I LOVED this! Oh oh oh Mari and Javi. This is a friends to lovers at it’s finest. They’ve been pining for each other since they met 12 years ago. Decided to “just be friends”, while also making a pact to vet each other’s couples. I enjoyed the back and forth timelines / dual POV. Though Javi ghosted her many years ago (not a fan), I did like how their friendship / relationship evolved over the years.

🌺 Latinx romance
🌺 Friends to lovers
🌺 Slow burn
🌺 Mutual pining
🌺 Dual POV

Thank you Penguin Putnam and NetGalley for the arc!

This unfortunately was not for me.. this book is the miscommunication trope personified and I could not look past it. The language was also a bit cringe and icky in places. I did not love this one.

I enjoyed this one. it was fun. I love her novels and they are always a feel good and good time. I like the way she writes her characters

DNF @30%

IDK I'm just having a hard time getting into this, probably because a lot of it is set during their time in college. I usually avoid books with younger MCs, because I find them to be immature.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC. I love Mia Sosa's books. They are hilarious, they have heart and they incorporate Latine culture in beautiful ways. I really cannot think of another book I've read that has Brazilian characters outside of her stories which is shameful for publishing but I digress.

I know that friends to lovers can be a hard sell for some, but this worked for me. Inspired by "When Harry Met Sally" but not a retelling we get to see in present day and through flashbacks how Javi and Mari meet in college and how their friendship evolves until we get back to the present day where she is supposed to be marrying someone else, Alex, another lawyer at her father's firm.

There are hot scenes, a great friend group, and an appreciation for the arts, especially musicals. Javi is an aspiring author of a musical and feels like he's stuck and not good enough for Mari, a driven, "I know I'm going straight to law school after undergrad" type. Without giving too much away, they both have family baggage that they need to work through in order to finally get out of their own way and be together. I will say that the pacing of the ending felt very rushed to me after the cadence of going back and forth in time to establish their relationship but I still would recommend this. I also think this should be adapted because there are some scenes that would be absolutely incredible on screen (the kid's birthday party and Wish.com Elmo....).

Thank you to Putnam for the advance reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

I really enjoy Mia Sosa's writing and was excited to read this. When I started reading, I found the title somewhat confusing. Instead, it seemed that Mari was the one to break her long relationship with Javi by announcing her engagement to a man she had not even mentioned she was dating. It seemed like it would be a fairly standard love triangle romance.

But this story went to much deeper. It had very good pacing with different timelines highlighting Javi and Mari's friendship as well as their current timeline. And it was always clear which timeline I was listening to. This is a story of friendship as much as love. And it's a story of second chances. It was so heartwarming.

Gisela Chipe and Andre Santana narrated Javi and Mari's points of view quite well. Audio was a good fit for reading this book. I think their portrayal really helped in the clarity of the timelines.

This was such a vibrant and heartfelt rom-com. Mia Sosa nailed the emotional tension and humor, and I loved how she wove in cultural references and little drops of Portuguese throughout—it made the story feel so rich and personal.

The dual POV between Mari and Javi kept things super entertaining. Getting inside both of their heads added so much depth to their dynamic, especially as they navigated the fallout of their pact and the whole “oops-I-might-love-you” situation. It was messy in the best way.

I ended up DNF'ing this book around 60% in.

I really wanted to like this book! It had such a fun premise, and it sounded like something I would love. Friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes! Unfortunately, Mia Sosa's writing style just doesn't seem to be my thing. Usually I'm okay with time jumps/flashbacks, but I didn't love them in this (though they are definitely necessary to the story). It also seemed to be a bit slow for me, and I just didn't really buy the chemistry between the two main characters.

Unfortunately I had to DNF around 30%. I wanted to love this but the more I read the less I cared about the story. I didn’t feel any chemistry between the characters so it was hard for me to root for them. I also wasn’t a fan of the then and now format. The cover is absolutely beautiful though.

TV-MA for language and spice (open door romance)

If you love long pinning like Jim and Pam from The Office, then this is the book for you. There might have been times I wanted to throw my book at the wall because of their lack of communication despite claiming they knew each other sooo well. But Mia Sosa did a great job to give theses character some depth. The ending was surprising!

I've read a few other books by Mia Sosa and enjoyed them so I was really excited to get to this one.

