The Starter Ex

by Mia Sosa

The best worst girlfriend finally meets her match . . .

Vanessa Cordero used to run a profitable side For a reasonable fee, she’d date your crush . . . and make his life miserable. Too clingy? Check. Jealous? Check. A parent's worst nightmare? Triple check. By the time Vanessa was done with him, your guy was practically begging for you. 

Enter Jason Torres, a certified commitment-phobe who doesn't plan on getting married anytime soon, much to his mother’s dismay. What he needs is a temporary girlfriend. A totally inappropriate girlfriend. Someone his mother will hate, so she'll finally abandon her dream of getting him to the altar.

Vanessa's younger sister, Lisa, has her eye on Jason, and convinces Vanessa to come out of retirement for one last starter ex engagement. The rules are no touching, no fooling around, and definitely no falling in love. But nothing's going according to plan. Because Vanessa can't ditch Jason no matter how hard she tries to scare him away. And the longer they're around each other, the more neither of them wants to be apart.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Contemporary, Fiction, Rom Com, Adult, Contemporary Romance

Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 10, 2026

About the author

Mia Sosa is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. Her books have received praise from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Library Journal, The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, NPR, and more.

Booklist called her the “go-to author for fans of sassy and sexy contemporary romances,” and Entertainment Weekly described her trade paperback debut, The Worst Best Man, as "rom-com perfection."

A former First Amendment and media lawyer, Mia practiced for more than a decade before trading her suits for loungewear (read: sweatpants). Now she writes fun, flirty, and moderately dirty stories about imperfect characters finding their perfect match.

Mia lives in Maryland with her husband, their two daughters, a gentle Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and one rescue cat that rules them all.

For more information about Mia and her books, visit www.miasosa.com.

Reviews

[Mai H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Latine Heritage Month 2025 #1

While this didn't amuse me as much as THE WEDDING CRASHER, there were still pros. Mia is known for her Afro-Latine representation, and I am here for it.

Vanessa spent her life working hard and getting out of Spanish Harlem. I hate when people say dating "up," but she did, and those men were judgmental and rude, all of which is unnecessary.

In college, she made extra cash by helping women get men by being their starter ex. She'd date the guy the woman wanted, be so bad he was thankful to get rid of her, and then eventually saw the other woman as a godsend. Nothing can go wrong, right? Wrong. So, so wrong.

When Vanessa's sister, Lisa, asks for this service, Vanessa comes out of retirement to try to win lose Jason, Lisa's best friend's brother. The sibling thing already weirded me out, so I guess we can start there.

Lisa's expectations are unrealistic. Funnily enough, Jason finds out about the ruse, doesn't tell Vanessa, and plays along himself.

When shit hits the fan, and you think Lisa will blow, she doesn't. I won't tell you why, because hello, spoilers, but I felt it came out of left field. I wanted to make a baseball joke since Vanessa and Jason ended up at a Mets game. Is it funny? It's not funny, is it?

rep: Puerto Rican

tw: cheating, classism, racism

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons

[cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

And then I'll get back to being what Lisa needs: the person who'll help her secure the man of her dreams.
Never mind that he may very well be the man of
my dreams too.

Falling for the man you’re trying to help your sister get with??? Sign 👏🏼 me 👏🏼 up 👏🏼😏
There are books with fun plots, and then there are books with ideas that instantly hook you… and this one definitely did. The whole chaotic concept of someone purposely being the worst girlfriend imaginable shouldn’t have worked, but somehow it pulled me in completely.

Vanessa and Jason have this sharp, teasing banter that sparks from the start. It builds in that slow-burn, simmering way where you can feel something shifting even if they won’t acknowledge it yet. And mixed into all of that were genuinely funny moments—unexpected humor that kept the story from ever feeling too heavy or too serious.

But I’ll be honest, the moment everything was supposed to finally click felt rushed. All that delicious buildup, and then the payoff came and went so fast I barely had time to feel anything. 🥲 Maybe it was the pacing, maybe the timing, but something about it just fell flat for me.😔

What did land, though, were the emotional undercurrents. Both characters are carrying pieces of their past they haven’t dealt with, and the story really leans into how that shapes the way they love, hide, avoid, or open up.

So overall? Unique premise, great tension, fun banter, well-timed humor, and real emotional growth. I just wish the execution of the turning point matched how strong the beginning was. It didn’t fully deliver, but it was still a solid read.

