I started reading this on vacation and zoomed through the first half of so of the book. Once I got back from vacation, it felt as though the book dragged on. It was interesting, but a lot more emotional and darker than I was expecting. I found it very hard to read and very hard to stay interested in to finish.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the free eARC!

The characters in All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata have so much depth that the reader feels a part of the story. It's a love story, but so much more.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager. I'm voluntarily leaving a review with my opinions.

Genre: Women's Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance
Spice Level: High (references to sex and one long scene)
Language: High (tons of swearing)
Tropes: Grumpy/Sunshine, Summer/Autumn
Representation: Different races are scattered through the novel

**ALL RHODES LEAD HERE** is long—as in 572 pages long. This gave us lots of character development, but I still wish it was shorter. This is also a re-release of this novel, which I didn't know when I picked up the ARC.

Characters:
Rhodes is one of the grumpiest characters ever, and I quite enjoyed him. His orders and blasé approach is quite hilarious paired with Aurora.

Aurora is perky but realistic. She's learning who she is after a nasty break-up—which is why I think you could call this women's fiction and not just a romance. In fact, the male romantic lead wants to give her time to find herself.

Amos is portrayed perfectly as a moody teen. I loved his character and all the awkwardness.

I really did enjoy this ride even though I have a few complaints. I'm rounding up from 3.5 stars.

Things I would change:
- Cut the swearing.
- Fade to black (yeah—I don't like sex on the page, especially when they're still becoming a couple because the intimacy changes everything. Note that I skipped that scene, so you'll have to judge the quality if spice is your thing.
- Shorter. The wrap-up takes forever.
- I'm not sure the big reveal of her former boyfriend/spouse was that important to justify Rhodes' and Amos' reaction.

Note: At the very back there is a bonus section of a scene that you'll want to read.

Happy reading!

Aurora returns to her small hometown after the end of her 14-year secret relationship with a country music superstar who also kept her role as the songwriter of his songs under wraps. Renting an apartment above the hot, single dad, Tobias Rhodes' garage, Aurora embarks on a journey to start afresh, seeking a job, making friends, and revisiting the hiking trails her late mother used to write about in her journals.
Known for her talent in crafting grumpy/sunshine slow-burn romances, Mariana Zapata doesn't disappoint in this book. The tension is well-executed, holding my interest for a substantial part of this admittedly lengthy novel. The characters and their interactions, particularly Rhodes, a quiet man dedicated to his son and his job, make for engaging dynamics. Aurora undergoes significant emotional growth, trying to find who she is now, on her own.
We find out in the beginning of the book that Aurora lost her mom at a young age. Then, towards the end of the book, she has to relive all the grief she originally felt. While this adds depth to Aurora's character, portraying more realistic human emotions, I found this part of the story went on too long and I lost interest. However, I can see how someone who’s gone through something similar might really connect to this part. Luckily, the story picked back up and ended beautifully.
Despite this minor drawback, I'm glad I read this book. Mariana Zapata's writing style remains captivating, and her ability to spin slow-burning romances in lengthy novels is something I love!

To start thank you netgalley for this arc copy. So I read this book and really like it it start off of a bit slow I mean real slow but overall it was good. Aurora was a very relatable character, I loved her kill um with kindness attitude, the relationship with Amos was so great. As for Rhodes he felt very guarded like he struggled to trust. But,it just my opinion

Thank you Avon for the advance copy.

In true Mariana Zapata form, All Rhodes Lead Here is the slowest of romance burns between a sunshine personality and a giant grump. I read this story originally back in 2021 when MZ self-published it and have re-read it often ever since.

All Rhodes Lead Here is a story of self discovery and found family. It will make you laugh. It will definitely make you cry. And it will definitely pull at your heart strings as you watch Aurora find a place and people she can call home.

