I’ve read this book twice and you need to read it once. Luna has had a hard life but the life she built is hers and it deserves so much praise. She is so strong willed and I love watching her be a badass. Rip is his own brand of scary big dude who hides his soft spot for her because he can’t treat the only woman at the mechanics shop differently.

They morph into “friends” but how she didn’t realize the minute he started calling her “baby girl” that things were different, I don’t know. Or. OR when he slept on her couch because she couldn’t leave the house that she made hers. Ahhh. 

The slowest of burns, but damn so good. 

I haven't read a slow burn for a while and damn I have missed it. I was giddy when their lips brushed at like 73% of the way through, and fully hopeful and invested in Luna and Rips life/relationship by the end. 

I felt like you really got to know the characters, their backstory and the different facets to their personalities as the book progressed. It was drip fed in a way that kept me invested but not bored. I loved Luna, she tried so hard and deserved so much and despite everything really tried to be an optimist and a good person even when not everyone deserved it but she did show how tough she was as well. Rip was interesting, he didn't give a lot away at the start but his actions really said more than his words ever did and considering the book is from Luna's POV it makes sense that she didn't make the connection between his actions and his feelings sooner. 

There were a range of complicated relationships and I liked that they didn't brush over them and that it was also shown that it's okay to not forgive someone and you can still move on with your life without that when necessary. 

Because Luna was a touch oblivious when it came to Rip, but we as the reader could blatantly make the connections, sometimes it felt a little repetitive with her thoughts and her questioning what it could mean. However, the crux of it is, Mariana Zapata can write realistic characters that suck you in and have you begging for something, anything, to happen between them. 

Man, the way my eyes bug out of my head when Mariana slips in a “baby girl” half way (or more) through the book. Gets me every time.

I really liked this one! This has a lot of god tropes: grumpy x sunshine, workplace romance, enemies to friends to lovers, touch her and you die, age gap. The list goes on. Slow burn though which isn’t my favorite, but only Mariana could make me read a ~500+ page book where I wait until about 90% in for them to bang. 

It’s no secret I love Mariana Zapata books. Ugh. 

Of course it was a glorious slow burn, but it was so satisfying because the plot and the characters were  necessary to get to know before the love really kicked you in the gut. Rip and Luna were so wonderful! 

Definitely a recommend read!