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tabea_a's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I loved this book!
They had the best banter I have ever read about that genuinely made me laugh out loud so often and I loved Ivan as a person as well as Jasmine and her whole family.
The only two things that didn't make this book perfect were for one the language which was sooo heavy on cuss words that it started to annoy me to read "f**king" in every sentence like three times and for the other I love slow burn romances, I really do. But them kissing only after so many pages? And the end then feeling sooo rushed? I'm crying
None the less the lead up was great, I didn't get bored for a single moment and I enjoyed the ice skating aspect a lot. I'm really looking forward to read a lot more MZ books!
They had the best banter I have ever read about that genuinely made me laugh out loud so often and I loved Ivan as a person as well as Jasmine and her whole family.
The only two things that didn't make this book perfect were for one the language which was sooo heavy on cuss words that it started to annoy me to read "f**king" in every sentence like three times and for the other I love slow burn romances, I really do. But them kissing only after so many pages? And the end then feeling sooo rushed? I'm crying
None the less the lead up was great, I didn't get bored for a single moment and I enjoyed the ice skating aspect a lot. I'm really looking forward to read a lot more MZ books!
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
b_addie_readsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
__romancereader__'s review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I enjoyed this book so much the slow burn was extreme but Mariana Zapata is the queen of slow burn so I’m not surprised i freaking love slow burns this book was enemies to friends to lovers forced proximity brother’s best friend its also a sports romance there’s no cheating no love triangle and no cliff hanger its a happy ending there was certain scenes that were just my favorite and i loved how even in the beginning of the book when they we’re enemies you could see when he started to truly care for her it was so cute its not extremely spicy I don’t want to spoil it but the spicy scenes in here is not many I don’t want to say how many there are but there are not allot if you read the wall of Winnipeg and me by Mariana Zapata it was just like that i really did enjoy this book i feel like i read it fast i liked the protectiveness Ivan had over Jasmine and i liked finding out in the middle and ending of the book the certain things Ivan did for Jasmine when they were hating each other😏overall i rated this book a 5 stars just like every other book i rated of Mariana Zapata’s⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Not all content warnings are about the main characters some are and some are about the other characters you meet/hear about in the book 🥰❤️🫶🏼tessasreads's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, and Stalking
Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexual content, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident and Alcohol
hannibanani29's review against another edition
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Stalking
Moderate: Body shaming, Medical content, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Fatphobia, Racism, Vomit, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
fremzz's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I’m so late to the hype but omg this was so good 😫😫
The visceral reactions this got from me are actually mental like every three seconds I was giggling or screaming or crying and that epilogue had me on the floor crying help help help
Had its issues but I pretend I do not see 🫡 (really it was just the meatball thing cause that was weird).
The visceral reactions this got from me are actually mental like every three seconds I was giggling or screaming or crying and that epilogue had me on the floor crying help help help
Had its issues but I pretend I do not see 🫡 (really it was just the meatball thing cause that was weird).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcohol and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
allisonisabel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I rate books on how much I enjoyed reading them, and given that this is my first romance novel and the fact that I skipped studying for my Neuroscience exam to read this in one day—blushing, smiling, kicking, and screaming all the while—should tell you all you need to know. Only once complaint…I WANT MORE JASMINE/IVAN. Ivan was so in love with her I was screaming, and I want more of them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Mental illness, Sexism, and Alcohol
louisa_pennyfeather2021's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I love this book, it makes my hopeless romantic heart cry tears of joy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Medical content, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
sofiarmz13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Vomit, Car accident, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
michellemaas's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
* Beware of minor spoilers
4.5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Standalone New Adult Sports Romance, featuring the "rivals-to-lovers", "hurt/comfort", and "forced proximity" tropes.
I liked it overall. The relationship was excellently developed, the banter was on point, the characters were complex, and there were high emotional and physical stakes. It was however too long, causing it to drag at times.
"But if I’d learned anything over the last year and a half, it was the reality of how tough it was to live with your mistakes. I’d learned how hard it was to face them, and how much harder it was to own them. We all did things we regretted; we all said things we regretted, and guilt was a crushing weight on a person’s soul. And I wanted to be better. For me. Not for anyone else."
At 26, Jasmine either has to get a new figure skating partner or quit doing the one thing she has dedicated her entire life to. In comes Ivan Lukov . . . This partnerless, world-winning champion is willing to join forces since neither of them has any other options. The problem? They can't stand one another. But with Ivan being her last hope at her dreams, Jasmine is willing to do anything to make this arrangement work.
