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One Moore Time
He might be the greatest swimmer of all time, but he doesn’t know his bank login.
Veronica Rubio can spot a hot mess a mile away.
Having to deal with one—much less work for one—isn’t exactly at the top of her list of things she wants to do.
So, when the trainwreck known as George Moore steamrolls into her life, she wants to run away… if only it weren’t for the commission check she could make off selling his house.
But when the man with more gold medals than anyone else in the world needs help, Veronica finds it’s a lot easier said than done to leave him to figure things out on his own.
Especially not when he’s so nice to her grandma.
And her brothers.
Helping him out a little would be the nice thing to do… wouldn’t it?
Veronica Rubio can spot a hot mess a mile away.
Having to deal with one—much less work for one—isn’t exactly at the top of her list of things she wants to do.
So, when the trainwreck known as George Moore steamrolls into her life, she wants to run away… if only it weren’t for the commission check she could make off selling his house.
But when the man with more gold medals than anyone else in the world needs help, Veronica finds it’s a lot easier said than done to leave him to figure things out on his own.
Especially not when he’s so nice to her grandma.
And her brothers.
Helping him out a little would be the nice thing to do… wouldn’t it?
658 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2026
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Currently Reading
October 2, 2026Another slow burn from the queen of slow burns. See you all when they accidentally brush hands on page 347. 🥹
October 1, 2026
forget the Olympics, me competing for his attention after finding out where he swims —
I'm so glad y'all are dnfing this cuz he's mine 😾—
the only thing I want him doing laps around is me 😻—
also i knew he would have the prettiest 🐓—
I'm so glad y'all are dnfing this cuz he's mine 😾—
the only thing I want him doing laps around is me 😻—
also i knew he would have the prettiest 🐓—
October 17, 2026
a quintessential mariana zapata meal. she has a formula and it either works or it doesn’t. there’s always a few things you can count on happening or being true:
✔️ you’ll get a slooooooooooow burn, and i mean glacial. the copy that i picked up clocked in at 650(ish) pages, and the romance only started feeling slightly romantic when i was pushing 500. waited for a kiss well after that 😂. also, the book pre-epilogue spans a little over a year and a half, so their relationship develops over a pretty long time;
✔️ there’s going to be an mmc so ginormous he needs his own zip code, paired with an itty-bitty fmc;
✔️ potty humour will be present (not my favourite kind tbh, but she loves it for some or other reason. lots of butthole, bathroom and / or vomit & gagging jokes in here…); and
✔️ a repetitive word / phrase / device will be churned out (in this one, it was dumbass and a whole lotta snickering. oh, and son of a bitch — although this last one was used as a term of endearment a lot of the time 😅)…
buuuuuuuut…despite all of this, i had a pretty enjoyable enough time. emphasis on “enough”. my patience for some of these things isn’t what it used to be two years ago when i read a ton of her books back-to-back (some of which hold a very special place in my memories as pure comfort reads but ones i’d never dare re-read as i wouldn’t want my fond recollection of them altered even a little bit), but still…i got a nostalgia from reading this book that was not at all unwelcome and i hardly felt the length of it either. i was breezing through it and basically finished this tome in two days.
veronica rubio is a realtor tasked with selling george moore’s eyesore of a mcmansion. moore happens to be an all-american olympic gold medalist swimmer (one of the best in the world and kind of famous to boot) but he’s at something of a low point in his life, what with him coming off a long suspension and finding out (near the start of the book) that he’s broke. manager done cleaned him out while moore was none the wiser because he made some pretty stupid decisions around how much control he gave over to people in his life to manage his finances and bills. veronica and moore get off to a rocky start as she tries to work with him to sell his home but over time (and due to some forced proximity), the two become friends and more.
the writing was mostly comfortable, that repetition and reductive humour aside. i swear, there was one long ass motion-sickness-turned-mutual-vomiting scene in the middle of this book that had me asking why why why??? 🤢 still, there were some touching moments and several parts where i was smiling or thinking awwwwww 🥹. in places, the writing managed to rouse some earnest and emotional beats.
i liked veronica. i thought she was amusing at times and she was the kind of black cat / grumpy-style fmc i tend to enjoy. not one who’s horrible to people for absolutely no reason, just guarded and not easily trusting because of things that have happened to her in her past. i loved how family-oriented she was and how she cared deeply about being kind. she also had solid priorities and a good head on her shoulders. my only real issue with her character was that at times, i struggled with her lack of boundaries, even though the book tried to assert on many occasions that she had clear and firm ones. she would, however, do the opposite of some of these assertions not too long after they’d been made. letting a client come and live with you because he’s got no money? odd choice for someone who kept saying they had demarcated their professional and personal lives by referring to a work veronica and a real life veronica as alter egos of herself. sometimes, her behaviour towards moore felt like mothering too (also in large part due to the fact he didn’t know much at the start of the book — this man was a dunce, good lawd in heaven 🤦🏾♀️). this dynamic between them didn’t always help the believability of the romance.
moore was a baffling creature at first. when i say this man didn’t know up from down, i mean it. just shuffling around in the dark. a lot of his problems stemmed from being waaaay too trusting (moronically so) and completely oblivious about things a big boy like him should know (any 30 y/o SHOULD KNOW). this lack of basic self-sufficiency was not attractive and he annoyed me a bit at first…but he became endearing as time went on. this dumbass grew on me, much like he did on veronica. his relationship with veronica’s grandmother was one of the cutest things i’ve read in a while. he was so sweet and earnest as time went on. a veritable puppy. a 6’5” one built like muscular skyscraper, but a puppy nonetheless. when it came down to the last stretch, he really surprised me with how much he’d grown since the start of the book.
the romance, like i said, is very slow-building. one could argue that nothing was actually happening for a good while there and you’d not be incorrect exactly 😂, but the foundation of her love stories is always friendship first, which i can appreciate. the fmc will notice the mmc’s looks early enough in but it’s usually in a more off-hand way rather than an overly lusty one, almost like remarking on the weather or stating a simple truth. i enjoyed watching their friendship develop in a way a lot of romance books just aren’t doing anymore because everything moves so fast (and i’ve become desensitized to it in a lot of situations). there was a lot of mutual respect between them as time went on (emphasis on the as time went on piece because moore was an idiot in the beginning, remember?). this trust and respect between them felt earned. the tricky thing with doing things this slowly though is that the dynamic stays platonic for so long that the eventual shift to something that’s not anymore can feel a little less credible and not as potent BECAUSE you get more friends / big sis-little bro vibes for such an extended period of time that it becomes ingrained. in this case, it was definitely a mixed bag. i did find their connection and affection for one another convincing because of the moments shared and the conversations had (and moore was working OVERTIME with his actions and words deep into the book there). when the interest for something more started coming across to me from both ends, i was giggling some but i wouldn’t say i really bought the romantic and sexual chemistry in full. half subscribed, with my back-up email address used for free trials 🤣. they were cute though and had me feeling a tad soft by the end, i’ll give them that.
the side characters were fun — veronica’s family in particular. her four brothers brought some simple comedy to the read, but grandma gloria was the stand-out character 🥹. please, she named this blonde yt corn-fed boy jorge from the near-beginning and it was so adorable. her and her jorgito were positively precious — watching telenovelas together, her always feeding him, and her teaching him spanish and all. just a big man and his under-five-foot golden-aged bestie against the world. the way moore connected with veronica’s family was incredibly sincere.
something else that i liked about this book but it could be a con for others, is that for a sports romance (and a long one at that), i didn’t feel like there was a ton of sport in this AND it was one i find less annoying anyways hahaha (swimming). i wasn’t inundated with drawn-out scenes and wordy paragraphs of shop talk about it, but there was just enough of the sport in the book to keep me in the know that moore was an olympian and mounting a comeback campaign. the sports-to-everything-else ratio was just right FOR ME.
all in all, this evoked nostalgia and some of the comfort i got from reading mz books in the past, even if it didn’t rouse as deep an emotional response from me as some of her other books have (what feels like eons and is most definitely hundreds of reads ago). it wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was enjoyable enough and one i don’t regret picking up (for the most part anyways).
