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Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin
Twenty-six-year-old Gaby Barreto might be a lot of things (loyal, sarcastic, one of the guys and a pain in the butt depending on which family member you ask), but dumb isn’t one of them. When her twin brother invites her to go on tour as his band’s merch girl, she isn’t exactly screaming at the top of her lungs with joy. With no job opportunities pounding on her door, an ex-boyfriend she would still like to castrate, and no end in sight to moving out of her parents’ house in Dallas… it would be dumb to say no to the chance of a lifetime. Two bands, three continents, one tour. Spending the next ninety-plus days with three beloved idiots and eight complete strangers shouldn’t be a big deal, right? If only the singer of the headlining band didn’t have tattoos... a great personality… a fantastic body… and if he wasn’t so funny…. Let’s be Gaby never had a chance against Sacha Malykhin.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 21, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,108 reviews
October 31, 2021
the setting was great and i liked the "friends that are family" thing but holy hell the misogyny, transphobic/homophobic jokes, and other shit. it was cringe the first time but it literally never stops.
November 14, 2021
4 stars!
I am on a roll when it comes to Mariana Zapata books! With each one I read, I love her more and more. I only have 2 left and I go between wanting to binge read them, or to savor them and wait a while to read. Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin was different than some of her other books, but still had fantastic characters, a fun story line, and a delicious slow-burn romance!
Gaby is going on tour with her twin brother to help his band as the girl who sells merch. during the show. She needs a job and gets to travel some so it’s a win-win for her. While on tour, she meets Sasha. Sasha Malykhin is the lead singer of one of the other bands on tour. He and Gaby become friends, fun and flirty friends, but with time, Gaby wants more. Who wouldn’t with a guy like Sasha?
I always love books where the characters are friends first. You watch the couples slowly fall in love. You get to see them really get to know the other person. That’s exactly what happened with Sasha and Gaby. Their story was sweet, sexy, and entertaining. It made me laugh and smile, it had just enough angst/conflict to keep me glued to the pages, and I adored the way it ended. This one was a win for me!
“Not liking you is like fighting gravity.”
I am on a roll when it comes to Mariana Zapata books! With each one I read, I love her more and more. I only have 2 left and I go between wanting to binge read them, or to savor them and wait a while to read. Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin was different than some of her other books, but still had fantastic characters, a fun story line, and a delicious slow-burn romance!
Gaby is going on tour with her twin brother to help his band as the girl who sells merch. during the show. She needs a job and gets to travel some so it’s a win-win for her. While on tour, she meets Sasha. Sasha Malykhin is the lead singer of one of the other bands on tour. He and Gaby become friends, fun and flirty friends, but with time, Gaby wants more. Who wouldn’t with a guy like Sasha?
I always love books where the characters are friends first. You watch the couples slowly fall in love. You get to see them really get to know the other person. That’s exactly what happened with Sasha and Gaby. Their story was sweet, sexy, and entertaining. It made me laugh and smile, it had just enough angst/conflict to keep me glued to the pages, and I adored the way it ended. This one was a win for me!
August 3, 2016
“He was the end to my beginning.”
➦I'm a huge fan of Zapata's. She if a queen of slow burn and I absolutely loved
and
. This book, unfortunately, didn't do it for me. I did like it, I just didn't love it.➦We have Gaby, our heroine, who goes on tour with her brother's band to work as a merch girl. There she meets Sasha, a lead singer of the headlining band who is also on tour with them. They spend the next three months together on the road and build their friendship, which develops into love.
❤I loved the supporting characters and some of the crazy/funny things they did. Gaby was on a bus full of guys, her life was not easy and slightly uncomfortable and times... and funny.
✘Gaby annoyed me to no end by the end of the book. I don't think I've ever read about a more delusional heroine before. She took the "I'm not sure he wants more than friendship" to the next level. I think at one point while I was listening to the audio book I screamed something along the lines of "Why don't you just fucking ASK him?" She has no problem talking about anything else other than things that matter.
✘I can understand multiple jokes with references to hookers, but I don't really understand slut shaming. I didn't particularly care for it, it was not needed! Gaby sees some girls in skirts waiting to get autographs next to the band members and thinks to herself "Prostitutes!" Really? Then she meets the hero's ex and thinks "Slut!" on multiple occasions! I understand she was insecure about her appearance but she just came off as bitter.
➦The hero... he was incredibly sweet, caring, talented, fluffy and... too damn perfect. He was just so tame (especially for being a star)! I don't know, I couldn't find any flaws in his character and that also kind of made me a bit detached from him. He was always there, always waiting... waiting for Abby to talk herself through some shit she was imagining to herself. argh.
➦If you like slow burn, friends to lovers and romances about rock bands this book might be for you.
August 27, 2015
That's right, I had a huge smile on my face throughout the whole book. It was funny, light and so so sweet. The romance was slow and hardly anything happened romantically until 80%, but the slow build-up made me appreciate the relationship between main characters even more, and the whole anticipation thing was well done.
Gaby, fresh out of college, with no job yet, dumped by her boyfriend takes an offer from her twin brother Eli to go on tour with him and his bandmates. Eli together with Mason and Gordo have been best friends with Gaby since kindergarten, they are crazy but good kind of crazy. When Gaby joins them, she soon finds out that there is also other band touring with them. And lets just say that her first encounter with their lead singer Sacha was hilarious. It only gets better later on. Their banter, teasing and goofing around made me laugh out loud more than once.
"Sometimes I feel like I've known you my entire life, and other times, I ask myself what the hell I was thinking trying to be your friend."Gaby and Sacha have instantly taken to each other's humor, they fitted together perfectly and it was only natural for them to become a couple after the friendship wasn't enough. It took them awhile but not so long to get bored with them getting around to start something more.
"I've thought the same about you. What would my life be like if you hadn't kicked me in the ass?"
And I couldn't stop imagining Sacha (with his black dress pants, shirts and ties while performing on stage) as Adam Levine all the time. Ah, such a wonderful hero, sweet, funny, caring and tender.
If you're into music, pranks, banter, sweet jerks and sassy heroines then I highly recommend this one!
January 21, 2022
let me start off by saying mz is my favorite author of all time and this book had so much potential but it just didn’t work out for me. I love rockstar romances so I was really excited but it felt so rushed and all over the place. I did enjoy the settings and there were a lot of fun found family scenes that made this book better. there were also some super cute quotes from our main guy! I really liked Sacha but for a big shot rockstar he was way too nice for me, and their relationship in general lacked so much depth. Gaby on the other hand annoyed the living hell out of me, she had very much “i’m not like other girls” energy. She also kept slut shaming & calling girls “prostitutes” and “hookers” THE ENTIRE BOOK. I could’ve handled it a couple times but the whole thing? sos I wanted to throw up. Their friend group was fun but they were all so misogynistic which I hated. our fav authors are bound to have some books we don’t like.
the kulti references were very much appreciated tho <3
the kulti references were very much appreciated tho <3
April 28, 2019
Nice and cute... quite forgettable. I would have loved it had I read her books in the order they were released. Sigh, I read her better work first and now I am spoiled.
March 6, 2023
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I almost never like rockstar romances. I think it's because they tend to be very shallow and superficial, focusing more on the "I'm hot and have to wade through a sea of willing women and available drugs" aspects of the profession and less on the talent and the artistry. It gets old after a while, you know? When setting up for this romance reading challenge, the rockstar romance category was one I dreaded almost as much as motorcycle/MC romance - gag.
But I'd heard nothing but good things about Mariana Zapata for years, and even though DEAR AARON turned out to be a bust, I thought that maybe, just maybe, RHYTHM, CHORD & MALYKHIN might turn out to be a winner.
