Thoroughly enjoyed this book and it made me feel all the feels. Definitely a slow burn though with Rhodes and Aurora's past relationships and personal struggles the slow burn is definitely needed and did not anger me like a slow burn tends to do. Then when they finally get together thank goodness there is no third act breakup, there is a slight miscommunication that quickly gets resolved since Rhodes is an adult, thank goodness!! This will definitely be a book I recommend and reread.

Given how much I enjoyed The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, I was super excited to read All Rhodes Lead Here. Mariana Zapata's storytelling is just so fun and lovely, and her slow burns are the most slow. Those things were definitely true in All Rhodes, and with a few caveats, I had a great time reading this book!

Aurora De La Torre is trying to find herself after leaving a 14-year relationship, and she ends up deciding to head to Pagosa Springs, CO, a small town she lived in as a kid, and that holds more than a few complicated memories. She rents a garage apartment from one Tobias Rhodes... only to arrive and find out that Rhodes knows nothing about her or the rental, and that the whole thing was set up by his teenage son hoping to make some money to buy a new guitar. Rhodes reluctantly agrees to let Aurora stay, and the two of them end up liking each other more than either one of them could have expected.

I really liked Aurora as a narrator, and she really is kind of like a ray of sunshine, as Rhodes says. She's also complex and healing and trying to achieve her goals but still whining about them (relatable). Her chemistry with Rhodes is the kind of thing slow burn romances thrive off of, and her budding friendships with several of the other characters really help bring the book together.

Like I said, I really did enjoy this book, but I did also find that I had a lot of minor criticisms. First among these is that, at 608 pages, this book is looooong. And it feels long, given that it takes about 77% of the book before Aurora and Rhodes kiss. There's a lot of great stuff that comes before that, but there were also times when the story dragged. It spans months of time, and it feels like it. There are also a few writing quirks that I found annoying, like the number of times Aurora mentions Rhodes' grey eyes (we get it, his eyes are grey) and the fact that she spends the first half of the book calling him Mr. Rhodes. I'm all for politeness, but it had me questioning whether he was the love interest or not for a solid few chapters.

None of those little things had me putting down the book and walking away, though, so if you're ready to settle in for the long haul, definitely pick up this book!

4.25/5

A true small town, slow burn, forced proximity romance with a natural feeling plot and depth. Truthfully age gap isn't for me so I didn't love it for that reason, but others may!

Loved, loved, loved this book! Slow-burn, grumpy/sunshine story set in Colorado. Aurora coming back to Pagosa Springs to get over her broken relationship is the best thing she could have done. Renting a room from grumpy game warden Tobias Rhodes might not be the best thing. I have only read two of Mariana Zapata's books, but I know I am going to get a wonderful story from her.

I’m really kicking myself I didn’t read ALL RHODES LEAD HERE much earlier. I’ve read many of this author’s books and this has to be right up there with The Wall of Winnipeg. This book includes all of what makes Mariana Zapata’s books so much fun, so heartwarming, and so engrossing.

This book has all the hallmarks of the author’s usual novels. You’ve got the grumpy MMC, the sunshine FMC who is oblivious to how much the MMC cares for her, an INTENSE slow burn, and the idea of finding yourself and a place to belong. While that can feel formulaic, I actually felt like this is a fun read. Instead, it felt like I was reading tropes that I enjoyed and were done well. Mix in some fun and soul finding situations, a teenage son of the grumpy MMC, and a small town and you really have a fun read on your hands.

Overall, I found myself obsessed with this book. I read it in less than 24 hours and this bad boy is 500+ pages. If you haven’t already, I definitely think this book is worth the read and should be read as soon as possible if you like the tropes I mentioned above!

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I've been sitting at 40% for almost three weeks and cannot bring myself to want to resume. And before that I was only reading one or two chapters at a time. I'd like to think it "gets better" and there's "good parts" coming soon...but life's too short to get stuck on something I'm not enjoying using my eyes to read. It's a DNF from me.

Format - E ARC (NetGalley)

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice- 🌶 🌶

Series- N/A

Troupes- opposites attract, he falls first, forced proximity, single dad, later in life romance

Representation- later in life romance

CW- emergency surgery

All Rhodes Lead Here is getting an adorable re-cover and I am beyond happy about it cause I means I got to read this freaking awesome book as an ARC and now I’m obsessed! I usually read Mariana with my ears because as I’m sure most people know now she writes Big book, deep characters, and slooooow burns. But y’all my eyeballs devoured this book. I could not put it down!

