The Start Ex by Mia Sosa

The banter alone is worth it — but Vanessa and Jason will make you stay.

The Starter Ex is not the kind of book I would typically gravitate toward. Deception-based premises usually give me pause, but Mia Sosa won me over anyway, and the reason is simple: Vanessa and Jason.

Vanessa Cordero is a fantastic heroine. Being a starter ex was a side gig she left behind in college, but her sister convinces her to come out of retirement for one last job—one she never should have agreed to. Watching her navigate it while trying to outrun her own feelings is genuinely entertaining. Jason Torres is her perfect match in every way she doesn’t want him to be. Their banter is top tier and their chemistry is impossible to resist. I was deeply invested in both of them individually and even more invested in them together.

The Funny, The Swoony, and The Almost

The humor in this book is outstanding. There is a scene at a bridal shower involving a gift and Jason’s mother that had me absolutely crying laughing. Mia Sosa has a gift for comic timing and this book is full of moments that showcase it.

The situation with Vanessa’s sister added a layer of messiness that made me uncomfortable at times, and while it does get resolved, I wished it had been given more room to breathe. I also felt that the pacing in the middle stretched a little too long before their pasts fully came to light. The ending wraps up quickly, but the epilogue delivers the HEA in a way that felt earned and left me smiling.

This one surprised me in the best way. Sometimes the right characters can make you love a premise you never expected to.