Slow burns, moments that leave you kicking your feet and giggling, and characters that feel like old friends — author Mariana Zapata perfectly encapsulates these feelings through her page-turner novels. Zapata has gained a lot of popularity over the last four years, specifically on TikTok’s BookTok community, for her addictive contemporary romance books. Her books are specifically known for delivering simmering tension and delicious romances that leave you needing more.
Many people find her books intimidating due to their length considering that most of them are about 400-700 pages long. Despite this, when reading them, I felt like I physically couldn’t put the book down. So far, I’ve read eight books from Zapata, and while I’d recommend them all, these are my top five:
1. All Rhodes Lead Here, 100/10
All Rhodes Lead Here is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite book by Mariana Zapata. While ranking her books was difficult overall, this one was the easiest to place at the top of my list. All Rhodes Lead Here is set in a small mountain town in Colorado and follows Aurora De La Torre, an amusing 33 year old woman and talented songwriter, who moves back into her hometown in an attempt to start her life over after a difficult breakup. The last time she was in town, she was a child and had to leave after a traumatic event. The novel begins when Aurora rents a garage apartment on the property of reserved, broody, and handsome Tobias Rhodes, a single father with a tough exterior but a kind heart. I absolutely adored the characters within this book and the relationships between them — specifically the relationship between Aurora and Amos, Rhode’s teenage son—, the charming small-town feel of the setting, and the burning tension between Aurora and Rhodes. The book has gained recognition due to its many swoon-worthy scenes; I found myself smiling, squealing, and giggling more times than I can count while reading this book. I truly cannot express my love for this book, but I hope the fact that I’ve reread it four times expresses at least a fraction of that love.
2. When Grace Met the Grump, 10/10
When Gracie Met the Grump was the second easiest book to place on my list. It’s very different from the rest of Mariana Zapata’s books; while it’s still an amazing slow-burn romance, the story takes place in a world where superheroes exist. In fact, the male love interest is a superhero. The book has an intriguing plot, revolving around “The Defender’s” superhero family and Gracie’s past, making it a well-rounded, entertaining book. Normally, this isn’t something that I’d really read; I’m a big romance and fantasy lover, but I’m not really into superheroes. However, since it was a Mariana Zapata book, I knew I had to give it a shot and it definitely did not disappoint. The story begins when Gracie Castro, a woman who has spent her life on the run due to a dangerous past, finds an injured superhero, known as “The Defender,” who crash-landed in her yard. Gracie reluctantly nurses this grumpy, aloof hero back to health, leading to a story filled with forced proximity, witty banter, the grumpy-sunshine trope, and Zapata’s signature slow-building tension. Eventually, their SLOWLY growing bond is tested as Gracie’s complicated past resurfaces. This is yet another book by Zapata that I’ve reread multiple times. The love interest in this book was fitting to Mariana’s typical outline; brooding, gruff, grumpy, and guarded. The romance between him and Gracie quite literally had me screaming into my pillow and unable to put the book down.
3. Wait for It, 9/10
Wait for It is a heartwarming *surprise-surprise* slow-burn that centers around Diana Casilias, a young woman who takes in her two young nephews, Josh and Lou, after the death of her brother and his wife . The story shows Diana navigating the challenges of single parenthood while balancing her own emotional struggles. Wait for It begins when Diana moves into a new neighborhood with Josh and Lou, where she meets her new grumpy neighbor, Dallas. The book explores themes of family, resilience, and love, with a strong focus on the deep bond between Diana and her nephews. Her bond with Dallas grows naturally as he becomes a quiet yet reliable presence in her life, supporting Diana, Lou, and Josh in any ways he can. To me, this story is special because I really grew to love the relationship between Diana and her boys, the same way I grew to love the relationship between Aurora and Amos in All Rhodes Lead Here. This was, yet again, a great romance novel from Mariana, encompassing a perfect blend of humor, romance, emotional growth, and connection. The relationship between Dallas and Diana felt really natural and real, and I just really loved their interactions together and the feelings they shared for one another. I would say that, out of the books on this list, Wait for It and When Gracie Met the Grump are the two least popular Zapata novels, and they definitely deserve more hype.
4. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, 9/10
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me is a sports romance, and is arguably one of Mariana Zapata’s most popular books. The novel includes tropes such as a boss/employee relationship and a marriage of convenience. It also has Zapata’s signature grumpy-sunshine, slow-burn outline. It includes themes of personal growth, healing, trust and emotional vulnerability. The story follows Vanessa, an assistant who’s had enough of being underappreciated by her aloof and quiet boss, Aiden Graves — a professional football player known as “The Wall of Winnipeg” for his intimidating presence on the field. Determined, Vanessa quits her job only to have Aiden unexpectedly ask her to marry him in order to secure his residency in the United States. As the novel progresses, it begins to become clear that Aiden, who Vanessa originally thought never even noticed her, actually likes Vanessa more than he shows. Aiden’s growth is subtle yet deeply rewarding, as his stoic exterior gradually gives way to moments of vulnerability and sincerity. Honestly, the pacing of this novel may test your patience, with it’s almost-500 pages, but the payoff comes in the form of sweet and emotional scenes that make you love Aiden and Vanessa even more.
5. From Lukov with Love, 8.5/10
From Lukov with Love is another extremely popular book by Mariana Zapata. It’s an enemies-to-lovers (seriously, they’re ENEMIES) slow burn sports romance that focuses on Jasmine Santos’s journey as a figure skater. When the novel starts out, it is shown that Jasmine has an issue because she’s a pair skater without a partner and despite her talent, hasn’t won many competitions. She reluctantly partnered with her long-time rival, Ivan Lukov, for one final shot at redemption in the sport. Their journey in the book evolves from an intense animosity to an unlikely friendship and ultimately to a heartfelt romance. In typical Mariana Zapata fashion, their relationship took a hot minute to start evolving and, as usual, there were a multitude of moments that had me going “why is he so mean?” and “Oh my God, I can’t believe he just said that.” But, Mariana kept to her guns and stuck with the grouchy outline she almost always uses; and let’s be real, those are the best heroes. The story delves into themes of personal growth, resilience, and vulnerability. I feel as though I particularly connected to Jasmine’s character as she confronts her insecurities, works through familial tensions, and strives to reach her dreams. At the same time, Ivan’s layers are slowly revealed, showing him to be much more protective, charming, and supportive than we originally see. My favorite part of this book was the witty banter between Ivan and Jasmine, which usually had me laughing, but sometimes also had my jaw dropping. Their initial attitude towards each other is really amusing and fun.
Worthy mention: Luna and the Lie, 8.5/10
Luna and the Lie vs From Lukov with Love was a very difficult decision to make. Ripley is the co-owner of the garage where Luna Allen, the main character, works. Similar to From Lukov with Love, Rip is one of Mariana’s grouchier characters –– which is saying something, considering all her male leads are significantly grouchy ––, but as I went through the book and got to know him better, I started to pick up on his subtle actions more and more. The relationship between Luna and Rip felt authentic and sweet, with many moments that had made me love Rip. However, From Lukov with Love won me over; the banter was better and I feel as though I connected more with the main character.
Overall, I really love Mariana Zapata’s books; I feel like they’re such fun reads and their slow paced nature makes them more realistic than many other romance novels I have read. Her novels show that in order to find love, people often need to work through their own emotional struggles; truly loving someone, romantically or otherwise, often requires personal and emotional growth. Before two people can truly ‘love’ one another, they must respect, trust, support, and, at least attempt to, understand each other. This is something that is present and built brick by brick in Zapata’s numerous romances.
