4.75 stars
I have so many feelings about this book (they're all good!)!! What starts as a plot to use each other and get over the love they have for their friends turns out to be the best decision they can make. Marcela and Theo start as an unlikely pairing that realize they're more alike than initially thought. The connection they have with one another is constantly evolving and I love how they go with the flow even when they're both in the deep end.

I truly cannot believe this is a debut for Gabriella Gamez. It is a well rounded novel with so much feeling and thought and development and is just so incredible. You can tell that Marcela has qualities of a real person and her inner monologue reminded me of my own. Her character development is ongoing and I am so happy that we get to know her so well.

The ONLY downfall about this book is that I wish it was dual POV. The lack of Theo's POV doesn't take anything away from how good this book is, it would just add another tick in the pros column. I really wanted to know what was happening in Theo's head because he is such a complex character and I wanna know his thoughts about everything that happens and learn more about him!

I cannot recommend this book enough. I will definitely be re-reading and I hope everyone gives this book a chance because it is SO good.

Thank you so much for this eARC!

THIS BOOK ITS EVERYTHING THAT ITS GOOD IN THIS WORLD AND I CANT STOP THIKING ABOUT IT I NEED EVERYONE TO READ IT AND ADD IT TO THEIR TBR BECAUSE IT JUST SOOO CUTE AAAAHHHHH

Final Thoughts

This was a really fun read, lots of giggling, great chemistry, our MMC is a giant teddy bear (Theo-bear?) of a man who is great at being open and communicating with or FMC. I loved their relationship and thought it felt very real and natural.

What I loved...
- MMC & FMC are 30+
- FMC is curvy/plus-sized (although the specifics are a little ambiguous)
- FMC is a librarian and a book lover
- the banter in the beginning of this was 🥵
- MMC is a big boy NFL player and everything about him sounded sexy tbh
- chemistry between the MMC + FMC is 🔥
- he buys her books... do you really need any other reason to read this
- her best friend, the one she is in love with, is an absolute piece of trash (and yes I'm counting that as a positive!)

What I didn't love...
- The pacing at the end of the book - it felt like more than one chapter at the end could have been cut out.
- our FMCs confidence was wavering at best and I was very frustrated multiple times in regards to this. I understand that in the real world our confidence can waver but I felt like there were way too many wavering moments for a romance heroine, I want my plus-size/curvy queen to feel real (read: have not confident moments) but I also want her to be a role model (read: have the confidence that perhaps some of us in the real world are still working on)

Final score 4.5⭐️
- despite the pacing issues at the end this was a really great read and have more to offer than your average romance!
Spice: 1 🌶️
- there is maybe 2-3 explicit scenes and they are very tame

6/30/2024 Thoughts
Can’t decide how I want to rate this so I’m going to sleep on it. I loved the first 90% of this book and thought for sure this was a 4.5⭐️ romance but then the last 10-15% of the book happened and it feel like a waste of my time.

I’ll sleep on it and come back to this in the am.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘The Next Best Fling’ by Gabriella Gamez is her debut novel and I have to say she did a slam dunk with this book. Right from the start I was able to get into the book and from the moment I started reading I couldn’t put it down. The way she built the world and how the fling became something more was a nice read.

The only downside I found with this book was with Marcela. You would go thinking great she is moving on and able to work through the issue, but it was brought back again. What I love is Theo didn’t give up on her and was there for every moment making sure she could move on. Even with this downside, I am giving it 4 stars. The journey these characters had to take during the story was worth the read and made up for that.

If you are looking for some spice ‘The Next Best Fling’ has that as well. The sizzle between Marcela and Theo was so good and burned up the page when they were together. ‘The Next Best Fling’ has a sizzle rating of 3.

This book comes out July 9th and will be available wherever you get your books. If you want to keep up with Gabriella Gamez, make sure to head to her website. And you can pre-order the book here.

*Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

What an absolute delight of a debut! A fake dating meets best friend's brother meets he falls first that had me gasping and giggling with each page. Marcela and Theo are just perfection together, with her bringing out this soft and sweet side of him that I wasn't expecting. On the other hand, he helps Marcela become confident enough to say NO to icky Ben (seriously so so so icky). And god the way Theo just effortlessly throws her around in the bedroom was SO HOT. Also the way this man puts in the effort? Next level. That date was just everything and so personalized to her. I really enjoyed the plot of this romance, especially with how it subverts the third act break-up trope.

I cannot WAIT for Angela's book because she deserves someone that makes her ace heart go flutter.

I absolutely LOVE this book! I cannot wait for the audio to come out so I can reread. The angst, the growth, the love. UGH. It’s so great. There were definitely some content warnings that people need to beware of, but they were handled with love and care. Such a great debut novel

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I do love a good librarian/any other occupation trope. As is the demanded trend these days, the male lead had a sports related job (very recently retired from NFL, the author thankfully spared us from sportsball details like position and … stuff?). The hook that drew me in was the mirrored position both main characters found themselves in, being in love with a couple who had just announced their engagement and how they chose to cope with that. I thought the author did really well, saving back a crucial bit of information which makes some things make sense historically. Also, I didn’t have to hear about football actually happening on page, so huzzah!

Despite desperately pining after her best friend Ben for nearly a decade, Marcela Ortiz is not going to let anything get in the way of his happiness and ruin his engagement—especially not Theo Young, his older brother who has been pining after the bride-to-be Alice for even longer. What starts as a well-meaning attempt to stop Theo from confessing his feelings to Alice becomes something more when everyone sees Marcela and Theo leave the engagement party together and wrongly assumes the following day that the pair hooked up. But as they continue their fake relationship, real feelings start to develop and the couple begin to realize that their plan may have worked just a little better than they ever expected.

First off, let’s hear it for the librarians who are doing their best to create safe spaces and fight back against book bans in order to create spaces that will allow people—especially youth—to feel safe to explore who they are and who they want to become. Marcela is everything I could have hoped for as a main character, insecurities and all. And truly, how can anyone have anything but high standards when a character like Theo exists? An ex-NFL who isn’t afraid to explore his softer side and takes his time to learn about the interests of the woman he loves? Yes please!

And just as strong as the leads are, Gamez creates a sneakily villainous character in Ben. Though the story is told strictly from Marcela’s (rose-colored) POV, it’s clear to anyone on the outside looking in (both characters within the story and the reader) that he is not everything that Marcela has built him up to be in his head. Gamez finds a way to somehow convince the reader of Marcela’s view of Ben while still showing how sinister he can truly be underneath. While it takes time for Marcela to unravel the side of Ben that's she's never seen, the reader already has a sense of what is hiding under the surface while still discovering at her pace.

I never really expected to read about messy straight people in a love square and I sure didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, but here we are! These four people have been so intertwined for so many years and now that there are big changes afoot, everything is really coming to a head. Gamez has a way of taking something that could become extremely convoluted and confusing and painting a picture that is easy to follow and draws you in.

As I often find myself doing when I know a romance is the first in a series, I kept my eyes peeled for hints as to what is coming next and I am happy to report that I think the seeds are perfectly planted. Gamez gives just enough hints to keep us guessing and wanting to come back for more and I, for one, can’t wait to see what comes next!

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review.

Gabriella Gamez's debut novel, "The Next Best Fling," is a brilliant story with awesome characters and a whole lot of chaos. While reading you will find fake dating, a BFFs older sibling, a hot librarian, an ex-NFL star and a great Rom-Com! The characters and world building are absolutely awesome and so much fun. What more could you want in a romance?

Marcela's world is upended when she learns that her lifelong crush and BFF, Ben, is engaged. As if that’s not enough drama, Ben’s brother Theo drops another bombshell—he’s planning to confess his feelings for Ben’s fiancée at the engagement party! Of course Marcela steps in to prevent the chaos that the confession would have caused. However, the next day, while at brunch together, and everyone assumes they're a couple. A wild thought for them, but easier than explaining why they are together so they decide to roll with it and keep up the fake dating charade.during all of the wedding drama.

