The Wall of Winnipeg and Me is officially one of my favorite books EVER! 6 stars! I loved it more than words can express. It’s a book that I never wanted to put down and the world around me faded away as I fell in love with Vanessa and Aiden. I thought the humor, internal dialogue, and simmering emotion were fantastic and the build was phenomenal. There is not one thing about it I would have done differently. Perfection!

I loved Vanessa. She had amazing strength, determination, and grit and I admired how hard she worked to accomplish her goals. I really liked her development over the course of the story and learning about her past. And Aiden? I loved this man just as much as I loved Vanessa. Even though he seemed grumpy and standoffish, there was so much to him. I loved his looks, eyebrow raises, and all the different nuances of him. I liked when his small micro expressions seemed to betray his feelings, those moments gave me butterflies. I think the author did an excellent job conveying Aiden’s feelings even though he wasn’t verbally sharing all of them, his looks and gestures spoke volumes. I liked learning about him, his difficult upbringing, and how hard he worked to persevere.

There were so many wonderful moments where I could feel there was more to Aiden than Vanessa realized. I thought there was great humor and I adored Vanessa’s thought process. I loved the sweet and subtle progression of their relationship and could feel the tension and emotion burning between them, it made the build to them falling in love that much more heartfelt. I loved what Aiden was proposing and how persistent he was to make that happen. I was filled with so much anticipation as I was reading, as more of their histories were learned, and they opened up and were vulnerable. My heart was all over the place and by the end, I had tears in my eyes and a huge smile on my face.

This was a well-executed story with a fantastic flow and timing. I am not someone who is drawn to slow burn romances but as I became absorbed in the story, it didn't even faze me that a slow burn was happening, it was all brilliantly done. There was also a well-rounded cast of characters and smaller stories involved that added a nice amount of tension and drama and it was all woven together nicely. This was my first Mariana Zapata book and I am so happy I decided to read it. Vanessa and Aiden basically killed me in the best possible way with their delicious slow burn. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me has my heart!

This book was just amazing which follows an assistant/housekeeper of a famous football player who doesn’t treat her right until he needs her to marry him. After reading Kulti and this one, I can declare that Zapata is the queen of slow-burn romances. Zapata is an incredible writer who knows what her readers want. It was so hard to stop reading this book and for a thick book, I finished it pretty quickly. The pacing was just perfect and I loved the setting. There were so many cute moments that gave me all the feels. This book is only written from Vanessa’s perspective but I would have loved to see Aiden’s too.

Vanessa is an incredible character and I loved everything about her. In some ways, I could relate to her which I enjoyed and I loved her character development in this story. She went through so much and I love how she knows she deserves more. Aiden is our main side character and I wish we got his perspective because I would have loved to see what he thought of Vanessa. He was a jerk at times but also a cinnamon roll once you got to know him. He was so caring of Van and would love to have a guy like him. There were many side characters in this book and I loved Zac. I would love to see a book with his story because I know it will be great. The romance is a fake marriage, forced proximity, and slow burn with very little spice. Van and Aiden are the cutest couple and would have totally read a second book of them.

The ending was cute and I loved how everyone ended up. This was such a cute book that I will never forget. This is probably going to be a comfort read for me and I recommend many readers check this fantastic book out.

Oh, Mariana. How I love this book ❤️

I adore a book where you feel all the feels.
We went through hating the grump football player Aiden, to tolerating him, yo understanding him, then loving him. 🫠

I do love when a dumb single minded (football) man opens up his eyes to see what is right in front of his face. 🙈👀👋

Vanessa knew her worth and wasn't a pushover. I love that about her. Aiden was protective but let her do her own thing. 🥰

I don't re-read many books, but this is definitely on the list 💕💖

Short Synopsis:
Vanessa works for Aiden Graves - one of the most famous football players in the NFL. When she decides to quit to focus on her and focus on her graphic design work, Aiden tracks her down and offers her something she can’t refuse.

My Thoughts:
Overall I enjoyed this one. Aiden and Vanessa have the slowest of slow burns. The he character development was so good - but with a romance book being over 600 pages, I should hope so. Both characters had complex backstories.

Read if You Like:
🏈 Marriage of Convenience
🏈 “That’s my Wife.”
🏈 Slow burns
🏈 Reading about how “big” a character is 5729467 times.
🏈 Sports romances
🏈 Lovable roommate

He didn’t have pictures of family or friends anywhere in the house. His entire life revolved around football. It was the center of his universe.

