Mutual Discord

by Liana De la Rosa

A girl’s girl influencer gets a serious reality check when she discovers she’s fallen for her best friend’s boyfriend in this forbidden friends-to-lovers romance.

Sofia Mendoza has had enough. She’s done watching male co-workers steal credit for her talent, and now she’s going to do something about it. No one knows she’s the brains behind a popular video series highlighting and celebrating women in history who’ve been erased from their own inventions and discoveries. Her family and friends still think she has a successful corporate job and if they discover she is supporting herself by creating social media content, they’d be stunned.

Keeping her online persona a secret is lonely, but when she sparks a virtual friendship with an anonymous follower—A—first in her comment section with his insightful perspective, then in their private video chats, where he proves to be witty and catfish level good looking, the chemistry between them ignites.

But when her old friend, Caitlin, arrives for a visit, Sofia’s lies threaten to unravel. A is Alex Castillo, her best friend’s boyfriend. Alex doesn’t reveal that he knows her, and Sofia realizes he may be keeping secrets, too. With their friendship now in real life, can they keep their attraction in check?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary, Fiction, Adult, Audiobook

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 18, 2026

About the author

Liana De la Rosa wrangles her children by day, and writes USA Today Bestselling romance by night. For details on her current project, visit her at lianadelarosa.com or find her on social media under @LianaDelaRosaBooks.

Reviews

[Eleanor · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Mutual Discord is an equally swoony and messy romance following Sofia, whose life changes after she goes viral on social media for her video on forgotten and overlooked female figures, only to find herself falling for her best friend’s boyfriend while hiding her new internet persona from everyone in her life. I loved reading this bingeable romance so much! From the PR representation to the found family and drama, this story was packed with tension and just the perfect dash of forbidden attraction. I’m not usually one for a cheating romance, but I absolutely loved the twist on this one. It made Sofia feel so relatable while bringing all of the messiness of her situation into the story in such a delicate way. I also loved how much culture and passion were woven into the romance, with the Puerto Rican representation adding so much depth and coziness to this book. Full of tension, forbidden chemistry, and so much heart, Mutual Discord was well worth the read!

~Many thanks to Berkley Romance for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mutual discord this, mutual discord that, how about they’re sexy and can do what they want.

I am no longer surprised when it comes to the brilliance that is Liana De la Rosa. From her historical romances, to this—her contemporary romance debut, she has long proven her capabilities in writing grounded, heated romance set right in the thick of the action. After being fired for speaking out about her work being stolen by a colleague, Sofia Mendoza takes to social media to express her rage. Her impulsive video on women across history who have had their work stolen and influence erased goes viral, prompting a longer series on the subject and an online friendship with a mysterious “A”. When her out of town best friend introduces her to their partner Alex, none other than “A” himself, Sofia knows she’s in for a world of trouble. For her chemistry with Alex is electric both online and off, and could threaten her steadfast commitment to being a girl’s girl. Mutual Discord is a romance heavy on the mess, family bonds, delectable food, and forbidden love, and in typical Liana De la Rosa fashion it is a multifaceted and fierce narrative. Her heroines have always taken a life of their own far beyond their pages and that is so clear with Mutual Discord’s Sofia Mendoza, a down on her luck former corporate employee, conflicted in her life path. De la Rosa connects her romance to a journey of discovery through Sofia and Alex’s shared Puerto Rican culture, uncredited women across history, and a way forward through the mutual discord that plagues them. Liana’s focus on women throughout history who were erased from the narrative could not be more timely, and taking things for ourselves in a world that tries to take credit and erase is certainly a cathartic choice. No need to worry about the discord, it is mutual after all.

Bookstagram | Blog

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of my thoughts on this book could be considered a spoiler so I’ll keep this brief.

Overall, this was a solid book with lots to love but I think I would have loved this book even more had I not clocked the resolution right away. I was tempted to quit reading once it was apparent the thread was going to continue till the end but decided to stick it out and I’m glad I did. The resolution was satisfying.

Whats to love…
- Alex + Sofia are so good together! Great chemistry.
- Sofia is flawed in a way that makes her jump right off the page
- Sofia’s family is perfection
- Spectacular friends dynamics that are so very real and relatable.
- gorgeous descriptions that make you feel like you’re right there!


4⭐️| IG | TikTok |

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[abby :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

we love highlighting under appreciated women, we don't love miscommunication from page one…

the whole premise of this book is that sofia unknowingly meets a guy who went on a date with her best friend, thus we get mistaken identity and secrets galore. supposedly it’s best friends boyfriend but i didn’t buy for ONE SECOND that caitlin and sofia were best friends. i get that you need them to not be communicating to continue the lie that the entire book is based on, but they don’t talk.. at all. friendships are different from person to person, i get that, but it doesn’t make any sense that these two wouldn’t talk about alex at all. sofia spends every second of this book not talking… TO LITERALLY ANYONE ABOUT LITERALLY ANYTHING! it genuinely makes for an infuriating reading experience. i didn’t want to dislike sofia, her journey with the matilda’s and finding her confidence was great. but when you spend the whole book having her being unable to read the fucking room, she becomes annoying.

