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!)

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

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness, this book was so cute! This book starts off with a wedding planner, getting stood up at her wedding. What was her soon to be brother-in-law, is the one to break the news to her. He is also supposedly the reason her fiancé decided to call off the wedding. Yet, Max cannot remember what happened the night before.

Fast forward a few years, Lina gets an interview for her dream job! Here’s the catch, she has to work on a project with her ex fiancé and brother in law. Lina decides to work with Max for the project, but is determined to keep him as far away as possible and do most of the work herself. Max, has other plans. After being in his brothers shadow most of his life, he is set out to win this project!

I loved the bantering between Lina and Max throughout the book, and how they got thrown into situations that forced them to work together. Lina kept doing everything to push Max’s buttons, but he took it all in stride. The best part was when they had to pretend to be a couple, just to stay in a room for a night!

This is your classic enemies to lovers romance. But, it was so well written, and so entertaining, even if you knew what the ending would be! I do wish there was an epilogue to the book, but overall I loved it! There’s also a lot of Portuguese dialogue in this book, which had me a little lost at times. But, I would highly suggest this book if you love a good enemies to lovers romance!

The book was excellent. I immediately fell in love with the characters. I always like when you can have enough detail and character description you can almost see the people you are reading about. It was a beautiful love story and I like the way the included family members and their heritage and culture and traditions.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. It had an attention grabbing storyline and a diverse female lead. However, I can't say this book was more than just okay.

Years ago, Lina was left at the altar by her fiance. Now, with an opportunity to have her wedding planning business take off, Lina has to work with her ex fiance's brother, Max, who she blamed for ruining her day. Max has spent his life in his brother's shadows and is more than willing help Lina put together a presentation that will change the course of her business. While both Lena and Max are shocked at this, they proceed nonetheless

The humor and romance is great in this novel. While the characters had great chemistry, the transition from friends to lovers was shaky. I didn't like the conflict concerning Max dating his brother's ex, whom he left at the altar after all. I rolled my eyes at the thought of him being wronged, I think there could have been more work done to develop that dynamic.

Mia Sosa hasn’t disappointed, this is an amazingly great romcom. She exudes a sense of wit and fun in her writings that just makes you laugh out loud and roll your eyes. Lina and Max make an adorable couple. They have history and now have to operate in the present. With her ever present family members filled with vibrant personalities they get all kinds of interference. You will keep turning the pages just to see what antics they will get up to next.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought Sosa did amazingly with characterization, plot, and setting. The book was, at many times, laugh out loud funny. I will definitely be recommending this title to readers and displaying it prominently. Both Nina and Max were lovable and sympathetic protagonists, and it was great seeing their relationship form.

This one was a ton of fun! Thank you for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I couldn't wait to read this after seeing it get top reviews and it did not disappoint! It is a slow burn of a romance that is full of humor, family drama, Brazilian culture, use of Portuguese, chemistry, friends and cousins, and of course steam. This is a light, fun, steamy, sassy read!

This was my first Mia Sosa book and I loved her writing, I absolutely loved all the Brazilian aspects that were in the book that felt so natural and real, it was so much part of Lina it was needed and added so much to the story. Also, as a reader you gain knowledge you might not know. Her humor was just great as well, the comments of Lina or the back and forth with Lina and Max were brilliant!

Overall, I give it 4.5 stars and 3.5 steam. I highly recommend this book! And hear there might be a series so I can't wait to read more!

Thanks to Netgalley, Avon, and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Eh, this was an okay read for me.

The gist of this story? Lina who is a wedding planner has to work with the man who indirectly stopped her wedding from happening in order to land a job that will change her business...literally.

Lina annoyed my soul mostly. I get that she was pissed at the fact that Max had his hand in ruining her wedding, I get it. But why not have Lina confront the man who left her at the alter? I mean it's not like she couldn't if she was working with his brother. Max kept apologizing and she kept being petty.... even though she also kept saying she wasn't a petty person. Eh, by the time we get to the end of the story, I was a bit bored and over her and Max going at it.

I didn't get romance between these two. I got more of shrugged shoulder feelings.

The plus: the author adding Brazilian culture and language throughout and the humorous moments throughout the story. These are the only reasons I'm even rating TWBM three stars.

All and all, I think The Worst Best Man is a good comedy. Romance? not so much.

I enjoyed this but I didn't love it. While the author sets up a very clever meet cute for her hero and heroine and the sexual chemistry is certainly there in spades the characters themselves never really rise above basic stereotypes and the basic concept, while clever, never gets fleshed out enough. There's just no depth here. We don't see much resolution for the biggest issues for the characters ie. Max's relationship with his mother and brother and Lina finally getting closure with her ex except in the most cursory, lip service type ways. Both characters are carrying a lot of baggage and need to deal with some heavy interpersonal stuff but its all just kind of fixed with romance and good sex.

I just needed more.

Besides horror and gore I am a sucker for romance and sappy chick lit.

