User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Great news!!!! Project X Entertainment acquires the feature rights to this gem! It’s gonna be a movieeeee!!!! Yayyy!
THIS.IS.SOOOO.GOOD. I didn’t understand why some readers skipped this book or wrote some negative comments. I know exactly books arise some different feelings and bring out different opinions. But come on we have a sweetest, charming, so much likable, adorable book-boyfriend in da house.
Yesss, let’s make some noise for MAX! If it is not for him, I could give the book four stars but his charm, patience, honesty stole my heart!
What I really liked about this story:
Author’s amazing sense of humor (I laughed out hard when I read the “Nutcrackers” reference and the size of the room dialogues between Rebecca and Lina when Max hid himself in the bathroom)
Sweet, swoony, delightful chemistry of couple: I want to call them LIMAX! I loved their sarcastic dialogues and their openness about their feelings.
Brazilian culture introduction: As a “meat-woman” (Most of my vegan friends turned into my enemies and wanted to bury me alive) I only know their amazing kitchen but thankfully I learned more about their traditions, sports and other special kitchen suggestions instead of meat dishes with this book and I enjoyed every part of it.
Only two things I wish about this book:
The TITLE SIMILARITY: It shares the same name with one of my favorite Lucy Score’s rom-coms. And I never call anything “the worst” about “Max”! For the first time I loved hero more than a heroine.
ABSENCE OF EPILOGUE PART: I loved the ending but I wish I could read more what will happen to this lovable couple in near future. Well, I think, we need to wait for till reading Dean’s upcoming story which I’m already invested right now. ( I love this name because of reminding me of Dean Winchester.)
OVERALL: Sweet, enjoyable, heartwarming, smart, entertaining rom-com that I truly needed.
Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers/Avon for sharing this swoony and funny
ARC COPY in exchange my honest review. And thanks to Mia Sosa to enlighten my day with her talent and remarkable sense of humor.
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Rating: really liked it
Y’all… this shit was so good!!! absolutely fucking gold!! deserves nothing less than 5 stars!!
ok so this book basically follows Lina who was left at the alter at her wedding, and her fiancé’s brother, Max, had to break the news to her. and also admit that he kinda had a hand in his brothers decision to break off the wedding. so Lina and Max have beef. and years later they now have to work together as wedding planners TA-DA!!
the chemistry was potent from day one. the angst and the fucking TENSION!! This because dual POV and the way these characters describe one another had me breathing hard and heavy.
Lina, the main character is Brazilian, and reading about the Brazilian culture or so refreshing. I will definitely be trying out some Brazilian dishes in the future. she’s a strong well-rounded character and is funny as fuck. The way she teases Max had me screaming. i was genuinely laughing out loud while reading this book. I had to stifle my giggles with a pillow because i read i finished this book around 3am.
Max is a hot, dark hair, six pack, pussy pleaser, of a man. bro the way he talks to Lina?!? i was blushing for days. “I wish I could make you come so hard you’d cry out loud enough to shatter the windows of this ridiculously charming inn.” bro i was cheeking.
the smut? y’all the SMUT!!! don’t let the cover deceive you!! this is the type of book in which she falls first but he falls harder!!! a book shouldn’t be making me blush this much!!
i was smiling ear to ear while reading this book. the plot? the characters? all 10/10! mia sosa deserves to get her ass ate for writing this book. she put her whole thrussy into this. mia deserves the world and nothing less because this book ate DOWN!!!