sofia and caitlin have this big conversation at the end and caitlin explains that her and alex have been texting about sofia and sofia says, “why didn’t you tell me?” like hello… YOU TWO HAVEN’T SPOKEN ONCE THIS WHOLE BOOK. all sofia does is call caitlin her best friend but never treats her as such. denise is written more like her best friend, they speak all the time, spend time together, and hold each other accountable.

alex is the obvious perfect male love interest, honestly he just felt a bit meh to me but that’s because i was so over the entire situation. like how did he not realize that sofia thought he was with caitlin, she brought her up every five seconds. i enjoyed his journey finding and understanding his culture more, the scenes with him at sofia’s parents house were excellent!

oh, also, when the first have sex alex says “for the love of the newborn baby jesus” i get that it’s christmas but that line actually made me want to crawl out of my skin.. newborn… really… that’s the sexiest thing we can say right now…

[megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was nothing like what i thought it would be and i absolutely loved it!! please dont continue reading this review if you dont want to know anything in regard to the “best friends boyfriend” aspect of the book 😊

~~~~~~~~~~~~ (im serious dont read on if you dont want to know lol)

so call me toxic (its fine) but i love the cheating trope! its something i do not condone in real life but eat it up in my fiction every single time, the angst it adds to a story is just *chefs kiss*. SO when i saw “best friends boyfriend” i RAN to request thinking it was going to be this trope. i personally could tell immediately that was not the case and as smart of a woman as sofia is she should have also had that realization or at least asked at literally any point of this book instead of assuming. this part of the book coming to a climax at the very end felt super rushed so both of these things combined are the only reasons its not a 5 star read!

other than this minor issue for me i loved everything about sofia and alex!! the friendship the built prior to anything happening was SO sweet. i loved how natural everything about them felt, i lived for the way alex had heart eyes for sofia and how the reader knows hes just head over heels gone for her oblivious self. how palpable their chemistry was and the banter between them.

one of my favorite aspects about this book was the cultural representation. this book low key healed me in a lot of ways, as a very pale, blue eyed and naturally blonde haired cuban/spaniard woman who has been told her entire life she is not spanish looking or speaking enough to claim it watching sofia help alex with his struggles connecting to his roots honestly had me in shambles every time. when i was younger/when she was alive my sweet bisabuela who came to america from cuba would always tell me how much i looked like her when she was younger any time i would be upset that i “didnt look spanish enough” and that always helped me feel better about it and in a way while reading this it felt like a little reminder from her all of the things she would tell me to help me feel better and more connected with all of these beautiful attributes i got from her.

im not typically someone who loves social media or being an influencer to be a major part of books i read but i actually reallllly loved this little subplot of the book — i thought what sofia was doing was SO cool and interesting. i really loved learning about all of the bad ass women from history who have helped shape the world today. whether it was a massive invention or something that just makes our day to day lives easier and more efficient i just could not have been more enamored with sofia for bringing these women back to the forefront of peoples minds.

i couldnt be more thrilled with how pleasantly surprised i was with this book even though it wasnt what i was expecting! i cant wait to read more of lianas work in the future!!

[lost in epilogue | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ .]

dnf @ 50%

i thought this was going to be a deliciously messy contemp w the premise - like falling for bestie's man? i was ready for DRAMA.

i like the fmc and her backstory but the relationship itself is not delivering due to (spoiler) him obviously not actually being the friend's bf. she just assumes that from the get go. so if you don't like miscommunication, the entire book is predicated on that.

mmc was also written trying a little too hard to have a v perfect male lead who has every single moral standard you would want them to irl and says all the right things. some readers will enjoy that, but after reading a lotttt of the end of the spectrum, i'm ok inching back towards flawed mmc's.

i could prob ok with all this, but the writing itself just isn't doing it for me. i will try another of hers in the future though.

[Lauren (lololovesthings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

"Mutual Discord" by Liana De la Rosa is a sloooooooooooooooooow burning forbidden romance between Sofia (FMC) and Alex (MMC), her best friend's boyfriend. Sofia was recently fired from her job when a male coworker stole her presentation, and she called him out, getting fired in the process. That night, she gets drunk and uploads a TikTok video about an historical female figure whose accomplishments were stolen by a man. That video went viral, so while she looks for a new job, she keeps uploading videos about women who have been overlooked or lost to the annals of history. She begins a chatting relationship with an unnamed user on TikTok, who just so happens to be her best friend's boyfriend! There's instant chemistry between Sofia and Alex online and when they meet in person. Unfortunately, he is dating her best friend, Caitlin, who is a social media influencer with tons of followers and opportunities. Sofia doesn't want to step on Caitlin's toes by mentioning her successful TikTok series. Caitlin asks Sofia to show Alex around Phoenix while she travels for work. The more time they spend together as friends, the more they discover how much they have in common, the more they flirt, the more their