Yes, I will spend my weekends off huddled in my bed watching Korean dramas SOBBING my eyes out at cheesy romance and I have binged 27 Dresses starring Katherine Heigl more times than I can count.

Love is flawed and wrenching but it’s also pure and unsoiled and makes you believe that there is some kind of right in this relentless world.

I have to admit that in the recesses of my melancholy and depression a cute romance is the last thing I want to read. I am very glad that I did however. The Worst Best Man follows the formula for a romantic comedy novel but it sets itself apart with the wittiness if it’s characters.

Luna is a wedding planner and she does her job well, VERY WELL, considering the fact that she was left at the altar years ago by her prick of an ex fiancé Andrew. She’s an ambitious, strong minded Afro-Brazilian woman who has an amazing opportunity in front of her but to achieve it she has to work with the brother of her ex who encouraged him to break off their marriage the day of the wedding...

Ya...Talk about awkward.

There are few books that genuinely make me laugh out loud and this is one of them. The dynamic between Lina and Max is excellent and reminds me of the bickering between me and my significant other.

Major props to Lina being a black woman as well. SO RARE and so nice to see. Represents is everything people especially in the book romance world.

I won’t spoil the sexy times but ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I did feel that the end was slightly rushed and was wrapped up a bit too nicely for me. Overall I enjoyed this story, this ride, this gorgeous smutty chick lit very much and I give it all its props for making me feel again.

Dramatic? Yes. Yes, I am.

4.5

Thanks very much to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of my ARC.

I was worried that this was going to be another predictable book but I loved the main character so much! Can’t wait to read more by Ms Sosa!

This was a middle of the road rom-com for me. I liked Lina and Max, I liked the premise, and I liked the way Lina’s Brazilian heritage and culture were on proud display, but I felt like the plot was a little thin. There could have been more meaningful moments between Max and Lina as well as more closure on a few plot points left open (Max’s relationship with his brother, for example). Overall though it was a quick fun read.

I have mixed feeling about this book. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good either.
After the groom disappears the day of the wedding, the best man and brother, Max, is forced to break the bad news to the bride, Lina. When the two are thrown together years later and forced to work together, the two work to stay professional and not let the past get in the way of their careers.
I did like the details about Lina's wedding planning business and her relationship with her family. However, I think the book did make it seem that Lina was wrong for being driven and ambitious.

This was a cute romcom! It’s a bit of an enemies to lovers, forbidden romance kind of story that was fun to read. Lina was left at the altar three years ago by her ex-fiance, Andrew. His best man and brother, Max, had to break the news to Lina. Since then she’s moved on, but also held a bit of a grudge towards Max since he convinced his brother to leave Lina.

The beginning of the book was a bit slow in my opinion and it felt too insta love. Max is Lina’s ex-fiance’s brother, who was almost her brother in law so it felt weird that when she saw him again after nearly three years she was already having feelings towards him. It started to get better as the book went on and I really enjoyed the second half.

Once Lina and Max started to have a real relationship it was more enjoyable. It was nice to see how Max tried to bring out the best in Lina and she did the same for him. They compliment each other really well. I also enjoyed all of the wedding events and things a wedding planner has to go through to make the event a success.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Give me a rom com about weddings and I’m a happy woman, seriously I can read about wedding related mishaps over and over again and never get tired. Then I had the added bonus of reading a new to me author who was just SO good, she nailed every aspect of this for me from the witty dialogue and banter to the sexy and playful steam all the way around to Lina’s spicy Brazilian family that made me legit laugh out loud, this one had it all.

Besides the enemies to lovers thing between Lina and Max there was also a hint of forbidden romance since at one point they were supposed to be inlaws and I really liked that added twist. I mentioned Lina’s family earlier and they just about stole the show for me, they were over the top and hilarious and really added so much to an already highly entertaining book. Definitely recommended for romance fans, make sure you snag this one because they’ll be a second book soon enough and I can’t wait!

I started this book with a very critical eye when I realized that the bride was actually pushing away the best-man-future-brother-in-law. But I came to really like the story of Lina and Max's journey to finding love with each other despite the intense resentment and dysfunctional sibling relationship between the former groom and the best man.
Lina was a strong character with goals of expanding her wedding planning business. Max would come to assist her in networking and utilizing her skills in a broader way. Working together brought out the worst and best in both of them. There were many hilarious things the Lina did to show her passive aggressive feelings toward Max. While I initially had a hard time seeing them together because Lina was left at the alter by Andrew, Max's brother, I came to like their relationship and I could see how they'd make a future together work. The sensual times together were really sexy and I loved reading the passion and emotion the couple had for each other.
This was my first time reading Ms. Sosa's work and I appreciated the Portuguese influence and language in the book. Any time that I get to experience a new culture/language than my Spanish second language, I love how much it is similar to my own. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Sosa's work.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this delightful and sexy Romance.

This romcom brightened up my week!

The Worst Best Man was my first book by Mia Sosa, but it won't be my last. The story was absolutely charming and filled with culture, laughter, and a bit of forbidden love (ex-fiancee's brother) thrown into the mix.

