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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
i think i liked this
i enjoyed reading this book but there were just some things…
1) scissor kick is not a thing. bicycle
2) mc IS kinda a bot
3) poop thing and food nicknames was weird
4) she doesn’t care what she looks like ✨
i enjoyed reading this book but there were just some things…
1) scissor kick is not a thing. bicycle
2) mc IS kinda a bot
3) poop thing and food nicknames was weird
4) she doesn’t care what she looks like ✨
“Every single thing that has ever happened in my life has led me here, Sal. Destiny is a ladder, a series of steps that takes you where you’re supposed to go. I am the man that I am, and I have done the things that I’ve done, to get me to you.”
Why did no one force me to read this sooner?? 10/10, LITERALLY OBSESSED. Go read it rn!!! 😌🫸🏻
a VERY slow burn. i enjoyed this, though not as much as her other ones. probably bc i watch soccer and some things were too explain-y and unrealistic (realism isnt the goal, but i cant help my feelings). reiner was amazing though. perfect boyfie. 3.5/5
yay i have officially finished all of mariana’s big 5! she is by far one of my fav romance writers. i wasn’t even a fan of slow burns until i read one of her books. the way she writes is so addicting & i can’t stop reading. she does romance in such a real way that doesn’t feel overly cheesy or annoying & i always love how she writes the main female characters
my current order of mariana’s book would have to be….
1. wait for it
2. all rhodes lead here
3. kulti
4. wall of winnipeg & me
5. from lukov with love
but all of her books were so amazing & i already want to reread all of them so this list prob doesn’t say much!
my current order of mariana’s book would have to be….
1. wait for it
2. all rhodes lead here
3. kulti
4. wall of winnipeg & me
5. from lukov with love
but all of her books were so amazing & i already want to reread all of them so this list prob doesn’t say much!
♾️/⭐️
I love love love MZ books but Kulti has a special place in my heart. I read Kulti for the first time 3 years ago and have reread it each year in January.
I love love love MZ books but Kulti has a special place in my heart. I read Kulti for the first time 3 years ago and have reread it each year in January.
2/5 stars
I am completely baffled that this book has a 4.2 average rating. my mouth was on the floor for so many parts of this book, but not in a good, plot twist way. in a "I can't believe I'm reading this. this is so ridiculous" way.
I know that might sound harsh, but based on the hype I had for this book and how others described it, I'm extremely disappointed. especially considering how long this book is. like for real, this book is way too long for nothing to happen between the characters until like 500 pages in. there were so many different side plots that could've easily been cut out to shave off the page count. by the last chapter, I was literally skimming because I was so glad to be over
im going to start on a positive route and talk about what I liked about the book. I liked the overall plot. I've never read a book before with like past childhood crush on celebrity, so I thought that was clever. and I think like some aspects forbidden romance are pretty good. I liked Sal's dad. he was pretty consistent as a character.
now that that's over, time to get into my dislikes about the book. first, let's discuss Sal. she was such an annoying character. I feel like the author recycled so many of the lines Sal thought over and over. I didn't really like Kulti either. don't get me wrong, I love a brooding romance hero as much as the next person, but he just took it really too far. he literally does not speak until like 5 or 6 chapters in. also, in the beginning of the book, he was a really shit coach. he literally did nothing for so many practices. like dude, at least try a little.
as I said before there were so many side plots that made the book longer. however, so many of them were pushed aside and never spoken of again. I would've liked if we had less of the summer training camp scenes and actually got to dive deeper into Sal and her mother's relationship, especially with soccer. or Sal's relationship with Cici. or, actually discuss the fact that Kulti and Sal's brother have a difficult history. I felt like those storylines got like a one-line explanation and were never spoken of again.
my BIGGEST issue with the book, however, was the casual brush offs from both Kulti and Sal regarding their relationship. as someone who played soccer for a while, I know how annoying it can be when a coach clearly has a favorite player, and the two of them really don't care. like Sal justifies it saying that she and him know nothing's going on, so there's really no reason for people to be freaking out about it. but even though they weren't together, you're supposedly "best friends." no one should be best friends with their coach. just because you're not romantically involved doesn't mean that you won't get special treatment from your coach. so I stood with her teammates on that one. side note: I found it so funny/strange when Sal would literally refer to her teammates as "girl." like you don't need to know everything about your teammates, but maybe learning their names would be nice.
anyways, very disappointed in this book and was expecting something more. my end to this review will just be one question, is describing your lover's eyes as "swamp-colored" really that romantic?
I am completely baffled that this book has a 4.2 average rating. my mouth was on the floor for so many parts of this book, but not in a good, plot twist way. in a "I can't believe I'm reading this. this is so ridiculous" way.
