I wanted to love it but didnt! About 40% in, I got bored and uninterested. The title confused me because I guess the ghosting was dumping? Idk. But this wasn’t really for me, unfortunately.

This was a lovely read!!

This book has history and a past relationship. The story is well written and mainly with likable characters. A story that will bring a smile to your face.

I would recommend! Thank you for the ARC team ☺️

4.5/5 stars ⭐️
When Javi Dumped Mari is a phenomenal romance novel that masterfully delivers on the beloved friends-to-lovers trope. From the very beginning, the emotional tension between Mari and Javi is palpable, and the mutual yearning is written with such authenticity that it draws you in and keeps you invested throughout the story.

The narrative unfolds across two timelines, and the execution is seamless. Rather than feeling disjointed or confusing, the dual timelines are thoughtfully structured to enhance the storytelling. Each shift in time provides meaningful context and emotional depth, revealing crucial details and answering lingering questions at just the right moments.

Javi and Mari are an incredibly compelling pair. Their chemistry is undeniable, yet their journey to love is far from straightforward. Both characters have their own emotional hesitations, and the story does a wonderful job of exploring how timing and personal growth can impact a relationship. The push and pull between them feels realistic and deeply relatable, adding layers to their eventual connection.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is how it portrays the idea that love isn’t just about timing—it’s also about readiness. The pacing of their relationship arc feels natural and satisfying, showing that sometimes people need time apart to truly understand what they want and need.

I found myself fully invested in their journey, and I was rooting for Javi from the very start. His emotional vulnerability and growth were especially moving. Overall, "When Javi Dumped Mari" is a heartfelt, well-crafted romance that blends emotional depth with romantic tension in all the right ways. A highly enjoyable and memorable read!

When Javi Dumped Mari is a twist on the classic When Harry Met Sally. Javi and Mari meet in college and become best friends. They make a pact that they will screen one another’s potential dates to catch any red flags that may have gone unnoticed. Through some ups and downs, now in their thirties, Mari is set to get married and Javi is not a fan of her groom. Javi finally feels like his life is getting on track and he could be the man that Mari deserves. Now, he just needs to find a way to show Mari that her fiancée is not right for her.

I enjoyed the characters of Javi and Mari. I loved the way they teased each other and interacted. I do feel like the jump from present day to flashback wasn’t the smoothest. But overall I enjoyed this book!

Mari and Javi were a cute couple! I liked how their relationship grew from friends to lovers. It took me a while to get into the story, but I enjoyed the second half of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putman’s Sons for the Advance Reader Copy.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.

I was so excited when I was offered the chance to read an advanced copy of Mia Sosa's new novel, as I loved Worst Best Man and The Wedding Crasher. However, this one is... it's not doing it for me. I don't see a lot of chemistry between the leads, and I'm not a fan of the split time frame, with "now" chapters - where Mari is engaged to someone who is not Javi! - sprinkled in among the 'then' chapters (which are counting down to the wedding).

Thank you to G. P. Putnam's Sons, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for the free electronic advanced reader.

**Book Review: *When Javi Dumped Mari***
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆

*When Javi Dumped Mari* is a heartfelt and funny romantic comedy that starts where most love stories end, at the engagement of one of the MCs. Mari and Javi, two college friends who began their relationship with a blend of annoyance and attraction, decide early on to friendzone each other and instead become each other's romantic wingperson. What follows years later is a complex, emotional, and witty journey that kicks off just as Mari is preparing to walk down the aisle, with someone else.

The chemistry between Mari and Javi is undeniable. Their banter is one of the book’s strongest elements, and while they have an "enemies to lovers" vibe, their antagonism is brief and mostly confined to their college days. The real joy comes from watching them evolve, from slightly hostile strangers to ride-or-die best friends to adults who are charming and relatable.

Both characters are lovable, layered, and emotionally grounded. Unlike many romantic comedies, this story avoids the frustrating trope of making one of the leads unlikable or clueless. While maintaining some elements making you want to yell at both of them to just be together! Lol, You root for both Mari and Javi from the beginning, and while their families add a heavy dose of drama (some of whom you may want to strangle), the tension never overshadows the romance.

If you're a fan of romantic comedies with heart, humor, and a bit of emotional angst, *When Javi Dumped Mari* is absolutely worth the read. It delivers both laughs and feels in equal measure and will leave you with a smile (and maybe a tear!)

Another banger from Mia! This one is full of laugh out loud moments, ones that had me kicking my feet, and ones that had me considering tearing up. I love a friends to lovers moment and there's nothing like another man coming into the picture to give men the wake up calls they need. These two are electric and I felt their chemistry from the first page. I loved going on this journey with them.

Javi and Mari have always had chemistry, and that witty banter you only break out for the one you want to keep coming back. But the fates divide them only to bring them back together, time and again. Javi is finally in a place where he's ready to change their pattern, however, Mari shows up to their dinner with a surprise fiancé. Can Javi let Mari know he's the one for her before the big day? This is a feminist story, a friendship story, and a story about knowing what's in your heart.

It was fun to read the story of Javi and Mari’s relationship as it spans over 12 years. Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book.

Sorry I just couldnt read the book. I was too blindsided by the title and thought it would be angsty and fun.. It was all that but a lot of things felt out of place for me. added to the fact that the formatting was a biggest ick for me and I didnt want to mess up my percentage.

