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medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
This read was disappointing on many levels, mainly that 1) it was my first read of 2025 and left me feeling massively underwhelmed/unexcited about reading more, and 2) I LOVE the other Mariana Zapata book I’ve previously read (The Wall of Winnipeg and Me) yet this one felt like it fell so short of her normal writing quality. I don’t know how it got through editing like this, honestly.
Things I did like about the book:
•teenaged characters actually acted like teenagers
•Zapata’s depiction of the fallout of dealing with narcissistic/self-centered adults and parental figures was handled well and in a realistic manner (the scenes whereOra confronted Mrs. Jones in the diner and later told Kaden to leave her alone once and for all were very satisfying for me, as someone who has had to deal with similar personalities before ).
Things I did not like about the book:
•non-teenaged characters also acted like teenagers; namely, Ora was incredibly immature and WAY overly emotional, to the point of being worrisome. She’d get teary-eyed and gushy about absolutely everything. No one could even pay her a nice, normal compliment without her crying out that it was “the nicest thing anyone ever said” to her and hugging them while snotting on their shirt collar. I get that she’s supposed to be this cutesy, bubbly, sunshine-y person, but… she’s also a 33 year old woman. Take it down a notch or ten. If I knew anyone like this in real life, especially at that age, I’d seriously worry about their mental health.
•The repetition and inconsistencies in the writing. We are told so many times about how 1) Kaden was a bad boyfriend/life partner/whatever they were, 2) Mrs. Jones is the Antichrist, 3) Ora has to pee, 4) Rhodes is grumpy, 5) Ora doesn’t know anything about the outdoors despite wanting to go hiking all the time and working at an outdoors supply store, 6) Ora somehow thinks Rhodes barely tolerates her even after he starts calling her “angel” (the only GOOD nickname he calls her, btw - we’ll get to that)… the list goes on and on. I felt like we were being beaten over the head with certain pieces of information and it felt almost insulting. There was a lot, and I mean a LOT, of telling rather than showing. As for inconsistencies, they were fairly minor - little things like her telling Rhodes at their first meeting that she’d only ever gotten one traffic ticket in her lifetime (in an attempt to convince him she wasn’t a criminal, which, to be fair, he did think she was breaking into his garage at the time) then musing a few chapters later about how she’d never gotten a traffic ticket despite the fact that she usually drove above the speed limit (a random piece of information that we didn’t need to know, and also, is apparently untrue, assuming she was telling Rhodes the truth earlier in the book - and why would she lie to him about having only gotten one ticket if she’d never actually gotten any??). But there was alsothe matter of her swearing she’d never do a certain hike by herself again after getting injured on her first attempt, only for her to… do the same hike by herself again later in the book. Then run into Rhodes’ arms after she finished it and cry to him about how she was so scared the whole time (then WHY did you DO IT????). Just… ugh. Make it make sense.
•The nicknames, oh my god. Yikes. Rhodes calling her “angel” was fine, and I even thought it was cute (at first) that she just thought he’d misremembered her name and corrected him, but the whole ditzy “I didn’t know you were calling me an affectionate nickname this whole time!!!” thing got old real fast. And then he started calling her *shudders* Buddy…. now THAT was the most cringeworthy thing I’ve read in a while.And his explanation for it is totally lame. She reminds him of Buddy the Elf??? I mean, yeah, given her immaturity, I can kind of see it, but then why is he attracted to her?????? Maybe I’m blowing this out of proportion but it just gave me the ick. I’d love never to see the word “buddy” again in my life.
•all spoilers (and lots of capslock) ahead:THE THIRD ACT ARGUMENT OVER SOMETHING TOTALLY STUPID AND LAME. UGH. PLEASE LET THIS TROPE DIE. I was so mad about this. Rhodes and Amos find out the ex that Ora had alluded to is actually big country music star Kaden Jones. And instead of processing that information normally, they…. both get super pissed off and stop talking to her for like 24 hours??? WHAT??? “Oh you lied to us” NO SHE DIDN’T! YOU NEVER ASKED HER WHO HER EX WAS!! SHE’S ONLY KNOWN YOU FOR SIX MONTHS!!! IT WAS A TRAUMATIC BREAK UP SITUATION FOR HER!!!!! SHE DOESN’T OWE YOU THAT INFORMATION!!!!!! I literally set the book down, turned to my husband next to me in bed, and asked him if he’d be pissed if, six months into our relationship, I had revealed that my ex was actually Harry Styles. He shrugged and said “I’d be curious how that happened, but I wouldn’t be mad about it” and I said EXACTLY!!! THERE’S NOTHING TO BE MAD ABOUT!!!!!! AAAAAAAAUGHHHH. Needless to say, I hated that part.
