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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
Good Lord.
I loved this book.
Let me hop on my soap box for a second... *ahem* I want to give the author mad Vegan kudos for making Aiden the size he is, playing the sport he does and make the gorgeous specimen plant based. How mother effing refreshing it was to see a man who doesn't eat animals, or animal products and not make fun of him for it or make him the stereotypical skinny pasty hipster-esque dude that usually gets cast. Yeah, you can not eat a damn thing from an animal and be fit as fuck, have huge muscles and kick ass at one of the most testosterone dude fueled sports played in America. Man, I love the author for that and now I need Vanessa to cook me lunch since I forgot my tempeh salad at home...
Anyway.
Sigh.
I loved this book.
I loved that Vanessa was a strong girl with integrity. I love that she stood up to Aiden when she needed to. I love that she took on a job that she had basically no clue how to perform and yet did it with class and mass professionalism... well as professional as you can get working for a man like Aiden who pushed every one of your damn buttons like an impatient mofo at the intersection waiting for the light to change.
Sigh.
I just loved this.
Vanessa was awesome and hilarious. She made me realize a few things about myself and not just because she is mentioned to be a ginger when not dying her hair different rainbow colors or that she keeps Vega bars around or that she decided one day to train herself to run LONG distances... she just made me realize my lack of self care at the moment.
But let me talk about Aiden and his thighs for a second. Goodness, I sure do have a spot for redeemable assholes and while Aiden wasn't really a jerk, his lack of communication in the beginning made me love the fuck out of him. I was shocked when he came begging for Vanessa to work for him again and then all that happens after was nothing short of stellar.
This is like an enemies to friends to lovers story and it's amazing.
This romance is one hell of a SLLOOOWWWWW burn so if you can't stand that kind of heat, don't walk in the big guys kitchen for a bowl of Chana Masala. Mmm Kay? This book was like a sexy simmer of the most intimate moments that you have to recognize and appreciate when they show up. I mean; elevators, night lights, Halloween, basketball games, family rooms, The Land Before Time, storms and a slew of other things that are popping into my head and just making me smile and making me want to go back and read this again.
Sigh.
I loved this.
Yeah. This was good and I hugged my Nook a few times when shit started to get real. Both Aiden and Vanessa have pasts that aren't perfect but it's what gave them strength to be who they are today. Shitty childhoods are shitty but it's what you take from them and turn around that's important.
The side characters were fun and maddening. I want to run with Zac while he calls me Sugar. I would love Diana to dye my hair, but not too crazy a color. I want to punch ever female in Vanessa's family but hug her brother and I want to sit at the kitchen island and listen to Leslie talk whimsically and lovingly about a young Aiden.
Goodness. I think I just need to read this again or maybe just lace up my Saucony's and go for a run to process the story.
Yeah.
I loved this book.
I loved this book.
Let me hop on my soap box for a second... *ahem* I want to give the author mad Vegan kudos for making Aiden the size he is, playing the sport he does and make the gorgeous specimen plant based. How mother effing refreshing it was to see a man who doesn't eat animals, or animal products and not make fun of him for it or make him the stereotypical skinny pasty hipster-esque dude that usually gets cast. Yeah, you can not eat a damn thing from an animal and be fit as fuck, have huge muscles and kick ass at one of the most testosterone dude fueled sports played in America. Man, I love the author for that and now I need Vanessa to cook me lunch since I forgot my tempeh salad at home...
Anyway.
Sigh.
I loved this book.
I loved that Vanessa was a strong girl with integrity. I love that she stood up to Aiden when she needed to. I love that she took on a job that she had basically no clue how to perform and yet did it with class and mass professionalism... well as professional as you can get working for a man like Aiden who pushed every one of your damn buttons like an impatient mofo at the intersection waiting for the light to change.
Sigh.
I just loved this.
Vanessa was awesome and hilarious. She made me realize a few things about myself and not just because she is mentioned to be a ginger when not dying her hair different rainbow colors or that she keeps Vega bars around or that she decided one day to train herself to run LONG distances... she just made me realize my lack of self care at the moment.
But let me talk about Aiden and his thighs for a second. Goodness, I sure do have a spot for redeemable assholes and while Aiden wasn't really a jerk, his lack of communication in the beginning made me love the fuck out of him. I was shocked when he came begging for Vanessa to work for him again and then all that happens after was nothing short of stellar.