✔️ you’ll get a slooooooooooow burn, and i mean glacial. the copy that i picked up clocked in at 650(ish) pages, and the romance only started feeling slightly romantic when i was pushing 500. waited for a kiss well after that 😂. also, the book pre-epilogue spans a little over a year and a half, so their relationship develops over a pretty long time;
✔️ there’s going to be an mmc so ginormous he needs his own zip code, paired with an itty-bitty fmc;
✔️ potty humour will be present (not my favourite kind tbh, but she loves it for some or other reason. lots of butthole, bathroom and / or vomit & gagging jokes in here…); and
✔️ a repetitive word / phrase / device will be churned out (in this one, it was dumbass and a whole lotta snickering. oh, and son of a bitch — although this last one was used as a term of endearment a lot of the time 😅)…
buuuuuuuut…despite all of this, i had a pretty enjoyable enough time. emphasis on “enough”. my patience for some of these things isn’t what it used to be two years ago when i read a ton of her books back-to-back (some of which hold a very special place in my memories as pure comfort reads but ones i’d never dare re-read as i wouldn’t want my fond recollection of them altered even a little bit), but still…i got a nostalgia from reading this book that was not at all unwelcome and i hardly felt the length of it either. i was breezing through it and basically finished this tome in two days.
veronica rubio is a realtor tasked with selling george moore’s eyesore of a mcmansion. moore happens to be an all-american olympic gold medalist swimmer (one of the best in the world and kind of famous to boot) but he’s at something of a low point in his life, what with him coming off a long suspension and finding out (near the start of the book) that he’s broke. manager done cleaned him out while moore was none the wiser because he made some pretty stupid decisions around how much control he gave over to people in his life to manage his finances and bills. veronica and moore get off to a rocky start as she tries to work with him to sell his home but over time (and due to some forced proximity), the two become friends and more.
the writing was mostly comfortable, that repetition and reductive humour aside. i swear, there was one long ass motion-sickness-turned-mutual-vomiting scene in the middle of this book that had me asking why why why??? 🤢 still, there were some touching moments and several parts where i was smiling or thinking awwwwww 🥹. in places, the writing managed to rouse some earnest and emotional beats.
i liked veronica. i thought she was amusing at times and she was the kind of black cat / grumpy-style fmc i tend to enjoy. not one who’s horrible to people for absolutely no reason, just guarded and not easily trusting because of things that have happened to her in her past. i loved how family-oriented she was and how she cared deeply about being kind. she also had solid priorities and a good head on her shoulders. my only real issue with her character was that at times, i struggled with her lack of boundaries, even though the book tried to assert on many occasions that she had clear and firm ones. she would, however, do the opposite of some of these assertions not too long after they’d been made. letting a client come and live with you because he’s got no money? odd choice for someone who kept saying they had demarcated their professional and personal lives by referring to a work veronica and a real life veronica as alter egos of herself. sometimes, her behaviour towards moore felt like mothering too (also in large part due to the fact he didn’t know much at the start of the book — this man was a dunce, good lawd in heaven 🤦🏾♀️). this dynamic between them didn’t always help the believability of the romance.
moore was a baffling creature at first. when i say this man didn’t know up from down, i mean it. just shuffling around in the dark. a lot of his problems stemmed from being waaaay too trusting (moronically so) and completely oblivious about things a big boy like him should know (any 30 y/o SHOULD KNOW). this lack of basic self-sufficiency was not attractive and he annoyed me a bit at first…but he became endearing as time went on. this dumbass grew on me, much like he did on veronica. his relationship with veronica’s grandmother was one of the cutest things i’ve read in a while. he was so sweet and earnest as time went on. a veritable puppy. a 6’5” one built like muscular skyscraper, but a puppy nonetheless. when it came down to the last stretch, he really surprised me with how much he’d grown since the start of the book.
the romance, like i said, is very slow-building. one could argue that nothing was actually happening for a good while there and you’d not be incorrect exactly 😂, but the foundation of her love stories is always friendship first, which i can appreciate. the fmc will notice the mmc’s looks early enough in but it’s usually in a more off-hand way rather than an overly lusty one, almost like remarking on the weather or stating a simple truth. i enjoyed watching their friendship develop in a way a lot of romance books just aren’t doing anymore because everything moves so fast (and i’ve become desensitized to it in a lot of situations). there was a lot of mutual respect between them as time went on (emphasis on the as time went on piece because moore was an idiot in the beginning, remember?). this trust and respect between them felt earned. the tricky thing with doing things this slowly though is that the dynamic stays platonic for so long that the eventual shift to something that’s not anymore can feel a little less credible and not as potent BECAUSE you get more friends / big sis-little bro vibes for such an extended period of time that it becomes ingrained. in this case, it was definitely a mixed bag. i did find their connection and affection for one another convincing because of the moments shared and the conversations had (and moore was working OVERTIME with his actions and words deep into the book there). when the interest for something more started coming across to me from both ends, i was giggling some but i wouldn’t say i really bought the romantic and sexual chemistry in full. half subscribed, with my back-up email address used for free trials 🤣. they were cute though and had me feeling a tad soft by the end, i’ll give them that.
the side characters were fun — veronica’s family in particular. her four brothers brought some simple comedy to the read, but grandma gloria was the stand-out character 🥹. please, she named this blonde yt corn-fed boy jorge from the near-beginning and it was so adorable. her and her jorgito were positively precious — watching telenovelas together, her always feeding him, and her teaching him spanish and all. just a big man and his under-five-foot golden-aged bestie against the world. the way moore connected with veronica’s family was incredibly sincere.
something else that i liked about this book but it could be a con for others, is that for a sports romance (and a long one at that), i didn’t feel like there was a ton of sport in this AND it was one i find less annoying anyways hahaha (swimming). i wasn’t inundated with drawn-out scenes and wordy paragraphs of shop talk about it, but there was just enough of the sport in the book to keep me in the know that moore was an olympian and mounting a comeback campaign. the sports-to-everything-else ratio was just right FOR ME.
all in all, this evoked nostalgia and some of the comfort i got from reading mz books in the past, even if it didn’t rouse as deep an emotional response from me as some of her other books have (what feels like eons and is most definitely hundreds of reads ago). it wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was enjoyable enough and one i don’t regret picking up (for the most part anyways).
Currently Reading
October 1, 2026SPORTS ROMANCE MARIANA ZAPATA!!! WE’RE SO BACKKKKKKKKK, EVERYBODY CHEERED 🎉🎉🎉
October 17, 2026
A little like personal growth, this story takes a while to mature. If you can make it through the first part, you’ll understand why George doesn’t always recognize Veronica, and you’ll also understand how he ended up in his current financial position.
