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whatjasread's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
• holy Lukov
• honestly just floored, maybe it’s a case of me being sad as hell and Ivan saying all the things I needed to hear right now but this was so good
• as a fat person myself I didn’t like all the comments about appearances and weight it just felt so unnecessary with no explanation *but* the book has just been amazing vibes for me which is why I haven’t knocked stars off
• my heart bleeds for jasmine so much I adore her
• the bracelet!!!!!
• the Hershey kisses!!!!!
• I lost it with the hair stroking and the nursing to health honestly on the floor sobbing
• so so good honestly I’ve loved both the zapata books I’ve read so far maybe they’re an autobuy author now???
TWs: fatphobia, mockery of learning disability, mention of racism, bullying, car accident (mother, off page), skating accident & injury, strained family relationships, burnout, social pressure, sexual harassment (mail, social media), mention of stalking
Tropes: enemies to lovers, best friend’s brother, I see how they look at you, who did this to you, nursing to health, found family, celebrity romance
• honestly just floored, maybe it’s a case of me being sad as hell and Ivan saying all the things I needed to hear right now but this was so good
• as a fat person myself I didn’t like all the comments about appearances and weight it just felt so unnecessary with no explanation *but* the book has just been amazing vibes for me which is why I haven’t knocked stars off
• my heart bleeds for jasmine so much I adore her
• the bracelet!!!!!
• the Hershey kisses!!!!!
• I lost it with the hair stroking and the nursing to health honestly on the floor sobbing
• so so good honestly I’ve loved both the zapata books I’ve read so far maybe they’re an autobuy author now???
TWs: fatphobia, mockery of learning disability, mention of racism, bullying, car accident (mother, off page), skating accident & injury, strained family relationships, burnout, social pressure, sexual harassment (mail, social media), mention of stalking
Tropes: enemies to lovers, best friend’s brother, I see how they look at you, who did this to you, nursing to health, found family, celebrity romance
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Stalking
Moderate: Bullying, Body shaming, Mental illness, and Fatphobia
Minor: Racism and Car accident
anapataca3's review
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved this book.
The banter is perfect and I love Jasmine and Ivan. It's really fun and I would reread it.
The banter is perfect and I love Jasmine and Ivan. It's really fun and I would reread it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Stalking
Minor: Cursing, Abandonment, Body shaming, Car accident, and Panic attacks/disorders
bryelle's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.5
I love Jasmine so much. Reading about a bad ass, hard working woman is amazing.
She has worked hard her whole live to figure skate. She has had to make sacrifices of spending less time with her family, and work hard to earn money while competing. But she finally pairs up with her best friends brother who has teased her her whole life. They finally decided to work together and become friends, but the transition is hard.
She has worked hard her whole live to figure skate. She has had to make sacrifices of spending less time with her family, and work hard to earn money while competing. But she finally pairs up with her best friends brother who has teased her her whole life. They finally decided to work together and become friends, but the transition is hard.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Car accident
lisa_m's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Okay I have to say, this book was a disappointment. I didn't know how tho rate this book for quite a while.
The beginning was amazing. I liked the plot, I liked the characters and I liked the writing style. My favourite thing about this book is the humour. I laughed so so much while reading it! I absolutely loved the bickering and just the general dynamic between the main characters. It was fun to see them fighting in a sort of childlike manner even though they are 26 & 29.
Throughout about half of the book I really thought I would give this book a five star rating. It was funny and really fast paced. I didn't like the characters individually that much but as we got to know more about them I started to like them.
List of things I didn't like:
- Jasmines constant distrust and unability to communicate her feelings even though we as readers get to read them so they are obviously there
- All of the things that are brought up for no reason and then never explained:
Why did Lukov say he only wants to partner up with her for one year and thats it - even though we later find out that was never his plan? Why is Jasmine so disliked by the public? There are so many mentions and so little explanation. What did Peter say about her? Why did he choose another partner? What is up with the ugly costume Ivan got so protective about that initially started their bickering?
- The things that got explained and where just so underwhelming:
The reason they didn't talk about Mindy? - lame I expected something wayy jucier
The reason Ivan always had to go home? - Cute but he does mention that Ellie always comes by to feed them and take them for a walk so..?)
- That Lukovs sister who is supposed to be Jasmines best friend is only really mentioned once?
- I hated that they did not only make fun of each other for superficial reasons but also stuff they were really insecure about.