For the last two years, Vanessa has been the personal assistant for Aiden “The Wall of Winnipeg” Graves, a professional defensive football player. Finally saving up enough money to make a go at her personal graphic design business, she works up the courage to tell Aiden she's quitting. Aiden's never been a very communicative guy, if at all, but she expected a little disappoint and asking for her to stay on for how well she's gotten his life running and stayed out of his way. However, a few weeks later he shows up and asks her to come back to work and when she refuses, he claims he needs her help to even stay in the country, as he's Canadian and his visa is expiring.

“Marry me.”

At almost five hundred pages, this was a bit longer than typical contemporary romances but even told all from Vanessa's point-of-view and spending a lot of time in her head, this had that devour quickly readability. There's a few things you're going to have to go along with, the whole marriage of convenience trope usage, because there were no later reveals as to a different reasoning or sly maneuvering by Aiden, after I finished the story it was pretty hard to think back on this professional football player needing to marry to stay in the country. He's coming off an injury that tries to make it seem like his career could be in jeopardy but that never really materializes into any felt danger for him. For the main plot point to keep these two together, it felt like it held up as well as cotton candy does in the rain. The other main thing you're going to have to not get too worked up about is Aiden's character. He comes off as a jerk, explained away by his singular focus on his football career and with this all from Vanessa's pov, well, he's a bit of cardboard cutout depth. The latter second half had him wising up to how to invest more energy into treating Vanessa better and we get some background on how his childhood shaped him (abusive father, later raised by grandparents) but while the focus on Vanessa's side of the romance is always throughout, Aiden's character was pretty shallow.

Everything I thought I knew seemed to spiral out of control. He was messing with me. Flirting with me. Aiden Graves. What was this?

While I missed some depth from Aiden's character, there were a couple serotonin hits from this couple, Aiden obviously wanting Vanessa in his jersey instead of his roommate and became Vanessa's friend, Zac, two times he showed up big for her, and when he said “wife”. These were pure sugary goodness that make you want to squeal in delight but, again, like cotton candy, after I finished, I couldn't help wondering where the substance was. This almost had a women's fiction vibe with how much we get of Vanessa and life and struggles. How horrible her home life was growing up, the accident that left her with knee issues, the bullying she endured from her sisters, and how she eventually went to live in foster care. Her younger brother makes an appearance and her bestfriend from childhood, Diana, adds an emotional storyline dealing with domestic abuse to help fill out the longer page count.

“I pay attention,” the Wall of Winnipeg stated. I was starting to think he was right.

I really enjoyed the friendship Vanessa had with Zac and for awhile there, I almost thought they were going to end up in the romance but before the halfway mark, Vanessa and Aiden are in their marriage of convenience. This was a very slow burn romance, it wasn't until the latter second half that they really start to come together and we get more little touches that finally evolved into an open door ending scene, which ended up kind of feeling tagged on to me. The epilogue jumped a couple years into the future and delivered more of that sugary sweet. If there had been more of a revealing or acknowledging that Aiden manipulated the need to marry for his visa, I would have finished this and felt more like I'd not only seen more depth to his character but also not look back on that plot point with so much side-eye. Readability and delivering some of those well known romance moment hits had me flying through this but after I was done, I couldn't help but look back and miss some substance. If you want a football romance (J.J. Watt fans need apply here) without much actual sports integration, touching on serious issues like physical abuse, romance serotonin hit moments, a very slow burn, and spun like cotton candy, this would be a great pickup.

This was my first Mariana Zapata book and let me tell you it did not disappoint.
I absolutely LOVED this book, but what's not to love?
This is a super slow burn sport romance with tropes like:
~Marriage of convenience
~Grumpy/Sunshine
~Forced Proximity
~Friends to Lovers
~Hates everyone but HER

In the beginning I was a little worried, Aidens character comes off as a very serious, broody and unapproachable. I kept wondering how we were going to be able to get to know him and come to actually like him as our MMC. Throughout the story and the friendship that Aiden and Van develop you really get to see his character in a whole different perspective. You really get to see his true intentions and feeling when it comes to Van.

"I don't know anything about relationships, Van, but I know I love you. I know I've waited my entire life to love you, and I'll do whatever I have to, to make this work."

I love how Vanessa always had a smart remark or a not so nice gesture to throw his way. Although there is a lot of internal dialogue from Vanessa, I actually felt like it made me understand who she was, and I immediately knew that I was going to love her character. I loved how quirky she was and her passion for art and graphic designing. Also, the fact that she was super strong and never gave up on any of her ambitions.

One of the things I love the most about this book is the fact that although it is a super SLOW burn, I was not bored at all. I was completely hooked it didn't take long for me to be giggling and kicking my feet at how adorable Van and Aiden were.

This book has become one of my all-time favorite romances and, I will definitely be reading more of Mariana Zapatas work.


Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC copy of this book .

This is a slow burn romance. A slooooooow buuuuuurn. Like, the spice didn’t arrive until 85% or so? But worth it, I think. I could have used some more character development from Aiden, tbh. He was such a jack@ss for so long, regardless of his reasoning, that I could have used a touch more graveling. But Vanessa is the sh!t.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I thought this book was cute, but not mind blowing by any means. Sure, it was a solid slow burn, but the MMC's quiet and reserved demeanor meant that I never felt like I really got to know him. He just came off like an asshole most of the time and I didn't see why our FMC would go along with his scheme. Even his reasoning behind needing to get married was basically "I don't want to rely on anyone else" and she just shrugged and said sure I believe you.
Overall, parts were cute, and maybe it's just that slow burn isn't for me, but I found this lacking the oomph it needed to be a long term favorite of mine.

This was my first time reading Marianna Zapatta. I had heard phenomenal things about her story telling and writing, so I was excited. This book did not disappoint, it was great! I am officially crowing her the queen of thr slow burn romance and I am officially a fan. I have to admit slow burns can be hard for me stick with at times, but this book was a page turner for me. I loved the character development. Vanessa and Aiden stayed true to themselves, which leads to their story being so genuine.

3,5 Stars ⭐️

Vanessa wants to pursue her goals of web design, so she musters up the courage to tell her formidable boss, Aiden, that she quits. Aiden probably has never even heard the word no before since he is so driven and focused. He is The Wall of Winnipeg and is at the top of the National Football Organization.

The problem is that Aiden needs Vanessa. He just didn’t realize it until she leaves him. When he finds out that he may face deportation, he has to convince her not only to come back to manage his life but to be his “wife” so he can stay in the country and do the one thing he loves. Aiden just hasn’t really ever communicated with Vanessa much before, so he may have a bit of a hard time.

I knew I was getting a slow-burn romance going into this. I’ve read other books by the author, and she is truly the Queen of slow-burn romance. Some may like it, and others will definitely dislike it. This book is very much a slow-burn romance that could have gone a little faster.

Vanessa should have said no to Aiden’s request, but she couldn’t help herself. The two work up an agreement to save Aiden’s career. Aiden realizes that he doesn’t even know his wife. She has worked with some of her colleagues in the past with their businesses and is just downright attractive. While this may be a temporary fix, Aiden may have to consider his newfound feelings.

I honestly thought this was going to be a dud, but let me tell you, once you get past the first half of the book, you get to really delve further into the characters and what is really going on. Aiden went from being a jerk to being such a great book hubby. I loved his passion and all that he gave once we got to see what he was doing behind the scenes. I wonder if the author would have given Aiden’s POV, would the story move at a better pace.

Overall, this is a slow burn that takes care with developing the characters and their newfound relationship with one another. Romance readers who love sports and slow-burn romances will enjoy this one.

~ Samantha

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

I’ve been curious about this book for a long time but I was always super intimidated by the page count. I really wanted to see what the hype was about so I decided to give it a try and I’m really glad I did. I could not put this book down.

I really enjoyed this book and I do get why people love this authors books so much but I’m still not a big fan of the slow burn. It makes it feel like we don’t get to see the couple just be a couple for very long.

I loved Aiden and Vanessa and I really enjoyed their relationship and I loved her friendships with Zac and Diana and I did immediately read Diana’s book as soon as I finished this.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a book that I've had on my TBR since...well, since I started my book reviewing in 2020. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me is classified as THE reigning slow burn book, arguably of the recent romance book releases. Rereleasing under Avon, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me is a grumpy sunshine, slow burn, marriage of convenience story between football star Aiden and his assistant Vanessa, and their growth rekindling their friendship and relationship to help Aiden stay in the US to play football. This book is long. That is not news to absolutely anyone. I did love the story arc of this one, but whew! I think 500 pages of slow burn for them to only kiss at like 80% is something I can only do maybe, once every few months. I definitely needed to do something that had a little bit of a faster pace following this one.