I know that might sound harsh, but based on the hype I had for this book and how others described it, I'm extremely disappointed. especially considering how long this book is. like for real, this book is way too long for nothing to happen between the characters until like 500 pages in. there were so many different side plots that could've easily been cut out to shave off the page count. by the last chapter, I was literally skimming because I was so glad to be over
im going to start on a positive route and talk about what I liked about the book. I liked the overall plot. I've never read a book before with like past childhood crush on celebrity, so I thought that was clever. and I think like some aspects forbidden romance are pretty good. I liked Sal's dad. he was pretty consistent as a character.
now that that's over, time to get into my dislikes about the book. first, let's discuss Sal. she was such an annoying character. I feel like the author recycled so many of the lines Sal thought over and over. I didn't really like Kulti either. don't get me wrong, I love a brooding romance hero as much as the next person, but he just took it really too far. he literally does not speak until like 5 or 6 chapters in. also, in the beginning of the book, he was a really shit coach. he literally did nothing for so many practices. like dude, at least try a little.
as I said before there were so many side plots that made the book longer. however, so many of them were pushed aside and never spoken of again. I would've liked if we had less of the summer training camp scenes and actually got to dive deeper into Sal and her mother's relationship, especially with soccer. or Sal's relationship with Cici. or, actually discuss the fact that Kulti and Sal's brother have a difficult history. I felt like those storylines got like a one-line explanation and were never spoken of again.
my BIGGEST issue with the book, however, was the casual brush offs from both Kulti and Sal regarding their relationship. as someone who played soccer for a while, I know how annoying it can be when a coach clearly has a favorite player, and the two of them really don't care. like Sal justifies it saying that she and him know nothing's going on, so there's really no reason for people to be freaking out about it. but even though they weren't together, you're supposedly "best friends." no one should be best friends with their coach. just because you're not romantically involved doesn't mean that you won't get special treatment from your coach. so I stood with her teammates on that one. side note: I found it so funny/strange when Sal would literally refer to her teammates as "girl." like you don't need to know everything about your teammates, but maybe learning their names would be nice.
anyways, very disappointed in this book and was expecting something more. my end to this review will just be one question, is describing your lover's eyes as "swamp-colored" really that romantic?
“You don’t get to live your dreams by waiting around for someone to hand them to you.”
Aaaaaaaaaaah.
Okay okay this was really cute.
I have to confess: I couldn't stop thinking about The Wall of Winnipeg and Me (5 stars) while reading this because they're just similar enough that my mind automatically kept comparing the two. Sooo this review will probably end up having a lot of comparisons. :P
❧ Sal - I really enjoyed Sal's arc! She was so cool and so relatable; her selflessness/considerate nature + stubbornness/drive made her a well-rounded and likeable heroine.
❧ Kulti - Admittedly, it took me a little longer to warm up to Kulti—as an individual, he doesn't really stand out that much among the hundreds of grumpy-turned-soft heros in books like this, but I did really like him by the end; he was such a good person, and I really liked the way he supported and protected Sal. Kulti was a solid hero and his character worked well for this particular story (thoughhh I'm still Team Graves because Aiden is just on a whole other level).
❧ Sal + Kulti - Oohh. This romance was superb. I adored the progression of their relationship and how they became best friends (*puppy dog eyes emoji*) and equals while still technically being coach/player...and I guess I'm just a sucker for an age gap now. Sal and Kulti made such a perfect team, and their banter + their nicknames for each other were the best. :)
❧ Minor characters - I loooooved Sal's dad! He was hilarious, and his relationship with Sal was so precious. None of the other minor characters made a big impression on me, but that worked just fine, as adding more side stories might have taken away from the main plot. Sal's friends were nice supporting characters though.
❧ Writing - Hallelujah! The mini problems I had with the writing in TWoWaM didn't happen here, so overall, I'm super pleased. The humor was good, and the burn was slow in the best way.
At the end of the day, I can't say for sure if I liked this or Winnipeg more, but either way, this was a lot of fun, and I will definitely be reading more Zapata! (Maybe Under Locke next?? I think that couple had a cameo here and I was so sad I couldn't fully appreciate it...)
~~
reviews for other Mariana Zapata books
❧ The Wall of Winnipeg and Me (5 stars)
❧ From Lukov with Love (5 stars)
4.25 ⭐ Where can I find a handsome German soccer player who calls me "my schnecke"????
OMG!!! i hated kulti at the beggining but then i grew to love him, such a great character.
I am obsessed with sal<3 she’s great
and the book is absolutely amazing<3333
I am obsessed with sal<3 she’s great
and the book is absolutely amazing<3333