I wanted to love this one but it just wasn't for me. I know Mia Sosa is a huge love for so many and I was really hopeful to enjoy this one but it just didn't hit for me like I was hoping it would. However, I do know so many others will love and enjoy.

Best friends Javi and Mari have a long-standing pact to vet each other's significant others. When Javi finally works up the courage to confess his feelings to Mari, she shocks him by introducing her fiancé and asking him to be her "man of honor."

4.5 stars, 🌶🌶

Okay, I may be an absolute sucker for friends to lovers, but I loved the split timeline nature of this book and getting to watch Javi and Mari grow over an almost 12 year time period. I loved their banter and was rooting for them the whole time.

The rest of the bridesmaids had me cracking up, especially Chloe, and I would honestly love to read a book following any (or all) of them.

I could understand Mari's pressure to meet up to her father's expectations, as well as Javi's feeling of holding Mari back. I just wish they could have communicated better, especially when the waters were so muddy.

This book is perfect for those who love second chance romance, friends to lovers, found family, and books exploring difficult family dynamics.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC. All views and opinions are my own.

Instagram post scheduled for the week of 3/30

This was perfect in getting me out of my reading slump. The angst, drama, and romance were everything I needed. Mari and Javi are the type of friends to lovers story I can get behind.

An absolutely delightful read! Woven among past and present versions of the main characters, this story unfolds in a way that is both compelling and endearing. The author did an amazing job of switching back to the past at the exact moment needed for the story and character arcs to advance. I rarely read books twice, but this would be one tale that I would gladly embark upon again. Funny, charming, and emotionally satisfying it captured my imagination and won my heart.

This is romcom gold! If you love the movie My Best Friend's Wedding but wished for them to get together in the end, this book is for you.

I had so much fun reading this. I was constantly smiling, it was that good. The characters of Javi and Mari felt realistic, especially Javi. He finally has an epiphany that he's in love with his best friend and decides to try stopping her impeding nuptials. He's very much a romcom man haha. Mari is done waiting for her live to happen and so becomes engaged to be married quite quickly (6 weeks!). I think a lot of female readers will identify with Mari's frustrations. Javi and Mari themselves have great chemistry, banter and intimacy. I really enjoyed their friendship but loved when they finally realized they had something more. Readers will certainly be yelling, "kiss already!".

This book is the perfect combo of silly and heartfelt. Will make many readers fall in love this summer. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc. It was really fun and cute. I enjoyed this rom com very much. The characters were funny.

With a title based off of the infamous When Harry Met Sally, there was no doubt that a HEA was in store, but the journey for Javi and Mari was not a smooth one. What made this such a compelling read for me was that it was Javi who was the more emotionally aware and in-tuned participant in their relationship even though Mari seemed to think that she was the one who was making the logical decision to move away from their dynamic.

This isn't a book that is going to keep you guessing or throw a bunch of curveballs your way, but it was enjoyable to go back in time and learn about the younger years of Javi and Mari to see how they came to have the adult relationship they do and understand just why they are so right for each other.

I throughly enjoyed this book and it’s been added to my list of favorites. I’ve read a couple books by Mia Sosa before, so this was a nice addition. Once it’s on the shelves, I’ll be adding it to my personal collection.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy! All opinions are my own.

This was such a good book! Loved the back and forth between present day and the past. It really explained their current relationship and how we got there.

Definitely recommend!

Super cute, and I did like it, but it was far too easy to skim over some parts and not feel like I was missing out. The flashbacks didn’t work for me either, especially as the most important one was held to the very end of the book. The dialogue was snappy and funny, as were the group of friends. I was simply hoping for a little more from the author. Thanks to Putnam for the ARC.

I’m so glad the publisher reached out to recommend this story to me. It was not on my radar at all, but it was right up my alley. When Javi Dumped Mari is a story of two best friends that make a pact never to pursue a relationship with someone that the other friend does not approve of or deem worthy. The problem arises when the two best friends are ignoring their obvious romantic love for each other in favor of preserving their relationship. It comes to a head when Mari introduces her fiance to Javi, and it’s Javi’s first time meeting the man his best friend has chosen to marry - breaking their almost decade-long pact.

