secret. But today I'm going to be
talking about just the novel because I read the novel and I
really wanted to talk about it because I don't hear enough
about it and I think it's worth talking about.
So this is mostly going to be about the novel.
I will do some comparison to the series.
So if you've read the novel but haven't watched the series, like
go watch the series and then come back here.
If you're worried about novel spoilers, go read the novel.
Then come back and listen to this because I am going to do
spoilers. I won't be going through
everything, but I'm going to be going through my favorite parts
of the novel and talking about them.
So there will be spoilers going forward.
But before we get into all that, I'm just going to give you a
very brief intro to the novel and like spoiler free kind of
stuff about it. So what was my experience
reading the novel and how did we get here today?
So first and foremost, how did I read it?
So I read the English adapted or the English translated version
of Harmony Secret on the I think it's called MEB MEB app, which
from what I understand that app, when you buy the novels, the
authors get the most royalties for it.
So thank you to our listeners who let us know about that app.
It's really, really great. And you can if you use it in
like PDF mode, you can highlight and add notes like you would in
like Kindle or other reading apps.
So I really enjoy using that app but it's the one I
preferentially use now when I'm reading Thai Girl of novels like
Harmony Secret. So why did I read it?
So I started by watching the series and I got really
impatient waiting week to week for episodes.
I don't know if anybody else was feeling that but I was feeling
that for this show and that's not normal for me.
I don't always feel that way about a series.
Like for the vast majority of the time, like I'll watch it and
then read the novel or like read the novel first then watch it.
But like with this show, I was like super impatient.
I was like, I need to know what's happening and waiting a
week is not cutting it. So by like the third episode, I
think I went and read the novel and I read it in three days
because I really enjoyed it. Well, actually, that's a lie on
my first impression after finishing it, I had mixed
feelings about it because if you've read the novel and
watched the series, there are a lot of similarities, but there
are also some major differences. And I had like mixed feelings
about those differences. But then after watching the
series and after I thought about it more, I really came to
appreciate the novel a lot for what it was and for like what
the story that the author was trying to say, especially Mae or
Maple story, whichever nickname you prefer to call her by.
And just real quick, the author is Sarah Nista.
I haven't read anything else by those author, but honestly, I
really like the way she characterized her main
characters in the novel. And that was something that I
really appreciate the more I really thought about it,
especially when comparing it to the series where like they, they
did characterize the the Maple and I, but it was they were they
read as different to me than the characters in the novel did, if
that makes any sense to you. Also, just a quick plug, if
you're looking for a more in depth discussion about Harmony
Secret the series, Caitlin and I did do why we love this series
episode that was fully dedicated to Harmony Secret where we went
through the series and talked about what we loved about it and
also what our listeners loved about it.
So go check that out if you're looking for more info about the
series. But I'm going to really stick
with the novel and just point out some differences with the
series as they're relevant. And so overall, this episode's
going to really be about like what I liked about the novel
mostly and then some comparison to the show.
So first thing I wanted to talk about that I really liked about
the the sorry the novel was that I and Maple did not have a
childhood back story. I remember watching the show and
being like, man, I would have loved this more if this was just
messy adults randomly meeting and then going on this wild
sexcapade secret affair thing. And that is exactly what the
novel was. So I really loved that.
And so in the 1st chapter in the novel, it starts off similar to
the series where basically Maple's on the phone with her
dad and she's in a line to get a coffee.
It's like the day of the greater duty bidding event.
And she's talking on the phone, like in this very public place,
like in the queue. And then Iwanine enters the shop
and it's like kind of behind her just he can hear this public
conversation she's having. And then that's when they kind
of meet for the first time. They not meet, but they like see
each other, right? Like eyes lock, feelings happen.
And at this stage in the novel, you're in Maple's point of view
and she's like the main point of view character.
But this author does the thing where they will switch point of
views just like randomly as they're writing, which is not my
personal favorite. Honestly, I like when an author
picks a point of view and sticks the point of view.
Even when they alternate chapters.
I just like when the chapter is dedicated to that point of view
character. But it was great because I, I
appreciated the insight into Maple and I but in this
exchange, you're in Maple's point of view.
So she's on the phone, She sees this really hot woman and she
knows who Iwudding is because she's seen her in like press
conferences and like news newspaper articles and things
like that. So she knows who she is and sees
her, but then her inner monologue when I smiling at her
because she's like, she's a stranger to I, her inner
monologue says she smiled at me and I felt odd.
And so that odd really brings me into.
The other thing I really loved about the novel was that Maple's
gay awakening was a major focus of the novel.
And I absolutely love the way the author crafted this because
she's kind of she has this like late in life gay awakening
because she's in her like mid 20s, like early mid 20s when the
story starts in comparison to I who's 27.
And she's this seasoned out and proud.
Well, not out and proud to her parents, but like out and proud
in the gay community, lesbian. And she almost acts like this
queer guide for May as they as she like embarks on this journey
of trying to like get into her queerness and explore that for
the first time. So I like the dynamic between
the two of them and especially how like they banter about it.
It's just it was lovely. I like that that was a a bigger
focus. Like, yes, the business stuff
was also going on in the background.
I did like how that was done too.
But I like how the way they put the characters like that was the
main thing they were dealing with.
It wasn't really like their rivalry.
It wasn't really this backstabbing stuff.
It was Mabel was having a gay awakening and I was guiding her
through it and I was that was the main plot actually, and I
didn't like that in the story that it was more emphasized and
it was made a lot more clear. In the show it kind of gets lost
a little bit because they only had eight episodes and you can't
like blame them for that. The other thing I really love
about Maple's queer awakening is that that part of her identity
and she's kind of coming to terms with that was coupled very
closely with her journey of self love and discovery.
And one of the one of the places in the novel where it's very
explicit in Maple's inner monologue, like in her thoughts,
is in the scene where she meets up with I again at Anthea and
they end up in Anthea bar and they end up in the VIP room and
things get really heated. And Maple's having this inner
monologue where she thinks to herself, because like he did,
she thinks at this point, I don't want to know, she says in
the third person. She says she doesn't want to
know if she felt, if she fell for I like, am I falling in love
with this woman because she's like, we're not there yet.
But what Mabel wanted to know was why she never felt this way
with anyone. She'd be she had been seeing
before. Maybe it was because she didn't
know herself well. And that's something that the
author really focused on was the fact that Maple is like in her
mid 20s and is having like 1/4 life crisis in a way where she
doesn't know who she is like super well.
Because if you think about where we start with Maple in the show,
like in the in the story, not the show in the story, when we
open up with this greater duty bidding war thing that happens.
Maple had just graduated with her master's degree.
And in her back story, she has been going to school
consistently the entire time, like, you know, high school
grad, you know, undergrad, grad school, that kind of thing, and
is now finally out of school. And if you contrast that with I
in the novel, her back story is a little bit more explicit where
she had been working at Oriana, like her father's company during
high school, like, since she was a sophomore.
So Maple notes in Chapter 1 that I had been working seven years
by the time she graduated with her master's degree.
So she already has seven years of experience working in her
company when she likes isn't actually employed by them like
fully and is not in school anymore.
And at this stage when Maple graduates and is coming into
this bidding war, like her first job out of school, basically, I
had been out of her master's degree for three years.
So like looking at that like, it's no wonder that May is like
intimidated by IA little bit when it comes to being a
competitor because she has a ton of experience and, you know, has
been accumulating well before May was like even in a position
to start gaining work experience like outside of what she was
doing in school. And personally, I found this
aspect of May's journey really relatable when it comes to, you
know, being in school for a really, really long time,
especially getting an intense type of degree.
So I have my doctorate, so I went through the equivalent of a
master's and then some. And it's really intense.
And when you're in that kind of environment, like you don't in
order to succeed and do it well, you really don't have time for
anything else. And it's just go, go, go, go, go
constantly. And being in school is a very
different environment than like quote the real world.
So for me personally, like Maple, like when I got out of
that kind of intense schooling, I had then was kind of
confronted with like free time to like think about like, well,
what do I want? Like, who am I without school?
