The Ex-Perimento by Maria J. Morillo

The Ex-Perimento is a reverse retelling of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days set in the author’s home of Venezuela. The story follows a relationship columnist who enlists the help of her favorite musician to win back her ex-boyfriend. OUT NOW!

Title: The Ex-Perimento
Author: Maria J. Morillo
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 17, 2026
Publisher: Berkley | Penguin Random House

About The Book:

In THE EX-PERIMENTO, twenty-seven-year-old Maria “Marianto” Camacho has her life all planned out. Her long-term boyfriend Alejandro will finally pop the question now that he’s out of medical school, and she’s expecting her big break at the at the digital magazine she’s devoted years to, Ellas, any day now.

Marianto’s meticulous plans fall apart overnight when, expecting a proposal, she secretly records Alejandro breaking off their four-year relationship. Even worse, she wakes the next morning to discover that instead of deleting the footage, she accidentally posted it to her company’s social media page. Now single and jobless, she comes up with an idea that is either delusional or ingenious—a juicy new article for Ellas that documents a series of romantic experiments to win back her ex. Thus begins The Ex-Perimento.

While she gets her career and love life back on track, she lands a temporary personal assistant gig on Venezuela’s hottest new singing competition. Her new boss? Simón Arreaza, the lead singer of her favorite indie band. When Simón stumbles upon her list of experiments and replaces all her less than perfect ideas with suggestions of his own, the pair strike up a deal. He will help Marianto win back Alejandro in exchange for a profile for Simón’s band at Ellas once she gets her job back.

But between the close quarters on set and the blurred lines of a budding friendship, Marianto and Simón find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other, caught in a whirlwind of unexpected romance.

tropes:
🧡 celebrity romance
🧡 teacher x student
🧡 love triangle
🧡 closed door romance
🧡 strangers to lovers
🧡 slow burn
🧡 latinx rom-com

About The Author:

Maria J. Morillo is a born and raised Venezuelan ESL teacher, translator, and author of love stories featuring Venezuelan women getting absolutely everything they’ve always wanted. When she’s not writing, you can find her leading the choir at her local church. She currently lives in Maturin, Venezuela, with her family.

Connect With Maria: Website | Goodreads | Instagram | TikTok | Newsletter

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