Carolina "Lina" Santos is a no=nonsense wedding planner trying to make ends meet. She gets the opportunity of a lifetime to interview for the wedding coordinator position for the Cartwright Hotel. The catch? She has to work with Max, the brother of her ex-fiance, Andrew, who also happened to be the one to tell her said ex was calling the wedding off. To make matters even more intricate, Lina pretends not to know Max and Andrew when they meet in the CEO's office.

This was a sweet story about two individuals who didn't set out looking for love with each other, but to be civil enough to get what they both want. The antics that both Lina and Max got themselves into were funny and made me laugh out loud. The author gives us insight into why each of the main characters act the way they do and the characters are given the opportunity to come to the realization on their own.

This was my first book by the author and I look forward to reading more!

The set up of this one really appealed to me because how can I not be interested in a romance between a woman and the man who essentially helped his brother leave her at the altar? Lina was a female MC who I immediately liked because she is such an independent, driven career woman. I was incredibly interested in her take on weddings as a wedding planner who…didn’t like weddings lol. I adored her big Brazilian family so, so much along with the different cultural touches that were added along the way. Those were what made the book stand out in an excellent way to me.

However, Max didn’t work as well for me. He was definitely fleshed out and a fully rounded character but I was left wondering exactly why he felt so badly for so long about his role in the wedding disaster. And for that matter, I never really got the sense that Lina really ever cared that much for her ex. I enjoyed Max and Lina together, I loved Lina on her own, but I wanted a little more on the details I got hung on up. There were a ton of fun scenes and I love Mia Sosa’s writing though and will be looking forward to more from her

Mia Sosa's The Worst Best Man is a delightful rom-com that I hope kicks off a fun new series!

Carolina Santos comes face-to-face with her worst nightmare when she arrives at the interview for her dream job: She'll be expected to complete a presentation as part of the process that involves working with either Andrew (the ex who ditched her at the alter) or his brother Max (who drunkenly convinced Andrew the night before the wedding to bail). Lina picks Max as the lesser of the two evils, never expecting that she'll start to fall for him as they work together.

Lina is a heroine determined to do whatever it takes to succeed. She's been burned in the past and puts up walls to protect herself from being hurt again. She uses those walls to push Max away, even as it becomes clear he's changed since they last spoke years ago. Max feels incredibly guilty for the role he played in ruining Lina's wedding (even though he can't remember what it was he said that changed his brother's mind). Though he and Lina indulge in some petty pranks when they first reconnect, he soon finds himself willing to do whatever it takes to help her succeed. Once they're on the same page, the sparks begin to truly fly.

The word rom-com is thrown around a lot these days, and for me a book really need to succeed in both the romantic and comedy departments to earn the title. While not all of the pranks worked for me personally in the humor department, I found that Sosa's wordplay is where her wit really shone (the heroine having a moment daydreaming about intimacy and being upset that her "stream of cocksciousness' is being interrupted stood out as particularly creative and hilarious). Between her wordplay and the chemistry between Lina and Max, this book certainly delivers on its rom-com promise.

Sosa's filled her book with such fantastic characters that you leave hoping it turns into a series just so you can spend more time with them and see them get their HEAs. This is the first I've read from her, and I'm looking forward to checking out her backlist!

Lina Santos, bomb wedding coordinator has found herself in a predicament the place she rents her office out of is closing, and can’t afford rent on another location unless she wants to be homeless but she finds herself in a meeting to become a wedding coordinator at a hotel group. The only problem is she is competing for the job and assigned a marketing team member. The only problem the marketing team is her ex fiancé and his brother who convinced him not to marry her. She freaks out and pretends not to know them. As she is working with Max (the brother) she finds herself wondering what would have happened if she got married because shes falling for his brother.

Who doesn't love weddings? This book immerses you in wedding culture with a skilled guide at the helm and put her with the man she'd LEAST like to work with, and watching them fall in love warms the heart.

This was a fun, flirty & very enjoyable book to read; would definitely recommend it.

Lina, a wedding planner, is left at the alter & the person to tell her that her future husband won't be showing up for their big day is the worst, best man, her no longer future brother-in-law, Max. And according to her ex-groom, Andrew, it's all because of what Max said to him; but Max has no idea what he said or how to fix it.

