WHEN JAVI DUMPED MARIWHEN JAVI DUMPED MARI

A Most Anticipated Book of 2025

NPR • Paste Magazine • Latinx in Publishing • BookBub


The USA Today bestselling author of The Worst Best Man is back with a fun and flirty rom-com about a pact between friends that goes awry when one of them suddenly decides to get married.

One engagement. Two best friends. Three’s a crowd.

On the eve of their college graduation, best friends Javier Báez and Marisol Campos swore never to date someone the other doesn’t approve of. Now, almost a decade later, Javi has a problem. Mari, the woman he’s secretly pined for since sophomore year, is engaged—and Javi didn’t even get the chance to vet the Pedro Pascal knockoff she plans to marry.

A successful entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles, Mari is no longer seeking Javi’s dating advice or waiting for him to declare his love. Instead, she’s made a different pact—with herself. And to succeed, Mari’s vowing to build a future with someone who wants to commit to her.

With his life and career finally on track, Javi’s ready to confess his feelings. Except Mari’s changed the script and moved on without him. Javi has just six weeks to convince Mari this marriage is a flop. If that means he needs to ruffle some feathers to help her avert disaster, well, he’s up for the challenge. After all, isn’t that what best friends are for?
"On the eve of their college graduation, best friends Javier Baez and Marisol Campos swore never to date someone the other doesn't approve of. Now, ten years later, Javi has a problem. Mari, the woman he's secretly pined for since sophomore year, is engaged, and Javi didn't even get the chance to vet the Pedro Pascal knockoff she plans to marry. Mari, a successful entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles, is no longer seeking Javi's dating advice or waiting for him to declare his love for her. Instead, Mari'smade a different pact. With herself. And to succeed, she's vowing to build a future with someone else. With his life and theater career finally on track, Javi's ready to confess his feelings. Except Mari's changed the script and moved on without him. Javi has just eight weeks to convince Mari this marriage is a flop. If that means he needs to ruffle some feathers to help Mari avert a disaster, well, he's up for the challenge. After all, isn't that what best friends are for?"--
Nearly a decade since college, Javier Báez finds himself racing when the woman he secretly loves, Marisol Campos, becomes engaged to an unsuitable match, prompting him to launch a six-week mission filled with mischief to derail her wedding plans. Original.