Hands Down

5/5 ⭐️ There’s just something in the way that MZ writes her characters that make them so relatable. I really liked Bianca and how loyal and caring she was. I also really liked Zac and how charming he was 🥰🙌🏼.MZ has become one of my favorite authors of all time. I just love the slow burn and she is one of the few authors that has the ability to keep me invested in a 500+ page romance. It feels like a reward when they finally get together at the very end of the story 🥰.Bianca and Zac were childhood friends and they had a really close friendship. They hadn’t seen each other in about 10 years and now they are back in each other’s lives. Bianca has always had a crush on Zac. She loved him since they were kids.I really like how easily they started their friendship back up as if no time had passed. I really liked that they confronted why they didn’t speak for so long really early on in the book. Bianca was still a bit hesitant and hurt that Zac had forgotten all about her. This really affected Bianca in some ways because of her parents. They basically were always traveling and she always felt forgotten by them. This particular aspect of the story really brought out some emotions out of me personally and is the main reason why I adored this book so much. I can relate to Bianca so much! I really felt connected to her! ❤️I remember being intrigued by Zac in The Wall of Winnipeg and Me & I still loved him in his own book! He was very caring and so supportive of Bianca! I adored how he called her honey & darlin’ 🥹. I was swooning at some of the things that he did for her!I was honestly just really happy while reading this. The slow burn romance was beautiful, the side characters were amazing, and the writing was great! Overall, it was a great read for me! ❤️ I miss these characters already 😭.

Mariana Zapata is my anchor in a stormy sea.Her books are like plasters for my wounds and mood, their glue holds everything together indestructibly.The story of Zac and Bianca is a beautiful, sweet story that takes its time, as well as every book by Zapata.Because by now we know, as she writes slow burn, no one ever.This is why she is the undisputed Queen of slow burn.I can't wait to immerse myself in the pages of another Mariana Zapata story.

I loved this book, I love all books from this author. It has everything you want in a romance novel, everything!