
The Best Thing by Mariana Zapata is a heartwarming story about Lenny and Jonah, two individuals who met in France and shared a special connection, only to be separated by unforeseen circumstances. The book delves into themes of love, family, sacrifices, and personal growth, with a focus on complex relationships and deep emotional connections. Mariana Zapata's writing style is characterized by slow burns, rich character development, and a strong sense of humor, creating a captivating narrative that keeps readers engaged till the end.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings may include themes of abandonment, miscommunication, use of profanity, and past trauma, which may affect sensitive readers.
Has Romance?
The romance is a central element of the story, focusing on Lenny and Jonah's rekindled relationship after being separated.
From The Publisher:
Some things are easily forgiven. Other things… not so much.
Lenny DeMaio made herself a promise: she was done.
Done thinking about him.
Done worrying about him.
Done reaching out to a man who clearly didn't want to be found.
Too bad no one gave Jonah Collins the memo. more
Ratings (36)
Incredible (6) | |
Loved It (13) | |
Liked It (7) | |
It Was OK (6) | |
Did Not Like (3) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (58):
Read It (36) | |
Want To Read (15) | |
Did Not Finish (3) | |
Not Interested (4) |
1 comment(s)
I have to start with this: that epilogue fucking killed me.
Grandpa Gus' funeral? SERIOUSLY? Full on ugly cry over here, folks.
I really liked it, which isn't a surprise after the last couple Zapata books I read. What is a surprise is that second-chance stuff rarely, rarely works for me. So that was nice.
This book was different than Kulti and Wall of Winnipeg, which was nice. Don't get me wrong, I loved them. But it was nice to shake it up a bit. This book was freaking hysterical at points, and while through all the books I've loved how real and grounded the family relationships are, something about Lenny, Grandpa Gus, and Peter's relationship was just extra special. And hysterical.
Jonah and Lenny were great. I was feeling some quibbles getting near then end -
it seemed like the resolution was going to land on her giving up absolutely everything so that he could carry on with the life of his dreams and have everything, and that just didn't sit right with me. Also, I could have used some reaffirmation that she matters as much as his career, given the reason they went kaboom the first time around was because he got depressed about his career...
But then where the actual resolution landed, I was okay with it all.
It seemed like Maio House was never really her dream. And Grandpa Gus freed her from it so she could chase what she really wanted. And then of course, he and Peter went with her. That was a critical component of the end for me. She couldn't give up everything - job, life, friends, family - to follow Jonah around and be absorbed into his family.
So then, as always with Zapata, my only real quibble is the epilogue. Like, give me more of it. Not
more funeral
TYVM. But more of their lives together. I wanted to see the moment when she told him what she was choosing. I wanted to see their lives together. At least a little.
But those are little things. The truth is, the story was wonderful and it was hard to be done with that world and those characters.
Re-read Jan 2024
It's hard to say for sure, but this one might be my favorite from MZ, which is crazy because I generally hate second-chance stories. But it's just so touching, with some of the best familial relationships I've read, that I just freaking adore it.
That epilogue, though. Goddamn, my nose is still plugged solid from ugly crying.
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