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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
A slowwwww burn that sizzled in the best way. My heart hasn’t felt so warm at the end of a book in a long time.
Hmm.. what’s the best way to write this review? Let me tell you all the things I typically can’t stand in other books that this book did right!
1. A suuperrr slow burn - this done with the wrong writer can bore me to death, the romance that comes after usually feels to short. ⭐️ THIS book got it right. The burn was burnnninngg. The romance was perfect. The payoff was perfect. The love was real and built on such great foundation.
2. Fame - anything about fame or famous people in contemporary fiction will usually make me cringe. It is always done so ridiculously and so unbelievably. ⭐️THIS book weaved that aspect in perfectly. It still felt real.
3. Single parent/children - I hate when kids are written into stories and not written properly or like they hold no importance. I also can’t stand when the expectations of parenting are so low and unrealistic. ⭐️ THIS book displayed beautiful parent (step parent) and child relationships and dynamics. They were so realistic.
4. Grumpy/sunshine trope. There is a difference between being grumpy and being a dick. There is a difference between being sunshine and being completely oblivious. ⭐️ THIS book had two love interests who were smart, capable, respectful and just so fun to connect to.
I mean listen, Mariana Zapata can write her butt off. She turned so many things I dislike into a book that I loved. She wrote a 600 page romance novel that I ate all the way up.
☔️ If there are any dislikes I can muster up: ☔️
1. It was sooooo long for a romance novel. The ending dragged a bit. I do think some scenes throughout could have been left out and the story wouldn’t have lost much.
2. The way her “past” relationship issues kept popping up felt a bit like overkill at times. Like we get it - you were great, he sucked, he regrets losing you. Let us move on.
3. I did cringe a bit at some of Ora’s actions when I read from the lens that she was nearly 34 years old. I mentally changed her age to like.. 27 so I could get more on board with her mindset and actions. She just did not read as a 33/34 year old. She wasn’t immature…. just… not 33/34.
All of those combined detracted a star for me, but no other real complaints.
Overall, so glad I read this. This one warmed my heart in the absolute best way
Hmm.. what’s the best way to write this review? Let me tell you all the things I typically can’t stand in other books that this book did right!
1. A suuperrr slow burn - this done with the wrong writer can bore me to death, the romance that comes after usually feels to short. ⭐️ THIS book got it right. The burn was burnnninngg. The romance was perfect. The payoff was perfect. The love was real and built on such great foundation.
2. Fame - anything about fame or famous people in contemporary fiction will usually make me cringe. It is always done so ridiculously and so unbelievably. ⭐️THIS book weaved that aspect in perfectly. It still felt real.
3. Single parent/children - I hate when kids are written into stories and not written properly or like they hold no importance. I also can’t stand when the expectations of parenting are so low and unrealistic. ⭐️ THIS book displayed beautiful parent (step parent) and child relationships and dynamics. They were so realistic.
4. Grumpy/sunshine trope. There is a difference between being grumpy and being a dick. There is a difference between being sunshine and being completely oblivious. ⭐️ THIS book had two love interests who were smart, capable, respectful and just so fun to connect to.
I mean listen, Mariana Zapata can write her butt off. She turned so many things I dislike into a book that I loved. She wrote a 600 page romance novel that I ate all the way up.
☔️ If there are any dislikes I can muster up: ☔️
1. It was sooooo long for a romance novel. The ending dragged a bit. I do think some scenes throughout could have been left out and the story wouldn’t have lost much.
2. The way her “past” relationship issues kept popping up felt a bit like overkill at times. Like we get it - you were great, he sucked, he regrets losing you. Let us move on.
3. I did cringe a bit at some of Ora’s actions when I read from the lens that she was nearly 34 years old. I mentally changed her age to like.. 27 so I could get more on board with her mindset and actions. She just did not read as a 33/34 year old. She wasn’t immature…. just… not 33/34.
All of those combined detracted a star for me, but no other real complaints.
Overall, so glad I read this. This one warmed my heart in the absolute best way
This was really cute! I didn't like the story quite as much as The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, but I liked the fmc immediately. She's spunky, confident, hilarious, and smart!
I really liked the found family in this. I loved Yuki, Clara, Johnny, the brief meeting we get of Billy and Sofie, and of course, Amos. I love how unconventional their family structure is, and I love how their family was borne from best friends wanting to help each other out. Ora's befriending everyone was so sweet and refreshing. I love how undeterred she is by Rhodes' grumpy mood and Amos' shyness. I wish I were as impervious as she is to other people's emotions. She's emotionally aware, but doesn't let people get her down. She talks about how she let the Jones's get to her, which totally makes sense. But I liked how confident and inspired she is in starting her life over. I do feel like Ora's character arc is a little more subtle than Rhodes', and more subtle than Vanessa's in TWoWaM (who started out much more insecure than Ora does). I love how Zapata depicts of grief in this book, too. Ora's losing her mom and not 100% knowing how is heartbreaking. I love how she gets closure at the end, but also, there's nuance in how she processes the news. It brings up a bunch of tough feelings and she talks about how she can be totally fine, but then there could be one little thing that affects her unexpectedly. That sounds so realistic.
