The Wall of Winnipeg and Me (Mariana Zapata)

Vanessa Mazur knows she’s doing the right thing. She shouldn’t feel bad for quitting. Being an assistant/housekeeper/fairy godmother to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans and none of them include washing extra-large underwear longer than necessary.

But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she’s beyond shocked.

For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn’t find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He’s asking for the unthinkable.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?

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This has been the LONGEST contemporary romance I’ve ever read. It was massive! But it was such a great story.

This was my first book by Mariana Zapata, but it won’t be the last, for sure. I really liked the writing, it was intense and funny at the same time. It was pretty well balanced. The pacing was slow, but this is a very slow burn romance, so the pacing made perfect sense, and I couldn’t imagine the story being told any other way.

Vanessa was a great narrator. This book is told exclusively through her POV, and this girl has an amazing voice. She’s strong, and not afraid to say what she feels and what she wants, even if plagued by a dark past and a horrible upbringing. She fights for her dreams, but she always tries to be her best self. I loved her. She grows up so much during this novel, her confidence in herself grows so much too.

Aiden was a tough nut to crack, and even after finishing this book, I still have my doubts and reservations about when and how and why he truly started falling for Vanessa, because sometimes I thought that it came from way back, and other times it seemed a more recent thing. Not gonna lie, I could have used his POV sometimes… Still, he had a very unique personality and a very particular way to navigate the world. I have to say that even though it is never mentioned in the text, I actually thought that he showed some indications of being in the autism spectrum. In the end, I loved the guy. He didn’t love easily, but when he did, he would do anything, and oh my…

Like I said above, this was a slow burn romance… SUPER SLOW BURN! But I felt like it paid off. I liked seeing them getting to know each other and falling, but I did miss some conversations that I thought should have happened. Given their highly different personalities, I wish there had been more in the book AFTER they admitted their feelings for one another. Instead, once they get together, the story finishes and the epilogue starts, and while I really appreciated that glimpse, I needed more from how they started navigating their relationship.

Overall this was a super good book, though sometimes too slow for me, but full of tension and great moments.  I’m glad I listened to it, because the narrator did a wonderful job and made it super enjoyable.

I would DEFINITELY recommend this one 😉 .