Book Review Hands Down by Mariana Zapata

Book Review: Hands Down by Mariana Zapata

Too much slow burn and not enough build up leads to disappointment in Hands Down

Hands Down by Mariana Zapata

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

SPOILERS GALORE! Please only read this if you have already read Hands Down by Mariana Zapata. Otherwise you will be very sad and confused (possibly).

I was really looking forward to this follow up to The Wall Of Winnipeg and Me especially as it was Zac’s book! (but … not so much)

This is a slow slow slow (repeat x 100) burn romance told from the female main character’s perspective only which creates issues for this particular book. Bianca and Zac have been friends since Bianca was 3 years old. There is a bit of an age gap but not enough of one in my opinion (she is 27, he is 34) for him to continually refer to her as “kiddo” and for her to refer to him as “old man”. It’s off-putting. It’s another brick in the wall they create between themselves, but as we don’t get Zac’s perspective on any of this, it’s just a weird relationship quirk. (Gross)

Bianca loved Zac when she was 16 but his girlfriend at the time jabbed her in her teenaged self esteem with some nasty words and then switched Zac and Bianca’s cell phone numbers in each of their phones (we find this out far into the book but there were hints, I think) so they were unable to contact each other. She later says she meant for it to only be for a short time but then Zac broke up with the girlfriend so Bianca and Zac end up losing contact for ten years. Due to bruised feelings and a kind of willful neglect of their once strong friendship they manage to dance around each others’ existence for those ten years.

The Reunion

Then Zac’s Paw-Paw ends up in the hospital and Zac is living in the same city as Bianca again and she’s forced to go talk to him and give him the news. Their friendship builds back up through about three hundred+ pages. Because it really seems platonic on Zac’s side as we don’t get his perspective. He keeps calling her kiddo, she throws farts at him… it’s cute. But as I said, seemingly platonic on Zac’s side.

Bianca DOES fall back in love with Zac and it’s painful for her because Zac is her cousin Boogie’s best friend and she worries about coming between them, she worries about being rejected, she worries about interfering in Zac’s football career, she worries a LOT. She finally reaches her breaking point after a stupid misunderstanding and hightails it out of Zac’s life.

The Sudden Burn

Zac comes and finds her and after a conversation with Boogie in front of Bianca which is mystifying to her (this woman) Zac admits he loves her. They kiss. At about 96% of the way into the book. Up until this point, as I said, it has seemed totally platonic on Zac’s side. He snuggled with her on the couch ONCE but there were no illicit touches or almost kisses or prancing around in towels or poppin’ wood. (sorry :D) So they kiss and I was shrugging to myself thinking that, okay this was going to be a “sweet romance” which, what a wasted opportunity with Zac as the male main character but whatevs, such is life: la. dee. da.

Then, the next day, there is a….sudden sex scene. (!) And it skeeved me out. It’s just that there was no build up during the entire book. They were friends and they are calling each other these TERRIBLE nicknames: kiddo and old man (shudder) and then blammo sex scene at 98%. I’m laughing right now but it seriously felt indecent by that point. So I’m giving the book just three stars for the wasted opportunity in regards to laying seeds in the relationship and not having more build up and it being the slowest slow burn I have ever read. 96% until a kiss? No.

I loved all The Lazy Baker details. Loved the entire concept. I loved Zac’s career trajectory. I loved seeing Vanessa, Aiden and the kids again. I loved secretly soft Trev. PAW-PAW forever!

I adored Connie and Richard. Oh. My. God. They were the best.

I was ambivalent towards Boogie and his awful fiancé. And did not like Bianca and Connie’s family that much. Tia Licha was so mean and that dick cousin kept calling them The White Girls. And their parents were totally negligent.

The epilogue was great. I will always love Zac, I’m just mad that we didn’t get to be inside his wonderful head. He was always just staring with his “blue blue eyes”.

More power to you if you loved it. I know a lot of people did. I am sincerely glad.

View all my reviews on Goodreads.

If you’re looking for some hot & steamy sports romance, may I recommend the Pucked series by Helena Hunting. Hilarious, sweet, hot and absurd.

Onto the next book boyfriend!