This book was a delightful surprise and I can't recommend it enough to fans of rom coms and romance. It's a little steamy but the characters have been earning for each other so deeply, it feels totally earned and not gratuitous. I recently learned a lot about the romance genre and would describe this book as an open door romance, but you don't *have* to go in. There are two and a half explicit sex scenes and if you choose to skip them, you're not missing any major points. I loved the diversity in reading about Lina's Brazilian family, since it's not something you see a lot of in the romance genre. All in all, I was a big fan!

Lina and Max both have a chip on their shoulder. AND, Lina really doesn't like him because, well, he was both the cause (she thinks) of her fiance leaving her AND the one who told her. AND he's the rat's little brother. She's a wedding coordinator and he works with hotels- and now they have to work together. It's told alternately by both of them with humor and some drama. You know that this is an enemies to lovers story so you can guess what's going to happen. However, this has a good doe of Brazilian culture (and some Portuguese) to liven it up. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A light and lively read.

This was a charming and well-written romance novel. I thought the main character, a wedding planner, was a great choice for a romantic heroine, and I will be sure to read a any of Ms. Sosa's future books.


Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not one I could easily fall into. I did not really connect with the characters nor did I really care about them that much. I was kinda sad because this seemed like a really fun premise and I really wanted to like it. Maybe it's just that the characters to me were not as complex as I was hoping.

From worst best man to the man who’s the best best man. An enjoyably readable rom con. From the first line to the last. What’s harder than growing up feeling like you’re always in your mother’s shadow? Being in constant competition with your older brother who is willing to use nefarious means to get one up on you. Including blaming you for standing up his bride on her wedding day. Is there hope for you when you bump into her again? You’ll just have to read on and see. This is not the usual Latinx book insofar as it is laced with Brazilian and Portuguese references. Still, it’s eminently readable and gives the reader the opportunity to expand their horizons.

This was a flirty, fun and at times steamy contemporary romance. If you’re looking for a funny rom-com, this is great - you can skim past the steam!
After Lina is ditched on her wedding day, she works hard to put that behind her and build a successful wedding planning business. Then, just when she has the opportunity of a lifetime, she finds herself working with her ex-fiancee’s brother, Max.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Avon for the ARC.

Loved it! I've heard a lot about this so I was excited when I got approved to read through NetGalley, because I still would have totally paid to read it. However I was really worried it would be one of those overhyped books. Nope, If this disappears off my ereader tomorrow I'm buying it to have to read again later, I've already read it twice. I love rereading books, knowing which parts I can skip or when it's so good there are no parts I want to skip and just dive back into the world of the book.
Speaking of worlds, Sosa did a fabulous job of bringing Lina's world to life. I love it's not cookie cutter tall, blonde, with one lone upset in her entire world to deal with and it's all poor me. Not to say Lina was ready to get back on that horse after being ditched on her friggin wedding day-totally real, totally understandable. Although it was a little too heavy on the whole it was all Max's fault. Girl, thank god you didn't go through a wedding to a man who was willing to throw it all away because of a conversation with one person. And eventually she got that.
LOVED the heat, the back and forth, the spats and fights and the chemistry was so dang hot. I heard people say it was crude...um no, it was just fine for me.
Wonderful read, and it had me going and looking for other books by Sosa for there record there are 6 other books and I have bought them all.

I would totally bet on Max too!

The Worst Best Man is a total mess of emotional baggage. He has baggage, she has baggage, together they have baggage...And yet, together they are something neither was expecting.

He may be dubbed The Worst Best Man but he is the best man in my mind. He takes on the Herculean task of cracking her walls just to get a peak inside. However, he never realized the consequences of seeing her secret garden for the first time! ( No, that wasnt terrible innuendo for their sexcapades you naughty minded individual! Now I'm struggling to make one though!😂)

The Worst Best Man is sexy and fun in her complete and total tantrum like fight to avoid feeling anything for this wonderful man! Nothing gets me on board more than a stubborn heroine!

I really wanted to love this book. It looks and sounds adorable and full of laughs. It just wasn't for me. Too much swearing and crudeness right from the start and consistently in at least every paragraph if not more often. I'm sure others will not have the same hang-up. Just not my type of book. Did not finish.

The Worst Best Man starts out on Lina's wedding day when she is informed by her fiance's best man (and brother) that Andrew was not going to marry her. In fact he had already fled the building. Fast forward 3 years and Lina, now a wedding planner, is surprised to be thrown back into Andrew and Max's life.

