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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
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
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me was a slow burn breath of fresh air. This romance stands out from so many others I've read. This is simply the story of two adults figuring out their lives and supporting each other throughout. As an avid romance reader, I was afraid I'd be bored but I caught myself spending hours caring about what happened to our main characters.
If you are looking for a spicy adult romance book, then this wouldn't be for you. However, for those looking for a wholesome grumpy football player then this is perfect. Mariana Zapata knocked it out of the park with this one. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the romance genre but doesn't know where to start. With limited on page spice and all the slow burn feels anyone will love.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange of an honest review.
If you are looking for a spicy adult romance book, then this wouldn't be for you. However, for those looking for a wholesome grumpy football player then this is perfect. Mariana Zapata knocked it out of the park with this one. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the romance genre but doesn't know where to start. With limited on page spice and all the slow burn feels anyone will love.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange of an honest review.