When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa
Contemporary Romance
June 24, 2025, by G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Review by Melanie

A slow burn friends to lovers told through dual POVs and dual timelines, the story of Javi and Mari vaguely echoes the same beats as When Harry Met Sally, a movie I don’t particularly like but I did enjoy this book.

Javi and Mari meet in college and though they seem polar opposites in a lot of ways, a friendship blossoms. Sure, there’s an underlying layer of simmering sexual attraction but both value their friendship too much to ever let themselves ruin it by trying and failing for something more.

Years pass and after college, Javi is struggling to find gainful employment while Mari is living across the country and going to law school. He ends up ghosting her and they run into each other years later, when Mari is a successful lawyer working at her father’s firm and Javi is a struggling bartender/actor who is still working on the musical he’s been writing for years.

Renewing their friendship while also occasionally hooking up, Mari wants more but Javi doesn’t think he’s good enough for her. So they decide to stay friends until Mari shows up to dinner with a fiancé in tow.

I liked a lot about this book, even the flashbacks that show the evolution of their friendship and the highs and lows. I liked their extended friend group. Both Mari and Javi have some family issues, Marie with her parents, especially her father, and Javi with his two older brothers. They both spend the bulk of the book pretending that they are fine with the way their respective family members screwed them over which is frustrating but also somewhat realistic.

The end of the book is really good and sweet and lovely and I love that Mari has learned how to draw boundaries for herself with her father.

All in all, this was a super enjoyable read.

Grade: A-

Content Notes: toxic parental relationship; toxic sibling relationship