feelings grow into something more. Sofia and Alex have wonderful banter and chemistry together, despite the fact that Alex is in a relationship. I loved De la Rosa's commentary on women who have been "lost" to history because men stole their ideas or stardom or discoveries. There is also a fair bit of commentary on our current political state and administration just how messed up and backwards it is that the accomplishments of people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community are being minimized and erased because of the actions of mediocre, unqualified white men. CALL THEM OUT, LIANA!!! I adored both Sofia and Alex as individuals. Alex is a great book boyfriend. He is patient, interested, and kind. I also loved how immersed in Puerto Rican culture and heritage this book is, from the food to the language to the music to the holidays. Unfortunately, there is a lot of filler in this book. Conversations are repeated, the same situations recur, and a lot of social media jargon is recited over and over again that could have been left on the cutting room floor to make things flow more smoothly. The book's end "problem" is easy to spot. I saw it coming from a mile away, so while the characters go bonkers and have a frequently inner turmoil, I was sitting here not sweating anything. Overall, this is a good book, albeit a little slowly paced and with a few unnecessary pages here and there.

Thank you to NetGalley, Liana De la Rosa, and Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

[PlotTrysts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I get nervous reading a new contemporary romance by someone I know as a historical romance author. They can be hit or miss - but this one was definitely a HIT! I ended up absolutely loving it.

We meet Sofia the day after she's laid off for "not being a team player" and sticking up for herself in a meeting. That night, she drunkenly posts about a woman in history whose work was stolen and goes viral on social media. Soon after connecting with one of her most frequent commenters, she's shocked to meet him IRL ... as her best friend's boyfriend. So yeah, this feminist influencer absolutely cannot resist her best friend's boyfriend, try as she might to keep him at arm's length.

One of my biggest pet peeves about contemporary romance right now is the prevalence of tight first person POV. Authors have to walk the fine line of letting the READER know that the MMC is into the FMC without letting the actual MAIN CHARACTER catch on, which often has the effect of making her super oblivious (if not TSTL). But this book utilizes the narration the way it should: we don't just get Sofia's hesitation about the relationship (she doesn't want to ruin her longtime friendship) we're also privy to the experiences that led to her being absolutely certain that Alex would much rather date her BFF than he would her. I really didn't know how I'd feel about a cheating romance (because yeah, Sofia goes there) but this one was perfectly calibrated. (And feel free to ask me if you have any questions about what exactly this means!)

I also want to shout out the setting: I haven't read many books set in Arizona, and even fewer that made me want to visit, but this one was a love letter to Phoenix.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

[kimcollectsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Berkley, Berkley Romance and Ace Books for the gifted copy via Berkley's Influencer Hub for Underrepresented Voices! All opinions are my own.

Reading Format: ARC eBook

✨Tropes✨
🩷 Best Friend's Boyfriend
🩷 Friends-to-Lovers
🩷 Forbidden Relationship
🩷 Latine Romance

✨Story Review✨
I really went back and forth on how I wanted to rate this book because there are so many things that I liked, but also there were also parts I strongly disliked.

What I Liked:
- Loved the Latine rep in this book! From the Spanish used throughout the writing to the detailed descriptions of Puerto Rican culture, the representation in this book was great.
- The badass women! It was so cool to see how Sofia was sharing stories of all of these incredible women throughout history with such major accomplishments.
- The creation of a social media persona! I work in social media, so it's always fun to see how influencers and social media as a job is portrayed, especially in a Latine household.

What I Didn't Like:
- The "best friend's boyfriend" trope and how it was executed. I thought there would be an early break up, or something else that would happen that would make Sofia a little more redeemable on falling for Alex. However, the fact that she does everything while full on thinking Alex was her best friend's boyfriend just didn't sit right with me. Without spoilers, the way it was handled and the turning point towards the end just felt off. It felt like we were brushing past a really big problem.
- Alex was too perfect. I felt like he didn't really have any flaws. He always said or did the right thing even with all of the miscommunications. He just didn't feel like a realistic MMC.
- Sofia's hesitancy of sharing her online account with her best friend. With how close they were, and how we see Sofia's character shown, it just didn't feel like something she would do or at least keep from her for as long as she did. Also, with how "viral" she was going, it just didn't feel realistic to keep it a secret.

Overall, I loved all the rep in this book, but the way this story unfolded was a bit disappointing.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so stressful (affectionately) this book was so so messy and I am here for it!

After Sofia is wrongfully fired from her job she starts posting on TikTok about women in history whose accomplishments are stolen by men and it goes kind of super viral! She’s starts chatting with one of the unnamed commenters who just happens to be her best friend’s boyfriend. They have instant chemistry once they meet in person and there’s an immediate attraction… but he’s her best friend’s boyfriend 😬