Rating: really liked it
mkay, this wasn't terrible, but it also didn't end up holding a candle to any of the other titles i've read in the recent months.
pros:
- there were some adorable mishaps and scenarios (that couples counseling retreat?? weirdly sweet)
- super enjoyed the inclusion of Lina's family and culture
- points for the main characters knowing how to use their words & communicate!!!
cons:
- the story was really trope heavy and by the end had failed to do anything unique with them,,,it felt quite generic in a low budget rom com type of way (i.e. not unenjoyable but i felt zero *feelings*)
- the audiobook narrator for Max was bad. it's an unfortunate possibility when listening to a story, but every other chapter from his POV was rough on the ears
in conclusion lol, it wasn't all bad obviously but i'm not convinced this one is gonna stay in my head for any real amount of time
Rating: really liked it
I really liked this! It’s enemies to lovers but that angst doesn’t last for long, so that might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I will say I listened to the audiobook and the narrator for Max was definitely not my favourite, especially when he did a more feminine voice. It sounded like he was Trump when he was voicing females so needless to say, not a fan. But getting past that, overall this was a lot of fun. I loved the inclusion of Lina’s family and culture, and I thought the overall background of Max and Lina being enemies was believable. I did find the dialogue and sex scenes to be corny at times. But the characters were enjoyable for me. A really solid romance!
Rating: really liked it
this one was just okay for me. it had good ingredients: compelling main characters, enemies to lovers, cool side characters, fun plot. but the execution was just lacking something that i can't totally put my finger on. i think it's just the general feeling i get when reading trad published romances.
they're written well and i can see why people like them. but i just crave the kind of writing that typically dwells in the indie romance space. it feels rougher in the best way and the plots tend to be more inventive and push the envelope.
which is all to say that if you're into trad published romances this is one of the better ones. it was a perfectly enjoyable listening experience but it's not a book that i'll be thinking about.
Rating: really liked it
On paper (hah), there's nothing wrong with this story. It's diverse, there's communication, it's sorta-enemies-to-lovers, or reluctant-rivals-y-to-lovers, whatever, there is friction, and there's other good things. But I was bored pretty much from 8% right on through to the end. Suffice it to say, my Wheel of Fortune app got a lot of attention the last day or so.
But anyway.
Yes, points for diversity, points of tackling sensitive and relevant topics such as "acceptable" behaviours for people — specifically women — of colour. Except.. I didn't feel anything. The playful almost-hate banter in the beginning? Odd or juvenile and sometimes both. The sudden attraction? Not a single zing. The touching warming-up-to-each-other moments? Yawn. The sexy times? They felt.. I don't know, awkward. Too much talking. Too much.. something. I don't know. The weird transitions? Weird.
Also, this is a weird criticism, and one I'm making again that I made in another review just recently, but this whole going hard to be socially savvy or relevant, by having all this dialogue around certain topics is.. I don't know, overkill. I'm sure there's a way to touch on all these hot button issues without making the reader feel like they are being condescended to, or preached at, but maybe some readers aren't as dialed in or don't mind? I don't know what it is. And I doubt I'll ever be able to articulate my feelings on this properly. But. It's just a lot.
Anyway, this never really got better, but nor did it deep dive into anything terrible, and yet here we are. This was my first Sosa and while the concept appealed enough for me to request it, there was no feeling in the writing or the story. Or at least nothing that made me feel anything. So I doubt I'll pick up this author again.
I think other readers will like this, particular those who enjoy Sosa's writing. So don't take my word for it. Try a sample and see how it goes.
1.5 stars
** I received an ARC from Edelweiss and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
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This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
Rating: really liked it
This wasn't a perfect book for me, but I did end up enjoying it a lot more than I expected to. I really felt the chemistry between the two main characters and I appreciated that, although the book starts off on a pretty ridiculous note, the characters grow A LOT by the end of the novel and ultimately end up making some very Adult decisions. I will say though, the sex scenes in this one were p awkward. I felt like the author was trying to make them overly ~sassy~ and it really just took me out of the scene and made me feel awkward reading them. Overall, this one was fun and I recommend if you enjoy a zany rom-com, but it wasn't a complete new favorite.
Rating: really liked it
Nothing better than reading a story with two main characters you absolutely root for in every way possible. Whether they’re together or apart.
That’s what solidified my 5-star rating. I got to a point where they received some good news, and I was genuinely
happy for them.
