Mariana Zapata

When Gracie Met the Grump

novaleigh

"Hold on, let me finish. Then my grandmother called me, right when I picked up the phone to call you, and told me to give you a little more time.

That I had to let you see that you could be happy here by yourself. That you could have friends and build a life," he told me seriously. "If l've learned anything these last few months, it's that I should listen to her if I don't want her to break my back again. So I left you alone. I made it two weeks before I started craving Cheetos, and I only wanted to eat them with you around. You've ruined tuna and pears. Snow and laughing.

Being by myself. Nothing is the same without you now." He dropped his voice. "You little butthole."

big ab

a superhero love story???? iconic. but god these two protagonists are so awkward and cringe. and i know that’s a huge part of the story but oh my god. it was hard to read sometimes.

Gracie Castro has spent so many years in hiding that when The Defender, famed member of The Trinity, falls from the sky injured and lands in her front yard, she understands that she must hide him, nurse him back to health, and keep his secret even though he is rude grump.  However, there are other forces at work in her life, and Gracie knows that she must move on soon, even if The Defender isn't healed before her own life implodes.

When Gracie Met the Grump is a unique romance between a superhero and an average human.  The source of The Defender's powers is revealed, utilizing a plot device that I'm not particularly fond of.  Also, the novel is written in sections, with each one examining a new problem but not following a cohesive storyline, while each section reminds me of another novel or a movie.  The first section is somewhat grounded in reality, but each subsequent section becomes less and less believable.  In addition, the characters seem juvenile, even though they are dealing with huge issues, and the long awaited romance between them doesn't happen until that last couple of chapters in the book.  Overall, When Gracie Met the Grump is a disappointing novel with very little substance and an overly long page count.

Lynn Braden

Gracie Castro has spent so many years in hiding that when The Defender, famed member of The Trinity, falls from the sky injured and lands in her front yard, she understands that she must hide him, nurse him back to health, and keep his secret even though he is rude grump.  However, there are other forces at work in her life, and Gracie knows that she must move on soon, even if The Defender isn't healed before her own life implodes.

When Gracie Met the Grump is a unique romance between a superhero and an average human.  The source of The Defender's powers is revealed, utilizing a plot device that I'm not particularly fond of.  Also, the novel is written in sections, with each one examining a new problem but not following a cohesive storyline, while each section reminds me of another novel or a movie.  The first section is somewhat grounded in reality, but each subsequent section becomes less and less believable.  In addition, the characters seem juvenile, even though they are dealing with huge issues, and the long awaited romance between them doesn't happen until that last couple of chapters in the book.  Overall, When Gracie Met the Grump is a disappointing novel with very little substance and an overly long page count.

aleksandra

2 STARS

“It hurts my feelings that I’m right here, that you’re right there, and you still think that you’re ever going to be alone again.”

"Gracie, do you think there’s a future for you without me in it?” 

I was really excited when this book was released, because 1 it was released on my birthday and 2 NEW MARIANA ZAPATA BOOK?!?!!!?? Only MZ can publish a new book all of sudden, when no one expected it. This book is something completely different from her previous books, because a superhero romance? 

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into it, in about 40% of the book, I really thought it would be a dnf for me. I had to take 4 days off of this book, which is not normal for me because I usually read MZ books in 1-2 days max. I couldn't dnf Marian Zapata's book ( i love her too much ), so I gave her a chance, and after about 50% in the book it finally started to get a little bit more interesting. If the whole book had been like the last 20%, I probably would have given it 3 stars, but that obviously didn't happen.

I actually liked the two main characters, even though Alex was really grumpy at the begging (the tittle is fitting). Our heroine Gracie was okay, but her during the smutty scene? You will be shocked. 

It was a slow burn like every Mariana Zapata book, but if you are in a mood for a superhero, found family, and grumpy hero romance, that’s the book probably for you.