Miscommunication is the name of the game in this book! Usually I’m not a fan of this trope it’s done so incredibly done here! Like Liana is some sort of god this book was unputdownable I loved it so so much! Sofia (FMC) and Alex (MMC) are such a fun couple. I also love all of the awareness this book raises about women in history whose accomplishments who had their accomplishments stolen from them. The main characters are also Puerto Rican and their culture identity is a very important part of the book! I loved this so much and I really appreciate it!

I highly recommend this book and I hope you all love it once it’s released!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Thoughts and opinions are my own!

[Desirai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and enjoyed all three of The Luna Sister’s historical fiction books, but as a contemporary romance girly I could not wait to read Mutual Discord.

In this story Sophia is an influencer who creates social media content that highlights and celebrates women in history. In the process she develops an online friendship with her anonymous follower A. Sophia’s old friend Caitlin later comes to visit and introduces Sophia to her boyfriend, none other than A (for Alex).

Featured Tropes:
💋 Slow Burn
♥️ Friends to lovers
💋 Best Friend’s Boyfriend
♥️ Puerto Rican Leads
💋 Feminine Rage

I really love how the author captured the messiness of miscommunication in addition to the complex feelings behind being part of the Latinx (Puerto Rican) diaspora but never having visited the place you're from. The characters, the family dynamic, their choices, were all nuanced and true to life. I definitely came away with some strong feelings on whether I’d want Sophia as a close friend, but I really enjoyed this book overall.

Liana De La Rosa has become an auto-buy author for me and I can’t wait to read what she writes next.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the E-ARC of Mutual Discord. This is my honest review.*

[anovelaccount (Kayla) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review hurts to write! I honestly enjoyed the bones of this book, loved the Latine representation, loved Alex as an MMC, loved the social media influencer aspect (especially how she uses her influence), loved the basketball date, and the list goes on. There was so much good in here, BUT. It’s a big but. (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD)



A big theme for this one is cheating. And it feels that way for a huge chunk of the book until the VERY end when you find out it was all a big miscommunication. But the FMC FULLY BELIEVES she is cheating with her best friend’s boyfriend and does it anyway. She initially feels guilt and tries to push her feelings away, but she eventually gives in and almost stops caring how she could potentially be hurting her best friend at all. This is a full stop for me in a book and I was really sad, because I think this book had the potential to be great. I probably should have DNFed but I was hoping for things to improve and for there to be a resolution that exonerated Sofia. But her actions were ultimately absolutely inexcusable, even if things happened to work out to be a miscommunication—it told too much about her character. I really liked both main characters in the beginning, but Alex should have run FAR away once he found out how she behaved.

[Aurora]

This book is for someone who likes MESSY! Lol

I went into this book without reading the description (that was my bad) and I hate the "best friend's boyfriend" trope.

I wanted to love the FMC. She talks about overlooked but important women who's work wasn't credited to them which I loved! However, she gave me the biggest red flags. She gets infatuated with a man who she *thinks* is dating her "BEST FRIEND" and I just can't. She's a bad, insecure friend. I am DNFing at 45% in.

I love Liana and her books, but this was just not for me.

[tiff rasberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

“For alex didn’t kiss me; he savored me.”

That’s it. This is the review… Oh! And Liana’s transition from historical to contemporary romance is a delicious, cannot-put-down, historical female figures educating story EVERYONE must read.

Pub Date August 18 2026

Thanks so much to Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley Romance and Netgalley for sending me an eARC!!

review posted to NetGalley & Goodreads

[CarlysGrowingTBR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you @PRHAUDIO for the gifted audiobook!
#PRHAudioPartner

🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧

Title: Mutual Discord
Author: Liana De La Rosa
Narrator: Ruby Hunt, Ivan Morea
Duration: 11 hours 21 minutes
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pub Date: August 18, 2026

🎧 Synopsis 🎧
A girl’s girl influencer gets a serious reality check when she discovers she’s fallen for her best friend’s boyfriend in this forbidden friends-to-lovers romance.

🎧 My Thoughts 🎧
I love this author's historical romance! So, when I saw she was writing a contemporary romance, I sprained my ankle requesting an ARC.

I struggled with how to read this novel because there were things about it that I genuinely enjoyed and would love to see more of and then they were saying that just did not work for me in the long run.

I really enjoyed the slow burn of it all. When it comes to the romance specifically. I felt like they had time to develop a friendship before a romance blossomed, and that helped the character development for me. I really enjoyed the conversations around Latinas and influencer spaces and the realities of their ability to grow on social media channels. I also really liked the aspect of Sophia's channel and what it was about.

This book relies heavily on the miscommunication trope. And it really has to be realistic to work for me. Unfortunately, it is extremely obvious from the beginning of the book what the miscommunication is. It's hard to believe that it wouldn't have been revealed much sooner than it is.

This book ended up being really middle of the road for me. I didn't completely dislike it, but I didn't overly love it like I loved the author's historical romances. I will definitely continue to read the author because she's just too talented.

🎧 Narration 🎧
I really enjoyed the narration on this one. Ruby Hunt is a fantastic narrator and I've enjoyed all the books she's narrated.
~~~~~~~~~
🎧 Read if You Like 🎧
* Friends to lovers
* Books with influencers
* Puerto Rican rep
* Yummy food rep!
~~~~~~~~~
🏷️
#audiobookreview #audiobookrecommendation #prhaudiobook #mutualdiscord

[cate · Rating 2 out of 5]

i feel lied to lol

[Vanessa Garcia · Rating 1 out of 5]

So male centered that you’re going to betray your best friend of decades??? Pls. What a dumb plot.

[Magically Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Berkley and author Liana De La Rosa, for providing me with the eARC of “Mutual Discord”.

💭My Thoughts
I will start off by saying, while others may put cheating as a trope, I don't feel like it is... And here's why, it was just in Sofia's head. Hence the huge miscommunication in this book, so if cheating is a hard no for you, this is not that and will be okay to read.

Sofia, my girl... If you would have just asked one question it would be such a different story. But let's be honest, when feelings are involved we don't always want to hear something that would be sad. And for that, she is relatable and it's hard not to root for her.

Alex!! I feel like he was so head over heels but then didn't at any point ask Sofia what her thoughts are. I am glad he wasn't super mad about the situation since he didn't help not give that impression.

And a round of applause to her best friend, cause that is a true friend. She made sure to not over react but to also talk it out in the moment.

❣️Tropes❣️
Contemporary
Friends to Lovers
Online Meet-Cute
Miscommunication
Best Friends "Boyfriend"

🩵RATING🩵
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 🌶️
Length: 368 Pages
Publisher: Berkley aa

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to start off this review by saying that I absolutely adore Lianas historical romances so when she announced her next release was a contemporary romance and it sounded interesting I knew I had to try get my hands on an arc!

I’m a lover of realistic plots and messy characters so this sounded right up my street. I liked a lot of things about this book but there was a few instances where I didn’t fully Get It.

I loved that this was single pov. I think it worked well, we got to know Sofia, who she is, who she cares for and as someone who is crying out for more fleshed out fmcs in contemporary romance this was great. She’s a little TOO self deprecating at times though and while a lot of people may be able to relate to it I think that kind of personality and attitude can work in drips and drabs, not for almost an entire book. Alex on the other hand never felt like a fully developed person to me and it wasn’t down to the single pov it was down to him being written as this ultra green flag, perfect specimen of a man where he had zero faults. There was no real back and forth no real banter going on between them and i just felt like he was sofias shadow if anything.

The writing is a little stiff at parts and I thought that Liana would have lended her great prose she normally has in her historicals here but I felt like I was being told what I should be feeling towards the characters rather than just feeling the emotion myself.

The romance. I loved the slowburn, it worked well given the miscommunication going on throughout the book and while I love messy characters I’m not sure that really corresponds with miscommunication that lasts almost 90% into the book. I find it hard to be convinced that two characters belong together when they both enter somewhat of a relationship not on the same page and scared to breech subjected that should have been brought up way before feelings started getting involved.

The sex. I don’t really remember previous books by this author having cringe sex scenes? Alex has that classic issue of being a man who’s completely out of character in the bedroom but I actually preferred his bedroom character because he had more of a personality. I would say the spice is mild and doesn’t take over much of the plot or feel gratuitous.

Overall I’m a little bummed I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I’ll continue to read Liana because I love her stories I just don’t think this was for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for sending me the arc. All opinions are my own.

[Trianna/Treereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Silvia Ribeiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is objectively good. I liked all the commentary on the Internet and Social Media, and on the erasure of women’s history. As per usual, Liana’s portrayal of Latinx culture is amazing. Alex is a little too perfect, but it’s to be expected in a romance novel (especially considering how much the books talks about women’s accomplishments being erased - we need a MMC that was a huge green flag in this regard). Sofia is great, and I really enjoyed the way her career plot was developed.

However, I was frustrated with the way the main conflict was constructed.

I fully understand the idea of exploring her friendship dynamic with Caitlin, and how Sofia’s views herself in comparison, but to hinge the entire relationship obstacle on her inability to ask one question to her best friend or her love interest didn’t work for me. It didn't even feel messy, like this situation usually is, because it was very clearly all in her head.

Some spoilers to follow:

As this was written in 1st person single POV, we are following this story exclusively through Sofia’s perspective.

She believes that Alex is dating her best friend, Caitlin. This is itself a tricky situation to navigate in a romance novel, since we’re supposed to be rooting for the main characters to get together.

From their first in person meeting, we get the following information: 1. She’s attracted to Alex; 2. Alex shows up invited by Caitlin; 3. Because of that, Sofia assumes that they’re dating, even though neither alludes to that, and decides that she’s not going to ask about their relationship to either of them (ever!) because she doesn’t want to know. And yet, she presumes to know throughout the entire book.

