Mariana Zapata

“Trust me, I’ve wanted to punch you in the face a time or five.”

When the man you worshipped as a kid becomes your coach, it’s supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Keywords: supposed to. 

It didn't take a week for 27-year-old Sal Casillas to wonder what she'd seen in the international soccer icon - why she'd ever had his posters on her wall or ever envisioned marrying him and having super-playing soccer babies.

Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man who hadn't known she'd existed. So she isn't prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team's season: a quiet, reclusive shadow of the explosive, passionate man he'd once been.

Kulti

Gabriela Kondratyuk

Maria 

»Head in the game, Sal. Keep your head in the game. Worry about things when they happen instead of wasting your time anticipating.«

»people are going to judge you regardless of what you do, Sal. Don't listen to what they have to say because at the end of the day, you're the one that has to live with your choices and where they take you. No one else is going to live your life for you.«

literauri

abby

Sal should have given pat because she is way too strong and patient to keep up with Kulti.

Isabella 

I'm not a big fan of slow-burn, so when I realized this book was slow-burn, I was starting to lose interest. The romance started on the latter part of the book, but now that I realized it, I think it's for the better, given their circumstance. I enjoyed the build up of their friendship, but then again, I felt like the latter part was rushed. This is my first MZ book, so I don't know if this is how the author usually writes. Interestingly enough, I liked this book because of its slow-burn as well. It allowed their relationship to develop naturally which is something we don't often see in romance books. I have nothing against this book. I believed it gave what it wanted to give, but I guess, it's just not entirely my cup of tea. I liked this book, but I wouldn't consider it as one of my favorites.

Ana Luiza

Não existe ninguém que escreve romance como Mariana Zapata. Não sou a maior fã do gênero, mas sou apaixonada pelos livros dela. Tem anos que estou pra ler Kulti e fico feliz que finalmente peguei, é maravilhoso.
Sempre termino os livros dela querendo pegar outro kkkk

Arielis Valentin

This was perfection like always. I can confidently say I know I’m gonna have a perfect read if the author is Mariana Zapata 😭♥️

Wilma Lindmark

I had so high hopes for this one since I LOVED from Lukov with love and the wall of Winnipeg and me... but it didn't meet my expectations. I didn't feel any chemistry between them and the relationship between them felt strange. Because when I read slow burns I read it for the angst and tension which I didn't feel while reading this book. I don't like age gap either because when its 13 years between them I have to pretend that he is younger, but that's just on me.

However the book was well written but it felt like a big part of the book could have been left out, I like how the football parts were written and the balance between football and Sal's life but I missed the romance. But I really liked Sal's character and how she developed in the book. 

Would I recommend this? No, not really, if you want a slow burn there are so many other books and I think Mariana Zapata is very good at writing just slow burns but this one didn't hit the mark...

Michaella 

I read this one freaking day. This was so wholesome and cute. The best romance I've read in a hot minute!

mariana has made me come to love the slowburn trope, but in this sense. her writing style and pacing is a lot slower than regular romance slowburn. what i love about her slowburns like this is the little crumbs you start to get once the mcs get closer and their relationship develops, i start giggling and kicking my feet and all they did was finally make eye contact like 200 pages in lolol. jokes aside, this book was a masterpiece!!!! it was everything i want in a romance book. a bad bitch female mc who is a beast in her sport, who is kind and loyal and so so giving. then a grumpy male mc who doesn’t care for anyone except her!!! the way kulti expressed his love for sal without even needing to say a thing, his love language is definitely acts of service. i absolutely adored this book and am debating if i need the physical copy. one of my favorite reads of the year

Danyella Barajas

Faith Kitowski

so so so so so good. my brain was like short circuiting. this was my first mariana zapata book and it definitely isn’t my last. ahhh excuse me while i go add kulti to my list of book boyfriends cause that man… oh man

jupiter

Erin Campbell

melanie alvarez 

Allison Freedman

4/5 ⚽️



   “Nothing would happen. We would have a different adventure to go on. You are my best friend, my love, my playmate and my teammate. You’ll have a team with me wherever we are, with whatever we are playing.”
 

Alright Mariana Zapata takes the cake when it comes to slow burns. I mean this was excruciatingly slow in the best way.. I found myself glancing down at how much I had left on my kindle and seriously questioning if Sal and Rey would even kiss! Let alone hug! But man was it a joy to read. Once Rey opens up he is *chefs kiss*. A soccer super star babe. His love confession to Sal had me WEAK physically weak in the knees. Who knew a guy who barely said shit the first half of the book had the ability to sweep a girl off her feet. The banter and the writing were so well done, it was difficulty for me to put this down. Not only did I love the main characters, but also Sals dad was such a fun addition. I do wish we got more backstory regarding Eric and Rey’s encounter. The epilogue was the perfect touch to this book. It was short and sweet, but still so heartwarming. If you can stand a slow burn and I mean  schnecke  paced, definitely pick this up.

🧸

“Hey, you German bratwurst.” 

I just finished it and I have tears in my eyes I'm so sad it ended 😭💗💗

Sal is so funny omgg I love herrr the scene where she put rey in his place had me cheering and screaming at 3am. BEST SCENE EVER.

this is my 5th favorite book of mz. man this author really has me wrapped around her finger I'd read anything written by her and im not even complaining.

This was perfect. The slow burn was absolutely delicious and I read majority of this book in one day in order to finish it. I loved everything. I loved Sal and her personality and Reiner and his grumpiness. Honestly, I do not have a single fault with this book! It was indeed just perfect. I just wish I had annotated it, but at least I have an excuse to go back, reread and do exactly that.

Addie 🌻

menna

there were a few things that kind of didn't set well with me, not big things just few things here and there, but other than that I was reading this with a grin on my face and I couldn't have stopped smiling even if my life depended on it.

bella <3

Just perfection. I love Mariana Zapata she really is a queen of slow-burns. Their nicknames for each other were everything.

Elena

Kasey Montagnat

I love Marianna but this book wasn’t as good at all rhodes lead here and lukov with love. I still loved it and thought it was fun I just didn’t read it in one sitting like the rest <3

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.


  
    Every single thing that has ever happened in my life has led me here, Sal. Destiny is a ladder, a series of steps that takes you where you’re supposed to go. I am the man that I am, and I have done the things that I’ve done, to get me to you.
  




  First Impressions

Kulti is a story that I have been meaning to read for ages and I am so glad that I finally took a chance on this one and picked it up because it was so worth the read. I was nervous because this book is probably the most hyped out of all of Zapata’s books and I was so curious to see why it was so well-loved and I can definitely understand now why it is so loved and why people rated this book so highly. It makes perfect sense now and is at the top of my list of favorites from this author. I really enjoyed the elements that she brought to the surface, the interracial romance, the slow burn frenemies and the soccer theme to it (which are very rare in romance). I really love the way that this author writes slow burn but if you struggle with it, I recommend her audiobooks, they are narrated so well!!


  
    You are the most honest, warm, loving person I know. Your loyalty and friendship amazes me every day. I have never wanted anything more in my life than I want your love, and I don’t want to share that with anyone. I haven’t done a single thing in my life to deserve you, schnecke, but I will never give up on you, and I won’t let you give up on me.
  



  Summary

Our story begins with our heroine, Sal Casillas, who has always dreamed of playing soccer and has been in love with the most famous soccer player in the world “Kulti” who is a German player. But now Kulti is retired, and Sal is playing on a team after getting kicked off the national team due to a misunderstanding. But now she is determined to play the best that she can and enjoys being close to her family in Texas. Her new assistant coach is none other than the infamous Kulti and Sal has to remind herself to not let her attraction to the stubborn, strict coach get to her head. But there is a friendship that starts to form between Kulti and Sal slowly which turns into something deeper than friendship, and Sal is also having to face some tough decisions due to her friendship and Kulti being in the public eye. But as Sal and Kulti build on their relationship, they will also discover the truths behind their passion for the sport and what their future will bring…


  
    my oversized bratwurst took a step forward and he did it… He was hugging me. Dear God, Reiner Kulti was hugging the shit out of me.
  



