Slow burn gets on my nerves unless it involves Aiden Graves. While normally I would find this too long, too slow and a little too mean, it was perfect. I can't put my finger on why Wall of Winnipeg worked, but after hearing rave reviews from a few trusted friends, I dove in....and could not stop. Like wanted to keep driving just so I didn't have to stop the audio.

Vanessa is Aiden's personal assistant. Until she finally decides that his grumpy meanness is too much and quits. When he needs her to come back, it's for more than she ever expected. Zapata puts all of the best tropes in this story. The longing and angst and the sweetness are almost too much for your heart. It's so good and I am probably due to flip through my copy and read the end again.

The slowest of slow burn romances, but it's oh so satisfying. This is Zapata's best book and one I come back to again and again. If you enjoy sports-themed romances this one is a must read, but know that it takes until the end of the book for the payoff.

I'm going to start this review with my review from when I originally read this book years ago and then I'll add an update at the end.

A while ago, I read Dear Aaron by Mariana Zapata and loved it. I wanted to read more from her, so after I made it through a bunch of books I had to review I picked up The Wall of Winnipeg and Me. To say I loved this book would be an understatement. I can’t really even describe how much I enjoyed it.

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me starred Vanessa, a woman trying to get ahead in life. In order to do so, she took a job working for football player Aiden “The Wall of Winnipeg” Graves. Aiden isn’t the bright and cheery type. He’s quiet and stoic. The only thing Aiden’s passionate about is his football career. Working for him is difficult, so when the opportunity arises for Vanessa to quit, she does. It doesn’t take long for Aiden to show up on Vanessa’s doorstep begging for her to come back — only he wants her to be more than just his assistant.

Once again, I absolutely adored Mariana Zapata’s writing style. Normally, I like the romances I read to have first person dual point of view. I love getting to know both party’s thoughts and feelings. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me was written in first person but was solely in Vanessa’s point of view. I wasn’t let down by the fact that I didn’t get Aiden’s in this book. In fact, I really liked that I didn’t. It made more sense to me because he was so quiet and held things so closely. I loved trying to figure out what he was thinking right along with Vanessa. Vanessa was such a vivid character that she didn’t the help of his perspective at all.

Another great thing about the way the story was written was the buildup. Vanessa and Aiden didn’t immediately fall in love. There may have been feelings there, but they were built over time. The progression of all the events and emotions felt like it happened in real-time. It was such a great slow burn romance.

Obviously, I loved Vanessa and Aiden. Vanessa had spunk and a ton of patience. She loved how she dealt with Aiden and his personality. Aiden was the strong silent type. He didn’t are about many people, but when he did it was amazing. I adored Vanessa and Aiden’s relationship and everything about it.

I’m so happy I read this book. It was pure perfection. The Wall of Winnipeg had me even more excited to go on and read more of Mariana Zapata’s books. In fact, I think I am going to be doing a little binge reading now. If you haven’t read anything by this author, you need to add her to your TBR.

That was my original review, and it has stood the test of time with a reread. I loved it just as much the second time around. I also enjoyed the bonus chapter that updated me a bit on where Vanessa and Aiden are at this point in their relationship. It was really sweet!

WOW!!! This book was amazing. It is fitting that 3 of the initials of this book spells WOW. From beginning to end you will inhale this book. I’m giving you fair warning that you will not be getting any sleep once you start. Mariana’s words have a way of pulling you in and you won’t be able to stop until the end. This book is so good that you will read it over and over again and never get tired of it. You will find new things since you devoured it the first time. You will keep wanting more and more and more of this cute and loveable couple. This is the best grumpy/sunshine book you will ever read.
I received this book for my honest opinion.

I am loving the new cover for The Wall of Winnipeg and Me! I started reading this author from Under Locke, and had to dive into this one-- it did not disappoint.

Vanessa is Aiden's personal assistant, but she's quitting--to his surprise. Aiden is such a controlled, reserved man that he hasn't let on how he feels about her. I loved how Aiden treated her once he started to let his guard down, and there's definitely a protective MMC energy here that I ate up. The pacing was excellent, and yes it was a slow burn, but one that keeps the tension delicious and provides the best payoff in the end. Plus, there was mutual support and respect between these two that was just so genuine and well-written. I will buy their romance any day!