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me is one of my all-time favorite books, and one of the few books I re-read at least once a year. Avon publishing a new edition was the perfect opportunity for this year's re-read, and I fell into the slow build (and burn) story of Vanessa and the grumpy, silent Aiden, her boss turned husband via an arranged marriage for green card. I absolutely adore their relationship from beginning to end, and there are so many small moments that make my heart squeeze with how quietly romantic they are.
Readers not familiar with Mariana Zapata's slow, real-life romances may wonder when things are going to happen, but if you read long enough you eventually realize they were happening all along, and they were beautiful.
This new edition has a bonus epilogue (just a few pages) that is a nice treat for long-time readers like me, who feels like I could read about Vanessa and Aiden's life forever. There are other books by this author that I love just as much, but The Wall was the first book of hers I read, so it maintains a special place in my heart.

I love Mariana Zapata's quirky writing style. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me is quirk and humor, but packed with so much story that I was kept interested from page one to the absolute best last line ever. (*Swoon*)

Vanessa is the very unappreciated assistant to famous football player Aiden "The Wall of Winnipeg" Graves. When she has put up with one too many slights and is ready to move on, Aiden makes an offer that Vanessa can't seem to turn down. “I like you as much as I like anyone.” What a start to the best "Slow Burn" story!!

"Of all the people I would ever want in my corner for moral support, here was the most unexpected one… and the biggest one. My friend. The keeper of my secrets. My moral support. My paperwork."

“Home is where you are. I would go anywhere for you if you wanted me to be there.”
"I know I love you. I know I’ve waited my entire life to love you"

I reread this story to read the new bonus scene that’s in the newly released edition and it is a sneak peek into where their lives have taken them and just a perfect Aiden & Venessa *Swoon* addition!!
-5 Stars!-

If you’re ever looking for a slow burn stand-alone, you can never go wrong by checking out Mariana Zapata’s backlist.

I’ve read a few of Mariana’s books & enjoyed single one but think that out of them, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me is my number one favourite of hers.

This book is perfect for readers who are looking for a big book, sport romance with a grumpy/sunshine main couple!

Includes a special bonus epilogue at the end of the book so even if you’ve already read the book, make sure to check the book out for the sweet ending that wraps up Aiden & Vanessa’s story.

E a Avon Books que lançou uma edição com conteúdo especial desse livro que eu amo tanto?

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Vanessa trabalha como assistente pessoal de Aiden Graves, mais conhecido como A Muralha de Winnipeg e um dos melhores jogadores de futebol americano do país, há dois anos. Porém, ela está prestes a pedir demissão. Trabalhar com Aiden nunca foi fácil, além de ser um chefe exigente, o grandalhão também é um homem duro que simplesmente parece não se importar. Quando finalmente ela toma coragem e pede demissão, Aiden aparece na casa dela arrependido e precisando de ajuda. Ele precisa de uma esposa para conseguir o visto americano e é isso que ele quer de Vanessa, que ela fique com ele por cinco anos. Os sentimentos vão aflorando e o que deveria ser um acordo parece cada vez mais pessoal entre eles.

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Alguma vez Mariana Zapata já errou? Até o momento eu posso dizer que NÃO! Simplesmente viciante, Zapata entregou em A Muralha de Winnipeg e Eu um romance slow burn com direito a fake marriage e um mocinho grumpy daqueles que a gente quer torcer o pescoço no início e abraçar logo depois. Esse foi um livro que eu simplesmente não consegui largar!

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Vanessa é uma mocinha que tem uma família horrorosa e de quem a gente só quer que ela se afaste. Ela é leal e muito amigável e desde sempre teve uma quedinha por Aiden. Quando eles começam a ficar amigos tudo que a gente quer é que ela seja feliz.

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Aiden, por sua vez, é aquele personagem fechado, egocêntrico, com um passado difícil e SIM ele é moreno, então a gente já sabe que ele tem a receita completa pra nos fazer ficar apaixonadinhas. Ele é sim um rabugento que vai mostrando a Vanessa o quanto ela importa para ele com ações e não palavras.

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Eu já estou com saudades desses dois e eu acho que esse foi um dos romances favoritos da minha vida. Fazia muito tempo que eu não torcia assim por um casal.

E o conteúdo extra? Muito perfeito! Não dá pra deixar de se apaixonar por esse casal!

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Recomendo demais para os fãs de romance slow burn.

