I received this debut book from NetGalley as an ARC. These are my opinions. This was a fun read. I LOVED Theo, he was a flawed character but he was trying his best to be a good person. Marcela has been obsessed with her best friend since the went a few dates 10 years prior. She lacks the confidence in herself to realize that Ben is just keeping her around as a backup choice. I liked the progress of Marcela and Theo's realationship is felt genuie. They started off as fake dating/rebounding using each other and their feeling developed in a natural feeling way.

Librarian Marcela Ortiz has finally had to give up on her feelings for Ben Young when he asks her to approve an engagement ring…for his intended, Alice. Trying to be a good friend, she agrees to pick up Ben’s brother, Theo, from the airport. Theo has retired from the NFL and is unaware of Ben & Alice’s upcoming engagement. He wants to tell Alice of his feelings for her, but Marcela stops him from doing so knowing that it might destroy his relationship with his brother. Bringing Theo home with her was probably not the best idea, as their friends now believe she and Theo are involved. Can they help each other recover from their disappointment and perhaps find that love, for them, is not really lost forever? A pleasant second chance at romance with a touch of humor. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Forever Publishing, for letting me read an eARC of this book!
Release date is July 9, 2024.

I absolutely LOVED this book. The Next Best Fling begins when two broken hearts decide that the best way to get over their first loves is with a no-strings-attached relationship. Marcela is in love with her best friend, Ben who is engaged to another woman. Theo is in love with his brother's fiancée. Did I mention Theo is Ben's older brother?!

Marcela and Theo had undeniable chemistry and I was rooting for them since the beginning of their little fake dating arrangement. I loved the character growth as well as the exploration of familial dynamics displayed throughout the book & it made me absolutely invested in this story. I also enjoyed that Marcela is a librarian and we got to see a little bit of her work throughout the novel. I swooned seeing Theo and Marcela getting closer and getting to know each other better. Simply put: it made my heart so happy to read this book.
One of my fave romances of the year, I enthusiastically recommend you pick this one up!

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez
Librarians in Love series #1.
Contemporary romance. Cinnamon roll hero. 1st person, present tense from Marcela’s POV. Own voice, Mexican-American heritage.
Ex NFL football player Theo Young has retired and is back home in San Antonio, Texas expecting to coach football at a local high school. After a few drinks at the engagement party for his brother and fiancé, Theo decides it is the perfect time to tell his brother’s fiancée that he has loved her all since they were kids and won’t she reconsider marrying him instead of his brother?
Librarian Marcela Ortiz has been secretly in love with her best friend since college. Now that he’s engaged, Marcela knows she needs to move on. When Marcela hears Theo muttering to himself about confronting the bride-to-be, she takes action and gets him out of there to sleep off his drinking. They both seem to be in the same position - in love and needing to walk away. They take advantage of rumors to first, appear to be together, and then second, to find they have a lot in common and maybe actually act on their sizzling chemistry.

Neither Marcela nor Theo have been in a long term romantic relationship. Both have self confidence and self-image problems to work on, more so for Marcela as a curvy woman.

Marcela and I have a lot in common with the second bedroom library, donating books, excited to talk about books, Goodreads usage, and of course, body image. I liked how she overcame the uncomfortable and learned to be okay with herself although it was a little inconsistent in the story. I was happy when she started to realize that her friendship with Ben had problems.
Theo is adorable. He’s an athlete, looking forward to slowing down, and wants to please and make Marcela happy more than anything else. “He breaks out in a smile that rivals the sun.” He’s not afraid or hesitant to show his emotions.

It’s romantic, encouraging, and has a few very sexy bedroom scenes to ramp up the flames.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

A no strings attached relationship with the brother of the guy you're desperately in love with and who just so happens to be in love with his brother's fiancé. What could possibly go wrong?

This was such a fun read. I really enjoyed the characters and the romance. Personally, I loved Theo and Marcela together. Ben just got on my nerves way to much and was kind of an ass to Marcela. I appreciated the fact that she's a curvy gal. This wasn't the best book I've read but it was still a fun time and a perfect summer read!

Thank you so much to Forever and NetGalley for the e-arc! This beauty releases on July 9th so make sure to pick up a copy.

OH MY GOSH this felt like the most honest depiction of my feelings as a life-long plus size woman. There are so many other new and fresh takes in this romance but I'm still blown away by how Gabriella Gamez took the words right out of my mouth. Even the unspoken thoughts right out of my head. I had to look up the author's profile after the first chapter because had she not been a fellow big girl, it would have felt a little too sharp.