Because it's it's very different to come out of that and be like,
now I have all this free time, who am I?
What do I want? So I like that the author really
took that into consideration when crafting this character.
This is a character who would be trying to like not only
establish herself in her job that's brand new for her, she
also was like coming into a different phase of her life now
that she's out of school and is finding out she's queer.
So it's like, it's a lot of like self discovery from Maple.
And I really enjoyed the fact that the author put that in her
inner monologue. So she made it really clear.
And like, that was the thing that really struck me about the
novel when I sat there and really thought about it because
again, my first impression was like, I don't know if I really
like that. But then I really thought about
it, especially after completing the series.
I was like, that was something that was really not emphasized
in the series. And that was my biggest take
away from the novel was just the way May learned to love herself
by the end and figured out who she was like.
That was the thing I loved the most about Harmony Secret, the
novel. And so to me, like this is I
found it relatable and real and it made me really love Maple as
a character. So again, so when she's so when
we're starting this business, the business war greater duty
thing, basically Maple is trying to establish herself as a leader
in her company. But The thing is that she's a
newbie. So she's less experienced in the
real world. She's also a nepo baby.
So the people on the board of superior her company are like,
we don't really know what to make up this girl.
Also, come to find out when you get the exchange with the dads
at the the photo op when they're doing greater he he didn't.
Her dad did not intend to put her in charge of this,
apparently. And like when he's having that
Ted on Ted with like eyes dad and I's dad's like, oh, your
daughter's in charge. And he's like, well, fuck, I
guess I have to go with this because he was like, I don't
know that she can do this. She's right out of school.
And then he's like, but I got to bluster.
And so like, he wasn't even supposed to have this much free
reign with the project, but he was like publicly cornered into
doing it. So that was fun to read.
But anyway, like may really like takes it wouldn't stride and
like takes it very seriously, which says a lot about her
character and how dedicated she is to everything she does
basically. So as I said, she has many
disadvantages, including that her main competition, who's
eyewitness is a lot more experienced than her in so many
ways than just business, which we'll get into.
And that's the fun part of this kind of story.
And so in the novel, there was that from Maple, that feeling of
inferiority for her, which makes sense.
And then couple that with the fact that she feels lost because
she's we got a quarter life crisis going on and they can't
show that because she has to be like the leader of this company
and publicly facing figure. And I think that that's what
kind of fuels this rivalry between May and I from Mays
point of view, and the fact that like she never like gets a
straight answer from I because I was always like flirting and
teasing her. So she's like, I never know if
you're telling me the truth and like you're always being coy
with me because like that was her flirting tactic.
So all of that kind of like initially fuels the rivalry.
And I think in this series they really like leaned into that a
lot more. And by doing so, maiden like in
my mind shaped Maple as a different person.
And I expanded on a lot a lot more when I talked about the
series, but it made her come off as more like combative and just
like not untrusting, but like I don't know, it just it made it
rubbed me the wrong way when it came to her.
It just made her seem very childish sometimes because she
was really quick to just be like stubborn about this, like
prideful in a way. It made her very prideful and
like she would act out of pride and do stupid shit like make a
deal with Rachan when she shouldn't have, which does not
happen in the book. And so like, it just it, they
mischaracterized her a little bit because I feel like they
leaned into this too much when like this was in the novel her
inferiority. But like her and I already and
had a lot more dialogue in the book where they would like talk
through scenarios versus like having a misunderstanding kind
of trope happen. And then that would lead to me
being upset and then they would fight and like that didn't
really happen in the novel. They would like talk things
through a lot more. And I appreciate that about the
novel. Second thing I loved going along
those lines is the gay bar because I love the fact that we
brought back the gay bar and then the we brought about a gay
bar. But in the novel, there's two
gay bars. We don't go to the both.
But when they talk about Iowa Dean's bars that she owns, she
owns three that she created and managed 3 bars in the Orianna
Hotel. And we know Anthea.
So Anthea is the gay bar for women.
There's also Ashley bar, which is a queer bar for men.
And then there's some bar for straight people that I don't
think is named because who cares?
This is a gay story. But I love that like she she had
all inclusive bars going on in her hotel that were all
successful, which is fucking awesome.
So what a visionary that I already was.
I have to say though, that she is probably one of my favorite
characters like ever in anything, especially in the
novel. Like I'm gonna have a whole
section about her, but like, I get it, Maple.
I get it. Like who would it?
Who would who would it be? Driven crazy in a gateway from
this woman. But we're at the bar right now.
So something that's missing from the show that I loved in the
novel is we get Maple's first impression of the bar when she
walks into Anthea Bar in the one time where they're hiding in
there and her first impression in her inner model.
And she says the atmosphere inside was pretty quiet and had
a dreamy romantic vibe to it. This is immediately that was her
first thought when she walks in there, which her thoughts are so
gay and I love it. I love that she's like, I don't
know why, but I mean something I like about Maple is that she
catches on pretty quickly that she's gay.
It's not this long drawn out insane thing where she's like, I
don't know what I kissed her, but I don't get it.
Like it's she gets on board pretty quickly.
Like she's pretty rational in her mind, but just like she just
casually is like thinking this and does not put it together
with anything, which is really funny and revealing to me.
And the other thing she says in her inner monologue that's not
as apparent in the show is when I takes her in here and it's
basically like no boys allowed and then takes her in the bar.
Maple in her mind like once she's in there and she like
feels pretty calm and like safe in the bar.
And she's like she says in her inner mouth, I feel really lucky
that I ran into I and like that she brought me here because like
that was really shitty. This confrontation with this man
will not fucking leave her alone.
Anyway, OK, so then one of the things I like about the novel a
lot is the fact that I and May have a lot of conversations and
they're like really good heart to heart conversations about
personal stuff and business stuff.
And they really do have a good understanding of each other.
And that's really apparent in the novel because of these
conversations. It's one of the first
conversations they have that I love is when they're in Anthea
bar and they're waiting out the stalker man.
And we get to the part where I very bluntly is like, they're
talking about romance or whatever.
And she I very bluntly is like, well, I'm into women.
That's why I like this bar that I created that's for queer
women. In the novel, May goes quiet
because they were talking. And then she just stops talking.
And then in her and she starts having feelings.
And then in her in her monologue, she describes it as
it terrified her. It wasn't a fear of danger, she
felt kind of fear that made her so nervous that she forgot how
to breathe normally. Once they started talking again,
she let out a soft side immediately.
She panicked when she heard that in this very like, I'm scared,
but I don't feel like I'm in danger.
Something's happening. Maze and her monologue is really
revealing and I really, really enjoy it.
But I I just I. Just love the way her, her gay
awakening and things like this. It's like it's very like it, it
just builds and builds and builds.
And she, she does a great job of like, she has very good
emotional intelligence. Like even from that you can tell
she's like, I, I'm having all these feelings.
My heart's racing. I mean I'm scared but.
Not a danger way and a I'm off balance and why can't I breathe
kind of way. I really like the way she's very
emotionally intelligent as a character as what aspects I like
about her. And then something else that's.
Really cute in the novel, that was weird in the show is May's
nickname, and I was obsession with it.
So in the novel, in the same conversation, I asks May for her
nickname because like the first time they meet, she's like, I
think it's May because that would make sense because it's
like singular, like in her thoughts for hearing this.
And then she gets her alone. Then she's like, what's your
nickname? And just like, And then May's
like, oh, it's Maple. And then I was like, oh, that's
weird. I thought it would be May, but
it's Maple. OK, got it.
And then she's like, can I call you Maple?
Like she asks for permission. And then Maple's like, yeah, you
can. You can call me that.
Just as long as you don't do it at work because, like,
propriety. And I was like, girl, I've been
on. It's not my first rodeo.
We're good. And then I.
In return is like, OK, well can you stop full naming me and use
my nickname And like, can we be casual now?
And Mae's like, well, no, I mean, we can, but not right now
because I feel like I don't really know you that well.
