Thanks to NetGalley, Mariana Zapata and Harper Collins Publishers for the advanced reader copy of “All Rhodes Lead Here.” This is the first book I have read by MZ, and it won’t be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the evolution of the characters. This is a story that hits all the notes: grief, mother-daughter bonds, hiking, small towns, and of course, romance. Pick up a copy and be entertained.

Thank you Mariana Zapata, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book. in exchange for my honest review!

Mariana Zapata proves herself to be an auto-buy author yet again.

All Rhodes Lead Here is a stunning story about grief, self-development, and love. After a nasty break up, Aurora finds herself back into Pagosa Springs, CO living in a garage apartment. Unfortunately & thanks to his teenage son looking to make a few dollars, Tobias Rhodes had no idea he was even renting the space until she arrived. Quickly, Aurora finds herself getting back to herself and reconnecting with her late mother through nature, her teenage neighbor, and her broody landlord... but who knew reconciling her past would hurt this much?

Mariana Zapata has a way of writing intensely emotional books while making you fall head over heels for her characters; All Rhodes Lead Here is another example of ability to do this. While Aurora's backstory takes a few chapters to unravel, her development throughout the book is authentic. While I am not usually one for single dad tropes, Mariana does this one well and Amos was immediately one of my favorite characters.

You might like this book if...
- You like broody teddy bear MMC
- You like stories that are full of emotion
- You like small town contemporary slow burn romances

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Small Town, Slow Burn, He Falls First, Single Dad, Nicknames
Triggers: Grief, Loss of Parent, Loss of Husband
Stars: 5/5

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. I really felt like the author completely developed the characters in a way that made you feel like you know them. Aurora, Rhodes, Amos, and all of the side characters are interesting and complex. I want to go to Pagosa Springs and see the beauty that the author describes. It sounds like an incredible place. The build up between Aurora & Rhodes is beautiful and the back and forth is so much fun. Highly recommend reading this one!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

I truly enjoyed this story.

It was a slow start but when things finally started to pick up I was so invested. I loved the fact that the main characters were in their 30s and 40s and how the author handled loss and grief and the possibility of loving again.

I would definitely recommend this to someone looking for a small town romance.

Title: All Rhodes Lead Here
Author: Mariana Zapata
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5

The people we lose take a part of us with them…but they leave a part of themselves with us too.

Aurora De La Torre, or Ora to her friends, knows moving back to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a place that was once home and is now full of bittersweet memories of her late mother, isn’t going to be easy. Starting your whole life over probably isn’t supposed to be.

But after breaking up with her longtime, famous musician boyfriend, hiding out in a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy for a broken heart. And checking out her landlord who lives across the driveway just might cure it, too.

Only Tobias Rhodes didn’t rent out the apartment to her, rather it was his teenage son, Amos. Fiercely protective of his family and distrusting of strangers, gruff and grumpy Rhodes initially keeps little miss sunshine Ora at a distance. But over days and weeks, long hikes and fireside chats, Aurora breaks down his walls and soon an unbreakable friendship blossoms into a once-in-a-lifetime love.

This book was so much fun to read! Aurora’s interval voice was hysterical, and she was always getting herself into such funny situations. I laughed through the whole thing! Big Girls Don’t Cry---that scene really had me laughing! I loved Aurora’s determination to learn and grow, no matter the obstacles, and her friendship with Amos was lovely. Rhodes was such an appealing man, and I loved how their relationship went from animosity to tolerance to friendship to love. This is a fantastic weekend read!

Mariana Zapata is a bestselling author. All Rhodes Lead Here is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 1/27).

I love this book! The slow burn. The grumpy neighbor. The sweet relationship she developed with his son. Her journey of finding herself. And then of course when his grumpiness begins to thaw. It's a long one but well worth the read!!!

A sweet slow-burn love story that addresses grief, change, finding your family and yourself.

It’s refreshing to read a romance with main characters in their 30s/40s that don’t act like they’re too ancient to thrive in love and life at that point of their lives.

Really enjoyed this.

