The Worst Best Man

Author: Mia Sosa
Publisher: Avon (February 4, 2020)
Paperback, 368 pages
Romance, Adult Romance, Contemporary Romance
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Summary
Critically acclaimed author Mia Sosa delivers a sassy, steamy enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy about a woman whose new job requires her to work side-by-side with the best man who ruined her wedding: her ex-fiancé’s infuriating, irritating, annoyingly handsome brother. Perfect for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Helen Hoang, and Sally Thorne!

A wedding planner left at the altar. Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina’s managed to make other people’s dreams come true as a top-tier wedding coordinator in DC. After impressing an influential guest, she’s offered an opportunity that could change her life. There’s just one hitch… she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials.

Tired of living in his older brother’s shadow, marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he’ll be working with his brother’s whip-smart, stunning—absolutely off-limits—ex-fiancée. And she loathes him.

If they can survive the next few weeks and nail their presentation without killing each other, they’ll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina’s ready to dish out a little payback of her own.

But even the best laid plans can go awry, and soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isn’t interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again…

Review
THIS BOOK IS MY EVERYTHING. I buddy read this with by BFF Ari and it was basically the best choice I made all year. We both laughed out loud several times and at one point I laughed so hard I cried.

I love Max. He’s got insecurities and some emotional scars from a past relationship, but he doesn’t let it turn him into an alphahole. He’s the biggest cinnamon roll hero ever, and his relationship with his BFF Dean is so amazingly wholesome and absent of toxic masculinity that I can’t even. The way he pokes and prods Lina is hilarious and reminds me a lot of my own spouse, so mayyyyybe that’s part of why I love him so much. The world needs more romance heroes like Max.

And then there’s Lina. Ohhhh, Lina. I really appreciate how Mia Sosa addresses the issues women of color face with expectations of and judgement about their behavior. I’m familiar with the phenomenon where women being upset about something are seen as over-reacting and emotional, where men being upset is just fine, but it was really eye opening to read about the additional complexities women of color face even on top of that. I want to hug Lina so hard, and to be a safe space for her to cry or rage or emote in whatever way she needs.

One of my key signs of a great book is if I’d want to be friends with the main character(s), and I want to go be BFFs with Lina, Max, Dean, Jaslene, and Rebecca. I was SO SAD when I finished this book because I was so reluctant to leave them and their world behind. It’s also a pretty good indicator that you’ve got a really great book in your hands if you immediately go looking for the next book when you finish it! I don’t see any information indicating this is part of a series, but I loved Jaslene and Dean so much that I need their stories. (I would not mind if they ended up together, either…) So I really hope this is just the beginning!

An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review. All opinions are unbiased and my own.