Some authors are great at creating entirely unique characters, while others tend to write what they know. MZ is really good at writing the types of characters found in this story. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you enjoyed Winnipeg or Kulti. (This book is so much better than her superhero and paranormal stories).
There will be plenty of reviews breaking the story down, but the basic premise is that George’s manager hires Veronica to sell George’s multimillion dollar home. George’s character growth is beautiful to watch unfold. At the start, he comes across as such an ass, and a little bit of a clueless idiot… but please give him a little time.
I appreciated the realistic portrayal of a professional athlete. These people have often been training hard since childhood, with a level of discipline and sacrifice that I can’t even imagine. There’s also a loneliness to that life, especially when you’ve spent so much time focused on one goal. George’s dependence on his manager to handle the everyday things he doesn’t understand makes complete sense.
This is truly a found-family love story, and MZ does family love better than any other author (Kristen Ashley comes close). However, I really wish she would cut back on the potty humor. I don’t need to know that someone is going to have diarrhea after eating fast food or something that doesn’t agree with them. The multiple butt and butthole comments was a bit much. And what is with the wet willies at 30, haven’t we outgrown this juvenile crap?
I loved George watching telenovelas with Grandma Gloria. Her instant love for “Jorge” or “Príncipe” was so sweet. If anyone deserved an Abuela, it was Jorge.
Tropes/themes:
From annoyance, to friends, to lovers
Super slow burn
Sports romance
Found family
Forced proximity
Olympian aquatic hero (30)
Realtor heroine (31)
Beautiful, HEA
I think if this had been my first MZ book, it would have been a favorite. But having read everything she’s written, this story feels like catching up with a friend. It’s safe, warm, and comfortable, but not really unique.
Baby G really was such a great guy one of the sweetest and most genuine heroes MZ has written.
He was a lot of things: funny, earnest, likable, and, as I’d also been learning, there was a purity to his heart that was impossible to miss.
While this wasn’t my favorite MZ, (that’s a mix between Kulti and Wait For It) it is so wonderful to have the old MZ back again.
Some authors are great at creating entirely unique characters, while others tend to write what they know. MZ is really good at writing the types of characters found in this story. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you enjoyed Winnipeg or Kulti. (This book is so much better than her superhero and paranormal stories).
There will be plenty of reviews breaking the story down, but the basic premise is that George’s manager hires Veronica to sell George’s multimillion dollar home. George’s character growth is beautiful to watch unfold. At the start, he comes across as such an ass, and a little bit of a clueless idiot… but please give him a little time.
I appreciated the realistic portrayal of a professional athlete. These people have often been training hard since childhood, with a level of discipline and sacrifice that I can’t even imagine. There’s also a loneliness to that life, especially when you’ve spent so much time focused on one goal. George’s dependence on his manager to handle the everyday things he doesn’t understand makes complete sense.
This is truly a found-family love story, and MZ does family love better than any other author (Kristen Ashley comes close). However, I really wish she would cut back on the potty humor. I don’t need to know that someone is going to have diarrhea after eating fast food or something that doesn’t agree with them. The multiple butt and butthole comments was a bit much. And what is with the wet willies at 30, haven’t we outgrown this juvenile crap?
I loved George watching telenovelas with Grandma Gloria. Her instant love for “Jorge” or “Príncipe” was so sweet. If anyone deserved an Abuela, it was Jorge.
Tropes/themes:
From annoyance, to friends, to lovers
Super slow burn
Sports romance
Found family
Forced proximity
Olympian aquatic hero (30)
Realtor heroine (31)
Beautiful, HEA
I think if this had been my first MZ book, it would have been a favorite. But having read everything she’s written, this story feels like catching up with a friend. It’s safe, warm, and comfortable, but not really unique.
Baby G really was such a great guy one of the sweetest and most genuine heroes MZ has written.
He was a lot of things: funny, earnest, likable, and, as I’d also been learning, there was a purity to his heart that was impossible to miss.
While this wasn’t my favorite MZ, (that’s a mix between Kulti and Wait For It) it is so wonderful to have the old MZ back again.
October 20, 2026
3.5 Dumbass Stars
Like everyone else I was ecstatic to see this release drop as we all stampeded to Amazon to purchase it. The ones I've read by this author I have absolutely loved..
This one I wanted to love, but it didn't hit the right spot for me. This book took slow burn to the max, It was snail pace moving, my grandma would have walked quicker than the pace of this book. This took the slow burn into reverse. I do enjoy a good slowburn storyline generally but the heat has to come with it, and the heat didn't really hit that spot until the last chapter or so.
But what I loved about this book was the family dynamics, the close knit living in close quarters, the bonds they had, the sibling squabbles is what carried this book for me.
Plus I think if the characters had of been a wee bit younger it would've worked better (for me) it just seemed too far fetched. He was just too clueless about everything, it's a wonder he had even reached 30, and she just came across like a scolding condescending mother and so much older than 31. But I loved her work ethics and the way she protected and nurtured her family members.
So there were parts I loved and parts that just didn't work for me.
Like everyone else I was ecstatic to see this release drop as we all stampeded to Amazon to purchase it. The ones I've read by this author I have absolutely loved..
This one I wanted to love, but it didn't hit the right spot for me. This book took slow burn to the max, It was snail pace moving, my grandma would have walked quicker than the pace of this book. This took the slow burn into reverse. I do enjoy a good slowburn storyline generally but the heat has to come with it, and the heat didn't really hit that spot until the last chapter or so.
But what I loved about this book was the family dynamics, the close knit living in close quarters, the bonds they had, the sibling squabbles is what carried this book for me.
Plus I think if the characters had of been a wee bit younger it would've worked better (for me) it just seemed too far fetched. He was just too clueless about everything, it's a wonder he had even reached 30, and she just came across like a scolding condescending mother and so much older than 31. But I loved her work ethics and the way she protected and nurtured her family members.
So there were parts I loved and parts that just didn't work for me.
Did Not Finish
October 16, 2026dnf 18%
I'm so so sorry, but it's just unreadable. The hero is literally the definition of a manCHILD—he can't do anything. How can I enjoy a romance book where the hero behaves as if it were his first day on earth? There's also NO chemistry between the two main characters, I know it’s a slow burn—and I love slow burns okay, but I just can’t this time.
I'm so so sorry, but it's just unreadable. The hero is literally the definition of a manCHILD—he can't do anything. How can I enjoy a romance book where the hero behaves as if it were his first day on earth? There's also NO chemistry between the two main characters, I know it’s a slow burn—and I love slow burns okay, but I just can’t this time.
October 16, 2026
It’s just words, words, words and not even good words.
October 20, 2026
I liked it, it was cute, enjoyable, with moments of humor and ones of reflection, and I always like MZ style (but there are couple of critiques to make).
To what worked well: the story was good, the level was an uphill curve so the final portion in particular was lovely, I liked following what the characters had going on in their lives, good banter, a great lovely family and a great family dynamic, I adored the fmc relationship and interactions with her brothers and how the mmc bonded with them and with the grandma as well, it was sweet; also as always with MZ, well done slow burn and relationship development, I always like how organic it is, with the characters spending a lot of time slowing getting to know each other completely and becoming friends first. The romance was cute, cheesy sometimes and a couple of moments were a bit cringe for me, but cute, and there were some really good, sweet and funny moments between them.