  What I Loved

Kulti was such a refreshing story and one that I gobbled up like crazy. I will admit that it starts off slow, and I had to remind myself that this is a Mariana Zapata novel, and so it’s going to be a slow book but once I got to about 20-25% then it really started to kick in gear for me and I couldn’t put this audiobook down at all. There were so many aspects of the story that ended up working out for me so well. I got a kick out of this romace and saw how these two connect in such an unexpected way. I especially loved Sal’s infatuation with Kulti. And all the “poop” references were so funny, she had to remind herself he was a human being all the time when she is around him and when things start to get more romantic with them, she really has to adjust how she views him and I enjoyed seeing her growth of character in this. It was really heartfelt and my heart broke for her in some moments because Kulti sees her ability and how the team she is currently on is burying her talent and not using it as it should be. Seeing some truths revealed about Kulti and his connection to Sal was so beautiful in these small moments that really delivered on the heart of the story. The ending was pure perfection and bumped the book up from a 4-star read to a 4.5. If you love a slow-burn romance with a mix of frenemies to lovers then you definitely need to pick this one up. It also has a fun dynamic with the hero being German and the heroine having Hispanic descent and how well they blend together.


  
    You’re one of the best I’ve ever seen, period, man or woman. What kills me is that you are a complete fucking pushover who’s hung up on worthless words in front of a person who doesn’t matter. Grow some balls, Casillas. Fight me for this. Fight anyone that tries to take this away from you.
  



  What I Struggled With

The story has a very slow start and so that was a struggle, especially in the first 15% of the book, but once we get to 20% it really picked up. I also would have loved to see more couple page time as they don’t get romantically involved until later and would have loved to see more focus on their romantic relationship.


  The Narration

This narrator was BRILLIANT! She handled the accents so well on this one and I was so impressed because sometimes accents will turn me off or be too distracting, but nope these were done just right!


  Overall View

Kulti is a beautiful slow-building romance that takes the passion of the sport and blends it into a captivating friend to lovers romance that will touch the heart of every reader! This is a story that any romance reader can depend on delivering in all the feels and heart that just touched me deeply!


  
    You are my gift, my second chance, and I will cherish you and your dream. I will protect both of you.

Sofia Arcângelo 

This book was not at all what I was expecting. Oh man, I laughed so hard, this book is so funny, and this is what I call a slow burn. It got me hooked until the end.
Im officially a Mariana Zapata fan! 😂

Amani Zaha

It is incredibly fascinating to me how Sal, a 30+ years old woman, written also by a 30+ years old woman, thinks the word 'poop' 71 times in the span of this novel. Like:


  He was just a man with parents that pooped and peed and slept like the rest of us. Poop, poop, poop, poop, poop.


I mean??? I'm torn between giving it 2 or 3 stars, because I did keep reading. It was only really the second half that I managed to enjoy, though — the first portion drags even more than what could reasonably be expected of a slow-burn romance, and is littered with Sal repeating the word 'poop' to herself, occasionally tossing in other terms related to bodily functions. :-) Delightful. :-)

Then there are the numerous plot points that are brought up but never resolved: Kulti's ex-wife (what happened to their marriage?), Eric's injured leg (an accident? a result of a prior grudge between him and Kulti?), Sal's injured ankle (mentioned multiple times but never explained), Grace and Kulti's relationship (why did they fight?) and Ceci's whole deal as the self-perceived black sheep of the family. Also, despite how highly Sal speaks of her brother, emphasising their close relationship, he makes but one (1) appearance in the book, and that is through a paraphrased phone call.

Were these Zapata's attempts to flesh out her characters/world, by providing them with histories that stretch past the boundaries of the book? Or is this merely the result of poor editing? Either way, it was distracting and the 500 pages of this book felt unjustified.

And the nicknames: Bratwurst? Sauerkraut?? Taco, burrito, 'German chocolate cake'??? 😐

On second thought: two stars seems appropriate.

Kulti

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