And then I says, well, then I look forward to that day you
call me by my nickname. So it's it's very cute the way
she's like immediately like wants to be close to Maple and
then she doesn't, oh, she doesn't fully recognize at the
beginning. It's more like they both have
this mutual curiosity with each other for like different
reasons, like Maple's like is on a path and discovering her
sexuality and is like and genuinely like wants to know
things about I because she'll make comments a lot where she's
like, well, she's not what I read in the papers fully or like
she'd constantly compare like interaction she has with I
writing to like the way the press covers her and she's
always like, wow, you would never know that by like all
these the research I did on my competitors and that stuff like
that. She's like, I've never know this
and I they don't really like have those conversations like
the competitor conversations often.
But like, yeah, I love that about them.
They just, they are very curious about each other, like as
people. It's not just this like a
hormone driven mess, although it is partly it is that too, but
it's not just that. And the hormone crazy messy
adult stuff is super fun. And I really love that about the
story. But it's they, they do are
genuinely interested in, in each other as people and then also as
business women, which I'll get into too, which I love that
about them. It's very holistic the way they
connect with each other and I feel like that wasn't always
conveyed in the show, but I mean, it's there.
It's just not not as enriched as it was in the in the series.
But the the nickname thing was really cute.
It was like eyes verse like genuine interest in like Maple
as a person. I was like, the way she was
obsessed with it was really, really cute.
So in this conversation too, basically I comes out and is
like, or like was like, yeah, I'm gay, whatever.
And then in the conversation, I become this amazed queer guide,
which I love. And like, let's be honest.
Like what ends up happening really is that I has amazing
gaydar and she clocks Maple as a baby gay that's in the closet
immediately. So then they're conversations in
the beginning when they're not business related are very much
about like, I see you. I I understand what you're going
through. Let me try and help you get out
of heterosexual hell and like be your best gay self basically.
And that's like what I kind of does.
And she's like navigating her without Maple really realizing
it while she does. But like, it's really funny.
So basically she's like, I'm gay.
And then it's like, let me explain to you why I don't date
men anymore. She was like, I tried it and I
was like, and then I tried dating women and I was like,
yeah, that's for me. And then and that happens in the
show and she's telling her this Maple has this moment where she
stops talking and then has really gay thoughts.
Like one of the things she thinks that she's like, wow, she
smells really good, that perfume, her eyes.
And then she's like basically picturing I having sex because
she just mentioned it. And I was just like, I got to
get out of here. I got a gay.
I got to go like the minute her brain goes there and one thing I
and then what happens next is something I love and one of the
reasons I love. I would and I will defend her,
the novel version of her forever because she's a green flag
novel. I redeem because she says.
I'm not trying to. Persuade you.
I just wanted to share my experience, dot dot dot, in case
you find out why you don't like that man.
God mean the guy. Yeah, we don't like him.
God mean the guy's stalking her, basically.
And then and. Then saying that gets May to
open up and she admits I never liked any men that I dated.
And so that's. Like like I like when they
first, when they meet in the novel, it's very because it's
less antagonistic. They're able to like like Mabel
feels a lot more comfortable with I and I and is able to talk
to her and she's constantly, every time she says things,
she's always like, I really feel like she's telling me the truth
right now. And so she lets her guard down a
lot around I and they and they have very candid, very deep
conversations. And that's like how they connect
in the beginning. And so that's going to lead me.
To part three, one of the other things that I love about the
novel is that Iwadeen is not a predator.
She's a green flag. And I'm going to make a thesis
about why that is. OK, because the series, the
thing that pissed me off the most about the series is they
mischaracterize her as a predator and she's not a
predator. So let's start with the first
kiss. OK?
So in this novel, Iwadeen did not for like, force herself on
to Maple in the bathroom. OK, the bathroom scene happens
when they run into each other, but all they do is talk, stare
at each other. And that's it.
And. Then it's like it gets a little
heated where like they're close and they stare at each other and
then Mae's like hit you back away and somebody comes in and
then I leave. That's it.
There is no forcing anything ever.
OK? How their first kiss goes down
actually is a continuation of the Anthea bar scene where they
go hide in there from the stalker man.
And as they're trying to get rid of stalker man, they do the I
initiates the fake make out thing while they're navigating
the hotel. And when they stop, I asks for
May's consent before she does anything.
She's like, I'm just going to make this.
You just go with it. Is it OK?
And then May nods, consents to it and then they do it.
So nothing was ever forced on May in the novel ever.
I always asked like, is Gate looking for consent from her?
OK, so that all that happens when May gets real fucking
flustered because how could you not?
Like how could you not? How could you not?
In the novel too, May is very you're in May's head and she's
like basically eyes like using her tip of her nose and is like
teasing her and it's even worse than what was in the show, so.
I guess. Many gay thoughts were happening
there because how could they not?
OK, so then where does the first kiss happen?
So then they or like damn, he didn't go away.
So then they go into the parking lot and then he's still
following them. So they get into May's car.
And then? Basically in the car, he's still
there. So I asks May quote can I touch
your lips? And May says yes, and then I
initiates the most chaste kiss or chaste kiss.
However you say that in history, in the history of anything.
And it's basically just like they're touching like this,
basically like a barely oppressive and there's no
pressing. There's just lip skin touching.
That's it. And as that nothing of a kiss is
that that's the first kiss. As that's happening, Mae's in
her monologue. She's wondering what would it
feel like if I pressed harder? What would it be like if we were
actually kissing? And then I the gay disaster that
she is, pulls away, is breathless from this nothing of
a kiss and then asks May, can I kiss you?
And then may immediately says yes.
And then they kiss for real, like I initiates it.
But then May kisses back because you're in her head.
She kisses I back and it very quickly turns out into this like
almost make out session thing. Very a lot of back and forth
between the two of them, and this was an important kiss
because it wasn't this weird. Why is my business rival kissing
me in a bathroom out of nowhere? This was like it was.
Very much like, OK, like, we're trying to get away from either
your stalker. Like, is it cool if I keep doing
these things? And then, like, making sense to
all of it. But then as she's kissing back
now, she notes in her inner monologue that kissing never
felt like this before. She describes Kissing Eye for
Real as good and thrilling. And then in.
Comparison to all the all the boys she's not loved, but all
all the way she's loved before. That's a movie.
All the men she's been with before, which is like kissing
and nothing else. If she at one point is like, I
can't, I've never gone further than kissing.
And some men don't even get that privilege.
So like that's her experience in the dating world with men so
which is telling on its own, but basically her comparison to the
good and thrilling kiss with I is kissing before had been
boring and forced. So it is interesting the way
she, like, again, it's on that journey of self discovery and
takes moments to really like reflect, like, who am I?
What do I want? And she's like, wow, in the past
this was just this thing I did because that's what heterosexual
propaganda says that you do. And he was like, whatever, it
was just like a checklist item. But now she's like, wow, this is
thrilling. Like she's enjoying it.
Like has never like wanted to do it before.
And then is like, wow, this is very, very different in a good
way. Not in a somebody's kissing me
in the bathroom, what the fuck is happening kind of way my
assistant has to save me. Like again, Iwaneen is not a
predator. To continue the.
First kiss, so after that kissing ends.
Then I. Says.
Before she leaves the car. And like walks away, she says.
I don't know if you enjoyed it, it meaning kissing me or not.
In case you discover something about yourself, that's Iwudine's
eyes. Iwudine narrowed her eyes and
the corner of her mouse twitched.
She continues. I'm serious.
If you want it to be serious or not, it's up to you.
Meaning basically. So what she says like maybe
she's like, look, I don't know if you were into that or not,
but if you discover something about yourself like she's like,
well, I went, doesn't everybody win?
Another Gaby is out. She's like, you know, whatever.
And then the serious part, basically she's saying like
look, that kiss can just be what it was meaning like unserious,
which was just we were evading the stalker or.
It could be. A real kiss that we just had
because we wanted to just. It's up to you, however you want
to label this thing. So I what I love about their
relationship in the novel is that one I was always looking
for consent from May and anytime, and, and she's always
made it a point to be like, it's May's choice.
