part with exquisitely combined innocence and maturity. She is perfect as a young woman coming-of-age to the truths and facts of life. Her vulnerability and strength shines through as she submits herself to the emotional machinations inflicted by Martin's character Patrick. Her emotions are solid, intense and very affecting. Her acting chops slices away any doubts about her ability to portray young or adult characters. Talent-wise, she is clearly way ahead of her contemporaries." Later in 2013, she appeared in a Maalaala Mo Kaya episode titled "Krus", a story about a girl named Diana who was sold to a prostitution den by her own foster mother at a young age of 15. The episode drew a nationwide audience share of 34.2%, making it the No. 1 most watched program on March 9, according to data from Kantar Media. That same year, Montes co-starred with Enchong Dee and Enrique Gil in another television series Muling Buksan ang Puso which centers on the themes of forgiveness and second chances. Montes portrayed the role of Sarah Beltran, a role which she said in an interview was "tailor-fit" for her real age. The series ranked 10th in Top 15 programs from January to December 2013. 2014–present: Critical acclaim Montes' profile continued to grow in 2014 when she appeared as Mona Roque-Hidalgo, the lifelong loyal friend and secret admirer of Samuel, in the period drama series Ikaw Lamang where she reteamed with her Walang Hanggan leading man Coco Martin as Samuel Hidalgo / Gabriel Hidalgo. It also starred Kim Chiu as Isabelle Miravelez-Hidalgo / Andrea Hidalgo and Jake Cuenca as Franco Hidalgo. She received a nomination for Best Drama Supporting Actress in the series at the PMPC Star Awards for TV 2014. In January 2015 at the 13th Gawad Tanglaw (Gawad Tagapuring mga Akademisyan ng Aninong Gumagalaw) for television, Montes, tied with veteran actress Angel Locsin, won a Best Actress award for her role in Ikaw Lamang. During the same year, Montes completed work on Adolfo Alix Jr.'s family drama Padre de Familia, which was released on February 20, 2016, with Martin and Nora Aunor. Filming took place in Malaysia. After her character's departure from Ikaw Lamang, Montes starred in the romantic horror Halik sa Hangin with Gerald Anderson and JC de Vera. The film, under the direction of Emmanuel Quindo Palo, marked Montes' third collaboration with Palo and was theatrically released on January 28,