Reviews for The worst best man, a novel
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
A Washington, D.C., wedding planner falls in love with her ex-fiance's brother.Three years ago, Lina Santos was jilted on the morning of her wedding. Since then, she's made a success of her small wedding-planning business, Dotting the I Do's. When she's given the opportunity to compete for a job as the in-house wedding coordinator at an exclusive boutique hotel, she's thrilled about the opportunity but nervous about the nonstandard interview format: She'll be paired with a marketing specialist and will have five weeks to prepare a sales pitch of herself and the hotel's services. The catch: Her partner is Max Hartwell, her ex-fiance's brother, the one who encouraged him to back out of the wedding. Max knows working with Lina isn't ideal, but it's a golden opportunity to make a name for himself. The plot is classic "enemies to lovers" and is executed perfectly. Sosa (Crashing Into Her, 2019, etc.) deftly moves Lina and Max through a series of complex plot machinations that feel organic rather than contrived. Lina is a sympathetic and poignant character, fiercely loyal to her family and proud of her Brazilian heritage, and even though she's an eminently capable wedding planner, she struggles with her fear of failure. Max has always come in second to his older brother, so he fights what feels like a forbidden attraction. As Lina and Max navigate thorny family dramas and professional challenges, they cautiously move from animosity to love and learn that "there are no do-overs in life...there are only do-betters." It's a slow-burn romance done perfectly right.A captivating love story about two people who bring out the best in each other both professionally and personally. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal
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If there's one thing Carolina Santos knows, it's that her wedding to Andrew Hartley will go off without a hitch. After all, she is a wedding planner. So when Max, her groom's younger brother and best man, delivers the news that Andrew has hit the road and the wedding is off, Lina is understandably thrown for a loop. She's also determined to leave the entire Hartley family behind for good. Unfortunately, if Lina wants to land her dream job, she'll have to work on a pitch and presentation with Max, the one responsible for convincing Andrew to call off their wedding. For his part, Max is tired of spending his time playing second fiddle to his older brother, and if he and Lina can manage each other's company long enough to nail their presentation, they both stand to come out ahead. That's a big if, with the two of them battling their growing attraction despite Lina's desire for a little revenge and the strictly off-limits nature of their relationship. VERDICT Sosa (Acting on Impulse) delivers a steamy and witty enemies-to-lovers romance. Lina and Max's relationship grows against a rich background of Lina's Afro-Latinx culture, and readers will enjoy the complex cast of side characters.—Jessica Moore, Milwaukee P.L.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
It was bad enough that Max Hartley ruined Lina Santos' wedding; did he have to sink her chances at getting a dream job, too? Three years ago, Max said something to his older brother, Andrew, the night before Lina's wedding that subsequently prompted Andrew to ditch Lina at the altar. Now, just as she has the chance to secure a much-needed job as wedding coordinator for the Cartwright Hotel Group, who should turn up like the proverbial bad penny but Max? Her professional game plan is to pretend not to know Max, but can she really pretend to ignore the feelings she is now experiencing for the hot Hartley long enough to land the job of a lifetime? Sosa (Crashing into Her, 2019) handles alternating viewpoints with perfect aplomb as she once again deftly dishes up for lucky readers another irresistibly fun romance spiced with a zesty sense of humor and spiked with love scenes as hot as the ghost chilis that pepper the Brazilian cuisine featured in this tantalizing tale of love, family, and friendship.--John Charles Copyright 2019 Booklist
Publishers Weekly
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Sosa (the Love on Cue series) imbues a soap operatic premise with weight and heart in this fantastically fun contemporary rom-com. Three years ago, Afro-Latina wedding planner Carolina Santos was left at the altar. Lina’s white fiancé, Andrew Hartley, sent his brother and best man, Max, to deliver the awful news, and Lina has blamed him ever since. Now, Lina’s up for a potentially life-altering job—but to get it, she’ll have to work closely with Max. Sosa’s characterization of Lina is masterfully nuanced, depicting her experiences as a woman of color, her struggle to balance her parents’ expectations with her own happiness, and the double bind of being accused of being overly stoic when she controls her feelings and overly emotional when she expresses them. As Max and Lina work together, sweet, deeply apologetic Max wrestles with his attraction to his brother’s ex-fiancée while learning to understand Lina in a way that Andrew never did. Romance fans are sure to be swept away by Sosa’s empathetic characters as they make the most of a ridiculous situation. Agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. (Feb)