And anytime May chose her, that was a victory.
She was like, yeah, she chose me.
Like that's what she was always looking for.
And even in this. She's she always this is what
may finds it frustrating because she's like, again, has only ever
dated men and men take charge of everything.
And I is not like that. She's like, I want you to make
decisions and for it to be this, to be more equal and for it to
be your choice. So like the the queer
relationship is very queer also in that aspect, which I do like
about the story now that I'm thinking about it.
But. I basically is always like
leaving the relationship up to May because she's very aware
that like she's a baby gay. This is her first situation, her
situation ship with a woman basically, and also they have
that bidding warship going on in the background and like that
complicates things. I doesn't care about that,
honestly. But May cares about it because,
like, it's her first time in this arena and she's trying to
prove herself and she's like, we can't make it look like we're
doing backdoor deals. Went like, really, we're just
like being gay, you know, It looks weird.
I was like, I don't care if I do this for years but.
Anyway, I like that. About I I very much like wants
Mae's consent. She wants me to choose her and
choose the relationship, not feel force didn't do it or
anything like that. And she does make it a point to
emphasize that over and over and over again.
And I really like that about the novel.
So again, I is not a predator. If you're still not convinced
that I is not a predator, which if you've read the novel, I'm
pretty sure you're convinced she's not a predator.
If you've always seen the series, she comes off as
predatory. She's not.
She's a great flag. Because other.
Thing that was predatory in the novel was when they got into
elevators together and I would like push Maple against walls
and like force her to hold her hands with other people.
None of that ever happened in the in the novel.
They literally just have moments where they're in the elevator
together and their first elevator ride basically like
Maple gets off on one floor and then I was like, damn, I wish
she was on the floor with me. And that's the end of the scene.
Like they just get off on different floors.
But the thing was. In the novel, it's more it's
explained why when Gavin is stalking May again in the
parking lot, why I shows up. So the reason why she shows up
is not because she's stalking May also, but it's because May
was new to this and she's new to this building where the greater
duty concession was happening. And this was not I's first time
working here. So I knows that there's AVIP
section to park your car with a security guard.
And she had a parking pass to park on like the first floor
where there's the security guard.
Mae didn't know that. So she was parking on a
different like level 2 or something where there's no
security guard. So I was like, I'm kind of, I
just want to make sure she doesn't get jumped or anything
because there's no security guard.
So she and I don't think she knows that.
So she comes after her just to like make sure she gets in her
car and that's actually why she was following her.
It had more to do with that than like eyes stalking her, being
possessive or like whatever she could.
She could. She definitely can read like
that in the show. And it's like not explained
about the why they were parking at different levels and the
reason behind that. So anyway, back to the scene
where Gatwine is confronting May again being like homophobic
about it. It was like really homophobic
the way he does it, which I will say I like his arc in the show a
lot, but I mean the in the series, another series in the
novel, sorry, talk about the novel.
In the novel, at the novel, he comes around at the end and he's
like, oh, I'm sorry, I was behaving that way.
I didn't, I was never in love before.
And I think he falls in love. He's like, I understand now you
were in love. Like I get it now because we
weren't in love. Like he comes full circle and
like goes to therapy or something and they have a really
good conversation at the end. And it was like, OK, the author
humanized him and was like, he didn't know either.
He was also lost the way May was lost.
We just didn't focus on him because like, who cares anyway?
I just want to throw that out there in defense of Gowee.
And he actually has a character arc off screen that's wraps up
nicely in the novel. But.
Anyway, so in the. Scene when he's confronting her
and being homophobic and as fuck I does show up and then they
have the you have to have the conversation of like is this
real? I feel like you're faking kind
of thing. And so in that conversation I
says. He's like, well.
What are what is this? What are the two of you?
And I says, who am I to Maple basically, or she doesn't go
like that yet she does in the conversation.
She says, who am I to her? And and in her in her
monologues, we jump point of views.
I thinks like she wants to help like she's like, I really want
to help May. But she's like.
And like, basically just say we're dating to get him to leave
her alone. But she's like, I don't, I also
don't know how far this girl wants to take this situation
right now. So she's like, I'm going to let
May decide. So she says to May, well, what
should I say? Like looks to her and like puts
and again, like the queen of consent, like puts it in May's
court to be like, this is whatever you want it to be.
Like I'm not going to force shit out of you.
And so then May says. To Gowie and she says I told you
I and I are involved like you can see that because she's like
holding me right now to get you to leave me alone.
And then she says whether we are serious, me and I are serious
are none of your business. So basically she's like I'm with
her. Is it serious?
I don't know because like at this stage Maple canyons are
that either. And so like that ends the
conversation. So another piece of evidence of
like I being the queen of consent here.
And then they end up both going to May's car again because I get
away from him. And then basically a very
similar exchange and from the series goes down.
Where? May initiates a kiss and kisses
I so that they're quote even for I saving her.
But then in the novel I kisses May back.
So it's not just one kiss. It's more than one kiss that
happens. And then at the end I says to
May. Is this starting to feel right
to you? Because.
Again, Gaydar and then may says to I I think I have to find out.
So I like the way that it keeps like again, she keeps putting
the ball back in eyes core or maze court and then make really
does take the time to process her feeling.
She doesn't just like run from it.
Like I like that her queer awakening story wasn't this like
very fearful kind of thing. Like there is fear and and
there's like a nervousness when it comes to like her family that
she does have. It's not that it's not there.
It's just like in her inner monologue, that's not the focus.
She really does process it as it's happening.
And I appreciated that about the story.
And then and then in their dialogue, it gets really fun
because she can, she starts flirting back like and means it.
And it's just great the way it goes down.
All right, So then we get the continuation where it's the meet
me at Anthea if you Anthea bar if you want to experiment with
me thing and. The word.
Experiment, which is such a like, it's like as a, as a queer
person. So like there's, you know, can
have negative connotations that like you're just experimenting
or whatever. But the author.
Uses the word deliberately and in May's in her monologue
explains when May's thinking about.
That her relationship. With I at this stage, she
basically says to herself, like the two of them can't get too
deeply involved because the business shit.
So she says that's why she used the word experiment.
Like she's the one that says it. And she says it because she
tries to distance herself essentially from the situation
that's developing with I because she's like, we can't because of
the business stuff. So like she uses words to
distance them. So like, that's why that word is
there. I just wonder how I felt.
About that word as a queer person, but I think I is so got
it so bad that she's like I don't care do whatever like I
think she had it so bad that she's like red flags it's fine
which girl self respect man because.
She. Chugs her respecting women
juice. I will say that about I.
That's the only reason I like her so much.
OK, so then we. Get to the VIP room scene and
it's Maple who's like, can we go somewhere else?
Basically, I don't want to like make out with you at a crowded
bar. Basically, this is Maple's idea,
first of all. And then I was like, OK, I'll
take you to the VIP room. So then she brings her to the
room and is explaining the room for three seconds before May
pushes her up against the door and then furiously makes out
with her. And I was really surprised.
She's like, I didn't think she's going to do this.
I was just trying to explain the room which is so funny.
So again, she's not the predator like Mayberry was a thirsty
bitch too and like acted on her thirstiness a hell of a lot more
in the show. She was much more like quiet and
cagey with her feelings and the and the novel she was full on in
with the her thirstiness. And I like that about Maple.
So then they start getting. Making out furiously and I is
like, OK, I guess we're experimenting.
And so she asks to May like what do you want me to show you?
Like why did you take me into a private room?
This is your idea. And then May says show me
everything like it's so thirsty. It's so thirsty.
And then basically they end up on the couch and like as things
like progress into we're going to fuck on this couch.
I stops it and she's like, you trust me, you don't want to do
this here. Like, like knowing that it's
her, like Mabel's first time, She's like that.
We're not, we shouldn't do this here.
And she's the one who's like, we need to go somewhere else.
And they end up at her apartment because it's closest.
And then the. Thing that pissed me off pissed
me off about the show the most in the I was deemed a predator
is the part where she drugs Maple, which was crazy because
she never drugs this girl in the novel.