This is one of those really lovely Mariana Zapata books that has the slowest, sweetest burn. Rhodes is a great brooding hero, and for me him and his son Amos make the book. Aurora has an interesting history, and while I enjoyed her character, she seemed to have a lot of contradictions. Her backstory seemed quite unrealistic, but I was so wrapped up in the slow burn that nothing could take away from it. I enjoyed seeing Aurora grow and want to change and learn as well. The friends and family surrounding the two were also interesting and gave good insight into the characters. A great read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a slow burn sunshine/grumpy pairing. I’ve read people mentioning that the male main character reminded them a bit of Luke Danes in Gilmore Girls and I can certainly see some parallels there. Lots of references to grief and loss of a mother so be prepared for that.

Love a great romance, but this author is known for her very slow slow burn romances, and thats one of the thing I was not a fan of, what contemporary romance is over 600 pages??? The plot was amazing, but the story was just too long for me.

This was such a sweet and surprising story about a woman finding herself again after a difficult divorce. It is not your typical romance, with very, very slow burn and precious moments scattered throughout. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would for it being such a different kind of story. The only thing I didn’t like was the age gap between the two main characters; otherwise, it was so so sweet and fun to read!

I loved this! It's a slow burn but every moment along the way was worth it. I love Rhodes. His stoic ways, the way he loves his son, his cute little nicknames for Aurora. I was definitely confused whenever he called her Buddy, though. And his son Amos, aw what a sweet kid. His bond with Aurora was just as special and important in this story.

I spent the last couple days reading, it was a book I didn't want to put down. Aurora was so strong to just go start over somewhere and take back her life like she did. And to keep such an open heart. These characters were well written and the story so engrossing all the way through. Makes me want to read all the author's books.

Mariana Zapata truly knows how to write a slow burn. The book followed her typical formula with the grumpy male character, lots of tension, and super slow burn. Lucky for me, I love it. However I could see where some readers may feel it's too similar to her other books.

There are few readers who are automatic purchases for me, but Mariana Zapata is definitely one of them. I love sinking into her slow-burn romances. It might take me several hours, but I can’t put them down. This romance is no exception.

The story is told solely from the woman’s POV, but if you’ve read any of Zapata’s other books, you know that the guy, usually a grumpy, solitary sort, is also very attracted to her, but isn’t showing it. So the heroine thinks he doesn’t like her and is insecure, until finally she finds out that the guy is crazy about her.

You wouldn’t think that having such a well-recognized formula would make for such enthralling reads, but they get me each time. In this story, the heroine is rather mysterious as to what her background is and why she’s come to this small Colorado town. The grumpy hero is the guy who rents out his garage apartment to her because his son went behind his back and placed an ad for the apartment. Of course, they all become friends and start finding out more and more about each other. All the while, they are falling for each other.

I heartily recommend this book and, if you haven’t read any more of Zapata’s romances, you’re in for a treat.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This was my first Mariana Zapata book and I was wildly unprepared for just how slow the slow burn would be. I read through the first 40% of this book before deciding it just wasn't for me.

Unfortunately, the lack of interaction between the main characters and the lack of general tension was not drawing me in. I found myself not that interested in the story and wondering where it was going.

Long story short (ha!) this book was entirely too long for me and couldn't grab my attention.

Mariana Zapata can do no wrong. Sorry, not sorry. *No spoilers*

Aurora and Rhodes.... The most perfect grumpy-sunshine.
For all the slow burn, friends-to-lover girlies, this is it ok? It's one of my favorite reads of the year and I put it off till I could have time to really sit down and enjoy it. I'm glad I did. It also had some of the most spectacular micro-tropes.

One thing that I appreciate about Mariana's books and this one in particular is the way she brings her characters into such unconventional families. Don't worry, I'm not spoiling anything, but just know... It's beautiful.

What was unexpected for me, was the way this book had a little mystery element too it. Loved that.

The lengthy internal dialogue brought me into Aurora's world. A lot of people don't like that, but something about it makes me feel this deep connection with her and has me rooting for her and Rhodes.

This story has a little bit of an age gap, but as always Mariana writes these beautifully mature romances and relationships. I love that.

