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Mutual Discord
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?
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?
382 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 18, 2026
About the author
Liana De la Rosa
14 books922 followersLiana 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 @LianainBloom.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews
August 25, 2026
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.
~Many thanks to Berkley Romance for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
August 8, 2026
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
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
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~ (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!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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.
"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.
August 20, 2026
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.
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.
July 11, 2026
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!
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!
Did Not Finish
July 29, 2026This 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.
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.
September 8, 2026
we love highlighting under appreciated women, we didn’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…
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…
August 27, 2026
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
#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
August 21, 2026
“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
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
August 27, 2026
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
💭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
June 3, 2026
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.
August 19, 2026
So male centered that you’re going to betray your best friend of decades??? Pls. What a dumb plot.
Read
August 19, 2026🎧📖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
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
September 7, 2026
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!
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!
May 29, 2026
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
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
September 4, 2026
This story had good bones, but a huge part of the plot (that would be a massive spoiler so I can’t even really talk about it) boiled down to miscommunication and it sadly left a poor taste in my mouth with its execution.
August 20, 2026
i love them so damn much <3 <3 <3 <3
June 3, 2026
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.
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.
Want to Read
January 2, 2026"A feminist, forbidden love contemporary romance, in which a Latina influencer who highlights the theft of women's scientific contributions finds her own heart stolen by the one man she can never have."
August 18, 2026
I was so excited to read Mutual Discord by Liana De la Rosa, after enjoying her Luna Sisters trilogy over the past couple of years! No doubt that this cover is gorgeous, and I was excited to see what Liana would explore in contemporary romance.
My e-book copy clocked it at a crisp 300 pages which was nice. This one is tight and a fast read, which is something I always appreciate. I really enjoyed Sofia's journey with content creation, her desire to remain anonymous on the internet, and how she compared her account/work to others. I felt like there was a lot in her journey that could resonate with people, and did resonate with me.
The best part of this book was Sofia's and Alex's relationships with their Puerto Rican heritage. Sofia grew up in a big family with lots of traditions, and Alex's family moved around a lot, so he doesn't feel as connected to his culture. The way they get to know each other is by Sofia showing Alex the ropes, by taking him out to eat Puerto Rican food and giving him some experience with her family's traditions. I thought this was so well done, and also it made me hungry! I enjoyed the Arizona setting, and getting to explore the area with these characters.
Unfortunately, I wanted more out of forbidden romance of it all than there really was. I don't know if other readers will feel this way but . Instead of forbidden romance, this one read more like a miscommunication trope, which would have been fine if that's what I thought I would be getting. I felt like we didn't really get a lot of tension or guilt, or quandaries on morality, or agonized yearning.
Compounded on this, I felt like the romance itself went from 0-100. I appreciated the tight nature of the narrative, no doubt, but when Sofia finally decides to make her move, it felt like it escalated quickly. We see Alex and Sofia interact a lot as friends, and I guess I didn't feel the chemistry in those moments building up that quickly to support those steamy scenes as much.
I've also seen this one called a "STEM romance" which I find a little frustrating and misleading. The two main characters both work in marketing, and Sofia's Matildas come from all fields, including non-STEM ones, like poets and authors and people in business. I just have to throw it out there that there's so much more in this one than just a STEM connection!
All-in-all, still a very fun romance novel, and it was fun to read Liana's transition into contemporary romance. No matter what she writes next, I'll be ready to read it!
My e-book copy clocked it at a crisp 300 pages which was nice. This one is tight and a fast read, which is something I always appreciate. I really enjoyed Sofia's journey with content creation, her desire to remain anonymous on the internet, and how she compared her account/work to others. I felt like there was a lot in her journey that could resonate with people, and did resonate with me.
The best part of this book was Sofia's and Alex's relationships with their Puerto Rican heritage. Sofia grew up in a big family with lots of traditions, and Alex's family moved around a lot, so he doesn't feel as connected to his culture. The way they get to know each other is by Sofia showing Alex the ropes, by taking him out to eat Puerto Rican food and giving him some experience with her family's traditions. I thought this was so well done, and also it made me hungry! I enjoyed the Arizona setting, and getting to explore the area with these characters.
