By: Andreina Rodriguez
We're all in for a Natalie Caña saga as the Vega Family Love Stories continues with Caña’s third book in the series, Sleeping With the Frenemy. This time, the story centers on Leo Vega, the fourth Vega sibling, and his push-pull relationship with Sofia “Sofi” Santana, his sister Kamilah’s best friend.
Out October 29 from Mira Books, Sleeping With the Frenemy picks up a year after A Dish Best Served Hot. Leo is still recovering from the bullet wound he took while protecting his family — a wound that forced him to take leave from the fire department. Eager to get back to work, he also hopes to mend his on-again, off-again relationship with Sofi. But while Sofi is ready to rebuild her friendship with Kamilah, she’s determined not to let Leo back into her heart — or her bed. Life, however, has other plans, throwing the two into an unexpected and tense roommate situation.
And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Vega Family Love story without some grandparent matchmaking — this time courtesy of Leo’s grandfather, Papo Vega, and Sofi’s equally crafty grandmother, Josefina.
We got a hint of this storyline in the previous book and I’ve been excited ever since to see how it would all unfold. Thankfully, it doesn’t disappoint.
Meanwhile, the book also centers on Kamilah and Liam’s wedding planning — bringing plenty of drama and stress along the way.
One of the joys of Caña's writing is her unfiltered portrayal of complex, layered characters. Sleeping With the Frenemy is packed with themes from enemies-to-lovers romance to familial love, chosen family, family healing, self-love, and confronting “daddy issues.”
Leo’s plan to return to work raises familiar tensions, as his family — each in their own way — wants to make sure he’s considering his health. As Caña writes, “Leo wanted so badly to tell them all to mind their own business. If he needed anyone’s advice, he’d ask for it. But he knew that they were only trying to help; it was what his family did.”
Even in Leo's aim to win Sofi back, we get a sense of just what it’ll mean for him to truly earn her love again.
Papo’s message to Leo challenges him to rethink what he brings to the table, telling him, “The time for all that ‘women need men’ nonsense is over. It’s time for us men to prove that we are worthy of them, not the other way around.” This resonates deeply with Leo, especially considering Sofi’s complicated history with her father — a relationship that has shaped her views on self-worth and her expectations of men.
Each book in the series has spotlighted one of the Vega siblings, starting with Kamilah and Liam in the first, then Saint and Lola in the second. In Sleeping With the Frenemy, we still see how these couples have grown, yet Leo and Sofi face their own unique challenges, reminding us that each path to happily-ever-after is one-of-a-kind. While Kamilah and Liam’s relationship sheds light on Leo and Sofi’s journey, each couple ultimately has their own hoops to jump through to reach that hard-earned happiness.
Though Leo and Sofi’s journey has its moments of frustration, Caña helps us understand each character’s unique struggles. Sleeping With the Frenemy captures the notion that love can be hard, but also shows that the hard work is what makes it meaningful.
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Visit our Bookshop to purchase a copy of Sleeping With the Frenemy.
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About the Author: Natalie Caña has been many things: a teacher of fun-sized to king-sized humans, a seriously unqualified softball coach, a scaredy-cat Halloween store manager, an Emmy award winning public television producer, and more. The one thing she’s ALWAYS been, since she first picked up a pencil, is a writer.
She loves to incorporate her you’ll-never-believe-what-just-happened-to-me personal experiences, enthusiasm for telenovela tomfoolery, and love for her Latinx culture into creating funny, heartfelt, and just a little bit over-the-top contemporary romances for characters who look and sound like her.
When she’s not writing in her peaceful, Hamilton-themed office, Natalie can most often be found engaging in shenanigans with most of her family (who almost all live within a ten block radius) or taking naps with her fur baby, Mr. Bruno Mars (Also known as, He Who Doesn’t Feel Like Doing Anything).
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Andreina Rodriguez is a journalist from Queens, New York. Her work appears on all 12 NBC local websites, Refinery29, CNBC, Latino Rebels, The Mujerista, #WeAllGrow Latina, and Modern Brown Girl.
You can follow her on Instagram @andreina_rod or @readwithandreina, and follow her work through andreinarodriguez.com.
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