Lina Santos is a wedding planner, and she's makes her business on all the details of making your happily ever after. So it's not great that on her resume is a failed attempt at her own wedding, with the groom crying off and citing his brother as the reason.

Fast forward and Lina needs to find a new place of business, stat. A dream job is right around the corner, however, and she wants it. Bad. The kicker? Having to work with none other than her ex-fiancee's brother on her pitch.

I had a tropetasm reading this book. For real. We got one bed, fake dating, no-strings sex, enemies to lovers, forbidden hero...AGAIN, TROPETASM!

First, let me say that this cover instantly drew my attention. I LOVE IT TO PIECES. Lina was my favorite. She's Afro-Brazilian, and I loved how the Brazilian culture was used throughout. Lina's family was my fave, too, and the way they supported her...*chef's kiss*I love seeing a supportive family in romance.

Max was Lina's perfect counterpart. They have a lot of good banter and good vibes and they have to work together and make a pitch to get Lina her dream job. Max has had to compete with his brother and getting Lina the job is part of that, but what happens when you start to fall for your brother's ex-fiancee??

Delicious tension, hilarious attempts to play tricks on the other, and super sweet lovemaking, that's what. And so much honest, open communications that I can't even...

And Max had his own great dyanmic with his bestie, Dean. Their convos were some of my favorite parts and they gave me LIFE, ya'll. I want more of these types of interactions between male besties. Can anyone say #FriendshipGoals?

The book also shines a light on emotional labor, and how women--especially women of color--have to be careful with the showing of their emotions. It's a dose of realism we can't forget.

The only thing that felt off was Andrew (the groom's) place in the story. He felt more like a placeholder and a few interactions I thought would have more oompf kind of fell flat.

Overall, this is Lina's journey to taking back her mojo, owning her emotions, and opening herself up to new experiences. I loved it. I LOVED her. Also, I'm so excited for Dean's story, you have no idea.

Mia Sosa's The Worst Best Man is full of laughs, family and stabby feelings. Through a twist of fate, jilted wedding planner Lina has to work with the man who told her that her fiancé had run off--his brother Max, who apparently talked Andrew out of the marriage over drinks the night prior. After seeing Lina in action at a wedding, the new owner of The Cartwright Hotel asks her to work on a pitch to become The Cartwright's in-house wedding planner. Meanwhile, Max and Andrew have been assigned by their boss (who is also their mother) to work with the hotel on their marketing and branding. Unlike their usual approach, the brothers split up and pair off with the two competing wedding planners, giving Max the opportunity he wants to differentiate himself from his brother. Lina's lost her office space due to ever-climbing DC rental prices and needs a new place to work, ASAP. With neither of them able to say no, Max and Lina are reluctant but determined partners.

The enemies-to-lovers set-up of this book is so strong that even as the two main characters flirt and argue and develop a deep respect for one another, it's hard to see how they can make it work. After all, it's not as though Max will suddenly not be related to and work with his older brother just because he's in love with Lina.

Lina's been suppressing her emotions with everyone but her family in order to appear professional and not be judged as over-emotional or aggressive, so Sosa shows the developing relationship between the characters through moments in which Lina lets her guard down. The level of trust and comfort she requires in order to express emotions with another person is pretty high and she's been betrayed by the last man she committed to. Even worse that it was Max's brother and she worries that he only wants her because of their life-long brotherly competition.

Balancing this angst is a lot of humor. Beyond the plentiful banter, Lina's family and friends are so fun to be around. Sosa's Afro-Brazilian characters are loving and supportive, but don't hesitate to call each other out and possibly get  over-involved in their personal relationships. Lina eats far too much delicious food for anyone to read this book on an empty stomach. Get thee some Brigadeiros!

Between Lina's subtle revenge pranks, the enemies-to-lovers set-up, One Bed at the Inn and a strong family network, The Worst Best Man is a thoroughly satisfying read. You'll fall for both characters, even as they fall for each other.




Suzanne received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.

When I finished The Worst Best Man, I couldn't stop thinking about how much it reminds me of The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. Both heroines come from large, eccentric, meddling families. In Lina's case, her family is Brazilian and the elements of their culture that Sosa incorporates were interesting. Both heroines lie to a potential employer and in typical rom-com fashion, hijinks ensue. The Worst Best Man even has some fake relationship moments, though it's a smaller part of the plot.

The most obvious comparison is that both are enemies to lovers stories involving an ex's brother. Max's brother Andrew, the ex, really is awful but he's not much of a villain. The tension in the relationship comes from both characters' emotional baggage. Lina has been judged for being too emotional in the past so tries to avoid feelings at all costs. And Max can't stand the thought of being compared to his older brother in yet another way. By the end, I really wanted to smack them both for beating me the over the head with their issues.

In between all of that though, Max and Lina have great chemistry and give the reader lots of tropey goodness. Only One Bed FTW! I had fun reading The Worst Best Man so while it didn't blow my mind, it certainly fulfilled my expectations.

3.5 stars