But I must say that even if the romance was enjoyable, it didn’t stand out, I didn’t get as attached to it or the characters as I usually do with MZ. Maybe the problem is the comparison my mind makes to her other books and that’s unfair; this one is good, it’s just that most of her others are amazing.
Another thing to mention is that the mmc could and should have been handled better at the beginning, the writing choice there felt very weird to me, because the book exaggerated in making him… too clueless about living in the world and needing everything to be explained, it was over the top (that's why I never hated his character I think, because it was the writing decision itself that lost me a bit); some aspects I could accept, him being too trusting and needing some help since his situation was a mess, but in others he seemed too baby alien just dropped on planet Earth. Thankfully after that first part, that whole thing was toned down, he was still clueless about some things yes but not to that level of incompetence and in a more acceptable way; and he grew. He wasn’t a top tier mmc, but he was alright, sweet, sincere, goofy, with golden retriever energy and a good natured and kind disposition.
Overall, it was a pretty lovely and enjoyable read.
To what worked well: the story was good, the level was an uphill curve so the final portion in particular was lovely, I liked following what the characters had going on in their lives, good banter, a great lovely family and a great family dynamic, I adored the fmc relationship and interactions with her brothers and how the mmc bonded with them and with the grandma as well, it was sweet; also as always with MZ, well done slow burn and relationship development, I always like how organic it is, with the characters spending a lot of time slowing getting to know each other completely and becoming friends first. The romance was cute, cheesy sometimes and a couple of moments were a bit cringe for me, but cute, and there were some really good, sweet and funny moments between them.
But I must say that even if the romance was enjoyable, it didn’t stand out, I didn’t get as attached to it or the characters as I usually do with MZ. Maybe the problem is the comparison my mind makes to her other books and that’s unfair; this one is good, it’s just that most of her others are amazing.
Another thing to mention is that the mmc could and should have been handled better at the beginning, the writing choice there felt very weird to me, because the book exaggerated in making him… too clueless about living in the world and needing everything to be explained, it was over the top (that's why I never hated his character I think, because it was the writing decision itself that lost me a bit); some aspects I could accept, him being too trusting and needing some help since his situation was a mess, but in others he seemed too baby alien just dropped on planet Earth. Thankfully after that first part, that whole thing was toned down, he was still clueless about some things yes but not to that level of incompetence and in a more acceptable way; and he grew. He wasn’t a top tier mmc, but he was alright, sweet, sincere, goofy, with golden retriever energy and a good natured and kind disposition.
Overall, it was a pretty lovely and enjoyable read.
October 16, 2026
This was truly an MZ slow burn, and I loved it 🥹
I wasn’t too sure about George at first, but in true MZ fashion, I ended up fucking loving him. Ugh him and Veronica and abuela were so cute I just loved them. The way the family accepted him was just heart melting 🥹🥹🥹🥹
I will say, I was worried around the first 30% that I wasn't going to love this one like I usually do MZ books, but I'm so glad I was wrong. I also think the reason he was such a manchild in the beginning was to show how much he grows by the end of the book
I wasn’t too sure about George at first, but in true MZ fashion, I ended up fucking loving him. Ugh him and Veronica and abuela were so cute I just loved them. The way the family accepted him was just heart melting 🥹🥹🥹🥹
I will say, I was worried around the first 30% that I wasn't going to love this one like I usually do MZ books, but I'm so glad I was wrong. I also think the reason he was such a manchild in the beginning was to show how much he grows by the end of the book
Did Not Finish
October 17, 2026DNF at 22%
Wtf is this? From the assumption that the reader is too stupid to know what a 'seller' is (I still cannot believe that there was an explanation given for this and many other basic words) to the unbearable mmc who could not do even the most basic tasks by himself and was just so weird, you could not pay me to read 500 more pages of this.
___
I’m so excited 🤭 🤡
Wtf is this? From the assumption that the reader is too stupid to know what a 'seller' is (I still cannot believe that there was an explanation given for this and many other basic words) to the unbearable mmc who could not do even the most basic tasks by himself and was just so weird, you could not pay me to read 500 more pages of this.
___
October 16, 2026
DNF 😭😭😭
This is not good. And what makes it even more disappointing is that this is nowhere near the quality of writing I’ve come to expect from Mariana Zapata.
Red flag #1: The excessive use of em dashes.
I’ve genuinely never encountered so many em dashes in a work of fiction. Ever. And before anyone jumps to conclusions, no, I’m not accusing Zapata of using AI. I’m accusing her of lazy, unnecessarily disruptive writing.
Not every single detail requires an explanation, clarification, or additional commentary. And when an explanation is necessary, there are ways to incorporate it naturally into the prose without constantly interrupting the flow of a sentence. Instead, the writing is soo choppy, with basically every other thought interrupted by an em dash and some completely unnecessary elaboration. It’s distracting, repetitive, and makes what should be straightforward prose feel exhausting to read.
Red flag #2: The writing treats the reader like they are dumb
I don’t know how else to describe it. The sheer amount of unnecessary explanation is almost insulting. Here are a few actual examples:
“My problem now was the listing—the term we used for a property that was listed for sale—I was on my way to.”
“Lenders—the businesses who financed homebuying—required an inspection of a property before a loan was approved.”
“Normally, just about every real estate agent I knew told their sellers—people selling their houses—to consider taking down highly personal belongings.”
“I’d started having to decline showings—what we called when potential buyers came to tour a home—because nothing had been done.”
I’m sorry, but who exactly is this written for? This is a book for adults. Does Zapata genuinely believe her readers need the word seller explained to them? Or that we can’t figure out what a real estate showing is from the context?
It reminds me of the criticism of Netflix productions that seem written for audiences who are only half-paying attention because they’re scrolling on their phones. Everything has to be explicitly explained, even when the context makes it perfectly obvious. Except this is a BOOK. Reading requires active engagement. There is absolutely no reason to write as though the audience is incapable of making even the most basic inferences.
There’s a difference between making a story accessible and writing in a way that assumes your readers have no reading comprehension whatsoever. This falls firmly into the latter category.
Red flag #3: The MMC is an incompetent man-child.
The dynamic between the main characters is profoundly unappealing. Rather than giving us a compelling romantic relationship between two adults, Zapata essentially gives us a female protagonist who has to mother an attractive but astonishingly incompetent grown man.
And I’m supposed to find this romantic?
A man being physically attractive does not somehow make his incompetence endearing. Watching a woman take on the responsibility of managing a grown man’s life is not cute, or particularly romantic.
Red flag #4: The length is completely unjustified.
I love long books. In fact, I rarely pick up anything under 400 pages. Mariana Zapata’s slow burns are part of what made me enjoy her writing in the first place. But there’s a fundamental difference between a genuinely well-developed slow burn and a book that simply takes an eternity to get anywhere.
This felt less like reading a story and more like reading an endless collection of words loosely arranged around one.
The plot barely progresses. We’re subjected to seemingly endless scenes involving the FMC’s family, repetitive internal commentary, and explanations of things that never needed explaining in the first place. So much of the writing feels like filler rather than meaningful character development or narrative progression.
