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zklreads's review against another edition
The basic figure skating explanations were annoying
nikki_amanda's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
haleymfischer's review against another edition
2.0
As an avid romance reader, I want nothing more than to be an impassioned Mariana Zapata groupie. I really, really do.
But, after crawling through two of her books (this & The Wall of Winnipeg), I'm just having a really hard time understanding the appeal.
From Lukov with Love has all the fabric of a story I should adore. An enemies-to-lovers, ice skating romance? Are you joking? 10-year-old, Sasha Cohen obsessed me is shaking in her boots. Add slow burn to that? *chefs kiss*
Unfortunately, this read like an unedited first draft. Half of it needed to be cut out and the other half of it needed to be reworked and refined another dozen times. It was to the point where I had to re-write the book in my head as I read just to make it that tiny bit more bearable.
The first 25%? Insufferable. Took me five days to get through and I considered DNF'ing it every two lines. Being trapped in Jasmine's endless "woe is me" thoughts felt like a new form of torture.
From 25%-95%, I coasted—for the most part. To get through it, I simply *did not see* the poor grammar, the constant weight-shaming of a world class athlete (??!), the excruciating detail with which their body movements were described and each nauseating new way Jasmine found to refer to the color of Ivan's lips.
Despite its many faults, I was determined to stick around. Like I said, I really want to be an MZ groupie, okay? Please don't hate me.
And let me just applaud that my efforts finally felt worth something when I got to the "I love you" scene just a few pages before the end. That moment gave me all the giddy, stupid, warm fuzzies I'd been hoping to feel for over 500 pages at that point. It was rewarding enough that I even added Kulti back onto my TBR after I'd rage-deleted all the MZ books I had saved.
Oh how I wish I'd stopped there.
Because the subsequent sex scene and ending left me wishing I could get back every second of time that I'd spent tolerating this subpar book. Just like it had in TWOW, it felt forced, misplaced, rushed, unnatural and if I never have to hear a man's dong referred to as a purple mushroom again, it will be far too soon.
All-in-all? If you're already an MZ groupie, I'm sure this will be another hit for you.
But, if you just so happen to be a desperate wannabe that has been left disappointed and confused more than once by Mariana Zapata's books like I have, it's probably time to cut your losses and move on to better things.
Still leaving Kulti on my TBR for now though, folks.
But, after crawling through two of her books (this & The Wall of Winnipeg), I'm just having a really hard time understanding the appeal.
From Lukov with Love has all the fabric of a story I should adore. An enemies-to-lovers, ice skating romance? Are you joking? 10-year-old, Sasha Cohen obsessed me is shaking in her boots. Add slow burn to that? *chefs kiss*
Unfortunately, this read like an unedited first draft. Half of it needed to be cut out and the other half of it needed to be reworked and refined another dozen times. It was to the point where I had to re-write the book in my head as I read just to make it that tiny bit more bearable.
The first 25%? Insufferable. Took me five days to get through and I considered DNF'ing it every two lines. Being trapped in Jasmine's endless "woe is me" thoughts felt like a new form of torture.
From 25%-95%, I coasted—for the most part. To get through it, I simply *did not see* the poor grammar, the constant weight-shaming of a world class athlete (??!), the excruciating detail with which their body movements were described and each nauseating new way Jasmine found to refer to the color of Ivan's lips.
Despite its many faults, I was determined to stick around. Like I said, I really want to be an MZ groupie, okay? Please don't hate me.
And let me just applaud that my efforts finally felt worth something when I got to the "I love you" scene just a few pages before the end. That moment gave me all the giddy, stupid, warm fuzzies I'd been hoping to feel for over 500 pages at that point. It was rewarding enough that I even added Kulti back onto my TBR after I'd rage-deleted all the MZ books I had saved.
Oh how I wish I'd stopped there.
Because the subsequent sex scene and ending left me wishing I could get back every second of time that I'd spent tolerating this subpar book. Just like it had in TWOW, it felt forced, misplaced, rushed, unnatural and if I never have to hear a man's dong referred to as a purple mushroom again, it will be far too soon.
All-in-all? If you're already an MZ groupie, I'm sure this will be another hit for you.
But, if you just so happen to be a desperate wannabe that has been left disappointed and confused more than once by Mariana Zapata's books like I have, it's probably time to cut your losses and move on to better things.
Still leaving Kulti on my TBR for now though, folks.
putalilstardust's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nikmat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
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? Yes
4.5
leah1706's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.25
jmads's review against another edition
3.5
Really liked the slow burn, the bickering full of love fam and Ivan and Jasmine, they fit so well. Like the other book by this author I felt like there was some repetition and moments were unnecessary drawn out which were distracting and had me skim reading—- and then I felt like the end was a bit rushed, like I would have loved to see them actually win a medal. Overall had a good time
gabsreadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Did I just ditch studying for my exam to finish this book? Yes. Do I regret it? Absolutely no.
illusie's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a very very slow burning romance. For me not enough time was spend about the romance, but nonetheless I really enjoyed this book. The characters in this book seem like real person. I loved the bantering between Jasmin, her family and Ivan. I couldn't help laughing while reading this book.