Also it's not ABOUT Marcella being plus size - she just is and the way it affects her relationship with her self and others arises naturally. Instead of being used as a trope, it felt like an honest part of her character. I was really impressed. AND Theo (her fling) doesn't magically cure her insecurities, he's just honestly and blatantly attracted to her. And she learns to trust in that. It's all written in Marcella's POV, so there's no male POV fetishizing or rationalizing his attraction. But Theo is a very open communicator so he says everything he feels. It was so refreshing to read.

So what's the book about? Marcella has been in love with her best friend Ben for years. But when he proposes to his girlfriend, she's paranoid that she's going to blow it all up. Very Mindy Project. Instead, she catches Ben's BROTHER about to confess his own feelings for Ben's fiancée. Marcella intercepts him and together they make a pact to keep each other from ruining this marriage. They'll be each other's rebounds until the feelings pass. As they secretly date, Theo's treatment of her starts to shine a light on the darker side of her relationship with Ben. There's deeper tension between the brothers and Ben's determination to keep her away from Theo has her questioning the one-sidedness of her attraction. Maybe there's a reason you shouldn't be friends with your ex?

The drama is exhilarating! There will be fights and confrontations. I was gasping and yelling at my kindle all night. Not to mention the sexual frustration as Theo and Marcella keep getting interrupted whenever they gave in to their attraction, so it really cut the spicy times in half. There's no cheating and despite the premise, I think Marcella really is a girl's girl in the end. You'll be satisfied with the resolution.

The Next Best Fling is emotionally, swoony, love story. These two love interests simply make each other better after years of constant heartbreak. They provide one another the patience to accept "I Love You," from the someone other than who they thought they needed to hear it. Together, they build trust, self-love and the feelings for what true love should feel like.

Theo Young should be everyone's new book boyfriend!

Thank you, Forever

I loved this book! Being Mexican myself I loved how Gabriella added those tiny details pertaining to the food, the way the FMC mom is, the language as well. I loved how this book was! I loved Theo and Marcela togerther, but I also loved how much persona; growth they had as well. Although at some point there were parts where the FMC really did annoy me with her indecisiveness with their relationship, but I get why it had to be done. The last 10% I feel like I could've done without. The pacing was great up until that last 10% then I felt like it kinda dragged on. I can't wait to buy a physical copy and highlight my favorite parts! I laughed out loud, kicking my feet in the air with all the giddiness I couldn't contain.

I’m all for pumping up debut authors and especially diverse authors… but I had such a difficult time getting into this one and keeping my attention focused on it. I didn’t love the way it played out and while the plot had a lot of potential, it definitely felt like it had a lot of work left to be done before publication.

I liberally give it 3 stars but caution readers going in that this is most definitely a debut novel and not a well-honed one from a beloved author. The character’s chemistry came out of left field and was very confusing (made no sense at all, especially when a mention of Ace came in!). I’m hoping that future releases from Gamez will take this framework and build on it - the structure is certainly there but needed more depth and time.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and this is my honest opinion.

2 Stars
This started off really cute but I quickly found myself annoyed with the conflict in this and with the female MC (there was just so much unnecessary drama and her thought process had me rolling my eyes constantly, I really don't understand how she was pining for a guy for years that gave her literally nothing lol). This definitely slowed down in the middle and it didn't pick up after that for me. Ultimately, this one fell a bit flat and it was just an okay read but I don't think I care to continue this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing).

Marcela and Theo have found themselves in quite the dilemma, she is in love with his brother and he is in love with his brother's fiancé. What better way to move on than to become friends with benefits with a splash of fake dating?

This was a really cute and lighthearted debut contemporary romance. I loved the pairing here, a Latina librarian who loves pumpkin empanadas and an ex NFL player with a big heart.

I wanted to shake Marcela a few times to knock some sense into her! I honestly cannot understand what Marcela saw in Ben, Theo's brother. The spice in this debut was 🔥 and the big gesture at the end was every book lover's dream.

The Next Best Fling tells the story of Marcela and Theo and how they decide to fake a relationship, and then decide to enjoy a rebound fling. Author Gabriella Gamez does a wonderful job of showing all the messiness of unrequited love, and the problems created when one keeps hoping too long. While I found the storyline a bit too conflict heavy, I did appreciate the growth in both main characters shown and watching as they earn their HEA. The body positivity, and the love of books expressed added to my enjoyment. Several open-door steamy scenes tastefully done.

