***didedikasikan untuk buku nona Jessie yang baru saja terbit. berhubung diterbangkan jauh jauh ke Singapura dengan sekotak cokelat berbentuk hati bertuliskan 'soulmate', saya merasa perlu untuk membagi keindahan buku ini dengan kalian. pindah ke bahasa enggres yes.

picture a Nadya Samuella. pretty fashion editor in her mid-20s. bright. young. radiant. beautiful. smart. everything but wise when it comes to meeting man. got dumped after a relatively long relationship with a guy who cheated and impregnated another girl. physically abused by the second man in line. attempted to kiss a bunch of frogs but none turned into prince. just to realized that her other half was a long time virtual comprende that listen to her heavings 24-7 and resides 900 km away. or at least that what she thought.

Ida Bagus Oka is a regular guy, graphic designer cum frontman of The Squad, an indie rock band from Bali. he's dark and mysterious, but his gentle soul and comforting words never ceased to swept Nadya's feet away. and she fell for him. and so did he. until a well-kept ugly truth surfaced and created turmoil in Nadya's life.

soulmate.com is a pretty good debut novel. i have always admire Jessie's way of writing; beautiful yet powerful. she's one of a few who can create glowing sentences without lacking of meanings. you'll find several punchline that makes you giggle to your worst or nearly choked to death. written from a girl's point of view, but i feel Oka's character is somehow stronger and more dominant than Nadya. i absolutely love her bitchy bestfriend's character, i wonder who she based it upon.

first part of the story is a tad long winding, but was helped with charming wordplay along first 7 chapters. it escalates faster as Nadya - Oka's relationship occured into unprecedented climax. i expect a more collaborative ending -may it needs 2-3 more pages- but surely there's nothing better than a well-done closure.

on a physical being, i hate the design. period. too simple and not as eye catchy. too few blurps and even that is hard to read -as well as the synopsis. although this book aimed for more mature crowd, i'd still think the cover should be anything but plain. size is slightly too long and fonts is a tad big. i know i know, i sound very technical. but it's really something that have degraded a five-star book into a four. so sorry Jessie, this is the best rate i could give.

i can see this book as one long labour of love, which represented not only Jessie's work but also heaps of help from her friends. this really shows good things happen best when you have supports from your inner circle. congratulation for having this beautiful baby and wonderful comerades to support you, Jessie. you are one lucky soul. :)