Bien Leidos | The Ex-Perimento

The Ex-Perimento

Maria J. Morillo

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A woman enlists the help of her favorite musician to win her ex-boyfriend back in this sparkling romantic comedy set in Venezuela by debut author Maria J. Morillo.

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.

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Posts about this title from Bien Leidos

Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Jun 29

🇻🇪 HOW YOU CAN HELP VENEZUELA + BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

🇻🇪 HOW YOU CAN HELP VENEZUELA + BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS #booktokfyp #bienleidos #tomesandtextiles

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Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Feb 17

[Happy Tuesday, mis internet amigxs!\ \ Before I get to today's releases, I wanted to update you on a few things.\ \ I posted my #MeltIceBookStack this week and I encourage you to do the same to help raise funds for Minneapolis. While the news has been lauding ICE pulling back, news on the ground is dire. Your stack can help raise necessary funds for mutual aid to assist those in need.\ \ Thank you all so much for your support with the announcement last week that I was accepted into the News Creator Corps Trusted Creators Spring Fellowship! Classes begin next week. I can't wait to share more with you.\ \ DEADLINE TO VOTE FOR APRIL BOOK CLUB SELECTION IS TONIGHT! \ \ As a reminder, you have until TONIGHT to get your vote in for our April book club selection. Our genre is FANTASY for April. You can vote on Bindery and on Discord. So far, the results are slightly different on both platforms, so if you feel strongly about a particular choice, then get your votes in on both platforms before the deadline!\ \ ESPERANZA HOPE SNYDER AUTHOR CHAT REPLAY IS LIVE \ \ For those that missed the author chat last week with Esperanza Hope Snyder, here the link to the unlisted YouTube recording of our chat in case you want to check it out.\ \ GIVEAWAY FOR MARCH BOOK CLUB SELECTION: NOW I SURRENDER BY ALVARO ENRIGUE \ \

NOW I SURRENDER GIVEAWAY! I have 10 physical copies and 4 audiobooks of April Bien Leidos book club pick, Now I Surrender by Alvaro Enrigue, up for grabs for ALL BINDERY SUBSCRIBERS. (Lectores and Libritos members, you have an additional chance to win 1 audiobook and 5 copies in this post where the pool of entrants is significantly smaller). This giveaway is US only.\ \ TO ENTER: Just like this post and let me know in the comments whether you prefer a physical or audiobook copy. I'll pick a winner on Thursday, February 19th.\ \ Quick note on a February 10th release I forgot to mention: Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas released on paperback last week!\ \ And, finally, on to this week's releases...\ \ ROMANCE \ \ The Ex-Perimento by Marla J. Morillo (Audiobook) \ \ NONFICTION \ \ Citizenship: Notes on An American Myth by Daisy Hernandez (Audiobook) \ \ \ \ Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself by David Archuleta (Audiobook) \ \ xo,\ \ Carmen](https://bien-leidos.binderybooks.com/item/CTHHnVW1HFYRibb7iotm/)

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: February 17th Latine Book Releases

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Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Feb 14

[Happy Sunday, mis internet amigxs!\ \ I hope you're all having a great Galentine's/Valentine's weekend, if you celebrate. There are a number of updates and announcements plus an EXCLUSIVE GIVEAWAY for Libritos and Lectores members before we get to Tuesday's books.\ \ I posted my #MeltIceBookStack this week and I encourage you to do the same to help raise funds for Minneapolis. While the news has been lauding ICE pulling back, news on the ground is dire. Your stack can help raise necessary funds for mutual aid to assist those in need.\ \ Thank you all so much for your support with the announcement this week that I was accepted into the News Creator Corps Trusted Creators Spring Fellowship! Classes begin next week. I can't wait to share more with you.\ \ As a reminder, you have until Tuesday to get your vote in for our April book club selection. You can vote on Bindery and on Discord. So far, the picks are slightly different on both platforms, so if you feel strongly about a particular choice, then get your votes in before the deadline!\ \ Earlier this week, book club chatted with Esperanza Hope Snyder, and here is your exclusive early access link to watch the replay on YouTube.\ \

