When Javi Dumped Mari has all the charm and wit I expect from Mia Sosa, and there were plenty of fun, flirty moments that made me smile. The premise is entertaining, and the family dynamics added nice layers. That said, while I enjoyed the ride, the emotional connection between the characters didn’t hit as deeply as I’d hoped. Still, it’s a breezy, enjoyable read with enough heart to keep me turning the pages—and I’ll definitely keep picking up whatever Sosa writes next.

This was such an interesting read! It was a fresh take on the friends to lovers / love triangle tropes, and it felt different from anything I’ve read before.

If you enjoy watching two characters’ relationship unfold in two timelines, this is a great book for you! The “today” part of the book takes place in only a few weeks, but we flashback to different points over the previous 10 years. It really makes the characters come to life, and adds to their story.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

THE QUEEN OF ROMANCE HAS DONE IT AGAIN! scorching with chemistry and swoon, with a couple that’ll stick with you for a while and some good FUN, which is so needed in romances these days. characters that leap off the page fully formed and prose that’s accessible and also makes you jealous because how can mia sosa wrote so well?

LOVED this! The alternating past and presents storylines along with the back and forth of Javi’s and Mari’s perspectives really made the story work - why she was with Alex, why they acted the way they did, their friendship’ history, and wht they (obviously) had to end up together. Perfect, sweet, funny romance.

Thank you so o NetGalley, and Penguin Random House for this ARC. This book made me kick my feet, kind of a lot. I was very invested in these characters, and enjoyed the messy ride through their relationships.

When Javi Dumped Mari was such a fun and engaging read. The characters felt real and I genuinely cared about what happened to them. Every time I picked it up, I was excited to dive back in. The ending was a little over-the-top and pulled me out of the story a bit. But overall, a great read.

I really loved this story. I’m not a huge fan of books hopping around in timeline, but I really enjoyed the way this was done. I think jumping back and forth was more impactful and kept the tension higher and the story more interesting than if it had been told in chronological order.

I really enjoyed Mari. She was such a strong woman and knew (almost) exactly what she wanted in her life.
Javi was fantastic! He was absolutely everything Mari needed, and I’m glad the two of them figured it out before it was too late.

Literally my only complaint is the lack of translation on the few pieces of Portuguese or Spanish that were peppered in. But it wasn’t much, and it wasn’t bad at all.

Fantastic book!

What a beautiful and well flushed out love story. This was a best friends to lover trope and it was done so well. Javi starts the story with wanting to confess his feelings for Mari only to have a series of things prevent him from doing so. Loved how even though she was engaged to Alex, he was like a ghost character, he didn’t over power the story at all where it felt wrong to read and Mari and Javi’s love. He was such a good sport about everything involving her wedding party, The best female friends were there for her without being overly intrusive which some female friendships tend to be. Oh and their best friend chemistry and banter and the way they just got each other in scenarios was so good! Really enjoyed it

If you love slow burn, expertly crafted humor, and friends to lovers with a diverse perspective - this is for you! It does have dual timelines, which is I think serves the story well in this case. It leaves a few heated explosions in the midst of the slow burn. I wish the pacing were a little faster at the beginning, but the last 30% was un-put-down-able! I really appreciate that the author doesn’t explicitly translate each Portugese dialogue right after the sentence, but rather contextualizes it. This feels approachable but authentic.

This reviewer is a Chocolicious stan.

This book’s title is an ode to when Harry met Sally but the storyline reminds me of the movie my best friend’s wedding but Javi and Mari actually loved each other.

I felt the intro dinner of Javier, Mari, and Alex made the current timeline stale but the second half of the book was so great.

I wish we found out why Javier acted how he did earlier on. It just seemed like he was trying to emotionally cheat without context, and repeatedly dumping her 😭

Overall, I loved this book and there were so many times I laughed out loud. Enjoy some of my favorite quotes out of context:

“I know bochinche when I see it”

“I press my hands against the ground and propel myself over to Alex like a sea turtle on crack”

“Leandro breaks the silence by bleating like a sheep”

“There’s a song about a man of honor?” I clear my throat. “Yeah, it goes, “And what”—clap—“the hell”—clap—“is a man of honor?”—clap—“

“En el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Espíritu Santo. Amén,” Javi chants. “¡Vayase, Demonio!”