Mari and Javi are college friends that made a pact to vet and have veto power over the other's relationship. This is told in a dual timeline with flashbacks.

In the current time Mari is engaged and about to marry someone that isn't Javi, which creates lots of tension between the two. The flashbacks span their whole friendship and how they got to this point.

While I really enjoyed this story, the flashbacks got to be too much at times and felt like it through off the pacing. I also think the part with Mari's fiancé went on longer than I would have liked. Overall, I had a fun time with this story and will for sure pick up more of Mia's books in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book 26 of 2025 - ✅! Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons and Mia Sosa for an ARC of When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa in exchange for my honest review.

After reading (and absolutely loving) Mia Sosa’s The Wedding Crasher, you best believe that the second I saw her latest novel, When Javi Dumped Mari, on NetGalley, I requested it so quickly.

In this rivals-to-friends-to-lovers (with some estrangement and another friendship period added in, in between), this fun and steamy rom-com paid homage to some of the romance greats in the film world, namely: My Best Friend’s Wedding & When Harry Met Sally.

Javier Báez (MMC) and Marisol Campos (FMC) meet in college, and after a short rivals stint, the two become inseparable - best friends. The two have always had feelings toward each other, but Javi (specifically) has never been good at admitting that. Toward the very end of their college careers, they make a pact to not date anyone the other doesn’t approve of. Post-college, Javi essentially ghosts Mari, and Mari decides to move forward on her own, without Javi’s approval. When Mari’s life is back on track, Javi comes back into her life. However, it just so happens that Mari is engaged to Alex (another lawyer at her Dad’s firm), and Javi only has a few weeks to convince Mari that, not only is Alex NOT the one for her, he (Javi) is the guy for her.

Though not The Wedding Crasher, I found When Javi Dumped Mari to be a fun and easy rom-com. It too me a second to really connect with Javi and Mari, but I did enjoy the dual-timeline and POV the book offered. As always, Sosa’s diverse cast of characters, and incorporation of Portuguese throughout the book were highlights. It felt like there were less open door scenes in When Javi Dumped Mari when comparing it to The Wedding Crasher, if that’s something that’s important to you.

3.5/5 ⭐️ overall & 2/5 🌶️ - Mia Sosa will continue to be an auto-request author for me! #NetGalley #WhenJaviDumpedMari 👩🏽‍⚖️🎶🇧🇷🇵🇷

I've picked up this book five different times since receiving it, and it's just a bad, cheesy rom-com, not in a good way. I loved WeddingCrashers, but this is not it.

This is a friend's to lovers/second chance romance told in dual povs.
Mari is getting married to Alex and Javi who is love with her, is doing everything he can to find all the flaws in him honestly, the alex didn't feel like he belonged anywhere in this book. And don't get me started on Mari's dad. I feel in a different setting, I would of enjoyed this a lot more

4 stars.

Mia Sosa is one of my favorite authors, so I was looking forward to "When Javi Dumped Mari." Luckily, it did not disappoint! It is a slow-burning friends-to-lovers dual timeline romance featuring two interesting main characters. It tells the story of Javi and Mari, how they met, how they dated other people, how he fell for her, how she got engaged to another guy, and how he tried to figure out how to tell her his truth. I love the foundation of the story between Javi and Mari, how they met in college and became close friends. From there, the story builds over time and is full of humor and (eventually) heat. These are two characters that are imperfect and don't apologize for it. They are both relatable and engaging to read about. Javi does everything he can, all the time, for Mari. It is so painfully obvious that he just wants to see her smile and be happy, but he hopes that, one day, she will realize that she's truly happy *with him* by her side. Mari and Javi's banter with one another is top tier! My complaint is the pacing. I am all for a well executed, slow burning romance, but I think this book is a little too slow. I do think that the romantic connection between the two of them could have been hurried up a little bit more. It feels like it takes a looOoOong time for the ultimate romance to unfold, but the end few chapters feel rushed at the same time. Still, I found this book to be relatable and amusing and sweet. The pacing didn't detract for my overall enjoyment of the book. Mia Sosa remains undefeated in my book!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Mia Sosa, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

4.5 stars!!

thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!

this was a perfect slow burn romance between two college friends that could just admit their feelings for each other and i ate it up!!

i really loved this book! the friends to lovers, will they won’t vibes of this book!! i loved the diversity representation! the friendship between javi and mari was so sweet. this kind of reminded me of the movie when harry met sally, but make them latines with scheming father.

i wanted to give javi a hug this entire book so badly. he was so sweet and really was struggling with feeling good enough and because of that never making his feeling for mari known so so many years. i love mari’s strong personality and watching her growth throughout this book.

i highly recommend this! Mia Sosa’s writing is always so fun and sweet!!

