Kulti

First of all, that poop 💩 thing was hilarious. Clever way to stop revering your crush. 

Second of all, Sal's father was the cutest!!!! His reactions towards Kulti, hahahaha. Her father really stole the spotlight.

Next, I think I  prefer Winnipeg more than this one, but Kulti still held the expectations. 

The things I like:
The way Kulti one-sidedly said Sal as his best friend, the way he fell for her first, the way he still treated everyone else like dirt except her... and that moment when Sal realised she still in love with him. That confession she made about her being a fangirl, hahahahah. So cute. 

7/2018 re-read: I forgot how cute their friendship is, omg<3

4.5 stars, this book is the epitome of a slow burn. You can feel the tension between Sal and Kulti from their very first meeting. My only gripe is that I wish there would have been a bit more flirtation between them because it took so long for anything to happen and by the time it did, the book was over.

This is a five star book for me but it won't be for everyone. This is an EXTEME slow burn, grumpy/sunshine, sports romance.

Sal is strong, confident, kind, and relatable in a way that many of Zapata's characters can be. Her inner monologue can read a little immature (lots of "everybody poops" thoughts) but she's still very likeable. Kulti passes grump and veers into asshole territory off and on but he doesn't always get away with it, and at the end of the day his heart is in the right place.

As someone who played soccer for a lot of years, I'm happy with the sports aspect of the story. It's present throughout and vital to the story while still leaving room for the romance to shine, and where the romance shines is in the collection of moments Zapata has given us. She really zeros in on the small, subtle ways people fall in love. You get everything, good or bad. Small and big. The building blocks of their relationship are all there waiting for you.

As someone who is a big fan of the "Mr. Darcy hand flex" this gave me the butterflies-in-my-stomach feeling I've chased since reading my first book romance.

This last reread was done with the new audiobook, and while initially skeptical both actors NAILED IT. I was particularly worried about Kulti's accent but I had zero complaints.

I'd recommend this to everybody. The banter is funny, the relationships between characters heartfelt, and watching things go from enemies to friends to lovers is satisfying. This is my favorite Mariana Zapata book.

Let's start with “I'm an idiot”. Why do I wait to do reviews? Ugh. I'm going to try and patch together some thoughts but the sum total is that I loved it. Loved the story and it's development. Some may call this a slow burn, and in truth it is. [a:Mariana Zapata 5760202 Mariana Zapata https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1330380214p2/5760202.jpg] is a master of slow burn, but in this instance, with this couple, it's absolutely warranted, the perfect choice. It makes sense for where both characters are in their lives when the story starts.Salome Casillas (Sal) is a 27 year old rising star in the American women's soccer (fútbol) league. Reiner Kulti is a 40 year old soccer God, from the world stage, on a decidedly downward spiral. Becoming a coach in Houston, for Sal's team is, perhaps a last ditch effort, to right his life or at least be a ballast. What he never expected to find was salvation in the person of Sal.I won't belabor explaining the plot. I think that part of the beauty of MZs stories is experiencing how the couples come together, usually starting as antagonists that grow into friends who fall in love in such a natural and organic way that they hardly realize it or have need for grand declarations. And in this case it would never happen because Kulti doesn't roll that way. He's a hard-ass, blunt, doesn't suffer fools, he's tough, and demands excellence, in part because that's what he's always given. At least to the game. And then Sal comes into his life. Sal and her can-do spirit, unwavering ethic, joy for life, fantastic family, and great friends. Sal who is immensely patient of Kulti's abrasiveness and terseness. Her patience pays handsomely as Kulti slowly shares parts of himself and unknowingly lets Sal glimpse others. I like how MZ really got into what it takes to be an elite athlete. She doesn't whitewash it. The all consuming hours of training despite aches & pains, missing time with family and friends, and forget about a love life. I freakin' loved Sal's family, especially her dad. Sal's parents deserve their very own book. You know who also deserve their own book(s)? Harlow & Jenny. Grade A + friends. Ultimately this is a love story. A real one. One to aspire to. A union of equals who mutually support and admire each other. It turns out that abrasive, seemingly cold, and very German Kulti is the partner we all wish for:“Remember that idiotic question you asked me in the car? About what would happen when you can't play soccer any longer?” He didn't wait for any acknowledgement. “Nothing would happen. We would have a different adventure to go on. You are my best friend, my love, my playmate and my teammate. You'll have a team with me wherever we are, with whatever we are playing.”swoonThis book reminded me of [b:The Wall of Winnipeg and Me 29597144 The Wall of Winnipeg and Me Mariana Zapata https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462162064s/29597144.jpg 48358625], with a love of sports, girls/women you can root for and a hero worthy of her. What else do they have in common? An amazeballs audio [a:Callie Dalton 7438028 Callie Dalton https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. Seriously. If you can only get one version of the book go with the audio. It's that good. I expect to enjoy revisiting this more than once. ps. Can I say how much I like/love how MZ portrays Latino characters? Accurate & not a cliche in sight. Thank you.

Why can't we give more than 5 stars. That's just not enough for this book!
I loved it with all my heart. It became problematic, I just could not stop reading, even at work grrr.
I usually am not one for the slow burn, but the plot was good enough to power through and I would not have it any other way!

I love this book so much, I could cry... scratch that— I actually did cry at some point (surprise, surprise!)

Enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, what more could I ask for? And in true Mariana Zapata fashion, this was a slow, slooooow burn. But it was so worth the wait.

Kulti and Sal's relationship was formed from equal admiration for one another. They relied on each other, they pushed each other and at the end of the day, they were a team, as Kulti so aptly pointed out.

Sal is stubborn and kind. She makes a genuine effort to not be an asshole to anybody but she also doesn't let anyone push her around. I like that she was honest (not counting omitting the truth on certain occasions). She loved her family and I loved her for it.

Kulti is the swooniest hero. Under all the grump, he was just a giant softie. The words he said to Sal when declaring his love? I screamed. He's the hate-everyone-but-you sort of hero; the I'll-give-you-the-world-or-watch-it-burn-trying sort of hero. To add icing on the German chocolate cake, he was HER hero.

Never meet your heroes, friends... unless they're a Kulti then you're probably the luckiest person on earth.

I give this one a 5 out of 5 tacos.

Even though Salomé is such a Miss Goody two shoes and Kulti is the brooding hero I usually loathe, it's worked, don't ask me how. They progress along beautifully with all the purity and all the terrible moods, all the way saying 190 times the sentence ‘we are friends' - seriously, I was this close to rolling my eyes, physically, at the kindle page - and all of a sudden I'm all emotional and sappy because they are declaring their undying love for each other. Come on, it's not a spoiler, it's a love story. And a traditional, mostly clean one at that. Cute enough that I've downloaded two more books by the author.

A classic Zapata slow burn. Please read this.

Like, can I marry this woman? I love her. Anyway.

I always have such positive feelings after reading slow burns by her.

A romance between soccer player and retired soccer star. SLOOOOOOW burn. So slow and then the Big Bang happens and it is so HOT and spicy. HEA.

Rey Kulti is a classic sports grump, who comes to coach Sal's professional women's soccer league.
Rey was her idol growing up, so it's a shock to see he has come to coach her.
The two become friends, without many words, and then slowly grow into more.

Rey shows his love with acts of service. Protecting Sal, showing up when it's important, and giving back. He doesn't say much, but he shows her his love in different ways.