Fast forward a few years...Lina's still a wedding planner & single. An amazing opportunity comes up but she finds out that she has to work with either the man who jilted her, Andrew or the worst, best man, Max. She chooses to work with Max & decided to also have a little payback fun for what she went through in the process. Max is shook, who would have thought he would have to work with his brother's ex. And this job is just as important to Max as it is for Lina. Max will do anything to prove himself & set himself apart from his brother.

As Max & Lina begin to work together, fireworks are going off all over. Lina tries to ignore them but Max kind of wants to see where they lead. One night they decide to become friends with benefits but before long, Max realizes that he may actually love Lina & he's got to find a way to make her his.

Great rom-com we've been waiting for! Mia Sosa is a true talent.
I think the characters were fun and relatable and had a great plot. Also a good quick read.

Contains: a likable Brazilian-American main character, a charming and sympathetic love interest, a ridiculously rom-commy setup. I liked the specifics of Lina's job as a wedding coordinator and the way she wryly points out certain cultural issues with concepts like "bridezillas" and groom's cakes.

You could spend your weekend in far worse ways than reading this fun and uplifting contemporary romance by an #ownvoices author.

Received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly gotta say, this book gave me zero feelings. No chemistry, the plot was ridiculous - seriously, the brother never asked the once groom what it was he said that supposedly caused the marriage to never happen? Like, REALLY? And Andrew is some sort of weird villain this whole time? I don't know, I just really wasn't vibing with this one. I was wanting something more fun, with feelings, and I got none of that.

A wedding planner who was left at the alter the day of her own wedding, ironic right? Fast forward three years and Lina Santos has moved on with her life and is interviewing for her dream job as a wedding concierge where she’s set to be paired with a marketing expert. Enter marketing expert, Max. Funny, handsome, charming, oh, and he just happens to be the brother of the man who left Lina at the alter three years prior.

It's only January but I already know I've found one of my favorite romances of 2020. Mia Sosa is a new to me voice who knocked it out of the park with her sassy, sweet, steamy rom-com The Worst Best Man. There were moments while reading this one that I was literally alternating between holding my breath and praying for these two crazy kids to just get together! Any book that can make me feel real life passionate like that has definitely earned a spot for all of their books on my future TBR.

If it wasn't clear enough, buy this book on February 4th and thank me later.

When I read the description for this book, it sounded like it would be amazing. However, I personally found it lacking. I was very bored with it. It lost my attention about 20% in and from that point I struggled horribly to finish it. Sadly this was my introduction to Mia Sosa. I think other's who read this book will fall in love with her book. However, I don't know that I will pick up another book by Sosa. Definitely try out the author for yourself.

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

Review for ‘The worst Best Man’ by @miasosaromance and a special thanks to @netgalley @harpercollins for the advanced reader copy. I loved it. The story is rich with Portuguese culture and a lead protagonist named Lina (short for Carolina) who was dumped at the alter by her fiancé.

Enter Max, he brings nothing but bad memories for Lina but they are forced to reconnect. Here’s what I loved about the book: the author really developed their relationship but set the angst high in the beginning. This allowed for some serious tension which was needed so the reader could see when Max and Lina’s relationship took a turn.

The book has some spice but it’s not the focus of the story. Rather the story centers on Max and Lina, their families, and where one comes from.
This is a great one, at times dramatic and at times sweet & funny. I highly recommend for all the romance readers out there.
Releasing Feb 4th!

#theworstbestman #netgalley #goodreads #harpercollinspublishers #avonpublishing #romcombooks #febuaryrelease #mustreadromcom #advancedreadercopy #kindlepaperwhite

This was a super cute rom-com between Max and Lina. Max was really sweet, and Lina was super relatable. Lina has been jaded on love since being left at the altar (pretty awkward when you’re a wedding planner) and has put up walls to protect herself from showing too much emotion and forming attatchments. Then enters Max (none other than the ex-fiancé’s brother) and the story takes off when the two are forced to work together on a major presentation. I really enjoyed the relationship and chemistry beteeen the two. This is own voices for the Lantinx representation, and I appreciated the cultural elements that were shown in the novel. *ARC provided by NetGalley and Avon in exchange for honest review.