Aurora, Rhodes and Amos will give you a warm fluffy hug while also pulling on your heart strings so hard you call mercy! I loved the small town setting, the hiking, the incorporated musical knowledge and superstars and the garage apartment.

If your a fan of Mariana Zapata and haven’t read this one yet, what are you waiting for?? If you haven’t read her yet and you love a small town, single father, slow burn, later in life romance then this book is the perfect introduction to this Fabulous author!

I enjoyed this book but not quite as much as I expected to. I liked the main characters and the situation that got the couple together. And I do love slow burn romance--but this one felt too slow in some places. Not the romance part but the pacing of the book. It felt more dragged out than it needed to be, which meant I didn't feel as close to the characters as I would like.

But I still thought it was a good story overall, and I'll definitely be reading more by this author.

What a beautiful book. Once I got started, I couldn't put it down. I absolutely loved Ora and Rhodes! I would have loved to have a few scenes from Rhodes perspective as well. Ora was so strong and fun and flawed - exactly what you want from a character. Rhodes was so strong and supportive and loving - the perfect man! Gosh, when he told her he was waiting for her to grow and get to where she wanted - SWOON! The slow burn was written so well! I was anxious for it to finally happen, but there was so much to keep my interest that I didn't mind.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This is easily one of the best books I have ever read. It was raw and funny, and swoony and real and emotional and happy and sad and made me absolutely melt.

I need someone to Weird Science this man into existence because Tobias Rhodes is the man of our fictional romance book dreams. He was so generous and caring and hot and burly and grumpy and secure and confident in his feelings for her; he was all in and so loving.

I don't think I have ever been so audible in my sighs and awws. There were several times I had to just reread the paragraph because it was so sweet and caring.

I love how this author can take a character with such real and raw emotions and weave their heartbreak into such happiness. I teared up, I straight up cried, I laughed at her bubbliness against his gruffness, I yelled out loud that someone needed to create this man for real life.

Aurora's zest to love and create her new best life was so inspiring and proved you can start your life over at any time. Her growth and resiliency were part of why I loved this book and these characters so much.

This is not the first book by this author I have read. I also read The Wall of Winnepeg and Me last year, and it was also one of my favorite books I read in 2023.

There is spice in this book, but do not expect that to be what you stay for with this story. Below are some tropes from this book:

⛰️ Grunpy/sunshine
⛰️ Found Family
⛰️ Single dad
⛰️ Age gap
⛰️ Starting over
⛰️ Celebrity adjacent
⛰️ Forced proximity (same property)
⛰️ Family trauma
⛰️ Slow Burn

I love getting so invested into fictional characters that I forget that they don’t live the lives that are written or continue on after the last page is finished - I love thinking that fictional characters go on living somewhere out there in whatever universe they are written into - which is why I also love when an author gives me closure .
“All Rhodes Lead Here” is a delightful rom-com that will keep you reading until the wee hours of the morning . If you’re a fan of KA Tucker’s “The Simple Wild” then you’ll love this one too ! I loved the setting (Colorado) , the characters (Rhodes and Aurora 😍) , the tropes (grumpy/overprotective vs sunshine , small town) , & everything in-between (single dad , character development , teenage attitudes) . It all worked .
This is my first book by @marianazapata and it definitely will not be my last . 🤩🤩 This edition by @avonbooks is set to release on 1/30/24 (soon !!) & it has LOTS of never before read bonus content 👏🏻 that will leave you with so much closure that you won’t know what to do with it all .
Thank you @netgalley , @avonbooks , and @marianazapata for this delightful read that kept me wanting MORE .
#colorado #allrhodesleadhere #marianazapata #avonbooks #netgalley #romcom #romcombooks #booktropes #goodreads #goodreadschallenge #bookrecommendations #bookstagram #bookreview #reader #booklover #bookaddict

Mountain men,

Thats it, thats the tweet.

This was cute, and lovey and the slowburn that we haven't had in a while.

Their combined traumas healing each other, but not in a completely unrealistic way. It was a nice exploration of self worth, honouring loved ones, and grief. I really appreciated that there was zero wavering on her part for those that harmed her. She was done. Full stop. Zero wavering, and that was really great.