-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-favorite quotes-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-

“Looking at her is like facing the sun and letting its warmth settle into your skin.”

“Maybe my heart was supposed to be broken so I could recognize the person who's meant to heal it."

-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-

things to know about the book ↓

🧡 sister’s crush
🧡 fake dating (with a twist)
🧡 dual POV
🧡 lotssss of banter

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Putnam, and Mia Sosa for allowing me to read this arc. These are all my honest opinions in this review.

spice rating:【🔥🔥🔥】
swearing: yes
⸻⸻⸻

・❥・⁀➷ pre-read

my interest is piqued… this is unique but sounds so interesting

[ReadAlongWithSue recovering from a stroke★⋆. ࿐࿔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This light romance made a change for me. It came up on my Borrowbox to listen to and the cover (yep….im partial to a colourful cover or two) got my attention.

So two sisters form a rouge to entice this chap to notice the sister who fancies him, except….it backfires.

Although this is romance and fluffy it did have some serious overtures to it for the reader to invest in which didn’t make it cheesy.

A bit of romp and “how’s yer father” but not too much if you’re not inclined to share boudoir antics lol

[Danielle (Life of a Literary Nerd) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I had some ups and downs, but I mostly enjoyed this! I know going into these types of stories tht miscommunication is going to be a big issue, but I thought Mia Sosa managed to create drama and tension without using miscommunication as a default and let Vanessa and Jason's relationship devlop and evlove organically.

[✨Poppy✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mia Sosa is one of my favourite authors. I discovered contemporary romance thanks to her books so I may be a bit biased but I just loved this book. The main idea of this book is super original, the characters are perfect, I just loved this 🩷🩷🩷🩷

[Laura Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a funny and very cute romcom. I enjoyed it. I made a mistake by reading some of the reviews that said they DNFed it or didn’t like it but I really liked it. This was a cute story.

[Wobilba · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Connie Lumley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy read but sex scenes weren't needed in the story. Keep to the storyline.

Eh was o.k.

[Kevie · Rating 3 out of 5]

None of these characters should be in relationships if we're being real lmao

[Laurens.Little.Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. I could take this or leave this. It's pretty forgettable.

And honestly, I'd probably have rated it lower if it weren't free on Audible and on the shorter side :/

[abby :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75/5

this book is for the fans of how to lose a guy in ten days, a.k.a me!

from the synopsis i knew this would be a fun time, a girl is going to fake date the guy her sister likes and be a horrible girlfriend so he will go running to the sister when its all said and done. it sounds crazy when you type it all out, but the actual product isn't as crazy. the story is also set during the buildup for a wedding and books with wedding festivities always hit for me!

vanessa and jason had a very sweet connection. from the very start you could see how the two were compatible and the antics of all of their dates kept me entertained the entire time. it was also very easy for me to root for them to be together because lisa, the sister, was kinda annoying. she was pretty manipulative about her sister and their strangled relationship. i get that vanessa made a mistake in college but it's been years, i felt like the sister relationship wasn't my fav. by the end i wanted more resolution between jason and vanessa, we kinda went straight to sex when we could've used another conversation between the two.

its kinda upsetting because i wanted to love this so much more than i did. i had a great time but between the stilted dialogue, the denise/lisa fights, i was left a but unsatisfied. going back to denise and lisa, i could kinda predict that the two would have the ending they had but i wish they weren't so awful to each other the whole time. they went from being incredibly insulting to each other, to what they ended up as very quickly and it didn't seem like the best transition, from a readers perspective.

*thank you netgalley and putnam for the copy!*

[Kate McMurry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fake-dating romcom

I obtained access to this multicultural romance free through my Audible membership. It is written in first-person POV, with frequent breaking of the fourth wall, in which the FMC directly addresses the audience. I am not personally fond of that convention in a romance novel. It pulls me out of the story by breaking the fictive dream. In addition, the female narrator speaks in a rather monotonous, depressed tone, which drags down the story.

In short, I had trouble enjoying this story as a romantic comedy because of the quality of the audiobook narration.

[tanvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hooked at the start of this book because the premise felt so fresh and unique, and I couldn’t wait to see where it would go! Somewhere past the halfway mark, the spark sort of fizzled out for me. The pacing was not an issue for me (plenty of back-to-back Jason and Vanessa moments), but the scenes did not quite hold my interest the way I hoped they would. The book is well-written but I still felt no connection to the main characters. The banter and tension stayed mild and cute throughout, but not heart-grabbing. What really kept me turning pages, though, was how beautifully the author wove in cultural elements and how different the storyline felt compared to others I’ve read.