Hate to love stories are normally my thing but this one just kind of fell flat for me. I loved the Brazilian American culture that is being represented along with all the strong women in this story. There were a few chuckles throughout the craziness that ensued but not the laugh out loud antics I love. Lina and Max have chemistry but for me something was missing. I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone that loves hate to love stories.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Worst Best Man started on an awkward sad note with Lina being dumped minutes before her wedding by the best man (her fiance's brother). Lina was devastated and Max was put in a terrible position. Fast forward awhile and they meet again and end up working on a project together.

Max and Lina were adorably cute. There was plenty of bickering and banter between them, which worked well with their attraction to each other that they were fighting.

Lina is a wedding planner that is hoping to get a job at an exclusive hotel as their wedding coordinator. Max is trying to prove himself at work by showing that he's the one with the great ideas, not his brother. This really worked to bring them together and to showcase their strength.

It was impossible for me to put this book down, and it's going to be one of my most recommended books in 2020.

I absolutely loved this premise and hate to love will always be my favorite trope, so there was no way I would be skipping this story.

I liked Lina and Max. She’s a bit stand off-ish, but loving and loyal with her family. He’s charming and at odds with his. Together, there is some button pushing, light flirting, and a whole lot of potential. There are a good amount of characters, but no one felt flat and I truly enjoyed Lina’s family.

Plot wise, it was okay. I didn’t really see the growth in their relationship. Even with several scenes of them together, the first sex scene seemed out of place to me. They did talk, but about nothing of value and while their inner monologues reflected how they felt, no one opened their mouths about it. The hot and cold from both of them was really repetitive.

Overall, I enjoyed the wedding things and everything shared about the Brazilian culture; however I wanted more for these two characters.

**Huge thanks to Avon for providing the arc free of charge**

Well-written and enjoyable, but some elements of the plot were a little off to me. The entire extended family blaming the best man so belligerently over a breakup? I mean, it seemed like they blamed him more than the actual groom.
That said, the book is fairly good and it's an enjoyable quick read if you don't look too deeply into the plot. Funny, sometimes witty. I would read another book by this author.

Loved loved loved this book! I don't know why it took me so long to get around to it, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. Thank goodness for all the buzz around this one or I might have given it a miss. Now I can't wait for Dean's story!

Lina Santos has put the past behind her, and a barrier around her emotions. A wedding planner left at the alter? Hell on business. She wants nothing more to do with her ex-fiance or his prick brother until a lucrative business offer lands on her lap. The catch? She's got six weeks to develop a pitch to win the contract, and she's got to work with Max, the man who cause her fiance to walk away.

This was downright precious and the best use of Enemies to Lovers and the One Bed trope I've seen in a while!

Protecting yourself from hurt doesn't mean you're broken. It means you're human.


Thanks to Lina's mind checking out at the door when she sees Andrew and Max with her potential new boss, and the brothers going along with her in pretending they'd never met, much less had sexual history (well, Lina and Andrew), the situation was complicated right from the start. And the stakes were high for Lina and Max to win the pitch and go along with the ruse—Lina's office space is going away and she can't afford rent elsewhere, and Max wants the chance to succeed away from his brother's spotlight.

And the chemistry between the two. OMG it was fantastic.

The constant bantering and sexual tension was incredibly done, and I loved Lina's attempts to subtly sabotage Max and get back at him for the belief that he had ruined her potential marriage, and Max's pranks at getting her back. The menstrual crisis scene made me die with laughter even as my heart broke for Lina. They were so cute together, and I liked that while Max was the stereotypical hot dude, he was not an alpha.

He loved cozy things, marbled cake with buttercream frosting, and his relationship with his best friend made me pee my pants with laughter. And he was fit but not athletic and well aware of his abilities (and lack thereof), which was refreshing and funny as hell: "If you're doing to deck me, do it quick and knock me unconscious. It's the humane thing to do."

She shoots. She scores. I'm dead.


Altogether, this was a quick and light read with unexpected depths. I loved it, and I'm so happy that people like Mia Sosa are writing beautifully amazing things filled with humor and love in this world of horror and fascist leanings.

And that characters like Lina and Max exist, and create weirdly complicated set ups and complications through their own devising—and then have to struggle to find their way out of the messes they created.

"Straights make unnecessarily complicated. Good Luck. Use condoms. I'm out.

You will love reading The Worst Best Man!

Wedding planner Carolina (Lina) Santos needs to find a new place to meet clients because the bridal store is closing. Lina is looking for new office space but at the same time she applied for a job as the wedding coordinator at an upscale hotel. Max Hartley is paired with her as her media consultant. Slight problem, Max is the brother of Lina’s now former fiancé and helped convince him not to marry her but when Lina doesn’t tell the hotel that she had been engaged to Andrew Hartley but the wedding never happened.