Ana Luiza

** spoiler alert **
           Eu tava gostanto muuuuito mesmo desse livro, mas chegou uma parte que começou a enrolar demais.
Sou muito muito fã da Mariana Zapata, ela é minha escritora favorita de romance,e apesar de todos os livros dela serem longos e com um slow burn que literalmente leva o livro inteiro pra acontecer, eu nunca achei que ela estava enrolando. Já nesse livro, eu comecei achando um pouco estranho pq é uma pegada completamente diferente das outras coisas que ela escreveu, mas ao mesmo tempo o romance é igual, o que eu amo. 
Até que ficou realmente muito interessante, com muita ação e aventura e eu achei que seguiria assim até o fim do livro. Mas depois que eles chegam na casa do Alex nada mais acontece, umas 300 páginas de nada. Eles obviamente gostavam um do outro, mas as coisas nao iam pra frente.
Mas, ainda é Mariana Zapata e eu nunca vou me cansar dos livros dela. Já quero ler o próximo!!

Iman Kamil

** spoiler alert **
           Things I hated about this book is a way longer list than things I loved but anyway here it is: 

THINGS I HATED

1.) The cartel storyline had so much potential. I was waiting for a big twist to involve them because they played such a significant role in the first 40% of the book. But their story just ended so unsatisfyingly EASY like it's tooooooo easy. I guess in a way it's my fault for thinking this because this is a SLOW BURN ROMANCE BOOK after all.

2.) Speaking of SLOW BURN ROMANCE, the first part where they were super annoyed at each other and are forced into situations where they have to be in close proximity / work together / take care of each other was fun. But the last part felt... I don't know, the events to show they're ~falling in love~ (or have fallen in love) just happened too fast and quickly. I didn't really buy that they'd fallen in love!!! It still felt like a super close friendship to me by the end of the book ): Also when you take into account that (view spoiler)[they're mates, and it was revealed to them in the form of visions of their future together (hide spoiler)], idk the romance quality dipped towards the end of the book and it felt cheap overall lol. What kept me reading was honestly to find out more about the male main character (I don't know if saying his name would be a spoiler so I shall not say it) and his backstory. 

3.) I don't know how to make this next part as spoiler free as possible but it's basically about the male character and his family lol (view spoiler)[I wish the male main character had more interaction with his other siblings, particularly the ones he work with (the face of the "company"). Like it was so unsatisfying, the way that he only speaks to them like twice this entire book? All that buildup about them being, yknow, THEE face of the company, and only TWICE!!! jail. We get to see him interact with his other siblings which was alright, but there were too many of them to count. I wish he had less siblings so we could actually see him interact with each and every one of them in a satisfying way!!! (hide spoiler)]. But again, this is a slow burn romance so idk what I'm expecting here. 

4.) Now this is going to be a very spoiler heavy part. (view spoiler)[When Gracie met his sister Selene, the writing kept hammering in that Gracie thinks Selene "looks familiar" and I was so ready for her to be The Primordial in disguise or something but that's a whole other sister (Alana) so what the hell was the point of that 😭😭😭. I still stand by my belief that he doesn't need more siblings than the Primordial and the Centurion. (hide spoiler)]

5.) I wish they expanded more about their superpowers!!! But then again, slow burn romance and NOT a 100% sci fi book lol 

6.) There was literally no conflict for the last 40% of the book like he just left her (as most romances go) and that was the conflict because she felt alone. I mean, considering this is a romance involving a superhero i was expecting something more for the conflict before the final act but there was NONE. 

7.) Gracie's (view spoiler)[mini superpower of knowing when something bad was going to happen in her gut, like her gut makes her wanna shit and throw up (hide spoiler)] was so funny to me I'm sorry I couldn't take that shit seriously. I mean I don't think we were supposed to anyways but it was laughable in a bad way yknow

8.) The reasoning behind what got him to her backyard instead was SUPER UNSATISFYING like omg I expected so much more. 

9.) The whole grandma reveals fate thing was lame. 