Javi and Mari
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC.
This is my 3rd book from Mia Sosa. I felt this book was a little slow until 50% through and then it went quickly. There are a lot of past and present chapters so be ready for that.
Mari and Javi met in college. They have spent years pining for each other but put each other in the friend zone. They loved their friendship and did not want to ruin it. In the present day, Javi is ready to be the person for Mari but she shows up with her fiancé. Javi and Mari had a rule that they would vet each other’s date and if they did not approve, they would listen. Mari was finally wanting to move on from her feelings from Javi and told him the deal was off. We get the little details from college to present of what happened to their friendship along the way. Javi now has 6 weeks to rewrite their story and win the girl.
This book shows the relationship between two friends and growing together. The push and pull of their attraction. It did make me frustrated with Javi’s insecurity and I really wanted more vindication against his brothers who were jerks. This was a cute book and easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

I have loved Mia Sosa’s previous books and the Starter Ex audio as well. I was excited to dive into Javi and Mari’s story.

It took me a bit to get into the book, I love the banter in Sosa’s books and the initial banter between Javi and Mari didn’t really do much for me, but it does get better as the book goes on and i enjoyed it!

The back and forth between present day and flashbacks gave me whiplash. I feel like a lot of it wasn’t necessary. Or could have been chunked better for us. I had a hard time keeping up with that and some redundant or unnecessary details. Some extraneous story lines were also resolved or dealt with a little too neatly I think.

While I don’t think we really saw a lot of growth in the main characters, I do feel like we understand them better towards the end. Though Mari really frustrated me with a lot of her decisions. But she’s still a bad ass like all of Mia Sosa’s FMCs.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and it will make for a good summer read, even if it isn’t my favorite Mia Sosa book.

3.5/5⭐️ for me

Having read and really enjoyed Mia Sosa's The Worst Best Man, I wanted to like this book. I was excited to get an early ARC of this title but unfortunately, that's where my enthusiasm for the book ends.

There are two big issues with it in my opinion. The first is the structure. Like many romance novels, the story unfolds via a dual POV and incorporates flashbacks to show us a "then" and "now" timeline. The pacing with the flashbacks feels off because for most of the novel we are reading about two characters who claim to be best friends but don't seem to like each other that much.

The second issue is the characters themselves. They come across as flat, unlikable, and didn't seem to have any chemistry with each other. They have little pranks and stunts they like to pull and it all comes off as childish rather than cute or funny. I could not understand what Mari found attractive about Javi at all outside from his physical appearance. This was a tough sit for me.

I've read some of Mia's other work and liked it, and when this got approved, I was eager to dive it.

The spice did spice and there was really good pining. I will definitely give credit to that.

It was hard for me to enjoy. The flashbacks did an okay job to give us context but at the same time, it made it so difficult for me to like either lead. I know we all have a toxic phase in our 20's but having the real action in the current timeline happen in the last 5 chapters left me very unsatisfied. It didn't feel like it wrapped up well at all.

Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for the eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley & PENGUIN GROUP- Putnam for the E-ARC! Loved so much! Cute characters & loved the banter. Will definitely read more from this author.

Mia Sosa does a fantastic job in writing this romance novel. It was engaging and had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the first page. The characters were everything that I was looking for and thought the concept worked well overall. I enjoyed the way this worked together and am excited for more.

I excited for this one but wound up struggling with it a bit. The dual POV chapters just didn’t work for me and really impacted my overall take on the book. I love Mia’s writing and am really bummed that this was the case. I think it may land for some but in the end, this just wasn’t the book for me.

I’m a huge fan of Mia Sosa. If you haven’t read her Worst Best Man series you are truly missing out. My heart sings every time she writes a successful POC. I feel it gives young women hope and assurance that they too can be successful. Plus, her books are down right funny.

2⭐

LIKED:
- Generally, I liked Mari. I think especially between the two MCs, she was far more developed and relatable. I wish there was more insight into what she wanted out of life and why she liked Javi so much, or even why she liked Alex (besides him liking her).
- I liked that Javi is working on a musical, that’s not something you see too much in contemporary romance. I do wish we got more of his development for this project on the page, though.
- The cover’s colors are very pretty and I like the way the text is printed on top of the characters. I don’t love the overall composition, I find it quite boring, but it’s alright overall.

LAMENTED:
- Dear lord the flashbacks and chapter changes moved at breakneck speed. Every chapter felt like whiplash, like we were allowed to sit in the space and moment with the characters because it was a means to an end.
- I also just didn’t feel that the flashbacks added enough to be justified in how many of them there were. It didn’t really show growth for the characters, they acted exactly how they did in the last few chapters as they did in the chapters where they met eleven years prior. It was exhausting.
- These characters would break up. I am confident in that. I did not feel the chemistry between them and I am very openly a friends-to-lovers apologist. There’s also pretty much no reason why they wouldn’t have just gotten together, that aspect was flimsy.
- Javi is awful. I don’t understand what is supposed to be likable about him, genuinely. I found him truly obnoxious. Also…Javier Baez is a pretty well known baseball player from the last decade. I feel like that could have taken, like, one google to notice.
- This title does not make sense. He never really dumped her. And it is not about that. At all.

LONGED FOR:
- Less jumping timelines
- More chemistry and understanding as to why these characters are together besides time known
- A different title that actually relates to the books

Will I read the next one? : Nope. I’ve now read 3 books by Sosa (DNF-ed one) and her writing is just not for me.