I highly recommend this to those who love this author or are just discovering her--it's my favorite of her books!

thank you NetGalley for my copy of The Wall of Winnipeg and Me !

this book is the most perfect slow burn <3

mariana zapata has such a specific voice & her slow burns are the best, this was my first book of hers & it gets better every time ! the new cover is so beautiful, it is how i pictured them both on my first read.

the tension building is so good & i love that the characters are so well developed that the story is very fleshed out with all of their thoughts & processes throughout the story.

Boooooring. Honestly, why are the ratings for this book so high?

I'm not convinced this book actually had a plot. It felt like things were only happening every five chapters or so. And even then, the progression was slow. I'm not entirely sure why I didn't end up DNFing this book because it was so boring.

Another thing I'm not convinced of: Aiden's personality. Does he have one? I feel like for 70% of the book we see one emotion and then for the other 30% he's at football practice. Like, what even?

This book wasn't very romantic. Like, there were some romantic moments, but together as a whole, yeah....not so much.

I really enjoyed From Lukov with Love so I thought I would like this one as well, especially considering the high ratings, but that was not the case.

I kept hearing about this book and desired to see what the hype was about. It was a bit too slow for me. I wanted to love it and the romance but I just didn't connect with the main characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Three stars.

I have read this book like 10 times and every time I reread it I get so happy! This book is my comfort book, I love it with all my heart and I love the character so freaking much vane and Aiden are the love of my life and having an extra chapter of them being happy made me literally sob because I truly love them so much. Loved this book cannot wait to reread it again and live the new cover! Cannot wait to also buy the new audiobook when it get out

Another absolute hit of a slow burn from the slow burn queen. Mariana Zapata literally never misses. I've devoured her entire backlist in the last couple months and this one is definitely in her top 5. It has all my favorite tropes: grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, sports romance. I also absolutely loved Vanessa and Aiden. Vanessa is such a loveable and headstrong protagonist. She's ambitious, knows what she wants, holds her ground when the situation calls for it, and never hesitates to put Aiden in his place. I love that the pacing of this book made me fall in love with Aiden in the same way Vanessa did, slowly as he changed to become the man that she deserved. He started out being kind of a shit but when Vanessa set her boundaries and made her expectations clear, he met them and went above and beyond. I loved the evolution of their relationship from a professional one, to a friendship, and ultimately to a romantic one. It felt so natural. Mariana's characters always feel like complete, multidimensional people and the slow burn style of her romances really helps you see her characters grow into what each needs from the other. The way Vanessa and Aiden grew for each other and for themselves made this a 5 star romance.

A reissue but still good!

Vanessa Mazur and Aiden Grave have different types of personalities because Vanessa is Aiden’s personal assistant and hates to say no to anybody and Aiden is an antisocial football star that just wants to be the best he can be.

If you want a really slow burn type of romance you need to read The Wall of Winnipeg and Me because it is a classic that should be on everyone’s list to read! I was thrilled to find out that The Wall of Winnipeg and Me was going to be reissued by Avon because I was very interested in figuring out if there were any changes plus the new content. There is a hint for what might be the next book but there is so many possibilities.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have to say this author is the Queen of slow burn when it comes to her characters. Your just hooked from page one and you can’t put the book down. Since starting I have devoured every title this author has.

What did I like? Did I mention a slow burn. This couple doesn’t quite get romantic until the end of the book but the author will have you wishing it. You can look, see, and feel the chemistry. Fantastic writing!

Would I recommend or buy? I have a copy on my shelf and I will be glad to pick up the new cover! This is a great story by a great author and I have no problem recommending it. Five huge stars of entertainment!

I received a complimentary copy to read and this is my opinion.

