3.75⭐️

Such a cute story about ambitious Olivia and Olympian athlete Zeke, who find themselves falling for each other in Athens at the Olympic Games! The two main characters were endearing and I mostly liked their character development throughout.

Sweet rom-com and very easy to read. Loved the side characters! If you love sports romance, I think you will love this!

Do you get unreasonably obsessed with the Olympics ever 4 years?? Well then this might be the book for you!

Zeke is a track and field star for the UK Olympics team. He's focused on getting a gold metal this year and wants nothing to get in his way. Olivia has wanted to work at the Olympics since she was a young kid and is so excited when she receives a very coveted internship...only to get to the Olympics to find out that the internship was given to someone else and she was never informed. While they do find another role for her, it's essentially a menial job doing tasks within the Olympic Village instead of the international relations internship.

I really liked Olivia's character and how she was unapologetically herself and fought for what she deserved, even if that meant that others perceived her as "the angry black woman". I think there was a lot of great discourse in the book about how high achieving black women are treated and I'm glad we got to see that. I really liked all of the side characters and other athletes. I thought the banter between Zeke and Olivia was very sharp and funny - and their scene together in the elevator was steamy (it's still closed door though)

Even though this is an Olympics book, I never became quite as immersed in it as I am when I'm watching the Olympics. I'm not sure if it was because these Olympics take place in a different city than the Olympics that are happening in a month or what exactly it was. I still enjoyed my time reading but I think personally for me it didn't quite hit that 5 star mark. I know that many Olympians (particularly in the sports represented here) are quite young but I found Zeke in particular to be pretty immature - I'm not sure an Olympian would do so many of the things he did the night before the biggest race of his life. The romance itself was...okay once it got going but I'm not sure that the characters spent enough time together on page for me to really believe in the relationship itself.

I mostly listened to the audio of this thanks to @macmillanaudio and liked the narrator a lot! I think she did a wonderful job with most of the (complex!) accent work.

Read this for:
- Closed door romance
- Allllll the Olympics vibes
- BIPOC Romance
- MC's with Zimbabwean heritage
- Anxiety and grief rep
- Queer side characters

Thank you to @macmillanaudio and @flatironbooks for the ALC and ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Let the Games Begin
Genre - rom com
Rating - 3.5⭐️

Quick synopsis- Go-getter Olivia arrives in Athens for a coveted internship at the Olympics ... except there's been a mix up. Sprinter Zeke is preparing to compete in his third Olympics when sparks fly when their paths cross. Can they both stay focused on their end goals or will they be distracted by love?

I LOVE watching the Olympics and this book has me ready for this summer's games! I loved the setting and descriptions of Athens, and it seems the author did a great deal of research regarding the Olympics and the athletes' village. With romances, I always hope for a fun friend group and this absolutely paid off - I couldn't get enough of Haruki, Valentina, and Aditi. However, this book did tend to do more telling readers rather than showing, and I questioned some of Zeke's actions prior to the biggest race of his life. Still, this was a sweet romance (kissing and fade to black) with characters I rooted for.

#letthegamesbegin

Short Synopsis:
Zeke is currently one of the fastest men on Earth. He’s competing in his third Olympics and nothing can derail his focus … except Olivia, who’s at the games for an internship.

My Thoughts:
This was so much fun to read a book about the Summer Olympics right before the Summer Olympics are about to start in real time. I really enjoyed this one. Zeke’s family was so sweet and I loved his background. Olivia’s friend group was just as amazing. Great anxiety/therapy/stress rep.

The narrator did a lovely job. I will say having a secondary narrator for the dual POV, would have been beneficial though.

What You’ll Find:
🏅Summer Olympics
👀 Love Triangle
💖 New Adult romance
😅 Banter
🏃‍♂️ Sports romance

Thank you to Flatiron and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary new adult romance
-sports romance
-olympics
-anxiety rep
-opposites attract

This was such a fun book. Lighthearted and I loved the Olympics as a back drop as two driven people fell for each other. Both Zeke and Olivia were driven by their families, their past and represent their families. This is a great summer read.

Thank you to Flatiron Books Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The first half of this was pretty slow for me, and the chapter explaining how the love interests were going to meet with alternative ways they could have met was awkward & unnecessary. I also felt like the love interests had zero chemistry & emotional connection making the relationship purely attraction based.

Rufaro Faith Mazarura's debut novel, a delightful contemporary romance, is set in 2024 at a fictional Olympic Games in Athens (not Paris). Both of our two Zimbabwean heroes have lofty goals in mind: Olivia is beginning her ideal internship at the Olympic Committee, while Zeke is hoping to win gold for Great Britain in the 100-meter sprint. But both are knocked off course as soon as they get to Athens. Zeke is suffering from panic episodes while he exercises, and Olivia is not at all what she expected from her internship. Despite their initial awkward encounter, they will inevitably cross paths again within the rather compact confines of the Olympic Village. Once they cross paths we are taken on their journey.

Growing up, I always watched the summer Olympics with my dad and siblings, so I was extremely excited when I learned about this book. Thankfully, this did not disappoint. This novel pleasantly surprised me because I did not anticipate the characters' development. The character development was excellent; both Olivia and Zeke had a compelling personality and backstory. I adored the overall atmosphere the book created; it made me feel like I was in the heart of the Olympic Village, and the exchanges between athletes from other nations added to the cast's diversity. Strong themes of family were present in the narrative, particularly concerning Zimbabwean culture, which was fascinating and gave the narrative a lot of depth.

If you are looking for a summer romance this is a great one to pick up, especially with the Olympics around the corner! Thank you so much to @flatironbooks for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the Olivia character, but the romance didn’t work for me. The set up felt overly forced and rushed and I didn’t quite get the characters as a couple (although I liked them individually).

This was so cute! Let’s start with character development: very strong for both MCs. I enjoyed Olivia’s go getter personality and witty responses. The author made it easy to understand her POV of trying to be the best for her parents, but wondering if that’s the only reason she wants it. I enjoyed getting to know Zeke and how his grief has played a role in all of his relationships he’s had since then. Zeke was funny, confident, and caring. It was great reading their thought process on where they were and where they plan to go mentally, physically, and emotionally.
I do wish there was some smut though. Very PG kinda 13. 😅 The author described their chemistry so well that I wanted more.

I liked reading about the Olympics and how the villages are set up. I never really had much interest in it, but now my interest is definitely piqued. The author described Olivia’s amazement and awe of the Olympics really well. That chapter had me wanting to see it myself.

The beginning of the story was a little slow, even though they met rather quickly it did take a while for things to actually get exciting not just between them but other events that occurred throughout. I guess this played a role in character development, but it was part of the reason it took me a while to finish it. I had to get over that hurdle first.

I’m low key waiting on a book 2. I want to know if this other relationship pops off or if that was just a little spice to keep us going.

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC of Let The Games Begin. It was super cute and enjoyable. 4.5 ⭐️

This was an absoulte delight to read. Very sweet and wholesome for the sports loving lover gyals! Thanks for the ARC!

i love a black woman from infinity to infinity yall. ambitious women who do not give a f*ck about upsetting (the wrong) people???? unapologetically a badass.

everything about this book was filled with hope and it was refreshing to read a romcom that was so insightful of both characters. you learn about them both so deeply that it feels like you are literally right next to them in their day to day. while the book only takes place during a couple of weeks during the olympics it feels like a lifetime that you spend with the characters. the depth you get from them is just a testament to how talented rufaro is — the chemistry and story doesn’t feel rushed or jumbled at all despite the short time frame and that takes TALENT.

i can’t wait to read everything else she comes out with!

thank you netgalley and flatiron books for the digital and physical galley in exchange for an honest review 💌

Thanks to the publisher for the physical ARC. Full review to come. Rating is not true reflection of opinions

⭐️⭐️½

I didn't hesitate to request this book when I found out it was a romance featuring an Olympic athletes. I find the Olympics fascinating and I was excited to read this one about an Olympic runner.

Unfortunately, the execution of this book didn't work for me. The two main characters did not have any chemistry. It's hard to build that chemistry when there are barely any scenes of them together in the book. I get it, you want to feature the actual events and activities of the Olympics. But it left me wanting more from their interactions.

Also, that tweezing scene was just strange to me. I don't know if I would ever feel someone is sexy while I am tweezing their eyebrows.

I'm sad that this one fell short for me.

This was such a cute, quick read! While it felt formulaic at some moments, the relationship between Olivia & Zeke was adorable! I loved that the background for this is the Olympic Games. This made the story feel unique and refreshing. The writing felt a little bit one dimensional at moments, & a lot of the inner dialogue was repetitious. The characters were “adult” in age, but the dialogue and inner monologues of the characters felt much younger… I could see this crushing it as a YA book! Despite that, I had fun with this one.

this was the sweetest book i ever read.

Zeke and Olivia both finding themselves and overcoming their anxiety and doubts. Takes place in Athens at the Olympics

Now i cannot wait for the Olympics this year

Meet cute
HEA
Loss of a parent
Finding yourself

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

A great debut novel from Rufaro Faith Mazarura! This is a book about Black love and I love this representation! Zeke is the fastest man in the world and is in Athens for the 2024 Olympics, where he is trying to win a gold medal . From the outside, he is calm and collected but he suffers from severe anxiety. Olivia has had a dream since she was a kid to work for the Olympic Games Committee and now she has earned an internship to Athens for the 2024 Olympics. When she arrives, she discovers that she has lost the position to another candidate who is healthy and has a connection. However, that doesn't stop her from making her dream come true and she works as volunteer, where she ends up meeting Zeke. When Zeke and Olivia meet, the sparks fly! They keep bumping into each other during the games, and while they have a connection, they both are focused on their own endeavors. They have to decide if it will be just for the summer, or if they are in for the long haul. I loved that both of the main characters were kids of Zimbabwe immigrants and they wanted to make their families proud. This was such a cute and fun read, with a lot of representation. It's a fantastic debut novel!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin, and Rufaro Faith Mazarua for an eARC of this book!

I’ve really loved and enjoyed it. I was intrigued from start to finish and the character development is great to witness. Plus, the romance was swoony enough as well.