I am a fan of Mariana Zapata’s books but this one fell a little flat for me. I think Rhode was just a highly unlikeable character and that pulled me out of the book. Grumpy and stoic men really are the worst in my opinion. However, I really like Aurora and her story. I can’t wait to read more by MZ.

Songwriter Aurora returns to her hometown in Colorado following a break-up to rediscover her roots. To say Rhodes, her new landlord is grumpy is an understatement, but Aurora has dealt with more challenging personalities. The building of their relationship first into friendship is wonderfully done. I love that Aurora and Rhodes aren’t locked in to being just ‘grumpy/sunshine’ and can ebb and flow with what they’re facing together. Really good read, one you’ll pick up and not want to put down until you’re done.

CW: grief, brief mention of physical abuse

This is my first book by Mariana Zapata (thank you to NetGalley for the ARC) and I didn’t realize she was the slow burn queen. It’s a super slow burn and honestly probably the only thing I didn’t like about this book. I love a good slow burn, don’t get me wrong, but this was too slow for me. What I did love was how Tobias showed Aurora what it was to be loved and appreciated. He put in the effort that her lousy Ex couldn’t (he totally deserved a shit pie). It’s a beautiful, character driven love story with a bunch of everyone favorite tropes :
Grumpy / Sunshine
Single Dad
Forced Proximity (sorta)
If you like a good slow burn love story, this book is definitely for you!

4.5 🌟
Mariana zapata never misses. The queen bee of slow burn. I'm not a big fan of slow burns, but with Marianas books, I don't mind it. She builds the characters up into having a connection. I kid you not. There are no spicy scenes until like 80% of the book. It was so worth it, though. This book makes me want to go on hikes and just enjoy the natural scenery. Loved the characters, and you just can't go wrong with small town romance.

Fairly predictable rom com but it was still a good read that I enjoyed. Mariana Zapata is quickly becoming one of my new favorite Rom Com writers.

The new cover for this book is so cute!
This is my third book that I've read by Mariana Zapata and I am once again not disappointed! Aiden Graves and Tobias Rhodes had similar grumpy shaded attitudes, except for the soft spot for the brunettes in their lives. Kulti and Rhodes both displayed the age-gap romance that I would not normally seek out, but Zapata plots it out so well! The combination of the two plus all of the other tropes and plot points in this story makes it one worth reading, even if it is a slow-burn romance that waits for at least 70% of the book to pick up on the love. But that's really not that true, because Zapata does such an amazing job at developing Aurora's story, the reader doesn't feel like she is waiting for something to happen between the grumpy and sunshine characters. You will not go into a book by Zapata disappointed with the plot and the romance because it is so much more than the romance and plot, you fall in love with the characters. It's like getting to know a friend in the deepest parts of her life, watching Aurora grow from an anxiety-ridden woman to a strong and willed individual who learns how to stand up for herself.

You must go into the story knowing it's gonna take a while to pick up on the romance, but it is so worth it!

I was very excited when i got approved for this book since it is my first introduction to Zapata's writing and I know how beloved she is among readers and the impact her work has had on hundreds of people. All Rhodes Lead Here was definitely a rollercoaster and i enjoyed the ride. This book had a bit of a mystery element, romance, great character development, dreamy setting and amazing slow burn.

I am sad to say I unfortunately didn't absolutely love this one. I thought the pacing was off, it was a bit hard to get into in the beginning and i felt like it dragged in certain parts just for the sake of making the story longer. I found myself bored and disconnected from the story and the characters because i couldn't relate or connect to them. The slow burn and tension are done so well, i just think the improving the pacing and reducing filler words/scenes would've helped keep me engaged throughout the entirety of the story.

I loved the tropes in this book. The small town vibes, the tension between Rhodes and Aurora, how their relationship developed, the side characters and Amos! I definitely still recommend because i know how loved her books are and i'm going to be reading some of her other work soon!

