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lizzieb29's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia
louisa_pennyfeather2021's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Mariana always completely ruins my expectations for love. I'm a hopeless romantic now. Me and my bleeding heart are in shambles.
In all seriousness, it's a great book. I started reading it because of my love for football and Mariana's work. I love how(like in so much of Mariana's work) each character has depth and purpose. The real world details factored into this fictional romance adds some flare. I really enjoyed this read.
In all seriousness, it's a great book. I started reading it because of my love for football and Mariana's work. I love how(like in so much of Mariana's work) each character has depth and purpose. The real world details factored into this fictional romance adds some flare. I really enjoyed this read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Addiction, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Car accident, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
booknerdbetty's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
3.25
So many people have recommended this book to me, and I enjoyed it, but it definitely could’ve used more work.
Things I liked - slow burn to build an emotional connection, showing their growing love through their actions in the second half of the book, character background, and more.
Room for improvement - There were typos, easy grammar mistakes, using a similar-sounding word instead of the word that should’ve been used (think of using excess instead of access; that’s not an exact example from the book, but along those lines). The first 48% of the book also just seemed to be internal monologue and setting the scene - I really think it could’ve been condensed down to about 6 chapters maximum, and improved a lot with more editing. There was also frequent underlying or blatant misogyny, sexual assault, and fatphobia.
Things I liked - slow burn to build an emotional connection, showing their growing love through their actions in the second half of the book, character background, and more.
Room for improvement - There were typos, easy grammar mistakes, using a similar-sounding word instead of the word that should’ve been used (think of using excess instead of access; that’s not an exact example from the book, but along those lines). The first 48% of the book also just seemed to be internal monologue and setting the scene - I really think it could’ve been condensed down to about 6 chapters maximum, and improved a lot with more editing. There was also frequent underlying or blatant misogyny, sexual assault, and fatphobia.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
victorianbsilva's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Fatphobia, Medical content, Sexual content, and Body shaming
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
a99's review against another edition
DNFing as an act of self care. I don’t know if this book has been seen by an editor, but I think one is definitely needed because there’s SO MUCH that didn’t need to be there. I endured around 200 pages and their isn’t a single ounce of chemistry between the 2 MCs. I guess the author was trying to paint the guy as some HIMBO we’re meant to find adorable or something, but he just comes across as an unfinished character. It’s almost like this guy was a placeholder for the author to come back to once she’s figured out his personality, except she never figured it out and left it as is. Anyway I wish I was like the people that enjoyed this, and maybe it gets better as this is an almost SEVEN HUNDRED PAGE romance. However I choose to compensate for the lack of love between the main characters by loving myself, and allowing myself to lose this battle. Me: 0 Mariana: 1.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia
howlinglibraries's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
By the end of this book, I rooting for Vanessa and Aiden (more or less), and MZ's writing is very engaging and quick, but none of that is enough to fully redeem this book from how shallow I found Aiden's writing to be (he felt very flat to me for at least the first 60% of the book) and how poorly certain topics are handled, such as:
- Vanessa laughing until she cries when Aiden is groped without consent by a fan (stop normalizing the idea that it's "acceptable" or anything less than sexual assault when a man is harassed, even if he's a famous and attractive celebrity)!
- When Vanessa finds out a loved one is being abused by their significant other, her entire inner monologue for several chapters isn't "I can't believe my loved one is being abused, how can I help them?" but is instead "how dare they lie to me about this?" and is ridiculously, painfully self-absorbed and victim-shaming.
- Vanessa's older sisters are VERY abusive towards her, but Vanessa blames FASD (fetal alcohol spectrum disorders) for causing their violent and abusive tendencies, which is an immensely ableist and hurtful stereotype that a LOT of people with FASD have to deal with in the real world.
- There is a lot of fat-phobia that never gets properly addressed.
