I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much that I'm going to buy the physical copy of it so I can read it again!

I really really enjoyed this book.

Fake dating normally isn’t my favorite trope, but the chemistry between these two wise so enjoyable. I love that they spotlighted quite a few different things, including race, ethnicity, and body image.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to others, and I loved it

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC. So this was such a sweet, and quick read! I feel like this would be a great summer read for anyone, especially the book lovers and librarians out there! The story was emotionally vibrant, swoony, spicy, good banter, the right amount of character development that made sense and was not rushed. Kudos, Gabriella!

I really enjoyed this book and the story and the drama. I felt like Both Theo and Marcela were so adorable in their own ways. I only wished I could’ve had Theo’s POV! He’s such a sweet cinnamon roll, and I wish I could just take him with me forever. I also really loved all the book references, library lore, and the side characters that were so rich, I just kept wanting more from them.

Thing I did not like – one word, BEN! He can kick rocks. How selfish can one man be, but I commend Gabriella (the author) for writing him so well that he gave me the literal ick. I will say the pacing towards the end was a little fast for me, but I still enjoyed it! This book was such a fun read for me, I was literally telling my friends about it, as I was reading.

I so wanted to love this book but after repeated pop culture references that made me physically cringe, dialogue that read like a teenager was speaking- rather than an adult, and just zero chemistry between the characters I didn’t enjoy it.

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez follows librarian Marcela Ortiz and Ex football player Theo Spencer. She’s in love with her best friend Ben who is engaged to Alice. Theo happens to be Bens older brother and he’s also in love with Alice. While at their rehearsal dinner Marcela discovers and stops Theo from telling Alice how he feels. They leave together which causes rumors to spread that they have something going on and they go with it. They start a fling to get over Ben and Alice and they truly get to know each other along the way. This was such a sweet and fun romance, Theo was such a sweetheart and very honest with Marcela. Marcela was very relatable and watching her confidence and self worth grow was beautiful to see. I love the way their relationship progressed. I dislike Ben with a passion and I love the way Marcela handled him at the end. We love heroes who support the FMCS love of reading so if you do too, run 🏃🏻‍♀️ and read this book! I can’t wait to read more from this author. 4.25⭐️

This book had me on the struggle bus. I will never forgive Marcela for ruining dinner (IYKYK).

Loved Theo’s ability to communicate well. He almost made up for Marcela’s complete inability to do so.

Theo’s gesture… 🥹🫠

I have a really hard time enjoying a book if I don’t like the FMC in it… and I really didn’t like the FMC in this one. I feel like her constant lying was frustrating and irrational. Additionally, Ben was absolute trash and her inability to see that elicited no sympathy from me.

It’s never a good sign when I’m spending more time hoping the two main characters DON’T end up together. 🙃 Theo absolutely deserved better.

What would you do if you were in love with your best friend who is engaged to another friend? What if the best friend's brother is in love with the bride? What could go wrong? In 'The Next Best Fling' by Gabriella Gamez, you're in for a rollercoaster of emotions and unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Marcela is in love with her best friend, who will soon be engaged. Heartbroken and unsure how to deal with the pain, she attends the engagement party, where she crosses paths with Theo, Ben's older brother. Marcela stops Theo from making a big mistake, only to accidentally start a rumor that she and Theo hooked up.

Theo is in love with Alice, the soon-to-be bride. He plans to break her and his brother up when he attends her engagement party. Marcela thankfully saves him from the pain of being rejected, but now everyone thinks they hooked up and are a thing. Can two people with broken hearts handle pretending to be together? Will they survive watching the people they love be happy together?

When I say, I sat down and read this book in one sitting…. I totally did! Theo and Marcela are such great characters. I love the growth they both go through in this book. I seriously couldn't get enough of them! I think they only thought that Theo also had a point of view. I would have loved to read about his side of things. I know he is an open book regarding his feelings, but seeing a little into his head would have been nice. Seriously, though, this book is super cute and fun to read! The writing style is engaging, and the plot keeps me hooked from start to finish.