I loved this book. Mariana Zapata best most well known slow burn. Great characters, great banter, enemies to lovers sports romance. The tension and chemistry are on point. Highly recommend

This was a very extremely slow burn love story between two unlikely people. Problem was that I needed my romance to be faster than this slow burn book. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where there was no hugging, or kissing this slow. I didn’t understand the point of it. Also Aidan was an okay character but he wasn’t a nice guy for the majority of the book. He treated Vanessa like crap rather than an assistant. Being polite does pay off. Though I did like her best friend Diana. Anyways the ending was nice.

I’m a bit confused since this book was previously published. So I’m assuming that the extra bonus material was the reason for the re release? Which I wouldn’t bother to buy this new book. It was a cute short bonus but not worth a whole book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve seen this book on so many booktok favorite lists and decided I needed to read it to see why it’s so beloved. The story lives up to the hype and I’m not even a football fan. It’s a big book, but I think that’s why I loved it so much. Yes it’s a super super slow burn, but you get a chance to really understand the characters in a deeper way. I loved it and I’m happy to jump on the bandwagon and tell people they need to read it!

Thank you to Avon Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC.

Not much changed from the earlier publication. It remains a funny, heartwarming romantic comedy book.

Mariana Zapata is my slow burn queen! The way the story builds and comes together is absolutely perfect and will leave you wanting to read everything she’s ever written. And the new bonus chapter is perfection. I’ll never get enough of this story and these characters.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5)
Steam Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (one very descriptive sex scene)
Trigger Warning: brief mentions of abuse and alcoholism

Aiden "The Wall of Winnipeg" Graves is one of the top defensive linemen in the National Football Organization. Vanessa Mazur has been his assistant for two years and is finally quitting to start her own graphic design business. When Aiden begs her to come back, he also reveals that his work visa is expiring. This leads him to propose a marriage of convenience so that he can stay in America and Vanessa will get her student loans paid off in return. While Vanessa has always found him attractive, she's not sure if she can deal with his moody, workaholic personality for five years. But as they spend more time together, she slowly learns that she and Aiden have a lot in common, and he is willing to stand up for her when no one else does. Can she find true love with her fake husband?

After All Rhodes Lead Here introduced me to the magic of a Mariana Zapata slow burn, I knew I needed to give this one a chance. Now, I'm not going to lie- this one was really slow, but I somehow still never got bored even when Aiden and Vanessa seemed to hate each other in the beginning. The last 40% is so worth the wait, though. Aiden showed his love in small, sometimes subtle ways that really won me over. I liked how both characters had tragic pasts and were able to support one another and build each other up. And seeing Aiden be possessive and protective of Vanessa was so sexy and sweet at the same time. I don't know how MZ does it, but she apparently has that winning formula when it comes to romance. I'm looking forward to reading many more of her books!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 stars

This was a bit of a disappointment for me. I feel like I hardly knew Aiden as a person, and I honestly didn't feel any chemistry between him and Vanessa. This book was wayyyyy too long and drawn out. I'm all for a slow burn but this just didn't do it for me. While some parts were funny, it kind of read like fanfic to me. It was really repetitive and a lot of telling and not showing. While I can usually understand the draw of some overhyped books, I honestly don't really get the hype surrounding this one.

Aiden Graves has been cemented as one of my top book boyfriends of all time. He is grumpy, he doesn't know how to love, but he is constant. He doesn't lie, he doesn't cheat and he always tells the truth. Vanessa is the joy that he needs in his life, and he just has to let her in. Sure she had a crush on him, but she also wanted to punch him a time or two. He is so focused on football that he has nothing else in life.
When he needs a bit of "greencard help" he asks Vanessa. She's the only one he knows, honestly, and while this seems like it could be a disaster, it turns into something more than either of them could have dreamed. Vanessa isn't without trauma and her past haunts her, but she never lets it get her down for long. With Aiden by her side though, she feels like she has something stable and doesn't know if she can give that up at the end of their agreement. She knows he is focused on only football and has no room for feelings, but that doesn't mean she wont' fall.
This is one of the slowest burns I have read, but the payoff is so worth it in the end. Getting to see little glimpses of the way Aiden is falling just brings so many butterflies to my belly and I was alternating between laughing out loud and swooning while reading.
Thank you to Avon, Mariana Zapata and Netgalley for an early copy.