The Worst Best Man is a fun romance which I absolutely enjoyed reading because there aren’t many books out there that make you laugh out loud. First one was the cake tasting, when you get to it you will totally understand why and the situation at the farm which I could picture watching and that is the mark of a really good book!

P.S. I can’t wait for the next book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a Brazilian-American, I reallllly wanted to love this book. There aren't many books that feature Brazilian-Americans, let alone in romance novels, so I was thrilled when I learned the protagonist--Lina--was Brazilian. I definitely appreciated Sosa's inclusion of Brazilian Portuguese and Brazilian food, customs, et cetera in the book and it was super awesome to read about a family that reminded me of my own.

And yet...I was really bored. I was initially intrigued by the blurb and it sounded like it would be a fun read (I did enjoy reading the first quarter of it). My biggest issue with the book was that the humor and flirtatious moments just fell flat to me. They weren't very funny or witty, just awkward. Thus, Lina's and Max's attraction didn't work for me; it was explained as undeniable~ chemistry, but Max seemed too boring for Lina and their conversations/buildup felt quite average instead of titillating. It was a shame because I really liked Lina's character. Overall, I was bored and unconvinced on the romance which made this book an effort to finish.

Unfortunately, this title was a letdown for me, but I am glad I have a new title by a Brazilian-American author to feature in the library!

The Good, The Bad, and Everything In Between
This is my first Mia Sosa (I know, I know, I’m rectifying my life this year). And as an intro to her writing, there’s some really great things to get into (and some that I didn’t love as much) so let’s dive in, shall we?
The Good
-Enemies to lovers is irresistible smutnip. Tropes make Romancelandia go ‘round. And my weaknesses are workplace romances and enemies to lovers. So when I realized Ms. Sosa had given both to me with this book? Yes, I wanted to do a little samba of joy. The deets are as follows: Wedding planner Lina Santos was dumped by her fiance Andrew Hartwell on the day of her wedding. Via text. To her fiance’s brother, Max. Who then had to break the news to the bride. Stay classy, Andrew.
In said text, Andrew proceeds to say that Max is the one who convinced him not to go through with the wedding. So, it's fair that Max doesn’t bring up the warm and fuzzies for Lina. But Lina, like the badass she is, she moves on with her life, heart intact if wary. Flashforward to several years later, the Hartwell brothers crash back into her life when she realizes she has to work with one of them to make a pitch for a big job opportunity for her. When Lina chooses the lesser of two asshats, the fireworks begin, and she starts to learn that maybe, Max isn’t as bad as she thinks. And of course, romance happens.

-I loved Lina. Carolina “Lina” Santos is an Afro-Latinx heroine who’s gone through some shyte and come out the other side doing what alot of Latinx people have to do - when you navigate white spaces, you learn to moderate yourself. She’s learned to lock it down, to keep her shyte tight and to get things done. Through it all, she has a sense of humor, she takes care of her family and when the time is right, she opens her heart to love. But damn if she didn’t make Max work for it, and I adored that about her.

-Great Brazilian representation. Lina is Brazilian-American and I really appreciated the respect for the culture and the way it’s integrated into the story without being the story.

-Some good humor. When the humor is on point, it made me smile. Alot of that has to do with the way the tension played between Max and Lina. Remembering Max’s reaction to Lina dancing still makes me happy because THAT’S the kind of tension that make it so fun when they finally give into their attraction. Speaking of romance...

-When the romance clicks, it’s great. The Firsts (meet/kiss/love scene) were pretty good and while it takes a bit to build, but when it takes off, it really made me want more. I literally stayed up late because I wanted to know what happens next, and that’s always what I want in my romances. However...

The Bad
-The final resolution is….fine, but left me wanting more. I was turning the page late into the night, waiting for the next big beat, but all things considered, it was missing a little something for me. There are beats that I wanted to see play out that didn’t (I really missed seeing Max’s family deal with the fallout of this relationship, for example or just advise him would have been nice). For such a great big unavoidable obstacle, the previous engagement is brushed aside pretty easily. There’s not even a moment where you see those same family members who are so integral to Lina and Max’s lives express relief that the wedding never happened. It’s the little beats that make the whole show flow and I was missing it. Anyway, those big epiphany moments for Max and Lina functioned but I just wanted a little bit more - it was like giving me one bite of a brigadeiro when I know I would have loved the whole sweet.