A solid debut by this author with some lovely moments and some hiccups.

This book kind of felt like my best friends wedding except the best friend is actually an asshole and she falls for his brother instead.

Marcela has been in love with her best friend Ben for years. Since they dated and he told her they were better off as just friends. When Ben gets engaged to Alice his brother Theo (ex NFL players, but it's not really relevant as he's retired now) shows up and admits to Marcela that he's also in love with Alice.

It's super soap opera-y and entertaining the writing is fast paced and easy to follow.

It's got some issues in that there is a lot of repetition and the FMC goes back and forth on her feelings A LOT. Too much. It also felt weird that the one character kind of holding everyone hostage just becomes a villain and there is no wrap up of that relationship by the end. It felt disjointed and weird.

Overall it's cute. But just ok.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this review!

Marcela is helplessly in love with her friend Ben, but Ben is engaged. On the night of the engagement party, Marcela stops Theo, Ben's older brother, from revealing his feelings for Ben's fiancee. The only problem - everyone now thinks Marcela and Theo hooked up - so they decide to play along until OF COURSE they catch feelings for each other.

This was a fun, sweet and spicy romance. Marcela and Theo both have their baggage to work through, but I thought the way their relationship developed was great. Theo is such a cinnamon roll and I was here for it. I loved Marcela as well - her development throughout the story was done well. I knocked it down a bit because the pacing felt a little big off for me at a few points. But overall, this was a great debut and I look forward to reading whatever this author does next!

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great debut romance read that was super fun and quick to get through. . Theo and Marcela were super cute together right from the beginning. I loved the personal growth in this book too, not just the romance. The romance was nice, don’t get me wrong, it was the perfect blend of spice with sweet. I’ll definitely be picking up the next books in the series when they’re released.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an adorable romance. I felt the chemistry between the mcs from their very first meeting, and it only grew from there. They were flawed but lovable, and I loved Marcela’s friendship with her best friend, Angela. There were some deeper issues discussed in the book, such as family abandonment. Marcella and Theo handled their muddled relationship situation maturely and I really rooted for them as the story went on.

I found some of the stuff around Ben and Alice to be a little repetitive at points, but I ended up really loving the way the novel finished up. This was a really sweet and fun read that I’ll definitely be recommending.

Chaotic and messy and I couldn’t put this one down. Marcela has been pining for her best guy friend, Ben, for years and in for total heartbreak when he proposes to his longtime girlfriend, Alice. And as if going to an engagement party wasn’t enough anxiety, she stops Ben’s brother Theo from drunkenly declaring his feelings for Alice. When they leave the party together and then show up at brunch together the next day, everyone thinks they hooked up, and they seem to go along with the lie to prevent anyone else from suspecting their real feelings for the engaged couple. We get a fun little fake dating situation for a hot minute, until they decide to go with a friends with benefits situation instead. But Theo doesn’t know about Marcela’s crush on Ben, everyone is telling Marcela to stay away from Theo, and Marcela is just trying to protect herself from getting hurt. It’s all sorts of messy and dramatic, but Theo has generally been open and honest with Marcela about his feelings and is basically the one making a try at a real relationship. Overall, Theo is the best, Ben is the worst, Alice is actually a decent friend, and Marcela just needs a pep talk.

I had a good time with this book, so much so that I read it in on sitting. I normally don't like the idea of two characters who were pining for two other people getting together, but I think this was executed really well. The two biggest elements that made me enjoy this was Theo's insistence on open and honest conversation between him and Marcela and Marcela's best friend Angela who kept prodding her for information and giving her things to think about without out right telling her what to do. Theo and Marcela were so sweet together, even when they were just hooking up. Their earnestness made me believe they'd still be together when the story ended.

I ended up dnfing this book. I just couldn’t get into it and didn’t care for the fmc. I did love Theo from what I did read. Even though this book wasn’t for me I think others will enjoy it. I don’t want to hurt the author so I won’t leave reviews…just because I didn’t care for it doesn’t mean others won’t.

I LOVED the representation with the nods to Texas. I felt the chemistry and was all in! Then it got really messy with miscommunication and self-sabotage, and it kinda killed it for me. I loved the writing, though, and will absolutely keep an eye out for anything else the author writes.