My review of All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata ♡︎

All Rhodes Lead Here is a romance with themes of healing, grief, and finding yourself through new beginnings. I really related to so many of the characters. I loved Amos, Tobias, and especially Aurora.

Some things I loved:

🤍 the grumpiest silver fox daddy that is Tobias Rhodes

🤍 single dad to a teenage boy

🤍 the slowest burn romance

🤍 this book is the epitome of the grumpy/sunshine trope

🤍 small town

🤍 Aurora’s story of grief and healing is something that I really connected with

I read this book when it first came out two years ago and I absolutely loved the bonus content! Go read it and find out- thank me later!

Ratings:

★︎★︎★︎★︎★ / ➎︎

🌶/ ➎︎

I had the opportunity to read an advanced reader’s e-proof of All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers via NetGalley. All opinions above are my own.

All Rhodes Lead Here was my first Mariana Zapata book and it made an instant fan out of me. This baby is THICK and I still finished it in one sitting. Zapata has such an easy way with words and knows how to hold a reader’s attention. When I saw this was getting rereleased with a publisher I love, I felt so excited knowing other readers were going to feel the same joy I did. Plus, exclusive content!!!

This is the definition of a heartwarming book and Aurora was a fantastic character. One of my favorite FMC I’ve ever read and not just because she’s a fellow hiker. Found family, single dad, grumpy/sunshine, finding yourself, (very, very) slow burn, and all the feels. So many feels. Absolutely recommend if you enjoy character driven stories, don’t mind a long book, and like books that feel real with likable, relatable characters. The romance was sweet and felt extremely authentic.

As for the exclusive content: worth it. We get a bonus epilogue and a neat Wikipedia entry on Aurora. So this is the perfect excuse for people who read this when it was independently published to reread. If you even needed a reason!

Highly recommend. Read this book. You won’t regret it. My love for this book is only outmatched by Kulti and my cells are vibrating at the prospect of getting my grubby little hands on some bonus Kulti content.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

Honestly, if you haven't picked up a Mariana Zapata book yet, what are you waiting for? If you love a good, long slow burn, this one is for you. MZ is one of the best romance authors I've ever read in my life because it's not just about the romance. MZ writes very realistic characters who are going through different life struggles in their lives.

In this book, we follow Aurora who has returned to her homeland Colorado to finish some hikes that her late mother didn't finish. She never figured out what happened to her mother, so that haunts her. She's also hiding from her famous ex-boyfriend (who also has a helicopter mom). He wants her back but not for the reason she wants. Aurora ends up living in an apartment hosted by Tobias, or really, Tobias's son Amos. At first, they try to keep their distance away from each other, but when Tobias sees how much Aurora cares for Amos, he starts to warm up to her.

And if you've already read this book before it was announced it would be republished (AS IT SHOULD BE BECAUSE MARIANA ZAPATA DESERVES IT), then you'll definitely want to read the exclusive content. I love reading extra scenes from after the main plot ended, seeing the characters interact one last time.

Would I recommend this book? HECK YES. PLEASE DO. IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITES. It made me laugh, cry, and just go through so many emotions.

All Rhodes Lead Here is one of my favorite books. Aurora and Rhodes are two really great characters. I loved the build up between the two. It was classic Mariana Zapata, who has cemented herself as the slow burn queen. I also loved the fact that a good portion of this book was women’s fiction. Mariana did a great job focusing on Aurora and her past. When she spoke about her grief, it really resonated with me.

With every book, Mariana proves why she’s the best at slow burn. She hits all the right notes and outdoes herself every time.

I really loved this book. Everything from the slow burn to the side characters was perfection. I especially loved that even though this was a slow burn, it wasn't quite as slow as what we are used to with MZ. It also gives off a Wait For It vibe so if you enjoyed that MZ book, you'll definitely want to read this one!

All Rhodes Lead Here by @marianazapata is one of those books that I read ages ago but still think of often. It was full of angst, heartache, longing, friendship and the sweetness love.

Zapata is known to be the slow burn queen and I definitely concur! These two MCs had a slow build up but that made the final burn that much better. Every bit of love that they developed for each other was intentional, thoughtful and fought for.

If you’re looking for a contemporary romance that makes you swoon, this is for you!

Tropes:
Grumpy/Sunshine
Single dad
Age gap (slight, nothing wild)
Forced proximity
Small town

This was another great Zapata book that 100% lived up to the hype. Aurora and Rhode’s story gave me all the feels and I really appreciated the way their relationship developed. Also, Amos, Rhodes’s son, was such a special supporting character and I loved the special bond him and Aurora had. As most of Zapata’s books are based in Texas, the Colorado setting was a nice change up, and Zapata did a great job transporting the reader there with her detailed descriptions of Pagosa Springs. So happy this is getting repub by Avon with some amazing bonus content!!

