The Wedding Crasher

A fake relationship upends the lives of two fiercely independent protagonists in Sosa’s brilliant follow-up to The Worst Best Man. When Brazilian American Solange Pereira crashes white stranger Dean Chapman’s wedding-of-convenience, she stumbles on a reason why the couple shouldn’t get married and stops the ceremony. To make up for it, Solange agrees to pretend to be Dean’s girlfriend to help him land a partnership at his law firm—and she eventually calls in the same favor to cover a lie her mother told her judgmental aunt. Solange is holding out for true love, while Dean doesn’t believe in love, thanks to his mother’s tumultuous romances. Both agree to keep things strictly for show—but as they share secrets, build an easy camaraderie, and discover mind-blowing sexual compatibility, this proves easier said than done. Meanwhile, their busybody families (Solange’s cousins are a hoot) conspire to push them toward each other. But when Dean’s mother grieves another failed relationship and Dean learns that Solange has been keeping a secret, his pessimism about romance may spell their doom. Sosa takes incredible care developing this slow-burn romance, delivering characters readers will want to hang out with and plenty of belly laughs. With a smooth mix of cultures and a heartwarming narrative of self-discovery through love, this is an invigorating take on a favorite trope. Agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. (Apr.)