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A review by theamyleblanc
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata
Did not finish book.
I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
DNF: 28%
This is clearly not the book for me and normally I wouldn't review something like that but this had the potential to be really great.
I'm a massive fan of a good slow burn romance. And I've read some sloooooow burns before that were done really well. But not this one. I read around 130 pages of this and kept wondering how they were going to get together because they seem indifferent (Aiden) or openly hostile and unforgiving (Vanessa).
Another drawback is how repetitive the writing is. There is no reason for the story to be 475 pages as it stands. Not only did it feel like events were being recapped from chapter to chapter but some of Vanessa's internal monologue would be 3 paragraphs all saying the same thing in slightly different ways. It bogged down an already slow pace.
But at the same time, it was hard to know how much time had passed. Like after Vanessa quits and it's suddenly been weeks since she told Aiden he'd need to find a replacement? That came out of nowhere.
I think this might have benefitted from having Aiden's PoV. In what I read, he does not come across is a good light at all. Yes, I get that we're reading Vanessa impression of him and that she's probably wrong but it would've been helpful to see bits of that. If not from Aiden's PoV then maybe he should've been portrayed a bit less like a wall.
Lastly, I feel misled by this cover in particular. Had I seen the cover for the version published in 2016, I doubt I would've picked it up. But this cover is cute and fun and makes it seem like a good time. I feel cheated!
This one didn't work for me.
DNF: 28%
This is clearly not the book for me and normally I wouldn't review something like that but this had the potential to be really great.
I'm a massive fan of a good slow burn romance. And I've read some sloooooow burns before that were done really well. But not this one. I read around 130 pages of this and kept wondering how they were going to get together because they seem indifferent (Aiden) or openly hostile and unforgiving (Vanessa).
Another drawback is how repetitive the writing is. There is no reason for the story to be 475 pages as it stands. Not only did it feel like events were being recapped from chapter to chapter but some of Vanessa's internal monologue would be 3 paragraphs all saying the same thing in slightly different ways. It bogged down an already slow pace.
But at the same time, it was hard to know how much time had passed. Like after Vanessa quits and it's suddenly been weeks since she told Aiden he'd need to find a replacement? That came out of nowhere.
I think this might have benefitted from having Aiden's PoV. In what I read, he does not come across is a good light at all. Yes, I get that we're reading Vanessa impression of him and that she's probably wrong but it would've been helpful to see bits of that. If not from Aiden's PoV then maybe he should've been portrayed a bit less like a wall.
Lastly, I feel misled by this cover in particular. Had I seen the cover for the version published in 2016, I doubt I would've picked it up. But this cover is cute and fun and makes it seem like a good time. I feel cheated!
This one didn't work for me.