Aiden was clearly lonely. He had no friends. He didn’t know what it was like to have a friend, not until Vanessa became more than just his assistant. He was emotionless, expressionless, cold and serious, showing no sign of pity or remorse, which was why many, including Vanessa, found him to be arrogant and rude. But the way he tries to become Vanessa’s friend after realizing he messed up warmed my heart and actually, not even kidding, had me squealing. This is a slow burn romance. Thus, don’t expect much admission of feelings and acting on them by the main characters until the very end. Aiden Graves is by far my favorite MZ hero. He’s not an alphahole so much as he is fatally anti-social. When he’s stressed, he retreats completely into himself and becomes a hermit. SO relatable. But when he loves people, he loves them completely, and I love him for that :) what a perfect gem. That was why I hadn’t actually gone through with it and told Aiden “Sayonara, big boy” on the eighty different occasions my brain had told me to. I can be your friend. I can try,” he said in a low, earnest voice. “Friends take a lot of time and effort, but…” Aiden looked up at me again with a sigh, “I can do it. If that’s what you want.”

My dad used to beat the shit out of me because he could, once a week at least until I hit puberty. I’ve gotten into enough fights in my life; I’ll fight somebody if there’s a good reason, but not for a game.❞ I've also listened to other audiobooks with Stephen Dexter and Emma Wilder and am normally a fan of both of them. In. Other. Books. Just not this one. Emma Wilder has a beautiful voice. But she doesn't sound like a 25 year old who grew up the way she did - with the family she has. She sounds much older - like a more mature wife who's plotting to off her cheating husband. I don't buy it! I can't seem to get passed that. And none of those physical traits helped me in any way. Hot guys weren’t going to make my dreams come true. Yeah sex may be great, but when Aiden and Vanessa were in Las Vegas and Vanessa decided to walk around Las Vegas at night, alone, Aiden decided to wake up from his nap and walk with her because he was worried, even if he didn’t admit it?

‘The Wall of Winnipeg and Me’ publishes on June 4, 2023

I’ve had my issues with MZ’s books. She’s got a habit of writing female protagonists whose only flaw is how insecure they are about their strengths. Which, imo, is lazy writing. What are you afraid of? Do you think we won’t like your heroines if you give them real flaws? I think after KULTI, WALL OF WINNIPEG AND ME is Zapata's second-best book that I've read so far, followed by DEAR AARON, and then RHYTHM, CHORD & MALYKHIN, and then LINGUS coming up dead-last. It certainly isn't a bad book but people were hyping it up to me and saying that it was better than KULTI and I disagree. KULTI is her best book by a long shot. THE WALL OF WINNIPEG AND ME is, at best, inoffensive. I don't regret reading it, but it's not great, either. I am a fan of romance developing in a mediocre pace, not too slow and not too fast, but the time between Vanessa and Aiden was perfect. Their banter had me wanting to highlight it all. Full of humor and sarcasm, the two took a while to like each other, but as the reader, it's easy to feel the tension between the two and how their marriage of convenience slowly becomes something much more real, much more emotional. And when Aiden kissed her for the first time? Yeah, I couldn't have asked for better timing. The expression on his face was like he was torn between being okay with the idea and being completely against it. Something I also love about Zapata's writing style (which others might not) is that she only gives the h's POV. We never get Aiden's POV.

What was the worst that would happen? I’d have to find another job if my customer base dried up? How horrifying. I wouldn’t know what would happen until I tried. I was nervous. Quitting a well-paying job—a steady one, at least while Aiden had a career—was scary. But that excuse was getting older and older. You could only try for so long to be friendly with someone and have them shut you down with their indifference before you gave up. This was a job—nothing more, nothing less. It was why I had worked so hard to get to the point where I could be my own boss, so that I could deal with people who appreciated my hard work. Or when Aiden started naming off the things he knew about Vanessa, the small details he’s noticed of her, such as her favorite things or what she does when she’s annoyed?For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn’t find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He’s asking for the unthinkable. Since I’ve started reading more romance, I find it’s harder to rate than other genres. 2 stars for other genres would mean I didn’t enjoy this book. Which isn’t true. I was okay reading it - I just saw a lot of flaws and felt it could do with some serious editing.