I really liked Rhodes & Amos as well. A surly teenager and an even more surly dad. Their family situation was unique and it was nice to see representation there as well.

Its the slowburn we need with a big dash of nature.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for an e-copy.

"All Rhodes Lead Here" by Mariana Zapata is an absolute gem! The slow-burn romance, well-developed characters, and Zapata's signature writing style make this book a captivating read. I was hooked from the first page, and the journey Rhodes and Aurora take is both heartwarming and filled with unexpected twists. If you're a fan of well-crafted romances with depth and authenticity, this book deserves all five stars. Highly recommended, especially for fans of Mariana Zapata books! Thank you Netgalley and Avon publishing for sending me this ARC. All opinions are my own.

If I could squish my way into a book ... this would be it!

Aurora De La Torre returns to her hometown of Pagosa Springs to find herself and reconnect with her mom. With two suitcases and four boxes she vows to make a fresh start. What will happen when her new landlord wants to kick her out before she's unpacked?

Tobias Rhodes isn't interested in renting out his apartment so when his son secretly secures a tenant will he go along? Tobias is a man of many layers with a guarded past and isn't interested in whatever Aurora is selling.

Sometimes the one place we never expect to find love, peace, and happiness is the place we ran away from. This small-town romance has a spicy slow burn, Grumpy/Sunshine, and is single POV.

Thank you for the advance reader copy. This was the first Mariana Zapata book I've read and I can't wait to read more.

So, so, soooooo good!

One of the few romance books I've enjoyed! Liked the writing, enjoyed the characters and their dynamic. V solid read.

✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Grumpy/Sunshine
✔️ Protective Over Her
✔️ Found Family
✔️ One Bed
✔️ Slow Burn
✔️ Single Dad

This is my fourth Mariana Zapata book (Kulti, From Lukov with Love, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, in my reading order) and I loved it. This book joined the list, cementing her as one of my auto-buy authors.

I loved watching Rhodes slowly thaw, going from mad to suspicious to hmmm to kind to affectionate. The slow burn was torture in the best way, as I was squealing, screaming and finally fist pumping in the air.

Trying to keep this spoiler free BUT he also had a nickname for her that was really sweet and I loved it (it was also what my parents used to call each other, in happier times).

The buildup to the spice and swoon was immaculate too. Perfection - would read again!!

Steam 🔥🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

First novel i read by this author, and definitely extremely happy with this book.
This book feel real, the characters are overly relatable, i like the personalities a lot, how the plots develops and how it feel natural.
The found love and family trope is perfect.
I do enjoy that is a slow burn .
This book centers more about getting to love someone than just the quick happy i fall in love.
Definitely can recommend because I enjoy every word and second of it

ALL RHODES LEAD HERE by Mariana Zapata

⭐️⭐️⭐️-⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5
I’m still undecided on my star rating, but I’d put it somewhere between 3 and 4. I liked the setting, it also had a good storyline with depth but it was a SLOW slow-burn and drug a little for me. I’m usually okay with Slowburn as long as there’s tension, but this seemed to be slightly lacking. Also, Rhodes wasn’t my favorite…I still can’t decide if it’s because he was so grumpy, or if it was the age gap. I usually don’t consider it a true age gap unless it’s 10+ years, but for some reason, I felt like Rhodes could’ve been Aurora’s dad. Idk…I just got grumpy dad vibes from him, but that’s just me.

I loved Amos and watching the sweet relationship between him and Aurora develop. The found family and side characters in this book were also great!

Read this if you like⬇️:
•Grumpy x sunshine
•Age gap
•Single dad
•Found family
•SLOW burn
•Small town
•Forced proximity/landlord

Thank you to @netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

i received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I saw this book all over tik tok recently and knew it was one I wanted to read. I was NOT prepared on how much i would fall in love with it though. The story is written so beautifully and even through all the bumps in the “rhode” their love story couldn’t have been more perfect. 5/5 for sure!!!

When can a woman find herself her own Rhodes? Does someone has the step-by-step at hand? This was a sloooooow burn, Zapata isn't afraid to have her books over 600 pages. It takes a while to read it and you start to feel the tension in real life. Nevertheless, a wonderous story.