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A review by blurrypetals
Hands Down by Mariana Zapata
3.0
I'm really waffling between a 3 and a 4 on this one, but I think by the time I finish up my next book, the details will have faded away to nothing other than it was a middle of the road Zapata book. I didn't hate it like ironically titled The Best Thing but it wasn't as likable as even Under Locke or Luna and the Lie, let alone her best like From Lukov With Love or my personal favorite, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me.
It even took me a hot second to realize this was even a spinoff to The Wall of Winnipeg and Me because it's been so long since I last read it. It literally took Aiden and Vanessa showing up at Zac's doorstep for me to remember, oh shit their roommate's name was Zac and this is the Zac from their book, oh no, why is he acting so different?
At the end of the day, though, this just felt so light on the romance stuff. I always have an extremely hard time with friends to lovers stories and this was no exception. Yes, Mariana Zapata makes the slow burn her bread and butter, but there just weren't enough little moments between Bianca and Zac to hang onto. Plus, by the billionth time Bianca insists "Zac could never possibly love her in that way," and "But I don't wanna ruin our fRiEnDsHiP," it goes past tiresome and goes straight into irritating.
By the time I was halfway through, I was simply wishing I was reading The Wall of Winnipeg and Me all over again, a much better Zapata book with a much better romance, much better football, and even much better Zac! Which is wild, because Zac is in The Wall of Winnipeg and Me so little that I forgot he was even called Zac! I do really think Zapata just does better with enemies to lovers than she does with friends to lovers, as all her enemies to lovers books are my favorites of hers, but the biggest downfall of this book was that I didn't really even buy this so-called amazing friendship of theirs and, when it's friends to lovers, that's a big downfall to have.
It even took me a hot second to realize this was even a spinoff to The Wall of Winnipeg and Me because it's been so long since I last read it. It literally took Aiden and Vanessa showing up at Zac's doorstep for me to remember, oh shit their roommate's name was Zac and this is the Zac from their book, oh no, why is he acting so different?
At the end of the day, though, this just felt so light on the romance stuff. I always have an extremely hard time with friends to lovers stories and this was no exception. Yes, Mariana Zapata makes the slow burn her bread and butter, but there just weren't enough little moments between Bianca and Zac to hang onto. Plus, by the billionth time Bianca insists "Zac could never possibly love her in that way," and "But I don't wanna ruin our fRiEnDsHiP," it goes past tiresome and goes straight into irritating.
By the time I was halfway through, I was simply wishing I was reading The Wall of Winnipeg and Me all over again, a much better Zapata book with a much better romance, much better football, and even much better Zac! Which is wild, because Zac is in The Wall of Winnipeg and Me so little that I forgot he was even called Zac! I do really think Zapata just does better with enemies to lovers than she does with friends to lovers, as all her enemies to lovers books are my favorites of hers, but the biggest downfall of this book was that I didn't really even buy this so-called amazing friendship of theirs and, when it's friends to lovers, that's a big downfall to have.