Mariana Zapata is unequivocally the queen of the slow burn romance. Hands down, there is just no comparison. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me was one of the first books I had ever read of hers, when it was first released, and I've not done a reread since. It's a difficult choice to decide which of hers I love the most - and a few I've definitely reread, but never this one. However, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me is just an all around amazing romance and I'm not sure how I forgot that. Everything about it just works for me and a lot of what it involves shows up in various facebook reader groups in rec requests. Big, silent and stoic hero? Yes. Heroine overhears Hero talking bad about her or not speaking up when others do? Yes. Unrequited love? Yes.

Aiden is a football star and Vanessa his assistant. She has been working for him for two years, building up her savings so that she can quit working for him and start working for herself as a graphic designer. Finally she gets the nerve to do this and this is when the story really gets started. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me just sort of sucks you right in from the beginning. These characters jump off the page as you live with them over the course of the story. It's single POV, and I love how much character depth you get in this book. It's a romance, but an absolute slow burn. You definitely get the connection that is building between them and as a reader you can read between the lines much quicker than Vanessa can. I loved everything about this story and will definitely be doing a reread a lot sooner than seven years. If you haven't read it, I would definitely jump right in and even you have, jump back in!

By far, hands down, the best book I have ever read. My new favorite book. It’s blown all others out of the water. My heart, oh my heart. All the feels with this book. I feel like I KNOW these characters... that they aren’t just characters in a book, that they are actual people. If you can only ever read one book ever again, make it this book! I already can’t wait for a reread!!!

EDITED to add that this is my third time reading this book and I still can’t get enough of Van and Aiden.
Their slow burn relationship is one of my all time favorites. I love when you can see the shift in their relationship, this big mountain of a man can be brought to his knees by only a few things. Vanessa is one of them. I just can’t talk this book up enough. It will be a yearly re read for me.

Additional edit for read through number four: this book will never get old. I’m still not convinced that Aiden & Van aren’t real. And Lordy the highlights I have for this book... there will come a day when the whole book is highlighted, because it’s so perfect.

EDITED for the fifth re read with the additional bonus content. Aiden and Van are what you strive to have your relationship be like. The love, the happiness, being there for each other. They’re the whole package. I swoon and happy sigh the entire way through this book, every single time. Forever my favorite book.

I'm usually a hockey romance girl but every now and then I'll switch it up because I love sports romances and need them all, and The Wall of Winnipeg and Me was such a treat! It follows Aiden Graves, a football player, and Vanessa Mazur, once his personal assistant but now his fake wife.

You can expect a slow burn marriage of convenience, friends to lovers, all the pining story with bonus "who hurt you?" from both characters and giant football players cradling puppies like babies.

🏈 Book Review 🏈

Happy pub day to the new edition of The Wall of Winnipeg and Me (which comes with bonus content)! Thanks to @netgalley, @avonbooks, @librofm and @harperaudio for the gifted copy of the book and audiobook. I adored everything about this story snd highly recommend.

✔️ Sports Romance
✔️ Grumpy/Sunshine
✔️ Marriage of Convenience
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ One Bed
✔️ Who Did This to You
✔️ Found Family

@marianazapata is the queen of the slowest of slow burns so it's kinda perfect that this edition is out today, the 4th of July in the US - aka a bbq holiday aka cooking things low and slow. 😂

Vanessa is Aiden's personal assistant but he's not particularly nice or friendly towards her. One day, she's just had it and quits which sends him in a tailspin because he relies on her so much. They make a deal for her to come back: he will pay off her college debt and she will be his wife so he can get citizenship. But of course, complications and feelings ensue.

I loved seeing stoic Aiden gradually show more emotion even as he (hilariously) fights it every step of the way. I couldn't stop the heart eyes from leaping out of my face during the last third of the book. Now don't get me wrong, it was excruciating in the best way waiting for these two to admit their feelings - when it finally does happen, it's well worth it.

I loved that every encounter between Aiden and Vanessa evolved their relationship. The progression was at a sloth's pace but I think that's what made it feel beautiful - how they are figuring out how to share space and lean on each other and becoming more in tune with the other's needs. There was so much swoon to be found in their domesticity. The majority of this book will work really well for Acts of Service folks. Note that there are lots of great scenes for you Physical Touch people too. An enthusiastic 5⭐️ for me.

The audiobook was a marvel. While I enjoyed Emma Wilder's narration, having Stephen Dexter do the male voices elevated this book - for the regular dialogue but also for the steamy moments. 5⭐️ for that too!

Steam 🔥🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