This book is not really one I’d pick up, except for the rave reviews I was reading about it. So I decided to give it (and soccer lit) a go. Is that a thing? Soccer lit? Well, it is now. I liked the narrator. Sal Casillas is strong, funny, and swears appropriately. But she’s also a bit annoying, in a righteously indignant way. And let me tell you, she. has. done. nothing. wrong. If there is a takeaway from this book, let it be that. Because […]
A Slow Burn That Ends in a Fizzle
Mariana Zapata is very good writer who specializes in slow burn contemporary romance. She doesn’t necessarily drag out the timeline, but she takes her time building characters, especially the heroine, into well-rounded people. Her heroes then match up to these strong women really well. While the men in each of her novels may not be dreamy to the reader, they are clearly excellent partners for the women. The first book of hers I read, Kulti, is a classic and I also recommend Wait For It. […]
Yes, I Did Picture Leslie Odom, Jr.
I am in the middle of struggling through a review of a graphic novel that I didn’t like. I didn’t hate it, so I don’t have hate fueling my words. I have 96 more words to find. With 96 words still eluding me, I took a break to read Mrs. Julien’s review of Wait For It, and now here I am, 24 hours later, writing my own review of Wait For It. Mrs. Julien, being the lovely human being and inveterate book pusher that she […]
Regular People Falling in Love? How Unusual!
Last year, I read Mariana Zapata’s classic Kulti and both I and my kissing book cohorts have been working through her catalogue looking for more gems. It’s unreasonable to expect a classic every time, but I really enjoyed Wait for It and have returned to my favourite parts of the story more than once. No one is titled, famous, or a billionaire. Wait for It is just a really good contemporary romance that takes its time with two “ordinary” people finding love and building a […]
Thanks to the CBR romance readers hive mind for this one.
This is another one of those books I probably wouldn’t have touched were it not for the online book reviewing community. Specifically, all of you fellow romance-reading reviewers here at CBR, who read and reviewed Kulti to pieces starting late last year. I’d never even heard of Mariana Zapata until y’all started raving over this book. I’ve learned to trust our collective hive mind over the years, so I picked this up with one of my Audible credits earlier this year, and decided to save […]
Not Just Another Brick in the Wall
Patty: Serendipity, I tell ya. The fact that we are reviewing a book on Superbowl Sunday – a book where the hero is a professional football player – is prophetic. Warning: I am aware of football; I understand the general gist of what all is supposed to happen, but I am not a fan nor do I really agree with the purported logic behind the game. Katie hails from one of those states where it’s like a religion, so she might have to clarify some […]