NOW I SURRENDER GIVEAWAY! I have 5 physical copies and 1 audiobook of April Bien Leidos book club pick, Now I Surrender by Alvaro Enrigue, up for grabs exclusively for Lectores and Libritos members. I'll have 10 additional copies of the physical book and 4 audiobooks for free subscribers in Tuesday's regular newsletter that you can also enter, but the pool of entrants is significantly smaller in this post. Giveaway is, unfortunately, US only. Just like this post and let me know in the comments whether you prefer a physical or audiobook copy. I'll pick a winner on Thursday, February 19th.\ \ Quick note on a February 10th release I forgot to mention that Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas released on paperback last week!\ \ And, finally, on to this week's releases...\ \ ROMANCE \ \ The Ex-Perimento by Marla J. Morillo (Audiobook) Venezuelan rom-com SET IN VENEZUELA about a girl who has her whole life mapped out for her and her boyfriend only to have him dump her after he graduates and then loses her job in the most public and humiliating way possible. She is temporarily hired onto a competition TV show and meets her favorite singer who volunteers to help her win back her ex...let's just say things don't do as planned. \ \ NONFICTION \ \ Citizenship: Notes on An American Myth by Daisy Hernandez (Audiobook) Daisy tackles citizenship through research, history, cultural criticism and memoir.\ \ \ \ Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself by David Archuleta (Audiobook) American Idol alum tells his coming out story--from Mormon teen to living his authentic life on American Idol as an international pop star.\ \ xo,\ \ Carmen](https://bien-leidos.binderybooks.com/item/H3HzPVEYlLqamznSNATE/)

EXCLUSIVE NEWSLETTER: February 17th Latine Releases

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Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Jan 8

My most anticipated 2026 Latine Releases

Part 1 of my most anticipated Latine book releases in which I go through my upcoming ARC reads -- part of my January challenge to post every single day of January 2026

Latine Book Bingo Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb1hMhuel1I&t=698s Latine Book Bingo Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crIo3beKmaE&t=107s

WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME Join Bien Leidos Book Club by joining my Bindery: https://bien-leidos.binderybooks.com/ Find me everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/tomesandtextiles

Opening credits illustrated and animated by the extremely talented Manuela Guillén: https://www.instagram.com/lazybeamarte/

#booktube #latinxbooks

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Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Jan 4

DAY 3 POSTING CHALLENGE: 2026 Latine Book Bingo Book Recommendations Part 1

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Posts about this book from across Bindery

Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Jun 29

🇻🇪 HOW YOU CAN HELP VENEZUELA + BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

🇻🇪 HOW YOU CAN HELP VENEZUELA + BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS #booktokfyp #bienleidos #tomesandtextiles

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Chanterelle Solace\ \ Sabie\ \ • Jun 1

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17 books that make me feel seen because ...

Is there any book(s) that you feel makes you seen? 👀

Books that make me feel seen belong to a lot of categories, including those that focus on found family, cozy fantasy and retellings. A lot of the themes that tie this books together are finding a place where you belong, having our stories told with the beauty and fairness they deserve and being accepted wholly for who you are 🤎

Each of this piles carry books that are in different genres, including Cozy Fantasy, Romance, Retellings and Anthologies to name a few but I saw myself in each of them! Sometimes it was the representation like Aicha, being a Moroccan Retelling as someone who is from there or a Muslim Romance in The Mis-Arrangement of Sanaa Saeed! I also saw alot of my struggles as a disabled/CI in Its all in your Head and there’s a piece of my in all of these books🥺

And the STEM field Related books will always have a special place in my heart because of how relatable it is as someone who works in the field!

And here is a list of all the books mentioned in this post: 🍄 It’s all in your head by Sabina Nordqvist 🍄 The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed by Noreen Mughees 🍄 The Between-Worlds B&B by Amy Mae Baxter 🍄 The Ex-Perimento by Maria J. Morillo 🍄 The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow 🍄 Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett 🍄 Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi 🍄 House of Frank by Kay Synclaire 🍄 Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal-Mohtar 🍄 A Witch’s Guide to Love and Poison by Aamna Quershi 🍄 The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru by Olesya Salnikova Gimore 🍄 The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean 🍄 Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui 🍄 Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity 🍄 One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford 🍄 Love and Other Brain Experiments by Hannah Brohm 🍄 Next Level Love by Shameez Patel

