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garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Bullying, Cursing, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Addiction
Minor: Car accident and Violence
stilken's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
lindseyhall44's review
emotional
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
3.5
A good old Slow burn romance is my favorite trope, so I was so excited to pick this up, and it did not disappoint. I absolutely adored Vanessa and Aidenβs relationship. Trauma is heavily mentioned in the novel, so be sure to check trigger warnings before reading!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, and Addiction
mels_reading_log's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
3.5
This is a grumpy/sunshine, fake marriage, slow burn, sports romance novel. Both of the main characters have childhood trauma and trust issues to work through. I really enjoyed the transformation of Aiden, as he opened up and became more comfortable with Vanessa.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Addiction, Sexual content, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Car accident, Sexual harassment, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse
frantically's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.0
Guys, I'm SO conflicted on this book!!
Was this book particularly good? No, not really. Was it absolutely addicting to listen to? Yes. Spent two days doing nothing else.
I love Aiden. What. A. Man. The quiet way he shows Van he loves her ππ the way he stands up for her ππ really had me sobbing ngl
Can't stand Van. She was so fun at first but then it just turned really pick-me and if there's one thing I HATE it's pick-me's.
Still, the relationship was so cute! Yes it was technically very slow burn but we all knew they were gonna end up together in the end and it made all the pre-relationship situations so much cuter for me.
Some other stuff I had issues with:
β Van's family gives major Cinderella vibes but not retelling vibes, Cinderella vibes straight out of the fairytale. Completely two-dimensional. Oh and why are they assholes? Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, of course
β Aiden is groped/sexually harassed in front of Van and she laughs about it for like ten minutes. Ew.
β Van gets into sports! Theoretically fun but she only does it after Aiden's manager says she's fat. And there's so much focus on her losing weight, it became a bit uncomfortable
So β why did I even like this? I don't know. I like Aiden. I like puppies. I like "I loved you from the start". The writing is good.
Will read more Zapata books, trying to find a book as great as Lukov was xoxo
Was this book particularly good? No, not really. Was it absolutely addicting to listen to? Yes. Spent two days doing nothing else.
I love Aiden. What. A. Man. The quiet way he shows Van he loves her ππ the way he stands up for her ππ really had me sobbing ngl
Can't stand Van. She was so fun at first but then it just turned really pick-me and if there's one thing I HATE it's pick-me's.
Still, the relationship was so cute! Yes it was technically very slow burn but we all knew they were gonna end up together in the end and it made all the pre-relationship situations so much cuter for me.
Some other stuff I had issues with:
β Van's family gives major Cinderella vibes but not retelling vibes, Cinderella vibes straight out of the fairytale. Completely two-dimensional. Oh and why are they assholes? Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, of course
β Aiden is groped/sexually harassed in front of Van and she laughs about it for like ten minutes. Ew.
β Van gets into sports! Theoretically fun but she only does it after Aiden's manager says she's fat. And there's so much focus on her losing weight, it became a bit uncomfortable
So β why did I even like this? I don't know. I like Aiden. I like puppies. I like "I loved you from the start". The writing is good.
Will read more Zapata books, trying to find a book as great as Lukov was xoxo
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Car accident
juliaaaaaa's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
great trope but badly executed. look, i love a slow burn, but i was expecting more chemistry tension and build up, it didn't give me butterflies until the last chapter
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Car accident, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Injury/Injury detail
darcerenity's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment
emmariana97's review against another edition
no one:
vanessa: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. i counted instead of punching his stupid god awful sexy face. his huge face set on behemoth square shoulders large enough to send people flying, his rippling ham thighs with huge gigantic ginormous colossal humongous muscles i didn't even know existed. i felt like such a huge asshole for not smiling back at him, even though he'd called me an annoying nag. he kept walking with his thunderous steps shaking the literal foundations of the building, his leviathan pectorals bouncing largely and hugely
TIMES I NEARLY DNF'D THIS
-her bffl is being abused by her shitty bf and doesn't want to tell mc. but rather than try to, idk, help her, vanessa's only response is that she's a duplicitous two faced liar that can't be trusted
-when van gets groped by christian it's (rightly!!) portrayed as a crime. when aidan gets groped by a stranger van thinks it's the funniest thing in the world. make it make sense PLEASE
-the canadians in this keep using "eh" instead of "yes". has this author ever met a canadian
-mc dresses up as a minion and goku for halloween because she hates when women dress slutty. she also yells at aidan for not knowing anime. mariana zapata i need you to be so serious with me rn
vanessa: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. i counted instead of punching his stupid god awful sexy face. his huge face set on behemoth square shoulders large enough to send people flying, his rippling ham thighs with huge gigantic ginormous colossal humongous muscles i didn't even know existed. i felt like such a huge asshole for not smiling back at him, even though he'd called me an annoying nag. he kept walking with his thunderous steps shaking the literal foundations of the building, his leviathan pectorals bouncing largely and hugely
TIMES I NEARLY DNF'D THIS
-the canadians in this keep using "eh" instead of "yes". has this author ever met a canadian
-mc dresses up as a minion and goku for halloween because she hates when women dress slutty. she also yells at aidan for not knowing anime. mariana zapata i need you to be so serious with me rn
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Alcoholism
libellumartinae's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I am not going to lie, I do feel a bit cheated by this book. it had so much potential and I was utterly thriving at the tropes used alongside the banter that we were first shown between the characters and although Aiden did not fully buy me over, I enjoyed Vanessa. Then the second part started and oh gods... it just felt too cheesy. Although this was supposedly a romance to me it just felt too swift especially as it created a kind of detachment between the two narrative parts of the book, that had me feeling utterly disappointed in my expectations.
