01 August 2023

I think this is the second or third Mariana Zapata book that I have read. And wow, I really do not understand why I always wait so long to read another one of her books. Her writing somehow always has me hooked from page one until the very last page.

This book follows Jasmine, a figure skater, who is battling to find a pairs skater until she is offered to skate with Ivan Lukov. She and Ivan do not get along at all, however, to try and revive her half-dead career she has no choice.

I loved Jasmine, as a whole. I loved how she was a realistic human being, not just your typical character. ‘I can do no wrong’ female lead. I loved her interactions with her siblings and mother. They were all really sweet. Ivan was also a cool character; I think that is just because we didn’t know much about him until the end. I honestly would have loved for this book to have a dual point of view. I loved the relationship between Jasmine and Ivan, more so in the beginning because the insults they were throwing at each other were hilarious.

If I am being completely honest I do not see why this is marketed as a romance, because yeah the last fifteen per cent of the book is all about the two falling in love. However, I feel like most of the book focused on Jasmine and her struggle with herself, her personal and professional life. And all the growth that she went through and how she had to not be so hard on herself.
I also love how we did not have the stupid third-act breakup/fight. Because I kept on waiting for it and I was so pleased when it never came. It is so overdone and I liked how they would just communicate with each other. This is another reason why I think it can’t be a romance book because there is never any communication in them.

Overall, this was a really good book and I could not recommend it more.