bookishfaes's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
theanachronismreads's review against another edition
4.0
Yes yes yes!
Zac was an interesting little tidbit in Wall of Winnipeg and Me and I am so glad to see his story! With some fun cameos and MZ’s signature slow burn and heart eyes ending this was just so so good.
Zac was an interesting little tidbit in Wall of Winnipeg and Me and I am so glad to see his story! With some fun cameos and MZ’s signature slow burn and heart eyes ending this was just so so good.
mollyymayyx's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
taylorrviolet's review
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Classic, can never go wrong, just such a banger
angelreads's review against another edition
3.0
This is Mariana Zapata’s newest release and my least favourite of the books that I’ve now read. I couldn’t connect with the characters and the story. And it was way too long.
Hands Down follows Bianca Brannen as she is dragged back into Zac Travis life. Friends from a young age they connected right away, but as they got older they started to drift. So much so that they haven’t talked in some time. But it was good for Bianca, and then she is dragged back into this life and old feelings rise to the surface. Will she survive being back in his life again?
Bianca was pretty easy to get along with, I didn’t mind her as a protagonist. However, it was hard to connect with her. In saying that I did enjoy Bianca’s character arc. The reader is able to see her grow throughout the book and find herself.
On the other hand, I didn’t like Zac all too much. He didn’t feel real. One of my favourite things about romances is how real the characters can sometimes feel, and I didn’t get that here. I kept on waiting for more from him and I didn’t get it. There were times where I was thinking I was going to start liking him and then he did something stupid.
The romance is a mix of second chance plus friends to lovers and I didn’t love it. I normally love age gap romances, but I don’t think it was done great here. The age gap isn’t big, but it felt strange. I think it was mostly to do with how Zac talked about and to Bianca that made it hard to read. Heaps of reviews mentioned this, but the number of times he refers to her as ‘kiddo’ just put me off the romance.
Hands Down also felt too long. It was over 500 pages and for a contemporary romance that just way too much for me. There was so much angst and drama, that it did a little too much for me. I did like that the romance was another slow burn. I’ve come to learn that Mariana Zapata is pretty good at writing great slow-burn romances.
Overall Hands Down by Mariana Zapata was an okay read. I had problems with it, but I didn’t hate it. It’s probably my least favourite of her books that I’ve read so far, but it won’t be stopping me from trying more. The romance was okay, I wasn’t able to fully connect with the characters and that made liking the romance a little harder. It’s a decent read and fans of Mariana Zapata will enjoy it.
Hands Down follows Bianca Brannen as she is dragged back into Zac Travis life. Friends from a young age they connected right away, but as they got older they started to drift. So much so that they haven’t talked in some time. But it was good for Bianca, and then she is dragged back into this life and old feelings rise to the surface. Will she survive being back in his life again?
Bianca was pretty easy to get along with, I didn’t mind her as a protagonist. However, it was hard to connect with her. In saying that I did enjoy Bianca’s character arc. The reader is able to see her grow throughout the book and find herself.
On the other hand, I didn’t like Zac all too much. He didn’t feel real. One of my favourite things about romances is how real the characters can sometimes feel, and I didn’t get that here. I kept on waiting for more from him and I didn’t get it. There were times where I was thinking I was going to start liking him and then he did something stupid.
The romance is a mix of second chance plus friends to lovers and I didn’t love it. I normally love age gap romances, but I don’t think it was done great here. The age gap isn’t big, but it felt strange. I think it was mostly to do with how Zac talked about and to Bianca that made it hard to read. Heaps of reviews mentioned this, but the number of times he refers to her as ‘kiddo’ just put me off the romance.
Hands Down also felt too long. It was over 500 pages and for a contemporary romance that just way too much for me. There was so much angst and drama, that it did a little too much for me. I did like that the romance was another slow burn. I’ve come to learn that Mariana Zapata is pretty good at writing great slow-burn romances.
Overall Hands Down by Mariana Zapata was an okay read. I had problems with it, but I didn’t hate it. It’s probably my least favourite of her books that I’ve read so far, but it won’t be stopping me from trying more. The romance was okay, I wasn’t able to fully connect with the characters and that made liking the romance a little harder. It’s a decent read and fans of Mariana Zapata will enjoy it.
ginnygrde's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
hannahkornblut's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.5
heesth's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
themooser's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
5.0
kristalli's review
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Oooof. I really wanted to love this one, but I just did not. I really liked Zac in Wall of Winnipeg so I was very excited he had his own story and that it was going to be a friends to lovers. I, however, was not feeling the romance in this book. At all. The amount Zac called her kiddo was making me crazy. It just still felt like he saw her as his best friend’s baby cousin even though his actions said otherwise. I was having such a hard time getting into it. On top of that, Bianca’s insecurities were making me crazy. How many times does he have to tell you he wants to be around you for your to believe it? I stuck through it hoping my mind would change, but it just didn’t. When then finally got together I was just cringing. I love Mariana Zapata, but this one was just not for me.