This story is full of funny banter, spicy twists, a dramatic groom to be however the fake dating leads to some real feelings between Marcela and Theo. Together they find hot sex, face fears, embrace changes and new beginnings and follow their hearts. And my favorite part- Marcela learns to love herself- flaws, quirks, and all.

This debut novel by Gabriella Gamez is one of my favorites of the summer and I hope to be reading her next novel soon!

Get ready for Gabriella Gamez's debut novel, "The Next Best Fling," where you'll encounter fake dating, a best friend's brother, a hot librarian, and an ex-NFL star. Seriously, what more could you want in a romance? Marcela's world is shattered when she learns that her lifelong crush, Ben, has just gotten engaged. As if that’s not enough drama, Ben’s brother Theo drops another bombshell—he’s planning to confess his feelings for Ben’s fiancée at the engagement party! Marcela steps in to prevent the impending chaos, but the next day, they end up at brunch together, and everyone assumes they're a couple. So they decide to roll with it and keep up the fake dating charade.

Not only is this story packed with hilarious banter and spicy twists, and a narcissistic brother/best friend, but in the midst of all the fake dating shenanigans, Theo and Marcela stumble upon the real deal when it comes to love. Their escapades are more than just hearts and flowers - they're about facing fears, embracing new beginnings, and having the guts to follow your heart. And as Marcela navigates this crazy ride, she learns to love herself just the way she is - flaws, quirks, and all.

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Gabriella Gamez and I look forward to whatever she writes next!

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Gabriella Gamez and NetGalley for the ebook arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

📚🏈The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez 🏈📚

Marcela Ortiz has been in love with her best friend Ben Young for the past ten years. The problem is, for eight of them, Ben’s been dating Alice and they just got engaged. Marcela knows it’s long past time to get over Ben, but she never expected a rebound to fall into her lap in the form of Ben’s brother Theo. Theo is also harboring a secret unrequited love, making him the perfect candidate for a short lived, no strings fling.

There are so many things to enjoy in this book! I loved Marcela and Theo together as they navigated their way through a very complicated situation. Theo scores major points for many reasons, from his A+ communication skills to his absolutely epic grand gesture gift. There were times were Marcela frustrated me, especially before she sees the light about Ben. Ben was truly The Worst™️ and I was glad at how his arc played out.

Overall I’d recommend this to romance readers and I look forward to what Gabriella Gamez writes next. I love that this was also a love letter to books and libraries and I imagine the next Librarians In Love book will be too!

There are some heavy topics to be aware of: parental abandonment (past), toxic relationships, fatphobia (past and present)

Marcela ha estado enamorada de su mejor amigo (Ben) por una década y cuando se entera que le propondrá matrimonio a su novia se le rompe el corazón.

Theo, el hermano de Ben está enamorado de Alice, la prometida y planea decirle como se siente y pedirle que le de una oportunidad, pero Marcela lo impide.

No hay desarrollo en la relación de los protagonistas, en un momento ella está enamorada de Ben, al otro le gusta Theo y luego vuelve a sufrir por el otro.

Las veces que M y T tuvieron relaciones sexules fueron a causa de interacciones por parte de alguno de ellos con Ben o Alice, o sea sólo fueron por despecho.




Me cayó mal Marcela cuando admitió que seguía siendo la amiga del tipejo porque esperaba tener una oportunidad para robarselo a Alice. Si hubiera tenido dicha oportunidad no le habría importado que fuera por infidelidad.



Espero que Alice tenga su libro y sea feliz.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars The Next Best Fling is a delightful debut novel filled with charming characters and emotional depth.

