#WhenJaviDumpedMari #NetGalley

Truly a friends to lovers, East/West Coast, revel proudly in their Latino’ roots romance.

She’s Brazilian, he’s Puerto Rican. Their respective cultural backgrounds are in full force from the initial meeting at a Latino student organization in college to their later years as young professionals.

Author did a wonderful job building their relationship up, navigating hurdles strewn along the way from family pressure to seemingly unattainable career dreams.

Para siempre,indeed. (Read the book and you’ll get the context of this phrase).



This ARC was provided by the publisher, Penguin Group Putnam, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the classic friends to lovers trope with a pining best friend. It's told between dual timelines showcasing their friendship through college and beyond. In present times, Javi is blindsided by Mari's recently announced whirlwind engagement and vows to do what he can to prove he's the right man for her. I loved the dynamic and sizzling chemistry between the two main characters. This story had the perfect balance of heart and humor.

I liked this author’s previous books, so I was glad to get her upcoming novel early from NetGalley. Figured it would be a good, reliable rom com. This wasn’t it. Instead, I just wanted to get it over with.

Mari and Javi are friends who have a pact to vet each other’s relationships. But then Mari gets engaged without introducing the guy to Javi.

The title of this book makes no sense. Did he dump her? There was nothing to dump. I guess you’re trying to play off When Harry Met Sally because these guys are friends?

Their relationship was weird and I honestly didn’t feel it. They were friends in college, then don’t talk for 6 years, then meet up and hook up and decide they should just be friends, then she’s engaged. It was all very dull and pointless. Just way too wordy for a poorly-developed relationship.

I have adored this author since their first book and I have loved this so much, I adored this story and the connection between characters and the pacing was great! I had a glorious time!

I liked this book a lot! Its sort of a My Best Friend’s Wedding with an HEA. I was excited to get an ARC of this book—I’ve really enjoyed Mia Sosa’s work in the past!

Normally dual timelines bother me, but I thought in this case it was really well done. I loved both Javi and Mari as characters. They make a lot of sense to me.

I didn’t love how much of the plot relied on Javi just straight up not communicating with Mari, but in context I did think it made sense, so. I give it a pass.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!

What a cute romcom! I really enjoyed this book and had such a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed the writing style. The characters worked so well together and the plot was great.

I don’t normally read many friends to lovers books because the characters’ reasons for not being together usually irritate the life out of me. For Mari, her insistence on getting married to one man while clearly in love with another was infuriating. For Javi, the way he would say absolutely nothing and make things uncomfortable instead of being honest with Mari made me borderline violent. It always feels like everyone is just wasting time when they could be together and happy instead.

And yet…I still really enjoyed this book. All of the characters were so FUNNY and the flashback chapters were so good! I fell in love so easily with the Javi and Mari from the past. They have such amazing chemistry and I knew from the beginning I needed them to be together.

The ending of this book made me happy and I definitely want to read more books from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy of the book!

The emotions were pretty much at the forefront of every scene in this book 🥲 I was racing through the pages to reach Javi and Mari's hea, their friendship/relationship development and their own personal character growths were so well-rounded

Also, I loved their meet cute so much?? That scene and the ones that followed were my favourite parts of the book, they were so cute 😭

TWs - emotionally manipulation by family members

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I want to live inside a Mia Sosa romantic comedy! Full of so many hilarious moments that are sandwiched between careful, emotional development, When Javi Dumped Mari is not a novel I will soon forget. Expertly told using dual timelines, readers learn about Javi and Mari over the years. This was such a wonderful way to show readers the complexity of a friends-to-lovers relationship with so much nuance. These characters needed to grow separately and together to get their happily ever after that felt so earned and so right. Is anyone funnier than Mia Sosa? Rhetorical question-- no, no there is not! Bold, funny, and dynamic Mia Sosa has written another banger!

Whoa! Mia Sosa is an auto but author for me and this book proves why! What a phenomenal read!

This book goes back and forth to explain Mari & Javi's expansive relationship, how they met, their previous visits and how Mari met her current fiance.

It also shows the dynamic between Mari and her father, and how that affects her relationship with Javi. The relationship between Javi and his family. The mention of them in therapy and how that has helped them process their feelings and trauma in being ready for the ideal partners.

“They’re close enough that the differences don’t truly matter.”

I loved this one. One of the best books I’ve read so far this year. I found myself staying up well into the night to read “just a little more.” I was hooked from the beginning. Friends-to-lovers easily lands in my top five favorite tropes and this one delivered. I loved seeing the glimpses of their past (not always a huge fan of stories with heavy dual timelines, but this one didn’t feel too jarring for me, though it might be for some) and how their friendship formed and evolved over the years. Admittedly, it did make this a bit of a slow burn because there was just so much to unpack about how they found themselves in their present day situation with Mari posed to wed someone Javi had not given his stamp of approval for, and his plan to make her see Alex isn’t the guy for her.

Their initial encounter was definitely a memorable one, but what really set them on their path forward was Javier (Javi) friendzoning himself with the invention of his fake girlfriend. And though Marisol (Mari) saw right through it, they both it agreed that getting into a situationship wasn’t the right move for either of them, so friends it was. The addition of screening/approving each other’s partners came from too many wrong choices, until Mari goes rogue and decides to date someone Javi didn’t vet for her, and then get engaged to him to boot.

There were so many moments I found myself chuckling or my cheeks aching from smiling. Their chemistry leapt off the page and I adored their banter. I could feel the tension grow between them and the anticipation of them crossing that line made all the feelings burst inside me. It was very well done.

This one has more plot than spice, but what we do get is top-notch and it’s so much more than just the act.

I’ll be thinking about this book for quite some time and can’t wait to see what Mia Sosa has in store for the future. Lots of potential here for some of the side characters to get their own stories (Chloe, Sasha, Brittany, Jeremy).

Thank you to the Penguin Group, Putnam Books, and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

ARC REVIEW (thanks NETGALLEY)

Ugh sorry I hated this.

I thought this was going to be an angsty right place wrong time kinda story and it totally wasn’t. I really never felt any connection between the 2 of them. . He fucking ghosts her for 6 years and he never would have had the balls to contact her again if they didn’t randomly bump into eachother. It started getting really goofy/stupid during the wedding weekend. Mari didn’t seem like the type of person to jump into marriage with a man after 6 months, it made no sense for her character. If it wasn’t for the literal last minute over heard conversation Mari would’ve gone through with her wedding and pussy ass Javi was keeping his mouth shut. Is this part of or the beginning of a series? Why was I reading about her friend having aFib and not being able to drink alcohol?

My first review of 2025! It is not my first book of 2025 however, I am choosing to review this one first because the other book was really bad and I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings.

Another great ARC! This book comes out in about six months, so I’m feeling really blessed that I had the opportunity to get a copy of this book so early. This is kind of a circuitous friends to lovers romance, unfortunately, it wasn’t my favorite because I’m really not a fan of going back-and-forth from the past and the present. The time jumping made sense in the context of this book and it provided a lot of important context, but it just didn’t work all that well for me.

However, I really enjoyed the writing of this book. The chemistry between the two main characters and just the plot overall. I was worried there would be cheating, but thankfully there wasn’t. This is another solid production by this author, and I look forward to continuing to read her work.

read this book if you like friends to lovers, a story that spends 10 years, good steam /smut

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2.5/🌶️

my first Mia Sosa book and i couldn’t put it down.
the dual pov, the romance, the banter, the spice, stories about right people at wrong time always get my heart going.

i loved reading about Javier & Marisol and their path to each other.

the Latine representation in this book had me kicking my feet. i loved reading parts of the book in Spanish & Portuguese.

the way the story flows between the past and the present showcasing the growth of their friendship and love.

i will definitely be reading more by Mia Sosa ✨

I enjoyed this story. I had previously read one of this authors books, and enjoyed it very much. And this one was almost as good. Basically just a sweet romcom with a happy ending, and honestly that’s j
really all I want some days!!

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for this e-ARC!

I'm really a fan of friends lovers tropes, however in When Javi Dumped Mari I was a little bit stuck with constant flashback for their past. But overall the story is very good,
I appreciated how Mia Sosa represents Latina! It is really great!

To sum up all my feelings about the book - it's very light, cute romance that will cheer you up when needed!

I absolutely adore Mia Sosa’s writing, and was so very excited to read this book.

There is a but..

This book was charming and humorous, while being oddly unique with its set of characters. Mari was quick witted and definitely not to be taken lightly, while Javi, well he was a golden retriever wasn’t he?

But.
I personally found the constant flashbacks to be slightly confusing, and the dialogue a little cheesy. I didn’t feel as strongly for our dynamic duo, and it wasn’t as fleshed out as I wanted.

I will absolutely grab this book when it releases, especially on audio—thank you Putnam and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my thoughts and review.

Javi and Mari meet in college when they initially butt heads but then build a friendship planning a fundraiser together. After graduation, they create a pact where they can veto people the other dates. Now, Mari announces out of nowhere she’s marrying Alex, who works at her father’s entertainment law firm with her. However, Javi, who is man of honor, wants to veto him and feels he missed his chance.

I think it was a cute story although I felt some of the backstory dragged on. I also think the twist at the end was good but how Mari resolved it was weird and didn’t really make sense? As a friends to lovers trope, it was fine beyond dragging at times.

I really enjoyed this book!

Javi’s character arc is interesting and my heart broke for him and his insecurities. I loved Mari’s fierceness and how sure she was in herself. This is a very good friend to lovers novels.

I loved Mari being Brazilian and Javi being Pueto Rican, how they were just similar enough but also different.

This is friends to lovers done right. This book had me smiling and laughing throughout. I loved both Javi and Mari’s unapologetic personalities. Her 3 other friends are absolutely hilarious and add so much to the humor of the book without being over the top or taking away from the main storyline. All characters felt really developed and like actual people you might know.

The story flips timelines, going from present day to the past where we learn how Mari and Javi met, became friends, etc. I enjoy plots that work this way and finding out a little more about how we get to where we are now each chapter. I would love love love to read books about her friends in the future with hopefully some cameos of Mari/Javi in them so we can see where they end up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.