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not do the audiobook but I could not find the physical book on Goodreads weirdly enough!

[Michelle’s Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one!

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I *loved* the premise of this! So we have Vanessa who is real good at going out with a guy, being a terrible person, and the girl who actually wants him swoops in to show him how amazing she can be. She’s so good she’s charging women for this service - or did back in college.

Fast forward some years and Vanessa’s sister hears about this service she used to provide, and wants her to do it for her. The guy in question being Jason, her best friends brother. Vanessa hesitantly agrees.

As you can guess…things don’t go according to plan and OOPS - now she has feelings for Jason. The drama and antics that ensued were lighthearted but fun. The rose sex toy scene with his mom was 😂.

[Katie ratherbereadinggg · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4.5 stars It took me a minute to buy in, but I ended up really liking this one! I think it would have been 5 stars for me with a bit more build up between the MCs in the early stages.

[S Dot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much fun and laugh out loud funny! Major “How to lose a guy in 10 days” vibes! Mia is one of my favorite authors!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

This was a fun Latinx spin on the How to lose a guy in 10 dates faking dating love story but has Vanessa working a side gig to pretend to date your crush only to drive them crazy so the next woman they meet looks super appealing. Of course when she signs up to do this to Jason, the commitment phobe guy her sister likes, she ends up succumbing to his charms.

A fun, dual POV, spicy slow burn that like a lot of Sosa's books, revolves around wedding festivities. It was good on audio narrated by Noah B. Perez and Miranda Jay and I'd recommend it if you want some light-hearted fun. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Chelsea Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! I'm glad I got this one in before the end of the year :)

[Simara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this story a lot. Listened to it in 2 days. It did trigger me that the author uses LatinX and Afro-puertorican and black puertorican. But then I remember that this is written by a person raised in the states. Puertoricans never use Latinx and NEVER distinguish someone who is black or white, we’re Puertoricans and that’s it. But understanding the racial divides in the US I guess you can understand why the author used those terms. Pretty fun rom com with great dual POV narration.

[Marni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vanessa Cordero had a side hustle in college, she was a starter ex. Women (and once a man) hired her to date the person they were interested in, be the worst possible girlfriend, and let the customer swoop in and be the sunshine after the storm. She is transferred by her boss back to her hometown, New York City, without her input. As she's reconnecting with her family, her sister Lisa, learns about the part time past. Now Lisa wants her to take on the task one final time. Jason Torres doesn't want a commitment, ever. HIs sister is getting married which is prime opportunity for his mom to play matchmaker with the first 30 women she sees. What does he need? A date for the wedding, a woman to keep his mom from meddling. In walks his sister's best friend Lisa, who has always had a crush on him. But he's not interested. But who comes with her? Her sister Vanessa. Maybe he'll give it a shot, can't hurt if it keeps his mom from setting him up. Will Vanessa be able to pass him off to her sister? Can Jason ignore the building feelings he has?

Mia Sosa writes stories that make me laugh out loud and swoon, the magic combination. I wasn't sure how this would go because it seemed like a recipe for disaster. A woman fake dating her sisters crush? But Mia Sosa made it work in a way that was totally believable! I love all the Latine representation, the Spanish throughout, the food, and the acknowledgement that the Latinx community comes in all different shades, even all the people from the same country aren't a monolith! I would recommend this book to fans of workplace romance, fake dating, How to Lose a Guy in 1o Days, Latinx romance, Puerto Rican representation, and steamy romance.

[ReadingTilTheBreakOfDawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

First things first, The Starter Ex came up on my free to listen on Audible, so this was a no brainer. I adore Mia Sosa and I knew this would be a fun one. The narrators were great and I really liked how they brought life to Vanessa and Jason. They did a great job with all the other characters and their performance was a highlight for me.

Now, the story. I really liked the idea of this game Vanessa had. Well, a job of sorts. To help people find their loves by being the "starter ex". By dating the person before who they were supposed to fall in love with. To make herself just likable enough, but having her crazy outweigh everything leading them to the person that they were supposed to be with. Fun premise, right? When Vanessa's sister Lisa finds out she had done this, she knows it would be the perfect opportunity for her and the person she wants to fall in love with her. Jason. AND this is where the story frustrated me a little bit. If I were the love interest, I would not want to date sisters. And both Lisa and Vanessa should've known this would be awkward. BUT, I suspended by thoughts to enjoy the story for what it was and tried to forget that they were sisters.