I also really liked how she stuck it to Mrs. Jones and Kaden, especially the former. The meeting in the diner was so satisfying and all the times she hangs up on Mrs. Jones. Man, Kaden had some balls for going after Ora in front of Rhodes, with him RIGHT THERE. Ora spent a lot of time admiring Rhodes' formidable, strong, athletic figure. I can't believe how much of a manipulative, unfeeling bitch Kaden's mother is, and how Kaden is so helpless. I can't lie that I got a lot of vicarious satisfaction in knowing that Kaden's albums since they shoved Ora out tanked.
Oh, I also love that he has silver hair and his hair started turning silver young. He sounded so HOT. I also love that he's a game warden. Honestly, I'd never heard of that title before. But I love how unafraid of the wild he is and how knowledgeable he is of outdoor sports and activities. When he rescues Ora after her treacherous hike, my heart melted. He's a gem. Also, even earlier when he helps clean her up after she scrapes herself up on the ridge. Ooh and when she comes across a very underwhelming lake after a very hard hike -- I can relate to that! Rhodes' father is a piece of work. I am glad the story didn't focus as much on rehabilitating the relationship between Rhodes' father and Rhodes and Amos. He was just unpleasant. But, I guess, at least he was trying. I was really sad for Rhodes when we heard about how he was raised -- his mother was volatile and probably undiagnosed bipolar (per Rhodes' speculations), and we see his father... I think it was also an interesting choice not to include Rhodes' biological brothers on page, which only emphasizes the whole found family trope even more.
Something I've noticed about how Zapata writes is that her characters hint at some past trauma or acute event that led to the current plot events. However, the reader doesn't receive a straightforward explanation until fairly far into the story. I remember when I was listening to TWoWaM I thought I'd missed something, but realized that the author was doing this on purpose. It does create a certain level of tension/mystery.
Amos was such a cute character! I loved watching him grow and blossom. I think Zapata did a great job of giving a feel for him through descriptions and implications. So much about him was communicated through Zapata's descriptions of his body language and I loved that. Gee how many times can I say "I loved xyz"...
I really liked so many aspects of this story, but I didn't get that 5⭐️ feel. Not 100% sure why. I still had a really fun time while listening
Spoiler
I also loved that she's in her 30's and Rhodes is in his 40's. I also loved the setting of this one; the fact that so much revolves around outdoor activities really drew me in. That said, I'm such a sucker for a jock boyfriend. I love sports romances. That's probably why I can binge multiple books in a row about a whole hockey team (like Meghan Quinn's Vancouver Agitators series). In general, I think I expected Zapata's books to be a little more serious, like The Boys of Tommen series. I'm not really sure why, but the titles just sound kind of serious? Especially TWoWaM.I really liked the found family in this. I loved Yuki, Clara, Johnny, the brief meeting we get of Billy and Sofie, and of course, Amos. I love how unconventional their family structure is, and I love how their family was borne from best friends wanting to help each other out. Ora's befriending everyone was so sweet and refreshing. I love how undeterred she is by Rhodes' grumpy mood and Amos' shyness. I wish I were as impervious as she is to other people's emotions. She's emotionally aware, but doesn't let people get her down. She talks about how she let the Jones's get to her, which totally makes sense. But I liked how confident and inspired she is in starting her life over. I do feel like Ora's character arc is a little more subtle than Rhodes', and more subtle than Vanessa's in TWoWaM (who started out much more insecure than Ora does). I love how Zapata depicts of grief in this book, too. Ora's losing her mom and not 100% knowing how is heartbreaking. I love how she gets closure at the end, but also, there's nuance in how she processes the news. It brings up a bunch of tough feelings and she talks about how she can be totally fine, but then there could be one little thing that affects her unexpectedly. That sounds so realistic.
I also really liked how she stuck it to Mrs. Jones and Kaden, especially the former. The meeting in the diner was so satisfying and all the times she hangs up on Mrs. Jones. Man, Kaden had some balls for going after Ora in front of Rhodes, with him RIGHT THERE. Ora spent a lot of time admiring Rhodes' formidable, strong, athletic figure. I can't believe how much of a manipulative, unfeeling bitch Kaden's mother is, and how Kaden is so helpless. I can't lie that I got a lot of vicarious satisfaction in knowing that Kaden's albums since they shoved Ora out tanked.