-As in any rom-com, humor is subjective. Some of it lands well, and there’s some clunkers that took me out of the moment (especially some that were played for laughs, but just felt a wee bit fat-judgy, such as Max’s comment about Lina’s eating at their first dinner, and Lina’s judgment of Max’s love of cake). Those moments happened early, but I will say I got past them, and YMMV.

Everything in Between

-This ‘verse left me wanting more. My quibbles aside, there’s alot that I did enjoy about this rom-com (hence why I need extra caffeine today). Jaslene, Max’s friend Dean, these are characters who caught my attention and I would absolutely not object to getting to know them a bit better. Maybe together? Just a thought. :)

The Bottom Line
It’s my first Mia Sosa, but not my last. Lina and Max’s romance wasn’t smooth sailing but the ride was still fun. If you love enemies to lovers with Brazilian flair, you may enjoy this.

The Worst Best Man was my first book by Mia Sosa and it did not disappoint. The premise of this book is unique and funny and it's full of highly enjoyable awkward (kinda) enemies-to-lovers moments. Lina and Max are strong, dynamic characters who grow and change throughout the story. This is a good book and Mia Sosa is a fantastic writer.

I did feel that there was A LOT of focus on the career elements of this story. Which is great in some ways. I love heroines who have ambition. But, given that this is a romance, I felt like a lot of the dialogue in this book was work-centered and sometimes I became a bit bored by that. I do realize, of course, that this couple was working on an important work project together. But still. I would have liked a little more non-work related interaction between Lina and Max. Just my personal preference.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for the opportunity to read and advanced copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Heat Factor: Does not disappoint! *sizzle, sizzle*
Character Chemistry: I love Max and Lina together.
Plot: We have to work together to get the job.
Overall: Delightful, and extra fun if you live in the DC metro area

This book was great! I read it in one sitting.

Max and Lina are in a sticky situation. Lina is being interviewed for a wedding planner position at a big DC hotel and Max is the marketing guy who’s supposed to be supporting her in the process. (Yes, it’s a weird interview, and Sosa addresses that in the book.) Thing is, Max is the brother of Lina’s ex-fiance. An ex-fiance who left her at the altar. And she blames Max for the desertion. Whether or not this is reasonable is immaterial. We have ourselves an enemies to lovers trope.

Max has been competing with his brother, and coming out the loser, for his whole life. All he wants to do right now is get out from his brother’s shadow and make a name for himself in his mother’s marketing business. He’s good at what he does and wants to be recognized for it.

Lina is doing pretty well for herself. She’s operating her own wedding planning business in greater Washington, DC. It’s no picnic, and she has concerns about her operating costs, but when it all boils down, she’s got a great family, a good business reputation, and it looks like she’s living the life she wants. Until we dig deeper.

Lina and Max are thrown together because Lina sees the opportunity of not having to worry about her own business and she knows that getting this job would solve a lot of problems for her. At the end of the day, working with Max to get the job is the smart approach, so that’s what she does. Max thinks Lina’s deal is just that she unfairly hates him after he somehow accidentally managed to make his brother abandon her on her wedding day, but it’s much bigger than that. Lina is a woman of color, and when she embraces her emotions, it doesn’t go well for her. She’s learned the hard way that even-keeled is the way she needs to operate, so she can avoid adverse repercussions in her life. Max thinks what Lina needs is someone who will embrace her spirit and be with her to live life to the fullest. Lina thinks that’s the opposite of what she needs, and if Max thinks he’s going to explain to Lina what she needs, he can step. Off.

Max doesn’t necessarily think he’s Lina’s happily ever after, but he definitely finds her irresistible, and then they end up in a ONE BED situation (that’s right, for those in the back, there’s only one bed) and Lina realizes that she also finds Max irresistible. As expected, Sosa’s writing of sex might make you bite your lip a little bit. Maybe shift a bit in your seat. She’s so good at it. Max and Lina are so good together - in bed and out - and you’ll never doubt it. But Max doesn’t want to be second skimmings (To his brother. Again.), and Lina needs to keep it together in a big way. If she doesn’t, as I said, bad things will happen. Or she could be deliriously happy. Either / or. You know how it goes.

For funsies: Sosa’s also all in on the Brazilian culture in this one. I probably wouldn’t have realized to what extent if I hadn’t lived with a Brazilian au pair for two years, but having all that culture brought sweeping back into my mind was delightful! And it’s perfect with the greater DC setting. I could just picture Lina’s family’s shop in a strip mall in Wheaton. Mm, mm, mm! Just gives me all the warm fuzzies!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.