Spoiler: nope.
Here's the thing - in many ways, RHYTHM has a lot of the same problems that I had with DEAR AARON, except magnified. Whereas DEAR AARON was almost, almost a three or four star read bar an unfortunate last act, RHYTHM was almost a one, except for the fact that I finished it, held captive by this trash person opera of ribald foolishness and moronic courtship rituals. The hero and heroine are supposed to have a "connection" but mostly it's just a physical connection, if you catch my drift. More telling, the descriptions of Sascha are nearly identical to those of Aaron - swimmer physique, blocky abs, small waist, broad shoulders, "perfectly sculpted" body - and the only difference is skin color and eye color. I get that some authors have a "type" and that's fine, but when the descriptions feel interchangeable, it starts to feel more like lazy writing.
Second, like Ruby in DEAR AARON, Gaby has insecurities. Ruby had anxiety and Gaby has body image issues, so much so that she decided to get breast implants to boost her image. Again, fine. But I feel like, as with DEAR AARON, it wasn't handled very well, and like Ruby, Gaby never really learns to stand up for herself; she waits for others to do it for her. While her friends are sitting there, making comments about how women with fake tits are slutty, she just sits there and waits for her men (her crush and her brother) to defend her. Her friends and her brother call her Flabby Gabby, Flabby, Flabs, and even Doctor Flabby because (I guess?) she used to be heavy when she was younger. It's obvious that she was really traumatized about her weight when she was younger but since she's thin and hot now, she seems to be totally fine with the nickname and never calls them out on it.
Third, like Aaron in DEAR AARON, Sascha totally yanks Gaby around. He sends her mixed signals, calling her a friend while doing sexual things with her, and never calls her his girlfriend. For a while, she even thinks he might be seeing someone else because at one point his ex comes for a visit and he pulls out a chair for her - in front of Gaby - sits with her, eats with her, and during a telephone call that Gaby overhears, even tells his ex that he's "not seeing anyone." Later, he tries to tell Gaby that it's because his ex is a psycho, but it's not even this part that really upsets Gaby (although it should because it's classic avoidance syndrome); no, she's upset because he told his ex that he still cares about her. She freaks out about it instead of talking to him, and acts like a raging bitch.
Fourth, the transphobia. There are so many transphobic jokes and insults in this book that weren't present in DEAR AARON. I think it's supposed to be "locker room talk" (ugh) because Gaby is the only girl in this group of boys on tour, but it comes across as really disgusting. I've quoted a few of them in my status updates for this book, and found it rather disturbing just how often it came up. These people are supposed to be in their mid- to late-twenties and sound like they're freshmen in high school. The constant potty talk and references to fecal matter and farts hammered in this suspicion for me. The latter is purely juvenile but the way the former is normalized feels dangerous. For example, one of the "worst" things that Gaby envisions happening to her ex in revenge is that he'd unknowingly hook up with a transvestite, presumably because he'd experience the infamous "trans panic" - something that has been used to rationalize the assault and even murder of trans people who outted themselves.
Add to that general d-baggery of all the characters and the fact that one of the characters never showers and is inexplicably described as a vagina magnet (ew), and I found myself wondering, quite blatantly, "Why the hype?" I still have a couple more of this author's books languishing on my Kindle app, so I'll probably check those out, but my "success" so far is making me think I won't be buying any more.
1.5 to 2 stars
April 7, 2023
DNFing at page 94 / 33%
I tried really hard to not DNF this… but I couldn’t do it — I’m all for a girl being one of the guys but this was just way too much for me.
Mentions of sweating like crazy and stinking like a man, pit stains on her shirt, fungus on her feet, taking a shit in a plastic bag, vomiting on stage and the random underhand comments that she’s fat were just not working for me —- but I really had to stop reading when the guys shaved off one third of her head after basicly breaking her face with a soccer ball while playing a game she didn’t even want to play.
PLUS - Sacha had a girlfriend (at least for the 1/3 of the book I read) and I really don’t care to see how that works itself out.
I felt zero connection to anything - I didn’t like the characters, I was bored by the story and I only regret not listening to my gut when it was telling me this book wasn’t going to work for me in the first chapter.
I can’t believe Im dnfing an MZ book… but whateverrr. I’ll pretend I never read this one because I don’t want to knock her off my favorite author list.
I tried really hard to not DNF this… but I couldn’t do it — I’m all for a girl being one of the guys but this was just way too much for me.
Mentions of sweating like crazy and stinking like a man, pit stains on her shirt, fungus on her feet, taking a shit in a plastic bag, vomiting on stage and the random underhand comments that she’s fat were just not working for me —- but I really had to stop reading when the guys shaved off one third of her head after basicly breaking her face with a soccer ball while playing a game she didn’t even want to play.
PLUS - Sacha had a girlfriend (at least for the 1/3 of the book I read) and I really don’t care to see how that works itself out.
I felt zero connection to anything - I didn’t like the characters, I was bored by the story and I only regret not listening to my gut when it was telling me this book wasn’t going to work for me in the first chapter.
I can’t believe Im dnfing an MZ book… but whateverrr. I’ll pretend I never read this one because I don’t want to knock her off my favorite author list.
February 7, 2024
January 2021
6th read and I still absolutely love everything about this book!
June 2019
5th read
Love Sassy and Flabby! ❤
This is my 4th read of this book and I

Synopsis
Twenty-six-year-old Gaby Barreto might be a lot of things (loyal, sarcastic, one of the guys and a pain in the butt depending on which family member you ask), but dumb isn’t one of them. When her twin brother invites her to go on tour as his band’s merch girl, she isn’t exactly screaming at the top of her lungs with joy.
With no job opportunities pounding on her door, an ex-boyfriend she would still like to castrate, and no end in sight to moving out of her parents’ house in Dallas… it would be dumb to say no to the chance of a lifetime. Two bands, three continents, one tour. Spending the next ninety-plus days with three beloved idiots and eight complete strangers shouldn’t be a big deal, right?
If only the singer of the headlining band didn’t have tattoos... a great personality… a fantastic body… and if he wasn’t so funny….
Let’s be real: Gaby never had a chance against Sacha Malykhin.
First read December 23-24, 2015
I loved this book!
Mariana Zapata is one of my favorite writers!
Gaby's character is amazing, and I love the relationship she has with her twin brother Eli, and her best friends Gordo and Mason.
So many times I was pissing myself laughing because the dialogue was just brilliant.

...and Sasha was perfect! Perfect for Gaby , her extremely colorful family, and the music.

Another amazing book by Mariana Zapata!
Read this book!
Second read: March 19-20, 2016

SO GOOD!
5 "I'm with the band" stars!
Loved listening to the audio version of this story!
About the Narrator:
Callie Dalton is an actor and voice artist who loves feisty heroines and brooding boyfriends. She lives in Los Angeles with her own brooding (but not always) boyfriend and her schnauzer, Ella.
Third read December 15-17, 2016
Re-reading one of my favorite books.
Gaby is the best!
I also love Eli (Eliza), Mason, and Gordo aka "The Monsters" as well.
But Sasha(Sassy pants) and Gaby (Princess/Street-fighter) story is still one of my favorite slow-burn love stories!
About the Author:

Mariana Zapata began writing love stories soon after she learned how to spell. She probably shouldn't admit that she started sneaking romance novels from her aunt's bookshelves way before she was old enough to even understand what it meant when a man flipped up a woman's skirt. (Don't tell her mom.) Luckily, she learned to love the process of two people falling in love instead of all the other juicy stuff.
Mariana is a native Texan living in a small town in Colorado with her husband and two beloved (and emotionally manipulative) Great Danes, Dorian and Kaiser. When she's not pretending to write, she's reading. You can usually find her burning somewhat edible experiments in the kitchen or cracking jokes at the expense of her family members.
She also loves to hear from her readers!
www.marianazapata.com
marianazapata@live.com
www.facebook.com/marianazapatawrites
For upcoming teasers, samples, and all things new-release-related, join her mailing list here:
http://marianazapata.us5.list-manage....
6th read and I still absolutely love everything about this book!
June 2019
5th read
Love Sassy and Flabby! ❤
This is my 4th read of this book and I

Synopsis
Twenty-six-year-old Gaby Barreto might be a lot of things (loyal, sarcastic, one of the guys and a pain in the butt depending on which family member you ask), but dumb isn’t one of them. When her twin brother invites her to go on tour as his band’s merch girl, she isn’t exactly screaming at the top of her lungs with joy.
With no job opportunities pounding on her door, an ex-boyfriend she would still like to castrate, and no end in sight to moving out of her parents’ house in Dallas… it would be dumb to say no to the chance of a lifetime. Two bands, three continents, one tour. Spending the next ninety-plus days with three beloved idiots and eight complete strangers shouldn’t be a big deal, right?
If only the singer of the headlining band didn’t have tattoos... a great personality… a fantastic body… and if he wasn’t so funny….
Let’s be real: Gaby never had a chance against Sacha Malykhin.
First read December 23-24, 2015
I loved this book!
Mariana Zapata is one of my favorite writers!
Gaby's character is amazing, and I love the relationship she has with her twin brother Eli, and her best friends Gordo and Mason.
So many times I was pissing myself laughing because the dialogue was just brilliant.

...and Sasha was perfect! Perfect for Gaby , her extremely colorful family, and the music.

Another amazing book by Mariana Zapata!
Read this book!
Second read: March 19-20, 2016

SO GOOD!
5 "I'm with the band" stars!
Loved listening to the audio version of this story!
About the Narrator:
Callie Dalton is an actor and voice artist who loves feisty heroines and brooding boyfriends. She lives in Los Angeles with her own brooding (but not always) boyfriend and her schnauzer, Ella.
Third read December 15-17, 2016
Re-reading one of my favorite books.
Gaby is the best!
I also love Eli (Eliza), Mason, and Gordo aka "The Monsters" as well.
But Sasha(Sassy pants) and Gaby (Princess/Street-fighter) story is still one of my favorite slow-burn love stories!
About the Author:

Mariana Zapata began writing love stories soon after she learned how to spell. She probably shouldn't admit that she started sneaking romance novels from her aunt's bookshelves way before she was old enough to even understand what it meant when a man flipped up a woman's skirt. (Don't tell her mom.) Luckily, she learned to love the process of two people falling in love instead of all the other juicy stuff.
Mariana is a native Texan living in a small town in Colorado with her husband and two beloved (and emotionally manipulative) Great Danes, Dorian and Kaiser. When she's not pretending to write, she's reading. You can usually find her burning somewhat edible experiments in the kitchen or cracking jokes at the expense of her family members.
She also loves to hear from her readers!
www.marianazapata.com
marianazapata@live.com
www.facebook.com/marianazapatawrites
For upcoming teasers, samples, and all things new-release-related, join her mailing list here:
http://marianazapata.us5.list-manage....
October 30, 2017
4.5 stars!
“Not liking you is like fighting gravity.”
After her boyfriend dumps her, Gabby is asked to go on tour with her twin brother selling merchandise for his band. Which would be fine, if she wasn't insanely attracted to the lead singer of the other traveling band, Sacha. Three months and a bunch of countries, everyone will be tight together making for some interesting happenings.
“Because if I remember correctly, your text message said, ‘I just kicked the hottest guy I’ve probably ever seen in the ass.’ And I asked you what he looked like and you texted me back, ‘Like a double bacon cheeseburger I’d take a bite out of.”
Mariana Zapata is an author who has never let me down. I've read six of her books and thoroughly enjoyed them all. She takes the time to develop her characters and her relationships, so everything feels more real. I love that she writes slow burn instead of instalove, I love seeing the journey her characters take when falling for each other.
Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin is an excellent book and falls in the middle of the spectrum, not my favorite Zapata and not my least favorite. It's a solid rock star romance, but I also wondered why none of the band players were running around getting laid with everything that moved. Not that I want that, but I wonder if this was a more accurate depiction of the lifestyle where it takes place.
You need to start reading Zapata if you haven't already. And if you have read some of her books, bump this one up the to be read list.
“He was the end to my beginning.”
Follow me on ♥ Facebook ♥ Blog ♥ Instagram ♥ Twitter ♥
“Not liking you is like fighting gravity.”
After her boyfriend dumps her, Gabby is asked to go on tour with her twin brother selling merchandise for his band. Which would be fine, if she wasn't insanely attracted to the lead singer of the other traveling band, Sacha. Three months and a bunch of countries, everyone will be tight together making for some interesting happenings.
“Because if I remember correctly, your text message said, ‘I just kicked the hottest guy I’ve probably ever seen in the ass.’ And I asked you what he looked like and you texted me back, ‘Like a double bacon cheeseburger I’d take a bite out of.”
Mariana Zapata is an author who has never let me down. I've read six of her books and thoroughly enjoyed them all. She takes the time to develop her characters and her relationships, so everything feels more real. I love that she writes slow burn instead of instalove, I love seeing the journey her characters take when falling for each other.
Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin is an excellent book and falls in the middle of the spectrum, not my favorite Zapata and not my least favorite. It's a solid rock star romance, but I also wondered why none of the band players were running around getting laid with everything that moved. Not that I want that, but I wonder if this was a more accurate depiction of the lifestyle where it takes place.
You need to start reading Zapata if you haven't already. And if you have read some of her books, bump this one up the to be read list.
“He was the end to my beginning.”
Follow me on ♥ Facebook ♥ Blog ♥ Instagram ♥ Twitter ♥
July 2, 2017
I FUCKIN LOVED THIS BOOK!!!
and I will tell you more about it later...
BUT I will state this - Mariana Zapata is definitely one of the authors that I am saving in MY FAVORITE AUTHORS drawer.
The story
As I like to state - there's no subject or theme that hasn't already been written! The difference is in the WAY or HOW it was written and that's where the writers' "personal touch" comes in, it's the thing that differs and truly makes a difference...it can be a deciding moment whether you like the story in the end or not.
So, here we follow a 26 year old woman Gabby - without a job, no opportunities in sight either and recently dumped by her boyfriend of two years - in the events and mischiefs that she goes through and lives out while she joins the Rhythm and Chord tour with Eli (her twin brother) and his band (consisted of Gabby's friends Mason and Gordo)
They know each other very well, they grew up together and they are connected by this snarky, sassy and sarcastic sense of humor filled with additional pranks and teasing.
This foursome is hilarious in their banters and pranks...I was laughing so hard most of the time...
Things start to change in a tone when Gabby befriends Sacha Malykhin - a mysterious yet totally approachable singer of the band that joins them on a tour. Gabby is lurred by him BUT is uncertain how to proceed based on what she's feeling (cause she holds some old insecurities from her past related to her physical looks) and afraid that she'd be turned down and rejected by him. BUT she doesn't realise that for love - it takes time to grow and to be recognized as such when you start out as merely colleagues, and then friends...and then lovers
But then you reach the turning point of making a decision - of how to go on, how to make it work
And here comes the secret to Ms. Zapata's writing style...
she takes you slowly, she shows you the perks, those small things that are so natural and known to us from the real life, cause hey, we've all been in some weird, funny as hell situations, embarrassed, shy, red from shame, disgusted, hurt, left out, laughed at, ridiculed and still very much loved at one point in time...
and this story is no different...
you follow these characters on their journey that looks like such a fun place to be in BUT it also shows us that it's not just quite like that!