- Also consent is very much non existent in this world. She is always talking about how they don't have personal space because they are figureskaters. When he first kisses her she just 'lets him do it' since he was happy? Idk I just really didn't like that.
One of the biggest reasons I was disappointed by this book was Ivan Lukov though. He has such potential and I really liked him in the beginning. When he started to be super nice to her I liked him even more but then he just became a douchebag.
- He finds out Jasmine has a stalker AND GETS MAD AT HER? Why can't he just be supportive?
- He constantly makes her do things she doesn't want to do and EXPLICITLY TELLS him she doesn't want to do (Like the naked Fotoshoot or not wanting to go to his place etc)
- He makes fun of her for things she is already really insecure about and doesn't even stop that when he finds out why or she tells him she doesn't like it
- He calls her 'Meatball' which on it's one is one of the ugliest nicknames ever and I would hate to be called that even just once. And Jasmine obviously hates that Nickname to and tells him that but he still doesn't stop and even uses it during his proposal???
- Ivan is just so demanding all the time. I don't like it. ( His character is very inconsistent in my opinion)
I honestly just think it's a toxic or at least unhealthy relationship. They could have been really cute if they worked on their behaviour. If this book was about teenagers they could grow up, see their mistakes and have a healthy relationship but they didn't. They are already adults completely set in their ways and I don't like it.
Okay so that was a long rant about all the things I didn't like. Now to the things I enjoyed:
- I kind of liked the family dynamic
- I loved their bickering and the humour
- I loved the enemies-to-lovers aspect (even though like I said it was kind of toxic but it could have been so good!)
- I liked the 2 instructors
Yeah that's it. I can't find anything else I liked. I think his is a unpopular opinion but I think I'm just mad this book didn't like up to it's potential and my expectations.
I do 100% understand why people do like this book though. Like I said, I really enjoyed reading it but it just wasn't for me.
The beginning was amazing. I liked the plot, I liked the characters and I liked the writing style. My favourite thing about this book is the humour. I laughed so so much while reading it! I absolutely loved the bickering and just the general dynamic between the main characters. It was fun to see them fighting in a sort of childlike manner even though they are 26 & 29.
Throughout about half of the book I really thought I would give this book a five star rating. It was funny and really fast paced. I didn't like the characters individually that much but as we got to know more about them I started to like them.
List of things I didn't like:
- Jasmines constant distrust and unability to communicate her feelings even though we as readers get to read them so they are obviously there
- All of the things that are brought up for no reason and then never explained:
Why did Lukov say he only wants to partner up with her for one year and thats it - even though we later find out that was never his plan? Why is Jasmine so disliked by the public? There are so many mentions and so little explanation. What did Peter say about her? Why did he choose another partner? What is up with the ugly costume Ivan got so protective about that initially started their bickering?
- The things that got explained and where just so underwhelming:
The reason they didn't talk about Mindy? - lame I expected something wayy jucier
The reason Ivan always had to go home? - Cute but he does mention that Ellie always comes by to feed them and take them for a walk so..?)
- That Lukovs sister who is supposed to be Jasmines best friend is only really mentioned once?
- I hated that they did not only make fun of each other for superficial reasons but also stuff they were really insecure about.
- Also consent is very much non existent in this world. She is always talking about how they don't have personal space because they are figureskaters. When he first kisses her she just 'lets him do it' since he was happy? Idk I just really didn't like that.
One of the biggest reasons I was disappointed by this book was Ivan Lukov though. He has such potential and I really liked him in the beginning. When he started to be super nice to her I liked him even more but then he just became a douchebag.
- He finds out Jasmine has a stalker AND GETS MAD AT HER? Why can't he just be supportive?
- He constantly makes her do things she doesn't want to do and EXPLICITLY TELLS him she doesn't want to do (Like the naked Fotoshoot or not wanting to go to his place etc)
- He makes fun of her for things she is already really insecure about and doesn't even stop that when he finds out why or she tells him she doesn't like it
- He calls her 'Meatball' which on it's one is one of the ugliest nicknames ever and I would hate to be called that even just once. And Jasmine obviously hates that Nickname to and tells him that but he still doesn't stop and even uses it during his proposal???
- Ivan is just so demanding all the time. I don't like it. ( His character is very inconsistent in my opinion)
I honestly just think it's a toxic or at least unhealthy relationship. They could have been really cute if they worked on their behaviour. If this book was about teenagers they could grow up, see their mistakes and have a healthy relationship but they didn't. They are already adults completely set in their ways and I don't like it.
