Review: The Wall of Winnepeg and Me

The Wall of Winnepeg and Me
By Mariana Zapata

Publication Date: February 28, 2016
Date Read: January 9, 2021
Genre: Adult – Contemporary Romance
Source: Bought
Format: E-Book
Pages: 673

From Goodreads:
Vanessa Mazur knows she’s doing the right thing. She shouldn’t feel bad for quitting. Being an assistant/housekeeper/fairy godmother to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans and none of them include washing extra-large underwear longer than necessary.

But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she’s beyond shocked.

For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn’t find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He’s asking for the unthinkable.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?

“When life gives you lemons, you get to choose what you make out of them; it doesn’t always have to be lemonade.”

The Wall of Winnepeg and Me is a book I hadn’t really heard of before this year. I’m not really a huge lover of contemporary novels. I’m a fantasy fan through and through, and usually only read a couple of contemporaries each year. However, after a friend recommended this book, I thought I would pick this up. I enjoyed The Wall of Winnepeg and Me, it was a cute love story. I wish I could say that I loved it, but I just didn’t. It was just okay for me.

The Wall of Winnepeg and Me follows the story of Vanessa. She works as a personal assistant to famous football player, Aiden. Aiden is harsh and unemotional. He doesn’t appreciate all Vanessa does for him, until she quits. Suddenly Aiden is lost without her. So he hunts her down and asks her the unthinkable… marry him so he can stay in the country. What does Vanessa have to lose… other than 5 years of her life… and maybe her heart.

I have such torn feelings about this book. It is a good romance… once it gets going. My biggest issue with this book is the pacing. It’s really good and adorable once you get about 65% through the book. It’s just so insanely slow. I was warned that Mariana Zapata was the Queen of Slowburn. But there is slowburn and then there is sloooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww. I felt like the pacing was so slow that it was about to stop! Once you get to the romance, this book is a gorgeous story. It just takes too damn long to get there for me. I rarely read romance, so when I do I would like it to include… you know… some actual romance. I don’t want to wait till 65% through before their first real kiss. I just couldn’t cope with that slow pacing.

The Wall of Winnepeg and Me would be absolutely perfect for contemporary fans who love that slow build up to the point of it being a super realistic relationship. You can see the couple slowly developing their relationship and their love and it does feel like a real life relationship which I did love. And don’t get me wrong… there are lots of super swoony, really sweet moments. Mariana’s writing was really good and had the pacing not been quite as slow as it was I can see me having loved it.

I wish I had loved this book, as I know so many people absolutely adore it. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. I am glad I read it and it was a pretty decent read. Whether I will read any more of Mariana’s books is still up in the air. I very rarely read romance, and I feel like slow burn contemporaries are just not for me. When I don’t have the other plot points to focus on, I’m just too impatient. If you love romance, swoon worthy moments and a slow burn romance, then you will probably love this one!

“I’m starting to understand that you can always make time for the things that matter.”