Series: Standalone
Release Date: June 10, 2017
The guidelines were simple: one letter or email a week for the length of his or her deployment. Care packages were optional.
Been there, done that. She thought she knew what to expect.
What she didn’t count on was falling in love with the guy.
• Gay side characters
• MM side couple
• Attempts to address fatphobia… but doesn’t do it successfully.
• No OTT sad parts.
• Does have OW/OM drama:
– Hero has had 20+ ex-lovers (so he was very promiscuous in the past)
– Hero and Heroine weren’t a couple ’til the end, so OW would constantly flirt with the Hero and he wouldn’t put a stop to it. The Heroine would get very upset and jealous as a result.
– Heroine was hung up on her brother’s BFF–they had sex but the OM said it was a mistake and to not tell her family the next day. The Heroine, as a result, has not dated or had sex since.
– The Hero convinced the Heroine to date in their letter exchanges. Those dates with OM never went further than a first date and kiss.
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have a significant separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Format: Kindle
Rating: 1.5/5 stars
I need to clarify that I adore Mariana Zapata’s books – I own every single one. However, I did not like Dear Aaron for various reasons, and sadly, it wasn’t simply an “It was OK.” This book, in my opinion, was bad.
The first component of Dear Aaron that put me off was its format. The majority of the novel is an exchange of emails between Ruby and Aaron. The idea is sweet, but it’s obviously a romanticized notion since, in reality, I skimmed the ever-loving shit out of this book.
I know a major complaint from people who read the book was that the main characters don’t meet until way later on. For me, that wasn’t as much of an issue since Zapata is the Queen of the slow-burn romance. I think the fact that the main characters interacted/connected primarily in emails made the “slow” turn into torturous (and not in a good way). In most of her books, primarily Kulti and Rhythm, Chord and Malykhin, the chemistry between the main characters is so amazing that you’re content waiting for the romance since the journey getting there is so fun. But Dear Aaron was a drag because it didn’t feel like Ruby and Aaron had any chemistry.
To be blunt, I wasn’t really interested in Ruby’s life since all she seemed to do was complain, whine and blush. This is a perfect segué into my next disclaimer: I read From Lukov with Love first, which is about Ruby’s little sister, Jasmine, a competitive figure skater. So, every time Ruby would complain to Aaron about Jasmine, I would be like:
- Jasmine’s a teenager (all teenagers are moody assholes), and
- I already know and understand Jasmine’s POV, so don’t even try putting words in her mouth.
SO, that, of course, also put me off Ruby since there was a lack of understanding of the mental fortitude Jasmine needed to compete (especially with a father who blatantly disapproved of Jasmine’s life decisions).
I do have to concede that Ruby and Aaron’s first face-to-face meet was cute, but wow, is Ruby a worry-wart! I get that she cares a lot for Aaron, but man does she spiral (like preemptively crying at the airport when she assumed Aaron ditched her. Hello, he’s not that much of an asshole!).
Also, we were given a bizarre image of Aaron in that he’s a failure at relationships since he always tries to settle down with the wrong kind of girl (Oh-kay then). He’s also constantly described as beautiful (talk about cliché) to the extent that all he’s good for is his model good looks (that was the vibe I got from Ruby since she wouldn’t shut up about how good looking he was – like I get it, dude!). Also annoying was that Aaron “dated” a lot (like 30 girls) but he obviously used “dated” as a euphemism for one-night-stands when talking to Ruby about his history. The funniest part was when Ruby tells Aaron she’s not a virgin, and he says, “But you’ve never had a boyfriend!” Aaron should know you don’t have to be dating someone to have sex with a person. Obviously, Ruby’s sheltered but apparently not that sheltered (although the time at the cottage with Aaron and his friends kind of belies that).
There were also a lot of relationships that weren’t given the opportunity for exploration since Aaron and Ruby met so late, like Aaron meeting Ruby’s ex-crush or Ruby meeting Aaron’s family (his sister, for example).
Dear Aaron was a disappointment. The characters were nicely developed, and I think Zapata’s love for the characters is evident since she decided to write a book about Ruby’s sister, Jasmine. But, the way Dear Aaron was written created a huge detachment between the story and the reader. And, due to this disengagement, there was a lack of connection to the characters.
Buy Dear Aaron
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Other Books I’ve Reviewed by Mariana Zapata
From Lukov with Love
Quick Take: A slow-burn enemies-to-reluctant-partners romance that delves into the world of competitive figure-skating with a fiery Heroine who never gives up. However, the Hero takes some time to warm up to.
After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.
But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.
Including Ivan Lukov.
Tags: Enemies to Lovers, Family Issues, Friends to Lovers, Slow-burn Romance, Sports Romance