Unfortunately, I wanted more out of forbidden romance of it all than there really was. I don't know if other readers will feel this way but . Instead of forbidden romance, this one read more like a miscommunication trope, which would have been fine if that's what I thought I would be getting. I felt like we didn't really get a lot of tension or guilt, or quandaries on morality, or agonized yearning.
Compounded on this, I felt like the romance itself went from 0-100. I appreciated the tight nature of the narrative, no doubt, but when Sofia finally decides to make her move, it felt like it escalated quickly. We see Alex and Sofia interact a lot as friends, and I guess I didn't feel the chemistry in those moments building up that quickly to support those steamy scenes as much.
I've also seen this one called a "STEM romance" which I find a little frustrating and misleading. The two main characters both work in marketing, and Sofia's Matildas come from all fields, including non-STEM ones, like poets and authors and people in business. I just have to throw it out there that there's so much more in this one than just a STEM connection!
All-in-all, still a very fun romance novel, and it was fun to read Liana's transition into contemporary romance. No matter what she writes next, I'll be ready to read it!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
thank u to Berkley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review
Mutual Discord begins with Sofia Mendoza getting fired from her job where a male coworker takes credit for her work. This leads Sofia down the path of posting videos online of women throughout history whose accomplishments have not been properly credited or are often forgotten. It’s through this platform that Sofia connects with an anonymous online supporter. Things quickly change when she reunites with one of her good friends, Caitlin, and finds that the anonymous man in her comments is her friends new boyfriend.
The bones for a great story were there but unfortunately for me, Mutual Discord did not become a new favorite.
My main issue with the book overall was the aspect of “telling” instead of “showing.” There were numerous instances where the main character would just state, “we caught up,” “we talked about x y z,” but rarely did we get details into those conversations. The lack of detail, I believe, is what led to my lack of emotional attachment to the characters. The most glaring example of this was a little past half way through the story, our main characters are spending Christmas together and Sofia states, “we swapped stories of Christmases past, and it was lovely to get another peek at the experiences that made Alex who he was.” This seemed like a missed opportunity for the reader to get insight into those stories, so that we too could see what made Alex who he was. The underdevelopment of Alex was a big issue for me. Besides Alex having sisters and being a great feminist I feel like I knew very little of who he was. I also like when the male love interest is a little less than perfect, what are his struggles/flaws etc,. I think that aspect was missing for me as well.
I will say I really enjoyed reading about Puerto Rican culture and the dynamic in which Sofia was introducing and helping Alex get more in touch with his Puerto Rican side.
As a fan of Liana’s previous work, I obviously enjoyed how she highlights women in history—I’m always introduced to important female figures through her work. Although this one didn't really hit the mark, I still think this book has great Latine representation and I still found myself enjoying aspects of the story :)
Slight spoilers ahead?
Mutual Discord begins with Sofia Mendoza getting fired from her job where a male coworker takes credit for her work. This leads Sofia down the path of posting videos online of women throughout history whose accomplishments have not been properly credited or are often forgotten. It’s through this platform that Sofia connects with an anonymous online supporter. Things quickly change when she reunites with one of her good friends, Caitlin, and finds that the anonymous man in her comments is her friends new boyfriend.
The bones for a great story were there but unfortunately for me, Mutual Discord did not become a new favorite.
My main issue with the book overall was the aspect of “telling” instead of “showing.” There were numerous instances where the main character would just state, “we caught up,” “we talked about x y z,” but rarely did we get details into those conversations. The lack of detail, I believe, is what led to my lack of emotional attachment to the characters. The most glaring example of this was a little past half way through the story, our main characters are spending Christmas together and Sofia states, “we swapped stories of Christmases past, and it was lovely to get another peek at the experiences that made Alex who he was.” This seemed like a missed opportunity for the reader to get insight into those stories, so that we too could see what made Alex who he was. The underdevelopment of Alex was a big issue for me. Besides Alex having sisters and being a great feminist I feel like I knew very little of who he was. I also like when the male love interest is a little less than perfect, what are his struggles/flaws etc,. I think that aspect was missing for me as well.
I will say I really enjoyed reading about Puerto Rican culture and the dynamic in which Sofia was introducing and helping Alex get more in touch with his Puerto Rican side.
As a fan of Liana’s previous work, I obviously enjoyed how she highlights women in history—I’m always introduced to important female figures through her work. Although this one didn't really hit the mark, I still think this book has great Latine representation and I still found myself enjoying aspects of the story :)
Slight spoilers ahead?
August 18, 2026
Assuming a man and a woman are *in a relationship* simply because they enter a room together is the kind of understanding that only makes sense in a historical romance.
What I did love about this book was Sofia's series highlighting women throughout history whose work has been buried or stolen by men - there is even a glossary in the back, and there were several women I had never even heard of.
I also really appreciated the untranslated Spanish conversations between Sofia and her family and the celebration of Puerto Rican culture.
But this book was so repetitive it was actually painful. It's not so much inner turmoil as it was just repeating the same things over and over again. There was no tension! The only messiness was in Sofia's head the entire time.
This entire book was just Sofia not talking to two people who were supposedly her friends.
Being interrupted before clarifying questions or comments works once or twice, imo- but this continues to deploy the same tactic to avoid the truth until the very end of the book. It was frustrating for all the wrong reasons.
Sofia just suddenly decides to dissociate and kiss him. She immediately gets on her knees and they have sex. They continue to sleep together for an entire week while she just assumes he is cheating on her "best friend" ??
There was minimal fallout and and unsatisfying resolution. I am glad Sofia and Caitlin acknowledge how superficial their friendship really was and they agree to do better. but.. that's it?
In addition to feeling incredibly overwritten and repetitive, there was some harmful diet culture upheld by Sofia -who repeatedly tells us she is a curvy Latina woman- talking about punishing herself (by exercising) after eating something "fattening."
This is somewhat minor but I think speaks more to the need for more editing - the timeline discrepancies. Sofia is 31 at the beginning of the book, and 32 by the end with no mention of her birthday. Alex also says they've known each other 5 months at homecoming and *at least* 2 months pass because after not talking to him for 3 weeks, they celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas and after New Years they say they have known each other 6 months.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to read this book, and I hope that Liana writes another contemporary book because this had a lot of elements I felt I should have loved but it was just poorly executed.
Thanks so much to Berkley for the digital review copy
What I did love about this book was Sofia's series highlighting women throughout history whose work has been buried or stolen by men - there is even a glossary in the back, and there were several women I had never even heard of.
I also really appreciated the untranslated Spanish conversations between Sofia and her family and the celebration of Puerto Rican culture.
But this book was so repetitive it was actually painful. It's not so much inner turmoil as it was just repeating the same things over and over again. There was no tension! The only messiness was in Sofia's head the entire time.
This entire book was just Sofia not talking to two people who were supposedly her friends.
Being interrupted before clarifying questions or comments works once or twice, imo- but this continues to deploy the same tactic to avoid the truth until the very end of the book. It was frustrating for all the wrong reasons.
Sofia just suddenly decides to dissociate and kiss him. She immediately gets on her knees and they have sex. They continue to sleep together for an entire week while she just assumes he is cheating on her "best friend" ??
There was minimal fallout and and unsatisfying resolution. I am glad Sofia and Caitlin acknowledge how superficial their friendship really was and they agree to do better. but.. that's it?
In addition to feeling incredibly overwritten and repetitive, there was some harmful diet culture upheld by Sofia -who repeatedly tells us she is a curvy Latina woman- talking about punishing herself (by exercising) after eating something "fattening."
This is somewhat minor but I think speaks more to the need for more editing - the timeline discrepancies. Sofia is 31 at the beginning of the book, and 32 by the end with no mention of her birthday. Alex also says they've known each other 5 months at homecoming and *at least* 2 months pass because after not talking to him for 3 weeks, they celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas and after New Years they say they have known each other 6 months.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to read this book, and I hope that Liana writes another contemporary book because this had a lot of elements I felt I should have loved but it was just poorly executed.
Thanks so much to Berkley for the digital review copy
August 31, 2026
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.
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.
June 28, 2026
I’m reviewing this copy that Berkeley team sent me so thank you to them!
First off I was not expecting any of the drama and I loved it. This is about Sophia who loses her job and becomes viral on social media talking about women in history that were overlooked when Alex finds her social media he starts commenting and they become mutuals online. Shortly after her already really famous influencer best friend Caitlin introduces her to Alex in real life from there, It gets messy because Sophia doesn’t ask the questions that she needs to out of fear and some self-worth issues. The whole book kind of goes in a weird dramatic spiraling way where morals kind of way. Alex works for the Phoenix scorpions which is the women’s NBA team I loved Alex he is such a feminist and kind and dapper because he’s always in collared all black shirts and he’s Puerto Rican. Sophia is also Puerto Rican so he relocates to Phoenix, where Sofia lives. She now has a crush on her best friend’s man! The representation of the Puerto Rican culture. I always love when they talk about the culture and the ways that Latinos are spoken to about their Spanish.
be open minded because it’s not gonna go the way you think it is and I loved the way Liana wrote the drama for us solid romance book and her first in the contemporary romance genre.
First off I was not expecting any of the drama and I loved it. This is about Sophia who loses her job and becomes viral on social media talking about women in history that were overlooked when Alex finds her social media he starts commenting and they become mutuals online. Shortly after her already really famous influencer best friend Caitlin introduces her to Alex in real life from there, It gets messy because Sophia doesn’t ask the questions that she needs to out of fear and some self-worth issues. The whole book kind of goes in a weird dramatic spiraling way where morals kind of way. Alex works for the Phoenix scorpions which is the women’s NBA team I loved Alex he is such a feminist and kind and dapper because he’s always in collared all black shirts and he’s Puerto Rican. Sophia is also Puerto Rican so he relocates to Phoenix, where Sofia lives. She now has a crush on her best friend’s man! The representation of the Puerto Rican culture. I always love when they talk about the culture and the ways that Latinos are spoken to about their Spanish.
be open minded because it’s not gonna go the way you think it is and I loved the way Liana wrote the drama for us solid romance book and her first in the contemporary romance genre.
August 20, 2026
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley:
4/5 ⭐
I had the best time reading this book!
I have been on the hunt for more romance books written by Latina authors and I am beyond thankfull for the opportunity to read this one early.
As someone who grew up watching Telenovelas religiously, when I read this book had those vibes, I was absolutely sold. I loved the tension, the romance, and of course, the drama of this book.
I will admit, I was a bit skeptical with the whole "best friends boyfriend" but was pretty pleased with how the story worked with the trope, and I will admit I am a fan of messy romances every once in awhile.
As a Mexican-American, the conversation regarding identity was one I found myself relating to a lot. I think it was super important to talk about and I loved the representation, as well as the commentary on the book. It felt very validating to see myself in Sofia, despite her being Puerto Rican, the struggles of identity are universal experiences. I also really enjoyed being immersed in Puero Rican culture, and learning about their food. As well as the important work Sofia was doing with her series The Matildas. This book has so many layers. Spanning from culture, to conversations about identity, to highlighting the struggles and unfairness women face both in the span of history and in the current times.
I would really recommend this book and I'm thrilled to read De La Rosa's historical romances!
4/5 ⭐
I had the best time reading this book!
I have been on the hunt for more romance books written by Latina authors and I am beyond thankfull for the opportunity to read this one early.
As someone who grew up watching Telenovelas religiously, when I read this book had those vibes, I was absolutely sold. I loved the tension, the romance, and of course, the drama of this book.
I will admit, I was a bit skeptical with the whole "best friends boyfriend" but was pretty pleased with how the story worked with the trope, and I will admit I am a fan of messy romances every once in awhile.
As a Mexican-American, the conversation regarding identity was one I found myself relating to a lot. I think it was super important to talk about and I loved the representation, as well as the commentary on the book. It felt very validating to see myself in Sofia, despite her being Puerto Rican, the struggles of identity are universal experiences. I also really enjoyed being immersed in Puero Rican culture, and learning about their food. As well as the important work Sofia was doing with her series The Matildas. This book has so many layers. Spanning from culture, to conversations about identity, to highlighting the struggles and unfairness women face both in the span of history and in the current times.
I would really recommend this book and I'm thrilled to read De La Rosa's historical romances!
August 16, 2026
I tried, but this just really wasn’t it for me. I did like how the book focuses on Sofia’s Puerto Rican culture and also loved her TikTok series focused on women who have historically been overlooked.
That being said, though, most of the rest of this book just didn’t work for me. For being so smart and competent and independent, Sofia just sort of lacked common sense a lot of the time. Like asking one simple follow up question about the state of Alex’s relationship with Caitlin would have resolved 99% of the conflict in this book. All she had to do was not make assumptions.
Also, Alex seemed like a great brother and not a terrible man, but sometimes his feminism was written in a way that felt performative and a bit over the top. I get why his POV wasn’t included, but it would have made him feel more real I think if we got his perspective.
I didn’t hate this book, but I never felt super invested in them as a couple and even though Sofia really ended up *technically* doing nothing wrong, she was doing things that would have been wrong if her assumptions were true and I couldn’t really get past that to root for the two of them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!
That being said, though, most of the rest of this book just didn’t work for me. For being so smart and competent and independent, Sofia just sort of lacked common sense a lot of the time. Like asking one simple follow up question about the state of Alex’s relationship with Caitlin would have resolved 99% of the conflict in this book. All she had to do was not make assumptions.
Also, Alex seemed like a great brother and not a terrible man, but sometimes his feminism was written in a way that felt performative and a bit over the top. I get why his POV wasn’t included, but it would have made him feel more real I think if we got his perspective.
I didn’t hate this book, but I never felt super invested in them as a couple and even though Sofia really ended up *technically* doing nothing wrong, she was doing things that would have been wrong if her assumptions were true and I couldn’t really get past that to root for the two of them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2026
4 stars ⭐️ Giveaway/ARC Read
I won this book from an Instagram giveaway - which was totally unexpected! My copy of the book came signed, had a personalized written note, had a bookmark, and came with a beautiful piece of character art and I think that was super sweet and exciting! I even then ended up enjoying this book much more than I thought I would. 🤗
This book was cute and definitely had its moments. The "cheating" trope is something I never enjoy, but this book actually worked and I'm glad it was all cleared up. I was also happy that the miscommunication was quickly solved. I also appreciated how this book jumped right into the story, how the story was fast-paced, and how well this book just flowed overall. I also really loved reading and learning so much about influential women who have been erased from history. Hearing their stories was so important, especially in today's climate.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I'm very grateful that I won an ARC and this book definitely gets extra points because of all of the cute things that came with my copy! 🥰🤗
I won this book from an Instagram giveaway - which was totally unexpected! My copy of the book came signed, had a personalized written note, had a bookmark, and came with a beautiful piece of character art and I think that was super sweet and exciting! I even then ended up enjoying this book much more than I thought I would. 🤗
This book was cute and definitely had its moments. The "cheating" trope is something I never enjoy, but this book actually worked and I'm glad it was all cleared up. I was also happy that the miscommunication was quickly solved. I also appreciated how this book jumped right into the story, how the story was fast-paced, and how well this book just flowed overall. I also really loved reading and learning so much about influential women who have been erased from history. Hearing their stories was so important, especially in today's climate.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I'm very grateful that I won an ARC and this book definitely gets extra points because of all of the cute things that came with my copy! 🥰🤗
August 25, 2026
Even though I am not a fan of cheating books, I am a fan of Liana's, so there was no way I was going to pass on this one.
I loved Sofia. She's strong and so smart and I love how she was loyal and passionate. Alex is charming, good, and a walking green flag. Together they have instant chemistry, loads of support, and an actual interest in what the other does for work. The family aspect is wonderful and I really enjoyed reading about the Puerto Rican traditions and food. (OMFG THE FOOD)
Plot wise, it’s a good amount of will they/won’t they, but in a palatable way. Sofia and Alex spend a good amount of time together and they thrive as friends (which was so nice seeing the relationship grow from that foundation.) As we get to the “cheating” portion of the story, it wasn’t what I expected and I do like how it was handled.
Overall, it was easy to get behind and root for these two and while I would have liked just a bit more at the end, the epilogue was a good taste of their future.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
I loved Sofia. She's strong and so smart and I love how she was loyal and passionate. Alex is charming, good, and a walking green flag. Together they have instant chemistry, loads of support, and an actual interest in what the other does for work. The family aspect is wonderful and I really enjoyed reading about the Puerto Rican traditions and food. (OMFG THE FOOD)
Plot wise, it’s a good amount of will they/won’t they, but in a palatable way. Sofia and Alex spend a good amount of time together and they thrive as friends (which was so nice seeing the relationship grow from that foundation.) As we get to the “cheating” portion of the story, it wasn’t what I expected and I do like how it was handled.
Overall, it was easy to get behind and root for these two and while I would have liked just a bit more at the end, the epilogue was a good taste of their future.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
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