Like, never. In fact, that entire interaction
went down extremely differently in the novel.
And I much prefer what happens in the novel because when they
get back to I's room or her apartment, they basically have a
72 hour date and they they fuck for the first time.
Like there's no business espionage.
It was all about Maple's sexual awakening, her exploring that
them connecting like it was about them.
It wasn't like muddled with this other stuff.
In fact, like when they get to the apartment, you're in Maple's
point of view and one of the things that she the first thing
she notes when she gets in there, she's like the this
business heiress is kneeling down in front of me, taking off
my high heels like she knows how like attentive I is.
She describes it as super attentive behavior because
that's who I actually is. And so I like that the author
took the time to be like, they're in eyes personal space.
This is who I is. And like May notes it
immediately. She's like, oh, she's a very
super attentive, like girlfriend basically is what she notices
immediately when they're the business shit goes away.
And I like that this whole interaction was really focused
on that. And I like that.
In the novel, when they're having, well, May's having sex
for the first time with I, basically she has this inner
monologue that's really revealing of her journey with on
her, like, self discovery journey, where she thinks she's
never met anyone that ever made her feel safe and satisfied.
Yeah, that's what I bring to the table.
And May wondered for a long time if she was simply incapable of
feeling desire because she never wanted it with anyone before,
which I feel like is a very compet storyline.
Like a lot like if you've watched Heart Stopper,
specifically watched it, there's a storyline with a character
named Imogen who's not in the books, a Heart Stopper who's in
the story, who has this amazing comp head storyline that was
added into the show that really encapsulate this really nicely.
So really my read on May is that she was really deep in the comp
head thing and didn't realize it.
But then she continues in this interaction with I and her inner
monologue. But today she realized she had
been looking at the wrong people.
Like it's such a like a the this the storyline for a lot of like
in media that I've seen for a lot of like, late in life, queer
people reads a lot like this where they were so deep in
compact. And they're just like, I, you
know, all the love stories that I've watched or read, like I'm
lying to me. I feel like something's wrong
with me because I never feel that I'm supposed to, but I
don't. And like, kissing was always
been boring and just a thing I did.
And now, now, now it all makes fucking sense because like I was
looking at the wrong people. I was looking at the wrong
people. Yeah, I was in the wrong gender
that I was looking at or whatever.
So I, I appreciate like I like the way this was really fleshed
out, like her sexual awakening and her processing it, not just
the I'm having sex with a woman and I'm enjoying it thing.
It was like a the way she thought about it that I liked.
All right. So I hope that I have proven
without a shadow of a doubt that Kun Iwadeen is not a predator.
She was actually a green flag. She was very attentive the
entire time. She was valued, consent and let
Mae choose all of these things and felt victorious when Mae
chose her. But at this time I'm.
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All right, and with that, let's continue discussing the novel.
So the other thing I want to talk about that I really enjoyed
in the novel was I amaze relationships.
And I say that plural because they had a very distinct
personal relationship with each other and a business
relationship with each other. And I like the way it was
handled in the novel. So I went through a lot of inas
the lead up to their relationship.
But I just want to say in general, I love, I like I love
her. She was the main reason why I
was like, I need to know what's happening because I'm in love
with her and everything about her.
And may you are a lucky woman. OK, maybe just say that,
especially after reading the novel, I was like, Oh my God,
like this is this is a top tier lesbian.
I'm into this the way she just with the non-stop shameless
flirting like all the time. It was so shameless from the
beginning in chapter 1 when they they are first introduced to
each other in front of reporters in the novel.
May says to. Her, it's a pleasure to meet you
Kunai, Woody and I, I responds. Yes, dot dot dot pleasure.
Like she's even a cheeky bastard in front of reporters.
Like I love her so much. She was so fucking funny and she
was funny in the series too. But like, their flirtatious
banter in the novel is just, it's everything.
The way I just like pushes Mae's buttons without meaning to
because she's just, she's being vague because she's like, I want
her to choose me. I don't want to like it like put
thoughts in her head. So she's constantly being
evasive and it drives me crazy. And this, their banter was
great. Like it wasn't this like
malicious fighting banter. It was just this very good
flirty back and forth thing that I just love so much.
And I really would love this writer to write dialogue for
like TV shows because it was like top tier dialogue.
Like if anything, like if you're into that, like and you haven't
read this novel and you're listening to this, First of all,
thanks for trusting me to read this for you.
But second of all, go read this novel because like the the
dialogue between them is their flirtatious banter is top tier
and it's amazing and so fun. And the other thing.
I really loved about during their personal relationship.
Like I said, I like the inner monologues I thought were really
insightful to how each character felt about their their
significant other and themselves, And I really liked
it. So I've talked about May a lot,
but I really love I in the way it was very evident anytime you
were in her head, which wasn't as much Maple's like the main
character, but I were also in her head quite a bit too.
And it's sometimes it just goes back and forth like as the the
author switches point of views in the same scene.
But what I like to appreciate about I when I fell in love with
her even more from reading this was.
The way she felt. About May and it was very
apparent that it was new for her, like the way she was
feeling and she was not afraid of it.
And she was very much like, oh, this is different.
Like I've never like wanted somebody to like stay at my
apartment before, but like I want her to stay and I'm just,
I'm going to do it and I'm just going to keep doing it.
And, and the way she was very much like she would be like, Oh,
Mae chose me. Like, Oh my God, Like it was
very cute. Like I enjoyed being in her head
too. And and also with the biz that
when they would have like when she would be leading Oriana and
like you're in her head about the business stuff, like you
could see how like calculating she is and how smart she is and
not shady. And I just, I really enjoyed
their inner monologues a lot. It it added a lot to their
personal relationship that they had that was very separate from
the the business world stuff. But the thing I.
Loved. I honestly loved more.
Not more, but I love more about the novel in particular.
Is their business, their working relationship OK in the novel I
and May respected each other's boundaries a hell of a lot more.
Like, personally and in, but especially in the business
stuff, like they were very clear on separating their personal and
professional lives. Like, yeah, Mae struggled with
it more to like, wrap her head around it because she was new to
all of us. But I was like, I can separate
these things. Like, it's fine.
And Mae learns to do it too. And they stick with it.
They don't, like, go behind each other's back and stuff like
that. They stick with like, this is my
domain. This is yours.
And in that weird meeting in the show, when they meet in the
bathroom in Chapter 1 in the novel, basically they have the
conversation immediately because eyes like, can't we be friends?
Like, why do we have to hate each other?
It's just business. And they have this back and
forth. But then I ends up by saying,
fine, I will compete with you on the bidding, but I won't when it
comes to other things. And after she says this, May
processes it. And then in her inner monologue
says May felt certain that I meant every word of that
sentence. And like they stick with that.
Like they really do separate those two things.
They do talk about business together, but like they'll have
like this conversation about business, this is about us.
Like they're very good at separating those two things,
which is how a relationship like this would work it not in the
bidding war stuff, but like in life, if you had to like
executives of like 2 businesses that kind of operate near and
around each other, like they would have to be like this.
Like they would have to separate those two things pretty pretty
well in order to have the relationship succeed.
So I thought that this mindset was made sense and I respect the
fact that they stuck with it. I and also when.
It came to the business relationship.
I think the other reason it worked really well in the novel
is because, like I mentioned, the very beginning, Maple in the
in the novel was way less insecure when it came to
comparing herself with I when it comes to business.
And she she didn't do that comparison a lot.
It was they had more like this like mentor mentee situation.
And it was they had an actual conversation about it basically
in when in one of their car scenes when I was like coaching
her in business and she's like, I'm just offering, I'm just
teaching you. I'm not, I don't mean anything
by this. And then they they have this
understanding that I is going to like teach her stuff because
she's experienced and then Maple listens and then like learn
stuff from her. It's this less Ant like I'm
competing with you, blah, blah, blah.
Because I threw a pen in high school.
Like that was insane. Like, no, like their business
relationship made a hell of a lot more sense in the novel.
