Javi and Mari met in college and became best friends which seemed fine until Javi and Mari meet one day for dinner and Javi plans to tell Mari he's in love with her and Mari plans on introducing her fiancee. The story was pretty good but didn't really like the time changes.

I love Mia Sosa and I identified with Javier so much. The dual POVs and dual timelines completely worked for me. We got to meet Javi and Mari at a climax and then we get to follow the puzzle pieces to give context to the bigger story. Completely and utterly amazing.

I had such a good time with this book! It’s a rom-com, yes, but it also dives into messy emotions, second chances, and figuring out who you are beyond heartbreak.

Mari is sharp, hilarious, and unapologetically herself. I loved how she didn’t just bounce back after the breakup, she evolved. She’s the kind of character you root for because she’s not perfect, but she owns her story. Javi surprised me. At first, he definitely felt like “the ex,” but he’s not one-dimensional. As the story unfolds, you see more layers; regret, growth, even some charm. Javi and Mari’s dynamic is messy, funny, and also real.

I loved how we gain a mix of their past, their pact, and their present; as well as how they mend what had been broken.

🎧The narrator did such a great job bringing out the humor and heart in every scene. Mari’s sarcasm hit perfectly, and the emotional moments felt really grounded. Definitely a voice I’d listen to again!

If you like second-chance stories with wit, depth, and a strong lead who doesn’t back down; add this one to your list.

Fun rom com between friends who reconnect after Javi ghosted Mari. Now Mari is getting married and Javi is the man of honor. A dual time line where we get the start of their friendship in college through the ghosting and their reconnection two years prior. Javi has known he lives Mari tries to subtly sabotage the wedding. Mari needed a great big push to open and realize who Javi is to her. I enjoyed their roller coaster relationship and the way they were both so good together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion. This book sounded sooo promising because I’m a huge fan of second-chance romance. Unfortunately this one just gave way too much back story and not enough romance. I also don’t feel like it adequately gave depth to their friendship. It seemed like they liked each other from their 2nd or 3rd encounter with one another. I hate rating books below a 3 but this one really fell flat for me.

*squeal* The newest Mia Sosa book is finally here!!! If you've never read one of her books, you're in for a treat because they are always deliciously satisfying, in my humble opinion.

This latest novel is about a couple of long-term besties who have been pining for one another since college. Mari is everything Javi wants in a partner so he's been working hard to improve himself and be worthy of her love. Unfortunately, he may have taken too long because Mari, tired of waiting for him to profess his love for her, has moved on. She's about to get married to a hella tall hottie and Javi doesn't have much time to stop it!

This book is sweet, hella funny, and sexy. There's a dual timeline, so we get to follow this explosive duo through college as well as present-day. When Javi Dumped Mari had me giggling with all of the hilarious banter (and thoughts, to be honest)! The build-up of their friendship was so real but heart-warming. It's a beautiful reminder that sometimes we meet the right person at the wrong time & sometimes we are lucky enough to find a way back to them. Mari & Javi felt inevitable in the best way. One of the things I loved the most about them is that they knew when to match each other’s chaotic & dramatic energy.

I also love that we have two Afro-Latinx leads, one Puerto Rican and one Brazilian. It's the rep we deserve, baby!

This is a must-read for rom-com lovers. Add this book to your TBR immediately!

I loved the worst best man and the wedding crasher and had equally high hopes for this one!

Unfortunately this book was just okay. It took a while to get through, there are some books that do the flashback well and this just wasn't one of them. It was hard to get a good read on the history between the two and really actually root for Javi and Mari as a couple with alllllllllll the conflict over the years between them. I think if the book had gone chronologically, even with all the time jumps it would have worked much better. The ending felt rushed and didn't have as much closure as I was hoping for...

That being said, I cannot wait to jump into the starter ex and reading some of this author's backlist that I didn't even know existed til now!!




Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Really enjoyed this story and charachters. Mia Sosa does a wonderful job of creating complexities that seem believable in real life and keep you invested in the story.

Received an eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to see Mia Sosa release a new book. This story follows Javi and Mari, two best friends who meet each other at college. While sparks flew in their initial interactions, they stayed friends to preserve their relationship. Cut to now where Javi is finally ready to pursue Mari with his life in order and feeling like he actually deserves her when Mari introduces him to her fiancé. The story cuts back and forth, letting us see their relationship build as we also see Mari’s wedding move forward with Javi as her best man.

I loved The Worst Best Man and The Wedding Crasher from Mia Sosa, but this book was just okay for me. I think part of that is mostly due to the tropes involved (second chance romance doesn’t always hit for me). While I think she did convince me at the end, there was a lot of frustration along the way to their happily ever after. Overall a 3.25ish.

Thanks to Putnam's Sons and Netgallery for the e-ARC of When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa. First and foremost I was EXTREMELY excited for a new book by Mia! She has been one of my favorite authors since falling back into love with reading. Her books always give me a sense of home and comfort. However, I am sad to report that this one, didn't work for me. I didn't believe the romance and it was hard for me to root for them, and the whole idea behind the "dumping" was something that irked me.

I will continue to give Mia's writing an opportunity because that was not the problem here, I just couldn't get behind the story 100%.

This is the perfect summer rom-com.

Lots of pining, hilarious banter, and such cute backstory. As always Mia Sosa brings in the sprinkles of Latinx culture as a collective while highlighting the differences in ways that make each individual community rich and vibrant.

Javi is such a drama king, from the beginning and Mari is such a baddie that got tired of waiting for Javi.

Their romance is swoon worthy and well worth the wait.

rounded up to 4.75 stars

Javier and Marisol met in college. They quickly became best friends. Throughout the years, they relied on each other to "approve" who they were dating. However, Marisol decided that she no longer wanted Javier to see what she wanted or his approval.

This book was a good time! I loved how it was written. We got a glance at their friendship throughout the years and how their relationship evolved. We were able to see some of the personal growth of the MCs. The wedding drama was a chef's kiss. I love how they included Spanish and Portuguese. I do wish more of the cultures were included, such as the foods and/or the traditions for celebration.

Y’all, Mia Sosa never misses. This is a friends to lovers, second chance ish romance with plenty of humor and fun shenanigans. When Javi’s best friend Mari is marrying someone who is totally wrong for her, he’s forced to finally act on the feelings he’s always had for her. What Mari doesn’t know is there’s a reason Javi always held back, even though she made it clear she wanted to try something more than friendship. It’s fun, it’s hot, would recommend. Thanks to Putnam for the copy via NetGalley. It recently came out so you can read it now! On a personal note, I’ve been taking Brazilian Portuguese classes for 2+ years, and it was gratifying to be able to read the few passages in Portuguese between Mari and her parents.

I've loved Mia Sosa's books in the past but I should have paid closer attention to the blurb because I don't enjoy the friends to lovers trope, especially in situations like this when he's a "martyr" Overall love the author's writing style but this book didn't work for me on many levels.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me this opportunity to preview this book. I have to say that this book was unintentionally awkward at times. Or maybe it was intentional? Either way, I’m still very much confused, especially with the title??

Javi and Mari meet in college and become fast friends. Here comes the awkwardness, he becomes insecure with himself and ghosts her for 6 years!! They randomly bump into each other and rekindle the friendship. They agree on this weird relationship pact to approve of the others love interest, while both are secretly pining for the other but never making a move. That is until Mari announces her engagement to another man and that lights the fire in Javi.

I wanted to love this book but I just didn’t feel the chemistry or connection between Javi and Mari. They are complete opposites, not to say opposites don’t attract, but these two did not convince me. And I’m still confused about the title!! Overall if you enjoy friends to lovers and a bit of a slow burn this might be the read for you!s

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for giving me an ARC of this book. I really enjoyed this book and I flew through it. This book was funny, tender, and there was enough conflict to make it feel real. It was great to see that Latine representation as well. The swapping of POVs was a great choice that worked here and really stretched the conflict.