Even though we don’t get Alex’s perspective, Sofia’s description of his actions and words make it clear that he’s interested in her, but she doesn’t acknowledge that or even sees it as an opportunity to confirm his relationship status. (Or are we supposed to assume he’d say and do that to anyone? That he is deliberately flirting with Sofia while in a relationship with someone else?)

This drags on until the end of the book.

When they get intimate, he says things like “My God, Sofia, I’ve wanted you for so long—” or “I’ve fantasized about this moment an infinite number of times.“, calls her “mi vida”, and she still thinks he is in a relationship; at some point during this moment, her internal monologue makes it seem he had plans to cheat (with anyone really, since there was no way his supposed girlfriend would show up) (“I wanted to ask him if he always carried condoms. Did he bring them on this trip because he knew he’d find his way into my bed? Had he bought them to use with someone else?”), but! she stills prefers to believe she’s a cheater than to actually ask him any sort of clarification.

When she is confronted by her other friend, she acknowledges all that she’s done wrong and still refuses to talk, to ask a simple question. (While he continues to say the most romantic things to her.)

Alex forgave too easily. Personally, I don’t know if I would be able to move past someone assuming the worst about me for months, especially as fast as he did.

[Elizabeth Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book follows Sofia, a woman that gets laid off from her job in the corporate world when a man takes credit for the work she did. She proceeds to start posting online videos about inspiring women who didn't get their due credit where she catches the attention of a guy named A. She later finds out that that guy, actually called Alex, is with her best friend Caitlin. Then it follows her feelings for him, Puerto Rican culture and how she navigates her friendship dynamics.

To start with what I liked, I thought that the connection to Sofia's Puerto Rican heritage was done really well. I liked that there was Puerto Rican food explained on the page, it had her family that was really within the culture and honeslty just how a lot of things were explained for Alex to learn that I learned as well.

I also thought like the relationship at its core between Alex and Sofia was sweet. Their friendship that gradually turned into a relationship felt pretty genuine and Alex seemed like a really nice guy to her and treated her well.

But my goodness, I could not get past the level of miscommunication in this book at all. It kind of drove me nuts. Sofia would not tell anyone in her life anything. Things had to be spelled out to them because they got told by another person or they found out on the internet. It resulted in her being, in my opinion, a horrible friend and honestly like a bad daughter. She was exhausting.

A ton of the drama in this book could have been resolved if she just asked the right questions and if she just spoke to people and told them what was on her mind. A lot of my lack of my enjoyment came down to just being so freaking annoyed with her. I couldn't get past it.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC to honestly review.

[Dylan Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mutual Discord by Liana De La Rosa was such a joy to read. The story is engaging from the start, easy to follow, and filled with passion. What stood out most to me was how beautifully Latin culture was woven into the narrative. It felt authentic, intentional, and deeply relatable.

Sofía and Alex completely stole my heart. Their journey is the kind that keeps you on your toes., rooting for them every step of the way. The slow burn romance is packed with longing and emotional tension, making every moment feel earned.

As a Puerto Rican reader, I connected with so many aspects of the characters and their experiences. This is a modern, heartfelt romance that balances chemistry, family, culture, and authenticity exceptionally well. A wonderful read that left me wanting more.

[Rina · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the most unlikable characters I’ve read all year! Her “best” friend deserves SO much better than her pick-me, jealous ass.

I guessed the plot twist from the second the mmc was introduced in person, but I hoped I was wrong because 1. It was too obvious and 2. It would make the fmc irredeemably unlikeable and undeserving of her friends and family…hence the one star rating.

[Kaity · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love them so damn much <3 <3 <3 <3

[Ashley - The Tattered Page]

🎧📖𝒜𝐿𝒞 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌📖🎧

𝑀𝓊𝓉𝓊𝒶𝓁 𝒟𝒾𝓈𝒸𝑜𝓇𝒹 ʙʏ ʟɪᴀɴᴀ ᴅᴇ ʟᴀ ʀᴏsᴀ

𝒮𝓅𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🌶🌶 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻

✨𝐻𝑜𝑜𝓀✨

sʜᴇ’s ᴀ “ɢɪʀʟ’s ɢɪʀʟ” ɪɴғʟᴜᴇɴᴄᴇʀ ᴡʜᴏ ғᴀʟʟs ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴍᴀɴ ᴡʜᴏ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ ᴏғғ-ʟɪᴍɪᴛs: ʜᴇʀ ʙᴇsᴛ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ’s ʙᴏʏғʀɪᴇɴᴅ.

𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌:

ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀʜᴀᴜᴅɪᴏ ғᴏʀ ɢɪғᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʟᴄ!

ᴍʏ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇ ғᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʟᴜʀʙ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ sᴛᴀʀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪs ᴏɴᴇ—ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴇxᴄɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴀ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʙʏ ᴀ ғᴇʟʟᴏᴡ ʙᴏʀɪᴄᴜᴀ. ʙɪɢɢɢɢ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇ. 😭

ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛ: ᴄʜᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʙᴏᴏᴋs ᴀʀᴇ sɪᴍᴘʟʏ ɴᴏᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ. ᴀᴛ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ 𝟸𝟻%, ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟɪɴɢ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴍᴄ ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ғᴍᴄ's ʙᴇsᴛ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ's ᴍᴀɴ, ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴇ's sᴛɪʟʟ ғɪɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴇxᴄᴜsᴇ ᴘᴏssɪʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ sᴘᴇɴᴅ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴏᴘᴇɴʟʏ ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ʜɪᴍ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅʏɴᴀᴍɪᴄ ɪᴍᴍᴇᴅɪᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ʀᴜʙʙᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ ᴡᴀʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴғᴏʀᴛᴜɴᴀᴛᴇʟʏ, ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴏɴʟʏ ɢᴏᴛ ᴡᴏʀsᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ.

ʙʏ 𝟾𝟶%, ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴋɪᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ ғᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴍɪsᴇ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇʜᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ғᴍᴄ, ɢɪʀʟ…ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀʀᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ?! 😭 ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ɢᴇᴛ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇs, ᴇsᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴄᴀɪᴛʟɪɴ—ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇsᴛ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ—ᴡᴀs ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ sᴏ ᴘᴏᴏʀʟʏ. ᴀɴᴅ ʙʏ 𝟿𝟻%, ɪ ᴡᴀs ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴠᴏᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅsʜɪᴘ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇʟʏ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪғ ɪ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴄᴀɪᴛʟɪɴ, ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ'ᴠᴇ ᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅsʜɪᴘ ᴇxᴘᴇᴅɪᴛɪᴏᴜsʟʏ. ᴛʜᴇ ғᴍᴄ ᴡᴀs sɪᴍᴘʟʏ ɴᴏᴛ sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛʀᴜsᴛ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴏᴡ ǫᴜɪᴄᴋʟʏ ᴄᴀɪᴛʟɪɴ ғᴏʀɢᴀᴠᴇ ʜᴇʀ. ɪ ᴀʟsᴏ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ: ᴅɪᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴍᴄ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴘʀᴏᴘᴇʀʟʏ ᴀᴘᴏʟᴏɢɪᴢᴇ?!

ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ sᴀʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇᴅ sᴇᴇɪɴɢ ᴘᴜᴇʀᴛᴏ ʀɪᴄᴀɴ ᴍᴄs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ 𝟹𝟶s ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀs ɢᴇɴᴜɪɴᴇʟʏ ᴇxᴄɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴀ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ғᴇᴀᴛᴜʀɪɴɢ ғᴇʟʟᴏᴡ ʙᴏʀɪᴄᴜᴀ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs. ᴜɴғᴏʀᴛᴜɴᴀᴛᴇʟʏ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ/ᴀғғᴀɪʀ ᴀsᴘᴇᴄᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ ᴏᴠᴇʀsʜᴀᴅᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴠᴇs ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ.

🎙️𝒩𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃:

ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡᴀs sᴏʟɪᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴀsʏ ᴛᴏ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴄᴇs ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴜʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs ᴡᴇʟʟ. ᴜɴғᴏʀᴛᴜɴᴀᴛᴇʟʏ, ɴᴏ ᴀᴍᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴏғ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴇɴᴛʀᴀʟ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴡᴀs sɪᴍᴘʟʏ ɴᴏᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ.

𝒯𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈 & 𝒱𝒾𝒷𝑒𝓈:
🇵🇷 ᴘᴜᴇʀᴛᴏ ʀɪᴄᴀɴ ᴍᴄs
🚫 ʙᴇsᴛ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ's ʙᴏʏғʀɪᴇɴᴅ
💔 ғᴏʀʙɪᴅᴅᴇɴ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
💕 ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs
🔥 ғᴇᴍɪɴɪɴᴇ ʀᴀɢᴇ
🥂 ᴍᴄs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ 𝟹𝟶s
🚩 ᴄʜᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ
🤦🏽‍♀️ ᴍɪsᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ
🫠 ᴍᴇssʏ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴsʜɪᴘs
💥 ғʀɪᴇɴᴅsʜɪᴘ ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴀʟ

𝐹𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓉:

ᴛʜɪs ᴏɴᴇ ᴡᴀs 𝟷𝟶𝟶% ᴀ ᴄᴀsᴇ ᴏғ “ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʟᴜʀʙ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ.” 😂 ɪ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ ᴀ ғᴇʟʟᴏᴡ ʙᴏʀɪᴄᴜᴀ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ ʙʟɪɴᴅsɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴄʜᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴍʏ ᴛʜɪɴɢ. ɪ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ɪssᴜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴍʏ ᴏᴠᴇʀsɪɢʜᴛ, ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ's ᴇxᴇᴄᴜᴛɪᴏɴ. ɪ sɪᴍᴘʟʏ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴍɪsᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀsɴ'ᴛ ᴀ ᴛʀᴏᴘᴇ ᴄᴏᴍʙɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ. ᴄʜᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʙᴏᴏᴋs ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ'ᴍ sᴛɪʟʟ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ɪ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ɪᴛ ᴀ ᴛʀʏ.

ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ!
𝒜𝓈𝒽𝓁𝑒𝓎
ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ: @ᴛʜᴇᴛᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅᴘᴀɢᴇ

++++++

NOTES:
My mistake for not reading the blurb—I was just excited to read a book by a fellow Boricua… bigggg mistake. Cheating books are not for me. Will not be rating as this was an oversight on my end.

A girl's girl influencer gets a serious reality check when she discovers she's fallen for her best friend's boyfriend in this forbidden friends-to-lovers romance.

25%— MMC is FMC’s BEST FRIEND'S man and yet she's still foaming at the mouth for him and finding excuses to hang out with him ... don't like that at all

80%—I definitely should've read the blurb before reading this book... FMC ain't it. Homewrecker

95%—If I were Caitlin, I would end their so-called “best friendship” expeditiously! FMC is NOT to be trusted. She forgave her farrrrr too quickly at that. Did FMC even apologize to her?!