Sosa excels at the dual points of view and timelines in operation here. The story holds the charm, tension, and humor of the iconic rom-com When Harry Met Sally (from which the title gained inspiration). All of the characters have a life of their own and enrich the tone, particularly balancing the angst and humor. I felt most aligned with Mari and her sense of blunt humor. Watching her grow and change between the two timelines was fascinating. Though the characters made more informed decisions in the later timeline, they still hold the young and wild spirit of their younger selves. The heart of the story is the “found family” trope - Javi and Mari are best friends first, and the college friends that round out this family make every scene that much more enjoyable. To watch how their relationships remain despite distance/time, as it related to Javi and Mari’s relationship, was a great foil to observe.

When Javi Dumped Mari is not without some hair pulling moments mainly because of dear Javi. Love his character, but he seems pretty pathetic at times. I wanted to pull him aside and give him a talking-to, but knowing this genre, I knew context would follow to explain his behavior. Once I received that context, he lost his pathetic status, and I empathized with him. I do wish it was expressed earlier, so I wouldn’t root against him after a while. This is me telling you if you ever feel that STICK IT OUT. The context is coming and will make it all worthwhile.

All in all, love the funny quips, the expressive characters, and the high stakes that are not always present in these romance novels. Sosa has joined my list of writers to check out going forward - they’re definitely an engaging storyteller.

I received a free copy of, When Javi Dumped Mari, by Mia Sosa, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Marisol and Javi are best friends, strictly platonic, though Javi is in love with Mari, but Mari is engaged to someone else. I thought this book was ok, it was a bit to much of past, and present.

4/5

Welcome to Mia Sosa's twist on When Harry Met Sally, where the road to romance is long and tumultuous but hidden between moments of angst and true friendship. Almost ten years ago and some change, Javi met Mari during a late night protest which involved Mari stealing every copy of the college paper while Javi stared on dumbfounded. After some snippy back and forth they became friends and in their Sophomore year, made a promise to always vet the other person's dates, until now —when Mari shows up to a friendship lunch engaged to a colleague Javi has never even met. Integrating dual perspectives and timelines, Sosa harkens back to the beginnings of this friendship as it stands on the brink of change in the present, and what went wrong in the years leading up to this moment. With these two the chemistry is intense but no match for the denying-you're-in-love-with-your-best-friend mentality they both are holding fast to. Sosa really made me feel for Javi and Mari, their differences and their similarities, but also what they can be when they are on the same team. I have always said I love my love stories on the messy side and Mia Sosa understands that deeply. This was messy, sexy, and SO SO funny I think I hurt my chest a few times with all the laughing. Javi was a sweet theatre guy who yearns but feels like he isn't good enough whereas Mari was ambitious and determined to chase the successful lawyer lifestyle and prove herself to her father and I loved them both dearly. Mia Sosa shows how it's never too late in this reimagining of a classic, full of heat, misunderstanding, and the wedding mishaps we all adore.

This review will appear on my blog closer to publication

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I have never read this author before and I really enjoyed this one. About two best friends who are clearly in love with each other, but one of them is getting married, it reminded me a little of My Best Friend’s Wedding. It was really fun and funny with just the right amount of spice. I would definitely read another by this author.

Mia Sosa wrote this book very well. She created diverse and dynamic characters. The story flow is very even paced and gives clear direction of where the characters are in the timeline of their lives. The book follows two best friends and how they deal with the aftereffects of coming out of college and figuring out what is next. For main protagonist Mari Campos she has her life mapped out. She returns to LA and will go to law school and become a lawyer. The other main protagonist Javi Báez has a life less mapped out. He just has a dream and wishes to figure it out. There are a total of 48 chapters and an epilogue.

The story is loosely based off the idea of When Harry Met Sally… that old chestnut of a funny movie. This story is more diverse than the movie. It is told in the present day with well-known flashbacks being set up to explain the story. I’m a big believer that knowing how something happens usually relates back to something that has already happened. That is very much the case with Mari and Javi, they both love each other and want what is best for each other. Javi grows up as does Mari, but as usual, especially in real life women mature much faster than men… lol, but to be clear Javi is a good man. The reader will see how they become friends and even more. The book all together was well written. The pacing was great! The story felt natural and realistic. The characters were not perfect, but fit perfectly together. I loved this book.

