Heartbreak, Heat, and Latinx Joy: Why The Ex-Perimento is Your Next Read

Grab your copy of Ex-Perimento February 2026

#1 Ex-Perimento: A Book Review on Debut Venezuelan Author María J. Morrillo

There’s something nostalgic about María J. Morrillo’s debut novel Ex-Perimento. Yes, it’s technically a reverse retelling of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, but honestly? It stands perfectly fine on its own two Venezuelan legs. María “Marianto” Camacho is every Type A girly you’ve ever met (or been): she overthinks, she’s ambitious, she’s proactive, and she stresses herself into new dimensions of anxiety that only she can unlock.

We meet Marianto thriving as a journalist at Ellas, Latin America’s biggest digital magazine. She’s dating Alejandro, her long-term, newly-minted doctor boyfriend, aka the man she has fully planned a wedding board for. But when her carefully curated timeline combusts (via a breakup she did not schedule) and a social media mishap costs her the job she loves, Marianto is left with no choice but to go full chaotic-scientist. Her mission: run a series of romantic “experiments” to win back her ex.

#2  Ex-Perimento: Accidentally Meet the Lead Singer of Your Favorite Band

Ex-Perimento follows Marianto through an increasingly unhinged set of tests—evoking a cute couple's memory, acting unpredictable to scrub off the Type A shine, and, of course, the sacred ritual of the “accidental” text. (We’ve all done it. No judgment.)

As someone who devours romance novels like they’re a food group, I know the friends-to-lovers arc a little too well. I’ve memorized the patterns—the cute quips, the emotional stumbles, the manufactured drama. What I don’t often see is a romance that moves beyond those expected beats. What I don’t often see is a romance that slips out of the constraints of the usual tropes, where “friends to lovers” doesn’t automatically mean a wealthy white hero and an equally polished heroine destined for a Pinterest-perfect epilogue. Ex-Perimento refuses that template. It’s not a book that announces itself as “representation”, it simply lives it. Morrillo gives us a world where Spanglish flows naturally, Latinx families speak at a volume that is absolutely normal to us, and culture is woven into the story without pausing for footnotes.

“It’s not a book that announces itself as “representation”, it simply lives it.”

And then comes Simón Arreaza, the twenty-year-old lead singer of Caballo de Troya, a boy-next-door with superstar energy. Marianto absolutely does not love his band, definitely did not blast his music during the breakup, and certainly did not mortify herself by blasting it again in the car with him sitting right there. Nope. Not her. Couldn’t be.

#3 Ex-Perimento: Swoon Over Simón

Simón is the kind of character you fall for embarrassingly fast. Even when Marianto runs into Alejandro (because the classic Ex-Encounter always arrives on cue), Simón reads the situation immediately. When she tries to remind herself that Camacho women don’t cry in public, he just looks at her and says exactly what she needs to hear, “When he comes back, you’ll either be the strongest couple on the planet, or you’ll realize you actually don’t want to be with him anymore.”

Simón isn’t written as the stereotypical “fixer” or the cold, mysterious love interest who suddenly thaws. He’s twenty, yes, but emotionally he clocks in older than half the fictional men in contemporary romance. He notices. He listens. He gives Marianto space to be messy, heartbroken, and Type A to her core. He never treats her breakup like an inconvenience or a flaw. Instead, he meets her where she is and gently helps her step out of the emotional rubble she’s been sitting in.

He sees her heartbreak for what it is: real. And instead of trying to replace it or gloss over it, he wants to pull her out of it at her own pace. There’s a tenderness in the way he navigates her feelings, careful, perceptive, almost protective without crossing into overbearing. It’s refreshing to see a male character, especially a rising musician, hold emotional intelligence like it’s second nature.

It’s one of the many reasons this romance feels different. It breathes. It pays attention. And it lets Marianto rediscover herself without forcing her into the standard “strong heroine” mold.

#4 Ex-Perimento: Try Not to Create a Parasocial Relationship with Two Fictional Characters

The first half of the book is an absolute page-turner…like, “I-have-work-in-the-morning-but-one-more-chapter” levels of unhinged. Once Simón starts scheming with Marianto to win Ale back, the book doesn’t slow down because it isn’t exciting; it slows down because I physically couldn’t keep flipping pages without needing to breathe through the tension. I wanted to know what happened next, but I also wanted to stay suspended in that delicious Marianto–Simón moment. It felt like watching a slow burn ignite in real time: someone picks up the match, drags it against the box, and by chapter 16 the whole thing finally catches fire.

Both characters are desperate (and, let’s be real, desperate for each other), all while pretending this is strictly business. The catch to Marianto winning Ale back is writing a feature on Caballo de Troya, a band still clawing its way into the industry. And somehow, between “professional obligation” and “chaotic emotional meltdown,” you feel the hope rising on both sides. Their lives start to mesh together, quietly, then loudly, then all at once.

#5  Ex-Perimento: Receive True Chemistry, Real Representation

With every chapter, the chemistry between them builds in a way that makes you giddy. You feel as if you’re in the backseat third-wheeling but also cheering them on. The moments are small, intimate, comforting, each one stacking on top of the other until suddenly you realize, Oh. I’m fully invested now.

And then there’s jealous Simón, which—let’s be honest—is the favorite trope of all the BookTok girlies. There’s a karaoke scene (because of course there is) where their spark basically sprints into a full-on flame. The passion is so palpable you feel like you’re sitting in the corner of the room, pretending you’re not watching two people fall for each other in HD.

One of the things that sets Ex-Perimento apart from many mainstream romance novels is how deeply it invests in family—not as background noise, but as a living, shaping force. Morrillo makes Marianto’s family, especially her mother, an emotional anchor of the story. Their relationship isn’t just an aside; it’s part of the book’s heartbeat.

#6 Ex-Perimento: Where the Heart Goes to Heal

Marianto is navigating real contingencies here: Should she move toward Simón, whose career mirrors her mother’s and reopens all the wounds she thought she’d escaped? Or should she return to the familiar comfort of someone she has loved for years, even if that love came with cracks she ignored? It’s a complicated back-and-forth, messy, human, and intensely relatable.

Watching Marianto and her mother’s relationship evolve was genuinely comforting. The emotional pull felt real: the tug of loyalty, the weight of past hurt, the desire to build something healthier. This book didn’t just give me romance; it gave me a portrait of Latinx womanhood shaped by family, ambition, fear, and resilience. It filled me with joy to see a romance novel expand its world so thoughtfully.

“This book didn’t just give me romance; it gave me a portrait of Latinx womanhood shaped by family, ambition, fear, and resilience”.

I’m sincerely hoping for a sequel. This world demands space to grow. It deserves to be seen, talked about, and proudly displayed on everyone’s bookshelf. With a mother rooted in the entertainment industry, a love interest from the same world, and a heart still bruised from feeling unsafe and forgotten, Marianto carries more than just romantic tension. She carries generational weight and following her through it is a ride you absolutely want to be on.

So if you want a book that will make you laugh, flinch, kick your feet, and maybe text your ex (please don’t), this is the one.

Grab your copy of Ex-Perimento and make room on your shelf, because this one’s staying.