“Go, Barbara, go. If I didn’t know any better, I would think Barbara’s a plant, paid by yours truly to remind Mari that Alex isn’t the guy for her.l

“This is . . . Elmo’s cousin . . . Guillermo! He came all the way from Puerto Rico to celebrate with you.”

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for providing this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

*Note for publisher: There were many instances of words having dashes in the middle as if the word was being cut off at the end of page when it wasn’t, like “sur- prised” so the format needs to be adjusted for the ebook.

First the title of the book didn’t make much sense because there was nothing to dump! I wasn’t feeling the relationship at all and it was a bit weird honestly and didn’t make much sense. The book was overall pretty brining to me and I struggled with the majority of it.

Thank you NetGalley and G. P. Putnam's Sons for sending me this arc of When Javi Dumped Mari.

When I received the email about this novel, I was really excited to dive into it - but couldn’t quite get myself to commit like I wanted to. This just wasn’t the one for me and that’s okay! I think many people will actually enjoy it and find it to be a fun read!

Thank you again for this opportunity!

I’m a huge fan of Mia Sosa’s books and this one does not disappoint. Her trademark humor and banter is on point and I couldn’t stop reading!

Thank you NetGalley & Mia Sosa for this arc!

The entire time I was reading this I was imagining it as a movie. I feel like this would be really cute as a rom com. This follows two college besties who are too scared to admit their feelings! I was honestly laughing throughout the book. I think this has a good balance of humor, romance & real shit. This had me googling how to speak Portuguese 😂. I really liked both characters but towards the end I was losing a little steam with Mari and the storyline. This was also probably one of the longest books I’ve read in a while but overall I loved Javi and Mari. 🥹

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam Publishing for the ARC of this book. I am absolutely in love with this book! This book is in my top 3 favorite I have read so far this year! Javi and Mari are just chefs kiss as characters even the side characters like Chloe and Mari’s mom are amazing. I had so much fun reading this book it was hilarious and super cute. The banter is top tier the spice is perfect it’s sprinkled throughout the book and not so over the top that it’s cringy. I have nothing bad to say about this book. This was my first time reading a book by Mia Sosa but it will definitely not be my last.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this book you won’t be disappointed! 😅

I’ve really enjoyed this author’s previous books but this was a miss for me. Friends to lovers is a favorite trope of mine but I didn’t want or buy them together by the end.

This story follows friends Marisol Campos and Javier Báez through their journey from college to adulthood. At first Javier is annoyed with this know it all girl on campus till he meets her in class. Marisol is this gives no ish kind of girl while Javier is the behind the scenes kind of guy.

This book was so cute. It was a nice fluff book.

Javier and Marisol have had a complicated history. They met in college and went on a fast track to being best friends. Underneath the surface, there has always been something more than friends between the two of them. Years later, Mari surprises Javi with an announcement that she is engaged. Javi is floored by the news because he was finally going to tell her that he was in love with her. Javi now only has six weeks to convince Mari that marrying the other guy is a mistake.

The "it's always been you" trope is one of my favorites. Two people pining for one another in secret is always a fun story. Yes, it's a bit of angsty torture on some levels, but I guess I like that kind of torture! Once Mari got engaged, that longing they had for one another bubbled to the surface. It was only a matter of time before they had to deal with what was between them.

I loved Mari and Javi's relationship. They were fun, flirty, and they kept each other real. I liked the flashbacks to their college days, early in their relationship when it was still developing. It grounded their relationship in a way that gave me a sense of why their they were so important to one another. Mia Sosa cleverly hinted at things that happened between them and then slowly revealed those things in flashbacks. It was a fun way to experience their story.

As usual, Sosa doesn't disappoint in the steamy scenes in this book. Mari and Javi were explosive in the bedroom!

Pick this one up for a fun and flirty friends-to-lovers romance!

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥

It feels like a Latinx version of My Best Friends Wedding/Made of Honor, but with flashbacks. The premise of two people that are in love with one another giving each other veto power over their love lives seems a bit strange to me. My favorite part was the chapter of her meeting him at the airport with the sign.