Other than feeling bad for her terrible childhood, I struggled with liking Vanessa as a character more often than not, and I couldn't bring myself to care about Aiden until waaay too far into the book. We learn some of his motives, of course, but I didn't feel that any of them ever actually explained his behavior or redeemed his treatment of Vanessa in the first half of the book. The chemistry between the two of them felt forced, and even by the time they finally got together (literally at 95% through the book — I love a slow burn, but damn), I think my emotions were less joy at seeing them confess their love for each other, and more relief at having finally finished this immensely disappointing book.
I can objectively see why so many people love this book, I think, but it didn't work as well for me as I hoped it would. If I had rated this the moment I finished the book, I might have given it 3 or 3.5 stars, but after sleeping on it, I have too many issues with it on a lot of levels, and to be totally honest, it's reminded me of why, despite loving the only other MZ book I read (Dear Aaron) years ago, I've been very hesitant to pick up more of her books. This book is older than that one was, and I'm open to trying another newer release of hers, but I think I'll probably leave Zapata's backlist alone for now.
✨ Representation: Vanessa's best friend is Latinx
✨ Content warnings for: memories of severe domestic abuse, claustrophobia, nyctophobia (extreme fear of the dark), alcoholic parents, absent parents, memories of foster homes, body-shaming, victim-shaming of domestic and sexual abuse survivors, ableism, "jokes" about sexual harassment
- Vanessa laughing until she cries when Aiden is groped without consent by a fan (stop normalizing the idea that it's "acceptable" or anything less than sexual assault when a man is harassed, even if he's a famous and attractive celebrity)!
- When Vanessa finds out a loved one is being abused by their significant other, her entire inner monologue for several chapters isn't "I can't believe my loved one is being abused, how can I help them?" but is instead "how dare they lie to me about this?" and is ridiculously, painfully self-absorbed and victim-shaming.
- Vanessa's older sisters are VERY abusive towards her, but Vanessa blames FASD (fetal alcohol spectrum disorders) for causing their violent and abusive tendencies, which is an immensely ableist and hurtful stereotype that a LOT of people with FASD have to deal with in the real world.
- There is a lot of fat-phobia that never gets properly addressed.
Other than feeling bad for her terrible childhood, I struggled with liking Vanessa as a character more often than not, and I couldn't bring myself to care about Aiden until waaay too far into the book. We learn some of his motives, of course, but I didn't feel that any of them ever actually explained his behavior or redeemed his treatment of Vanessa in the first half of the book. The chemistry between the two of them felt forced, and even by the time they finally got together (literally at 95% through the book — I love a slow burn, but damn), I think my emotions were less joy at seeing them confess their love for each other, and more relief at having finally finished this immensely disappointing book.
I can objectively see why so many people love this book, I think, but it didn't work as well for me as I hoped it would. If I had rated this the moment I finished the book, I might have given it 3 or 3.5 stars, but after sleeping on it, I have too many issues with it on a lot of levels, and to be totally honest, it's reminded me of why, despite loving the only other MZ book I read (Dear Aaron) years ago, I've been very hesitant to pick up more of her books. This book is older than that one was, and I'm open to trying another newer release of hers, but I think I'll probably leave Zapata's backlist alone for now.
✨ Representation: Vanessa's best friend is Latinx
✨ Content warnings for: memories of severe domestic abuse, claustrophobia, nyctophobia (extreme fear of the dark), alcoholic parents, absent parents, memories of foster homes, body-shaming, victim-shaming of domestic and sexual abuse survivors, ableism, "jokes" about sexual harassment
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Ableism
thefatpaperback's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Fatphobia and Body shaming
charm0nix's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Fatphobia
eddine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i am so sad that i finished this book!!!
AIDEN MF GRAVES
the slow burn was done soooo goood it was so fcknn worth it when they finally got together at the end. the way this book awaken the butterflies in my stomach!!!!
i love it. i loved the time i was reading this book.
i ddnt expect me to love this book dude
AIDEN MF GRAVES
the slow burn was done soooo goood it was so fcknn worth it when they finally got together at the end. the way this book awaken the butterflies in my stomach!!!!
i love it. i loved the time i was reading this book.
i ddnt expect me to love this book dude
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
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