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Chanterelle Solace\ \ Sabie\ \ • Mar 11

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Poll:\ \ Have you read any of these books?\ \ \ \ Hi guys!\ \ I apologise as it's been a while since I've send an exclusive access email but it's been crazy with everything going around in the world and what with me struggling with my MH as I've had to adjust my medications for my chronic illness 😭\ \ While I dont have any lists for you guys, I thought I'd share this blog post and get back to it so let's talk about some of my favourite recent reads 👀 Let me know if you've read any of them and thank you to the authors, publishers and netgalley (if it was an eArc) for the Arc copies of all the books below\ \ Moroccan Folklore Fantasy: Aicha by Soraya Bouazzoui \ \ This is one of my HIGHLY anticipated Fantasy release of 2026 and I'm so thankful I got a copy of an Arc to read it in advance. This is a Moroccan Folklore that follows Aicha and Rachid in their fight against the Portuguese and colonialism.\ \ This was such a good story, a tale of Aicha, who grows up with a father that is part of the freedom fighters of their area against the occupiers. We watch the journey through Aicha's eyes and the costs of freeing themselves and their country from colonialism\ \ As someone who is half Moroccan, this book warmed my heart in the mentions of our food, tea, culture and traditions throughout it all. I need all the Meloui, Tagine and Atay that I can get as my heart misses Morocco (and the couscous!)\ \ A Tale of Yearning & Belonging: Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity \ \ Weavingshaw is a Gothic Fantasy Romance, which follows Leena Al-Sayer and Saint Silas. This is a BEAUTIFUL tale that focuses on what it means to be yourself in a nation that tries to strip that way. It discusses occupation, resistance, language and how we can never fit in the world we are in for so many reasons.\ \ The story is beautifully written, with lyrical prose and so much thoughts poured into it. You can see Heba's influence from her life in it as an Iraqi refugee who was born in Libya and grew up in Canada.\ \ I cannot praise Weavingshaw enough and I hope you love it as much as I did. I did get an eArc ad had to get the special edition for my collection.\ \ Finding love in the STEM Field & Experiments: Love and Other Brain Experiments by Hannah Brohm: \ \ Love and Other Brain Experiments is one I read in 2025 but i'm resharing it now as I annotate it! STEM Romance has a special place in my heart after I restarted my journey in reading Contemp. Romance in September of 2025 and I think Hannah does it amazingly in here, weaving Neuroscience and Memory in so beautifully with a Fake relationship between Frances and Lewis\ \ We see the relationship between the MCs blossom in a beautiful way, as they get vulnerable and learn to trust each other! And watching them learn to achieve their dreams together rather than someone having to sacrifice it? YESS!\ \ A Magical Realism with Ballets & Crows: The Apple and the Pear by Rym Kechacha \ \ The Apple and the Pear is set over a day, taking us through multiple characters in a Ballet set on a day called All Souls Day. This is a very lyrical work, one that takes us on a journey to show us just how intertwined peoples stories are and the impact of magic on art. It shows us what people would do for sacrifice, what we give up to gain in Art and Beauty and how creativity can go beyond magic.\ \ I do think this is perfect if you enjoy magical realism, Ballet and Crows!\ \ A Love that you didn't factor in your plan: The Ex-Perimento by Maria J. Morillo \ \ The Ex-Perimento was such a fun yet emotional read! You've got so many things, from rockstar MMC, FMC who grew up in the celebrity world with her mother and a beautiful setting in Venezuela (with a Latinx rep from an OwnVoice author). We meet Maria as she is going through a break-up and re-discovering herself, learning who she is outside of her plan. Alongside this, she discovers what love is meant to be and how she doesnt need to have all the answers\ \ I think as someone who is a planner, just like Maria, I related a lot to her and how hard it is to just let go and let life happen with you rather than you attempting to direct it.

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Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Feb 17

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Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Feb 14

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Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Jan 8

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Latine Book Bingo Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb1hMhuel1I&t=698s Latine Book Bingo Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crIo3beKmaE&t=107s

Opening credits illustrated and animated by the extremely talented Manuela Guillén: https://www.instagram.com/lazybeamarte/

#booktube #latinxbooks

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Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Jan 4

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