I also feel like the fmc's backstory at some point was ridiculous instead of being hopeful and inspiring, especially as it lacked depth. I do feel like Aiden's own explanation behind his behavior of not being 'made for relationship' was extremely shallow and never deepened.
I also dreaded the involvement of themes of domestic violence, especially when they were just treated poorly and without an explanation that went longer than a few lines. especially when Aiden, himself, seemed a victim of domestic violence so it'd have been interesting to see something.
finally, another huge flaw, at least according to me, of this book is the fact that the harassment that Aiden faces from his fans is just ridiculed while it could have made for a good plot line, but instead Vanessa - a woman that supposedly like/love him - just ridicules him although he is clearly at unease.
I am honestly so very saddened by the disappointment of this book as it had, in the first, part all the cards to be genuinely interesting and wholesome but I felt like the romance wasn't just very good and neither the whole side characters and backstory.
I also feel like the fmc's backstory at some point was ridiculous instead of being hopeful and inspiring, especially as it lacked depth. I do feel like Aiden's own explanation behind his behavior of not being 'made for relationship' was extremely shallow and never deepened.
I also dreaded the involvement of themes of domestic violence, especially when they were just treated poorly and without an explanation that went longer than a few lines. especially when Aiden, himself, seemed a victim of domestic violence so it'd have been interesting to see something.
finally, another huge flaw, at least according to me, of this book is the fact that the harassment that Aiden faces from his fans is just ridiculed while it could have made for a good plot line, but instead Vanessa - a woman that supposedly like/love him - just ridicules him although he is clearly at unease.
I am honestly so very saddened by the disappointment of this book as it had, in the first, part all the cards to be genuinely interesting and wholesome but I felt like the romance wasn't just very good and neither the whole side characters and backstory.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Sexual harassment
intensej's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Vanessa "Van" Mazur has worked as a personal assistant for Aiden Graves, award winning defensive end for the National Football Organization, for two years. Aiden has never shown any interest in being friendly with Vanessa, and she is ready to move on and focus on her graphic design business. After he humiliates her and doesn't stand up for her, she quits on the spot. Aiden finds her after several weeks and asks her to come back to work for him. When Van learns that Aiden's work visa is about to expire, she jokingly suggests that he find someone to marry in order to obtain his green card. Aiden seizes on her idea and claims that he likes her as much as he likes anyone. Can Van set aside her crush on Aiden and keep to the rules of the business relationship they have established?
I loved the premise of this book. Aiden was a really charming and realistic character. I liked seeing Val's loving relationship with Aiden's roommate, another professional football player, Zac. Zapata really drags things out in this book, and the slow burn was almost too much. I felt like there should have been more sex scenes in this book for how slow the relationship moved. I found the constant references to Van's abusive childhood to be too intense for a contemporary romance. I wish there was another book that followed Zac's story, but this appears to be a standalone. Fans of sports romance and marriage of convenience tropes will love this book.
Content: mentions of child abuse, some swearing, some fighting, sex
I loved the premise of this book. Aiden was a really charming and realistic character. I liked seeing Val's loving relationship with Aiden's roommate, another professional football player, Zac. Zapata really drags things out in this book, and the slow burn was almost too much. I felt like there should have been more sex scenes in this book for how slow the relationship moved. I found the constant references to Van's abusive childhood to be too intense for a contemporary romance. I wish there was another book that followed Zac's story, but this appears to be a standalone. Fans of sports romance and marriage of convenience tropes will love this book.
Content: mentions of child abuse, some swearing, some fighting, sex
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Sexual harassment