The funny, hilarious dialogues are the HIGHLIGHT of this book (and I can say of every of her books) and I have now read 3 out of 4.
The emotions you re-live are real, genuine and you either let it go or don't.
If you don't, you'll probably think this book is meh and that is your ultimate right as a reader.
BUT if you let yourself go, you will fly and you'll feel joy of being relaxed with the notion that hey, even with all the shit happening around, you can still feel positive with a slight happy grin on your face.
i chose the latter.
Ms Zapata, please keep on bringing the happy grin on my face!
and I will tell you more about it later...
BUT I will state this - Mariana Zapata is definitely one of the authors that I am saving in MY FAVORITE AUTHORS drawer.
The story
As I like to state - there's no subject or theme that hasn't already been written! The difference is in the WAY or HOW it was written and that's where the writers' "personal touch" comes in, it's the thing that differs and truly makes a difference...it can be a deciding moment whether you like the story in the end or not.
So, here we follow a 26 year old woman Gabby - without a job, no opportunities in sight either and recently dumped by her boyfriend of two years - in the events and mischiefs that she goes through and lives out while she joins the Rhythm and Chord tour with Eli (her twin brother) and his band (consisted of Gabby's friends Mason and Gordo)
They know each other very well, they grew up together and they are connected by this snarky, sassy and sarcastic sense of humor filled with additional pranks and teasing.
This foursome is hilarious in their banters and pranks...I was laughing so hard most of the time...
Things start to change in a tone when Gabby befriends Sacha Malykhin - a mysterious yet totally approachable singer of the band that joins them on a tour. Gabby is lurred by him BUT is uncertain how to proceed based on what she's feeling (cause she holds some old insecurities from her past related to her physical looks) and afraid that she'd be turned down and rejected by him. BUT she doesn't realise that for love - it takes time to grow and to be recognized as such when you start out as merely colleagues, and then friends...and then lovers
But then you reach the turning point of making a decision - of how to go on, how to make it work
And here comes the secret to Ms. Zapata's writing style...
she takes you slowly, she shows you the perks, those small things that are so natural and known to us from the real life, cause hey, we've all been in some weird, funny as hell situations, embarrassed, shy, red from shame, disgusted, hurt, left out, laughed at, ridiculed and still very much loved at one point in time...
and this story is no different...
you follow these characters on their journey that looks like such a fun place to be in BUT it also shows us that it's not just quite like that!
The funny, hilarious dialogues are the HIGHLIGHT of this book (and I can say of every of her books) and I have now read 3 out of 4.
The emotions you re-live are real, genuine and you either let it go or don't.
If you don't, you'll probably think this book is meh and that is your ultimate right as a reader.
BUT if you let yourself go, you will fly and you'll feel joy of being relaxed with the notion that hey, even with all the shit happening around, you can still feel positive with a slight happy grin on your face.
i chose the latter.
Ms Zapata, please keep on bringing the happy grin on my face!
February 14, 2017
I love Mariana's books and they way she writes but really, in this one I think someone else wrote it ant put her name... It was that bad...
May 26, 2023
a Mariana Zapata hero that's NOT grumpy? shocking.
January 24, 2019
While this one wasn't my FAVORITE Mariana Zapata slow burn... it was still fantastic!
Zapata is just the queen of the slow burn for me.
I like to watch her characters develop over the course of the book.
It's always well done and gives me all the feels.
Zapata is just the queen of the slow burn for me.
I like to watch her characters develop over the course of the book.
It's always well done and gives me all the feels.
June 29, 2019
4 / 5
reread:
18/06/18
29/06/19
I loved another MZ book. What a damn shocker. Honestly, I don't even know why I doubted that she could make me fall in love with my least favourite trope (rockstar romances), her writing and plot lines are always flawless! This was yet again another slow burn romance that surpassed all other slow burns.
UGH I NEED MORE MZ BOOKS *cries*
Gaby is currently in the stage of life where nothing's going right. She's finished college with what her family feel is a 'nothing degree', was dumped by her long-term boyfriend, and had to move back in with her parents. So when her annoying twin brother and his two best friends invite her to work the merchandise booth on their band tour, she reluctantly agrees with this promise from her brother.
The banter between Gaby and her twin brother, Eli (and his two best friends, Mason and Gordo, who were basically her brothers too) was my favourite part of this book. It was the hysterical banter that you can only ever have with people who you love unconditionally—although, they must also be the 'not easily offended' type.
On the first day of touring, Gaby meets the lead singer of the headlining band. When her foot connects with his ass. And there begins their hilarious relationship.
The relationship between Sacha and Gaby was perfection like only MZ is capable of writing. The slow affection, banter and feelings that grew between these two characters was so organic. I truly don't understand how people can think that the build-up is too slow—it's the highlight of these books. Realistic romance is something that is difficult to find, and MZ never fails on this front.
This book was filled with gross, touring guys with questionable hygiene habits and it created the best humour ever. I was low-key in love with every one of the boys on the tour bus. But Mason had a special place in my heart, just because his sexual exploit stories had me in stitches.
If that quote doesn't make you want to read this book, there is something seriously wrong with you(or maybe it's the other way around? I wouldn't know.)
reread:
18/06/18
29/06/19
I loved another MZ book. What a damn shocker. Honestly, I don't even know why I doubted that she could make me fall in love with my least favourite trope (rockstar romances), her writing and plot lines are always flawless! This was yet again another slow burn romance that surpassed all other slow burns.
UGH I NEED MORE MZ BOOKS *cries*
Gaby is currently in the stage of life where nothing's going right. She's finished college with what her family feel is a 'nothing degree', was dumped by her long-term boyfriend, and had to move back in with her parents. So when her annoying twin brother and his two best friends invite her to work the merchandise booth on their band tour, she reluctantly agrees with this promise from her brother.
"Fine. We can pay you 10 percent of our sales plus whatever tips you get, you greedy prostitute."
The banter between Gaby and her twin brother, Eli (and his two best friends, Mason and Gordo, who were basically her brothers too) was my favourite part of this book. It was the hysterical banter that you can only ever have with people who you love unconditionally—although, they must also be the 'not easily offended' type.
On the first day of touring, Gaby meets the lead singer of the headlining band. When her foot connects with his ass. And there begins their hilarious relationship.
The relationship between Sacha and Gaby was perfection like only MZ is capable of writing. The slow affection, banter and feelings that grew between these two characters was so organic. I truly don't understand how people can think that the build-up is too slow—it's the highlight of these books. Realistic romance is something that is difficult to find, and MZ never fails on this front.
This book was filled with gross, touring guys with questionable hygiene habits and it created the best humour ever. I was low-key in love with every one of the boys on the tour bus. But Mason had a special place in my heart, just because his sexual exploit stories had me in stitches.
"It's all fun and games until somebody gets crabs."
If that quote doesn't make you want to read this book, there is something seriously wrong with you
February 9, 2021
Myslím, že kdybych se na prstech snažila spočítat, kolik problémů s tou knížkou mám, musela bych si přikoupit nové.