Marcela Ortiz has always had a crush on her best friend, but when he gets engaged, she knows it’s time to move on. Things take a surprising turn when she finds out his brother, Theo Young, is planning to confess his feelings to the bride-to-be. Marcela steps in, leading to a pretend romance that quickly turns into something real. As sparks fly, Marcela and Theo find themselves dealing with complicated feelings and tricky family dynamics. I loved how Marcela’s insecurities were portrayed with such honesty—it’s something many women with similar body concerns can relate to. And Theo? He made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, which was so heartwarming. There were a few frustrating moments of miscommunication that had me wanting to shake some sense into the characters, but in the end, they all showed great personal growth. A big thanks to NetGalley, the author, and @ReadForeverPub for this sweet read!

He's in love with the bride, and she's in love with the groom, but will they fall for each other? The angst, the spice, the longing, the banter. Theo and Marcela did make each other better. Also, I need a dinner date at a library, STAT. The way that both of them have begun to trust in love again made me race through this novel until the end. This is a must-read for anyone who loves fake dating, no-strings-attached tropes.

Tropes:
-Librarian x Former Athlete
-Fake Dating / No Strings Attached
-Rebounds
-Personal Growth
-They make each other better
-Best Friends Brother
-Crushing on the Wrong Person
-Curvy Rep
-Latine Rep

Marcela and Theo stole my heart and ran for the touchdown. I hope that makes sense, I’m awful at understanding football — however The Next Best Fling did justice to my lack of knowledge and made me feel like I could actually comprehend the sport! Not a small feat, so hats off to you Gabriella Gamez. Sports aside, Theo and Marcela’s romance was a spitfire, a whirlwind, full of insane tension and some expertly written pining. I was crying, giggling, grinning, going through all of the emotions with this book. I couldn’t have asked for more, truly. I will be looking forward to any and all future publications from Gamez, this was one of my top reads for the year thus far!

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez is a debut contemporary romance featuring a plus-sized Latina librarian and a retired football star.

Marcela has unrequited feelings for her best friend, who just got engaged. Theo has been in love with his brother's new fiancée since they were kids.

This was charming! I was definitely rooting for Marcela and Theo the whole time. I especially loved the way Gamez wrote growth arcs. She does a great job of keeping the balance between trying to have lighthearted moments, but also have deep discussions about personal insecurities and gaining the courage to follow your dreams.

It was also very steamy, from a qualitative and quantitative standpoint. The chemistry between our mains is on-point, and the artist did an AMAZING job on the cover to help showcase it.

If you like books mentioned in your books you're in luck, because this series focuses on librarians! A grand gesture in this book is definitely the dream of many book lovers. I'm excited to see which librarian we'll focus on in the next book!

Tropes in this book include: best friend's brother, forbidden, fake dating, rebound, cinnamon roll hero

CW: parental abandonment (prior to book), codependent/toxic friendships, fatphobia (prior to book and on page)

Marcela Ortiz has long been in love with her best friend, but his engagement forces her to move on. When she discovers that his brother, Theo Young, plans to confess his feelings to the bride-to-be, Marcela stops him, leading to a fake relationship that quickly turns real. As Marcela and Theo navigate their unexpected attraction, they face complicated emotions and family dynamics that challenge their budding romance. Marcela did have share her insecurities which I thought was very honest in a way that I think most woman who are in a bigger body could relate. I am glad that Theo made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman. There are repetitive conversations, including miscommunication, between characters throughout the book and I just wanted to shake some sense into them, but I did think the characters were able to demonstrate a good amount of personal growth. Thank you Netgalley, the author and @ReadForeverPub

I appreciated that this book included a lot of representation for communities that don’t always get to see themselves on the pages of romance novels, including plus size women, Latina women, and asexual women (in Marcela’s best friend). I also enjoyed the library setting and general book advocacy throughout. I thought the book was well written, and Marcela was extremely realistic…unfortunately, the result was that she was also frustrating to read because her insecurities and pining after Ben were so obviously not healthy to an outside observer. I also found that I prefer when books like this include the dual perspective, because Theo was such a black box, making it harder for me to find him attractive as a romantic hero. Not a personal favorite, but I would be open to reading more by this author in the future as I think she has an interesting and unique voice.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc!


I really like this book. I am just going to put a short review for now because I want to and I need to sleep. But this book was cute and heavy at the same time. BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Ben is such a bitch and that is crazy.

Thank you so much for the publisher for the ARC of this novel.
Over all I really enjoyed this story. The growth of Marcela throughout the novel was great to see. I really enjoyed the troubles that she and Theo worked though with their pasts. The story definitely resonated with me and I can not wait to read more from Gabriella in the future!