Having put those thoughts aside, this was a cute story. I liked the little things Vanessa did to woo Jason and then to make herself seem too kooky for him. It was entertaining and pushed both Vanessa and Jason's boundaries. But what I liked most was how Jason made everything so laissez faire, making Vanessa a bit frustrated and therefore falling for the guy that was kind and put up with her.

Overall, a cute story with some family issues that made the characters who they were but also had to work through things. If the whole ex game wasn't between sisters, I would've enjoyed the story more, but still found it entertaining with great narrators. 3.5 stars.

[January · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Starter Ex by Mia Sosa (2024)
7h 59m narrated by Noah B. Perez and Miranda Jay

Genre: Multicultural Romantic Comedy

Featuring: Dating Other Women's Crushes, Maneater, Homecoming Trope, New York City, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Estranged Family, Sisters, College Alumni, Harlem, New York; Spanish, Wedding Events, I Can See The Train Wreck From Here, Puerto Rican LI, Sexual Innuendos, Sister's Crush, Best Friend's Brother, Secret Fake Dating, Pisces MC, Cancer LI, Black Puerto Rican MC, Food, Sex - Detailed, Drama, Identity Issues, Author's Note

Rating as a movie: R for adult content

Songs for the soundtrack: "Amorfoda" by Bad Bunny, "Gasolina" by Daddy Yankee, "Celebration" by Kool & The Gang, "Just Can’t Get Enough" by Black Eyed Peas

Books and Authors mentioned: Misery by Stephen King, Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🗽🇵🇷🌹💒👩🏾‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏽

My thoughts: This is the second story I've experienced from Mia Sosa, the first was Son of a Beach, and it has been chilling in my Audible Library for over a year and I kinda regret that. I'm adding The Worst Best Man to my shortlist. This story features a few of my least favorite tropes, [siblings and triangles], and early on I could see exactly what was going to happen and I wasn't excited about it. However, Mia wrote a hilarious tale that made this pill of a plot very enjoyable.

Recommend to others: Yes, don't let it sit in your library, it's a great story.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fans of How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days will love this @audible original romcom.
🗽
In college Vanessa had a very lucrative side gig as the girl who would date your latest crush and make him miserable so that you could swoop in and be his forever girl. Vanessa has since grown up and her job now has her back home in NYC where her little sister wants her to come out of retirement for one last job. Lisa has a crush on her best friend’s older brother, Jason, and wants Vanessa to date him, but not fall in love. Nothing goes to plan as Vanessa and Jason realizes how much they actually like each other.
🇵🇷
This was adorable! I loved the third act breakup because it didn’t go the way I thought it would, which is always nice to be surprised after reading romance books for as long as I have. @miasosaromance did a fantastic job with the dual POV and it SO reminded me of the Friends episode where it’s “but they don’t know we know they know” 😂 This is available on Audible now!

CW: bullying (recounted), classism, infidelity, sexual harassment

4.5 rounded up

[book bruin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook Review
Overall 3.5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 3 stars

This was a cute romcom and an interesting set up for a romance. Vanessa's starter ex side gig was pretty funny, but I'm not sure it worked well for sisters (Vanessa voiced this concern, but it's a story so I went with it just like our characters did lol). The twist of Jason finding out and thwarting all of Vanessa's attempts made for some hilarious situations (the potato salad!), but stories involving lies of omission/miscommunications are always tough for me. I didn't love how the reveal was handled after being such a huge plot point the entire story, but I liked these characters enough to root for them to figure things out and get their HEA. I was also pleasantly surprised by the level of steam*fans self* The narration by Noah B. Perez and Miranda Jay was wonderful and Noah B. Perez has such a perfect gruff and growly voice. Overall, an enjoyable and relatively quick listen.

CW: parental infidelity (past), lying ex (past), workplace sexual harassment and retaliation

[Maria Elmvang]

2 hours in, and I could just tell this was going to be cringe-worthy. When the main characters spends ages explaining why something is a bad idea, and then goes ahead and does it anyway, I'm going to bow out.

[Antonella · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Raquel Bonelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4,5

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book hit all the right notes for me and was great fun. There were a few things that pulled me out here and there, but nothing too serious.

[Olyviah Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another audible that made me love love even more😂 idk what my deal is these days I've been a hopeless romantic and romanticizing everything hahaha