Relationships were a bit messy, but I was engaged throughout the full story. This also had some true popcorn worthy moments! I buddy read this with an friend and we were both fully invested. Both characters made choices I didn’t always agree with, but ultimately they did help each other grow. This looks like it could be the first book in a series and I’d totally read the next one!

4.5 stars!

Marcella is a super-relatable woman. She's achieved her dream job as a librarian, she's come to a place where she appreciates her curves, and she has a great group of friends. The problem? Her best friend, Ben, is actually a man for whom she's been pining for almost a decade. And he's just gotten engaged. Reeling from the shock, she finds the ultimate distraction: Ben's brother Theo. Theo's also licking his wounds, as he's desperately in love with Ben's fiance Alice. Sound messy? It IS...in the BEST WAY.

This book kept me up late at night, desperately turning pages to see what would happen! In fact, I binged this in one weekend! I adored our narrator, Marcella, a woman with a heart of gold who doesn't see her own worth, trying to navigate an emotional minefield. And Theo? Are you kidding me?!? He was a teddy bear of a man, doing his best to heal and put his heart on the line. The chemistry between these two was ON POINT. The love scenes? Perfection. I was cheering for this couple. The sexual tension wasn't the only kind of tension, however. There was a different kind of "angsty" that this book delivered in spades. For the majority of the book, we understand that there's something at play that our narrator isn't aware of, and it kept me turning pages at the cyclic rate. What is actually happening here? What don't we know?!? It drove me crazy...in the BEST way!

The third act was extra messy, but I'm not complaining. I was glad to see most of the characters, all struggling by this point, come to satisfying realizations.

I can't believe that this is Gabriella Gamez's first novel! As a plus woman myself, I was able to see myself reflected in this character. I loved how her journey to self-acceptance felt so real. She was mostly there already, which was also refreshing. Sometimes books featuring curvy gals include copious flashbacks of body shaming, tenuous relationships with emotionally abusive mothers, and off-putting situations involving over-eating, etc., but this author treats our character with such care. We see how, even those of us who feel fine about our bodies, can have some insidious thoughts that lurk in quiet corners and don't come out until we're faced with particular situations (that we avoid). I ADORED Marcella, and was really rooting for her happily ever after!

I'd like to thank Forever, Grand Central Publishing, and Netgalley, for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sadly I didn’t love this. Not even a little bit I hate when this happens but I guess every book can’t be for every person.

I was trying to get past a scene in Gabriella Gamez’s The Next Best Fling for two weeks. At first I thought the problem was that I have been tired and my job is very stressful right now. I finally pushed through, got to the next scene, and realized I am not going to be able to finish this book. The primary antagonist is a narcissist. Gamez has written the controlling and manipulative dynamics of his relationship with the two main characters so well that it is triggering very bad memories for me. I have done this with one other book, Alexis Hall’s Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake. Unfortunately, with that read, I pushed myself so hard that now I can’t read Alexis Hall at all. I don’t want to get to that point with Gabriella Gamez, because I would like to read her next book.

Marcela has been in love with her best friend, Ben, for years. They dated for a while in college, but then Ben thought they would be better as friends. Ben’s brother, Theo, has been in love with Ben’s fiancé, Alice, since they were kids. Marcela stops Theo from confessing his feelings to Alice at Alice and Ben’s engagement party. Marcela takes him home and they agree to support each other. Ben does not want Marcela and Theo to get together, and their fake relationship to fling to romance sets Ben off on a path of self destruction.

Narcissists are hard to write, because they seem improbable to people who don’t have experience with a narcissist. The things they do seem far fetched, and that’s one of the ways they keep people trapped. In the scene that took me two weeks to read, Marcela and Theo kissed at a bar in front of Alice and her friends and decide to go back to Marcela’s to fool around some more. Ben calls them both, one after the other, to stop them. That behavior is unhinged. And, if you’ve been in a relationship with a narcissist, you will have your own moments of recognition. I don’t really believe in psychic powers, but a narcissist knows when their people are attempting to leave their orbit and will pull you back in.

I did skip to the very end, and Marcela gets her happy ending with Theo. I can’t wait to read Gabriella Gamez’s next book, which I hope will not have a narcissist. Be kind to yourself and dnf books when you need to, and when you want to.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Sadly, this was a DNF for me. I read around 15% of it and I know I would not have enjoyed it. The big mess of relationships/unrequited loves was too much for me, and I didn't like the hero.

I adored everything about this book! First of all, we love a beautiful, strong, plus size Latinx FMC. I thought she was perfectly written to show her confidence and her insecurities, and how she can know her worth and still beat herself up at times, and none of those things are mutually exclusive. She was so beautifully human and relatable and a lot of women are going to read this book and feel seen by her. And Theo took every part of her and showed her nothing but love, support, and encouragement to be confident in herself. I loved Theo and his brutal honesty from the very beginning (unlike Ben who gave me the ick from scene one). To me, there is nothing sexier than communication and honesty, so Theo Young has my entire heart and I'm not sorry. This book dealt with a few serious themes in ways that didn't feel overwhelming, and I think a lot of people are going to connect with the lessons our characters learned. I'm so excited for this author's debut and I will definitely be keeping up with ALL her future books!