A slow burn still needs momentum. It needs tension, purpose, and a sense that all those pages are building toward something. Length alone does not create depth, and excessive detail does not automatically constitute good storytelling.
At a certain point, it genuinely started to feel like the goal was to inflate the page count for Kindle Unlimited rather than tell a compelling story. I can’t speak to the author’s intentions, but that’s certainly how the finished product reads.
I wouldn’t recommend this one.
This is not good. And what makes it even more disappointing is that this is nowhere near the quality of writing I’ve come to expect from Mariana Zapata.
Red flag #1: The excessive use of em dashes.
I’ve genuinely never encountered so many em dashes in a work of fiction. Ever. And before anyone jumps to conclusions, no, I’m not accusing Zapata of using AI. I’m accusing her of lazy, unnecessarily disruptive writing.
Not every single detail requires an explanation, clarification, or additional commentary. And when an explanation is necessary, there are ways to incorporate it naturally into the prose without constantly interrupting the flow of a sentence. Instead, the writing is soo choppy, with basically every other thought interrupted by an em dash and some completely unnecessary elaboration. It’s distracting, repetitive, and makes what should be straightforward prose feel exhausting to read.
Red flag #2: The writing treats the reader like they are dumb
I don’t know how else to describe it. The sheer amount of unnecessary explanation is almost insulting. Here are a few actual examples:
“My problem now was the listing—the term we used for a property that was listed for sale—I was on my way to.”
“Lenders—the businesses who financed homebuying—required an inspection of a property before a loan was approved.”
“Normally, just about every real estate agent I knew told their sellers—people selling their houses—to consider taking down highly personal belongings.”
“I’d started having to decline showings—what we called when potential buyers came to tour a home—because nothing had been done.”
I’m sorry, but who exactly is this written for? This is a book for adults. Does Zapata genuinely believe her readers need the word seller explained to them? Or that we can’t figure out what a real estate showing is from the context?
It reminds me of the criticism of Netflix productions that seem written for audiences who are only half-paying attention because they’re scrolling on their phones. Everything has to be explicitly explained, even when the context makes it perfectly obvious. Except this is a BOOK. Reading requires active engagement. There is absolutely no reason to write as though the audience is incapable of making even the most basic inferences.
There’s a difference between making a story accessible and writing in a way that assumes your readers have no reading comprehension whatsoever. This falls firmly into the latter category.
Red flag #3: The MMC is an incompetent man-child.
The dynamic between the main characters is profoundly unappealing. Rather than giving us a compelling romantic relationship between two adults, Zapata essentially gives us a female protagonist who has to mother an attractive but astonishingly incompetent grown man.
And I’m supposed to find this romantic?
A man being physically attractive does not somehow make his incompetence endearing. Watching a woman take on the responsibility of managing a grown man’s life is not cute, or particularly romantic.
Red flag #4: The length is completely unjustified.
I love long books. In fact, I rarely pick up anything under 400 pages. Mariana Zapata’s slow burns are part of what made me enjoy her writing in the first place. But there’s a fundamental difference between a genuinely well-developed slow burn and a book that simply takes an eternity to get anywhere.
This felt less like reading a story and more like reading an endless collection of words loosely arranged around one.
The plot barely progresses. We’re subjected to seemingly endless scenes involving the FMC’s family, repetitive internal commentary, and explanations of things that never needed explaining in the first place. So much of the writing feels like filler rather than meaningful character development or narrative progression.
A slow burn still needs momentum. It needs tension, purpose, and a sense that all those pages are building toward something. Length alone does not create depth, and excessive detail does not automatically constitute good storytelling.
At a certain point, it genuinely started to feel like the goal was to inflate the page count for Kindle Unlimited rather than tell a compelling story. I can’t speak to the author’s intentions, but that’s certainly how the finished product reads.
I wouldn’t recommend this one.
October 17, 2026
DNF at 45%
I don't know if Mariana Zapata's books just aren't hitting the same anymore or if I've changed, but these days, I value my free time too much to keep reading a book I'm not enjoying. This is the second release in a row of hers that I haven't even been able to get past the halfway point of. Maybe it's time to take her off my list of favorite authors.
My biggest issues with this book:
I just can't see a future for the main characters. Their relationship feels more like a mother-child dynamic than that of two people who could potentially fall in love. Yes, I peeked at the last few chapters, and my opinion hasn't changed.
The found family trope is very prominent, but it's not a trope I'm particularly fond of. In this case, I also wasn't interested enough in the FMC's family to want to read about them in such detail.
The author's toilet humor. God, why does she love it so much?
The nickname Shorty. When even the niece started calling the FMC that, it really began to annoy me. There's nothing cute or funny about it.
I'll still give Mariana's future releases a chance because there are some of her books that I absolutely adore, but I guess I'll have to stop getting my hopes up... unfortunately.
I don't know if Mariana Zapata's books just aren't hitting the same anymore or if I've changed, but these days, I value my free time too much to keep reading a book I'm not enjoying. This is the second release in a row of hers that I haven't even been able to get past the halfway point of. Maybe it's time to take her off my list of favorite authors.
My biggest issues with this book:
I just can't see a future for the main characters. Their relationship feels more like a mother-child dynamic than that of two people who could potentially fall in love. Yes, I peeked at the last few chapters, and my opinion hasn't changed.
The found family trope is very prominent, but it's not a trope I'm particularly fond of. In this case, I also wasn't interested enough in the FMC's family to want to read about them in such detail.
The author's toilet humor. God, why does she love it so much?
The nickname Shorty. When even the niece started calling the FMC that, it really began to annoy me. There's nothing cute or funny about it.
I'll still give Mariana's future releases a chance because there are some of her books that I absolutely adore, but I guess I'll have to stop getting my hopes up... unfortunately.
October 15, 2026
DNF @ 9%. I love Mariana Zapata books. Lukov with Love is my favourite sports romance book EVER. But respectfully, what the fuck was this bullshit?!
George was a fucking rock and a half. To say his head was hollow is a massive understatement. I tried to push past 9% to find out why he was the way he was but I really just couldn’t take it anymore. The man cannot do ANYTHING. He doesn’t know what an overdraft is, what a collection is, he was too scared to call his utility and water companies and wanted Veronica to do it, he didn’t know what companies they even were and didn’t know what the fuck his credit score meant (and he didn’t know how to log into his credit score account). Listen… I know some of these rich men in books do be a little like this, but this was extreme. I was actually questioning whether he had a learning disability but then that would be awful of Zapata to present him in such a way where he is the butt of the joke and Veronica’s insults. I think he is just stupid. Also he’s not just stupid, he’s poor bc his manager stole all his money. He’s incompetent, intellectually deficient AND poor. What about that screams “Oooo I want me readers to swoon over the guy”?! I have little patience for men these days irl, I don’t need to be reading about tapped men in my books too.
Veronica was essentially mothering him from the first page we meet her. It was kind of disturbing if I’m gonna be very honest (was this book to pander to those with mummy kinks?!). She was also irritating. She is his REALTOR, why on earth was she moving like his PR crisis agent? Acting like she was responsible for all his inability to have life skills, solving them will not get the house sold hun. I know Zapata’s whole FMC spiel is that they sometimes are little grumps who have an attitude, but Veronica’s internal monologue was just mean and misery. Calling your siblings ‘dumbasses’ as a serious nickname and not playful terms of endearment is weird.