THINGS I LOVED

1.) Gracie's constant crying was actually realistic cus if I went through what she did I would be crying AND more tbh 

2.) The lead guy's grumpiness was well done. The banter was funny at times too. 

3.) The consensus seems to be that the first half of the book dragged and the last half of where it gets good but I LOOOOOVED the first half because it gripped me, I was so interested to see where it was going next because bad shit happened to them and they were on the run (also because I really wanted to find out more about the lead guy so I tore through the first 50% of the book). Yeah it was a little long but it still kept me interested. The last few chapters were a little bit boring to me like I mentioned in #2 and #6 in my hate list, there's not really any big final act conflict + the whole (view spoiler)[mates (hide spoiler)] thing just cheapened the romance at the end. 

4.) HIS SIBLINGS!!! 


All that being said, why did I give 4 stars? Because this book takes me back to my wattpad days. I feel like a teen again reading some cliche romance at 3am in the morning despite having school at 8am the next day. It would be a definite 2 for me if I was rating based off of book quality alone.

When Gracie Met The Grump

Petaco

Your book was super long. I skimmed more than I'd like to admit. It could have been condensed, but it sounds like the author likes a slow burn. I liked it, but it ended up getting too flowery for me near the end. I mean, I like sap, but it was too much for me.

Nouran Hazem

3.75 ⭐️
 “There is no place I wouldn’t look for you. Seven miles deep in the ocean. On a planet in a distant galaxy. I would go anywhere for you if someone took you, Gracie.” 
 I’m slightly confused on how to rate this because I did like it but didn’t love it as much as the other MZ books.. 
so for the plot I’d rate it: 3 ⭐️
But for Gracie and Alex: 4 ⭐️
Gracie and Alex were really cute and I loved Alex taking care of her when she’s sick, the grumpy/ sunshine energy, and the banter!! The slow burn as usual was immaculate they literally kissed at like 90%.. Gracie was such a funny character so I was definitely laughing a lot (sometimes a little too quirky) and it was really sweet to see Alex going soft and protective of her.. My favorite part about the MZ books will always remain how we see them becoming best friends and trusting each other!

However, the writing felt very unserious and the plot was incredibly underdeveloped for a really long book, the superhero plot was just there.. I did like a lot of the family members but I feel like we could’ve had more.. the cartel plot though just wasn’t developed at all.. I’m not the biggest fan of the superhero plot and would rather read about normal human beings 😭

Nouran

Enna Burton

Faith Kitowski

i’m not gonna lie this book was a little weird but it somehow worked? it’s not my favorite mz book but it’s still good

jupiter

no comment 😐😵‍💫

actually… the alien arc was fine everything else was a hot mess… maam should’ve gotten an editor for this like good lord do u not have any shame for urself

I've liked every book by this author. She has never not hit for me.

For some reason, I took forever to read this. I started in October 2022 and finished January 2023, but I took breaks. I'm glad I came back to it and read it, because I genuinely liked it, and look forward to the other books that Zapata has to offer.

Sarah Campbell

I've liked every book by this author. She has never not hit for me.
For some reason, I took forever to read this. I started in October 2022 and finished January 2023, but I took breaks. I'm glad I came back to it and read it, because I genuinely liked it, and look forward to the other books that Zapata has to offer.

This book was ok but I prefer her other books more. Probably won’t read again but I enjoyed it. Took a long time to finish.

Marcie Allen

Ellie S

“Maybe there are two million reasons why it should be you.”

Primero que nada no esperaba que está fuera una historia de superhéroes pero la verdad es que fue súper entretenida toda la historia atraxianos y los poderes de cada uno.

Soy demasiado fan de absolutamente todo lo que escribe está mujer, al principio al menos el 20% se me hizo un poco lento y aburrido pero creo que fui yo la culpable ya que no era el momento adecuado para empezarlo pero la verdad es que con lo del secuestro me atrapó por completo.

