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bellllssbooks's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Suicide
kjenae's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s no surprise that I rated another Mariana Zapata book more than 4 stars!
This particular slow burn brought out a plethora of emotions within me. I didn’t expect to have a full on crying session, but i did.
Diana and Dallas’s strangers to friendship to lovers development was so good! ugh.
Diana and her relationship with her boys (Louie and Joshua) is so precious. They have been through a lot together.
i almost LOST it when the epilogue took place 5 years later and i found out that Josh and Lou were older😭 like Josh became a whole teenager
This particular slow burn brought out a plethora of emotions within me. I didn’t expect to have a full on crying session, but i did.
Diana and Dallas’s strangers to friendship to lovers development was so good! ugh.
Diana and her relationship with her boys (Louie and Joshua) is so precious. They have been through a lot together.
i almost LOST it when the epilogue took place 5 years later and i found out that Josh and Lou were older😭 like Josh became a whole teenager
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Drug use
apolen's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Death, Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Sexual content
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
steelerl828's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Drug use, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Racism, Physical abuse, and Abandonment
michmoo's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Racism, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
cariam's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
So so good. I hate how quickly I read Mariana Zapata books, but I can’t put them down!
Diana is raising her two nephews after the death of her brother. While struggling with her imposter syndrome to be a good influence of them both, Diana is working full@time as a hair dresser and taking another to baseball practice or finding Louie’s missing shoes.
Somehow Mariana Zapata just knows how to capture you with the slow burn romances. There wasn’t the same kind of magnetic pull between Dallas and Diana that her other couples have, and I loved it. How they went from Dallas’s unconvinced reluctant that Diana was only@trying to sleep with the “hot baseball coach” to her being his friend, then moving into their soft relation was ✨wonderful✨. It was sweet and creeped right up on you I think it helped that through Diana’s POV, she was so distracted by everything that when she realized how much she cared for Dallas, the audience already knew how perfect they’d be together because their actions throughout the book spoke so much louder than words.
I can’t imagine taking care of any of my nieces and nephews for longer than a week, let alone imagining doing it without your sibling. 💔 this book was special
Diana is raising her two nephews after the death of her brother. While struggling with her imposter syndrome to be a good influence of them both, Diana is working full@time as a hair dresser and taking another to baseball practice or finding Louie’s missing shoes.
Somehow Mariana Zapata just knows how to capture you with the slow burn romances. There wasn’t the same kind of magnetic pull between Dallas and Diana that her other couples have, and I loved it. How they went from Dallas’s unconvinced reluctant that Diana was only@trying to sleep with the “hot baseball coach” to her being his friend, then moving into their soft relation was ✨wonderful✨. It was sweet and creeped right up on you I think it helped that through Diana’s POV, she was so distracted by everything that when she realized how much she cared for Dallas, the audience already knew how perfect they’d be together because their actions throughout the book spoke so much louder than words.
I can’t imagine taking care of any of my nieces and nephews for longer than a week, let alone imagining doing it without your sibling. 💔 this book was special
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Death, and Drug use
joice_'s review
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
first off, hated the mom. but literally everyone else love love love. first time reading a slow burn and I understand the appeal. feels more realistic and makes the moment when they get together that much better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Abandonment and Drug use
slow burnnisha_nee's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
I want you. I want your smile. Your hugs. Your love. I want your happiness. Every single thing.
Quick Stats:
Overall Rating: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Setting: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Plot and Themes: 3.5/5
Intrigue: 3.5/5
Logic: 3/5
Enjoyment: 4/5
Spice: 2/5
Review in 1 sentence: One of the most sweetest and rewarding romances I’ve read.
Mariana Zapata has done it again!!! Just like any MZ book that I’ve ever read (apart from a few outliers), I enjoyed and gobbled out this story as quickly as I could finish these mammoth books. Only MZ would I be willing to read through a 500+ pages long romance book. This wasn’t a new favorite per se but it had that signature Mariana Zapata touch with her emotional and slow-burn romances (one of the very few authors who had this trope mastered and perfected). She does well with creating strong-willed but soft-hearted heroines and big grumpy heroes with a heart of gold who slowly become smitten with the heroine and boom... IN LOVE! And the cuteness that her nephews—sons, bring to the story and every time Diana and Dallas would act as a family had my heart going uwu. But I got to admit that I did not jive well with the beginning and it’s more of a me thing than a book-thing if that’s what you’re worried about. I think that I did not just like the setup of the story, or that it wasn’t something that I’m remotely interested in. Moving houses? In a new neighborhood? Greeting neighbors with no hero action? It was all just mediocre to me so I did find it slow but when things do pick up, I was finishing this book so quickly. Diana and Dallas did not get off to a good start (hell, their meet-cute was during the middle of the night filled with awkwardness) and Dallas does have issues so there was a time when they were “estranged” at this certain level but other than that, there is no other “push/pull” with these two. It was now slow, but steady sailing. This story leans more to the sweet and heartwarming side rather than angsty but it would still leave you emotional. If you’re intimidated by the sheer size and length of this book, fear not my friend, as MZ’s writing is very easy to get through. Her heroines’ internal monologue is no-nonsense and riddled with humor and does not appear haughty or high-handed (well, in this one, it didn’t). What I appreciate in slow-burn romances, especially those written by this author, was the little things that build up the romance, it makes it all the more meaningful and when all these add up, it hits you hard in all the good places. Themes of parenthood can be seen throughout the story, a mini-discussion of what constitutes a ‘real mom’ or what does it take to be called a ‘real mom.’ Signing off, this book is included in one of the higher tiers in my imaginary MZ book ranking. And on that note, I’m so close to finishing her backlist and I don’t want to run out of her books yet
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Racism
Minor: Drug use
virgoupallnight's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, and Physical abuse
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