Librarian Marcela Ortiz has been in love with her best friend, Ben, for years. So when Ben gets engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Alice, Marcela knows it's time to finally move on. At Ben and Alice's engagement party, Marcela discovers that Ben's older brother, ex-NFL player Theo, plans to drunkenly confess his feelings for Alice and Marcela promptly stops him, allowing Theo to sleep it off on her couch. When the two show up to brunch together the next morning, everyone mistakenly assumes Theo and Marcela hooked up--which they don't deny. The two agree to continue the lie and to use each other to get over the bride and groom. Soon, Theo and Marcela discover a real attraction between them and begin to explore it, with feelings developing on both sides despite an agreement to keep it casual. Could this fling become the real thing?

Gabriella Gamez wrote a book with the perfect blend of swoon, spice, and emotional scenes. There's a lot of personal growth for all of the characters and you'll find yourself easily rooting for Theo and Marcela. Both main characters are easy to love since they are truly good people and are too sweet together. If only Theo wasn't a Cowboys player...Go Birds! 🦅 😉

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the ARC 💗 The Next Best Fling releases July 9th!

Such a fun read! The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez is a contemporary romance about two broken-hearted people finding solace in each others’ arms. Marcela Ortiz has been in love with her best friend for nearly a decade, and for all of those years, she’s harbored the hope that he would see her in the same light. Those hopes come burning down when he announces his engagement to his long-term girlfriend. Crushed she really doesn’t want to attend the engagement party, but as best friend to the groom, it’s kind of a requirement. While there, she finds she isn’t the only one crushed. Theo Young, the brother of the groom-to-be, is rehearsing his own speech to Alice, the soon-to-be bride. Knowing what a big mistake he is about to make Marcela steps in and takes him home. A misunderstanding leads everyone to thinking they hooked up which brings an opportunity to Theo and Marcela neither was expecting.

As I’ve already said but it bears repeating, this was such a fun read. One mishap after another leads Theo and Marcela into a no-strings-attached relationship, a “reboundship”, that will hopefully help them get over their first loves. These two are so much fun together. Because of the no-strings rule and the fact they both admit to having feelings for someone else from the beginning, it allows our two MCs a chance to be honest, sometimes brutally, with each other. I loved this open and honest communication. Now, I will say it gets off to a rocky start with Marcela hiding who she is getting over, Theo’s brother. The banter between them and the camaraderie makes for an excellent read. I found myself laughing and tearing up all within the same few pages throughout the book.

The tension that builds between Marcela and Theo drives the story. Their relationship starts off as no strings, but they quickly build a friendship, and from there romance ensues. I loved how the author introduced us to both of them. The story is told entirely from Marcela’s point of view, yet there is a lot of character growth that happens for both of them. But it isn’t all about Marcela and Theo. I loved the side characters we are introduced to, Angela being my favorite.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Next Best Fling. This one hit on all my favorite tropes: fake relationships, friends to lovers, etc. It was so easy to root for them that I found myself frustrated with Marcela at times for her own doubts. If you enjoy contemporary romance or you are looking for a fun beach or weekend read, I highly recommend this one.

Marcela is shocked when her best friend proposes to his very longtime girlfriend - only to be caught off guard when his brother, Theo, comes to town. Theo comes with regretted-love-from-afar baggage of his own.

Their first encounters are awkward and inconvenient, both hiding their feelings for others for so long. Facing reality, what will they do?

A spicy read with fun, awkward, memorable, and tense moments sprinkled in, you get to know the characters and those around them. No one's perfect, everyone has their perspectives, and it paints a realistic community. I really enjoyed this debut from Gabriella Gamez!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Forever/Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

The Next Best Fling is a creative premise that leads to a fake dating romance. Gabriella Gamez puts her characters in emotional high stakes situations while making them feel like real people.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Librarian Marcela is devastated when her friend Ben, who she’s been crushing on for years, tells her he’s getting engaged to his girlfriend Alice. She forces herself to go to their engagement party and spots Ben’s football player brother Theo. Theo’s been in love with Alice since they were in high school, and is determined to reveal his feelings at the party. But Marcela manages to talk drunk Theo down, and whisks him away to her apartment. When they show up to brunch together the next day, everyone assumes they hooked up. Then they kiss to keep up the pretense and—uh oh—it’s amazing. So Marcela and Theo decide to continue the farce and maybe help each other get over their unrequited love. But what happens when their plan works, and their feelings are a lot more than just a rebound?