Mia Sosa is an author I have been reading for years as she consistently writes low-stakes steamy Latinx contemporary romances. When Javi Dumped Mari is a classic friends to lovers, but let’s make it messy romance that alternates between the past and present, from when Javi and Mari first meet in college to Mari’s approaching nuptials (to NOT Javi). Sosa knows how to build a story and cause the reader to want these two to be together, despite any extenuating circumstances. Romance rules tells us that of course Javi and Mari will end up together, but dating, a complicated relationship with Mari’s father, living on opposite coasts, career goals, and a fiancé all keep them from making it work for eight years. I couldn’t help think that the forces working against them were sometimes a little over the top and comically exaggerated. I liked Mari and Javi together and their chemistry was definitely strong—most friends to lovers have that great foundational relationship and this was no different. I think I was missing more of an emotional connection to the characters, but that’s okay as long as you want a romance that is easy on the palate. Thank you to Putnam for my copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟.5️⃣
Steam: 🪭🪭

I've really enjoyed Sosa's other books, though it has been awhile since I finished her last one. Unfortunately, this one just did not connect with me. As I was reading, I tried to put my finger on exactly why that was.

Ultimately, I think it is a combination of things. This is a friends-to-lovers story following Javi and Mari who first connect in college, more than a decade before the current timeline. The book is told in alternating timelines, where we see the now (Mari is marrying someone else, in a rush marriage) and the then (Javi and Mari connect as friends, then lovers, but nothing is ever quite right for the two of them). The length of their friendship requires a lot of time in the past, and I largely didn't find those sections to be engaging. I don't buy the chemistry between the two characters, and while I find Javi's motivation for avoiding a relationship with Mari to be realistic, it becomes repetitive. Truly, Mari deserved some serious groveling, which she does not get.

The book does pick up steam at about the half-way point, when we start to spend a lot more time in the current day. Yet, I still don't really see the two of them having a strong relationship.

Ultimately, I just think this wasn't the book for me. It was too slow moving and lacked any real lightness or humor that might have made up for some of that pacing.

* Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

4.5 stars! I LOVED this book! I knew it was going to be good but I didn’t realize I would love it so much. This is the cutest friends to lovers story. I really enjoyed that it was a dual timeline (college flashbacks) and dual POV. Javi was down so bad! We love to see it 😉 this was more than just a romance novel. It explores familial relationships and true friendships as well. I love the secondary characters and only wish we got more of Mari’s mom. I loved that Mari’s character was so sassy and confident. A great romance read!

🩷 friends to lovers
🧡 dual POV and timeline
🩷 second chance
🧡 banter

This was so much fun! I swear the next time someone says they hate friends to lovers because there’s no angst, I will make sure they have this in their hands. Because let me tell you this one had all of that and then some!

OK so the thing I liked most about this was Javier. He was hilarious and he did literally everything to make her smile. They were the cutest from the friend zone to the end, it was so easy to see the love they had for each other. And it was so easy with them them. When they began to transition to the romance part, it was like nothing because they were already there! They are the literal reason I love friends to lovers so much!

Now don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all fun and games. There was also a bunch of family stuff happening. THAT’S where the angst went. And even though the focus isn’t on them, it doesn’t make it less. There’s still some drama and I was still upset at them for not originally listening to the other. Her family is a piece of work. I wanted so bad to stay mad at them too, but I couldn’t. And really, only one of them deserves the vitriol I was sending through them anyways

The writing style was what got me hooked tho. I loved the way it went over their years as friends. I think it really aided in the way we saw them fall for each other. By the time they finally let everything out, I felt like the other friends in this story lol Like we were all in on the joke but only SHE didn’t know. They were so cute.

When they finally got together, they SAW each other and gave the other what they needed. And that is IT for me. It’s just something about a supportive partner. ESPECIALLY when the thing they’re supporting isn’t even completely finished…. This book is the perfect romance book to add to your Summer Reading TBR!