Yes, I Did Picture Leslie Odom, Jr.

I am in the middle of struggling through a review of a graphic novel that I didn’t like. I didn’t hate it, so I don’t have hate fueling my words. I have 96 more words to find. With 96 words still eluding me, I took a break to read Mrs. Julien’s review of Wait For It, and now here I am, 24 hours later, writing my own review of Wait For It. Mrs. Julien, being the lovely human being and inveterate book pusher that she is, loaned the book to me. I have since discovered that if you are signed up for Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free.

Warning, this book has nothing to do with Aaron Burr. However, if books had anthems, this one’s would be “Wait For It” from Hamilton.

Wait For It is as lovely a story of two normal people falling in love as Mrs. Julien said it would be. Diana Casillas, cousin to Kulti’s Salome Casillas, is a hair colorist and single parent to her two nephews. Dallas is her neighbor and the coach of her older nephew’s baseball team. Diana has wonderful relationships with her nephews and father, a complicated relationship with her mother, and relatable relationships with her girl friends. Zapata creates some beautiful moments between Diana and the people in her life. The relationship that grows between Diana and Dallas is full of excellent pining and swooning, along with a dollop of humor and anger.

I have the same issues with this book that I have had with Zapata’s previous books – too much unnecessary drama and other women. Zapata could have taken out at least two crises and still had plenty of emotional beats. Her woman problem is less evident in Wait For It than it was in Lingus and Kulti. Diana is more aware of the way her prejudices and assumptions can trip her up. Diana understands that people make mistakes and there is the possibility of redemption. That said, she still has an unnecessary antagonist in another team mom, and she tells her older nephew that she already considers his future girlfriends bitches. Ugh.

The book is set in Austin, but you only know that because a few people say so. There’s not one thing about Austin’s character or culture evident. Because I live in Ausin, I know that a single woman making new salon money could not afford a 3 bedroom house in even the sketchiest neighborhood.

Nitpicking aside, this was a mostly lovely read. I had a hard time putting it down. Zapata is a distinctive writer, and I appreciate that about her. I continue to have issues with the way Zapata portrays women outside of the protagonist’s circle of friends and family. I am unlikely to buy a Zapata book of my own initiative, but if Mrs. Julien points to one worth reading, I will read it.