I am so sorely disappointed in Zapata’s last 2 releases. She used to be queen of slow burn. What has happened????
(If George’s slowness is down to smth deeper and sadder than him just being a spoilt man, then I do apologise for the brutality of my review. But this is stuff you should establish to your readers early on!)
George was a fucking rock and a half. To say his head was hollow is a massive understatement. I tried to push past 9% to find out why he was the way he was but I really just couldn’t take it anymore. The man cannot do ANYTHING. He doesn’t know what an overdraft is, what a collection is, he was too scared to call his utility and water companies and wanted Veronica to do it, he didn’t know what companies they even were and didn’t know what the fuck his credit score meant (and he didn’t know how to log into his credit score account). Listen… I know some of these rich men in books do be a little like this, but this was extreme. I was actually questioning whether he had a learning disability but then that would be awful of Zapata to present him in such a way where he is the butt of the joke and Veronica’s insults. I think he is just stupid. Also he’s not just stupid, he’s poor bc his manager stole all his money. He’s incompetent, intellectually deficient AND poor. What about that screams “Oooo I want me readers to swoon over the guy”?! I have little patience for men these days irl, I don’t need to be reading about tapped men in my books too.
Veronica was essentially mothering him from the first page we meet her. It was kind of disturbing if I’m gonna be very honest (was this book to pander to those with mummy kinks?!). She was also irritating. She is his REALTOR, why on earth was she moving like his PR crisis agent? Acting like she was responsible for all his inability to have life skills, solving them will not get the house sold hun. I know Zapata’s whole FMC spiel is that they sometimes are little grumps who have an attitude, but Veronica’s internal monologue was just mean and misery. Calling your siblings ‘dumbasses’ as a serious nickname and not playful terms of endearment is weird.
I am so sorely disappointed in Zapata’s last 2 releases. She used to be queen of slow burn. What has happened????
(If George’s slowness is down to smth deeper and sadder than him just being a spoilt man, then I do apologise for the brutality of my review. But this is stuff you should establish to your readers early on!)
Want to Read
October 1, 2026⌗ ── 🏊🏻♂️ .ᐟ pre-read
⤿ start date:
A NEW BOOK BY MARIANA ZAPATA, QUEEN OF SPORT ROMANCE!
and it's swim.
I'M SO FUCKING SAT.
⤿ start date:
A NEW BOOK BY MARIANA ZAPATA, QUEEN OF SPORT ROMANCE!
and it's swim.
I'M SO FUCKING SAT.
Did Not Finish
October 16, 2026Spoilers
ETA I will not be finishing this book but I've seen my friends wanting to try it so here's another review from Jamie who DID enjoy it....to each their own reading is subjective and you may enjoy it so I'm offering a different take if you didn't see her review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Here's a longer review by the lovely Rain
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Katie's review, excellent points. I'd forgotten her read flag #2 that irked me so bad 🤦🏽♀️
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Btw I wish I could block this book from popping up on my feed 😂😅
Original review
I read every single review and I'm convinced arc reviewers got a different book to me because howwwwww?????????? 😂😂😂😂
Maybe I should've waited for non arc reviews because why is he giving useless incompetent manwhore 😩😭......Also as his realtor babe no I don't think you're actually supposed to do all of that 🙄
He showed up to the house with women in tow, he doesn't know what collections is, he can't remember her name, he doesn't know what an auto draft is..... His manager has been stealing his money and he just doesn't know ANYTHING...... He's a year younger than she is..... How old is that 5? Why is he so incompetent 😭😭😭😭😭😭
MZ you've gotta work some REAL magic on Georgie Porgie to turn him into any kind of worthy hero 🤞🏽
Also why is this a slow burn? What's stopping them from getting together? You *could* switch it up dear author 😭
George and Veronica I wish y'all the best but there are just too many books on my tbr to put myself through this rn.........DNF ✌🏽
ETA as per Alexandra's comment below it seems he hasn't been with anyone since meeting the h so there's that 👏🏽
ETA I will not be finishing this book but I've seen my friends wanting to try it so here's another review from Jamie who DID enjoy it....to each their own reading is subjective and you may enjoy it so I'm offering a different take if you didn't see her review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Here's a longer review by the lovely Rain
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Katie's review, excellent points. I'd forgotten her read flag #2 that irked me so bad 🤦🏽♀️
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Btw I wish I could block this book from popping up on my feed 😂😅
Original review
I read every single review and I'm convinced arc reviewers got a different book to me because howwwwww?????????? 😂😂😂😂
Maybe I should've waited for non arc reviews because why is he giving useless incompetent manwhore 😩😭......Also as his realtor babe no I don't think you're actually supposed to do all of that 🙄
He showed up to the house with women in tow, he doesn't know what collections is, he can't remember her name, he doesn't know what an auto draft is..... His manager has been stealing his money and he just doesn't know ANYTHING...... He's a year younger than she is..... How old is that 5? Why is he so incompetent 😭😭😭😭😭😭
MZ you've gotta work some REAL magic on Georgie Porgie to turn him into any kind of worthy hero 🤞🏽
Also why is this a slow burn? What's stopping them from getting together? You *could* switch it up dear author 😭
George and Veronica I wish y'all the best but there are just too many books on my tbr to put myself through this rn.........DNF ✌🏽
ETA as per Alexandra's comment below it seems he hasn't been with anyone since meeting the h so there's that 👏🏽
October 17, 2026
it made me laugh, it made ugly cry. i giggled like a schoolgirl through out half of it but most importantly i tried to savor the 600 pages as longer as possible🥺 ps: the way im still shocked about the identity of her ex (LOVE ME A GOOD MZ-VERSE)
Want to Read
October 3, 2026just when you're ready to give up Mariana Zapata will come out with a new book...moral of the story is NEVER GIVE UP
October 24, 2026
OBSESSED
I just finished this book and I think I’m gonna start rereading it right away. This is classic Mariana Zapata, and the absolute best way ever. The story, the characters, the emotion, the humor… I could not love this Moore.
I just finished this book and I think I’m gonna start rereading it right away. This is classic Mariana Zapata, and the absolute best way ever. The story, the characters, the emotion, the humor… I could not love this Moore.
Want to Read
October 1, 2026just preordered this baby... it is happening...we have a release date and blurb.... stay calm people... IT'S COMINGGGGGG!!!
October 16, 2026
if from with lukov and wait for it had a baby
Want to Read
October 1, 2026A new release from a longtime favorite… and it sounds promising. Please don’t let me down. 😂
October 16, 2026
I will always say that MZ is the slow burn queen but this was too long and little to no burn until the end. I enjoyed it nonetheless because I really like the charisma and personality she gives the characters and I really enjoyed being among the Rubio family but the romance felt a little lacking, my girl didn’t tease us enough during the slow and long build up. Once we got the the point of them actually getting together I enjoyed it.