Me encanta que Alex era todo gruñón y parecía que no le agradaba Gracie pero después hacia estás pequeñas cosas que demostraban que en realidad se preocupaba por ella.

Ver cómo durante el tiempo que estuvieron atrapados Alex cuido de ella es un claro ejemplo🥺

También amé que el pudiera sentir si sentía miedo o se sentía enferma e inmediatamente estaba ahí para ella🤧

Y Gracie la amé muchísimo es súper divertida y me encantó como de a poco se iba ganando a Alex, también hubo muchos momentos en donde realmente sentí muchísima empatía hacia ella y el como decía que estaba cansada de estar sola.

El misterio de como Alex llegó con Gracie también fue súper genial jajaja de verdad que amé a toda la familia de Alex y la abuela por favor todo lo que hizo para finalmente estos dos se conocieran jajaja 

Las visiones que les mostró a cada uno basta me ponen soft 🥺

De verdad que disfruté muchísimo la historia, Alex y Gracie me parecen super lindos y ese dibujo del epílogo está hermoso pero me habría gustado leer algo más narrado que a modo de noticia es mi única queja de ahí en fuera me moría de amor estos dos no puedo esperar a leer lo próximo que Mariana publique💞

Yami🌷

“Maybe there are two million reasons why it should be you.”

Primero que nada no esperaba que está fuera una historia de superhéroes pero la verdad es que fue súper entretenida toda la historia atraxianos y los poderes de cada uno.

Soy demasiado fan de absolutamente todo lo que escribe está mujer, al principio al menos el 20% se me hizo un poco lento y aburrido pero creo que fui yo la culpable ya que no era el momento adecuado para empezarlo pero la verdad es que con lo del secuestro me atrapó por completo.

Me encanta que Alex era todo gruñón y parecía que no le agradaba Gracie pero después hacia estás pequeñas cosas que demostraban que en realidad se preocupaba por ella.

Ver cómo durante el tiempo que estuvieron atrapados Alex cuido de ella es un claro ejemplo🥺

También amé que el pudiera sentir si sentía miedo o se sentía enferma e inmediatamente estaba ahí para ella🤧

Y Gracie la amé muchísimo es súper divertida y me encantó como de a poco se iba ganando a Alex, también hubo muchos momentos en donde realmente sentí muchísima empatía hacia ella y el como decía que estaba cansada de estar sola.

El misterio de como Alex llegó con Gracie también fue súper genial jajaja de verdad que amé a toda la familia de Alex y la abuela por favor todo lo que hizo para finalmente estos dos se conocieran jajaja 

Las visiones que les mostró a cada uno basta me ponen soft 🥺

De verdad que disfruté muchísimo la historia, Alex y Gracie me parecen super lindos y ese dibujo del epílogo está hermoso pero me habría gustado leer algo más narrado que a modo de noticia es mi única queja de ahí en fuera me moría de amor estos dos no puedo esperar a leer lo próximo que Mariana publique💞

“The more time we spend together, the more you talk to me, the more I realize you are… you’re so much more than the spandex you put on. It’s weird.”

It genuinely pains me to say that this is a total miss for me. I’m glad I finished it to see where it went but overall it wasn’t a good fit. I don’t think the superhero aspect was the problem for me: it was the pacing, the repetitive dialogue and the grump stereotype felt like too much for me personally. 

Overall I think the concept is good, I liked that she tried a new sub genre but sadly not one I want to read again. 

Kathryn

“The more time we spend together, the more you talk to me, the more I realize you are… you’re so much more than the spandex you put on. It’s weird.”

“It’s not spandex.”

It genuinely pains me to say that this is a total miss for me. I’m glad I finished it to see where it went but overall it wasn’t a good fit. I don’t think the superhero aspect was the problem for me: it was the pacing, the repetitive dialogue and the grump stereotype felt like too much for me personally. 

Overall I think the concept is good, I liked that she tried a new sub genre but sadly not one I want to read again. 

2/5⭐️

When Gracie Met the Grump

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