Cover Image: The Worst Best Man

The Worst Best Man

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Member Reviews

Mia Sosa has penned some of my favorite romantic comedies and I know to expect two important things when I'm reading her books: lots of humor and lots of swoony moments. Her newest title, The Worst Best Man, was Mia Sosa at her finest.

I have a confession to make: I have a secret fetish for wedding planners in my romance novels. I don't know what it is about wedding planners in books, but they always bring me a ton of joy. Imagine my delight when I found out that Lina, the protagonist of The Worst Best Man, owned a wedding planning company. In the book, she is given the opportunity to apply for a position as an in-house wedding planner for a hotel that could take her career to the next level. The only catch? She will have to collaborate with a marketing expert, Max. Max, it turns out, also happens to be the brother of the man that left Lina at the altar three years and the man she partly blames for the end of her relationship. You can probably just already imagine the tension and awkwardness that is bound to bubble between these two, right? Anyways, Lina was a star of a heroine, in my opinion. Mia Sosa always writes compelling characters who not only make me wish they were my BFF but who I also find myself easily connecting with despite our differences. There was so much depth to her character. Her strong work ethic, her loyalty to her family, and her passion and respect for her heritage are just a few traits that I loved. Not to mention, she is fiery, sassy, and one funny girl! And no, she is not perfect. She is stubborn to a fault at times and makes a few mistakes along the way, but that's what made her more real to me.

Max too was an excellent character. I don't think there has been a single love interest from Mia Sosa that I have not fallen head over heels in love with. Max was no different and he had me swooning hard from the minute he was introduced. He is such a genuinely nice fellow and how he handles the situation with Lina with patience and kindness had me falling even more in love with him. As you can imagine, any relationship between Max and Lina is not an easy one with all the pent-up anger and frustration that Lina has towards his brother and him. The progression of the relationship from somewhat enemies to more is so well-executed. You really do feel the chemistry between these two and you root for them to end up together. And let me tell you, the steamy scenes? HOT. Besides the main characters and the romance, I also loved the focus on family. Lina shares very close ties with her family and they play an important role in this book. They are a big family and are very meddlesome, but provide for quality entertainment. While Max himself did not share as strong of a connection with his douchey brother, he had a brother from another mother who was his rock.

I loved The Worst Best Man and I sincerely hope you give this book a chance. Really, I don't see why you should miss out on it. It's good a swoony romance, lots of funny moments, and a cast that will steal your heart. Now doesn't that sound like the perfect book?

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I don't even know where to start! I really hate when I love a book so much because I honestly don't know what to say... This is my first time reading a book by Mia Sosa and I just can't wait to read the rest of them! I was hooked since the very first chapter; so I guess you can tell how good is the storyline. Sosa's writing style and sense of humor is amazeballs very impressive! I enjoyed the POV. One of my book club friends asked me about the book, because she saw me gushing about it on social media, and I just told her: "it's an adult romance and VERY funny; I can already see it as a romantic comedy movie!". I enjoyed the characters, they are SO good, especially Max. Also, I'm a HUGE fan of Lina's family. But yeah, poor Max... I don't want to give any spoilers; I just think Lina could have treated him better at the beginning. Although that's kind of the point! So if you love the enemies to lovers trope, you are absolutely going to love this book. I also love the details about the Brazilian culture. I can honestly say this is one of my all-time favorites. And in case you were wondering: yes, I highly recommend The Worst Best Man!

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Oh, book friends. I can't wait to talk about today's novel. Thank you to HarperCollins and to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this novel. All opinions in this review are my own.

Carolina "Lina" Santos has just been left at the metaphorical altar by her husband-to-be, Andrew. But does he have the decency to tell her himself? Of course not. He lets his brother do the rejecting for him. And just when she thinks her day couldn't get any worse, Max lets it slip that he's the one that may have "accidentally" coerced his brother into backing out of their forthcoming nuptials. Oh, hell no!

Three years later, Lina is running her successful wedding planning business and is up for the job opportunity of a lifetime. The Cartwright Hotel Group in DC is looking for a full-time wedding coordinator, and the job offer couldn't have come at a more perfect time. The catch? The hotel manager's marketing guy is none other than Max Hartley—her ex-fiancé's messenger boy—and she has to partner up with him in order to come up with the perfect pitch to solidify her prospective job position. Of course. Why wouldn't she be paired with the worst best man ever?

I LOVED this novel. Mia Sosa delivers the kind of sass and flair that every woman dreams of embodying, and she touches on important issues like diversity and what it means to be an Afro-Latinx woman in a male-dominated world. Featuring fierce, capable, infinitely strong women and an adorable male lead, who always manages to say the wrong thing at the wrong time but in a hilarious way, the voice of this novel captured me from the very first page, and I laughed my way from beginning to end. The heat level was a few notches above what I normally go for, but it is sexy, empowering, and female-forward.

This romantic comedy satisfies some wonderful tropes of its genre, like falling for the wrong guy, attraction over sensibility, and casual fling to serious romance. I learned much about Portuguese culture and about what it means to the main character to have been raised by a line of strong, independent women. I loved the message that it's okay to be a badass and that it's also okay to cry; we can do both!

Do yourself a favor and check this one out for yourself, readers. It just released TODAY, and you're going to want to snatch it from the bookshelf before they have to restock (which I'm guessing won't take long!).

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This books was so fun! I loved the backstory of both of the characters and how they worked through their complicated feelings. It was definitely refreshing to have both characters in a rom-com not make super dumb and infuriating decisions, too! The only drawback to The Worst Best Man is that it takes quite a while to get started. If you're able to push through the setup (which is about half of the book), you won't be disappointed! It's sweet, believable, and sexy.

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The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa is a fun romantic comedy that I really enjoyed. When wedding planner Carolina Santos is left at the alter, finding out from her fiance brother, Max, the best man, she puts most of the blame on him. Three years later Lina has a wonderful opportunity to get her dream job as a wedding coordinator for a high end hotel in Washington DC. Lina must make a presentation to get the job, and is forced to work with Max. When Lina and Max start having feeling for each other, I just had to keep reading until the end. This is my first book by Mia Sosa, but I will be reading more books by her. I highly recommend this book for a fun, wonderful escape read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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The Worst Best Man is finally out and I highly recommend adding this one to your TBR, I loved it so much! It’s such a diverse, #ownvoices, funny, and steamy enemies-to-lovers romance. ⁣

Carolina Santos has moved past the embarrassment of being a wedding planner left at the alter by her former fiancé. She’s become a well-known wedding coordinator in the DC area, when she’s offered the opportunity of a lifetime. The only catch? She has to work with the man that was almost her brother-in-law, and who she holds partly responsible for her destroyed wedding, Max Hartley. ⁣

This book was the enemies turned lovers, forced proximity of my dreams and guess what?! THERE’S ONLY ONE BED! One of my favorite tropes in romance!

Lina is a sassy, badass and I loved her so much. She has a real take no shit attitude towards Max and that combined with Max’s grovel (and believe me, it’s a good grovel) was like Kellisa catnip. If you love good banter, this will be right up your alley. Max is such a good character, it’s clear from the beginning he likes Lina so much but he feels like she’s off-limits. But once they’re together, so steamy! Don’t be deceived by the cute cover, this one open door steam level (the way I like it) ⁣

If you are looking for more #ownvoices, diverse romance, this is a great one!! I love when a characters family plays a part in the story and Lina’s Brazilian family is delightful and hilarious. All the little bits of Brazilian culture worked in were so well done. ⁣

I adored The Worst Best Man, it was a 4.5 star read for me (upgraded to 5 on Netgalley and GR) I think it would have been a five star, but the end felt a tad rushed and I always want an epilogue. But I cannot wait for the next book in this series!

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The Worst Best Man is a delicious romantic comedy from Mia Sosa that features a diverse cast. It follows wedding planner Carolina Santos as she tries to land her dream job while working with her ex fiancé, who left her at the altar, and his family. Carolina or Lina, is a smart vivacious woman who has to work with her ex’s brother, Max Hartley, for a pitch at an interview, but they end up falling in lust and possibly in love? Talk about an awkward situation! As Lina deals with her feelings and blossoming attraction to Max, they deal with unresolved feelings leftover from the fact that Andrew, Lina’s ex fiancé, broke up with her based on Max’s unsolicited advice. Lina tries to get some well deserved payback because of this. This was a sweet read that featured an Afro-Latinx Brazilian character and her quirky lovable family. The book focused on Brazilian culture and food that was explained very well within the text. I loved how Sosa talked about the problems Lina faced as not just being a woman, but a woman of color. The scene at the couple’s retreat comes to mind. The banter between the main characters and supporting characters was hilarious. This was my first Mia Sosa book and will not be my last. I am looking forward to the next addition in the series. It will feature Max's best friend, Dean. If you are looking for a quick romantic feel good read, The Worst Best Man should be your next read. This book was provided by the publisher from Netgalley in January 2019 for an honest review.

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Lina comes from a close knit Brazilian immigrant family and works as a wedding planner. Although she’s volatile and emotional by nature, she’s been teased by her family all her life for her inability control her emotions and has also had several costly emotional outbursts in the past, so now she tightly controls her emotions to the point that she appears to be emotionless and lacking empathy. When her safe fiancé breaks off the wedding on the day of, and blames the best man (his own brother), for advice that led to the break off, Lina immediately decides she hates the brother, Max.

Three years later, when she runs into both brothers again and is forced to work with Max in order to secure a job as wedding planner for a prestigious hotel, we start to see why she reacts the way she does. Initially, I didn’t find Lina very sympathetic because it seemed like a case of shooting the messenger. She tries to keep Max at a distance, and his opinion of her is not particularly favorable either, but then both he and the reader start to see the real Lina, buried under layers of control. She’s warm and caring, just very wary of letting down her guard. I loved the way Max helped her feel safe enough to open up to him and the way she saw through his shell also. I loved all of the Brazilian culture woven into the book, and I also enjoyed the scenes where Lina was shown competently performing her job. Overall, a very good book, my first from this author, but I’ll definitely check out more of her books .

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I don’t normally enjoy the falling for my ex’s brother trope and enemies to lovers only really works for me when the main protagonists aren’t too mean to each other BUT, something about this blurb called to me and I was excited to finally open up my copy and dive in.

Honestly? This book worked for me in almost every way. I enjoyed every single minute I spent reading and it was almost impossible to put it down once I picked it up. The Worst Best Man is charming, and funny, and super sexy. The opening scene where Lina is informed by Max that her groom has no intention of showing up for the wedding had me thinking that I was in for a highly emotional, angsty romance, but it really wasn’t.

Lina is justifiably angry and wants to let her pettiness out, but she’s not really mean about it. And Max just kind of goes with it, fully intending to power through and get past her anger. He kind of felt like a beta in the streets and an alpha in the sheets kind of hero. Which works for me. LOL. I believed this couple’s chemistry and it was a joy to watch then slowly connect on a deeper level and get to know each other.

This is one case of the cutsey cover almost fitting the content inside. The Worst Best Man really is a true rom-com. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion and spent most of the time reading with a smile on my face.

The other thing that is so great about this romance is that I genuinely liked all the characters. I want to be friends with Lina. I understood her reluctance to get into any kind of relationship that might leave her vulnerable and I loved her drive and energy. Max is lovable and he’s the kind of guy that you would want hang out with. The secondary characters are interesting and add those moments of lightness to the story. They also help in bringing this couple together. I truly enjoyed learning about Lina’s Brazilian culture and traditions and getting to know her close-knit, loving family.

This was a good read and I highly recommend to fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy.

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4.5 Stars * Top Pick

Lina is all set to marry Andrew but his brother Max’s throws a bombshell in her lap. Andrew doesn’t want to marry her and it is all because of something Max said to him the night before their wedding. Lina is pissed off at both Max and Andrew and rightfully so. She tries to move on from the situation.

Lina is offered a potential job for the Cartwright group as the wedding planner but she must pass the interview process. The goal is to win over the CEO but in order to do that she must work with their market experts, Andrew and Max. Lina refuses to allow the brothers get under her skin so she opts to pair up with the lesser of the two evils, Max.

Max still feels bad for being the one to tell Lina that Andrew didn’t want to marry her. He wants to make it up to her by working together to win this account. It would be a bonus for him because he has always competed with Andrew. He needs to show his family that he is the better man. Getting Lina on board with the plan is proving to be harder than he thought.

Max is swoon worthy. He is handsome, smart and very loving. The author did a great job showing his vulnerabilities. He had to compete with his brother, Andrew, his entire life. As the story went on, Max shows that he is just number one. He shares and opens up in a way that makes it hard for any woman to resist.

I liked Lina but she was hard to crack at first. When she finally opened up and shared her reasons for being icy, I totally got it and could actually relate to her logic. I love that the author had such a diverse set of characters in this world. Lina’s entire family and friends were all so different but so much fun.

I loved this book so much more than I could ever imagine. It was sappy, funny, sexy and just all the goodness that I want in my relationship. It is predictable but the story flows so well and there is never a dull moment. I started it in one afternoon and read it from front to end without stopping.

~ Samantha

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An unexpected attraction. Enemies-to-lovers. Playful banter. The Worst Best Man is a slow burning multicultural romance with a tad bit of comedy.

Lina is jilted at the altar by her fiance via text. Fast forward 3 years and she now must work with Max, the best man against her ex Andrew for the chance of a life time... A chance to show Rebecca Cartwright she's the best wedding planner.

Lina is a fierce, headstrong, aggressive Latina woman who knows what she wants and fights for it. Max is calm and patient. But he has always been overshadowed by his brother Andrew, which ultimately causes a rift in their relationship. But the more time he and Lina spend together; the more a sort of friendship develops.

This book was not necessarily a favorite for me. The beginning was a bit of a slow start. I felt like it took almost until the end of the novel for the h/H to finally be together, so there wasn't as much romance. Mia Sosa is a new author to me but I'm looking forward to reading her other works. I definitely recommend you give this book a shot.


*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Avon (HarperCollins Publishers) through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

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I loved loved the first half of this book when they were enemies and they still had feelings for each other. The second half of the book was good but I felt like it was kind of too insta lovey but I still liked the book so much!

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Oh my goodness me, What an entertaining read. This is what romcons are all about!!!!This was my first read from this author and I am looking forward to whats to come from her. Author Mia Sosa, brought a fresh mix to her story. I love how she brought the experience of Brazil to the book, with the details she provided on the food, people, language and the culture.
Overall this has been one of the funniest books I've read. Max, Lina and the supporting cast of characters are full of life, laughter and the most tricks, I could have imagined . The diversity of the cast and that Lina stayed true to her roots by embracing her heritage was something I found extremely positive.

Max and Lina have great chemistry, they gravitate to each other and suck you into their world of tricks, humor and passion. As the story unfolds, I couldn't help but fall for this cast of interesting people, who seem like they could be regular folks I meet day to day. Speaking of passion, Max and Lina heat up the pages with their steamy tutorial lessons on love making, lol.

If you need laughter, a good story line and excitement, then this is the book for you. The story flows great and you won't realize that you've finish, that's how good it is.

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I didn’t love it or hate it. There were pieces I liked. It just never held my interest long term. I’ve been reading it on and off for a couple months. I like the concept. I think I’d try the author out again.


I voluntarily read an early copy.

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One text messaged equaled one ending and one beginning.

Lina’s a wedding planner that was left at the alter because of a text message. Max was the best man who received the text message and had to be the messenger. Now they have to work together and go from sort of enemies to sort of allies...but somehow end up as lovers.

I loved everything about this book from the handling of Max and Andrew’s complicated relationship to Lina’s raw and honest discussion about the difficulties women of color, especially Afro-Latina women, face in everyday life. The heavier topics were broken up with some perfect family and friend moments full of sarcasm and love, I mean Max and Dean’s sleepover! And while there was lots of chemistry and sexy times the fact that she’s part Latina and he’s white was never a part of that side of the story, a fact that isn’t always true in interracial romances that feature a latina or latino lead.

Mia Sosa is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary romance authors and I can’t wait for more!

I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.

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It was a fun romance with fun characters. I enjoyed the romance and plot. The ending was satisfying.

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Enemies-to-lovers is typically one of my favorite tropes, but I just never bought the chemistry between Lina and Max. Although it's told in alternating POV, at times, especially early on, there was little to distinguish between the two voices, beyond context.

I loved how prevalent Lina’s Brazilian culture is in her life, from food to language to family dynamics, and this book will definitely make you hungry. I just didn’t connect with the romance. For me, Lina should have put both brothers in her rear view mirror.

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This book was really really good. Like, really good. I had a hard time putting it down.
I thoroughly enjoy books where there is a strong leading woman character who has her own business but can also have a romantic life without being seen as an emotional mess or a b*tch.

I would have liked more of Andrew during the book being a jerk to them, but I think the confrontation near the end of the book was really good and was a really good climax to lead into the conclusion. I think the couple's retreat was a good addition and really solidified their feelings for each other. I hate books where the characters don't tell each other how they feel and then think that they've done everything they can and wonder why the relationship falls apart, so I loved the fact that Max and Lina just laid it all out there.

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Thank you so much @NetGalley and @AvonBooks for giving me this digital Advance Reader Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. (Release Date | 04 February 2020)

SYNOPSIS | Lina Santos is a wedding planner who spends the majority of her time making other people's dreams come true. Unfortunately she wasn't able to make her own wedding dreams a reality as she was left at the altar on the day of her wedding. Her darling fiancé left his brother (Max) to explain that he may have had something to do with this turn of events. Fast forward a few years and Lina is applying for a highly coveted wedding planner role at a hotel chain only to find that she has to work with either her ex-fiancé or his brother to prepare the marketing materials for her interview.

MY THOUGHTS | I am so excited because this is the first book that I have read in 2020 that deserves all 5 stars! It is so rare to find a relationship that I truly root for, where the main guy is sensitive & compassionate and not a chauvinistic pig with possessive dirty talk. I was rooting for Lina & Max from the first few chapters (& obviously enemies to lovers is one of my favourite romance tropes!)

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I liked but didn't love this book. It had a lot going for it. A strong, stubborn POC female lead and the brooding man who ruined her life. Hate to love is one of my favorite tropes. But the characters fell a bit flat for me. Some parts were really cute and had great character building. Yet other times it seemed like the characters were completely different people.

Overall, I would still recommend this book to anyone who likes hate to love romance

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