Lina Santos has a very rom com job - she’s a wedding planner. This novel opens with her fiancé (Andrew) dumping her five minutes before their wedding and making his younger brother (Max) be the messenger. Fast forward three years and Lina is up for a potential dream job that, through a series of unlikely events, relies on working with a marketing team that happens to be... Andrew and Max. They all pretend not to know each other and she’s paired with Max to make a pitch for this dream job. Shenanigans ensue.

I liked Lina a lot, and I really thought the way she explained how being an Afro-Latinx woman impacts how she does or doesn’t show her emotions in public and professional spaces. She gets Max to think about his privilege and makes him work to provide a safe space for her. I also loved Lina’s family and her assistant, and I loved the little glimpses of Brazilian-American culture throughout the book. I liked Max, too, and he changed and grew in ways that seemed at least somewhat believable (not always the case in rom coms). Andrew was consistently the worst.

Overall: cute, thoughtful, and satisfying.

This was a solid four star read.

I enjoyed the characters. Lina was an interesting character. She tried to keep this solid outer shell and not show too much emotion. Even with the story opening up at a point where you think there should be a ton of emotion.

Max was another interesting character. He seemed to be in perpetual competition with his older brother.

The two of them end up having to work together, despite their past, and it makes for some funny moments. I enjoyed watching their relationship grow.

The Worst Best Man has such an original premise and is a delight. It's a contemporary that I will be recommending all over the place. Mia Sosa takes on one heck of a scenario - dating the brother of your ex-fiance who convinced said fiance to not marry you the night before your wedding? What?!? It works and it works so well.

This definitely falls under enemies to lovers and workplace romance. Lina is up for a job at a hotel chain as their wedding coordinator. It's a big deal because it would mean a steady (and higher!) salary and remove the stress of running her own business. She's also nervous about it because her mom and aunts have worked hard for her to  have the opportunities she did and she doesn't want to let them down. Max is working for his mom's marketing firm where his brother, Andrew, is hogging all the credit for their work. The hotel offers Lina a chance to compete for the job and she has to work with Max to do it. She hides the fact she knows the brothers because she doesn't want to be known as the wedding planner who got jilted.

Lina is definitely over Andrew, because she was marrying him more for practical compatibility reasons than him being the great love of her life. Andrew isn't evil but he's definitely not a great guy. Max has his own struggles and I did believe he genuinely did want to make it right with Lina as he does feel guilty for his role in it all.

Lina and Max work together on research and prep for the presentation at the end of the competition including working with clients, gathering testimonials, and Max seeing what Lina does in terms of helping brides and grooms and reviewing vendors and locations. One of the location scouts involves a broken down car and a retreat with only one bed. They also test out the hotel restaurant for a romantic dinner.

One of the funny side plots is that Max keeps going to his friend Dean for help whenever he thinks about how into Lina he is and how he should stay away with her. The friends and family in this book are fantastic (minus Andrew). I love her family, and I wish I had a cousin Natalia.  Also, this book will make you hungry, so if you have Brazilian food in the vicinity, I suggest getting some before reading.

When Max and Lina are honest with each other about their feelings, they are also honest about their personal struggles - professionally, in relationships, etc. This is hard for both of them, and the stress of hiding their relationship also doesn't help. Yet Sosa makes it work so well. I couldn't put this book down, and highly recommend it for contemporary romance readers.

After being left at the alter, Lina had moved on with her life. She was enjoying success as a wedding planner, and her hard work wasn't going unnoticed. She was shortlisted for the position as the in-house wedding coordinator for a high end hotel, but there was a catch. She had to commit to a competition type interview, paired with one of the hotel's marketing team members, and who does she get paired with? Her ex-fiancee's brother, who was better known for his role in ruining her wedding.

This was my very first Mia Sosa reading experience, and I have to say, it was a great one. The Worst Best Man had so many elements I love, AND Sosa did them very well.

✓ Hate-to-Love

I see so many people extoll their praises for the hate-to-love trope. It's always sort of fun to see two people's animosity towards each other morph into a different sort of passion, and that's exactly how I felt watching Lina and Max fall in love.