I loved the story. There was the inevitable awkwardness but all in all, it was dealt with in a mature manner. Because at the end of the day, you gotta do what you gotta do. Keep it pushin’, keep it moving.
Also the side characters, the Brazilian culture, the friendships, the family were all beautifully done and developed and I wish we could’ve gotten more. I wanted to be a part of it all.
I’m so glad we’re getting Dean’s story next. I literally whooped out loud! 😁
Read for The Reading Rush readathon.
Challenge: Read a book that starts with the word “The”.
Rating: really liked it
A fun, steamy tale of self-worth and learning from your bad choicesThree years ago, wedding planner, Carolina Santos was jilted on her wedding day (ahh how awful anyway but to happen a wedding planner?!!). Lina's ex fiancé's brother, Max broke the news, and was also apparently the cause of her fiancé's departure. Now Lina has to work together with Max if they both want to succeed in their careers.
Firstly I am really surprised at the bad reviews of this book, compared to the ratings of similar books? I get that this book isn't for everyone, but it was made clear in the synopsis that the romance would be between Max and Lina! She was with his brother years before, and the brothers are not close, but it is what it is! If you can’t get past that, then don't read it? It's not something I've personally seen or would feel comfortable with in real life, but it has happened (we've all seen Jeremy Kyle or your own country's equivalent seedy talk show) and it is written well here I feel. Also there seems to be hate directed at Lina for taking her abandonment out on Max, rather than Andrew her ex fiancé. My take on this is that it wasn't really hate, it was more like 'ah crap we’re in a mess and I shouldn't be attracted to you but I am, but will pretend that I'm not' kind of situation! The book wasn’t perfect, but it made my heart flutter and it was very sweet.
I think what made this stand apart from other rom-coms though, was the Brazilian culture. I’ve read romance books which have included some token diversity to tick boxes, but it felt really genuine in this book. I loved reading about all of the Brazilian food, the Capoeira, the dancing and I loved the scattering of Portuguese language throughout. The culture was so vibrant and I really loved it! I adored Lina’s family and the dynamics that they had. They had a really strong bond and were a lot of fun! I especially liked Lina’s cousin Natalia and her aunt who were so dramatic and hilarious.
Carolina was a great main character. She had made mistakes in the past so had become closed off and acted professional at all times. She spoke about having to work hard to not come across as over emotional as a woman, which I related to so hard. It was especially hard for Lina as an Afro-Latinx woman, as she didn’t want to come across as ‘the angry black woman.’ So instead Lina held all her emotions inside, guarded her heart, and chose ‘safe’ options, or she did until Max dismantled her armour! I loved how we gradually saw the real Lina emerge as Max got to know her better. She was so kind and caring, yet was still a strong woman. I also appreciated Lina’s insecurities as a second generation immigrant. She felt that she had to work extra hard in order to repay her mother and aunts for all of the sacrifices that they made for her and her cousins. But I LOVED her mum’s view that she had made those sacrifices so that Lina didn’t have to work so hard💖
Max…sigh…..what a main character! He was so likeable. A calm and patient man, who realised that he had been a bit of a douche when he was younger, and had grown up and taken responsibility for his past actions. He had great chemistry and banter with Lina, but not only that, they developed a real friendship! I loved his bromance with Dean too, and can’t wait for the next book to be about him! Hopefully we will get to see lots more Max and Lina in 'The Wedding Crasher' too!
There were a lot of tropes in this book-like the sharing one bed trope, the wedding planner falling in love etc and it was such a funny and sweet book! I just fell head over heels for Max, Lina and her family! There were a couple of niggles, hence not a five star read for me. Firstly I would have liked to see more of Max’s family. The whole sibling rivalry with his brother was brought up a lot, but wasn’t really dealt with, plus I would’ve liked to see more about their mum. Why did she encourage them to compete so much? How did she react to Lina? What is her relationship like with her sons outside of wok, where she’s not just their boss? Also an epilogue would have been nice, where we actually got to see Lina and Max together, but hopefully my need for this will be addressed by reading the next book!