Read if you love: grumpy x sunshine, small town vibes, slow burn, age gap, single dad, vulnerable characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC for this re-release in exchange for an honest review. There were great elements of the story like Amos and Ora’s relationship, and getting to know Ora’s backstory about her mom. I wish I got more of an understanding of Rhodes as a character (or maybe just his personality) and that there was more of a romance between him and Ora. I felt like this was more of a contemporary novel than a romance. I also wish there was more from side characters on page.

A grumpy, mostly silent, single father, accidental landlord who doesn't want the heroine around? Over and above that I love Mariana Zapata's unique slow-burn style of romance this kind of hero is like catnip to me. This book was perfection: I loved the plot, loved Aurora and her backstory, and Rhodes..... I can't do justice to my love for him with words. This new publication has a bonus epilogue and I was super excited to get any additional morsel of Tobias that I could. It isn't long, but it was definitely worth it... and gave me an excuse to re-read one of my all time favorite books, which is never a bad thing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon/Harper Collins, and the author for this ARC.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Avon, and Mariana Zapata for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this reissue new edition and in return giving a honest review!
4.5 ⭐️
This was my first read through of this book.
RHODES the grumpy single dad just sold the entire book for me! This was a very slow burn which I technically don't go for but was pleasantly surprised the further I read and was able to fully appreciate the characters and their stories. The time it took paid off once they both were at that point to come together and really put their all into each other. I also really loved Amos' character and how he interacted with all the adults. I usually get annoyed at teen characters but he was really well written and.. cool 😎. Aurora was fun to read and her banter/word vomit was so cute and funny. I couldn't wrap my mind around her being 33 though because she just seemed so much younger with her maturity.
I would have loved a POV from Rhodes and I wish it wasn't as slow in the beginning and that's the reason I am not giving a full five but still really loved the entire book. The bonus scene I really enjoyed too but don't wanna give any hints 😉
-Grumpy meets sunshine
-Slow burn
-Age gap: silver fox 😍
-Single dad

I am absolutely LIVING for the rebranding of some of Zapata's series. While I am a lover of the old covers, I feel like these new covers fit what's popular in the market right now and will help her amazing words and characters reach so many more people!

All Rhodes Lead Here was one of my favorites by Mariana Zapata. I loved Aurora and Rhodes together which is no surprise being Grumpy/Sunshine is one of my favorite tropes- a trope that Zapata is the QUEEN of! (She's also the queen of slow burn romance and hero's that will make you SWOON!)

I really enjoyed the journey Aurora was taking in All Rhodes Lead Here. Following all of the adventures and hikes her mother had completed before her.

All Rhodes Lead Here is the PERFECT book if you love;

- slow burn
- grumpy/sunshine
- small town romance
- single dad
- found family

This is my favorite romance I’ve read in a long time. From Ora’s healing journey to her slow-burn relationship with Rhodes (and befriending his son), this book really has everything that makes romance feel so special to us readers.

Ora has gotten out of a very toxic (and very long) relationship, and now she’s starting anew. New job, new arrival in her hometown after tragedy tore her away as a child.

Renting a room from Rhodes (the apartment over his garage) has a hilarious start steeped in suspicion and epic grumpiness from Rhodes, and watching him slowly thaw for sunshine-ey Ora was spellbinding. The way this author writes love across characters’ faces makes my chest clench.

We end up with a thrilling story about love and found family set in such a cool mountainous, forest-filled location that this made me want to go take a hike.

This is for the romance readers — I love this author and truly think this book is an example of her writing at its best. Go pick this up! You won’t regret it.

This was a reread for me and it continues to be one of my favorite Mariana Zapata books. If you like age gap, grumpy sunshine, found family, single dad, and so many other tropes this book is for you.

This is one of the slowest of slow burn books, but each scene leads to character growth or relationship growth. There are so many great relationships in this book, friendships, extended family, parent, and romantic relationships. This is a story of overcoming the past and painful relationships and building new, healthy relationships. I especially enjoyed the friendships that were a huge part of this story.

There are a couple of silly things in this book that I was easily able to overlook and did not detract from my enjoyment. (The whole angel isn’t my name.)

This book has less profanity than many of her other books but there is still quite a bit. Also, there are a couple of easily skippable scenes.