Naprosto bez okolků přiznávám, že nejsem běžný čtenář contempo romatických knížek, ale občas na nějaký ten literární pekáč buchet chuť dostanu. V takovém případě očekávám velmi dobře zpracované postavy (a tím opravdu nemyslím vnější charakteristiku), špetku klišé, trochu humoru, klidně i nějaké závažnější téma, příjemné prostředí. Klidně snesu primitivní strukturu příběhu, pokud mi umožní vypnout. Mé hodnocení, konkrétně 1*, znamená nejen to, že se mi příjemně vypnout nepodařilo, ale i to, že jsem se fakt vytočila.
Čím začít?
Slibovaným rockovým prostředím? Jeden by čekal, že z toho bude cítit, z každé stránky. Koncerty, kytary, zvuk. Místo toho z těch stránek šly cítit benzinové pumpy, divné sprchy a přejíždění z místa na místo. A tedy tohle není sexy. Vůbec jsem neměla pocit, že čtu knihu o hudebníkovi (vždyť ten Saša víc běhal, než vystupoval, ne?).
Tohle má být slowburn romance.
Pomalé to tedy je. Ale žádné burn nevidím. Absolutně žádný vývoj! Nic, nic, nic, hudlan na 80 % - přísáhám, že úplně debilní, milujeme se na 85 %, od 90 % je to čistý sex, co se nedal číst. Co to je kruci za kompozici?
Saša. Sašenka sušenka (jj, to je z knihy, schválně by mě zajímalo, jestli tu je nějaký chlap, kterému by tohle oslovení nevadilo, ba přímo rozohňovalo).
Saša je fakt prototypem týpka s pekáčem a klobásou a vystruženými bicáky (opět, tohle je z knihy). Zapata je docela mistr v popisování anatomie člověka a vymýšlení různých přirovnání, toho si čtenář užije hodně, slibuji. Růžová okurka je favorit. Vtipné, že? Hahaha, ale o humoru později.
Úplně si nejsem jistá, jestli si vybavuji jakoukoliv Sašovu vlastnost. Kromě toho, že je zřejmě kokot, když vezme holku s sebou na vytrvalostní běh a až po 13 km, když ona sama skoro tahá střeva po zemi, je překvapený, že mu nestíhá. Jo, vím, že ona měla něco říct, ale tam jsem asi ochotna tu hrdost pochopit, i když je hloupá.
Taky se bojí bouřky a kadí do igeliťáku. Tím pro mě absolutně skončil jako někdo, kdo by mě mohl brát alespoň jako literární postava, což je v romantické knížce trochu problém, co?
A samozřejmě je ten chlap neodolatelně vtipný.
Hlavní holka je, já nevím, je jí 26, svému bratrovi strká prst do nosu, když ji naštve. Těch trapně dětinských situací je tam mnoho. Třeba jedna s fotbalem. Šla hrát fotbal, i když nechtěla. Ok, přemluvili ji. Jenže pak, když se ukázalo, že ti, co prohrajou, si budou muset oholit hlavu, tam máte spoooooustu odstavců o tom, jak je to v háji, jak nechce, ale wtf, odejít nebylo zase tak těžké. Jak zápas dopadnul, to vám asi došlo, že.
A samozřejmě je ta ženská neodolatelně vtipná.
Vztah těch dvou, přestože jsem ho neviděla přicházet celou 3/4 knihy, je pro mě jedno velké neznámé, ale kdo jsem, abych cizím bránila v hrátkách a lásce. Saša jí dokonce říkal, že by jí dovolil udělat mu rektální vyšetření, takže vlastně krása a posílám srdíčka. Celí jsou velice chutní. A taky ví, že se spolu "o hnědkách můžou bavit kdykoli".
Čemu ale srdíčka neposílám ani náhodou, je vztah dvojčat. Hlavní hrdinka má bráchu. Kámoši, každý jeden rozhovor mezi nimi je toxic až na půdu. Přísahám, že kdybych se takhle se svým sourozencem běžně bavila já 1) nemám kamarády, 2) dostanu pár facek od zbytku příslušníků rodiny. A co je podle mě nejhorší, autorka se to snaží prezentovat jako HUMOR. Nenenenene, tohle není humor.
A takových poznámek mám fůůůůůru. Jakože fůru. Co stránku, někdy i dvě na stránce.
Haha hihi, nemám smysl pro humor asi.
Naprosto bez okolků přiznávám, že nejsem běžný čtenář contempo romatických knížek, ale občas na nějaký ten literární pekáč buchet chuť dostanu. V takovém případě očekávám velmi dobře zpracované postavy (a tím opravdu nemyslím vnější charakteristiku), špetku klišé, trochu humoru, klidně i nějaké závažnější téma, příjemné prostředí. Klidně snesu primitivní strukturu příběhu, pokud mi umožní vypnout. Mé hodnocení, konkrétně 1*, znamená nejen to, že se mi příjemně vypnout nepodařilo, ale i to, že jsem se fakt vytočila.
Čím začít?
Slibovaným rockovým prostředím? Jeden by čekal, že z toho bude cítit, z každé stránky. Koncerty, kytary, zvuk. Místo toho z těch stránek šly cítit benzinové pumpy, divné sprchy a přejíždění z místa na místo. A tedy tohle není sexy. Vůbec jsem neměla pocit, že čtu knihu o hudebníkovi (vždyť ten Saša víc běhal, než vystupoval, ne?).
Tohle má být slowburn romance.
Pomalé to tedy je. Ale žádné burn nevidím. Absolutně žádný vývoj! Nic, nic, nic, hudlan na 80 % - přísáhám, že úplně debilní, milujeme se na 85 %, od 90 % je to čistý sex, co se nedal číst. Co to je kruci za kompozici?
Saša. Sašenka sušenka (jj, to je z knihy, schválně by mě zajímalo, jestli tu je nějaký chlap, kterému by tohle oslovení nevadilo, ba přímo rozohňovalo).
Saša je fakt prototypem týpka s pekáčem a klobásou a vystruženými bicáky (opět, tohle je z knihy). Zapata je docela mistr v popisování anatomie člověka a vymýšlení různých přirovnání, toho si čtenář užije hodně, slibuji. Růžová okurka je favorit. Vtipné, že? Hahaha, ale o humoru později.
Úplně si nejsem jistá, jestli si vybavuji jakoukoliv Sašovu vlastnost. Kromě toho, že je zřejmě kokot, když vezme holku s sebou na vytrvalostní běh a až po 13 km, když ona sama skoro tahá střeva po zemi, je překvapený, že mu nestíhá. Jo, vím, že ona měla něco říct, ale tam jsem asi ochotna tu hrdost pochopit, i když je hloupá.
Taky se bojí bouřky a kadí do igeliťáku. Tím pro mě absolutně skončil jako někdo, kdo by mě mohl brát alespoň jako literární postava, což je v romantické knížce trochu problém, co?
A samozřejmě je ten chlap neodolatelně vtipný.
Hlavní holka je, já nevím, je jí 26, svému bratrovi strká prst do nosu, když ji naštve. Těch trapně dětinských situací je tam mnoho. Třeba jedna s fotbalem. Šla hrát fotbal, i když nechtěla. Ok, přemluvili ji. Jenže pak, když se ukázalo, že ti, co prohrajou, si budou muset oholit hlavu, tam máte spoooooustu odstavců o tom, jak je to v háji, jak nechce, ale wtf, odejít nebylo zase tak těžké. Jak zápas dopadnul, to vám asi došlo, že.
A samozřejmě je ta ženská neodolatelně vtipná.
Vztah těch dvou, přestože jsem ho neviděla přicházet celou 3/4 knihy, je pro mě jedno velké neznámé, ale kdo jsem, abych cizím bránila v hrátkách a lásce. Saša jí dokonce říkal, že by jí dovolil udělat mu rektální vyšetření, takže vlastně krása a posílám srdíčka. Celí jsou velice chutní. A taky ví, že se spolu "o hnědkách můžou bavit kdykoli".
"Sašenko, ta ženská si rozhodně chtěla umíchat tvoje vajíčka."
"Ježišikriste, Gaby," sykl ve snaze se uklidnit. Naznačila jsem ve vzduchu rozbíjení vajíček v pánvi. Saša zasténal a zatlačil mi ruce do klína.
"Hele, ty si možná myslíš, že si dělám srandu, ale jen počkej. Až budu mít hlad, tak ty tvoje vejce klidně vymění za něco na zub."
Pak si olízl palec a otřel mi koutek rtů.. "Tak. Mělas tam trochu zaschlou slinu."
Seděla jsem tam jako ohromený blbeček. Nejspíš jsem překvapením otevřela pusu. Kdyby mi tohle udělal kdokoliv jiný, ohnala bych se po něm, ani bych se nerozpakovala. Jenže teď mi najednou jeho gesto připadalo milé. Až příliš milé.
Jedna věc mi však byla jasná. To gesto bylo tak důvěrné, tak intimní, že už se to nedalo vydržet...
Budu si muset opatřit vibrátor. A to fofrem.
Čemu ale srdíčka neposílám ani náhodou, je vztah dvojčat. Hlavní hrdinka má bráchu. Kámoši, každý jeden rozhovor mezi nimi je toxic až na půdu. Přísahám, že kdybych se takhle se svým sourozencem běžně bavila já 1) nemám kamarády, 2) dostanu pár facek od zbytku příslušníků rodiny. A co je podle mě nejhorší, autorka se to snaží prezentovat jako HUMOR. Nenenenene, tohle není humor.
Brácha: "Jezdíme takhle od doby, kdy jsem kvůli cenám benzinu začal skoro krvácet z prdele."
Ségra: "A jsi si jistej, že to krvácení nebylo jen z přemíry análu, co si dopřáváš s Masonem?"
"Co to sakra máš na sobě, Flabby? Jdeš snad šlapat chodník, nebo co?" vyhrkl a ukázal na moje šaty.
"Sklapni," okřikla jsem ho. Tohle mi dělal pokaždé, když jsem na sobě neměla cokoli, co nebylo nejmíň pokolena.
...
"Jestli si dneska něco vyděláš, chci svůj podíl!"
Ukázala jsem mu vztyčený prostředníček...
A takových poznámek mám fůůůůůru. Jakože fůru. Co stránku, někdy i dvě na stránce.
Haha hihi, nemám smysl pro humor asi.
April 19, 2019
★4.5★
Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin is a slow burn contemporary romance by the slow burn queen of all Mariana Zapata. A rock star romance with humor, witty text, passion, and complex characters. Gaby has always been close to her rock star twin brother. When she finds herself in between jobs, she doesn't think twice about joining her twin on his worldwide tour. It doesn't take Gaby long to connect with the lead singer of one of the bands on tour Sasha Malykhin. Sasha and Gaby become friends and a connection is formed. Sasha and Gaby become inseparable and as feelings transform from friendship to inseparable love more than beautiful music is made!
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
"He was the end to my beginning."
Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin is a slow burn contemporary romance by the slow burn queen of all Mariana Zapata. A rock star romance with humor, witty text, passion, and complex characters. Gaby has always been close to her rock star twin brother. When she finds herself in between jobs, she doesn't think twice about joining her twin on his worldwide tour. It doesn't take Gaby long to connect with the lead singer of one of the bands on tour Sasha Malykhin. Sasha and Gaby become friends and a connection is formed. Sasha and Gaby become inseparable and as feelings transform from friendship to inseparable love more than beautiful music is made!
“Do you have any idea how easy it is to love you?”Told in multiple POV, Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin is an absolute must-read for slow burn romance fans. Their romance unfolds like a magical documentary and I simply could not take my eyes away!
“It was a blinding kind of thing, this unbelievable friendship—this love—I had with and for him. It was mine and it made me happy, and I reveled in it.”Overall, I have become a true Zapata addict and was once again captivated by a beautiful story of friendship and love. Fans of a slow burn and rock star romance will enjoy every second in the Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin world!
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
January 24, 2016
5 ++++++++ STARS!!!!!!!
"You're a dream come true."
It's Mariana Zapata <3!!!
"You're a dream come true."
It's Mariana Zapata <3!!!
February 3, 2016
I love this author. Kulti, also written by her was by far, one of the best romances I've ever read. MZ has a way of writing incredibly likable heroines full of spirit and humor.
Rock star romances don't usually do it for me, but since I love this author I gave it a go. It was written with the same awesome recipe this author uses; witty humor, a slow burn of a romance and very likable characters. There's no insta-anything here, and this is trademark. I love that.
Gaby was wonderful, of course. So funny. Sasha was sweet, smart, talented and complemented Gaby in every way. He was so funny at times, yet sexy as well. But the thing that stood out as much as the romance was the sibling love between Gaby and her brother, Eli. I've never read a book where the relationship between brother and sister was just as good as between the main characters. The jokes, insults, innuendoes, pranks and love was so genuine, so beautiful that I felt myself wishing I was part of a twin set as well!
The slow burn was amazing, as usual. I loved the ending and the epilogue, all around a great book from an author that has become auto-buy for me.
Rock star romances don't usually do it for me, but since I love this author I gave it a go. It was written with the same awesome recipe this author uses; witty humor, a slow burn of a romance and very likable characters. There's no insta-anything here, and this is trademark. I love that.
Gaby was wonderful, of course. So funny. Sasha was sweet, smart, talented and complemented Gaby in every way. He was so funny at times, yet sexy as well. But the thing that stood out as much as the romance was the sibling love between Gaby and her brother, Eli. I've never read a book where the relationship between brother and sister was just as good as between the main characters. The jokes, insults, innuendoes, pranks and love was so genuine, so beautiful that I felt myself wishing I was part of a twin set as well!
The slow burn was amazing, as usual. I loved the ending and the epilogue, all around a great book from an author that has become auto-buy for me.
January 23, 2018
1 star (and even less if I could)
review to come but essentially, uh ... this is the second book this year I've read from Mariana Zapata and I just don't think that she's not the author for me ... at all.
girl hate and underlying transphobia and instalove and conflicting opinions on body positivity and sexual openness DO NOT make for a cute romance
review to come but essentially, uh ... this is the second book this year I've read from Mariana Zapata and I just don't think that she's not the author for me ... at all.
girl hate and underlying transphobia and instalove and conflicting opinions on body positivity and sexual openness DO NOT make for a cute romance
October 21, 2021
4 Stars for Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin (audiobook) by Mariana Zapata read by Carly Robins.
This was a fun book. It’s a slow burn romance set in the music world. The characters are nice and there isn’t any big drama. Just a cute story.
This was a fun book. It’s a slow burn romance set in the music world. The characters are nice and there isn’t any big drama. Just a cute story.
March 19, 2018
4.5/5 stars
my binge reading my girl MZ's books probably says a lot about the state of my love life, if there is any lol ✨
So, after finishing The Wall of Winnipeg and Me and Lingus, I immediately started this book because your girl just can't get enough of Mariana Zapata's writings. She's just really good.
There's something different about her books that really set it above the rest of romance novels out there. Unlike some novels I've read before, the romance here just feels so real, raw, and tangible. It's not lust at first sight, some sex, then this whole mess of "do I have feelings for him or just really like getting naked with him yadda yadda yadda".
I love how she builds up the characters' relationship with trust and friendship. They don't just jump to bed together and then figure out the rest after that. No. They really get to know each other and let the feelings build up. Mariana Zapata keeps on killing it on the slow-burn romance game and I'm slowly being a trash for her.
Also, I absolutely like how she does not make her characters flawless, especially the guy MCs. She writes them more realistically and I really like that. She's not afraid to give them flaws and embarrassing moments in fears of the readers not finding them dreamy or swoon-worthy. They snort and fart and just feels overall relatable and not that unreachable. The female MCs too, including the ones in TWoWaM and Lingus, are pretty strong, independent women that I really loved reading about. They're not afraid to speak their minds and just be awesome.
The MCs Gaby and Sacha are just so damn cute. I laughed a lot because of their witty banter and overall ridiculousness. The side characters too are pretty good on their own. I absolutely adored Eli and Mason. The sibling relationship, the friendships and just the whole atmosphere of the book are really good.
Also, the "Falling for a Popular Singer™" trope here is a breath of fresh air for me as it does not really follow that trope to a T. Believe me, there was nearly zero of that "he's popular and I'm nothing" drama here that we usually get with this kind of plot.
Why did I not give it five stars like I did with her first two books I've read?
One, the satisfaction after reading The Wall of Winnipeg and Me was undefeatable. Two, Lingus made me laughed so hard my sister kept on asking me what's so damn funny. I gave those two five stars because I highly enjoyed reading them. Now with Rythm, Chord & Malykhin, I did experience that satisfaction and laughter I'm craving for. But this book just left me wanting more and MORE. I was this close to giving it five stars if only something did not click for me. I'm not saying this is not good, NO. This is a really quick, fun, and easy read for me. It just did not reach my point of obsession.
I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a smart and fun romance and some really nice and cute MCs to swoon for.
P.S. Here is an outtake from RCM told in Sassy's POV!
"Do you have any idea how easy it is to love you?"
my binge reading my girl MZ's books probably says a lot about the state of my love life, if there is any lol ✨
So, after finishing The Wall of Winnipeg and Me and Lingus, I immediately started this book because your girl just can't get enough of Mariana Zapata's writings. She's just really good.
There's something different about her books that really set it above the rest of romance novels out there. Unlike some novels I've read before, the romance here just feels so real, raw, and tangible. It's not lust at first sight, some sex, then this whole mess of "do I have feelings for him or just really like getting naked with him yadda yadda yadda".
I love how she builds up the characters' relationship with trust and friendship. They don't just jump to bed together and then figure out the rest after that. No. They really get to know each other and let the feelings build up. Mariana Zapata keeps on killing it on the slow-burn romance game and I'm slowly being a trash for her.
Also, I absolutely like how she does not make her characters flawless, especially the guy MCs. She writes them more realistically and I really like that. She's not afraid to give them flaws and embarrassing moments in fears of the readers not finding them dreamy or swoon-worthy. They snort and fart and just feels overall relatable and not that unreachable. The female MCs too, including the ones in TWoWaM and Lingus, are pretty strong, independent women that I really loved reading about. They're not afraid to speak their minds and just be awesome.
The MCs Gaby and Sacha are just so damn cute. I laughed a lot because of their witty banter and overall ridiculousness. The side characters too are pretty good on their own. I absolutely adored Eli and Mason. The sibling relationship, the friendships and just the whole atmosphere of the book are really good.
Also, the "Falling for a Popular Singer™" trope here is a breath of fresh air for me as it does not really follow that trope to a T. Believe me, there was nearly zero of that "he's popular and I'm nothing" drama here that we usually get with this kind of plot.
Why did I not give it five stars like I did with her first two books I've read?
One, the satisfaction after reading The Wall of Winnipeg and Me was undefeatable. Two, Lingus made me laughed so hard my sister kept on asking me what's so damn funny. I gave those two five stars because I highly enjoyed reading them. Now with Rythm, Chord & Malykhin, I did experience that satisfaction and laughter I'm craving for. But this book just left me wanting more and MORE. I was this close to giving it five stars if only something did not click for me. I'm not saying this is not good, NO. This is a really quick, fun, and easy read for me. It just did not reach my point of obsession.
I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a smart and fun romance and some really nice and cute MCs to swoon for.
P.S. Here is an outtake from RCM told in Sassy's POV!
![Profile Image for Michelle [Helen Geek].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1448463806i/5557851._CR0,13,200,200_.jpg)
December 18, 2016
December 2016 re-read
I probably liked this more the second time around!!
++++++++++++++++++++++
08/23/2015 --
I enjoy this author. I think my favorite thing about this book is the relationship Gaby has with her brother Eli and her best friends Mason and Gordo. I loved the interactions and the back and forth dialogue. It sounded so much like me and my brother. I had fun reading it.
At the 50% mark, I'm always thinking 5 Star. Then, something happens, or doesn't happen and they end up 4 Stars. Still not bad.
You can just tell when an author isn't comfortable with writing intimate scenes. You almost wish they wouldn't and give you something more in the story than stumble their way through it. This, I think, is MZ's issue. She has issues creating the tension, then the slow build up and then it happens and it is so lame. Just don't.
Regardless, I enjoyed this book.
Happy Reading!!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Overall Rating = 4 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb / Book Title = 3 / 4 / 3 = 3.5 Stars
Writer’s Voice = 4 Stars
Character / Secondary Character Development = 4 / 4 = 4 Stars
“Did I like” Hero / Heroine = 4 / 3 = 3.5 Stars
Story / Background Story Development = 4 / 3 = 3.5 Stars
“Did I like the Damned Thing” = 4 Stars
Ending = 3 Stars
Worth the Chili = 5 Stars -- [$2.99 on Amazon]
Smexy [HEAT] Rating = Mild [Lame]
171 pages
First sentence: The last conversation that changed my life started with the words, "Gaby, we need to talk."
Last sentence: But I loved him and for us to be together, it was nothing.
I probably liked this more the second time around!!
++++++++++++++++++++++
08/23/2015 --
I enjoy this author. I think my favorite thing about this book is the relationship Gaby has with her brother Eli and her best friends Mason and Gordo. I loved the interactions and the back and forth dialogue. It sounded so much like me and my brother. I had fun reading it.
At the 50% mark, I'm always thinking 5 Star. Then, something happens, or doesn't happen and they end up 4 Stars. Still not bad.
You can just tell when an author isn't comfortable with writing intimate scenes. You almost wish they wouldn't and give you something more in the story than stumble their way through it. This, I think, is MZ's issue. She has issues creating the tension, then the slow build up and then it happens and it is so lame. Just don't.
Regardless, I enjoyed this book.
Happy Reading!!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Overall Rating = 4 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb / Book Title = 3 / 4 / 3 = 3.5 Stars
Writer’s Voice = 4 Stars
Character / Secondary Character Development = 4 / 4 = 4 Stars
“Did I like” Hero / Heroine = 4 / 3 = 3.5 Stars
Story / Background Story Development = 4 / 3 = 3.5 Stars
“Did I like the Damned Thing” = 4 Stars
Ending = 3 Stars
Worth the Chili = 5 Stars -- [$2.99 on Amazon]
Smexy [HEAT] Rating = Mild [Lame]
171 pages
First sentence: The last conversation that changed my life started with the words, "Gaby, we need to talk."
Last sentence: But I loved him and for us to be together, it was nothing.
October 24, 2018
"I fell in love with the voice in the dark."
Mariana Zapata is quickly becoming a must read author for me. She is the Queen of a slow burn romance in the best possible way and I can't get enough of her writing. She gets me, she really really gets me. To prove just how much she gets me, she wrote this book and put in it a baboon of a brother I always wanted. And he was exactly how I pictured him.
By the way my mom already told me I can't have an older (or even twin) brother for Christmas. I asked. She sighed and told me I needed to get a life.
And that's just part of the reason I liked this book so much. The other part - Sacha. Mariana strayed from her path with him and made him the sweetest guy ever. I approve.
The only thing that irked me was how judgmental Gaby seemed to other girls, I wanted to smack her a few times. Other than that - all good. On to the next Zapata fix.
Over and out
Mariana Zapata is quickly becoming a must read author for me. She is the Queen of a slow burn romance in the best possible way and I can't get enough of her writing. She gets me, she really really gets me. To prove just how much she gets me, she wrote this book and put in it a baboon of a brother I always wanted. And he was exactly how I pictured him.
By the way my mom already told me I can't have an older (or even twin) brother for Christmas. I asked. She sighed and told me I needed to get a life.
And that's just part of the reason I liked this book so much. The other part - Sacha. Mariana strayed from her path with him and made him the sweetest guy ever. I approve.
The only thing that irked me was how judgmental Gaby seemed to other girls, I wanted to smack her a few times. Other than that - all good. On to the next Zapata fix.
Over and out
March 16, 2021
“I fell in love with the voice in the dark. No joke, no exaggeration. It was a pure, raw love.”
This was a short and sweet read, especially compared to most of Mariana Zapata’s other books! I definitely expected more conflict, but I’m sort of glad that this was such a light read!
Gaby and Sacha were really really fun protagonists. I was also super surprised by the fact that Sacha didn’t start out as rude?! He was just nice right from the start so unlike in a lot of her other books it was easy for the two protagonists to become friends. The development of their relationship from friends to lovers was really cute, but definitely not my favourite though.
"Do you have any idea how easy it is to love you?"
I also adored the friendship between Gaby, Eli, Mason and Gordo! At times their antics were a bit stressful, but seeing them interact was always hilarious!
Honestly, there was nothing inherently wrong with this book, my rating of 3.5 was just a personal taste thing. I’m not a huge fan of plots like this where a band goes on a tour because for some reason I just never seem to enjoy it as much. Which is fine, everyone has different opinions!
*3.5
MY BLOG <3
MY SPOTIFY <3
December 5, 2019
So I’m a little less heart-eyes this go-round. Over Zapata and this book. Downgrading it to 4 stars. Sacha was a sweet, open, fun hero. Gaby was...okay. I definitely didn’t adore her, Mason, Eli or Gordo this time around. Their antics were childish. Yeesh.
Overall it was enjoyable. Easy. Zapata got me through a tough couple of weeks in a new work position. I appreciate that.
***original review***
I love Mariana Zapata. She writes the smartest, strongest, coolest heroines ever. Gaby was so real - it was like I knew her. Mason, Eli and Gordo were awesome - fully fleshed out and as realistic as my own brother. Of course Sasha was perfect - but it took time. And that's the glory of a Zapata novel. By the time the characters realize they're in love the reader is head over heels for them. I will read anything she writes.
Overall it was enjoyable. Easy. Zapata got me through a tough couple of weeks in a new work position. I appreciate that.
***original review***
I love Mariana Zapata. She writes the smartest, strongest, coolest heroines ever. Gaby was so real - it was like I knew her. Mason, Eli and Gordo were awesome - fully fleshed out and as realistic as my own brother. Of course Sasha was perfect - but it took time. And that's the glory of a Zapata novel. By the time the characters realize they're in love the reader is head over heels for them. I will read anything she writes.
January 10, 2021
2.5 stars
I decided to come back to this book and It’s my least favorite by this author.
OKEY I’M SO SAD RIGHT NOW! I can’t believe I’m not finishing one of Mariana Zapata’s books. I do want to get back to this later though, I’m kind of not in the mood to read another slowwww burn romance🙈🙈.
I decided to come back to this book and It’s my least favorite by this author.
OKEY I’M SO SAD RIGHT NOW! I can’t believe I’m not finishing one of Mariana Zapata’s books. I do want to get back to this later though, I’m kind of not in the mood to read another slowwww burn romance🙈🙈.
August 26, 2015
I liked it, I just didn't love it.
This slow-burn on-tour-with-the-band romance was just that, SLOW! Not a single romantic action until 80% come on!!!!!!! I know this author is known for writing slow-burn romances, usually I'm a fan but in this case it just didn't seem believable to me. I liked the storyline and I liked the characters but a part of me felt like the banter between Gaby and her brother Eli and their 2 best friends was a little forced. Don't get me wrong I definitely laughed out loud reading this, I just felt like it was banter-overkill in some places. The hero Sacha was ok, a little boring for a 27 year old lead singer of a band!
I still love this author, Kulti is definitely one of my top favourite reads this year. I think that's maybe why this one didn't hit the mark for me, I was still on a high from reading Kulti and there's absolutely no comparison.
This slow-burn on-tour-with-the-band romance was just that, SLOW! Not a single romantic action until 80% come on!!!!!!! I know this author is known for writing slow-burn romances, usually I'm a fan but in this case it just didn't seem believable to me. I liked the storyline and I liked the characters but a part of me felt like the banter between Gaby and her brother Eli and their 2 best friends was a little forced. Don't get me wrong I definitely laughed out loud reading this, I just felt like it was banter-overkill in some places. The hero Sacha was ok, a little boring for a 27 year old lead singer of a band!
I still love this author, Kulti is definitely one of my top favourite reads this year. I think that's maybe why this one didn't hit the mark for me, I was still on a high from reading Kulti and there's absolutely no comparison.
October 30, 2018
I wish during summer holiday, someone offers me a job to be groupie of popular band. Because damn! after reading this book, it seems so much fun. Hanging around with bunch of crazy friends such as Eli, Carter, Gordo, Mason and falls in love with the lead singer like Sasha.
And not to mention travel to Australia.
Oh that should be a experience in lifetime. For me this book is not about love story. It is about friendship. A crazy, one in a lifetime friendship. What is I found lacking this book is the chemistry between Sasha and Gaby. But nevertheless, I still enjoy this book very much.
4 stars
And not to mention travel to Australia.
Oh that should be a experience in lifetime. For me this book is not about love story. It is about friendship. A crazy, one in a lifetime friendship. What is I found lacking this book is the chemistry between Sasha and Gaby. But nevertheless, I still enjoy this book very much.
4 stars
November 15, 2021
Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin is a fun read. The relationship that entertained me the most was between Gaby and her twin brother, Eli. Their banter reminds me of my kids. Like when they had their soccer game and the losers had to shave their heads I knew Gaby was going to lose her hair. *lol*
Eli's band is touring and Gaby is the merch girl. She's grown around this rowdy bunch of guys and they treat her like the guys. Except for Sacha Malykhin, from the other band, they're touring with .... he's got a soft spot for Gaby.
● rockstar romance
● friends to lovers
● slow burn
● "two bands, three continents, one tour"
● band member / merch seller
● standalone
I only have 2 books left to read of Mariana Zapatas and then I'll be all caught up with her backlist. Linguis and All Rhodes Lead Here - are on my agenda to read soonish.
Eli's band is touring and Gaby is the merch girl. She's grown around this rowdy bunch of guys and they treat her like the guys. Except for Sacha Malykhin, from the other band, they're touring with .... he's got a soft spot for Gaby.
● rockstar romance
● friends to lovers
● slow burn
● "two bands, three continents, one tour"
● band member / merch seller
● standalone
I only have 2 books left to read of Mariana Zapatas and then I'll be all caught up with her backlist. Linguis and All Rhodes Lead Here - are on my agenda to read soonish.
Audiobook source: Hoopla
Narrator: Carly Robins
Length: 9 H 09 M
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