Overall I really enjoyed my first Mia Sosa book, and loved the characters, so bring on the wedding crasher!
Many thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Rating: really liked it
I knew from the moment I saw this epic cover that The Worst Best Man would be a ton of fun, but I wasn't prepared for HOW much fun, or for the unexpected feels it hit me with.
When I like things a lot I become incapable of discussing them coherently, so let me try to stay on track by approaching this like a list. Thing I Loved #1: Carolina Santos. What a badass, relatable heroine with a wicked sense of humour and a commitment to the petty life that I admire and respect. I loved being in Lina's head, I loved her amazing family, I loved her ability to hold a good, strong grudge. I also loved reading a character who experienced a lot of the same things I have when it comes to acceptable behaviour for a woman of colour and the 'right' way to express emotions... or to feel them at all. That side of Lina's story really hit. Like. Wow. Thank u, Mia Sosa. SPEAK ON IT.
Thing I Loved #2: Lina's family and friends. I know I already kinda mentioned them, but they deserve their own entry because they were honestly hilarious.
Thing I Loved #3: This book had that classic 90s romcom movie feel - updated for the present day, translated into book (or audiobook, in my case) format, but still unmistakeable with its familiar sparkle and safe, happy comfort. Not all romcom books feel this way, and I don't think they all need to, but when a book DOES hit that note it makes me really giddy.
Thing I Loved #4: The tropes! Hate to love, rivalry feels, forced to work together, long-term grudges revisited. Sosa even threw in road trips and fake relationship feels and There's Only One Bed because she is a kind and merciful goddess who knows what I like. Seriously, I was in trope heaven. Yum.
Thing I Loved #5: Max, of course. He was the SWEETEST, even when he was being an insecure moppet. And with a brother like Andrew his issues were 100% understandable, LOL. But regardless, he was also a wonderful... well, hero. He made me swoon twenty-thousand times and I envision him with a dimple in his chin.
Thing I Loved #6: The audio performance! I listened to this book and it was a fabulous experience. Props to both narrators, they were excellent.
So, in short... I loved this book. TIMES SIX.
Rating: really liked it
OKAYYYYY WHERE ARE MY BRASILEIROS AT? because this was FOR US 🇧🇷💛 y’all it made my heart so fcking happy to read about a brazilian mc!!! seeing everything that I eat & do every day mentioned in a book just… IT SHOOK ME TO MY CORE!! pão de queijo, capoeira, guaraná, carnaval, strogonoffe de frango, pimenta malagueta, brigadeiro, havaianas, samba.. AND THE LIST GOES ON!!! it was ALL IN THIS BOOK! Lina’s whole family was my favorite ever & they made this book for me. You know those books where you love the guy but you’re SIMPINNGGG for the girl? that’s this one! Don’t get me wrong.. I did love me some Max & his eagerness to learn ;) iykyk! BUT LINA IS WHERE ITS AT!!! anyway, this was such a fun read and an amazing romcom! I cant wait to read the next book 💚
“to be continued, right?”
“to be continued forever”
Rating: really liked it
4 stars The Worst Best Manis a super cute and fun enemies to lovers rom-com. It's my first Mia Sosa book and I enjoyed it so much!
Lina is a wedding planner who was jilted at the alter years ago. Now, she has an opportunity to take her business to the next level. The catch? She has to work with her ex-fiance's brother. Talk about awkward.
I listened to the audio book which was narrated by Rebecca Mozo and Wayne Mitchell, and while I enjoyed it for the most part, some of the times when the male narrator was doing the female characters voices, it felt a little off. This is one of those books I think I would recommend reading over listening to.
I would consider this a bit of a forbidden romance as well as a slow burn romance. And those are some of my favorite kinds! It was also just an all around good time and one I would recommend if you're looking for a fun read with a lot of heart.
Rating: really liked it
Over the last 12-18 months, I've read a lot of rom-coms. They're the perfect foil for some of the heavier stuff and thrillers I read, and they never fail to put me in a good mood—and in some cases, even choke me up. (Not that that should surprise anyone who follows me, given that I cry watching television commercials sometimes.)
I've found that rom-coms fall into one of a few tropes: friends-to-lovers, where long-time friends suddenly realize their feelings for one another but are afraid to voice them for fear of ruining the friendship; meet cute, where there's some unexpected encounter that sparks an interest between two people, often strangers; second chance, reuniting former lovers or former rivals after a long separation only to see there's still (or suddenly) a spark; and hate-to-love, when two people who can't stand each other for whatever reason suddenly realize the animosity is covering up some serious chemistry. And with most rom-coms, once you can identify the trope, you can generally predict how the book is going to go, and that often doesn't diminish its appeal.
Mia Sosa's new book,
The Worst Best Man , falls squarely in the hate-to-love category. Lina is a wedding planner who takes total control for her clients, but she is utterly thrown for a loop when her fiancé, Andrew, decides he doesn't want to get married—the morning of her wedding. The coward can't even tell her himself; he gives that assignment to his brother, Max, who apparently said some things while the brothers were drinking the night before that led Andrew to cancel the wedding. (And the worst part of it is, Max doesn't even remember what he said to his brother.)
Lina has never forgiven Max for his role in ruining her life. So needless to say, she’s unprepared to come face-to-face with Andrew and Max in the midst of an interview for an exclusive wedding planner job for a hotel chain. She has to pair up with Max on a marketing presentation to win this job, while Andrew will work with her competition. When she realizes she has no choice but to collaborate, she lets her guard down, only to discover her animosity might be hiding something else, something stronger.
Max desperately wants to win this job to prove he’s his own man, not just a carbon copy of his brother. He also can’t deny that he wants Lina—but he isn't interested in playing second fiddle to Andrew once again.
I loved how Sosa incorporated Lina’s Brazilian heritage into the book.
The Worst Best Man is steamy (
super steamy, actually) and fun, but it just didn’t wow me. Even though I know how rom-coms usually end, I found this almost too predictable, and the story seemed to drag for me.
Still, lots of others have loved it, so I may just be cranky. If this sounds like fun to you, give it a shot!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 starsThis story is cute. It follows this girl Carolina/Lina who is a wedding planner and she gets stood up at her own wedding. Years later she runs into her ex and his brother when she is trying to get a job she really wants and she is forced to work with her exes brother Max. We get this really cute banter-y hate to love romance that forms between them!
The first 200 pages of this book were great, I thought the characters were hilarious and the banter between Lina and Max was on point, I was cackling. I also loved the scenes of them being forced to pretend to be a couple, it’s one of my favorite romance tropes. I also really love Deans character and I’m really excited to hear the next book in the series will be his story!
But the last 150 pages of this book were very meh for me. It was very underwhelming after they actually got together and I just became very bored with the story unfortunately, so I ended up skimming the last hundred pages or so.
But overall this is still a fun hate to love romance that I would still recommend, it’s nothing life changing but it’s still a cute and quick read.
Rating: really liked it
Thanks to the publisher for a free review copy!I read this book as a palette cleanser between two long, dense fantasy books, and it checked that box. I thought this book was fun and easy with a great main character and representation of Brazilian culture, but it was also just cheesy and rushed and convenient. I'm not mad because it's a romance book so I didn't have the highest expectations ever, but the dialogue was often cringy (especially during sex, oof) and the male main character was too much of an unrealistic goofball given his role in the book that I just couldn't really feel attached to the characters. Still, I'm always down for a there's-only-one-bed trope and some enemies to lovers, even if this one was a bit more bland than I was expecting because it was so short.