And it was way it was. It was also an adult
relationship. Like they were mature about it
because they're 20 year olds. And so I really like that about
their story. Also, like they weren't shady
with each other. Like I think the series leaned
into that for drama reasons. But they're not shady.
They, they read as like mature business women.
And the other thing I really loved about their business
relationship is the way they mutually respected each other as
business women. Like even I was like really
respected Maple as a business. Like as she got to know her in
the business world because like again, she's like learning about
her for the first time. But they really respected each
other in their working relationship and that I thought
that was so important. Like it really solidified them
as a healthy relationship. Like when you really look at it.
And one of my favorite scenes that like really harps that home
that was did not go down, though I wanted to in the in the show
was there's this scene where they're in the boardroom.
All the all the bidders come into the boardroom for greater
and they're going over like the bidding, not the process, but
like the rules of what's going to happen.
And in this series, basically they're in there.
And may at that stage vocalizes her concerns about the current
bidding process. She's like, well, I'm kind of
worried because like we're doing this duty free thing and
partnering with the government that it's going to create this
monopoly by whoever wins this because the contract's 10 years.
And then if we do that, that's actually going to harm Thailand.
So why don't we like award multiple bids so that the people
who are experts in services that this project needs can be in
charge of that. And that way we don't get this
monopoly situation. So like create like a coalition,
not just one winner takes all kind of thing.
And in the meeting, like I wouldn't agrees with May in the
series, but then later in the parking lot tries to coach her
on this and like May takes this as unsolicited advice that she's
showing all her cards in a business meeting and get super
offended. And so then like ultimately this
boardroom scene like happens, but like leads to absolutely
nothing else in the series other than it makes me mad.
And then they fight. So they went the drama route.
But in the novel, this was actually a pivotal scene to the
plot. So in this scene, it goes down
in a similar way. But when I verbally says, oh, I
like this part of your plan. Like I think we should consider
this because at the time, like greater was in this position,
like you could change the rules. It wasn't official yet the
greater board could think about it.
So like it could actually happen.
So if she agrees, then the other people in the room were like,
yeah, I also see that point. Like, I think you you you should
also consider that board greater duty board members.
And then this Bormer scene actually leads to a change in
the bidding process that actually affects the outcome of
the bid. So it was actually a really
important scene that like, ultimately the series turned
into drama and it meant nothing. And the other thing that was?
Actually, really important about the scene in the book is that
this is when May. I mean, not May when I first
start suspecting May as a businesswoman, because she
essentially in her inner monologue is like, oh, she's
like, well, made me lack experience, but she has a lot
more knowledge and interesting ideas than I first thought.
Like she's like what? Like starts respecting her and
she's like, wow, OK, she's she knows what she's doing.
Like she, there's potential here.
Like, so it was actually a really important scene.
And I, I think about this scene all the time.
I was like, this is such a good scene.
The way it went down and like the outcome of it was great.
And then the outcome. Ultimately, I also like the
outcome of the bidding because in the the bidding, basically, I
think Oriana and and greater both way or not greater and
superior both win and so then they end up like running it
together. I think superior, I think wins
and then I think Oriana's like second or something like so may
actually ends up winning like as the big top dog and like
Oriana's in there too, and they end up Co.
Their first project is like Co running this thing together.
And then when we get special chapters in the book, it's like
them setting it up and it was like really great.
It was a very full circle thing and it made total sense for like
what they were trying to do, why you'd have a hotel eras and a
mall eras. They were the perfect people to
like run, take this project. So like it just made sense.
And again, it was like basically the outcome, because May had
this potential and because May stood up and because she
asserted herself as like this leader that she knew she was
capable of being, was taken seriously, was supported by
other seasoned business people that this even happened.
So it was like it was a really great like triumph for like
Maple and a solidification of May and I's partnership.
And it was great. So I prefer that route that the
novel went. OK.
Other thing I liked in the novel that was different was the
family situations. OK, so first of all, nobody's
parents were dead there. Were no dead parents.
Every parent was still parenting during the story.
So shocking. Why we must have body counts in
tie girl lectures. I think honestly, it's just a
running gag at this point. The writers like who can we
whose parent is going to die this time?
I think it's a it really boils down to casting.
And they're like, well, if we kill them, we don't have to pay
somebody to play this person and we'll just give them some mommy
issues and we'll just move on anyway.
But yeah, everybody had parents and the parents were all there.
And also I had a younger brother who was abroad getting his
master's during the novel, but in the special chapters meets me
and it's really cute. And he, like, loves his sister.
It's like very like they actually had like pretty solid
families that were not hella problematic honestly, like.
They had stuff. Going on.
But it was not like poisonous love insane shit.
It was actually very reasonable what was happening with the
families. OK.
And then? So let's talk about I and her
family first. So particularly her dad, because
the dad stuff was still going on in the novel.
And the main crux of it is that he, from the start to the end
was pressuring. She's 27, so she's almost 30.
So he was pressuring her essentially to get married and
build a family before she's 30. And it's it boiled down to the
fact that she's the eldest daughter.
And this is like eldest daughter duty.
So he's like, well, you're 27 and you know, it's time to like
think like actually start doing this, not just like think about
it. And he clarifies to her in a
conversation that they have that he's like, I'm not forcing you
to marry because she brings up the the fact that she's like,
this isn't the Regency era. Arranged marriages or not
shouldn't be a thing anymore. And he's like, I'm not, he's not
trying to arrange marriage anything.
And he clarifies, I'm not forcing you to marry anyone. dot
dot, dot, I only ever see you work.
And what it boiled down to really in the story is that her
father and her mother really do love her at the end of the day,
and they were worried that she's a workaholic.
And they're like, we're worried. You're going to die alone
because you're a workaholic. And honestly, I love that angle.
It's a very like modern day angle for like the time period
in which this story took place. And I think it's a universal
thing amongst like most places in the world to be like, you
have somebody who's works rise and grind kind of person and
then they don't take care of themselves outside of their
career. I thought that was a good angle.
And I like the way her family stuff was written.
I found that relatable and like a really reasonable kind of
story. And the pressure from her
family. Was also.
The reason why I never seriously dated anyone before.
So in the in the series, it's very much like, Oh, my dad can't
find out or blah, blah, blah. But no, she was very much like,
they, they want me to marry and have a family because like I'm
the eldest daughter. I'm like, give on, you know,
carry on the Oreo. I think she was set to be the
heir, not the brother. And then it was because she's
the oldest. And then she's like, I had this
special, you know, obligation as eldest child kind of thing,
which I understand that as an eldest child.
And so she tells Maple. On a conversation, she's like,
that's why I've never dated anybody.
And so she says specifically I just the reason why she
basically like hooks up with people kind of thing and never
dates them is she says I just don't care about the future.
Like that's why she doesn't take it seriously.
And she continues, right now I want to do what I want because I
think she knows that she's trapped in a cage when it comes
to this. And so she's like, I'm just
going to do what I want for as long as I can kind of thing.
And then so Maple. Points out she's like, well
dating women seems to go super against what your family is
trying to say you have to do because like you don't have sex
what you want, but it's not going to result in the baby.
So I mean, what are you doing? And that's when I says the thing
where if I meet the right person, I think even those
reasons, meaning my family reason, my family's pressure
wouldn't be enough to stop me from doing what I want when the
time comes. And she sticks to that so hard.
Like when it comes down to it, when when the story really ends
and we end up in the really height of the bidding war stuff,
she's the one who leaks the numbers to May.
So that May wins. Because she's like I'd.
Rather have you than almost bullshit like, and it's the way
she did it was amazing and not nefarious and like it was very
sweet the way she did it. But yeah, because she's stuck to
that. She's like, I don't care about
this, I care about you. I was very honest about it.
So then on the other hand. We have Mae and her family and.
Maple also. Has a really good relationship
with her family period. Like they're not pressuring her
to date or to get married. They're just there.
But she doesn't know her friend that she has in the novel.
