The Worst Best man
Mia Sosa
Release: February 4, 2020
Goodreads Amazon
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
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!Review:
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...
When I finished The Worst Best Man, I couldn't stop thinking about how much it reminds me of The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. Both heroines come from large, eccentric, meddling families. In Lina's case, her family is Brazilian and the elements of their culture that Sosa incorporates were interesting. Both heroines lie to a potential employer and in typical rom-com fashion, hijinks ensue. The Worst Best Man even has some fake relationship moments, though it's a smaller part of the plot.
The most obvious comparison is that both are enemies to lovers stories involving an ex's brother. Max's brother Andrew, the ex, really is awful but he's not much of a villain. The tension in the relationship comes from both characters' emotional baggage. Lina has been judged for being too emotional in the past so tries to avoid feelings at all costs. And Max can't stand the thought of being compared to his older brother in yet another way. By the end, I really wanted to smack them both for beating me the over the head with their issues.
In between all of that though, Max and Lina have great chemistry and give the reader lots of tropey goodness. Only One Bed FTW! I had fun reading The Worst Best Man so while it didn't blow my mind, it certainly fulfilled my expectations.
Recommended for fans of: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren