Love at First Touch

written by Shangpu

Genre: Romance, General Fiction

Language: Filipino, English

No. of Chapters: 47 (including Prologue and Epilogue)

Platform: Wattpad

Link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/236458720-love-at-first-touch-gorqyieds-series-3

Status: Completed

Trigger Warnings (if there are): Suicide, Verbal, Emotional, and Physical Abuse

https://www.wattpad.com/user/Shangpu

She's the breadwinner in their family, Anna Clarise Santiago. Gagawin niya ang lahat para sa kanyang pamilya, para maiahon sa kahirapan. Mahirap pero alam niya sa sarili nito na kakayanin niya.

No more happy, jolly, and funny Kristoff McQuoid Simula ng mangyari ang aksidenteng 'yon ay para na siyang nawalan ng gana sa lahat. . . Walang gana na rin mabuhay dahil sa tingin niya ay pabigat na ito sa kanyang magulang.

Anna became a caregiver, and she will be a caregiver again because of Kristoff's condition.

She felt something. He's so familiar to her like she saw him somewhere or she just imagining those things, him and her in the bed. . . Naked.

Story Description

Story Summary

The overall story is about Anna Clarise Santiago and Kristoff McQuoid, who were childhood friends who happened to cross paths with one another during their college days. Anna thought they just met, but Kristoff insisted they had already met. Anna got into an accident that caused her to have selective amnesia, making her forget Kristoff. Four years later, Anna was working as a caregiver in Canada with no memories of her past and with frequent headaches.

After receiving a message from her sister that her mother had met in an accident, she decided to go home, where she discovered that her boyfriend of three years had cheated on her with her sister and that their mother had never been in an accident.

She was then employed by the McQuoid Family as a caregiver. It was revealed that Kristoff had been involved in an accident and could not walk. Anna decided to take care of him, and from then on, their love for each other bloomed, and they had some challenges in their relationship.

Characters

Anna Clarise Santiago
Kristoff McQuoid
Annie Santiago — Anna’s younger sister
Anton Santiago — Anna’s youngest sibling
Clarisa Santiago — Anna’s mother
Samuel Santiago — Anna’s father
Marcus — Anna’s ex-boyfriend
Marina McQuoid — Kristoff’s Mother
Alex McQuoid — Kristoff’s Father
Lola Gigi — Anna’s Patient
Abby — Anna’s college friend
Maris — Anna’s workplace friend

The characters have a variety of personalities, and the writer effectively showcased the similarities between some of the related characters (e.g., Kristoff inheriting his mother’s way of speaking). There were instances where it felt like the friends were just added to say that the main character has a friend.

The writer was also able to show character development. One example is Anna’s siblings. Initially, they felt like a carbon copy of her annoying mother, but eventually, they changed and appreciated their sister.

Overall, the characters are good and have distinct voices.

Most Favorite Character

My most favorite is Anton Santiago, Anna’s brother. He is sweet and does his best to study. He is an accurate representation of most college students nowadays. He appreciates what Anna does for their family and has been honest with her about his failing grades. He was a breath of fresh air when it came to Anna’s family.

Least Favorite Character

My least favorite character is Clarisa Santiago, Anna’s mother. Something in me was triggered when I read her lines and saw how she treats Anna. She is the biggest gaslighter and has mastered guilt-tripping. I also hate how she verbally and physically abuses Anna. She blames everything on Anna even though our girly did not do anything or it was not her fault.

Highlights (Scenes I liked the most)

First is that seaside scene where Kristoff brushes off the sand on Anna’s body. It was cute, and I like that he got shy and how it ended looking (Kristoff hands in Anna’s ass to clean off the sand).

Another one is when Kristoff shaved his head to show his support for Anna. Anna was diagnosed with a tumor in her brain, underwent chemotherapy, and lost a lot of hair. I wasn’t really expecting that Kristoff would do that, and I find it selfless and sweet, a kind of love that is rare to find today.

It also touched my heart when Annie thanked Anna for everything she did for their family before her surgery. It was nice to see that she was finally receiving the appreciation she deserved.

I will also add how the story was concluded because it was very satisfying to see the two finally getting happy after everything they went through. It was a really rough road for them, so they really deserved it!

Observation (As a writer)

According to the description, it was the first draft, so be understanding when it comes to technicalities and errors. However, it still has a long way to go when it comes to technicalities (I saw some errors in spelling, verb tenses, use of ng and nang, and some ungrammatical sentence structures). Some parts are predictable and are commonly seen in romance stories, but the writer was still able to trigger emotions effectively.

There were instances where it felt like the writer was still establishing some of the character’s personality as the story continued.

The writer was able to start and conclude the story nicely. Despite time skips and fast-forwards, the pace did not feel rushed.

Overall, it was a really good story to add to your reading list.

Emotional Impact (What I felt reading it)

The first few chapters really triggered me. It was able to accurately depict the toxic common belief that the eldest child should bear responsibility once the provider is gone. The words said by Anna’s mother irked me. I hate her so much that I wanted to hop on the screen and strangle her (do not do this to others; violence is never the answer). I hated how her mother gaslighted and guilt-tripped her. To simply say, what stirs my emotions the most are the scenes involving her mother abusing her and her kindness.

As I mentioned above, this is a satisfying read. From the build-up of too much pain and sadness caused by the challenges they faced to a happy ending where they built a happy family of their own, it was heartwarming to know that after everything Anna experienced, she was still able to achieve happiness.