I enjoyed this story a lot. I think the setup of “she has to stop him from breaking up his brother’s engagement and fake dating is the solution” is a fun one. Theo is a sweetheart who gets a bad rap from his family, especially Ben. Marcela is a realistic character, and her supportive friendship with her bestie Angela is fantastic. I also love the Latinx and curvy rep. And who doesn’t love a YA librarian?

I adore this premise, but I got frustrated with Marcela at times. Logically I know it’s all part of her character arc, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to clear up a variety of miscommunications much earlier on in the story. And, since Theo has plenty of issues of his own to work through, I would have liked to see his POV too.

The Next Best Thing is a creative premise and an ode to librarians everywhere. If you are a fan of complex family dynamics and, of course, fake dating, you’ll enjoy Gabriella Gamez’s steamy debut romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a charming story. Theo and Marcela are each in love with half of the newly engaged couple - he with the bride marrying his brother and she with said brother who is her best friend. When Marcela stops Theo from rushing into the engagement party to declare his undying love for the bride, everyone assumes that by leaving the party together, they left "together." What starts as a cover-up quickly becomes more: the perfect rebound.

I really liked Theo. He's dealt with more than his share of challenges in his life, including an estrangement from his brother. Marcela has body image issues and now doesn't trust men. I love characters who are flawed in real, every day ways, when I can see myself in them. The evolution of their relationship is sweet, funny, touching, and simply real.

Now, lest you think this is just a sweet book, let me assure you that there is definitely spice. And drama. And the drama gets good. To the point where I was yelling, "I knew it!" This is a great, relaxing read, and moves quickly. Perfect for a summer weekend.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Next Best Fling is a fun, promising debut that managed to sell me on one of my least favorite tropes, friends-with-benefits by focusing on some of the core elements of the dynamic, while also not forgetting the emotional investment throughout.
Marcela is incredibly relatable. Starting with the obvious, I love that she’s a librarian who generally loves her job. Her unrequited feelings for her best friend are also painfully realistic, and I couldn’t help but feel for her watching him marrying someone else. Theo, meanwhile, is her best friend’s older brother, who happens to have unrequited feelings for the bride. This setup was so fun, and I loved how things progressed from there.
The dynamic between the two is super sweet. Marcela has some baggage she’s reckoning with, being jaded about love and relationships due to her parents’ divorce. Meanwhile, Theo is a sweetheart and very in touch with his feelings. I loved the patience he had with her, as well as the overall supportive foundation they built with each other, which translated beautifully as they began to explore their feelings for each other.
This was a solid debut romance, and I hope to read more from Gabriella Gamez in the future. I recommend this book to readers looking for lighthearted contemporary romance.

This was a strong debut from Gabrilla Gamez. I thought I knew where the arc of the story was going and I didn't, at points. I'm unsure if I enjoyed that or if I thought it would have been tighter if it followed the beats I was expecting it to. It's a messy story about messy people and I enjoyed how much they leaned into that. I also thought Angela's coming out scene to Marcella was so unexpectedly sweet. I hope the next book in the series is about her.

I wish there was a bit more emotional release with regards to Ben (seriously he SUCKS) or at least an epilogue where we can rub their happiness in his face. I also found the librarian/book references a bit much, and wish it had been toned down a bit. And that's coming from someone who deeply respects the YA genre and what it does for people.

All in all, I had a good time with this one, and can't see what comes next!

I flew through this messy love square. I adored the FMC, Marcela, and her bestie, Angela. Theo was a complete sweetheart! 😍

The book club & the date were my favorite parts in the book. The third act break up was so expected and frustrating but the resolution was worth it!

I'm looking forward to Gamez's next book!

Thanks to NetGalley & Forever (Grand Central Pub) for an advance copy!