Review: The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

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…

• Title: The Worst Best Man
• Author: Mia Sosa
• Publisher: Avon
• Publication Date: 4 February 2020
• Genre: Romance, Adult, Contemporary 
• Targeted Age Range: Adult
• Content Warnings: Alcohol, sexism, racism, explicit content 
• Rating: ★★★

I discovered The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa during one of my many scrolls through TikTok one night, and it did not disappoint. If you’re a fan of enemies to lovers, flirty banter and minor angst in your romance novels, this one will definitely be for you. Carolina Santos is a wedding planner, and she is a good one. In fact, she might even be the best in the business. The thing is, she has a secret: she was left at the altar on her own wedding day. A few years later when working on a high-profile wedding, she’s approached with an opportunity she can’t refuse. The only catch? She’ll be working alongside the brother of her ex-fiance, who also happened to be the reason why her fiance left her. 

Mia Sosa is a wonderful writer. She has a writing style that is effortless to read, sucking you into the pages and storyline with ease. Not only is the plot compelling, but her characters are loveable and enjoyable to read. I loved Carolina from the moment we met her, and I saw a lot of myself in her. She’s a very no-nonsense, type-a person, and I loved that she was so driven and success-focused. I’m also a success-driven person, so I loved seeing that throughout the novel. Carolina is Brazilian, and I loved seeing how connected to her culture she was. Food was a common theme throughout the book, often with Brazilian delicacies described in perfect detail, and it’s guaranteed to make the reader hungry. I’m not Brazilian, so I can’t speak for how well represented it is, but I loved reading and learning more about Brazilian culture. I will be updating this post with links to reviews by own voices reviewers as I find them. 

Our romantic lead, Max, was delightful to get to know. He really grows into himself throughout the book, and I loved seeing his personal development alongside his relationship with Carolina. A lot of his identity is based on being in his brother’s shadow, and I loved seeing step out of that throughout the book. Despite being success driven as well, Max was a lot more spontaneous and adventurous, and I think that really complimented Carolina’s personality. Their romance was endearing, charming and full of fluffy moments, and I loved seeing them overcome their obstacles and fully trust each other. 

This book has everything you’d want in a romcom. Not only is it fluffy and romantic, but it has enough drama and angst to push the plot forward. A lot of the conflict comes from situations rather than people, and while this does (unfortunately) have a third act breakup, it’s a third act breakup that makes sense, and doesn’t come out of nowhere. You can tell Mia Sosa put a lot of thought into making sure the plot flowed, made sense at every step, and rewarded the reader for getting emotionally invested. However, one of my main criticisms with the book is that it just ends. I don’t think you get a lot of closure in this novel, and if you’re expecting a cute epilogue as most romcoms have, you won’t find it here. You don’t really get to have the satisfaction of seeing a well rounded relationship at the end, or even a glimpse into their future, it just ends suddenly. I wish it had some closure, and I think it would’ve pulled my rating up a bit more if it did, but otherwise it was a lovely read.

All in all I think The Worst Best Man is a solid romance novel if you’re looking for something fun, lighthearted and entertaining. Mia Sosa wrote a fantastic novel that will keep you entertained from chapter to chapter, and will leave you anxiously waiting to see what she writes next. I look forward to picking up one of her future books! 

Let me know if you’ve read The Worst Best Man in the comments below, and be sure to let me know your thoughts! 

Links for The Worst Best Man: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound