Real Deal Reads: 20 Best Books of 2020 - Want a frothy and fun romance for February? Lina is a wedding planner who was once left at the altar (gulp). Now she’s stuck collaborating on a career-making opportunity with none other than Max, her former fiancé’s brother. Yes, the one who encouraged his brother to ditch Lina in the first place! Will their project be a success, or will they kill each other first? Or will they suddenly discover they’re perfect for each other?

From their ludicrous meeting to their stilted banter to their odd chemistry - these two just didn’t do it for me.

The lied to folks they shouldn’t have lied to. They repressed....a lot. I’m tired of mommy/daddy issues as motivation in alleged adult characters. I’m tired of a magic fix without work or communication.

I’m also not interested in situations so far fetched as to be nearly farcical. Or feeling we’ve sacrificed story in order to check some boxes.

I was bored from the first page and nearly frantic by 25%.

As always - thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Cute, but nothing overly amazing. Enemies to lovers, diversity, etc etc etc. Good, quick romantic read for those looking for something light.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This cute story is about a wedding planner who was left at the alter on her wedding day. Fast forward three years; she's interviewing for her dream job and unexpectedly comes into contact with the man that left her at the alter and his brother, whom the groom blamed for his cold feet. If you think that's crazy, Lina learns she has to work with the brother, Max, on a project for the job. Whoa! What will happen next?
I absolutely loved reading about Lina and Max's chemistry. You could feel it through the pages, undeniable. Ironic, she was engaged to his brother, when it's obvious Lina and Max share a tight bond. I also loved Lina's passion for her business and how dedicated she was to growing said business. She wants her clients to have their dream wedding, despite her mishap. Let it be noted there is a good amount of steam in this one. The Worst Best Man is out now and I think you'll enjoy it!

*Thank you Avon Books and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

My first read by the author and won't be my last. Meet Max and Lina. I had the love/ hate thing going on with Max for a while. Lina is a gem.
Meet Max and Lina. Max is the brother of Lina's ex who dumped her at the altar, Max had the misfortune of delivering the bad news to the bride, along with the role he played in the groom changing his mind. Max isn't a bad guy, the brother is a class A jerk. They both work for their mother's large corporation; brother rides on Max's coattails while taking all the credit and praise for a job well done. So there's that. Max just wants to be acknowledged for what he does and really does try to make things a success, even in the worst of circumstances. Max meets that when the firm lands a big job handling PR for a highly successful boutique hotel, where the new manager wants to break into the wedding destination business. After she meets Lina who is now a wedding and event planner
at a family wedding, she invites Lina to apply for the position. When a meeting is arranged with the PR folks and Lina, she walks into her worst nightmare. There sits her ex, his brother Max and herself.
Lina decides to play it like she didn't know them and the two go along with that. Not wanting to sabotage the job, after all they have to answer to their mother!
Max and Lina are working together to formulate a plan for her to present to the new manager. This new work could be the answer to her prayers. No more struggle, no more feeling like she's disappointed her mother and aunts. Lina has a lot riding on this, along with dealing with Max and all the pretending that goes on. Max wants Lina to succeed, not just for himself, to prove to his mother that he is valuable, but for Lina. As the story unfolds we watch their relationship change into something other than as well.
The book is full of laughs, cultural diversity, the strength of women encouraging other women, sibling rivalry and witty banter. I enjoyed the banter between the two. I also enjoyed watching Max getting Lina to take a risk and to relax. Good story and you'll be rooting for Max and Lina to succeed!
Add this to your TBR! Great story!
Arc from NetGalley and publisher with many thanks

This will be one of my favorite reads of 2020. I just know it. The story, the characters, the romance, the drama, everything about this book had me swooning. This is my first Mia Sosa novel, but after reading this beauty, I definitely want to give more of her books a try.

Enemies-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes. I love the angst and animosity, but when they figure it out? Phewwww. One of the best feelings as a reader. This story was different. Lina is a wedding planner and was left at the altar. She had to move on and silence all of her issues when it came to the romance of weddings. It was starting to affect her performance as a wedding planner. When she has an opportunity to get a higher paying job that could change her struggle-filled life. When she finds out that she has to work with a top marketing expert, it all goes south from there. It turns out to be the brother-of-the-groom who left her at the altar. On the day of the wedding, Max, the brother's groom, received a text basically thanking him for stopping him from marrying Lina. Max doesn't remember the night before at all after a wild party. What. A. Story.

Mia Sosa wrote the characters so well, I wanted to be friends with them. I wanted to insert myself into their lives and help them figure out what was going on. I feel almost honored that I got to watch this story unfold. I loved the development of Lina and who she was in the beginning to end of this book. She truly went through her stages and it proved to be one of the best characters I've read about. I loved her attitude and knowing what she was thinking throughout each word. 

Max. Max. Max. What a guy. I really loved his character through every attempt of romance that he gave. He was such a refreshing character to read about because there's usually a bad guy at some point, but he didn't give me that vibe once. His brother is the one that gives you that vibe from the very beginning and it shows. 

Overall, Mia Sosa really caught my attention with this one. Lina and Max are two of my favorite characters in the 300+ books I've read in my lifetime (so far). I am curious about her other books now as this one really gave me a fantastic feeling. If you're a romance lover, put this one on your list for 2020.

I loved this book. It's been awhile that I read a book that I absolutely could not tear myself away from, and this was definitely one of those books!

Everything about the characterization, the responses from characters, and how events unfolded just made sense. There is a lot of just fantastic craft in this novel that was so refreshing and wonderful. There are a lot of Big Secrets in this book, but the author doesn't hold them back for plot reasons, sometimes bits of the secret come out to different people throughout the narrative - just like in real life!

The supporting cast was great. The chemistry between Max and Lina was hot. I have to admit that I did skim a little bit through the end groveling scene because it was a little long, but otherwise this book was nearly perfect.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book (given through Netgalley)...

This was sweet slow burn romance.

The boom starts with a hungover Max waking up to his brother’s, Andrew’s, text telling him to everyone the wedding canceled and tells him thank you for the advice. Which leads Max to the tell the jilted bride, Lina, about his brother’s actions.

I adored Max, the younger brother who was just trying to show his own individual worth separate from “perfect” brother. Lina is the tough business owner who trying to make it on her own, without letting her emotions get in the way. Of course their relationship didn’t start off great since Max is part of the reason she was a jilted bride and there were definitely some interesting pranks by both, but things started to get better since they both a jobs on the line.

First it must be said I absolutely loved Lina’s family and I couldn’t enough the interactions between them and Max and Lina, especially Natalie.

Now although I loved the slow burn especially from Max’s POV, both characters made me want to shake them at times. I did not care for Andrew in the beginning of book and he never endeared himself to me throughout the book, especially with his little reveal at the end. I really wished someone would have junk-punched, I mean he did deserve it.

I was bit disappointed in Max when he made a decision, which was the wrong decision, about his relationship with Lina. Thankfully, he has an awesome best friend, Dean, who helps him out; and they even had some interesting “adventures” in the beginning when Max was trying so hard to not to think about Lina.

I wish we got an epilogue to see how they turned out because in all honesty the ending seemed a bit abrupt. I wouldn’t say it was rushed, but it deal feel like ended too quickly.

All in all it was an enjoyable read; one of my favorite parts was the couples’ retreat ;)

“A wedding planner left at the altar? Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina’s offered an opportunity that could change her life. There’s just one hitch...she has to collaborate with the best (make the worst) man from her own failed nuptials. ⁣
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Marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. But then he learns he’ll be working with his brothers whip-smart, stunning-absolutely off-limits ex-fiancee. And she loathes him. ⁣
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Soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. But Lina isn’t interested in falling in love, and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again..”⁣
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This was such a cute rom-com! I loved how smart and driven Lina’s character was. And Max… so funny and charming! This is the perfect Rom-Com to start off February! I never felt bored with the story and I felt like the pacing and progression was perfect. This for sure turned up the heat which was a nice surprise! I also really loved the added cultural references to portuguese heritage/brazil. Being part portuguese, I don’t see that very often so that was exciting! Worst Best Man was one of my most highly anticipated rom-coms this year and it did not disappoint! Side note, the cover is absolutely gorgeous! ⁣

5 Stars / 3 Steam Fans

I found extreme enjoyment as I read this story. It started a little slower than I usually enjoy, but as the story evolved, drawn into the connections between Lina and Max with every page turn. Lina is left at the alter by Max's brother but years later they have to work together to achieve personal career goals. As they interact, moving from pranking each other to questioning their feelings, Lina and Max give us a journey through all the emotions. At times I wanted to smack some sense into Lina and then others I just wanted to hug her as she felt the things she did. These feelings are the same with Max and some of the antics that he ends up taking to get to the end of his journey. I loved that the story provided an ambiance with family and the Maryland/D.C. area.

Video review available in Week 6 Feb 2 – 8 weekly book reviews.

For other video book reviews, check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.

Hilarious, funny, heartwarming and Joyful!!! This book will bring you so much laugh at the right moments, and at the right time. I really enjoyed reading The Worst Best Man the characters really brought so much to the table making the story very light to the heart. as Mia said in her acknowledgments "an ability to focus for an extended time on spreading joy despite the sadness around you" << This is what I loved about this book that it spread joy no matter what..

Lina Santos, a very professional wedding planner. it is her business, her life, everything she ever wanted but something is missing, still, she doesn't really want to let her emotions and feelings come to the surfaces and finally acknowledge what she is feeling, after a terrible experience in her past..
she just wants to make people happy and make every wedding a dream come true even if that means never finding her own..

The Worst Best Man is a story about the strong bond of a family that supports Lina in every way possible, is about being true to yourself and your feelings, about communication, about being honest with your own self and embrace everything you have ever work for. it's about taking chances and making bold decisions but most of all it's about Love and let yourself be vulnerable with the right person.

I enjoyed reading how Lina and Max's friendship evolve so much with time, especially after all their fears and past experiences that were always making them hesitate to take one step farther. they were funny, bold, vulnerable, strong together.. they were the perfect team, now it's about time for them to get rid of any previous thought and embrace what is best for both.

The secondary characters were also hilarious, I really laugh so much with Lina's best friends and Family all of them, were a huge part of Linas and Max story and at the same time they were always looking forward to the latest gossip of their "relationship"

My first book, written by Mia Sosa and I'm already looking forward to "The Wedding Crasher"

One of the things I love about romance, is a romance that is built out from friendship. Where two people who push each other to be the truest, honest version of themselves. Where they have fun with either witty banter through text or have enough passion and comfortability to combine both steam and laughter in the bedroom. I stem from a relationship where I was extremely lucky to marry my best friend and this book had so many parallels to the aspects I adore in my relationship.
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Lina is a force to be reckoned with. She doesn’t see her own potential or how incredible she is at her job. She is scared to be her true self because of the possibility of repercussions, whether she’s emotional, assertive, or authoritative. I also love how unforgivingly petty Lina is. When she holds a grudge, man, look out. She will get back at you one malagueta pepper at a time.
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Max won me over with his love of sweets. I can imagine splitting a Costco cake between us while we Netflix and chill. He was so endearing, kind with his actions, and had a vulnerability that made him relatable. He was in a constant internal struggle with himself and how other perceive him. He’s stuck in a never ending battle trying to prove to himself he is not an extension of his brother, but rather an independent person who is capable of standing on his own.
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Max and Lina were the perfect blend of sarcasm, sass, and steam. They were fun, playful, and slowly let each other in emotionally by breaking down each other’s walls and showing their truest selves. Max slowly breaks down Lina and encourages her and supports her in any way he can. He encourages her to not conform to anyone’s idea of what she should be. Lina helps max to be confident in himself and to see the value in his own self worth. This story was one of the sweetest relationships I’ve had the pleasure of reading. It wasn’t driven by fulfilling some primal need. This grew out of friendship and wanting to actually get to know the other person on a deeper level. They were effortless and their chemistry was incredible. It was really refreshing to read.
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Lina’s family provided a lot of heart and soul to this book. I enjoyed having the Brazilian culture predominantly shown in this book. I could smell the food on the table, feel the love between each family member, and feel my hips want to shake when I heard the music. Having Lina’s family as a foundational support was beautiful to see. After all, a family that can go to a male revue together, stays together.😆
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It was great to see the author not shy away or sugar coat the situation Max and Lina were in. They dove in head first into the awkward, uncomfortable and made the situation relatable. The energy of this book is exciting. The writing style made it hard to put down because I was so enthralled by the story and the characters. Written both eloquent and poised with drops of humor and crass, it kept me completely entertained. The tension had my heart palpitating and stirred the butterflies in my stomach.
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This book was so good and I felt so honored to get this eARC from NetGalley and HarperCollins.

What a pleasure it was to have read this book early! It was such a delight, I reccomend to ALL my friends and ALL of you guys reading this! I dont have a lot of time right now to write a full detailed review so I will come back in the future with a actual review!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, for gifting me this book in advance for an honest review.*

I have been wanting to read Mia Sosa for a while, so when I saw her newest book on Netgalley I took the chance and requested it. To my complete surprise, I got approved. 

I'm so glad I did. This has been one of the best romances I've read in a long time. I absolutely loved the characters, and the way their romance was written was so well done. I'm not a huge fan of enemies-to-lovers, but the twist of the hero having ruined the heroine's wedding -- to his brother, no less -- and them having to reconcile the whole mess in order to pursue their relationship was hard to pass up.

Carolina "Lina" Santos was all set to marry a man she considered perfect for her. Their romance was not passionate, but steady, which fit with her ideals around self-control. She was not expecting her fiance's brother to convince him to leave her at the alter. Max Hartley doesn't remember what he said to his brother, Andrew, that convinced him to drop Lina on their wedding day, but he is left to break the news to her nonetheless. 

Cut to four years later, and Lina is given the chance to apply for a dream job as a wedding coordinator for a major hotel chain. The problem? She has to work with a marketing firm to create a presentation as part of the interview -- more specifically, with Andrew and Max Hartley. Andrew is assigned to her competition, and Max and Lina must work through their baggage to create a presentation that will knock the socks of the CEO of the hotel chain.

Max and Lina are so well-fleshed-out in this book. I loved the glimpses into Lina's whole family dynamic, and the dual narrative really got me in the heads of both main characters. Even when they are adamant that they are only having a fling, both Lina and Max are very open with one another and are very supportive of one another. It really felt like a very mature and stable relationship, even when they were not technically in a relationship. 

The "enemies" part of the enemies-to-lovers trope did not really last long, but the early scenes where they playfully pranked one another were very cute, and it flowed very smoothly into a more friendly relationship. I think giving them a shared goal really kept the momentum going, and got Lina and Max to a more romantic state faster than if there had not been a shared goal.

I was very satisfied with the resolution of this book, and there is a little twist at the end that had me a bit blindsided, but in a good way. I very highly recommend this book.

I absolutely loved this book. I am a huge Mia Sosa fan, and this book did not disappoint. She did a great job making us care about both leads, and I loved that she gave us a hero who wasn't afraid of his feelings or scared of being vulnerable. I think that's incredible. I also loved how she incorporated Lina's Brazilian heritage into the story so that it felt organic and necessary. Also, don't let the cover fool you -- there are definitely some steamy moments in this book! Overall, a fantastic read -- I can't wait to read the next story in the series!

Wonderfully original romance novel. The dynamic between the characters was smart and fun. The family background and authenticity was my favorite part of this book.

Will also post to Romance Reviews Today very soon. www.romrevtoday.com

THE WORST BEST MAN – Mia Sosa
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-006-290987-9
February 2020
Romantic Comedy

Washington, DC – Present Day

Three years ago, Lina Santos was dumped by Andrew Hartley just before the wedding ceremony. His excuse for breaking up at such at a late time is because he says his brother, Max, convinced him that he was doing the wrong thing in marrying Lina. Fast forward to the present day, and Lina, who has steeled her heart against falling in love again, suddenly finds herself working on a job proposal with Andrew and Max. Talk about the worst possible case scenario: working with the two men who helped break her heart.

Because of their past association, Andrew bows out and lets Max take over working with Lina. He doesn’t remember what he told Andrew as they were both drunk, but regrets whatever he said to his brother that caused the breakup. Lina isn’t exactly forgiving, but they do have to work together. The time spent in each other’s company leads to something unexpected: a mutual attraction. Yet, Lina can’t forget what Max did to her. Max’s guilt eats at him, but it doesn’t matter. After they are forced to spend a night overnight at a couple’s retreat while checking out a potential site, the attraction heats up—and the two make love. Is this just a fling, or can there be a chance that they can find love together?

THE WORST BEST MAN is a quirky, entertaining tale from Mia Sosa that revolves around a broken heart and a case of he said/she can’t forget. Lina relies heavily on her family for support. Of course, being that her family is close—and Brazilian—there’s plenty of flavor and opinions running throughout this tale. Lina runs a wedding planning agency (!!!) and Max’s family works with the hotel company that wants to hire her services. What happened is that Lina needs a space to run her business out of and the hotel alliance would be a boost for her. But can she stand to work with the man who is a part of why she’s not married today?

Max has always lived in Andrew’s shadow, and it doesn’t help that their mother likes to make her sons compete against each other. Their mother liked Lina and thinks Andrew made a big mistake breaking off with her. If she knew Lina is part of the project that she’s assigned them, she’d be pushing Andrew onto her. Max is inserted as the buffer, but it soon turns into him liking her all too well. By the end of THE WORST BEST MAN, the truth—lots of it—comes out. How will that affect the way Lina feels about both brothers?

A fun tale that is both rollicking and emotional, don’t miss THE WORST BEST MAN. Lina and Max try to start out as friends, but they soon discover they want more. Here’s hoping they find their happily-ever-after.

Patti Fischer

I didn't think this book was particularly funny as a rom-com. I also couldn't get over the fact that Lina placed all her anger on the wrong person for a very bad reason. The adage, don't kill the messenger, is displayed here because 9/10 you'll always blame the messenger. I didn't think what she put Max through fitted the crime. It was uncomfortable to read and i felt second-hand embarrassement. I put this as a three because I thought it was great that the author displayed great cultural experience and characters. I agreed with the aspect of being a woman at work and having to work against a prejudice of emotions. But then Lina went too far. Max was a great character, great hero, but, everyone around him sucks.

The moment I knew I was in love with this book was this one:
“Haven’t you ever heard of multitasking? You can impress this Rebecca person and make the Brothers Karafuckoff suffer.”
A sassy assistant who turns Russian literature references into swears? This book is FOR ME. I loved Jaslene, Natalia, and Lina’s entire family. And the various clever wordplay and references JUST KEPT COMING. So good!
Things I love about THE WORST BEST MAN:
Male friendships! Solid, supportive male friendships are one of my absolute favorite things in romance novels, and I LOVED seeing Max and Dean together. Dean doesn’t get weird about Max being in his space, just supports his friend in the way that he needs at the moment, and it’s beautiful. (I also can’t wait for Dean’s book!)
Non-italicized non-English words! I’ve been banging this drum for what feels like ages and I’m so glad to see it starting to become a thing. I firmly believe that bilingual characters shouldn’t have their thoughts and words othered; they don’t think of the words in italics, so why should we put it in print? All it does is emphasize differences for English speakers, which is… not helpful. Let’s normalize the beauty of bilinguality, please! The only reason to italicize non-English words is to emphasize that they need translation, and it’s an inaccurate portrayal of characters – because if they think in Portuguese, they sure don’t need it translated, eh?
Queer rep! This is an M/F romance, but just like in real life, QUEERS ABOUND. I firmly believe that every M/F romance should have tons of happy queers rolling around the fictional world in plain view, and Mia Sosa delivers here. Half of Lina’s wedding planning clients are gay couples, references to which are not made with any sort of titillation or indeed any difference from the way the straight or straight-coded ones are. Middle-aged lesbians feature in the (hilarious) couples retreat scene; Lina’s brother is queer. I’m always really happy to see an M/F romance populated by queer characters – and I extremely like it when the queers have their shit together far more than the straight protagonists.
Communication! This is always, always my fave. I struggle to read romances where the entire conflict revolves around the main characters being unwilling or unable to talk to each other. This plot – brother of the ex-fiance, career on the line! – could EASILY fall into that trap, particularly with the hangups that Max and Lina each have. Instead, they manage (okay, after a few pranks) to just… talk it out. Which means that their conflict, the thing that eventually creates their dark moment and tears them apart, feels much more real – because they’ve talked about their issues, they know each other’s secrets, and they still don’t see a way forward. Which makes it so much more rewarding to see them find their happy ending.
Disclaimer: I read this as a NetGalley ARC; thanks to the publisher for sending it!