"Love to me was honesty. Being real. Knowing someone’s best and worst. Love was a push that said someone believed in you when you didn’t. Love was effort and time."
My biggest criticism is that it was longer than it should have been. I had to put it down at 80% and struggled for a long time to pick it back up. Once I did get back to it I thoroughly enjoyed the end, but like with most Mariana Zapata books the reading experience could have been greatly improved if the book was 100 or so pages shorter because while the story was enjoyable overall there were a bunch of scenes that were totally unnecessary for both plot and character development and that slows down the pace of what would have been a gloriously medium to fast-paced book.
I also disliked the fact that there was so little plot. Ivan and Jasmine's relationship was so good that I surprisingly didn't mind it for the most part, but when I'm sitting here and reflecting at the end of the book I realize that it does bother me. It made it hard to pick back up when it lost my interest. That's why there needs to be a plot.
"Because I’m okay with you having ten other people be your favorite. But you’re always going to be my favorite person,” he finished. “Always. No matter what.”
On to the good stuff, I loved Jasmine's character. She was so real and moody and flawed yet loyal and she spoke to me in a way I wasn't expecting. The slowburn was also undoubtedly one of the best I've read to date. It was paced well while also being realistic and felt very natural. Finally, I really enjoyed the social commentary about not needing a degree to be considered successful in life, because sometimes it's just enough to be doing what you love.
"If I had to choose anyone to help me bury a body, eat dinner with, or watch television with, it would be you, every time for everything."
From Lukov with Love includes learning disability representation along with a heavy emphasis on both romantic and familial relationships, and the importance of pursuing your dreams while working on becoming the best version of yourself. Would recommend it if any of those themes resonate with you, or you just want to experience the brilliance that is Ivan Lukov. The book may have been too long, but Ivan Lukov was worth every page.
4.5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Standalone New Adult Sports Romance, featuring the "rivals-to-lovers", "hurt/comfort", and "forced proximity" tropes.
I liked it overall. The relationship was excellently developed, the banter was on point, the characters were complex, and there were high emotional and physical stakes. It was however too long, causing it to drag at times.
"But if I’d learned anything over the last year and a half, it was the reality of how tough it was to live with your mistakes. I’d learned how hard it was to face them, and how much harder it was to own them. We all did things we regretted; we all said things we regretted, and guilt was a crushing weight on a person’s soul. And I wanted to be better. For me. Not for anyone else."
At 26, Jasmine either has to get a new figure skating partner or quit doing the one thing she has dedicated her entire life to. In comes Ivan Lukov . . . This partnerless, world-winning champion is willing to join forces since neither of them has any other options. The problem? They can't stand one another. But with Ivan being her last hope at her dreams, Jasmine is willing to do anything to make this arrangement work.
"Love to me was honesty. Being real. Knowing someone’s best and worst. Love was a push that said someone believed in you when you didn’t. Love was effort and time."
My biggest criticism is that it was longer than it should have been. I had to put it down at 80% and struggled for a long time to pick it back up. Once I did get back to it I thoroughly enjoyed the end, but like with most Mariana Zapata books the reading experience could have been greatly improved if the book was 100 or so pages shorter because while the story was enjoyable overall there were a bunch of scenes that were totally unnecessary for both plot and character development and that slows down the pace of what would have been a gloriously medium to fast-paced book.
I also disliked the fact that there was so little plot. Ivan and Jasmine's relationship was so good that I surprisingly didn't mind it for the most part, but when I'm sitting here and reflecting at the end of the book I realize that it does bother me. It made it hard to pick back up when it lost my interest. That's why there needs to be a plot.
"Because I’m okay with you having ten other people be your favorite. But you’re always going to be my favorite person,” he finished. “Always. No matter what.”
On to the good stuff, I loved Jasmine's character. She was so real and moody and flawed yet loyal and she spoke to me in a way I wasn't expecting. The slowburn was also undoubtedly one of the best I've read to date. It was paced well while also being realistic and felt very natural. Finally, I really enjoyed the social commentary about not needing a degree to be considered successful in life, because sometimes it's just enough to be doing what you love.
"If I had to choose anyone to help me bury a body, eat dinner with, or watch television with, it would be you, every time for everything."
From Lukov with Love includes learning disability representation along with a heavy emphasis on both romantic and familial relationships, and the importance of pursuing your dreams while working on becoming the best version of yourself. Would recommend it if any of those themes resonate with you, or you just want to experience the brilliance that is Ivan Lukov. The book may have been too long, but Ivan Lukov was worth every page.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Racism, Medical content, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail