Wait for It

By: Mariana Zapata

Narrated by: Callie Dalton

Length: 15 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

If anyone ever said being an adult was easy, they hadn't been one long enough. Diana Casillas can admit it: she doesn't know what the hell she's doing half the time. How she's made it through the last two years of her life without killing anyone is nothing short of a miracle. Being a grown-up wasn't supposed to be so hard. With a new house, two little boys she inherited in the most painful possible way, a giant dog, a job she usually loves, more than enough family, and friends, she has almost everything she could ever ask for. Except for a boyfriend. Or a husband. But who needs either one of those?

©2016 Mariana Zapata (P)2017 Mariana Zapata

I really enjoyed the slower paced love story

So this is actually a love story instead of a sex story which is pretty great. Sex has its place in this book but nobody just jumped into bed as soon as they met. They got to know eachother, dealt with things, became more & more attracted. You know... an actual love story.

Im a little tired of reading about hard sex starved women who jump in asap. This was a real nice change.

Makes you cry and laugh at the same time

I admit it, I read a lot of chick lit, but this book broke out of the mold. First time reading this author, wish I would have known there were other books in this storyline. Yes, you can read it as a stand alone, but characters come into the story that there are back stories on. I really like the main characters, even though sometimes I want to smack them upside the head! Heartbreaking story for the children that they all overcome. There are a couple of characters that I wonder about what will happen to them, perhaps another book will bring them back in. All in all a good use of a credit.

Mariana's Slow Burn

Any additional comments?

*audio review*

Mariana Zapata is queen of the "slow burn". Those stories that have so much build up, you think you'll explode before it peaks. Wait For It was no different.

Diana is the aunt to 2 boys that were otherwise orphaned from her brother dying. She is in her late 20's and going through IT. Diana just wants to be a good parent to these boys and a good daughter to her overly protective parents and a good employee but most of all a good person. I freakin love a strong female lead and Diana was awesome. She's of Mexican decent and while she is more "Americanized" and liberal, her parents are such stereotypical Mexican Catholics that it added a level of familial humor that I just loved. It made this story fun and realistic. We don't stop trying to please our parents as adults and Diana was in an especially precarious situation raising her brothers children.

Dallas... mmm mmm mmm. Dallas. He was such a great male lead. For a book that has depth and content, you expect characters like Dallas, but that doesn't make him any less wonderful. He has values and a devotion to the community and he TAKES CARE OF HIS GRANDMA. Do I need to say more?

Diana and Dallas have a very long journey that has so much push and pull that whenever there is even a hint of them making a go of it, my heart would start beating fast and I would see Hearts.

Callie Dalton just gets Zapata's books. She is the perfect narrator and no man is required because she has an awesome male voice. They personality she puts into each character is no doubt how the author intended them to have.

Wonderful book

Wait for It

So after reading From Lukov with Love, I thought I would give this book a try.

Now just because I rated it a 3 doesn’t mean I hated it. Means it was ok. I didn’t love it and that is totally ok.

I very much liked each character in their own way. Diana, for her unwavering positivity, even when her own heart is hurt from the loss of her brother, but she is a mother now and she does what needs to be done.

Josh and Louie are the best part of this book, in my opinion, they are so cute and exactly how a 10 yr old and 5 yr old would act it isn’t even funny how accurate it is. They also bring some great comic relief.

Dallas is a good character but I just feel like we don’t know him very well, we only really know that he was in the Navy, married and waiting to be divorced before starting something. I think maybe if we felt more than just friendship from him for sooooo long then I might have enjoyed the book more.

I know Zapata does the slow burn and that is great but I need a spark of something from both not just one side to feel like a romance.

I very much enjoyed Callie’s narration she is fast becoming a favorite narrator, her voice/emotion/tone really brings the stories to life.

Great writing

What I love so much about this author's writing is the development of the story and characters. There is no rushing the relationship of the hero and heroine. What you get is a well thought out, emotional and heart filled story, that you will re-read. But if you are looking for a story that is filled with hot and steamy scene after scene, this isn't the book for you. For me, definitely credit worthy.

I Waited For It

Wait For It is a charming tale of a friendly, generous young woman who is raising her nephews. Presented with sensitivity and realism, the story is likely to endear the characters to readers. This story is bigger than the two main characters, and includes great secondary characters- some of which come from the author's previous books.

The narrator did a nice job though her tempo was slow. When I turned up the speed, it sounded better... except for the crazy long breaks between chapters.

And though it took nearly the entire book, if you wait for it, there's a sweet romance that blossomed ever so very slowly and seemingly without the heroine's knowledge. I waited for it... and it was worth the wait.

Five enjoyable stars for this slow burner!

Mariana Zapata is is an auto download for me. I enjoy the fact that she brings realistic expectations into her stories. The story of Diana is a carry over from her Wall of Winnipeg story , but is a s stand alone. The story finds Diana's life completely different than depicted in WOW... she is now a mother of her brothers two children. She has become a home owner and continues her hard work ethic to take care of and support the children. Dallas is her attractive married neighbor who befriends her and coaches her nephews baseball team. Friendship and attraction turn into something more and leave you feeling good by the end of the story.. I used a credit and do not regret it. Great performance as well!!

A slow simmer that delivers

What did you love best about Wait for It?

This has moved into my top favorites. The characters are strong, relatable, and impossible not to love.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wait for It?

I have a favorite that was emotional and beautiful, but don't want to spoil it. There are so many Fantastic moments, all heartfelt and showcases parenthood, relationships, friendships, and starting over in a masterful and real way.

What does Callie Dalton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She is a fabulous performer, and has done previous MZ books. Her performance is always top notch.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I cried with Diane when she broke down from dealing with cruel words. I felt her pain, grief, and insecurities in that moment and empathized with he need to be the bigger, and better person for her kids, and the fear she felt about how she formed them as people. Completely relatable and real.

Any additional comments?

Mariana Zapata is absolutely brilliant at delivering quality stories, with real characters. Her down to earth approach is a welcomed relief from the regular romance trope of drama filled plot twist (not that there is anything wrong with that, but it's nice to have a change sometimes) She is the Queen at the slow buildup and her heros are always swoon worthy and rock steady. Diana and Dallas have become my favorite of her characters so far. I would recommend this book 10 fold, it's worth full price, a credit, and a try. It is long but so worth it.

there are pros and cons

I'm a fan of Mariana Zapata. The books that i have listened to usually revolves around family and this book is no different.

I like how family-oriented the lead female is and how strong she is to be taking care of 2 children that are not even her own. but... too much blabbering. too much back story instead of going straight to the point. reminds me of a girl friend who would start telling stories and would end up all over the place while I'm waiting for what her actual story is all about. it could get annoying. Would have been better if she actually did stood up for herself when it came to that Christy chick instead of being such a crybaby. but, as a single 'mother', she is strong and loving and nurturing.

as for the male lead Dallas... respectable and loving. someone who is loyal, responsible and also loves his family.. i couldn't say much of a negative about him.

Overall, i like the slow turn of events. just too much blabbering from the female lead.

Wasn't Worth The Wait

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Give the story some guts. The characters do stuff, but none of it really does anything for the story, or for them. Boooooring.

Has Wait for It turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not at all. You win most, you lose some. I bought this on because of the length (15hrs). I'm on holidays and was after something great to listen to. Massively disappointed.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Narrator was good. You can only work with the material you have.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Hell no.

Any additional comments?

Sorry I went for quantity over quality.

Heartwarming and quirky

I loved the usual slow burn of this author's style.

This is the story of Diana (who we first met in Wall of Winnipeg), who is a single woman who has her two young nephews thrust in to her life under tragic circumstances. Be prepared to cry, a lot! And to scratch your head (you'll understand what I mean when you read the book!)
This story has a cast of wonderful, quirky characters and, although this is not a cliffhanger, there is the potential to carry these characters over into another story. We do actually meet some of the characters from previous stories, which is a nice touch.
The narrator is wonderful, and is good at an array of characters including older people, men and children's voices.
I truly loved this book

Another hit !

I honestly can not wait for the next book by this author. The story folds out over time holding you gripped just waiting for that happy ending.

great read.

everybody can relate to the tales about family in this amazingly touching, funny, great slow burn love story that happen around a great tale of family life. I will read it again just for the moments with Louis and Josh, the 2 young boys. Motherhood through Diana's eyes is brutally honest and laugh out loud. Add into that the usual strong cast of secondary characters that Mariana Zapata always takes time, and pages on, this is a book that I couldn't stop reading and I know I will read it again and find even more things to love.

Superb

I love Mariana Zapata's books and this follow on from The Wall of Winnipeg is brilliant. Excellent and poignant and beautifully read. Worth buying you will not regret. Dallas and Diana's story is superb!!

Agonisingly slow burn

I’m not usually a fan of slow burn (I’m impatient) but MZ is the one I make an exception for as the stories are so well written there’s always lots going on to keep me occupied whilst the two main characters dance around each other and get their act together.

This though was agonisingly slow, and even though I enjoyed the listen (Callie Dalton doing a wonderful job as always), I felt that this one was a wee bit dragged out even for MZ hence the four stars.

We first met Dianna in Wall of Winnipeg; she is the bff of Vanessa, and had rather a torrid time in WoW. We meet her a few years later, as a single parent bringing up her brother’s two boys after her brother’s death. Dallas is the taciturn, grumpy, rude, technically married, neighbour across the road, who jumps to all sorts of conclusions about Diana’s intentions, before they become friends and eventually more. There are a host of entertaining side characters, including the “mean girl”, friends, over critical mum, and of course the two boys who both are just gorgeous. We even get a few cameo appearances including Vanessa and Aiden from Wall of Winnipeg, Trip, Iris and an uncredited Dex (my favourite) from Under Locke and Sal and Kulti from Kulti.

If you can cope with the agonising slowness of the burn the it’s definite worth a credit.

Love This!

I am not usually a slow burn girly but Mariana Zapatas books just work for me and have quickly become comfort reads of mine. I just love how she develops the relationships between her MCs. This is one of my favourites of hers for sure.

wait for it

the story is drawn out. the narrator is really good. I loved the interactions with the children. I would listen to it again.

Slow burn at it’s finest

Great story line, just enough to keep you going back for more, another amazing book from the queen of a slow burn

FIVE STARS ALL ROUND!

I just loved this book, another superb one from Mariana Zapata! She has fast become one of my favourite authors.
Callie Dalton does an exceptionally brilliant job of narrating and bringing the characters to life.
Would give this MORE than five stars if I could.

Great listen

This book is fab! It’s less steamy than some of MZ’s other books, which is fine, because the story is so well developed. The slow burn is veryyyyyyyy slow, literally not until the final chapters, but it’s done really well and fitting to the characters.