A review by kb33
When Gracie Met The Grump by Mariana Zapata
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I might be in the minority because I liked the length of the book. I liked the world that Zapata created, and just about every character in it.
I hated Alex. He was a dick for 90% of the book, no joke. There were a few times that he was nice, and then he went nuclear cold and distant. Then, at the very end, he had the audacity to call Gracie dense when she had trouble believing that he had feelings for her.
I also hate reading books where the author dangles secrets in front of you, and you just have to hope it answer will be revealed sooner rather than later. That’s the entire book. I feel like several of the hinted secrets were never revealed. And there were a couple major plot holes that had nothing to do with the whole super hero thing or anything technical. Alex disappeared for weeks and his family is like, “Where were you? We were getting kinda worried.” Which is ridiculous once you read the book. And the person who hurt him... just... nothing. Nothing at all happens about that.
It is so hard to rate this because I really did love the unique (to me) idea for the story, but I hated Alex so much. I kept wanting Gracie to yell at him or leave. I think the power imbalance (and her need to rely on him so heavily) made her put him on a pedestal. She deserves so much better.
I hated Alex. He was a dick for 90% of the book, no joke. There were a few times that he was nice, and then he went nuclear cold and distant. Then, at the very end, he had the audacity to call Gracie dense when she had trouble believing that he had feelings for her.
I also hate reading books where the author dangles secrets in front of you, and you just have to hope it answer will be revealed sooner rather than later. That’s the entire book. I feel like several of the hinted secrets were never revealed. And there were a couple major plot holes that had nothing to do with the whole super hero thing or anything technical. Alex disappeared for weeks and his family is like, “Where were you? We were getting kinda worried.” Which is ridiculous once you read the book. And the person who hurt him... just... nothing. Nothing at all happens about that.
It is so hard to rate this because I really did love the unique (to me) idea for the story, but I hated Alex so much. I kept wanting Gracie to yell at him or leave. I think the power imbalance (and her need to rely on him so heavily) made her put him on a pedestal. She deserves so much better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcohol and Grief
Minor: Abandonment and Death of parent