TROPES:
best friend's boyfriend
Puerto Rican MCs
forbidden romance
friends to lovers
feminine rage
MCs in their 30s
Cheating
Miscommunication

[annie ۫꣑ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️

tropes:
📱friends to lovers
💌 forbidden romance
📱 puerto rican mc’s
💌 best friends boyfriend?


this book was such a great read! i honestly didn’t know what to expect going into this book, but this book pleasantly surprised me, and i really enjoyed it!

the chemistry between sofia and alex was absolutely EVERYTHING to me, i really enjoyed how their relationship developed from to friends to a full relationship, and i think the tension brewing between them really helped with this story! i also just loved how in love alex was with sofia, and how he always ALWAYS reassured her no matter what and on any topic, which i really really loved!

one thing i really enjoyed about this book was the influencer aspect of it and how we got to learn about various women from history! there was so many women from all parts of history who have done so many incredible amazing things for the world that i would have never known if i hadn’t read this book, so i am so so glad i was able to read this book and read and understand how significant these women are for our world and society we live in! i think this aspect of sofia’s character and story was so cool and inspiring to me!

one another aspect i really enjoyed about this book was the representation about culture and how it’s sometimes hard to embrace your culture especially if you either haven’t experienced culture from your own community or only know certain parts of your culture despite wanting to learn more! as someone who is south asian but born in canada, i understand not feeling connected to my culture and my roots and feeling isolated from that part of me so so much, and this book really shed light on this feeling which i really loved.

a quote in particular i really loved:
“Culture is not something that you have to tap into as a child to understand. Or appreciate. Instead, I think culture is a seed that’s always inside you, just waiting to be nourished. To be watered. It sounds like you weren’t ready or even in a position to do those things before now.”

overall a really really incredible read and definitely recommend to everyone!!

thank you so so much to berkley romance for the eARC!

[Robin]

DNF @ 17%

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I put this book down back in July and just have no desire to return to it. So I think it's time to finally call it a DNF.

I was really excited about this one. I've heard nothing but praise for this author, the cover is STUNNING, and the premise sounded right up my alley (I love me a love triangle/cheating/forbidden romance, sue me)

But unfortunately the setup relies on a reveal that I don't think is supposed to be as obvious as it is. And it was making me frustrated with the main character. Because it was blatantly obvious there was a misunderstanding that could have been solved with a 3 second text message.

So the conflict/tension didn't feel real or necessary or anything.

Other than the misunderstanding I actually really loved the heroine and her plot line about work, passion projects, and feminism. Which was why I was hesitant to officially DNF this. But at the end of the day this is a romance novel. And the romance was my least favorite part...

I do plan to read more from this author though! Like I said, the characterizations and writing were great, I just didn't like the plot's reliance on a misunderstanding. So I may go back and read some of her previous books and I'll definitely have my eye out for her next release!

[Martha K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phew, 😅 this was a wild ride. Best friend’s boyfriend? Messy, messy, messy.

I was scared I was going to hate this, and I love this author, but I ended up enjoying the book. First, Alex was green flags all around even though I thought he could have worked on his communication. Oh, and he was hot as hell. Then, the Puerto Rican characters. There is something about Latine culture in fiction, especially Romance that I love so much. Reading about the family traditions, the food, and the Spanish sprinkled throughout the book kept giving me little doses of dopamine. I mean when Alex called Sofia “mi vida” I melted! Also, Sofia’s change in career to content creation was very admirable. She made the best with the cards she was dealt and did it in a unique and inspiring way.

The main reason for not giving the novel a 5-star rating is because this was not a miscommunication trope it was literally ZERO communication. They did all that talking and none of it was about the actual important stuff. I felt like it contradicted the other side of these characters; who are very self aware, very mindful navigating their personal lives and social media, and grown as hell. I had a time hard reconciling the two and saw it as a major character flaw of Sofia, Alex, and Caitlyn. However, the book was so beautifully written that I was still able to still enjoy it, as I gave them major side eye at times.

So, if you like hot but messy characters this is for you!

Thank you to the author, Liana De La Rosa, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Berkeley Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for this advanced copy. This was a lot of fun and I flew right through it. I loved Sofia and Alex. Sofia was a very relatable character for me. Never feeling good enough and comparing herself to those around her - been there. A good reminder that comparison is the thief of joy. That was so true in this because Sofia and Alex almost missed their happily ever after. Yes, there was a miscommunication trope but I didn’t mind it. It was done differently than it normally is because we as the readers also didn’t know the information that Sofia didn’t know, whereas, normally, the reader is aware and one of the MCs is not. Hopefully I’m making sense.

Other things I loved
- the Latin culture representation
- the Matilda project highlighting all the women in history who have not been properly credited with their contributions to inventions or new ideas