Read if you like:
-Slow burn romance
-Age gap
-Single dad trop
-Grumpy/ sunshine
-Forced proximity
-Found family
-Songwriting
-Outdoor activities

Loved the small town romance vibes and RHODES! I wish we got to the romance a little bit sooner, but this was such a strong story of Aurora’s personal journey. Can’t wait to read more by her!

This was my favorite Mariana Zapata I’ve read! Aurora and Rhodes relationship was just so good. The slow burn was perfection! I loved Aurora’s relationship with Amos too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I found this to be so sweet and so satisfying with a slow burn that was very well-executed. I think people who enjoy Mariana Zapata's other books will love this book too. She has a gift for writing single-pov romance in such an effective way that still makes the male mc's actions clear and intentional. The characters were so endearing and following their journey towards love along the backdrop of Colorado was both swoon-worthy and rewarding. If you think you'll like a grumpy sunshine, age gap, single dad romance in a beautiful outdoorsy setting, I would definitely recommend this book.

Okay....I LOVED the slow-burn, very worth it. I loved the setting (double points because I used to live in that area so the personal connection was a huge win for me). And I loved the growth and relationship between the characters. Dislikes include...ooooof some of the dialogue and word-choice was awkward ("buddy"....ugh please just stick with "angel"), some scenes were awkward (whose friend's dad would ever come at a stranger with that question-bomb???), and Ora's inner and outer monologues were at times immature and weird (i.e., owwie, wittle baby, etc.). On the whole though, I did enjoy her motivational journey and Rhodes (HOT HOT HOT). Great read!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me this ARC!

So I've heard Mariana Zapata called the Queen of Slow Burn Romances and it wasn't that I doubted that, it was that that title is a big thing up to.

But after this, the Wall the Winnipeg and Me, and a few other of her books, anyone who calls her that is absolutely right.

All Rhodes Lead Here is touching and cute and just all the good words you want in a romance. The journey Aurora and Rhodes romance takes is wonderful and the growth they both experience is interesting and also wonderful. I really don't have anything but good words to say about this book. I loved the setting, I loved the characters, including all the side characters, I just loved the book. If the summary in any way interests you, I would say definitely pick this up.

Conceptually, the book is a knockout. Divorced woman rebuilding life, single dad who put life on hold, and a slew of interesting supporting characters. Ora decides to move to Colorado, take a job at a Wilderness shop with an old friend, and rebuild from the ground up. Mysteries surrounding her ex, her mom, and her past life abound.

Execution fell flat for me. The writing style didn’t grip me. It felt melodramatic and overdone. I stopped after chapter 2 (9%).

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC.

It was cute and reminded me why I love Mariana Zapata's writing. The small-town vibes were adorable and I love the found community in small-town romances.

This copy was kindly given to me for review by both Netgalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This has been by far my favorite Mariana Zapata novel to date (I do have some reading to do, though I don't think the others will be able to knock this one out of first place). I LOVE Aurora and Rhodes relationship- the perfect grumpy sunshine vibe. I loved the setting of Colorado, the outdoorsy things like hiking that are characters hobbies. Just so much I loved. Mariana is the queen of slow burn (LIKE REAL SLOW burn) but there is something I really enjoy about the slower pace of her books- we get to see more of the characters daily life and growth.

This was not my first reading of All Rhodes Lead Here and will not be the last. 5 STARS ALWAYS

This was a sweet story about two people who just want to be loved. There is something so special and magical, about slow burn, and Mariana does it SO WELL. I will never ever get over Aurora and Rhodes because as they’re a part of me now!!

All Rhodes Lead Here was a sweet and slow-burn romance from Mariana Zapata. I loved Aurora and Rhodes and Amos, and all the wonderful supporting characters and the sweet epilogue.

I did feel that the slow burn was a bit too slow, and that "Buddy" should never be used as a term of endearment between two adults, but that's just me.

Wow! This was my first ever book by Mariana Zapata and, let me tell you, it was pure perfection!!! I found so much of myself in the female main character and felt something in me healing along with her as she grew to love herself more and become a stronger person. The love interest in this book also had me swooning at every page! I’m so in love with them, their story, and this beautiful small town. My one bummer is that this was a long slow burn, but it’s fine. I still had a great time! If any of this sounds interesting to you, do yourself a favor and pick up this book.

I am a huge Mariana Zapata fan, but this book took me a while to read. I had read reviews that it was an age gap story which is not a trope I enjoy at all. I finally asked about it, and the "gap" is the same as my husband and I which isn't that much. When you think of age gap tropes they are normally almost 20+ yrs or more of late. I just wanted to get that out of the way.

I am so upset it took me so long to read this one. I loved it so much, I have it in all three forms, it's on my yearly re read list. The banter and slow burn between Aurora and Rhodes is so well written, it just sucks you in. Aurora is a full rounded character that has a great back story and pulls you in. Rhodes is, well, Rhodes he really reminds me of my husband in so many ways. Go in knowing this is a slow burn, but the story just draws you in and it's a wonderful ride.