This book was a lot of fun: definitely the slowest slow burn romance I have read in a long time. The plot develops along two timelines (plenty of flashbacks!), and I really appreciated the chapter headings that helped to keep things straight in my mind. Javi and Mari meet in college, become best friends, and for the next ever so many years fetch up in each other's lives and act on their pact to approve each other's romantic relationships with others. Mari is an entertainment lawyer, and Javi is on the outskirts of the industry with an unfinished musical he's been writing forever. Their banter is top-notch, and there are a few very spicy physical encounters. It became harder and harder to believe that they were still resisting the pull toward each as the story continued, though admittedly they both had some major baggage from other aspects of their lives (Mari's job, her family, Javi's ambitions, etc) also getting in their way. A solid four star read!
I was given an ARC by Netgalley and volunteered to write a review.

This was my first Mia Sosa book and I had so much fun with it. If you are a fan of when Harry meet Sally this book is for you!.
This book is the perfect rom com with two time lines past leading up to present and it was so much seeing the main characters friendships blossom. It was also a little frustrating (in the best way) seeing how the main characters couldn't see the magic they had together. Loved how it started and loved how it ended

4.5 stars

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Thank you G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

When Javi Dumped Mari is the second book of Mia Sosa’s that I’ve read and I absolutely loved both books. This book had so much funny banter/dialogue between the characters, it was realistic, and the plot was so engaging. For “right person, wrong time” stories, I want to truly feel that the characters are in a better place and have resolved whatever conflict or concerns prevented them from being together in the first place and I’m happy to say I felt that in this case. Mia had a wonderful balance of showing and telling with her characters, where she displayed their growth through different actions but also sometimes had them explicitly state it (which makes for wonderful quotes to highlight and reflect on, haha).

I will say, the first spicy scene did throw me off guard because it didn’t initially feel like it matched the vibe of the book. There weren’t too many spicy scenes in this book but when there were, they were quite steamy!

There were so many themes and lessons in this book that I loved exploring:

- Managing self doubt
- Healing amidst a relationship
- Truly knowing someone inside and out
- Complex familial relationships
- Career aspirations & pressure to succeed in life
- The importance of communication
- Going after you want

and so much more!

If you’re looking for a lighthearted and fun friends to lovers read, this is definitely the book for you. The audiobook was phenomenal and really helped bring the story to a new level so I’d highly recommend listening! If you can read the ebook/physical copy and listen to the audiobook at the same time, that’d be the best experience so that you don’t get lost amidst the flashbacks.

Can’t wait for the next book Mia writes!

Many thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with an eARC of When Javi Dumped Mari in exchange for my honest review!

I had a blast with the comedy and the heart of the only other Mia Sosa rom-com I've read, The Wedding Crasher, so I was looking forward to When Javi Dumped Mari. And thankfully, this has turned out to be another lovely ride, getting me invested in the touching substance of the MCs' relationship while we're jumping back and forth between their college past and their adult present. I get to witness how much they've developed since that years-ago period where they were significantly more immature, where they weren't ready to fully commit themselves to a romantic dynamic together, and then I'm able to watch how they contend with the consequences of that past in the now while Mari has a fiancée in her life. I'll admit that my personal feelings towards the friends-to-lovers trope have grown complicated, but I can put that aside in order to appreciate the humorous and affecting meat of this tale.

It's entertaining to read this after I'd dived into The Wedding Crasher, considering the latter rom-com features a karaoke sequence revolving around Ginuwine's "Pony" that I couldn't help but think of during a dancing contest in When Javi Dumped Mari. Then there's the knack that Sosa apparently has for weaving wedding shenanigans into both of these books, which makes for some good old hilarity. It's elements like these that keep me smiling and laughing through this rootable romance. And the beats in which it allows itself to plunge into the steam are appropriately hot, providing a satisfying payoff after the chemistry and the buildup that we've been following between Javi and Mari.

Overall, I'm officially rating When Javi Dumped Mari four out of five stars. I'm very glad to have returned to Sosa's bibliography here, and now I'll be even more determined to continue checking out her work.