I was thirty-three years old, and like a tree, I’d lost all of my leaves, so much of what had made me me; but just like a tree, my branches and my roots were still there. And I was being reborn with a whole new set of leaves, bright and green and full of life. So I had to try. " aurora del la torre is the perfect sunshine character to me. positive, but not so much that it becomes annoying (i see you zahra). i loved seeing her discover who she was and learning to deal with her grief. her character grew so much throughout this book.

Actions speak louder than words and prove more better than any talking; Tobias Rhodes understood the assignment properly. Surely, he wasn’t comfortable with words of affirmation but when he said something it was without a doubt an honest and pure statement. I also really liked Amos, Rhodes's son, and how big of a role he had in all this. Especially loved that he wasn't one of those annoying and unrealistically smart and quirky kids, but a teenager with hopes, dreams and fears. When you lose enough, you learn to take happiness where you can find it. You don’t wait for it to be handed to you” All Rhodes Lead Here worked for me, cuz I knew exactly what to expect when reading a MZ book and it's very comforting like coming home after an exhausting day at work. ARLH pretty much gave me the same vibes as Kulti/The Wall of Winnipeg and Me with a mix of some of her other books, but set in a small town somewhere in Colorado.

Mariana Zapata is becoming a new binge-worthy author. All of her books (except Kulti, sadly) are on Kindle Unlimited, so I want to take the advantage of reading them before its too late. The one I'm looking forward to the most is Hands Down, and I'm prepared to deal with the cringe I will feel when Zac calls Bianca kiddo. Yes, I am. Rhodes was a DILF without him even having to ~tRy~ or be married first and conceive baby Amos conventionally. can you guess how that was possible?? this... what should i call it... creative “modification” of the single dad trope is my new favorite thing. 👏👏 I've noticed that's a pattern in Zapata's books. Her male leads seem to be unable to communicate the best. They're not the best at showing their emotions and expressing their feelings, but they show the love and care they have for their friends in different ways. Rhodes is no exception to this, and I'm honestly not complaining. I love it. He's grumpy and tired at first, but his character development starts to unfold as he realizes there is actually more to Aurora than he thought.

I've always loved reading anything Mariana Zapata has written and this book probably sits at the top. It had everything I loved; a slow-burn, small-town romance. I can not even begin to express the joy I felt in this book. Aurora's personality alone was really refreshing to see. A huge factor as to why I really enjoyed this book was the friendship she developed first with Amos and Rhodes; it really was what had sold me from the beginning. Too much filler. The book felt like it could have been shorter, but true Zapata style, it wasn't. Like the whole family tree of Amos? I felt like that could have been shortened down to something more simple instead of making it so complicated. I can't even describe it because I didn't get it myself, but it was confusing to read about how Amos is related to Rhodes but also his uncle in a way because of how his uncle couldn't have a child? Honestly, I forgot it already. I wish it had been more simple because it not only would have made the situation easier to understand (like reducing the family tree to just Amos and Rhodes), but it would have made the story shorter. However, I definitely expected a little more drama from this, to be honest. I'm glad there was just a rightful amount of it, though. I don't know if I could have handled a lot of angst, and I'm pretty sure the book wouldn't have benefitted from it, anyway.

🍪 Privacy & Transparency

after a break up, aurora del la torre decides to move to her childhood home, pagosa springs, where she hopes to start over. she ends up at a garage apartment she rented online, which turns out to have been put up by the owner's son, amos, without his knowledge. desperate, she convinces the owner, tobias rhodes, to let her stay for a while. All Rhodes Lead Here was, sadly, not as enjoyable as I thought it would be. There were too many obstacles that made the reading experience too dry. I hope her other books make up for this one. His answer was a sigh followed by, “Because… I’ve been watching you grow for months. I don’t want to be something you grow around. You were with someone who gave you too much shade before, right? I’d rather us take our time than me stunt where you’re going, who you’re becoming.”