Mariana forever. <3

TOBIAS FREAKING RHODES😍

This single dad, age gap, small town, grumpy x sunshine, book was an absolute masterpiece.

Mariana Zapata writes slow burn romance in such perfection that the little moments leading up to the big ones, give you the warm and fuzzies and such a sweet anticipation.

I laughed, I cried, and I smiled so much my face hurt. Aurora’s character development was executed in such a perfect way. Reading about losing a parent is and always will be hard for me, as someone who lost her father young. Reading through Aurora’s thought process on grief really validated me in my grief process even after many years of experiencing it.

⭐️ I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Special thanks to NetGalley and Mariana Zapata⭐️

4.5/5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and now can’t wait to check out others by Mariana Zapata! I had heard great things about her books, and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. All Rhodes Lead Here is a super slow burn, grumpy/sunshine, small town romance featuring slightly older than normal leads (33 yo fmc and 42 yo mmc).

A year after a devastating breakup/divorce, Aurora has made her way to Pagosa, a small town in Colorado where she grew up. Aurora’s fourteen-year common law marriage was ended abruptly by her famous singer of an ex-boyfriend and his manipulative mother. After spending time with her best friend and family, she decides to head home to reconnect with her mother, who went missing on a hike in Aurora’s childhood, via exploring some of the hikes her mother had written about in journals. She rents out the garage apartment of Rhodes, a game warden with a teenaged son. While he is standoffish to her at first, he warms to her over time first as a landlord, then as a friend, then falling in love with her.

I loved the way Aurora’s hiking to honor her mother was woven in throughout and the way Rhodes was incorporated into that story. I loved both main characters, and the side characters were also very fleshed out and likable - Amos might have been my favorite part of the book! As someone who works with teenagers, his depiction as a shy teenaged boy (who doesn’t like to show affection or string more than 2 words together) was incredibly accurate. I will say that this slow burn was SLOW. It took a very significant amount of the book for the two to admit feelings and even longer for them to get together. While I’m usually not a fan of something as slow as this, I felt like it really worked for where each of the characters were in their lives, but I did get a bit frustrated at times when it was moving slowly.

All in all, a strong recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of this rerelease!

This is my first read by MZ, and while I overall enjoyed All Rhodes Lead Here, I do feel like it was a bit overly long (600 pages for what?) and too slow of a burn for my tastes

Is Mariana Zapata formulaic? Yes.
Do I love that formula? Also yes.

This one is pretty typical: gruff male lead, sunshiney female lead. Female is at a crossroads in life, randomly stubborn about odd things, etc. But it had more depth than some of Zapata's other books thanks to Aurora's back story [her mother disappeared while hiking when Aurora was 13]. Aurora's choice to move back to Pagosa Springs and do some of the hikes her mother loved added some tension to the story.

And while it was still a slow burn, it wasn't quite as slow as some of Zapata's other books. I think we were only like 80% into the book before there was a kiss! I liked the slightly older MCs -- I'm tired of reading romances about 23 year olds. And, I liked the Colorado setting, because it's a part of the state I'm familiar with, which was fun.

3.5 ⭐️

I'll round up because this book had a lot of great things but at the same time, it didn't. Let's start with the positives because the story of Aurora trying to find herself after a divorce in the same town as her childhood by renting a garage room next to the grumpiest guy ever, Tobias Rhodes, is chef's kiss. 😘 Not to mention he is a single dad and has that overprotective nature, doing those little gestures that make your heart flip. I also adored how the author really gave them a friendship before they started to see the attraction; it was like a snowball effect of their love, and I loved it. Nothing is better than seeing the realistic aspect of building a relationship between two people.

Now, onto the not-so-great parts... it was too long. The realistic portrayal of small-town life, while I understand it's to build the scene and get to know the characters before diving into the romance, felt like too much "life" and not that much story. Also, the chapters were so long; it took me about 20 minutes to read each one, which is not my cup of tea. The slow burn was VERY slow.

Either way, I loved the story, their relationship, and the town. It kind of made me want to visit Colorado. 🏔️😊 Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.