•way, way too many mentions of pee, diarrhea, and farts. Like what the hell. Do people actually find that funny?
I could keep going, but this review is long enough. If you’re new to Mariana Zapata, do yourself a favor and skip this one. Read The Wall of Winnipeg and Me - it’s actually good and has great character development. Nothing at all like this one.
Things I did like about the book:
•teenaged characters actually acted like teenagers
•Zapata’s depiction of the fallout of dealing with narcissistic/self-centered adults and parental figures was handled well and in a realistic manner (the scenes where
Things I did not like about the book:
•non-teenaged characters also acted like teenagers; namely, Ora was incredibly immature and WAY overly emotional, to the point of being worrisome. She’d get teary-eyed and gushy about absolutely everything. No one could even pay her a nice, normal compliment without her crying out that it was “the nicest thing anyone ever said” to her and hugging them while snotting on their shirt collar. I get that she’s supposed to be this cutesy, bubbly, sunshine-y person, but… she’s also a 33 year old woman. Take it down a notch or ten. If I knew anyone like this in real life, especially at that age, I’d seriously worry about their mental health.
•The repetition and inconsistencies in the writing. We are told so many times about how 1) Kaden was a bad boyfriend/life partner/whatever they were, 2) Mrs. Jones is the Antichrist, 3) Ora has to pee, 4) Rhodes is grumpy, 5) Ora doesn’t know anything about the outdoors despite wanting to go hiking all the time and working at an outdoors supply store, 6) Ora somehow thinks Rhodes barely tolerates her even after he starts calling her “angel” (the only GOOD nickname he calls her, btw - we’ll get to that)… the list goes on and on. I felt like we were being beaten over the head with certain pieces of information and it felt almost insulting. There was a lot, and I mean a LOT, of telling rather than showing. As for inconsistencies, they were fairly minor - little things like her telling Rhodes at their first meeting that she’d only ever gotten one traffic ticket in her lifetime (in an attempt to convince him she wasn’t a criminal, which, to be fair, he did think she was breaking into his garage at the time) then musing a few chapters later about how she’d never gotten a traffic ticket despite the fact that she usually drove above the speed limit (a random piece of information that we didn’t need to know, and also, is apparently untrue, assuming she was telling Rhodes the truth earlier in the book - and why would she lie to him about having only gotten one ticket if she’d never actually gotten any??). But there was also
•The nicknames, oh my god. Yikes. Rhodes calling her “angel” was fine, and I even thought it was cute (at first) that she just thought he’d misremembered her name and corrected him, but the whole ditzy “I didn’t know you were calling me an affectionate nickname this whole time!!!” thing got old real fast. And then he started calling her *shudders* Buddy…. now THAT was the most cringeworthy thing I’ve read in a while.
•all spoilers (and lots of capslock) ahead:
•way, way too many mentions of pee, diarrhea, and farts. Like what the hell. Do people actually find that funny?
I could keep going, but this review is long enough. If you’re new to Mariana Zapata, do yourself a favor and skip this one. Read The Wall of Winnipeg and Me - it’s actually good and has great character development. Nothing at all like this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Mental illness, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was my first Mariana Zapata book and I couldn’t stop reading, I loved it so much! I can’t wait to read more of her books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death of parent
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
it was pretty good once it got going, BUT GOODNESS DID IT TAKE WAY TOO LONG TO BE INTERESTING. almost dnf just because the plot was was too slow and uneventful in the beginning-middle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very cute. I felt the love was real because it took a while to develop. Even though the book is quite long, I never got bored.