Oh, I also love that he has silver hair and his hair started turning silver young. He sounded so HOT. I also love that he's a game warden. Honestly, I'd never heard of that title before. But I love how unafraid of the wild he is and how knowledgeable he is of outdoor sports and activities. When he rescues Ora after her treacherous hike, my heart melted. He's a gem. Also, even earlier when he helps clean her up after she scrapes herself up on the ridge. Ooh and when she comes across a very underwhelming lake after a very hard hike -- I can relate to that! Rhodes' father is a piece of work. I am glad the story didn't focus as much on rehabilitating the relationship between Rhodes' father and Rhodes and Amos. He was just unpleasant. But, I guess, at least he was trying. I was really sad for Rhodes when we heard about how he was raised -- his mother was volatile and probably undiagnosed bipolar (per Rhodes' speculations), and we see his father... I think it was also an interesting choice not to include Rhodes' biological brothers on page, which only emphasizes the whole found family trope even more.
Something I've noticed about how Zapata writes is that her characters hint at some past trauma or acute event that led to the current plot events. However, the reader doesn't receive a straightforward explanation until fairly far into the story. I remember when I was listening to TWoWaM I thought I'd missed something, but realized that the author was doing this on purpose. It does create a certain level of tension/mystery.
Amos was such a cute character! I loved watching him grow and blossom. I think Zapata did a great job of giving a feel for him through descriptions and implications. So much about him was communicated through Zapata's descriptions of his body language and I loved that. Gee how many times can I say "I loved xyz"...
I really liked so many aspects of this story, but I didn't get that 5⭐️ feel. Not 100% sure why. I still had a really fun time while listening
funny
hopeful
4.5 ⭐️
My first Mariana Zapata read and wow!! This is a slowwww burn. I don’t usually enjoy them but this one is so well written I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. Seeing Rhodes warm up to Aurora then let her in, while she was also building a relationship with his son meant more than any spicy scene in this book. The character development for Rhodes and Aurora was unmatched. Can’t go wrong with the grumpy sunshine trope. Super excited to read some of her other work.
My first Mariana Zapata read and wow!! This is a slowwww burn. I don’t usually enjoy them but this one is so well written I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. Seeing Rhodes warm up to Aurora then let her in, while she was also building a relationship with his son meant more than any spicy scene in this book. The character development for Rhodes and Aurora was unmatched. Can’t go wrong with the grumpy sunshine trope. Super excited to read some of her other work.
i said it has been a journey to get my hands on this book and gotta admit that i think it came in divine timing. don’t think i would’ve received it as i had if it had come any earlier. overall felt more than a simple romance book for a variety of reasons. one of the many being how well mz wrote about grief and bereavement. also, it was very transparent that she lives in CO herself based on how realistically she built the setting. anyways, long story short, i loved it.
mariana zapata you are the GOAT of romance books. slow burn is a non-negotiable for me when i’m deciding if i like a romance book or not. it just makes everything a million times better.
i have very few complaints. it was perfectly paced. i felt every emotion under the sun. the characters were a joy to get to know. i loooooved it.
the one thing i will say - and it’s barely anything tbh - is that i hate made up song lyrics in books. if i can’t actually hear how they sound, they come off as cringe to me
i have very few complaints. it was perfectly paced. i felt every emotion under the sun. the characters were a joy to get to know. i loooooved it.
the one thing i will say - and it’s barely anything tbh - is that i hate made up song lyrics in books. if i can’t actually hear how they sound, they come off as cringe to me
emotional
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:
Complicated
I fear it was not the right time for me to read this. I’ve heard so many great things about the magic of Zapata’s slow burns but this wasn’t hitting for me. And it wasn’t even the slow burn of; the grumpiness was leaning towards genuine rudeness and I couldn’t connect with Aurora. Amos, however, was an outstanding side character, much love to him, I just love kids in books.
I’m also not the biggest fan of her writing style, yes it’s slow and yes it’s very descriptive (which I tend to skim in contemporary romance - sue me!) but more importantly, sentences were clunky and there was a lot of repetition.
Felling like I need to add some positive feedback to justify my ranking and enjoyment, I am someone who enjoys ‘no-plot’ novels that depict seemingly meaningless situations that show the characters’ growth and development, so parts of that I really enjoyed.
I’m also not the biggest fan of her writing style, yes it’s slow and yes it’s very descriptive (which I tend to skim in contemporary romance - sue me!) but more importantly, sentences were clunky and there was a lot of repetition.
Felling like I need to add some positive feedback to justify my ranking and enjoyment, I am someone who enjoys ‘no-plot’ novels that depict seemingly meaningless situations that show the characters’ growth and development, so parts of that I really enjoyed.
emotional
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:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Cute story but dragged on a bit. I think it could have been shorter but i recognize I’m not a slow burn type of person.