Okay so that was a long rant about all the things I didn't like. Now to the things I enjoyed:
- I kind of liked the family dynamic
- I loved their bickering and the humour
- I loved the enemies-to-lovers aspect (even though like I said it was kind of toxic but it could have been so good!)
- I liked the 2 instructors
Yeah that's it. I can't find anything else I liked. I think his is a unpopular opinion but I think I'm just mad this book didn't like up to it's potential and my expectations.
I do 100% understand why people do like this book though. Like I said, I really enjoyed reading it but it just wasn't for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Car accident, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Bullying, and Cursing
Minor: Cancer
moonbin's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment and Cursing
Minor: Bullying, Car accident, Body shaming, and Racism
bookish_dinkleberg's review
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was so excited to read a figure skating romance and was, unfortunately, let down by the lack of actual figure skating in the book. There's a lot of practice in the book, which was fun to read, but we don't ever really get to read about the competitions the characters have been preparing for.
What I liked about the book:
- flawed main character whose faults and insecurities impact the plot and her relationships with other people
- the figure skating that was in the book seemed well-researched and realistic to me (I'm no expert though haha)
- the slow-burn aspects of the romance
What I didn't like about the book:
- the writing (it seemed a bit overwritten, a lot of detailed dialogue tags like " said the red-haired woman who gave birth to me")
- the inner monologue was funny at times and I can understand why the author might have wanted to leave all that in there, but for me (this is a personal preference) it was way too much and slowed down the pace of the book
- fat-shaming - What was the point of all that?
- the ending felt a little bit rushed and as I said above, we don't actually get to read about the competitions in detail and just get a summary of everything that happened in the epilogue
What I liked about the book:
- flawed main character whose faults and insecurities impact the plot and her relationships with other people
- the figure skating that was in the book seemed well-researched and realistic to me (I'm no expert though haha)
- the slow-burn aspects of the romance
What I didn't like about the book:
- the writing (it seemed a bit overwritten, a lot of detailed dialogue tags like " said the red-haired woman who gave birth to me")
- the inner monologue was funny at times and I can understand why the author might have wanted to leave all that in there, but for me (this is a personal preference) it was way too much and slowed down the pace of the book
- fat-shaming - What was the point of all that?
- the ending felt a little bit rushed and as I said above, we don't actually get to read about the competitions in detail and just get a summary of everything that happened in the epilogue
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Sexual content, and Stalking
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident and Pregnancy
evavstheworld's review
slow-paced
3.0
3 stars.
I finally finished this and I'm very frustrated, and I realise I have such a love/hate relationship with this book...
On the one hand, I loved, absolutely <b>loved</b> Ivan and Jasmine, and the way their relationship evolved from <i>enemies</i> to <i>friends</i> to <i>best friends</i> to wayyyy more. And I know their love language/expressing affection for one another is basically insulting each other, I can get behind that <b>only</b> because at one point it does kind of become <i>their thing</i>, and it was natural given their strong characters and mutual hate for each other from the very beginning. I also loved reading about their practice, and I wish there was more of that in the book, as well as more of the actual tournament.
Now for the reasons this book makes me mad.
First of all, I can totally see where Elena Armas took her writing inspo from because the writing styles of MZ and EA feel almost exactly the same. <s>I just enjoyed this book a lot more than TSLD.</s>
There was:
- way too much repetition (how many times can someone say a character blinked? or how many times can the character say "no" and the other character tell them to do the thing anyway???)
- too much monologue... ffs this was a CHORE to read, to the point where I just skipped chunks of text and legit felt like I didn't miss anything... bet if this was edited better and cut down, the page count would go from 500 to around 350 easy
- not enough tournament and skiing content
- not enough Jasmine's friendship with Karina content!!! I wanted so much more!
- too much fat shaming, plus the nickname Meatball when Jasmine is literally battling body dysmorphia/body image issues was so unnecessary???
I think giving this 3 stars is still quite generous, but as I've mentioned TSLD before, which got 2 stars and which I enjoyed significantly less, I think it's a fair rating given my reasons for loving/hating this book. I fell head over heels for Ivan Lukov though, despite his shortcomings, but he shall forever remain one of my favourite book boyfriends.
I finally finished this and I'm very frustrated, and I realise I have such a love/hate relationship with this book...
On the one hand, I loved, absolutely <b>loved</b> Ivan and Jasmine, and the way their relationship evolved from <i>enemies</i> to <i>friends</i> to <i>best friends</i> to wayyyy more. And I know their love language/expressing affection for one another is basically insulting each other, I can get behind that <b>only</b> because at one point it does kind of become <i>their thing</i>, and it was natural given their strong characters and mutual hate for each other from the very beginning. I also loved reading about their practice, and I wish there was more of that in the book, as well as more of the actual tournament.
Now for the reasons this book makes me mad.
First of all, I can totally see where Elena Armas took her writing inspo from because the writing styles of MZ and EA feel almost exactly the same. <s>I just enjoyed this book a lot more than TSLD.</s>
There was:
- way too much repetition (how many times can someone say a character blinked? or how many times can the character say "no" and the other character tell them to do the thing anyway???)
- too much monologue... ffs this was a CHORE to read, to the point where I just skipped chunks of text and legit felt like I didn't miss anything... bet if this was edited better and cut down, the page count would go from 500 to around 350 easy
- not enough tournament and skiing content
- not enough Jasmine's friendship with Karina content!!! I wanted so much more!
- too much fat shaming, plus the nickname Meatball when Jasmine is literally battling body dysmorphia/body image issues was so unnecessary???
I think giving this 3 stars is still quite generous, but as I've mentioned TSLD before, which got 2 stars and which I enjoyed significantly less, I think it's a fair rating given my reasons for loving/hating this book. I fell head over heels for Ivan Lukov though, despite his shortcomings, but he shall forever remain one of my favourite book boyfriends.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Car accident, and Fatphobia
frantically's review
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
This book was so good!!
I loved reading Jasmine's perspective — she's definitely not your typical romance mc. She's opinionated, she's...a bit of a bitch (but we still love her) and so hardworking to achieve her goals.
Her and Ivan were just 🥰🥰. Their relationship progressed so naturally and they complimented each other really well. I was a bit hesitant at first but it all worked out in the end.
I did have a few issues with the book. I absolutely couldn't stand Jasmine's family, they were so rude to her. There were also some really weird fatphobic lines and razor propaganda?? That's why it's not 5 ⭐
I loved reading Jasmine's perspective — she's definitely not your typical romance mc. She's opinionated, she's...a bit of a bitch (but we still love her) and so hardworking to achieve her goals.
Her and Ivan were just 🥰🥰. Their relationship progressed so naturally and they complimented each other really well. I was a bit hesitant at first but it all worked out in the end.
I did have a few issues with the book. I absolutely couldn't stand Jasmine's family, they were so rude to her. There were also some really weird fatphobic lines and razor propaganda?? That's why it's not 5 ⭐
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Abandonment, and Body shaming
Minor: Car accident, Bullying, Medical content, and Racism
jasminel14's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- 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: Injury/Injury detail and Stalking
Moderate: Ableism, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident
triple_m's review
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
slow-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? It's complicated
4.25
A slow start but a wonderful end. I’m not really into the whole “couples who bicker 24/7” because it just makes them both look extremely immature for a 26 and 29 yo. It wasn’t until they actually started communicating with one another that I began enjoying the book. The playful banter was still there, but the relationship had depth.
Jasmine is a bit hard to love because she’s very short tempered and self-involved, prioritizing her love for figure skating over everything else in her life. I thinkafter her mom’s accident she realized how important her family is to her and how important it is that they know how important they are to her.
I love Ivan because even when he was being a dick he was never cruel, he just seemed mostly indifferent/immature. It’s confusing because he later says that he’s always wanted to skate with her, so why did he act like the agreement was a burden and constantly reminded her that it was only for 1 year? My biggest complaint was how he got so angry at her when he found out she was harassed/stalked online. She didn’t owe him that info they weren’t that close.
Overall the couple had great chemistry and was very supportive of one another, I just wish they started to get along sooner.
Jasmine is a bit hard to love because she’s very short tempered and self-involved, prioritizing her love for figure skating over everything else in her life. I think
I love Ivan because even when he was being a dick he was never cruel, he just seemed mostly indifferent/immature. It’s confusing because he later says
Overall the couple had great chemistry and was very supportive of one another, I just wish they started to get along sooner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident, Stalking, and Sexual harassment