This is like an enemies to friends to lovers story and it's amazing.
This romance is one hell of a SLLOOOWWWWW burn so if you can't stand that kind of heat, don't walk in the big guys kitchen for a bowl of Chana Masala. Mmm Kay? This book was like a sexy simmer of the most intimate moments that you have to recognize and appreciate when they show up. I mean; elevators, night lights, Halloween, basketball games, family rooms, The Land Before Time, storms and a slew of other things that are popping into my head and just making me smile and making me want to go back and read this again.
Sigh.
I loved this.
Yeah. This was good and I hugged my Nook a few times when shit started to get real. Both Aiden and Vanessa have pasts that aren't perfect but it's what gave them strength to be who they are today. Shitty childhoods are shitty but it's what you take from them and turn around that's important.
The side characters were fun and maddening. I want to run with Zac while he calls me Sugar. I would love Diana to dye my hair, but not too crazy a color. I want to punch ever female in Vanessa's family but hug her brother and I want to sit at the kitchen island and listen to Leslie talk whimsically and lovingly about a young Aiden.
Goodness. I think I just need to read this again or maybe just lace up my Saucony's and go for a run to process the story.
Yeah.
I loved this book.
Was ok
I really wish I liked more but I just can’t deal with Aiden and his coldness. I’ll try another book by this author and give her another chance because I read good recommendations of Mariana Zapata and I’m dying to find and read something with characters that can caught me from star to finish.
I really wish I liked more but I just can’t deal with Aiden and his coldness. I’ll try another book by this author and give her another chance because I read good recommendations of Mariana Zapata and I’m dying to find and read something with characters that can caught me from star to finish.
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
I get the appeal… I just hope Mariana Zapata has better editors now because there was no need for this book to be 650 pages long. As much as I really wanted to love this book, I just didn’t feel immersed in the story. I know this was a slow burn… but where was the tension?! I was really expecting there to be more action throughout the book and not just in the last few chapters. Every time I thought there was going to be tension, boom, scene change or end of chapter. I still don’t believe that Aiden liked Vanessa the whole time, if he truly cared about her even before she quit, why didn’t he put Trevor in his place? I think this story had so much potential and could’ve been great if there was maybe a little more editing, but overall it was fairly enjoyable.
I know I heard that this was a slow burn. But fuck me was this a SLOW BURN like god. I did get a tiny bit bored but mostly I was interested. It took FOREVER for literally anything to happen at all. Like a look. But overall I did enjoy it. I loved the nickname Vanessa had for Aiden “big man”
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There was no poor review of The Wall of Winnipeg and Me that could stop me from reading it. Honestly, how does one turn down a romance that name drops your hood. Unfortunately, if you're a Manitoban at heart, or even a Canadian you'll be disappointed to find out there is not a single accurate reference to Winnipeg, Manitoba or Canada.
Fortunately, no one needs to explain the value you a sports romance to me. I've pushing for more quality athlete leads since I saw the movie Love and Basketball. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me is about football, well really a defensive end who is known as the Wall of a Winnipeg for his enormous stature and place of birth. His assistant Vanessa is tired of working for his cranky, unfriendly, barely capable of human connection ass so she quits. Then he asks an insane favour, then we insert the plot from The Proposal, but by the time you reach this point you're dying for something to happen, even if it's batshit. The novel follows a story from summer to winter and into spring with incredible detail for major holiday milestones. What's exciting a first quickly drags until you're getting day by day meal plans as plot points.
Despite suffering from the pointless diary trope, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me isn't all so bad. In fact, it's a masterful execution of the slow burn, if you can appreciate a burn so slow that it feels like you're living it. Let's be real, very few of us will fall in love with an NFL player, so why not fall in love with a fictional NFO character through a 400 page read? No harm.
And no fouls in the sports reference. I'm going to start a point scale that rates romance authors on their display of realistic sports knowledge and systems. I'll name it after everyone's favourite, non-favourite, arguably clueless sportscaster, Joe Buck. Out of ten, the Wall of Winnipeg and Me gets 7.9 on the Buck Scale. There's very little technical details mentioned about football, and all of the behind the scenes training bullshit seemed fairly reasonable. Multiple points deducted for poor understanding of team management, fan experience and trade strategy.
