“My schnecke. My little snail, do you know that’s what it means? It’s a term of affection in my country. My love. My snail.”

I saved the best for last. Was it on purpose? Not at all. But was it worth the wait? Hell yes it was. Everyone raves about this book. Readers are obsessed with Sal and Kulti. I never understood why until now. I’ve read every single one of Mariana Zapata’s books and I can say, without a doubt, that this is one of the best, in my opinion. I have a soft spot for Ivan and Dex though, so I can’t say that Kulti really takes the lead. It’s truly impossible to choose a favorite when reading Mariana’s books. Truthfully, my favorite is whichever book I’m reading. Every precious line in each book is gold. There is nothing to throw away. There are no parts that you could do without. The inner dialogue is purposeful and extremely important in the story telling. Guys. I cannot begin to explain or describe the way I feel as I’m writing this. I’m devastated. I’m crushed and heartbroken. I don’t want to open another book again until it’s written by Mariana. Nothing compares to her writing. She is my favorite author. Hands Down (wink wink).

“Destiny is a ladder, a series of steps that takes you where you’re supposed to go. I am the man that I am, and I have done the things that I’ve done, to get me to you.”

Hi, welcome to Rachel’s inner dialogue and commentary on Kulti by Mariana Zapata. Stop now if you haven’t read this book. This will be riddled with spoilers. You have been warned. Okay so. Let’s talk about Kulti first. Reiner Kulti. OH MY GOD. I never knew true love until I met him (or read him rather). So we have this man, almost forty years old, a soccer super star, who signs on to be an assistant coach for one of the women’s US soccer team called the Pipers. No one really understands why he’s come to coach for them when he could have been paid more to go almost anywhere else. Don’t worry, you find out later why he came to this team specifically. Get ready to have your heart MELT. Anyway, so Kulti is the strong, silent type. He doesn’t speak to anyone at first. Just watches, judges, and leaves. It isn’t until Sal throws some insults his way that he really comes around. Pretty quickly, Sal and Kulti form a strange bond. I don’t know if I would call it friendship at first, but it was something! That’s where everything came together for me. I wasn’t bothered by the age difference, or the way he treated Sal at the beginning, or even the fact that he was a jerk for most of the book. What got me was the moments in between. The looks that Sal never caught. (Yes she mentions multiple times in the book about looks that he gave her that she didn’t catch). The way he says I’m sorry, not with his words, but with his actions. Even the way he gets jealous…his fits of rage. There’s nothing like it. He’s just perfect. There’s no other way to explain it. And as time goes on and Sal realizes her feelings for him? The way she puts everything aside and treats him like the friend she believes he is. The way she can’t even accept that he admits his feelings for her because it seems to good to be true. How can it be that someone as incredible and amazing and Rey could love someone like Sal? WELL LET ME TELL YOU. Sal is perfect. Absolutely perfect in her own, imperfect way. She’s kind and genuine, she’s a smart ass and she stands her ground. She isn’t afraid to fight for the ones she loves. That’s apparent from the very beginning. These two are a match made in heaven. 

“This is what matters. You are my gift, my second chance, and I will cherish you and your dream. I will protect both of you.”

So our story continues and our couple grows closer and closer. Sal’s father is obsessed with Kulti. When Kulti invites himself to stay at Sal’s parent’s house one weekend, things becomes pretty clear. To the reader, it’s obvious that Kulti is in love with Sal. Why else would he want to go and stay with her at her parents house? Also, can we talk about “schnecke”…I can’t. I mean, I want to cry every time I read that word. I wanted to look up the word so badly as I was reading the book, but I didn’t. I’m so glad I waited. When Kulti finally reveals what it means, the world stops spinning. It’s perfect. Gah, everything about this story was perfect. I’m so in love with Zapata’s world. I need another book like yesterday!! I know that’s probably annoying to say, but I can only buy so much stuff off of Mariana’s website before I have everything. Don’t worry though, I’ve got a Kulti sweatshirt, a lazy baker blanket, and some Winnipeg stickers. I will take anything I can get. I’m forever a #1 fan. A million stars because 5 isn’t enough. 

“I’ve been waiting every day of my life for you.”