You Better Not Pout

Home Sweet Holidays #4

by Mia Sosa

A freshly broken-up couple agrees to grin and bear it for their family’s sake in a story about the healing power of the holidays from Mia Sosa, USA Today bestselling author of The Worst Best Man.

Juliana and Eric called off their engagement—but Christmas with the family is just around the corner, so things are going to get awkward, fast. Unless, of course, they pretend the wedding is still on. But the holidays are gonna holiday. And the only thing harder than pretending they’re still in love is trying not to fall for each other all over again.

Mia Sosa’s You Better Not Pout is part of Home Sweet Holidays, a cookie-sweet collection of holiday romances sure to bring color to your cheeks. Read or listen to each story in a single heart-fluttering sitting. And to fully immerse yourself in the charm of the season, don’t miss a special message from each of our holiday heroes!

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Audiobook, Holiday, Novella, Short Stories, Contemporary

51 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 20, 2025

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

[Clace · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have more chemistry with my bed 🌚

[rei ‧₊˚✩彡 · Rating 1 out of 5]

╰┈➤ 1 star!

they’ll canonically break off the engagement again, i just know it

・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・

pre-read:

christmas book #9! also, last book of the series! BE GOOD, I’M BEGGING

[Anila · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is all to reach my reading goal😤

[myo ⋆｡˚ ❀ * · Rating 3 out of 5]

i rarely ever say this but this did in fact need to be longer

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

[Warda · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the mood for all things Christmas romances and this fit the bill perfectly. Mia Sosa is too good!

[⋆˚୨ৎ˚⋆ Kim ⋆˚୨ৎ˚⋆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

જ⁀➴ 1 star

This was the worst novella of the four in this collection, and I don’t think this is up for debate.

I get that novellas are supposed to be short because…well, it’s a novella, but this was one of those rare instances where I believe this should’ve either been a full-length book, or at the very least, it should’ve had about 3-5 more chapters to make it seem more realistic.

By the end of the story, I wasn’t convinced that Juliana and Eric, our MCs, were going to have their HEA once the story was over. Like, they’re one of those couples who I believe broke up after the story ended, and they already broke up once going into the story! I feel like 4 chapters wasn’t enough to sell their second-chance romance to me. I feel like there was a lot of drama and things unsaid from both of them that they needed to address, and I don’t think, in a realistic situation, that two people would just suddenly kiss and make up within a matter of about a week after breaking up when their issues seem to run much deeper than what appears on the surface.

The one thing I gave a star for was the diversity of the characters. I learned a bit of Portuguese and learned about some Portuguese Christmas traditions from reading this which I thought was super cool!

[Srivalli (Semi-Hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Juliana and Eric ended their engagement but have to act as a couple for the family holidays. As they spend time together, will they find something to make their relationship work?

The story comes from their first-person POVs.

I like the idea of second-chance romance, but the execution was rushed even for a short story. It seemed like they barely broke up before they got back together. The writing was easy to read, but this is not a story I’d remember after a day.

Thank you, NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

[SJARR ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is the buildup in the room with us right now? No. No it isn’t.
2.5 rounded down, I think.

This has a lot of Christmas feels, which I enjoyed.

But this is a second chance romance, where the second chance comes out of absolutely nowhere.
Like they’re not vibing with each other, and then suddenly they are.
I could have sworn I missed something the way they changed lanes. Omg.

[Brooke (B for Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8💚❤️💚❤️
We are all a work in progress.

[Sandra Castro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book leans hard into holiday chaos with a rom-com setup that’s playful, festive, and very on-the-nose. The story follows a fake-dating situation during the Christmas season, complete with forced proximity, family pressure, and plenty of seasonal antics meant to spark romance.

The tone is light and breezy, and the Christmas vibes are constant: parties, decorations, awkward family moments, and that familiar pressure to not be alone during the holidays. The banter is cute at times, and the premise has enough charm to keep things moving.

It’s an easy read, perfect for switching your brain off for a bit. But the plot stays predictable. The characters fall neatly into trope territory, and their emotional arcs don’t go very deep. Conflicts are resolved quickly, misunderstandings feel manufactured, and the romance lacks the tension needed to really hit. It’s sweet, but safe: nothing messy, risky, or particularly memorable.

Overall, "You Better Not Pout" is a pleasant holiday romance that does what it sets out to do without pushing beyond the formula.

[angelpompom · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this one. What a wreck😭 This whole thing was the miscommunication trope.

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gosh, this one was awful. Skip it.

[Mai H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holidays 2025 #6

[Sonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up

I only rounded up cause I loved the side characters lol and I thought they were so sweet, especially to Eric (the hero).