But while I'm at it, I also going to start a scale to rate romantic leads, and it will be named after everyone's favourite, non-favourite lead: the Dicaprio Effect. Who hasn't fallen in love with him at least once, then felt repulsed by him at least once. Watch Romeo + Juliet and look at any sweaty club pic of him if you feel this doesn't apply. Our male lead this time is Aiden Graves, massive muscles, massive brain tumour affecting his ability to comprehend basic social etiquette. Aiden isn't necessarily a rude dude, I actually was hoping he'd reveal some sort of trauma from his football career, but actually he's just a sensical quiet guy that keeps to himself which lets Vanessa do whatever she wants. He's got quirks and flaws, which is refreshing, but overall he is unimpressive romantically. For all this, he's getting Shutter Island Dicaprio: we appreciate you, but we don't love you, so no Oscar this time, but he's nominated and sitting in view of the cameras.
With the low potential for swooning, I suggest this book for anyone with immense patience, a specific tick to pick up fake sports teams names as a laugh, and the need for vegan meal plan ideas. If you want to skip it all here's the spoiler: ends with sex, successful marriage, two kids and the big win.
Fortunately, no one needs to explain the value you a sports romance to me. I've pushing for more quality athlete leads since I saw the movie Love and Basketball. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me is about football, well really a defensive end who is known as the Wall of a Winnipeg for his enormous stature and place of birth. His assistant Vanessa is tired of working for his cranky, unfriendly, barely capable of human connection ass so she quits. Then he asks an insane favour, then we insert the plot from The Proposal, but by the time you reach this point you're dying for something to happen, even if it's batshit. The novel follows a story from summer to winter and into spring with incredible detail for major holiday milestones. What's exciting a first quickly drags until you're getting day by day meal plans as plot points.
Despite suffering from the pointless diary trope, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me isn't all so bad. In fact, it's a masterful execution of the slow burn, if you can appreciate a burn so slow that it feels like you're living it. Let's be real, very few of us will fall in love with an NFL player, so why not fall in love with a fictional NFO character through a 400 page read? No harm.
And no fouls in the sports reference. I'm going to start a point scale that rates romance authors on their display of realistic sports knowledge and systems. I'll name it after everyone's favourite, non-favourite, arguably clueless sportscaster, Joe Buck. Out of ten, the Wall of Winnipeg and Me gets 7.9 on the Buck Scale. There's very little technical details mentioned about football, and all of the behind the scenes training bullshit seemed fairly reasonable. Multiple points deducted for poor understanding of team management, fan experience and trade strategy.
But while I'm at it, I also going to start a scale to rate romantic leads, and it will be named after everyone's favourite, non-favourite lead: the Dicaprio Effect. Who hasn't fallen in love with him at least once, then felt repulsed by him at least once. Watch Romeo + Juliet and look at any sweaty club pic of him if you feel this doesn't apply. Our male lead this time is Aiden Graves, massive muscles, massive brain tumour affecting his ability to comprehend basic social etiquette. Aiden isn't necessarily a rude dude, I actually was hoping he'd reveal some sort of trauma from his football career, but actually he's just a sensical quiet guy that keeps to himself which lets Vanessa do whatever she wants. He's got quirks and flaws, which is refreshing, but overall he is unimpressive romantically. For all this, he's getting Shutter Island Dicaprio: we appreciate you, but we don't love you, so no Oscar this time, but he's nominated and sitting in view of the cameras.
With the low potential for swooning, I suggest this book for anyone with immense patience, a specific tick to pick up fake sports teams names as a laugh, and the need for vegan meal plan ideas. If you want to skip it all here's the spoiler: ends with sex, successful marriage, two kids and the big win.
I liked it, but it did feel a bit predictable/repetitive. I know romance books aren’t exactly known for plot twists and such, but I feel like everything was telegraphed. I usually love MZ, I think this is probably my least favorite book by her though. I think it’s just me being a hater, though, since everyone loves it. On to the next!
Oh man, I love a slow-burn romance. This was my second read from Zapata and the writing style worked better for me here than it did in [b:Wait for It|33288638|Wait for It|Mariana Zapata|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481172517l/33288638._SY75_.jpg|54007532]. While I felt like there were extraneous scenes in that book, this one didn't feel that way for me. There were a bunch of scenes that didn't factor into the romance, but they didn't feel "extra" in this book. This book has made me a fan.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No