I would love to be able to get something like what Aurora and Rhodes have 😔🫶
I would love to be able to get something like what Aurora and Rhodes have 😔🫶
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Mental illness, Sexual content, Pregnancy
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Pregnancy
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Loved the slowburn romance!! I felt like there was a lot of attention put towards the motivations of the characters and a natural, healthy development towards the romance in the book. I also adored the found family aspect! My only gripe is that the very ending felt very... rushed? Like a bunch of buildup to a conflict that lasted a minute and then chased quickly with THEE love confession. It felt like the impact of it all faltered a little bit from the whiplash. Also I felt that the hiking/song writing would be more central into the MCs development with discovering her "purpose"--instead it turns out it was more so solved by settling down with Rhodes and just buying her friend's business. Which was sweet considering the context of her previous relationship, but overall felt a little lackluster compared to the first 3rd of the book and what I felt it was building towards. Also in terms of the MCs closure for her mother, I felt like maybe when reading her journals she could've found an entry/missing page or something that would have hinted that what had *happened* was not on purpose. For some reason, even after her mother's remains being found, I still felt like there was this shrou of mystery surrounding what had really happened. Though, I understand that the not knowing what really happened, but having faith that it was not intenional is a part of the MCs development and closure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wasn’t sure I still enjoyed audiobooks; if they could keep me interested and focused on listening and Im unsure why I started with the 17hrs long one, but I don’t regret it at all. The narrator’s voices are soothing (Rhodes voice especially so) and the pace wasn’t a problem (though I do read much faster alone).
Regarding the work itself: I liked and resonated with the lovable characters and felt neutral about the writing style (maybe a bit too humorous for me- especially the pee-comments got annoying?) furthermore I enjoyed the pace very much.
The biggest shortcoming in my opinion would be that I missed some scenes or felt like they got cut short (the first meetings with THE FAMILY?! There are so many opportunities for insight into their character development and impact on each other I was so sure we were going to get an arc there and thus felt robbed -I still can’t believe we never actually got an interaction between all three of the parents??).
And on opposite side of the spectrum some aspects of her life got highlighted a bit too much for my liking: her job, the peeing (I get that that’s an inside joke, but at some point I tired of it) and her grieving her mother after her remains had been found (don’t know why that bothered me so much, but I felt like that didn’t fit into the story- at least at that point- and I heard it at 2 times the speed).
I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t ground breaking and I don’t know if I’d confidently recommend it tbh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Suicide, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Something I appreciate when it comes to Mariana's books is the way she does not sugarcoat things or try describing her FMCs as though they're flawless or p💩💩p rainbows. I also LOVE her talent for crafting the most amazing slow burns of all time! And being a sucker for that trope, I know where to go when I'm in the mood for one ❤
Rhodes breathed and exhaled grumpiness 🤣 I kid you not, his grumpiness was OFF THE CHARTS!! I've honestly never read about a character as miserable as he was 😭 what I love most about similar characters is the way they love and give endlessly when they allow themselves to actually live instead of just survive. Tobias was never really taught how to love and be loved, yet he somehow succeeded in being such a caring and protective dad 😭❤
Aurora was such a blabbermouth 🤣 I've never seen a character that talked as much as her!! But I guess that was part of what made her who she was. She couldn't stay silent for more than a second, but she also had pretty much no filter, and people like her are usually the ones you don't have to worry about because they wear their hearts on their sleeves. She was stubborn as a mule too, and when she went on those hikes in homage to her late mother, I couldn't help but think she was NUTS but I certainly admired her determination as well ❤
I love me a good slow burn with a pinch of found family, realistic depictions of human beings' complex emotions, and how they don't actually smell like roses after a long hike or a fishing trip 🤣
Rhodes breathed and exhaled grumpiness 🤣 I kid you not, his grumpiness was OFF THE CHARTS!! I've honestly never read about a character as miserable as he was 😭 what I love most about similar characters is the way they love and give endlessly when they allow themselves to actually live instead of just survive. Tobias was never really taught how to love and be loved, yet he somehow succeeded in being such a caring and protective dad 😭❤
Aurora was such a blabbermouth 🤣 I've never seen a character that talked as much as her!! But I guess that was part of what made her who she was. She couldn't stay silent for more than a second, but she also had pretty much no filter, and people like her are usually the ones you don't have to worry about because they wear their hearts on their sleeves. She was stubborn as a mule too, and when she went on those hikes in homage to her late mother, I couldn't help but think she was NUTS but I certainly admired her determination as well ❤
I love me a good slow burn with a pinch of found family, realistic depictions of human beings' complex emotions, and how they don't actually smell like roses after a long hike or a fishing trip 🤣
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent