I know MZ writes sports romances, but as someone who played soccer for the vast majority of her life, I was so excited for Kulti and getting to see MZ's take on the soccer world. Reiner Kulti is arguably THE best and most famous male soccer player of all time, and he agrees to coach Sal Casillas's women's professional team in Houston. He is her coach; she is the player. There's an element of forbidden romance in this way, but the way MZ writes it makes it really work. This is because for the bulk of the book, Kulti and Sal are friends. They start of as sort of enemies, or at the very least, two people who really don't like each other and don't think they need each other. But the friendship that blooms is so beautiful, and they become the only true thing each other has. It's clear that Kulti really has never had anyone he trusts and no one to support him for who he truly is and not just his talents and fame and money, but he finds that in Sal, and I think that's why he values what he has with her so much. So much so, that he does anything and everything to protect her, even at the expense of himself. The building of that friendship makes it so sweet when they finally do get together, because you can feel how much they love each other, on the deepest of levels. It's a slow burn, maybe even the slowest burn she has ever written but trust me when I say it is worth it. Sal is just THAT GIRL, the one you root for and relate to and laugh and cry and get angry right alongside her. I LOVE that she had not only Kulti, but others in her life to support her and encourage her to explore the possibilities and not just accept the hand she has been dealt. The details that went into this book were also so well done and spot on and added so much to this book. The epilogue (and bonus scene on her website) just made me swoon and wish for more of Sal and Kulti and everyone else in their extended world.