This was a charming debut, you can tell there was a whole lot of heart put into it, and it’s a refreshing take on the sports romance niche. I was really excited for this one and love the premise of having the Olympics as our setting/backdrop (a favorite fanfic trope of mine tbh😅) but unfortunately with that it still fell a bit flat for me.

The pacing of the book was slow and I found it hard to genuinely feel fully invested in the plot as well as our main characters’ relationship. I can see the author was aiming to avoid an insta-love scenario but given the story doesn’t take place over a significant amount of time, it’s very slow paced. There’s also very minimal chemistry and tension between the pair to really pull me in (likely because they had very little page time together). The characters were really well developed though! This also reads more as a YA/NA romance than an adult contemporary imo (and not just because it’s closed door).

While this one wasn’t a /love/ for me, I still liked it well enough and I would be inclined to look into any future titles Rufaro Faith Mazarura releases!

Thank you so much to Flat Iron Books for sending me a physical ARC and to Flat Iron and NetGalley for the audio ARC!

This Olympic-level sports romance was SO CUTE. Olivia and Zeke are both at the Olympics in Athens. He’s there to run, and she’s there to be an intern on the organization side. Nothing *quite* works out like they think it will, but their literal run-in will change the course of their experience this summer.

This was so tender, y’all! Zeke has lost his dad, and that fact tempers everything he does. Olivia knows she’s a Brown girl who has to try twice as hard as a white man, but she’s willing to do it to get what she wants. They are both ambitious and admirable, and I enjoyed this fun glimpse of what Olympic village and the training/competing might look like behind the scenes. It’s got a little nod to celebrity romance too, as the paparazzi do play a role here.

All in all it’s an excellent summer romance, especially in an Olympics year! I’ll be looking for more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audiobook.

I really liked the set up of this book--having it set in the world of olympic athletes gave a fresh twist to one of the romance tropes. The main characters had a spark and each had interesting individual character arcs, but somehow the story never fully came together in a robust way for me. The execution was fine; very solid for a debut.

This was a great audiobook that immediately drew me in. I’d listen to anything else with the same narrators. I enjoyed the story and the love that blossomed between the mcs!

It’s the perfect book for the Olympic season!!

Love this! Perfect read right in time before the Olympics.

I received the audio version of this book and the narrator was great. This had a cute a little bit a YA spice, just enough drama and the perfect of amount of sports talk. I love the diversity of the characters and the humanization of them.

This was so fun to read before the Olympics begin! The world of the Olympics - the village, games, and behind the scenes - is so fascinating and I loved how this sports romance gave us a little peek behind the curtain. Definitely has a summer romance feel, while also touching on heavier themes like grief, loss, gender, class, and anxiety and panic attacks. The found family (my fave!) was a delight and the side characters were oh so lovable and memorable!

Olivia was a fierce and fearless character and I greatly admired her determination and drive as she never gave up on going after her dreams, but I wanted to rage on her behalf when the corporate bros were misogynistic jerks. Ugh! My heart went out to her as she worked hard to find a healthy balance between working towards professional goals and maintaining a personal life, juggling familial expectations, and protecting her heart.

Zeke was also a very relatable and endearing character, but some of his choices to withhold information from his best friend made my eye twitch. He was fiercely protective of his family and friends so for him to knowingly go behind his friend’s back was disappointing. But what I really appreciated was how Zeke prioritized therapy and taking care of himself physically, mentally, and emotionally.

This is marketed as a romance, but the focus is more on personal growth and healing, which I didn’t mind at all - I liked that the romance was more of a subplot. But, I think some readers could be disappointed if they’re expecting the romance to be central, so I would keep that in mind before picking up! While I’m typically not an insta love fan, I didn’t mind it so much because of the time constraints with the Olympics and because there weren’t any life altering decisions or grand declarations made. I really liked that Olivia and Zeke acknowledged their attraction and feelings and committed to getting to know each other but didn’t put their professional goals on the back burner.

Listening to the audiobook made for such a delightful reading experience! I loved the narrator and was quite impressed with all the accents.

This was a wonderful summer read and would be so fun to read in real time when the Olympics start in a few weeks!

Love arises between Olivia and Zeke amidst the backdrop of the Olympics. 

This was a fun sports romcom. I enjoyed reading about the different teams and the way the athletes functioned. Both characters were great together and their story was cute. The audiobook narration was fantastic.

Despite the cute illustrated cover, this book has a serious tone. I enjoyed the characters and the story, but the pace was on the slow side for me. The narrator did a nice job.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

This was a really good read. I listened to the audiobook version, and I really enjoyed it. The narrator was great, the story was great, the characters were great.

First thing’s first: thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!
Let The Games Begin was a fun, Olympics themed summer read about Zeke and Olivia. Zeke is a runner representing team Great Britain and Olivia is a hard working, goal oriented intern. They keep running into each other since the Olympic village is closed to outsiders and along the way they start realizing that they may have feelings developing for each other.
This book was the perfect summer read as I get more and more excited for the upcoming Olympics! Obviously I’ll be cheering for my own country and not GB, but I couldn’t suspend reality for a minute reading this book! I loved Zeke and Olivia’s dynamic. Olivia was strong and driven and goal oriented and funny. Zeke was a good MMC, though nothing particularly special. I did love the anxiety representation and overall enjoyed their story!
3.5⭐️

If you are excited for the Olympics and enjoy sports romances, this is definitely the romance story for you.

