3 🌟

Not my favorite of Mia Sosa's. 😔

I was so excited to get this book on Netgalley... and I thought it was just okay. I didn't really love any of the characters and find it hard to believe you'd give up a relationship for someone who ghosted you for 6 years.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

In 'When Javi Dumped Mari', Mia Sosa delivers a vibrant and heartfelt friends-to-lovers romance that pulses with longing, laughter, and cultural nuance. The novel centers around Javi and Mari, two longtime best friends whose close bond has always walked the line between platonic and something more - until Javi finally decides to draw the line himself. Only it turns out, letting go of Mari might have been the biggest mistake of his life.

Told in alternating timelines and perspectives, the story unfolds with a deft balance of emotional depth and sharp humor. Sosa gives us characters who feel refreshingly real - messy, loyal, scared, and brave in all the right ways. Javi's quiet yearning is deeply compelling, while Mari's fierce independence and vulnerability make her a heroine you root for from the very start.

The pacing is steady, with flashbacks that enrich the emotional stakes rather than distract. Sosa also brings in textured Afro-Latinx cultural elements that ground the story in a vivid, authentic world without ever feeling forced or performative.

I generally like Mia Sosa's novels because she infuses them with LatinX cultural references and that's a nice change. I found the back and forth in history in this one a little tedious though. I felt like "TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU TO RUIN EVERYTHING ALREADY!" Also it seemed like Mia had found the perfect guy for her, even though Javi was cool too. In the end of course this romance delivered, which is why I love them.

I ate this up! The beginning was a little slow, but once I got about 100 pages in, I was flying through. The story was chef’s kiss!

I really enjoyed these characters and their story. The yearning and pining on both sides. This was honestly miscommunication done right. It didn’t make me mad because I understood their reasonings behind everything. It was more than just a missing conversation to fix things, so in turn I was sad for them!

I also really enjoyed the use of the flashbacks through the story. There were some really funny flashback scenes. We got to see how their lives from college on changed them as people and in turn affected their friendship. Super real because adulthood is wild! The Cats scene lives rent free in my head.

Mari’s dad sucksss! I wish we could’ve gotten more of her mom, because she would have been a great character! She was into the drama and liked to stir things up, I loved her!

This story was so sweet and I loved each of the side characters. They all played a big role in these character’s lives and I loved seeing it come full circle. Brittany, Sasha, and Chloe were great additions!

This is a great summer read and a good time! Definitely would add to the list. There was great pining and slow burn! It’s a lot of fun with some fun humor.

***Huge thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Putnam Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review***

Mia Sosa’s books help transport you to another world. They are light, funny, full of pop culture references, and keep you connected to your Latin roots (if you’re of Latino descent). This book made you root for the main characters and it made you fall in love with the friend group. It was quirky and sweet and fun. A great read.

I don't always think that friends to lovers works as a trope, so I'm extra impressed when an author does it well, and I think Mia Sosa really got it right in this one. I liked the structure here a lot - it starts with Marisol (Mari) surprising Javier (Javi) - her best friend since college - by introducing him to her brand new fiance. In the past, they had a pact - neither of them would get serious with anyone who didn't meet their best friend's approval. Javi hasn't even met this guy, let alone approved of him, and he's extra salty about it because he was about to make his own big declaration, but he agrees to be her "man of honor" and help with all the wedding prep. We then rewind to the day they met at a small liberal arts college, and the rest of the book alternates between scenes from their relationship over the years, leading up to the present. Both Mari and Javi are smart and funny, and I liked seeing them kind of grow up on the page. Their relationship didn't follow quite the path I was expecting, which kept me interested throughout the book. Another solid contemporary romance from Mia Sosa!

I loved the previous books I’ve read by Mia Sosa and was excited to see a new title from her. When Javi Dumped Mari is a romance between two friends who make a pact to steer the others’ dating lives but keep finding themselves drawn together. After many years and a few clandestine hook ups, Javi finds himself as the man of honor for Mari’s wedding to another partner at her law firm.