This is an author to watch -- and order! The characters Javi and Mari are fully developed, engaging and funny, and with understandable problems. What makes this special is the characters are Americans from Spanish-speaking families. Sosa explores the discrimination they face, the determination they have to fight it, and the compassion each of them have for the struggles of others. And she does it with humor. The sex scenes do not overwhelm the story, while providing enough heat.

Javi has six weeks to convince Mari not to marry Alex! This is a second chance romcom with dual timelines. I wondered what had happened in the past that prevented them from being together and we find this out through the flashbacks to their past.

Mari is an entertainment lawyer at her father’s practice and Javi is writing a musical. He’s been working odd jobs to support himself, mainly as a bartender and actor. They first met when they were in college and were active with LASA (Latin American Student Association) where they became close but then Javi ghosted her and she never knew why. They ran into each other two years ago on the set of a show and ended up spending the night together but then decided to just be friends. They agreed on a pact where they would vet each other’s partners because they trusted they would give each other good advice.

In the present, Mari invites Javi to meet her for dinner and he is surprised when she introduces him to Alex, her fiancé. Mari spent years waiting for Javi to come around but now she decides it’s time to get on with her life. She works with Alex and they've been dating for six months. Her father, who can be very critical, approves of him. She asks Javi to be her man of honor at her wedding in six weeks. Javi starts looking for flaws in Alex, hoping they will break up so he can have another chance to be with Mari.

I enjoyed reading the present timeline the most. I was less interested in the time when they were in college but I appreciated getting Javi’s viewpoint to find out the reason why he ghosted her, especially considering how much he cares for her now.

This is a cute romcom about long time friends finally figuring out how much they mean to each other. Thank you to the author, Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A rom-com book inspired by Harry Met Sally with Afro-Latino and Latino representation? SIGN ME UP! When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa was everything I needed in a rom-com book!

In When Javi Dumped Mari, we follow two best friends who met in college and made a pact that they wouldn’t date anyone the other didn’t approve of. So, of course, Javi is shocked when Mari announces that she is engaged to a man he hasn’t even met, years later!

Javi and Mari have secretly pined for each other since college, but were never ready for each other. They were on two different paths, and the timing didn’t work for them! Although the temptation was certainly there and they definitely had some spicy moments together, they still weren’t ready for each other!

Oh, and life is cruel, because before Mari announced her engagement, Javi was about to profess his love for her and announce how he had finally gotten his personal and professional life together—like, OUCH!

I truly enjoyed the friends-to-lovers relationship in this book, which we get to see through the time jumps and dual points of view! Also, oh my goodness, the slow burn!! I was rooting for Javi the whole time! I admired how both Javi and Mari grew individually and together throughout the book! Was the book a bit cheesy at times? Probably, but I ate it up! This is why I love rom-coms!

The representation in this book was beautiful and definitely needed! I’m going to grab multiple copies to give to all my tias!

Thank you so much to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes:
💼 Friends to Lovers (He falls first)
🌸 Slow-Burn
💼 Mutual Pinning
🌸 Dual Timeline
💼 Afro-Latinx Representation

This was my first arc read ever! Thank you SO much @netgalley, @miasosaromance, and @penguinrandomhouse @putnambooks for allowing me to receive an early copy of #WhenJaviDumpedMari ! I have never tabbed a book this much! BRB, running to find my next #MiaSosa read ASAP!

This book is sassy, sexy, and everything in between. I absolutely loved it! The story follows Javi and Mari who are best friends. They make a pact to each other to approve each other’s dates. However, they have always secretly longed for each other.

Mari’s time in New York allows her to meet a man that she believes is perfect for her and they hit off. On the other hand, Javi an aspiring librettist, finally gets to a good spot in his passion project, only to find out that Mari is no longer waiting on him and other things have taken her focus.

If you love slow burn romantic comedies, family drama, cultural representation, and rooting for the underdog, consider “When Javi Dumped Mari” as your next read!

Solid 3.5 stars. This novel had the dual narration and flashback chapters I wished were in the last book I reviewed (Bad Publicity). I did feel we had too many flashbacks at times but I do feel the characters were well developed. This is the strongest of this author’s work and I hope she continues in this direction.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.