A wedding planner left at the altar who is forced to work with the best man who helped ruin her wedding-that-wasn’t? Sounds like a great recipe for an enemies-to-lovers romance to me. But to say I’m divided on how I feel about The Worst Best Man is pretty accurate. I didn’t enjoy the first half of the book and there are a few times I contemplated just not finishing it. I’m glad I resisted, for the second half is wonderful.

Let’s get the bad out of the way, shall we? Lina was left at the altar by Andrew, who hints that his brother and best man, Max, may have said something that spurred him to ditch his own wedding. Since he was drunk at the bachelor party, Max doesn’t remember what he said. Three years later, Max and Lina are paired together to present a pitch that could be a big deal for Lina’s business and help Max get out of his brother’s shadow at work. The problem is, Lina still holds Max responsible for what happened on her wedding day. Why, when it was Andrew who left her at the altar and didn’t even have the decency to tell her himself? I’m not really sure. It would have made sense if (1) Lina had been in love with Andrew and still brokenhearted three years later (she wasn’t, she isn’t, and she barely spares him a thought) or (2) Lina and Max had a friendship or some form of relationship before the wedding that made Max’s behavior feel like a betrayal (they barely knew each other). Since neither of these are the case, Lina’s attitude toward Max and the ways she tried to punish him came across as juvenile, even though I can see why Lina might have wanted a target for her anger and embarrassment (even if that target didn’t deserve it). I wanted to shout at Max to cut his losses and run for it. What made me stay with this book was Lina’s relationship with her loving family and author Mia Sosa’s infusion of Brazilian culture. Lina is a first generation Brazilian American and Ms. Sosa does an incredible job of weaving her heritage into this book. She also does a great job of showing why Lina tries so hard to control her emotions, confronting the bias and dismissiveness Afro-Latinx women face in the workplace when emotions get involved. Ms. Sosa does this so well that I stuck with the book even though I was incredibly frustrated by Lina and Max’s interactions. I’m so glad I did.

Once Lina and Max start to lean into their mutual attraction and the emotional pull between them, The Worst Best Man shines. The two of them start to grow, to confront their fears, wounds, and vulnerabilities. The second half of this book is fantastic; funny, heartwarming, charming…there’s so much to enjoy. I loved that Max was a safe space for Lina to let down her guard. He’s a genuinely good, thoughtful, dependable man who deserves to be seen for all that he is on his own. And I love that Max saw the real Lina and fell for all that she is. He doesn’t try to change her professional image, doesn’t suggest she become someone else to win a job, but supports her every step of the way. It’s not a smooth road to happily ever after for these two, but you understand the bumps in the road and it becomes easy to root for them. So while I’m torn on how to rate this because I had such differing views on the first versus the second half, I will say that I was very happy with how Lina and Max’s story ended and I’m looking forward to reading more of Ms. Sosa’s work.