Juliana and Eric have broken up their engagement, but they haven’t told anyone. Christmas is here and they’re spending it with her family who loves Eric (her mom specifically), and Juliana doesn’t wanna mess up the holidays, so they’re going to pretend they’re still engaged 😅.

I liked the soft moments

But the “I should’ve done more of this” irritated me 😒

SPOILERS

At the end, they decide to not be engaged and continue just being together 😒

This was way too short 🤷🏻‍♀️
We need way more to believe in their HEA
It very much feels like an HFN 😒

I still liked it thought

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine! I always like the tension and inner turmoil of a couple pretending they’re still engaged to avoid awkward family confrontations. And this one had some entertaining moments!

But the timeline from their breakup to reconciliation made the whole situation feel quite immature. Their conflict resolution and communication definitely need some work, so I’m not entirely convinced this relationship wouldn’t run into the same issues again in the future.

(heat level: kisses only + language)

[Ruth♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 🌟

Para empezar la serie estuvo bien, pero si puedo decir que es mi menos favorito de todos, el conflicto que tuvimos aquí me desespero un poco, más que nada los protagonistas y eso que era corto, no me imagino si fuera algo con más páginas 🤭

También como se resolvió todo se me hizo mehh, estuvo bien que se sentaron a hablarlo pero a la vez me pareció algo poco creíble.

[Larareads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating 2.75 ⭐️

This was definitely not for me and my least favorite from the collection so far. The plot just didn't make sense... they were engaged and just decided to cancel the engagement and break up a week ago and after spending a little time together with their family they immediately decide to get back together.
The writing was very easy to read and the novella was very short.

[Celeste Velocci (bookrecs_by_celeste) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and wish it was longer! This would have made a great full length book. I loved the characters and their story. I felt it taught a lot of important relationship lessons along the way as well.

[Mira · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25⭐

Unfortunately, this novella didn’t really resonate with me. The characters got engaged quickly, then ended it just as fast, and in the end, their conflict was resolved very quickly—all they really needed to do was talk. I got the impression that the characters were immature.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Kelsey S · Rating 3 out of 5]

▹TL;DR Review: Happy holidays to those falling in love with the one their with…for the second time! This was very cute, but the pacing wasn’t as seamless as a few of the others in this series.

▹My ⭐ Rating: ★★★.5 out of 5
▹Format: 📱 eReader
Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories and Mia Sosa for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. This comes out November 20.
─────────────────────────

○★○ What to Expect from This Book: ○★○

– About: Juliana and Eric have called off their engagement, but with Christmas and their families coming together, they agree to pretend the wedding is still on—for appearances and family sake. Yet while they’re playing along, they begin to confront old feelings, and pretending love becomes harder than either expected.
– FMC: Juliana (aka “Mi Corazón”). Works hard for her money (thanks to something in her past). Often comes across as having disjointed priorities, but deep down wants the same things as Eric.
– MMC: Eric. Juliana’s former fiancé who agrees to keep up their relationship ruse through her family holidays. Hasn’t lost that lovin’ feeling.
– Location: undisclosed (possibly NYC)
– POV: Dual first-person
– Spice: Moderately low spice (nothing explicit) though heavy making out and innuendo
– Tropes: relationship in crisis, fake dating-ish, exes to lovers, reconciliation/second chance
– Content warning: FMC’s mother has lupus (brief mention), emotionally abusive parent (off page)
– Representation: Brazilian-American FMC, Puerto Rican-American MMC, LGBTQ+ side characters

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↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺ 1:00 ──ㅇ────── 4:12

Now Playing: Snowflake by Sia

╰┈➤ ❝Snowflake, I catch you tonight; catch you and keep you on ice, my love; snowflake, you know you’re the only one; there’s no one like you so I’m gonna hide you, my sweet; keep you till winter, when you won’t be needing me.❞

─────────────────────────

★○ If You Like the Following, You Might Like This Book ○★

➼ Realizing what you lost while pretending you don’t care
➼ Getting bundled up to go tree shopping with the man you’re supposed to marry in 5 months, but you’ve secretly broken up with, and maybe rekindling the spark

─────────────────────────

⍟»This or That«⍟

Character Driven———✧————————Plot Driven
Fast Burn—————————✧——Slow Burn
Sweet———✧————————Spicy
Light/Fluffy——✧—————————Heavy/Emotional

─────────────────────────

🎯 My Thoughts:

This was my first read by Mia Sosa, and I mostly liked it! The setup is cozy and familiar, with that classic “home for the holidays” energy that makes it easy to settle into.

My main hang-up was the miscommunication element—it wasn’t handled in a way that fully worked for me. I couldn’t help thinking that if Juliana and Eric had just had a proper conversation before their breakup, we might not even have this story! Still, it laid a mostly solid foundation for their reconciliation, and the short length made it a quick, enjoyable holiday read.

