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avalon827's review
hopeful
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
3.5
These characters need to stop blinking so damn much !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Car accident
claire_fitzgibbon13's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
LOVE LOVE LOVE. This may be one of my fav books. They are so perfect together, they’re soulmates. I love the character development and the story of the ice skating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy and Car accident
lilymay_ox's review
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Car accident, and Stalking
buttermellow's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Sexual harassment
Minor: Classism, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Bullying, Car accident, Racism, and Sexism
baylakressi's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
Warning: the slowest of slow burns. This is my first Mariana Zapata book and I kind of heard slow burn was her thing, but I didn’t expect it to take 3/4 of the (quite long) book to get there. Despite this element, it was a lovely story about hope and perseverance and following your dreams, and how the right support makes all the difference. I enjoyed the development of their relationship (enemies to friends to lovers) and seeing Ivan break down Jasmine’s walls so she could shine. Ivan- man that guy is good stuff!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Body shaming, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
sweetsxrrxw's review
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
this was my first time reading an mz book and i think it will also be the last one. i really enjoyed the journey of reading this book but i think everyone knows about the author being problematic and looking back at the story, i can definitely see a couple of red flags proving that so yeah.
therefore, i am gonna start by highlighting some of the things that didn't sit well with me. firstly, something that many other reviewers have focused on is the body shaming. i know both of the mc's were just teasing each other all along but i am pretty sure the author could have come up with something better and less offensive. moreover, i think it's "funny" how the characters with ethnical features were the most mocked ones. however, as i am not a filipino, i don't think i am in the position to give a more exhaustive comment on that.
furthermore, i must agree with everyone saying the writing wasn't the best. maybe i didn't pay much attention to it while reading, but yeah i believe characters can do other things besides blinking. and yes, both of the mc's had childish attitudes throughout the book but what gave me the biggest ick was the sex scene at the end. i must admit that spice is not my cup of tea, however, i believe many people can agree with me when i say that the whole scene had a poor choice of words.
however, i would be lying if i said that i despised it. as i said at the beginning of the review, i acknowledge that i enjoyed reading the book and anyone can see that with a simple look at my annotations.
one thing i absolutely adore about slow burns is how the story revolves around other topics aside from romance. and i loved how important the santos family was in the story. idk, i just cherished their interventions <3 i guess i just wish karina had some important appearance too because all of the mentions of her convinced me that she must be one of the kindest characters in the story. family isn't always given an important place in romance books but im so glad that they were important in this book.
on the other hand, even if jasmine could be super annoying sometimes, i must confess i liked her character at times. for some reason, the fact that she was always pushing herself to do better just to make her family proud or to make everyone forget about her learning issues resonated with me. so yeah her stubbornness was both a strength and a weakness for her character because it was exasperating to see how she wouldn't let anyone take care of her. since we're at it, i really enjoyed the scenes where jasmine was sick and ivan was taking care of her, especially after he was like "if you get sick i won't be the one to take care of you." maybe it's just because one of my love languages is acts of service but idk, i was a sucker for that.
to sum up, the author could have improved many things before publishing the book (most of them could have been solved by just sticking to the skating theme) however i still enjoyed reading it.
therefore, i am gonna start by highlighting some of the things that didn't sit well with me. firstly, something that many other reviewers have focused on is the body shaming. i know both of the mc's were just teasing each other all along but i am pretty sure the author could have come up with something better and less offensive. moreover, i think it's "funny" how the characters with ethnical features were the most mocked ones. however, as i am not a filipino, i don't think i am in the position to give a more exhaustive comment on that.
furthermore, i must agree with everyone saying the writing wasn't the best. maybe i didn't pay much attention to it while reading, but yeah i believe characters can do other things besides blinking. and yes, both of the mc's had childish attitudes throughout the book but what gave me the biggest ick was the sex scene at the end. i must admit that spice is not my cup of tea, however, i believe many people can agree with me when i say that the whole scene had a poor choice of words.
however, i would be lying if i said that i despised it. as i said at the beginning of the review, i acknowledge that i enjoyed reading the book and anyone can see that with a simple look at my annotations.
one thing i absolutely adore about slow burns is how the story revolves around other topics aside from romance. and i loved how important the santos family was in the story. idk, i just cherished their interventions <3 i guess i just wish karina had some important appearance too because all of the mentions of her convinced me that she must be one of the kindest characters in the story. family isn't always given an important place in romance books but im so glad that they were important in this book.
on the other hand, even if jasmine could be super annoying sometimes, i must confess i liked her character at times. for some reason, the fact that she was always pushing herself to do better just to make her family proud or to make everyone forget about her learning issues resonated with me. so yeah her stubbornness was both a strength and a weakness for her character because it was exasperating to see how she wouldn't let anyone take care of her. since we're at it, i really enjoyed the scenes where jasmine was sick and ivan was taking care of her, especially after he was like "if you get sick i won't be the one to take care of you." maybe it's just because one of my love languages is acts of service but idk, i was a sucker for that.
to sum up, the author could have improved many things before publishing the book (most of them could have been solved by just sticking to the skating theme) however i still enjoyed reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia
Minor: Car accident
tkatt20's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
4.75
OMG THIS BOOK. I do not even have the words to describe how much i loved this book. I have been in a slump for so long and this pulled me right out, I already want to read it again.
This is not my first book by this author so i had an idea of what i was in for, but that could not prepare me for how much I loved this book. The characters are amazing, each one had their own personality and quirks and were so fleshed out, they all felt like real people to me. And I loved how much insight we were given into the competitive skating world and getting to see how both characters dealt with the immense stress they were under. This is a longer romance but it didn’t feel like it with how lovable the characters were and how entertaining the situations they were in were to read about. I loved the extra added layer of family drama we got. It helped break up the focus on their skating and allowed me to see more insight into the main character’s life and her personality while also showing a bit of what drives her to succeed and what effects her mood throughout practice and in her day to day life. We were also given some feminist undertones and that will always be a plus for me.
My only negative for this book and the reason I dropped it down a to a 4.75 is the writing style; more specifically the wording. I found some scenes, mostly in the beginning, didn’t feel very natural and the wording in some descriptions were a little out of left field and pulled me out of the story. This is such a minor grievance and these instances were very sparse and didn’t effect me as much as it could have which is why I didn’t rate it lower. Otherwise I genuinely enjoyed this story to the very end.
I could gush for hours about how much I loved this but I’ll leave it at that. This has quickly moved to the top of my favorites list and I can’t wait to read more by this author.
This is not my first book by this author so i had an idea of what i was in for, but that could not prepare me for how much I loved this book. The characters are amazing, each one had their own personality and quirks and were so fleshed out, they all felt like real people to me. And I loved how much insight we were given into the competitive skating world and getting to see how both characters dealt with the immense stress they were under. This is a longer romance but it didn’t feel like it with how lovable the characters were and how entertaining the situations they were in were to read about. I loved the extra added layer of family drama we got. It helped break up the focus on their skating and allowed me to see more insight into the main character’s life and her personality while also showing a bit of what drives her to succeed and what effects her mood throughout practice and in her day to day life. We were also given some feminist undertones and that will always be a plus for me.
My only negative for this book and the reason I dropped it down a to a 4.75 is the writing style; more specifically the wording. I found some scenes, mostly in the beginning, didn’t feel very natural and the wording in some descriptions were a little out of left field and pulled me out of the story. This is such a minor grievance and these instances were very sparse and didn’t effect me as much as it could have which is why I didn’t rate it lower. Otherwise I genuinely enjoyed this story to the very end.
I could gush for hours about how much I loved this but I’ll leave it at that. This has quickly moved to the top of my favorites list and I can’t wait to read more by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Stalking
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Vomit
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Car accident
valeria_balzan's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Even though this book is 531 pages long, it doesn't feel like it. Maybe it was because it was reading at big chunks at at time but the pages and the narrative just read very easily. It doesn't feel overwhelming in any way.
The romance evolved very slowly, which made it believable. They got to know themselves first, building up trust and achieving their goals for competitions. Romance just came after that. Which was fine, but that the end it felt a little rushed. You guys just kissed for the first time and then you're fucking? okay I guess
ALSO, Jasmine, my queen, you actually have a personality? Loved that.
My main critique of the book is that, at times, the novel was not focused on figure skating at all. Which is the whole setting and the thing the book is trying to sell you in the beginning. But in the parts that it is, it is very enjoyable. The descriptions help you easily picture both Ivan's and Jasmine's movements on the ice.
My other main complain, which kind of goes along with the previous one, is that the author choooses to focus on certain things or scenes and not on the ones it is setting up to like I wanted to see the competiotion and them winning the medals in present tense, not just in the epilogue.
The romance evolved very slowly, which made it believable. They got to know themselves first, building up trust and achieving their goals for competitions. Romance just came after that. Which was fine, but that the end it felt a little rushed.
ALSO, Jasmine, my queen, you actually have a personality? Loved that.
My main critique of the book is that, at times, the novel was not focused on figure skating at all. Which is the whole setting and the thing the book is trying to sell you in the beginning. But in the parts that it is, it is very enjoyable. The descriptions help you easily picture both Ivan's and Jasmine's movements on the ice.
My other main complain, which kind of goes along with the previous one, is that the author choooses to focus on certain things or scenes and not on the ones it is setting up to
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
ryanichole's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Car accident
jessieslibrary's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Stalking, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident and Fatphobia