A review by baexlee
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Realistically maybe if I had read this book it may have been a different story. But as soon as I heard the narrator use soon twice nearly five words apart in a sentence after I had been overlooking NUMEROUS egregious long winded and internal monologues from the main character. I can't remember where the recommendation came from but the description of the book online is intentionally vague because the author wrote themselves into an impossible plot corner before even starting the romance. I love a good enemies to lovers, and I especially love a good
marriage of convenience
but both tropes do require some suspension of disbelief and the author so firmly asserted the traits of the main character that is main my own immersion impossible. Now my biggest issue deals with the "ultimatum" so as to not spoil anyone who might want to torture themselves with writing that feels like you are banging your head against a wall (pun intended) the rest is below. 

This book is about a marriage of convenience in order to trick the government to allow the main love interest to stay in the country. Had I know more details of the plot, I would not have picked up the book, I would not have spent money on it, and I would not have supported it in any way. Maybe some people can read misconceptions about deeply personal situations that they have been through, but I cannot willingly read harmful and painful stereotypes about the type of residency my partner is living on, and read a dramatized watered down and romanticized version of everything we went through for the plot of a romance novel. Maybe the book got better, I will never know, because realistically as soon as I heard the ultimatum was Aiden offering to pay off Vanessa's student loans and buy her a house if she married him for five years? Nah. You've lost me.
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