Hooked on Books discussion

Members Starting the BR: Karen & Geri
Challenge: Book Quest Adventures
Book: When Gracie Met the Grump by Mariana Zapata


Anyone is free to join in this Buddy Read! Happy Reading!

Karen. I’m a little behind. I’ll start this book on Wednesday. 🙂

No problem. I'm a bit behind too.

Chapter 1-7
(view spoiler)[
I like Gracie’s attitude.🙂 She made me laugh when she mentioned the ‘super being’ doesn’t pee or poo. LOL And it doesn’t seem like he has to shower either!

I am curious about why he didn’t want to get any help. Could one of the other super beings be responsible for his injuries? It’s taking him a long time to recover.

And Gracie has some secrets. Her Grandma seems to have had ‘the sight’. Gracie has some powers too, I think. Her stomach hurts when something bad happens. And it surely did. People are definitely after her. The chapter ended with some excitement!
(hide spoiler)]

Chap 1-7
(view spoiler)[
I wasn't sure what to expect but I'm enjoying Gracie. The 'grump' lives up to his name, for sure! And I laughed also when she talked about him not peeing or pooping. lol

I wonder how all this happened to him since he is one of the three powerful beings.

And why does Gracie think that someone is looking for her? Things are definitely getting exciting.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 8-14
(view spoiler)[
Well, this section did feel long! Nothing really happened for chapters. They were just talking and talking and talking. LOL And the story is just mainly Gracie and Alexander. Zapata’s other books weren’t exactly like this.

But we did find out the cartel was after Gracie. I did not expect that. I thought it might be something more supernatural. And Gracie really does focus on bodily functions, doesn’t she? LOL

And I was right, Alexander doesn’t need to shower.🙂 And well, finally Alexander is better and they have escaped. Took long enough! Let’s see if the heat between them gets hotter. Right now, it’s pretty slow burn to me.
(hide spoiler)]

Chap 8-14
(view spoiler)[
This book is really slow at this point. I agree. Nothing much happened except them talking...and talking...lol I don't remember why I thought the cartel was after her. Maybe a comment she made but we found out that's true. And she really does focus on her bodily functions...

Since this is my first Zapata book, I wondered if they all are this slow. Good to find out they're not.

At least I'm hoping things will speed up now that they have escaped. Hopefully...lol
(hide spoiler)]

Chap 15-21
(view spoiler)[
I'm still concerned about this book being kind of slow. They are with Selene and Leon (although he does leave at some point) but we still don't know if they are his brother and sister or not. She assumes Leon is his brother but it hasn't been verified.

And then they get to his home and I thought they were getting along much better but after she goes out to get some things (I assumed he'd have a problem with that) now he's all pissed off. I think he's just really worried about her going off on her own.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 15-21
(view spoiler)[
This section had some reveals. Alex is from another planet. I had a feeling he was. And basically, Gracie is partially alien too. Her grandmother was from the same planet.

And finally they are not totally alone. We get to meet the other two from the trinity. I do feel for Gracie, though. Alexander is more than a grump. He really is being rude, and I don’t like him right now! LOL I don’t blame Gracie for wanting to leave.
(hide spoiler)]

Geri wrote: "Chapter 15-21

This section had some reveals. Alex is from another planet. I had a feeling he was. And basically, Gracie is partially alien too. Her grandmother was from the same planet.

And fina..."

(view spoiler)[
As Gracie says, he really is a butthole!
(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 22-27
(view spoiler)[
LOL Alex definitely was a butthole! I agree the beginning was too slow. The parts where they were taken by the cartel and after they escaped should have been shorter.

Now, the book is more like Zapata’s other books. I like Alex more. He is nicer and very protective of Gracie. I did think Gracie would run away and Alex would have to chase her. But he finally realized how unhappy she was, and became a tad bit nicer.

I enjoyed the birthday party chapters. Gracie got to meet his family, and even though they can be scary, she appreciates that he does have family.

I did think only one of his kind could have injured him so badly. And I was right! His grandma did it to force him to meet Gracie. I think Gracie will have to use Alex’s grandma’s offer of help eventually.
(hide spoiler)]

Finished
(view spoiler)[
I liked the second half of the book much more than the first half. It was more usual Zapata, friends to lovers, slow burn.

I rated it 3 stars because the first half was too slow. I also wish there had been a little more excitement at the end. Grandma had offered help and I thought Gracie would need it. Oh well.

It was romantic when Gracie finally realized Alex loved her. It took her forever to figure out what he meant about how she would never be alone again. That made me sigh! LOL
(hide spoiler)]

Next month, let’s try to buddy read one of your books, Karen. 🙂

Chap 22-27
(view spoiler)[
I'm enjoying the book now also. I really liked the parts when she met his family and he now realizes that he wasn't being fair to her. Some of his family members are scary! I also think that Gracie will have to eventually ask his grandmother for help.

I couldn't figure out who hurt him but it really makes sense that it would be his grandmother. She needed them to meet and get together so injuring him so Gracie would care for him makes perfect sense.

(hide spoiler)]

Finished
(view spoiler)[
I also liked the second half of the book much better than the first half. Maybe because this book was so long, I'm not sure, but I felt a lot of it could have been condensed. Also, I didn't really like the romance side of it. It felt very rushed at the end of the book.

I did rate it 3 stars but that was rounded up from 2.5. And that was mostly because it was so slow for the first half of the story.

The part where they finally get together and she realizes he loves her was really good. And I really enjoyed his family and their interaction with Gracie.

Nothing against this author but I really like much more romance in the books I read.

(hide spoiler)]

We both felt the same about this book. Previous books by her were better. For some reason she felt like she needed to write a long book. I agree. It should have been shorter.

I'm going to try one more. Which one would you recommend?

I recently read Lingus, and I did enjoy it.

***This Buddy Read has been archived! If you would like to have this thread re-opened for use, please let a mod know by commenting below!***