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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
Ok. Wow. This was the first Mariana's book I've read and it was soo good.
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content
3.5 ⭐️ you were good, I'm waiting for you to be great
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
To be honest, I had read this book years ago, before COVID in 2017, so 8 years ago, but just this week I read "When Gracie Met The Grump" by Mariana Zapata which is one of her newer releases and was left a little disappointed (only rated it 3 stars mainly due to the unique MMC superhero trope) and so I decided to read this again to remind myself how great of an author Mariana is. Luckily I did not remember much, just that it is one of her better novels but no specific plot details, so it really was as if I was reading it for the first time, even if I wasn't. I rarely give out 5 stars but this book deserves it. The slow burn was perfectly executed in this, lasted the right amount of pages, and I loved the FMC AND the MMC, as well as the sexual tension and the chemistry and friendship between them. The secondary character of Sal's dad was my favourite and his personality jumped off the page and I always looked forward to him making an appearance. The only thing I would have changed would have been more emphasis on their age difference, dare I say even introducing a Daddy Kink and having Kulti be Coach AND Daddy? But that is just my dirty brain talking. All in all, this book was a great treat after my last somewhat disappointing read, which is funny because they are by the same author.
THIS!! THIS WAS IT! EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED! Ive been in such a reading slump a long time, nothing HIT but this did! Wow! I loved it!! Mariana never disappoints with the slow burns. Loved their banter, chemistry and how they matched each others energy so well. He was rude, sarcastic, caring and she’s strong and opinionated and BADASS which was amazing! She was such a perfect combination of badass and sunshine, and Kulti was just… incredible. I understand why she loved him for most of her life and looked up to him. LOOOVE the ending and that we got to see how destiny brought them together throughout their lives
I listened to most of it and read some of it as the ebook, loved both!
I listened to most of it and read some of it as the ebook, loved both!
medium-paced
While I liked parts of this book (the sports aspect and sals personality), and found some things funny, I felt the relationship and romance was severely lacking, I also got very annoyed with all of the nicknames after a while. Basically the entire book and her feelings are based off of her crush she’s had on this guy since she was a kid. You get like absolutely nothing from Kulti the entire book til like 85-90% in, then all of a sudden he’s in love with her. So def not my favorite. I didn’t think it was bad, and it kept me entertained, but just not my kind of romance book.
My favorite Zapata book so far. She is great a creating such a jerky male lead that you slowly start to love!!
emotional
lighthearted
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:
No
I did enjoy it overall but it's a flawed book. While reading, I was thinking when was this published?? It feels dated. The slut-shaming, the whore-calling, the "social media" references. I can't believe I'm saying this but yea a book from 2015 felt a little dated. Also what was with the many repetitive sayings, my god the "poop", why did it go on for so long? The "big girl socks" ugh stop it. The "I could care less", how the hell did that go unnoticed by a writer, an editor? The phrase is repeated so often throughout the book and weirdly got it right once finally giving us a "couldn't care less". I breathed a sigh of relief but then later on in the book it went back to "could care less". Then the ending was very rushed and like other reviewers have said there are a lot subplots that pop up but are never talked about or developed again.