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

No

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧:
- holiday novella
- relationship in trouble
- second chance romance

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 2 out of 5]

You Better Not Pout is a short holiday romance novella part of an Amazon Originals multi author, Home Sweet Holidays collection. This is a second chance, fake dating between a recently broken up couple who decide to fake it for the holidays around their families!

Juliana and Eric recently called off their engagement (like a week prior) but don’t want to tell their families with Christmas right around the corner. So they decide to fake that they’re still together while spending the holidays with their families and quickly realize they should just work it out, stop letting the stress of wedding planning get to them, reframe their relationship, and try again.

Sooo this set up did not work for me and is my least fav in the collection so far. I love a second chance but for them to have only been broken up for a week felt more like an argument instead of a split and then quickly getting back together too…idk I was less than impressed or moved by the characters. Super quick, lots of family interactions and cooking, a trip to find a Christmas tree, only a kiss on-page.

I received an ARC, all thoughts in this review are my own.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second chance romance is not normally my thing, and to be honest it's still not. I liked the representation but I felt like this was just a lot of nothing. It actually probably would have worked better as a sweet romance without the break up/make up dynamics.

[Maddie 🫶🏻 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh I kinda hate the nonchalant “well I guess we’ll get back together” attitude. The MCs had no business getting back together with how much they fight 😂

[Alya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughts | 2.5⭐️
This felt like watching your close friend and her boyfriend bickering 24/7 yet neither of them know how to nor want to stay away from each other, I like miscommunication trope but as I've always said it's a hit or miss for me -- and with this one I can't decide whether it was jarring or the cute kind lol - I say the cute kind because their silly back and forth was cute at times. Overall this was somewhat enjoyable but my least favourite compared to the others

Plot Summary
Juliana and Eric have already ended their engagement, but with Christmas coming and both families expecting wedding updates, they decide to fake it and pretend they’re still together. What starts as a temporary holiday cover-up quickly turns complicated—and as old feelings resurface, staying apart may be harder than falling back in love.

My Bookstagram

[Genevieve (GenLikesToRead) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5/5 stars
0/5 spice

So this isn’t a romance, it’s a prequel to a story about a messy divorce and lots of therapy for our MC’s (individually, couples therapy will have already failed). Although they probably won’t ever actually make it down the aisle, so maybe no divorce necessary.
I hate being a hater, but oh my go this couple was the worst. I was hoping throughout the entire short story that we would get a surprise love interest that wasn’t our MMC. They were absolutely awful together.
They were together for 2 1/2 years and she never told him anything about her father and yet was planning to marry this man. If you can’t open up to someone then you probably shouldn’t marry them.
Then she also made a comment about them being better lovers than friends and that’s obviously the opposite of how it should be. The romantic relationship should be an enhancement of a friendship. They just seemed like they were completely incompatible and would never work in the long run (which is literally why they broke up to begin with!!).
Don’t even get me started on how they had never had a conversation about whether they wanted kids or not. You’ve been together for 2 1/2 years and are engaged, what have you talked about!?
Him saying that they “moved too fast” getting engaged after 2 1/2 years was very introspective but also, how are you with someone that long and don’t know them AT ALL? Being with someone for that amount of time isn’t slow, but it certainly not fast either.
And my goodness the FMC wouldn’t let us forget that they were broken up and that they’re wildly incompatible. She was thinking it literally every other page of her first chapter. Like we get it, it’s really not a hard concept to grasp. It was exhaustingly repetitive.
Trying again doesn’t negate any of the fundamental incompatibilities you have!
Very much so my least favorite from the short story collection, though all but one were letdowns sadly.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Home Sweet Home Collection:
Snow Place Like Home - Laura Pavlov ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Merry and Bright - Ali Rosen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All Wrapped Up in You - Rosie Danan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You Better Not Pout - Mia Sosa ⭐️⭐️

[Lauren 🍓 · Rating 4 out of 5]

the best one so far out of the novellas

[Анастасія ꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Вся їхня суперечка буквально вирішувалась однією розмовою. З одного боку я розумію, що Джуліана хоче бути незалежною і працювати, щоб не було ситуації як у її матері, але постійно бути 24/7 на телефоні з босом і працювати на свята, а потім дивуватися а чого це Еріка щось не влаштовує, ну таке. І головне, Ерік же не забороняє їй працювати, просто не так як вона зараз працює за всіх. Джуліана навіть виконувала роботу свого боса наче 🗿

+Тут було «давай ми прикинимось що ми досі пара, щоб не псувати родині свято». Крінж.