Summary:
Set at the fictional 2024 Olympic Games in Athens, Rufaro Faith Mazarura's debut contemporary romance follows two ambitious Zimbabwean protagonists, Zeke and Olivia. Zeke competes for gold in the 100m sprint for Great Britain, while Olivia starts her dream internship with the Olympic Committee. Their paths diverge upon arrival, with Olivia's internship disappointing her and Zeke battling panic attacks during training. Despite a rough start, fate unites them in the Olympic Village, where they navigate the intense Games atmosphere, revealing intertwined destinies of love, ambition, and overcoming obstacles.

My Thoughts:
The story's setting in Athens 2024 for the Olympics and the cover art initially caught my attention. Reading a book centered around this backdrop, with a touch of black romance, seemed fitting with the upcoming Olympics. Olivia and Zeke's transition from hate to love, along with their engaging banter, stood out. The interactions among the characters, including their friends, felt comforting like a warm embrace. If you seek a charming summer romance with well-developed characters and diverse representations, I highly recommend this book.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝗼𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
🏅 Sport Romances
🏅 Enemies to lovers
🏅 Diverse Representation
🏅 Forced Proximity
🏅 Realistic Portrayal of Grief & Anxiety
🏅 MCs that deal with the expectations of their immigrant families
🏅 Dual POVs
🏅 Found Family Theme
🏅 Discussions around nepotism
🏅 Flirtatious Banter
🏅 Sweet Closed Door Romance

Thank you to Flatiron, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the early copy.

This was an excellent Debut!

Olivia and Zeke's hate to love beginning, and the banter that followed was really on point. Their dynamics as well as the dynamics with their friends were the warm hug that you needed. There were also some nuanced discussions about how nepotism affects others, class issues, grief, country representation at the Olympics, mental health, therapy which made this book go even further.

I think the star of this was definitely Olivia. You were rooting for her from jump, and I for one, would like her to be president of the world, because I feel like she'd smash it. Loved her, and would 100% bury a body for her.

I enjoyed both the Physical and the Audio copy of this book, and would highly recommend either for your reading pleasure! Thank you to Flatiron, Macmillain Audio & Netgalley for an early copy.

love a romance where the MCs just keep running into each other, literally. a fun, cute and vulnerable bipoc romance. the relationship between Olivia and Zeke had a great build up and felt real world with the the many matters people deal with.

I absolutely loved this audiobook! The pacing of the story was masterfully executed, keeping me engaged without any dull moments. The evolving relationship between Olivia and Zeke was portrayed with such finesse, and their character development was impeccable. The slow burn and gradual build-up between them were simply amazing.

What impressed me most was the author's skillful integration of challenging themes into the narrative. These elements didn't feel forced but seamlessly enriched the storyline. I particularly enjoyed how the story delved into their shared Olympic experience, despite one not being an athlete. It added such depth to their journey.

The narrator of this audiobook was equally incredible. Their ability to switch tones and voices made it feel as though multiple individuals were narrating the book, enhancing the overall experience.

I’ve had my eye on this one and when I saw the audiobook on Netgalley I couldn’t resist!

The book is told from two point-of-views and they come from Olivia and Zeke. Olivia is headed to the Olympic games to intern, but things don’t go as planned and ultimately it causes its own issues for her. Zeke is there playing for Great Britain and has his own issues to deal with when it comes to friends, exes, and family meddling. This one summer will definitely change both of their lives.

I liked seeing both of their stories play out. They worked on themselves without each other. Them coming together was not my favorite part. I loved their banter they had and then all of a sudden they started making out and it felt forced. There wasn’t much leading up to it and it kind of threw me off. I wish they would have had more time. I also wasn’t a fan of the drama that was created between Zeke and his friend because of Olivia. A lot of miscommunication or lack thereof.

Being at the Olympics was a very cool setting! I wish there would have been more outside of it since they were in Greece and that’s a really great setting to utilize.

Overall, this was good and I am looking forward to seeing what else this author writes.

I really, really enjoyed this dual POV, summer romance debut between two British Zimbabweans forced together at the summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Olivia is determined to make her way into the Olympic organization through hard work and determination and Zeke is an Olympic runner competing for the third time who falls hard for Olivia only to discover his best friend has too. Swoony and full of heart, this was loads of fun and a perfect summer read as we gear up for another Olympic games! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Tropes:
Enemies to ❤️
Forced proximity
Set in Athens at the Olympic Games
Olympic runner MMC / Olympic lawyer intern FMC

3⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC!

I really enjoyed this summer Olympics fun romance especially since this is a summer Olympics year. Hats off to the author and marketing crew! It's well-written and I loved the banter between Zeke and Olivia. It's exciting to learn a bit more about the behind the scenes at the Olympics and the friendships/relationships that develop. I was surprised to read that this is a debut and I'll be watching for more books by this author. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job of voicing the characters and bringing the story to life.

🎧𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🎧
3.5 🌟
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The cover art and the premise of this story set in Athens 2024 for the Olympics is what drew me to this story. I mean, we are about to do the Olympics soon, so why not read a book built around this setting, with a dash of black romance.
The narrator, Shaniqua Okwok, was the perfect voice for the audiobook. Her accent reading was beautiful and very pleasant to listen to.
I did feel like some part of the story line dragged a little and felt like this could have been done shorter.
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 :
•black romance
•young adult
•rom-com
•olympic theme
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 July.9
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Thank you, Netgalley, and MacmillanAudio for the (ALC)-audiobook for my honest review.

Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for the free ALC. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I really enjoyed this enemies to lovers book this would make a great beqch read or rainy day read. I lp2ved the characters the evolution of the relationship and the narration was dpne well