Exclusive Cover Reveal + Excerpt: Maria J. Morillo’s Debut Romance The Ex-Perimento
Though we’re only on the cusp of summer and most of us have barely made a dent in the stack of romance we’re intending to read over the next few months, it’s somehow already time to start thinking about 2026 releases in the world of publishing. (How??) And while many may have not yet heard of Maria J. Morillo’s debut novel, The Ex-perimento just yet, it seems fairly assured that you’ll be seeing its name fairly often months to come.
Described as a reverse retelling of the popular rom-com How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days flavored with the hopeful notes of contemporary adult romance, The Ex-perimento is set in the author’s native Venezuela and follows the story of Maria, a lifestyle columnist with a seemingly perfect life. But when everything starts falling apart—and the proposal she was expecting turns out to be a break-up instead—she’ll do anything to get her future back on track, including teaming up with her favorite musician in a wild attempt to reunite with her ex. (Sparks fly. You can see where this is going.)
Here’s how the publisher describes the story.
Maria “Marianto” Camacho is a planner. At twenty-seven, she has her life perfectly mapped out. Her long-term boyfriend, Alejandro, is perfect on paper, and she’s expecting a proposal any day now. She has a stable job as a lifestyle columnist at Ellas, one of Latin America’s biggest digital magazines. Her future is set; she’s sure of it.
Until everything falls apart overnight: Marianto loses her boyfriend and her job. But she’s determined to get them both back with an idea that is either delusional or ingenious—a juicy new article for Ellas that documents a series of romantic experiments to get her ex back. Thus begins The Ex-Perimento. With her bank account dwindling, however, Marianto lands a temporary gig on Venezuela’s hottest new singing competition show. Her job? Personal assistant to Simón Arreaza, the lead singer of her favorite indie band.
It’s only her second day on the job when Simón discovers Marianto’s list of romantic experiments, striking her ideas and replacing them with his own better ones. Out of desperation, she offers a proposition: Help her win back Alejandro, and she’ll give Simón’s band a profile in the magazine once she returns to Ellas. 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.
The Ex-perimento won’t hit shelves until February 17, 2026, but we’ve got an exclusive first look at the book’s colorful cover—as well as a sneak peek from the story itself!
Simón crosses his arms over the table separating us, leaning forward. “Start over.”
I frown, looking at his elbows resting on the sticky table. The smell of sizzling meat and French fries is so overpowering that I can taste the salt on my lips. I should have brought him somewhere nicer. Or at least somewhere we could hear ourselves think.
“Where did I lose you?” I ask, raising my voice over the music. What’s so hard to understand? All he has to do is tell me what to do so Alejandro realizes he loves me and does want to marry me before he uproots his entire life and moves six hours away.
Narrowing his eyes, Simón tilts his head to one side and furrows his nose. “The part where you said I can somehow help you get back together with your ex?”
“He’s not my ex,” I correct. “We’re on a break.”
“So, you’re broken up,” he says, like it’s two plus two.
“No.”
“There is no such thing as a break,” Simón adds.
“Yes, there is,” I push back. “I’m in one right now.”
Simón sighs, sitting up. He parts his lips to say something but stops when he notices our waitress approaching with steaming plates of burgers dripping cheese. The waitress places a beer in front of Simón and a Pepsi in front of me, followed by our respective meals.
She smiles at Simón, ignoring me altogether. “Can I get you anything else?”
“We’re good for now, thank you,” he says, looking at me for confirmation. I nod.
“A la orden,” the girl says, batting her eyelashes at him before she leaves.
“Do you think she knows who you are?” I ask, watching the girl make a beeline back to the counter.
Simón twists on his chair with a small frown, following my gaze. “No. People don’t usually recognize us unless we’re all together.”
His eyes have a glint of mischief when he turns back to me. My face heats at the reminder of our second meeting and what I said. I decide to ignore his jab for both our sakes.
“Does it happen a lot?” I ask. Simón lifts both eyebrows in question. “Getting recognized when you’re together.”
He shrugs, picking up his burger. “It happens enough.”
Gotta love the humility. Simon’s band Caballo de Troya is an underappreciated gem in the age of reggaetón. Soon enough every Spanish-speaking woman under thirty will be falling at their feet. The growth hasn’t been fast, but it’s been steady. And it’s been a real joy to watch.
“Alejandro recognized you,” I offer.
“Maybe he’s a bigger fan than most,” he says.
“And do you think you could help me get back together with your biggest fan?” I venture.
Simón’s playfulness melts. “Maria Antonieta—”
My chin dips to my chest as I cast my eyes down to my half-eaten burger. It was a long shot. Not to mention unprofessional. I’m here to make his life easier, not the other way around. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself as I gather my thoughts. I can feel the weight of his attention on me, heavy and warm, and it sends a shiver down my spine.
“I’m sorry.” I lift my gaze back to his. “That was out of line. Forget I said anything.”
“Hey, it’s okay.” Simón’s expression softens even more, and he reaches out to touch my arm lightly. “I understand wanting to hold on to something good, I do. I’m making a career out of that philosophy—”
I huff. “No kidding, I got a four-year-long relationship because the nerd from med school told me Una Vez Más reminded him of me.”
Simón leans back against his chair with a smirk. “Una Vez Más? You might be crazy, you might break my heart, but I’ll never know if I don’t see you one more time? That one?” I nod. “And you liked it?”
“Is there something wrong with that?” I ask.
Simón shakes his head. “This whole situation seems very complicated. I don’t think I should get involved.”
“You got involved when you edited my ‘Ways to Win Back Alejandro’ list,” I remind him.
“Well, your list was never going to work.” He pops a fry into his mouth.
“You don’t know that.”
He swallows, then tsks. “I do. I was doing you a favor, it didn’t mean I’d coach you through the process.”
“No, yeah, I got that,” I say, before taking a huge bite of my burger.
He won’t help me, but I was silly enough to ask. I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t go straight to Mileidy and requests a whole new assistant. In fact, I should beat him to it and quit.
Silence stretches between us, heavy and awkward. Yup. I’m quitting and moving cities until the show wraps, somewhere I’ll never run into him. Maybe that’s why Alejandro is moving. He thinks there’ll be less chance of us seeing each other if we live far enough away from each other.
Ten seconds later, while I’m still chewing, he fixes his eyes on me with a sigh as he runs a hand down his face. “Hypothetically—”
I perk up.
“Hypothetically,” he repeats, reading the hope that has surely entered my eyes. “If I were to help you, what’s in it for me?”
Oh. I hadn’t thought this far ahead. It’s a valid request. I can’t offer him anything in particular, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have anything to give.
“I could offer you the chance to contribute something meaningful,” I begin slowly, choosing my words carefully, “to someone’s life. To my life. You’d be helping someone who needs it and maybe even making a difference in their future.” I pause for effect before continuing in an almost breathless manner as the passion of my message begins to take hold of me. “You’d be offering me your friendship and support during a difficult time in my life and showing me that there are still people out there who care about others more than themselves.”
My voice softens as I look deep into his eyes, hoping that he’ll understand what I’m—
“So, nothing,” Simón concludes.
Okay, fine.
The Ex-perimento will be released on February 17, 2026, but you can pre-order it right now.
Lacy Baugher Milas is the Books Editor at Paste Magazine, but loves nerding out about all sorts of pop culture. You can find her on Twitter and Bluesky at @LacyMB