My reaction to this book is probably based mostly on my distaste for love triangles and it really felt like that’s what was the primary story here. Both Javi and Mari have some serious family baggage and over the course of 12 years I would’ve wanted more growth and development from both of them to work through that. I did like the friendship and banter between the two, and their steamy scenes were very hot, but overall this wasn’t a favorite.

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-friends to idiots to lovers
-dual timeline
-it's always been you
-we're just friends, right?

I'm just trash for a good friends to lovers book. Add in some mess, and this just had me sucked in. I loved that we got to see their entire friendship, all of the drama, and how it progressed in contrast to what was happening now. Mari and Javi had such a fun dynamic and incredible chemistry. This honestly felt like the '90's romcom my best friend's wedding, but with a HEA and I enjoyed every moment of it.

When Javi Dumped Mari
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really liked the two books I’ve read by Mia Sosa and was so excited when I got this latest book on @netgalley!

Mari is all set to marry Alex, but her best friend Javi has to stand by her side while he’s in love with her.

I didn’t love this premise and I probably should have stuck with that feeling. These two are pretty immature as they avoid talking for the better part of a decade of their friendship. I honestly don’t think I liked any of the characters in this one 😕

Thank you Net Galley, Mia Sosa, and G. P, Putnam Son’s for an eARC of When Javi Dumped Mari.

This is a cute book! I really enjoyed the relationship between Javi and Mari. It did take some time to really get into but I’m glad I kept reading. I loved reading about how their relationship grew over time. Definitely a good summer read!

When Javi Dumped Mari has all the charm and wit I expect from Mia Sosa, and there were plenty of fun, flirty moments that made me smile. The premise is entertaining, and the family dynamics added nice layers. That said, while I enjoyed the ride, the emotional connection between the characters didn’t hit as deeply as I’d hoped. Still, it’s a breezy, enjoyable read with enough heart to keep me turning the pages and I’ll definitely keep picking up whatever Sosa writes next.

Thank for to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
This was SUCH a cute story! One of my favorite things about Mia Sosa’s books is that you can always feel the chemistry between the characters, and that was definitely the case between Javi and Mari. I think she did a really great job in this book of showcasing how different family relationships/traumas can affect your everyday life or your relationships with other people. Another thing that I loved was the cast of characters! Each one of Mari’s friends felt like fully realized characters with their own unique personalities, and they weren’t interchangeable. I would definitely recommend this book to any romance book lover!

4.5⭐️ Thank you to Putnam Books for the ARC!

this book is the perfect example of why Friends to Lovers is the superior trope hands down!! I loved the past and present chapters, I think it added to much more depth the characters and their story. I’ve been in a reading slump recently but not with this book, I finished in a day and a half!!this book better get all sorts of hype in it comes out!

Mari is going to marry someone else, but Javi has been in love with her since their sophomore year of college. They make a pact to only date people the other person approves of.
I liked this story. Javi has been in love with Mari, but doesn't tell her. I liked the dual pov and the relationship between Javi and Mari.

This was such an interesting read! It was a fresh take on the friends to lovers / love triangle tropes, and it felt different from anything I’ve read before.

If you enjoy watching two characters’ relationship unfold in two timelines, this is a great book for you! The “today” part of the book takes place in only a few weeks, but we flashback to different points over the previous 10 years. It really makes the characters come to life, and adds to their story.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

THE QUEEN OF ROMANCE HAS DONE IT AGAIN! scorching with chemistry and swoon, with a couple that’ll stick with you for a while and some good FUN, which is so needed in romances these days. characters that leap off the page fully formed and prose that’s accessible and also makes you jealous because how can mia sosa wrote so well?

LOVED this! The alternating past and presents storylines along with the back and forth of Javi’s and Mari’s perspectives really made the story work - why she was with Alex, why they acted the way they did, their friendship’ history, and wht they (obviously) had to end up together. Perfect, sweet, funny romance.

Thank you so o NetGalley, and Penguin Random House for this ARC. This book made me kick my feet, kind of a lot. I was very invested in these characters, and enjoyed the messy ride through their relationships.

When Javi Dumped Mari was such a fun and engaging read. The characters felt real and I genuinely cared about what happened to them. Every time I picked it up, I was excited to dive back in. The ending was a little over-the-top and pulled me out of the story a bit. But overall, a great read.