Lina always blamed Max for the demise of her relationship with his brother, and therefore, her hatred seemed justified. She couldn't go full attack on him, as she really did want to win the job of her dreams, but she was determined to make him pay, at least a little. She tricked him into some situations, which made me laugh, but what I really enjoyed, was when she began to see him in a different way. Lina couldn't fail to notice how much Max had changed over the years, and how those changes were for the better. Max also started to see Lina in a new light, now that she was not attached to his brother, and neither could deny their attraction, nor what grew from it.

✓ Rom-com

Sosa has a great sense of humor, and she passed that on to her characters. There were many genuine rom-com moments in this story. From the cake tasting to the Virginia shenanigans, Max and Lina kept ending up in those classic situations, that were both funny and meaningful for the evolution of their relationship. That's a dose of double joy for me, because I love to laugh, and I am all about seeing a love match happen.

✓ Fantastic family

Though Max and his brother, Andrew, had one of those competitive relationships, Max did enjoy a nice rapport with his mother. They didn't get too many scenes together, but they shared some lovely moments on-page. However, it was Lina's family that stole the show. They were a lively bunch, and I found myself looking forward to any and all family gatherings. Every time they were together held the promise of laughter, but as I laughed, I did so with a warm heart, because there was also a lot of love between them all.

✓ Quality bromance

Mia Sosa - Can Dean get his own book, please? I mean, how awesome were the interactions between him and Max? Their friendship was so wonderful! The way they spoke openly, and showed up, when they thought they were needed. That sleepover had me in stitches, but also made me a bit jealous of the strength of their bond.

✓ Swoonworthy hero and fabulous heroine

I found Max utterly wonderful! He was charming and sweet, and he just fit into Lina's life so well. I will admit, I struggle with relatives having had relationships with the same people, but I enjoyed these two together so much, I was able to erase Lina's previous relationship from my mind. There was a lot more to than sexy times and chemistry to sell me on this pairing, too. Both Max and Lina thought they had a lot to prove. They never felt like they were enough, but together, they were unstoppable. They pushed each other, encouraged each other, and elevated each other. It's the type of dynamic that has you wishing you were part of that couple.

I really loved this book, though, I do wish Sosa had given me an epilogue. The ending was fine. It was happy and good, but perhaps, a bit abrupt. Still, I am left with nothing but good feelings about Lina and Max's romance, and am eager to read more of Sosa's work.

I like that the story is diverse. With Lina being from a different nationality it helps to bring flavor to the book. These two characters are loving provoking each other, specially Max. But with the best intentions. Because even when they started with the wrong foot forward they recognized that they had something in common. Both are desperate for control, desperate to succeed on their own merit and both have a need to prove themselves. Always putting up a facade. Plus both of them are very talented so it makes it fun and entertaining to read how they manage to put out fires while poking each other, while getting to also know the vulnerable parts of each other that no one else knows.

This wasn't a perfect book for me, but I did end up enjoying it a lot more than I expected to. I really felt the chemistry between the two main characters and I appreciated that, although the book starts off on a pretty ridiculous note, the characters grow A LOT by the end of the novel and ultimately end up making some very Adult decisions. I will say though, the sex scenes in this one were pretty awkward. I felt like the author was trying to make them overly ~sassy~ and it really just took me out of the scene and made me feel awkward reading them. Overall, this one was fun and I recommend if you enjoy a zany rom-com, but it wasn't a complete new favorite.

This is a lighthearted story of an enemies to lovers. At first I had my doubts if this book could make me laugh, giggle 🤭, and teary eyed just 😢 a little. Because first of all this is the first book I read that's written by Mia Sosa. And you know when you just got a book and started reading without knowing anything about it. Its like walking in blind. Nevertheless, without a doubt I was proved wrong.
All I can say is ... OMG 😱 what a read! I can see this book made into a movie 🎥 like a hallmark movie or netflix or passionflix. Both of the leading characters are easily likable, and they're both crazy and funny. I'm not gonna spill more info, but trust me it's worth reading.
Thank you 🙏 to the author and Harper Collins publisher - Avon romance for the ARC.