She doesn't know that like they her parents are protective of
her. So if they care and they there's
that. So when it comes to how she's
been dating in the past, Mabel reveals through one of her
friends that she hides her, basically hides her
relationships like the the from her parents and until she can
deem that that person she's dating is right for her.
OK, so she. Has she has to make sure they're
worthy before the parents even get involved.
And then she says in a conversation with one of her
friends, quote, this is one of the reasons why I have to make
sure the person I date has to be someone I want my parents to
meet someone my patient, my parents can improve of so may
cares what her parents think about the person she's dating
like so she's like I I have to deem that they're right and and
if they're good enough for me, then they're good enough for my
family, whom I love to meet. And the only person she ever
brings to meet the family is I. But it's on the really weird
circumstances that she brings over there.
But they have a much healthier relationship.
I mean, her relationship with her dad like was pretty healthy
in the series, except all the fucked up shit they wrote for
her dad that was unnecessary. Like her dad in the novel was
like a very well, it was good the whole time.
Like he's very supportive of her.
We we do get the conversation in the novel where Mae is like,
well, what if I like want to date a woman?
And I love the way it goes down the novel.
She does this roundabout way of asking it and then finally asks
it and the dad's like, honestly, I'd prefer she says no.
He says, she says, what if I don't want to date men?
And then the dad after like a hot minute is like, I'd prefer
if you didn't, which was my dad's response when I came out
and thought that was really funny.
I was like, I, I really do there.
They're like, I prefer if you did it honestly.
And that's like how it went down to the loyal pit.
Also like sometimes they're like, they're like men suck.
I'm kind of glad you're not on board like this.
Honestly, there's less to worry about, but like he just the, the
emphasis from her family was, was about I'd we want you to be
with a good person that respects you, that's your equal.
Like this kind of stuff like that was their whole thing.
Whereas like I was coming from a family that was like, you need,
you need to settle down and get married.
And I think it was less about like, we need you to like have
an heir because like they have a, she's a brother.
She's not the only one. Oh, and then press all the
pressure on the brother. What if he's gay?
Then it's like, oh fuck, what are we going to do?
We don't get into that because he's.
Barely in it, but anyway, like, you know, they had two different
like there's like semi conservative, like a
conservative ish mentality with her family for I and then like
with Mae, it was very like she's the only child too.
So it was very much like, you know, that we love you more than
anything, like just make sure that we just want to know that
they're a good person and that, and Maple knows that, hence why
she has this conversation with her friend.
And she's like, I have to vet the people I date and I have to
get to know them long enough to make sure I want my family to
meet them because I, I know what their expectation for me is.
And that's a good person. So I have to make sure they're a
good person before I even like bring them home.
And so at the time she has this conversation with her dad,
that's when she was really starting to fall for I and was
like realizing what a good person she actually is when
they're alone and so and not in the spotlight kind of stuff,
playing business games or whatever.
And so I do like that. And I really liked her family.
They were very sweet. Very, very, very sweet.
And one of the big. Moments where it's it's really
evident is the dramatic conclusion of all of this.
So in the novel there is still a third act breakup between I and
May as we get closer to the bidding ore situation.
Because drama. But.
What I liked about the novel in particular when we get in all of
this, is I and May's reconciliation, and the way it
goes down in the novel I much, much prefer.
Because it really. Emphasized how desperate I was
to see Nae when they broke up. OK, so the shit goes down with
Rachen, who's a piece of shit. OK?
By the way, also in the novel he's 40 years old, so keep that
in mind. He's being a creepy
motherfucker. And the bitch is 40 because in
the show they made him like the same age as the women that he's
like into. No, this bitch was twice their
age. OK, first of all, twice Mabel's
age. So the way this goes down.
So basically they're it's they've already submitted the
bidding stuff and they're in that waiting period where like
they can't be seen together in public because shit will be
shady. And like, so I and May, I don't
really have time to see each other and they went through
their third act breakup and all this shit and like basically
she's in her office, meaning ironing when Yam comes in and is
like, oh, May dropped off this envelope, it's for you.
And. Basically, she's like, she says
her subordinate, like G hands it off the envelope and like,
here's the envelope for you. Miss May says she really wants
you to be there. That's all.
You can check the envelope for more details.
I got to go and then Miss May specifically asked to tell me to
tell you not to tell to let anyone see this envelope.
And I was like, OK and was confused by this.
And then like opens this deep blue envelope and then inside it
says, meet me at Villa night tonight.
It's like this, like, I don't know, karaoke bar or like
something like that. And it says, I want to see you
in private. I booked a room there.
There's so much to talk about. You should really come maybe go.
I read the text on the card and that she was like it was unusual
and she there's red flags and then like this, it's unusual for
Mae to book her room to see her. But then again, it might not be
that strange because like they haven't seen each other in a
long time. And she's like, I don't want
Maple to be mad at me. So she's like, I'm just going to
go because quote in her brain. I missed Mae so terribly.
She hadn't seen her in private. She hadn't been with her for
days. That wasn't one of the reasons
why she felt so blue. So I would even see her tonight
no matter the cost. OK, so basically I was in this
really desperate spot to see May and then just it was like, oh,
red flags. Maybe it's not weird.
I don't know. It's been a few.
It's been a while since I've seen her.
Maybe she changed. So anyway, she goes to this
place and Ratchan's in there and he basically like bribed the the
server to like lock the room and leave them in there.
And he's got alcohol and he's talking to I and he basically
date rape drugs her and like she drinks it and it's like, oh
fuck, I've been poisoned or whatever.
And then he like forces her to stay in this room with him and
is going to like date rape her essentially is what's happening
and she's like losing it because she's been drugged.
OK. And then in the background, May
figures it out. I think the I think the
assistant G blabs or something says something and they're like
May puts it together and she's with her dad, I think, and her
dad and her is in the car with him and he's driving.
She's like, we got to go here right the fuck now.
And like they end up figuring out where she is and let go.
And basically you're like, oh, I got to, we're our friends are in
there. And then the guy he, that
Ratchet bribe was like, no, you can't go in there.
And then and then Maple, his dad's like, yeah, we're going in
there. And he goes in there and
basically with Maple and like basically stops the assaulting
that's happening. No sexual assault happens, but
assaulting is happening. And he like basically gets
Ratchet off of eye and then like him and I think I's dad end up
like suing Roger or whatever for this fuck shit or whatever.
But basically he handles the dude and then Maple goes to I.
And. Takes care of her and then like
Maple's dad is the one that like drives I with Maple and they go
back to like their house like Maple's house.
And so I I like the way this went down versus like May and I
getting in a shootout with Rachan alone at this like very
secluded estate they were at like the beach house or wherever
they were. I like this better word involved
maze dad because it really emphasized him, not emphasized
it humanized him as a character number one.
And then like really emphasized his like fatherly instincts and
stuff in the way that that now included I as like a daughter
figure to him, like his concerns started extending to her and
he's the one that calls I's dad and calls him and is like,
listen, this fuck shit happen. I have your daughter.
She's here, she's safe like, but then they go after Raj it all
screen or whatever. It's great, but it it ends up
bonding Maple with not Maple. It ends up bonding I and May's
dad and like May's family from this incident because they kind
of like host her when she's feeling better until she feels
better. And then the fact that Maple's
dad calls eyes dad and they have like a father to father talk.
It bonds them. So it was actually like, I like
the way it went down with all the different characters because
then it they just, you know, they bonded over just like
loving their daughters basically.
And it was like really kind of whole, there's a shitty
situation, but it was kind of wholesome the way it ended.
When it comes to that. But with that, there is
something about this conclusion that I did not like in the
novel, and it was probably the one thing that I did not like in
the novel, like really didn't like.
And that is how I and May their reunion goes down in this
situation. So OK, so like basically based
on eyes symptoms, it seems like Rachin drugged her with ecstasy
because his whole thing was like how dare you reject me because
you like women. So I'm going to make you have
sex with a man and give you ecstasy.
So which is a drug that heightens your nervous system.
And so he's like, so then you'll enjoy the sex and then there we
go. And that was just ridiculous
thought process anyway. So she has ecstasy in her system
essentially. And so.
