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sapphic_library 's review for:
Let the Games Begin
by Rufaro Faith Mazarura
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
LET THE GAMES BEGIN is a new adult romance set against the backdrop of the 2024 summer olympics and one of my favorite reads of 2024 and probably ever. in fact, i will not be shutting up about this book!!!!
olivia and zeke are both in athens for the olympics, extremely ambitious, and there to win. zeke moyo is a star athlete for team GB, ready to win a gold medal. olivia nkomo is ready for an internship that will launch her career and finally earn her a seat at the table. but when they collide—literally—on the first day of the games, neither of them could have predicted how the summer would turn out.
okay, let me just say again: i loved this book. LOVED!! i will be forcing everyone i know to buy it because i need everyone to read it. it was so good and earned a spot as one of the very few books to have made me cry (scorpio things).
if you know me, you know i have very strong feelings about FMCs and olivia is one of the best FMCs i've read about. she's so unapologetic, decisive, takes no shit and bows down to no one and i LOVED it. but her walls are high and she struggles to let herself be vulnerable (me too bestie) and it makes her a bit prickly at times. but she's determined to make the best of the cards she's been dealt and i loved seeing her go through that journey and realize that she can be vulnerable and let someone in and still have a kickass career.
zeke is the golden boy of team GB, a star athlete with a lot to live up to. he has a big zimbabwean family cheering on him and a lot of anxiety about living up to everyone's expectations of him. on top of that, he has a lot (a lot!!) of unresolved trauma about his father's death but only making small talk with his team-appointed therapist. y'all know my standards for MMCs are high af as a lesbian reading m/f romances and zeke passed every single one of my tests. he's just a nervous anxious boy and i love him your honor!!!
zeke and olivia's dynamic was just *chef's kiss* because bantering couples are my kryptonite and i was eating up their interactions the whole time. the way olivia is so mean to zeke and he loves it!!! perfection. no notes.
i felt like i really connected with both olivia and zeke, especially as an immigrant who still has a very strong connection to my homeland and my culture. there's a bit at the end that i don't want to give away but it made me cry when i read it in a chills-all-over-my-body kind of way. what made this book so special to me is that it's so much more than a romance (not that there's anything wrong with that) because their identities as black and zimbabwean and the children of immigrants are all an important part of the story.
and because i haven't raved enough about this book, there were several things that catered specifically to me!!! 1) mention of chilean athletes <3 2) a side character named valentina and she was the best (and gay!!!) and not a villain, and 3) ted lasso season 3 mention (where they're discussing if it was any good or not).
read if you like:
- meet-cute? no. meet-disaster
- the olympics
- closed door spice
thanks to flatiron books for the advanced copy! LET THE GAMES BEGIN comes out july 9.
olivia and zeke are both in athens for the olympics, extremely ambitious, and there to win. zeke moyo is a star athlete for team GB, ready to win a gold medal. olivia nkomo is ready for an internship that will launch her career and finally earn her a seat at the table. but when they collide—literally—on the first day of the games, neither of them could have predicted how the summer would turn out.
okay, let me just say again: i loved this book. LOVED!! i will be forcing everyone i know to buy it because i need everyone to read it. it was so good and earned a spot as one of the very few books to have made me cry (scorpio things).
if you know me, you know i have very strong feelings about FMCs and olivia is one of the best FMCs i've read about. she's so unapologetic, decisive, takes no shit and bows down to no one and i LOVED it. but her walls are high and she struggles to let herself be vulnerable (me too bestie) and it makes her a bit prickly at times. but she's determined to make the best of the cards she's been dealt and i loved seeing her go through that journey and realize that she can be vulnerable and let someone in and still have a kickass career.
zeke is the golden boy of team GB, a star athlete with a lot to live up to. he has a big zimbabwean family cheering on him and a lot of anxiety about living up to everyone's expectations of him. on top of that, he has a lot (a lot!!) of unresolved trauma about his father's death but only making small talk with his team-appointed therapist. y'all know my standards for MMCs are high af as a lesbian reading m/f romances and zeke passed every single one of my tests. he's just a nervous anxious boy and i love him your honor!!!
zeke and olivia's dynamic was just *chef's kiss* because bantering couples are my kryptonite and i was eating up their interactions the whole time. the way olivia is so mean to zeke and he loves it!!! perfection. no notes.
i felt like i really connected with both olivia and zeke, especially as an immigrant who still has a very strong connection to my homeland and my culture. there's a bit at the end that i don't want to give away but it made me cry when i read it in a chills-all-over-my-body kind of way. what made this book so special to me is that it's so much more than a romance (not that there's anything wrong with that) because their identities as black and zimbabwean and the children of immigrants are all an important part of the story.
and because i haven't raved enough about this book, there were several things that catered specifically to me!!! 1) mention of chilean athletes <3 2) a side character named valentina and she was the best (and gay!!!) and not a villain, and 3) ted lasso season 3 mention (where they're discussing if it was any good or not).
read if you like:
- meet-cute? no. meet-disaster
- the olympics
- closed door spice
thanks to flatiron books for the advanced copy! LET THE GAMES BEGIN comes out july 9.