Mariana Zapata

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me

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 plants 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 even 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? 

Jess Griffin

this book was everything it was said to be, but it just didn’t stand out to me like the other MZ books i’ve read. still amazing though!

2017 me gave this 3 stars .. idk what past me was thinking, I was just too impatient
nooww (2021) tho
I think I actually like slow burns now! omg that was GREAT!

The relationship progression felt real where the couple learn more about each other's childhood traumas (wow bonding), became close confidants/besties, and just genuinely care for each other AHHHHHH I'M SUCH A WHORE FOR LOVE

I wish the book was in dual POVs so we can read what Aiden is feeling/thinking but it's okay! His actions speak for us!! and his actions says HES LOVES HERRR AHHHH!! omg Aiden and his puzzles tho like he's always working on one. I wonder if it's the same one or a different one. I wonder how many puzzles he's done.

Two headstrong, stubborn individuals that had to endear some family trauma so they had to be okay with being alone in the world UNTIL they fall for each other and become each other's family -tears-

btw Aiden, the man whose whole schedule is centered around football made time to go to a romance novel convention for her AHH 

the epilogue got me smiling so much at 2am and Sammy is such a good name choice btw :)

Siya S

3.5/5 STARS 

Find out more at:
http://thebleedingeyes.wordpress.com

Awww. THIS. 



The Wall of Winnipeg and Me. *Le Sigh*

As a fan of Friday Night Lights (with Tim Riggins as my forever spirit animal), I love anything American football-related with a romantic approach. I love this book. I really do. I went without talking to anyone at work for days determining to finish it asap (my friends thought something terrible happened and I was like naw it's just this book thing like omg). But by the time I hit the last few chapters I started having a mix feeling about it. While it was a relax, fun read that kept inviting me to turn to the next pages, it's also at the same time dragging, redundant and going nowhere. 

First let's focus on the good things. The plot was great; The Proposal meets Sweet November with endless butterflies-in-the-stomach moments and hilarious dialogues. Vanessa was Aiden's been an assistant for forever (2 years, to be exact), well, until she wasn't. But then amidst of the new life adjustment he suddenly showed up at her doorstep demanding her to come back, and things escalated pretty quickly after that. The thing was, he's a Canadian and his visa was expiring. He didn't want to go back. Vanessa was not only an American, but the American, the only one who, sheesh, was accustomed (aka tolerate) to his strict lifestyle. Desperate time, desperate measure. So you do the math. 

I love Zapata's writing style. It's subtle and effortless. I like the way she told the stories - the way she cultivated the relationship between Vanessa and Aiden into something beautiful. Her dialogues were deadpanned hilarious and witty. 


  But there were plenty of guys with amazing bodies and faces in the world. I should know. I looked at models almost every day. And none of those physical traits helped me in any way. Hot guys weren’t going to make my dreams come true.


The characters...probably the strongest component of this book. Fun, likable, relatable, evidently developed. I like Vanessa and her insecurities that probably made her the most unreliable narrator ever (I got annoyed more than once). But she's funny (hilarious, even), smart and independent, the best trait combination one could have asked for from a heroine in a chick lit book. You couldn't help but like the girl, really. And then there's an amazing human being that was Aiden Graves aka The Wall of Winnipeg (he's Canadian). The mountainous defensive line with a heart of a puppy. A swoon-worthy bastard with that still-water-runs-deep kind of personality that made you unconsciously drop your pants as the plot thickened. What could I say? He's one of the best things ever happened in this book. The savior of the story. 

But as much as I want to like it, it's still at least 100 pages too long. Most of the time I was stuck in Vanessa's trains of insecure thoughts which would be adorable under a certain page limit. Imagine being stuck in your most insecure friend's head for 24/7. This read more like a slice-of-life of a young athlete's wife more than anything else, mind you. Most important of all; Nothing Actually Happened. Nothing we didn't see coming, anyway. It's too predictable for my taste, no twists and turns. Dramatic scenes felt forced and read like it was written halfheartedly just for the sake of having something to talk about. Swoon? Yes. Tear-jerking? life-changing? eye-opening? not so much.

Still, I'm probably gonna read every single one of her books anyway. I'm a sucker like that.

Amani Zaha

If I had a penny for every time Aiden was referred to as "big guy" in this book, I'd have a lot of pennies.

Annabella

I'd have trimmed some parts of the book, but the Fake Married Trope is a fave. The slow burn nearly killed me you guys

Marcie Allen

5⭐️
I didn’t think I would like this book as much as I did. I knew it was a slow burn but I was more invested in the characters rather than their actual relationship which made it better for me. This book was written soooo well and I’ll definitely read more of her books in the future :)

I forgot to say this but Zac has my entire heart and their friendship was adorable omgggg🥺❤️

lilygriffiths 

Savannah Dijkhof

the slow burn!!
the tension? >>>> 
I loved it
I hated Aiden the first, like, 160 pages, but his character development was amazing!

Ashley Janssen

Well written. Vanessa is awesome and felt realistic. Enjoyed the slow burn.

Lenina K Anindita

this is the first time for me to read a 500+ pages book and its Fine i gwess

Ishika Jain

This was amazinggg.. I love alpha male characters and I love Aiden and I gave 4 stars because it would have being amazing if Aiden's point of view should have been written but in all it was awesome

Connor 

this was precious???

update: I have no idea why this previously said four outta five, I’ve reread part of it at least every other week since I devoured it the first time soooo let’s just up that to the five it clearly deserves shall we

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me

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