When they get to Maple. 'S house, I and May go to May's
room. She's like, I'm going to take
care of her because like what is this?
And because I kept refusing to go to the hospital.
So she's like, I'll take you here, OK.
And then I is feeling the effects of this drug, OK?
Like, feeling it like it feels hot and like horny and all this
stuff because that's what it does.
And they're alone in May. 'S room OK and then OK so then
what she does is I starts feeling up May because drugs and
then says take care of me and then may proceeds to have sex
with I and I'm just not a fan of this because it's like what are
we doing like what are we doing here?
This was weird and I know when the show was airing people were
like yeah, I was going to happen on the last episode it's going
to be the last sexy and it did not happen I was like thank God.
It was so weird reading this like as like the pharmacist who
understands drugs and I was like, this is weird.
And this girl like kind of out of her mind right now.
And I'm not super into this romanticization of like bugging
somebody on ecstasy, like when they were taking the drug
against their will and like all this stuff.
And it was really weird. So in this.
Scene I. Honestly prefer the show version
where I was starting to feel the ecstasy and Mae's like, we're
going to go in the pool and you're going to cool the fuck
off. Like I like that was a better
way to handle somebody on ecstasy than just like, OK, I'll
indulge you. You know what I mean?
That's my personal feeling on this.
Like personally, if you were into this, I'm not judging you.
It's just like I was not a fan personally of this.
But overall? I did like the way the story
unfolded, including like the dealing with ratchet and how the
families got involved, and I did like that part better.
And the novel. Last thing that I did not like
about the novel. I not that I didn't like it.
I didn't know that I was missing.
It was side bitches. There were no side bitches,
which is fine. Honestly, it's me and I story,
and I really liked me and I story, but like yam and Gee,
like never interact, like never. So like how change was just like
those two because like Yam and G and the novel are very
different. So I don't know where they got
that concept from, but I'm not mad at it because I actually
thought they were fun. But also like if you watch the
series and you're frustrated with their relationship and how
it unfolds, it's because they were writing that shit on the
fly in the show. Like it never happened.
They had nothing to go off of and I feel like it got lost
because I admire the focus. So anyway.
To round up the. Side bitches so Yam and I so Yam
is still eyes assistant, but Yam is one year older than I, even
though she refers to I as like Pi because out of respect.
But they had a strictly professional relationship.
Like Yam and I were just business.
That was it. Like they didn't they never
interacted. They didn't have that like
sisterly relationship in the show.
And I really liked Yam's back story and the way they did it
and like the fact that they had like a younger sister, older
sister, like really sisterly kind of relationship that went
beyond the professional 1 where I took care of him.
I really like that because it show it humanized I in the
series and it made her like it showed the the attentiveness
that may notes in the in the novel.
So I think that was the way they kind of like showed that, but
like quickly because like you don't, they don't have as much
time as the novel did. And when he was AG in May, their
shit was weird. So there is no childhood
anything between these two because G is over A it was a
decade older than May. So like there is no childhood
any like the childhood bags are as weird.
There's no childhood back story. She was much older than May and
she was like, the reason she was May as assistant is because I
think her father assigned her to May because G was so experienced
in the company and May was brand new to the company.
So like it makes total sense that you would pair up the
newbie with somebody experienced and they can like learn from
each other kind of stuff. So that totally made sense.
But like they and they had more of a friendlier relationship
despite the age gap like and G and I do interact.
So that's something that does happen and I becomes friendly
with G and. Is that's how.
The Oriana numbers get slipped because I think I picks up G
from I think I and May meet secretly for like 5 seconds at a
restaurant or something like in in like the parking lot or
something. And then like G comes out super
drunk and like can't stand. And then I happened to be there
because she was secretly meeting May and then offers to drive her
home because she's like you, I'm worried about you and you should
not be getting in a car right now.
So get in my car. I'll just take you home.
She knew who I was. She's like, oh, you're the, you
know, business woman. Like I'll say you.
And so she is very drunk and in the car and I just casually
having a conversation with her. And that's when she casually
drops the Oriana bidding numbers and she like feeds it into G's
drunk brain. And so then later when she's
sobering up, like the next day or a couple days later, she
finally realizes she has the numbers, tells May.
And then May does use them. But like, comes out at the end.
I being like, yeah, I knew that was going to happen.
I wanted you to have the numbers.
I wanted you to win like. Because I told you I didn't
give. A shit about the business.
I really, at the end of the day, I cared more about you.
And so I do like the way all of that played out in the novel
too. And like, it was very funny that
she fed G the number, but their age difference makes it funnier
because she's like, you're the experienced one and then you
kind of fell for this trick from I, which was really funny.
But overall? That was a very fun novel.
I really enjoyed it. So again, if you haven't read
it, I think it is worth reading. And there are special chapters
that on me are or publishes their own book where it's
basically like what happens after.
The greater duty bidding war, because you get a glim, you get
a hint at the end of the novel that they're going to start
working on this together, that yeah, they end up getting
married and like all this kind of stuff.
But then the special chapters really take you through the
steps of all of that and like really fleshes out their
relationship in the aftermath of all of this.
And it was really fluffy. Honestly, if you like tooth
rotting fluff, it's a tooth rotting fluff kind of book.
It's very short. And it's I really love the two
of them. So I was just like, give me
this. Also I need to read this.
It was lovely. So I really love the novel.
That's what I think about it. And before I sign off today, I
just wanted to award the Big Gay Energy award.
I'm going to give it to Kunai Wadin because she's so gay and I
just love how gay she is. I just love her.
I just love this. She's like, I own multiple gay
bars. Like she's just so blunt about
it. I love her.
I thought she was fantastic. And Maple was also a Big Gay
Energy award for just how she comes into her queerness, and I
really love that about her. I will also give a Taylor Swift
song for harmony secret the novel.
I think the Best Song that encapsulates the novel is the
song, the story of us. It's basically a very enemies to
lovers to rivals kind of story or song and the lines that I
really like that I think fit me and I is how we met and sparks
flu instantly because they look at each other and it's like
boom, they when they touch hands, you get the inner
monologue of electric shock kind of thing.
So there were sparks of flying aplenty with both of them.
And then the other lines I like are the battles in your hands
now, But I would lay my armor down if you'd if you'd rather
love than fight that. If that doesn't encapsulate I
want to eat. I don't know what doesn't.
She's like. I mean, it's in your hands.
May you tell me what you want us to do?
You want us to keep fighting or would you like us to be
girlfriends? Just you.
You decide. Oh shit, once.
Sorry, sorry, before we before we conclude one more thing I
forgot to mention. That's so great.
OK, so remember the beginning. I is obsession with Maze
nickname and she's like, I'm going to really I wait for the
day when you call me I and not Iwaneen.
The first time that may calls I by her nickname is the first
time they have sex and she it slips out and then in her in her
model gets so fun. She's like, shit, I didn't mean
to say that. And then she's like, wait, but
maybe it was a good thing I said it because she'll keep doing
what she's doing. It was hilarious, like in may
the way it was just like, Oh, and then she's like, maybe this
will get gayer if I say it again, like it was so funny.
Honestly, read it just with their their thoughts and their
bander is great. I really loved it.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this review of Harmony Secret the
novel. Let me know if I missed stuff
that what you liked about the novel comment and anything.
Please leave a comment down below wherever you're watching
this, Spotify, YouTube, hit us up on social media or come to
our Discord. There's a link in the
description where you can join and come talk about all the Thai
girl loves. And there's a Harmony Secret
channel. We got changes a bunch of shows
coming out this year that all look great.
Come talk to us over there about that too.
We're super excited for them. And if you're into the book
clubs, I'm hoping to publish a book club at least once a month.
So if you're if you want to read along and then come on the
journey, the next book club I'll be doing is the Earth by Salman,
who were also wrote Queendom. So in honor of the series
ending, I'll be discussing the novel.
So pick up a copy, read that, and until next time, hydrate for
lesbian Jesus and get it up all over the place.
Bye. And with that, we've been Big
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