October 24, 2026
shed tears whenever they called him jorge ❤️ i was a little iffy about him at the start but man, moore really stole everyone's hearts!!! i'm sure that was the intention. i was skeptical about him just like the fmc, veronica, was. but as we got to know him more we got to fall in love with him just like veronica did! the way the rubio's started to basically adopt him!! big found family feels. i LOVED the banter with the rubio brothers as well, they really made this book what it was. carly was my personal fav. wouldn't mind a spin off book about him!
moore's personal troubles had me a little stressed out ngl bc that would be my biggest nightmare but the way veronica had his back was so wholesome!!! also i am ashamed to admit that i felt a little bad for A GROWN MAN when he had to take the bus and walk to and from his training facility like that man didn't have anyone or anything until the rubio's came into his life 😭i realized this is a rich grown man we're talking about and even at his lowest his life was still better than mine could ever be but just imagining his lone self riding the bus and walking all alone while everyone in his life screwed him over.... MY JORGITOOOOOOOOOO 😭
this book was THICK so it was a commitment but one I had no problem making. and in true mariana zapata fashion, this was a GLACIAL BURN romance. just the way I like it.
moore's personal troubles had me a little stressed out ngl bc that would be my biggest nightmare but the way veronica had his back was so wholesome!!! also i am ashamed to admit that i felt a little bad for A GROWN MAN when he had to take the bus and walk to and from his training facility like that man didn't have anyone or anything until the rubio's came into his life 😭i realized this is a rich grown man we're talking about and even at his lowest his life was still better than mine could ever be but just imagining his lone self riding the bus and walking all alone while everyone in his life screwed him over.... MY JORGITOOOOOOOOOO 😭
this book was THICK so it was a commitment but one I had no problem making. and in true mariana zapata fashion, this was a GLACIAL BURN romance. just the way I like it.
October 16, 2026
DNF at 10%
I did not peg Mariana Zapata for someone who writes about "fuckboys" (the MFC's words not mine). Although, I guess Zapata has become another one in the string of authors to apparently have to go through a certain checklist before her books could be approved to be published 🤔🙄🤷♀️.
To say I am disappointed is actually a huge Understatement !
First off, he's a useless, entitled, incompetent and unapologetic athlete. He's like a manchild who doesn't know how to contact water and electricity utilities. He doesn't know how to handle a stolen credit card and doesn't even know he was being mugged by his manager and now he's literally broke. The MFC had to mother him and do everything for him because he just didn't know how to handle anything. Only thing he's good at is apparently winning medals and featuring in Scandal tabloids as the playboy that he is. Oh yayyy another one of those! 🙄
First time the MFC sees him he's with 3 women that he just me on the plane and was bringing them home with him. OK whatever Zapata!
Second, what's with Zapata and her extremely short MFCs. He's like a 6' 5" and she's literally so short that the first time he saw her, even though she was wearing a tight skirt, a blouse and heels, he thought she was a kid! 😫😫😫😫 Her brothers call her Shorty and she calls them dumbasses as a term of endearment. 🥴
Third, it's over 650 pages. I mean I know MZ's books are long but to endure so many pages of a slow burn and yeah reading about a manwhore, well, it's not in my favourite things to do.
This is just so absurd!
I did not peg Mariana Zapata for someone who writes about "fuckboys" (the MFC's words not mine). Although, I guess Zapata has become another one in the string of authors to apparently have to go through a certain checklist before her books could be approved to be published 🤔🙄🤷♀️.
To say I am disappointed is actually a huge Understatement !
First off, he's a useless, entitled, incompetent and unapologetic athlete. He's like a manchild who doesn't know how to contact water and electricity utilities. He doesn't know how to handle a stolen credit card and doesn't even know he was being mugged by his manager and now he's literally broke. The MFC had to mother him and do everything for him because he just didn't know how to handle anything. Only thing he's good at is apparently winning medals and featuring in Scandal tabloids as the playboy that he is. Oh yayyy another one of those! 🙄
First time the MFC sees him he's with 3 women that he just me on the plane and was bringing them home with him. OK whatever Zapata!
Second, what's with Zapata and her extremely short MFCs. He's like a 6' 5" and she's literally so short that the first time he saw her, even though she was wearing a tight skirt, a blouse and heels, he thought she was a kid! 😫😫😫😫 Her brothers call her Shorty and she calls them dumbasses as a term of endearment. 🥴
Third, it's over 650 pages. I mean I know MZ's books are long but to endure so many pages of a slow burn and yeah reading about a manwhore, well, it's not in my favourite things to do.
This is just so absurd!
October 18, 2026
Play “ no scrubs by TLC”
…. Was she his love interest or his mother
Barely interested hero and a heroine that bends over backwards for him no thank you.
I would like to add some things I do understand moor eventually figured out that old people in his life were using him to stay incompetent and that’s why he didn’t know how to do things on his own…
But that still feels like a weak excuse I’m sorry there’s no way you make it to the age of 30 and you don’t know how to login into your fucking bank account. That’s too stupid for me and I just wanna say that I feel like I shouldn’t have to to wait till like the 70/80 % mark to start feeling something in the book That’s not what Mariana zapata books are for me. Usually, I fall in love with the characters through their development through the story the whole book from beginning to end, and to be honest her last few releases there is not a lot of depth for the characters, there’s no depth there’s no development for me waiting till 70% into the book to get excited about something isn’t really worth five stars like I usually give to her books
I guess we’ll never reach what we did with kulti /wait for it & from lukov with love
…. Was she his love interest or his mother
Barely interested hero and a heroine that bends over backwards for him no thank you.
I would like to add some things I do understand moor eventually figured out that old people in his life were using him to stay incompetent and that’s why he didn’t know how to do things on his own…
But that still feels like a weak excuse I’m sorry there’s no way you make it to the age of 30 and you don’t know how to login into your fucking bank account. That’s too stupid for me and I just wanna say that I feel like I shouldn’t have to to wait till like the 70/80 % mark to start feeling something in the book That’s not what Mariana zapata books are for me. Usually, I fall in love with the characters through their development through the story the whole book from beginning to end, and to be honest her last few releases there is not a lot of depth for the characters, there’s no depth there’s no development for me waiting till 70% into the book to get excited about something isn’t really worth five stars like I usually give to her books
I guess we’ll never reach what we did with kulti /wait for it & from lukov with love
October 19, 2026
4.5. Rated R. Contemporary Romance
Loved this book. If you like MZ and her style, here is another good one. If not, you will join the sharks in the water and tear it apart.
George Moore has more medals and is considered the greatest swimmer in the world. To get there his total focus has been on swimming. His family was somewhat wealthy, he had a nutritionist, he had someone who took care of his bills, he had a coach, someone made appointments for him….his life and focus was swimming. That was his total job. Would most judge him incompetent in the daily living of “regular” people…..hell yes!
So when his manager steals most of his money there are adjustments to be made. He now can’t afford his usual perks and has to learn to take care of himself. (Some may miss the point of his journey)
Enter Veronica. Real estate agent. Because he needs to sell his expensive house. She is disgusted with how clueless he is. But she helps him because she needs to get the house sale and make some money.
Veronica has a large family. As Moore gets to know them, and they him it is beautiful. Family dynamics. Banter, emotions, hilarious interactions. Side characters are wonderful!
Now we are talking MZ here. If you expect anything more than a s l o w burn….well…..why would you? 586 pages.
So, here is what to expect. There is no race to the finish, ever.
Both our main characters have issues. There will be no insta-love. The first half is them even accepting and starting to trust and like each other. S L O W L Y.
At 60-65% they start to “see” each other.
At 71% there is attraction.
At 85% the first kiss. Very hot.
No sex till 90-92%
So get your expectations in order if you want to enjoy this book. It’s MZ why would you be frustrated and expect anything different? Friendship before romance.
