Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Kulti

What happens when the man you idolized as a kid becomes one of the newest coaches for your team? There was a reason Salomé Casillas (Sal) is passionate about soccer and everyone in her family knows it’s because of her admiration for Reiner “The King” Kulti, international Soccer Star and now Assistant Coach for the Houston Pipers - Sal’s team.

Sal had long abandoned her childhood crush on Kulti until she comes face-to-face with him, spending hours everyday training and practicing near/with him. But Kulti is not quite the man she remembers fan-girling over; not to mention his grumpy demeanor manages to draw her ire on a consistent basis. She’s in for a long season ahead.

Tropes:

x Age Gap

x Coach/Player Forbidden Romance

x Friends to Lovers

x Grumpy Boy x Sunshine Girl

My Review:

This is the fourth book by Mariana Zapata I’ve read and one of the earlier novels in her back catalogue I’ve finished. I realize that this book is over 500 pages, and the pace is slooowww… but it’s worth it. I’ve said this in another review of one of her other books, but in my opinion her writing is purposely crafted to show how love develops between two people in a romantic relationship through smaller gestures and actions over a longer time period. In her writing, love and romance is built in the mundane, through awkward moments and tension-filled conversations/situations.

I really enjoyed Sal & Kulti’s story in this book. I think the age gap aspect is slightly less concerning given while Kulti is 13 years her senior, we meet Sal when she’s about 27 or so. That makes this Age Gap more believable since it’s not 21/34 where those feel like very distinct and different times in someone’s life.

As with most of Zapata’s books (or at least the other 3 others I’ve read) the MMC is Grumpy while the FMC is Sunshine. I think though, Kulti’s grumpiness in this book is less concerning than I’ve seen from the other MMCs I’ve read in her other books. Especially because Sal is quick to call Kulti on his grumpy BS and stand up for others in the process. This allows for Kulti to be seen more as grumpy than a full out AHole (like some of her other MMCs).

There is another user on good reads who has a very thorough 1 ⭐️ review for this book that, in great detail, points out every (valid) plot hole in the book that, for the most part, I agree with. For me, however, those things didn’t deter the overall good time/feeling I was left with after reading this book, thus my 4.25 ⭐️ rating. But I will provide somethings that I found an issue with.

First - as with all MZ’s books, you have to really get through the first 25% before the book really picks up. This is not a fantasy, but I feel like MZ is trying to build a world for the reader where these characters exist. And yes, thats ok, but she spends an inordinate amount of time on silly things such as how Sal has to imagine her idol through an “Everybody Poops” lens so as to manage her fangirl emotions. Like, yes, cool. But I think she over does it, like alot.

Second, I need blinking to not be the only nonverbal form of communication that MZ provides on the page. Like, stared, smoldered, *something” other than blinking or blinked. I feel this is very overused in this and some of her other books.

Third, some of the more medically accurate descriptions of body parts during the intimate scene that happens well after the 90% point of the book. Like, yes, slow burn is burnin’! But - the words used can really take you out of a story. When you get there, you’ll know.

Other than this, I genuinely enjoyed this story and book.

Content Warnings

kirstenpod_'s review against another edition

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funny lighthearted 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

4.75

Content Warnings

hapalyn's review against another edition

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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? No

5.0

Content Warnings

kiahmarieee's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I’m not a big fan of slow burns, and I’ve never read a slow burn that was so *slow*. No sex happens until mid 90%. That being said, I really enjoyed the book. The banter and tension was great. I read it super quickly and it kept my attention more than any other book I’ve read this year. I’ve been reading very spicy books the entire time I’ve been reading for fun, so me enjoying a book with not even a first kiss until 88% says a lot.

Content Warnings