Gabriella Gamez's debut novel, The Next Best Fling, is a delightful and captivating read that offers so much more than your typical romance. Gamez skillfully crafts a story full of genuine emotion, complex characters, and palpable chemistry that makes this book a standout.

Marcela Ortiz, the protagonist, is a librarian with a heart full of unspoken love for her best friend. Her journey of moving on from that unrequited love is anything but smooth, and it’s made even more complicated by the entrance of Theo Young, an ex-NFL player and the older brother of Marcela's long-time crush. The chemistry between Marcela and Theo is electric from the moment they meet, and Gamez masterfully builds the tension between them, making every interaction sizzle with anticipation.

One of the strongest elements of The Next Best Fling is the way Gamez handles miscommunication—a trope often met with mixed reactions in romance. Here, it’s done in a way that feels incredibly real and relatable. Marcela’s hesitations and insecurities are laid bare on the page, making her struggles deeply personal and moving. The authenticity with which these emotions are portrayed makes Marcela’s journey all the more compelling.

The plus-size representation in this novel is also worthy of praise. Marcela is a character who feels real in every sense, and her body image is depicted with a refreshing honesty that’s often lacking in romance. Gamez doesn’t shy away from the complexities of Marcela’s feelings about herself, and it adds a rich layer to her character that makes her incredibly relatable.

While this book has so much to offer, my only disappointment lies in the single POV. As much as this is Marcela’s story, I found myself yearning for more insight into Theo’s thoughts and emotions. His character is intriguing, and there’s a depth to him that I wish had been explored further. I believe Theo has more to give us, and his perspective could have added another dimension to an already engrossing story.

I listened to the audiobook version of The Next Best Fling, narrated by Ruby Corazon, who did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life. Her narration added an extra layer of emotion to the story, making the listening experience truly enjoyable.

In summary, The Next Best Fling is a spicy, heartfelt, and thoroughly enjoyable debut that leaves you rooting for Marcela and Theo from start to finish. Gabriella Gamez has proven herself to be a writer to watch, and I can’t wait to see what she delivers next.

I did enjoy this romance! It was not the big 5 star read that I thought it might be, but it was great! My opinion might have been different if I had read it a bit slower, but I did read it pretty quickly.

This was overall a wonderful debut novel by Gabriella Gamez! Marcela was a delightful character, the most dedicated librarian and a ride-or-die friend, and loved her curvy girl rep. I didn't love how she was handling herself at the beginning of the book and the way she was essentially torturing herself by remaining friends with this man she's had a huge crush with unrequited feelings, but the more I read she really grew on me. And Theo is both the hot NFL footballer, but somehow simultaneously THE BIGGEST cinnamon roll and has so much depth, I loved him from jump! Though there was a lot of back and forth, both of them had a lot of the past to get over, and their own issues, I really enjoyed seeing their feelings for each other blossom. There was so much growth done by not only the two main characters, but also some of the supporting characters, and I absolutely loved the justice that was served at the end of the book!

All in all, this was a really enjoyable read and I can't wait to read more from this debut author!

I absolutely LOVED this story. The angst, the spice...the swoon!!

Theo is ideal Book Boyfriend material. A big, bad ex-NFL football player with a heart of gold who is honest about his feelings and unafraid to put it all out there. Could it get any better? Marcela was so relatable as a heroine. She is the friend who always puts herself last even to her own detrimant, a librarian who loves to read and who struggles with her own body image. I appreciate when plus size heroines are represented realistically and Gabrielle Gamez did justice for Marcela and her insecurities without the glossing over how it effects her but also not making it her whole personality. The chemistry between Theo and Marcela was FANTASTIC and, despite the unsettled feelings the two of them had with other people, the slow-burn of their romance was perfection and 100% worth the journey.

This was just one of those books that gave me a warm, cozy feeling in my chest and I was sad when it was over. I will absolutely be rereading this one!!

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

First thing first, the beautiful cover is everything. This book had some unique twist and turns. You will definitely enjoy the banter and chemistry between Marcela and Theo. Marcela loves her best friend who is now engaged. Then there's Theo who is in love with his brother's fiancé and wants to confess his love. Marcela stops him and the chemistry starts there. Although the picture is of a plus size woman and thick man, there wasn't any focus on weight and I loved that. Theo is definitely book boyfriend material.