(There has been discussion about the vomiting 🤮 scene. I get sick too when I am on a rocking boat. If it bothers you, don’t read it. Skim that part.)
HEA of course. They are good for each other, love each other. Soooo sweet. I vote they will easily make it.
Loved this book. I will be reading it again in future.
Highly recommend!
Loved this book. If you like MZ and her style, here is another good one. If not, you will join the sharks in the water and tear it apart.
George Moore has more medals and is considered the greatest swimmer in the world. To get there his total focus has been on swimming. His family was somewhat wealthy, he had a nutritionist, he had someone who took care of his bills, he had a coach, someone made appointments for him….his life and focus was swimming. That was his total job. Would most judge him incompetent in the daily living of “regular” people…..hell yes!
So when his manager steals most of his money there are adjustments to be made. He now can’t afford his usual perks and has to learn to take care of himself. (Some may miss the point of his journey)
Enter Veronica. Real estate agent. Because he needs to sell his expensive house. She is disgusted with how clueless he is. But she helps him because she needs to get the house sale and make some money.
Veronica has a large family. As Moore gets to know them, and they him it is beautiful. Family dynamics. Banter, emotions, hilarious interactions. Side characters are wonderful!
Now we are talking MZ here. If you expect anything more than a s l o w burn….well…..why would you? 586 pages.
So, here is what to expect. There is no race to the finish, ever.
Both our main characters have issues. There will be no insta-love. The first half is them even accepting and starting to trust and like each other. S L O W L Y.
At 60-65% they start to “see” each other.
At 71% there is attraction.
At 85% the first kiss. Very hot.
No sex till 90-92%
So get your expectations in order if you want to enjoy this book. It’s MZ why would you be frustrated and expect anything different? Friendship before romance.
(There has been discussion about the vomiting 🤮 scene. I get sick too when I am on a rocking boat. If it bothers you, don’t read it. Skim that part.)
HEA of course. They are good for each other, love each other. Soooo sweet. I vote they will easily make it.
Loved this book. I will be reading it again in future.
Highly recommend!
October 16, 2026
I had to double-check the cover to make sure Mariana Zapata actually wrote this. I am genuinely shocked.
I kept pushing through, hoping it would get better. Spoiler alert: it didn't.
He was the damsel in distress, and she was there to save him because he was a "poor, innocent child." Those were actual words the FMC used to describe the MMC. A grown man.
He also kept forgetting her name but somehow had no problem remembering everyone else's. After the tenth time, I genuinely thought he was either playing a joke on her or had something wrong with his brain. I was actually waiting for a brain injury to be revealed. But nope. Apparently, forgetting the name of the woman you're supposed to be falling for is just part of his charm.
He also threw up after hearing her throw up? Okay. That was a choice.
And he was scared of a cockroach? A COCKROACH? I have genuinely never been more embarrassed by an MMC in my life.
He forgot his suitcase at a hotel, and she had to go retrieve it for him? Are we kidding with this?
And apparently, he also needed the FMC to inform him that he couldn't see properly and needed glasses. Because, naturally, a grown man couldn't figure out on his own that he had trouble seeing. Logical thinking has officially left the chat.
Why was the MMC so infantilized? I mean, this man didn't seem to know how to do anything, function independently, or exist as a member of society. Just bizarre.
The FMC also kept calling everyone dumb, yet she couldn't help herself when it came to rescuing him because, well, he was tall and muscular. Apparently, that's all it takes.
I genuinely wish I hadn't finished this book. What an absolute waste of time.
This wasn't a romance. It was a horror story about a caregiver and her fully grown, six-foot-something toddler.
I'm especially shocked to be writing this about a Mariana Zapata book after reading masterpieces like Luna and the Lie. I cannot believe the same author wrote both.
I kept pushing through, hoping it would get better. Spoiler alert: it didn't.
He was the damsel in distress, and she was there to save him because he was a "poor, innocent child." Those were actual words the FMC used to describe the MMC. A grown man.
He also kept forgetting her name but somehow had no problem remembering everyone else's. After the tenth time, I genuinely thought he was either playing a joke on her or had something wrong with his brain. I was actually waiting for a brain injury to be revealed. But nope. Apparently, forgetting the name of the woman you're supposed to be falling for is just part of his charm.
He also threw up after hearing her throw up? Okay. That was a choice.
And he was scared of a cockroach? A COCKROACH? I have genuinely never been more embarrassed by an MMC in my life.
He forgot his suitcase at a hotel, and she had to go retrieve it for him? Are we kidding with this?
And apparently, he also needed the FMC to inform him that he couldn't see properly and needed glasses. Because, naturally, a grown man couldn't figure out on his own that he had trouble seeing. Logical thinking has officially left the chat.
Why was the MMC so infantilized? I mean, this man didn't seem to know how to do anything, function independently, or exist as a member of society. Just bizarre.
The FMC also kept calling everyone dumb, yet she couldn't help herself when it came to rescuing him because, well, he was tall and muscular. Apparently, that's all it takes.
I genuinely wish I hadn't finished this book. What an absolute waste of time.
This wasn't a romance. It was a horror story about a caregiver and her fully grown, six-foot-something toddler.
I'm especially shocked to be writing this about a Mariana Zapata book after reading masterpieces like Luna and the Lie. I cannot believe the same author wrote both.
October 16, 2026
So I absolutely love MZ. She's my all time favorite author and I love her slow burn. But I feel like something was fundamentally missing with this. Lets get started with Moore. I like his character development but I feel like it was all overnight. He went from this cocky, playboy, everything does everything for me to a quiet, naive, and funny dude. This man talked to you for MONTH and he NEVER remembered your name. I wish we got to talk about his past because while it was in the past....my dude you literally brought 3 girls home with you the first day you actually met Veronica in person. And the whole manager thing. Why was this not fleshed out more. It was put on the back burner soo much it mightve well been a shit she scraped off his shoe. I'm not sure what happened. While I enjoyed it it just didn't have the same feel has her earlier books.
Also George is SO not a sexy character name.
Also George is SO not a sexy character name.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2026
nobody move!!!!!!!! it's a mariana zapata drop
post-read: mariana i have missed you so. this really reminded me of how kulti felt the first time i read it and i am not complaining even a little bit. i loved veronica and her relationship with her family so much. i thought george was going to just bother me until the very end. i was really just trying to be patient through his lack of awareness on all things adulting and the closer he and veronica became, the more i started to like him. i feel like the reader really falls for him as veronica does and boy did i love watching that happen. their friendship was so wonderful and the slow burn was everything i needed it to be. i feel reborn with a new mariana book to round off the year but i'm so sad i have nothing left so will in fact be going through my reread soon i fear LOL.
post-read: mariana i have missed you so. this really reminded me of how kulti felt the first time i read it and i am not complaining even a little bit. i loved veronica and her relationship with her family so much. i thought george was going to just bother me until the very end. i was really just trying to be patient through his lack of awareness on all things adulting and the closer he and veronica became, the more i started to like him. i feel like the reader really falls for him as veronica does and boy did i love watching that happen. their friendship was so wonderful and the slow burn was everything i needed it to be. i feel reborn with a new mariana book to round off the year but i'm so sad i have nothing left so will in fact be going through my reread soon i fear LOL.
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