I found The Next Best Fling to be a sweet romance. It was a great twist on the fake dating trope which I enjoyed. Ben and Marcela were both great characters which made me root for them throughout the book. It was such an interesting twist to have them both be in love with their best friends and use that as a method for the two to bond. The library date?!? So good!! My issue with this book comes from the pacing. There were points where I was wishing it would move a bit faster. Also Ben is quite simply a terrible person?? Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Next Best Fling was really sweet. I loved the dynamic between Marcela and Theo, and the sweet way their relationship played out. I was also a fan of author Gabriella Gamez's prose, and I found it really cozy. If there's one thing I wish, it would be that we got to spend more time with the two of them getting to know each other. There were some spots, particularly early on, where I wish we got to linger just a little longer!

Overall I enjoyed it, and cannot wait to read more from this author!

Fake dating and friends with benefits? *chef's kiss*

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 Ben, Theo's brother, and Theo is in love with Alice, Ben's girlfriend. When Ben and Alice get engaged, Marcela and Theo decide to try and get over them by getting with each other.

This book was so good! Marcela and Theo were great main characters and had a lot of depth. I liked that everyone had flaws and most of the characters tried to work through them. Alice and Ben made me mad several times, but I appreciate them as a part of the story and I think they were very realistic.

I kept wanting Marcela to speak up for herself and stop waiting for something bad to happen, and I enjoyed seeing her grow throughout the story. I also loved that Theo was honest about what he wanted with her and there was never any doubt about him wanting a relationship with Marcela. That's very refreshing to see in a romance novel. Their dates were so cute! Also, as a librarian, I really liked reading about Marcela at work; it was very accurate!

Thank you Forever Publishing for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

A former NFL player wants to tell his brother’s fiance he’s in love with her. But the brother’s best friend is also in love with the groom! I was ready for DRAMA in this book and couldn’t wait. While this book was enjoyable, it didn’t totally hold my attention. I loved the premise and the characters, but just didn’t connect with how the story unfolded. The characters are so great though and I was ready to throttle Ben. Overall, an enjoyable read that will make you swoon!

Synopsis:

“Librarian Marcela Ortiz has been secretly in love with her best friend for years—and when he gets engaged, she knows it’s long past time to move on. But before she gets the chance, she has a bigger problem to contend with in the form of Theo Young, ex-NFL player and older brother of the man she’s in love with. When she discovers Theo's plans to confess his feelings for his brother’s fiancée at their engagement party, Marcela is quick to stop him—despite how tempting it is to let him run away with the bride-to-be. She manages to convince Theo to sleep off his drunken almost-mistake at her place and when they arrive at a family brunch the next day together, everyone wrongly assumes they hooked up.Since Theo needs a cover for his feelings for the bride and Marcela needs a distraction from her unrequited feelings for the groom, they decide to roll with the lie. Until one late night at a bar, they take it a step further and discover a layer of attraction neither realized existed. Soon, they find themselves exploring the simmering chemistry between them, whether in library aisles or Marcela's bed. There are no boundaries for the rebound relationship they form—just a host of complicated feelings, messy familial dynamics, and uncovered secrets that threaten to tear them apart before they can even admit to themselves that their rebound is working. Maybe a little too well. “ —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Set Up/Premise—I picked this up because I was so ready for a fake dating moment! When I read the synopsis, it felt like it was going to be a very cinematic story and I was so excited for it.

The Dialogue—I really liked how the dialogue flowed and wished there had been more of it!

What Didn’t Work for Me:

The Pacing: This book had all the right ingredients to make me love it, but it wasn’t put together in a way that peaked my interest. Sadly, I felt like the pacing was totally off which lost the tension I love when these tropes work together.

The Conflict—It felt a little weak and didn’t keep my attention.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 2/5 Overall Rating: 3.75/5

Content Warnings:

emotional abuse, fatphobia, body image

This debut novel was a fast and fun read, perfect for fans of the fake dating trope, and was a solid 3.5 star read for me.

After Theo and Marcela find themselves stuck in an awkward wedding situation involving the groom Ben (Marcela's best friend and Theo's little brother) and the bride Alice (a formerly-close friend of Marcela's and Theo's longtime crush), it was rewarding to see these two lean on each other for mutual support and ultimately find their way to a fulfilling relationship.

I really enjoyed the slow entanglement of Marcela and Theo; their restaurant and library dates were cute and the relationship evolved so naturally from there. My main critique in this book lies with Ben; he was so clearly not a good guy who routinely took advantage of Marcela, and even though I can understand why years of friendship and constant exposure would blind Marcela to his serious character flaws, Gabriella Gamez was so successful at making Ben a heel that I wanted to see more of a comeuppance for him in the end - that being said, everything was ultimately resolved satisfactorily among the characters.

After enjoying The Next Best Fling, I will definitely be on the lookout for future books by Gabriella Gamez!

I received an ARC for this book from NetGalley; all opinions expressed here are my own.

With a fun twist on fake/mistaken relationship, here we see what happens when two people in love with their best friend, or brother's fiance, fake it until they make it.

I really liked the premise and the plot moved along with a reasonable HEA and no major plot holes or out of character behavior. The fake dating trope played out in a realistic way. It wasn't a clever hoax that all comes crashing down, instead it is just not arguing when people make assumptions. The cast of supporting characters were fun and unique with being "QuiRkY" and there is room in this world for more books, which I anxiously await.

I did have a few quibbles, mainly I felt that Marcella was a bit immature, but I recognize that her maturing (namely outgrowing her old patterns) is part of her character arc, so that may have been for a reason. I did not feel super into the chemistry and the spice was only OK, so that may be a matter of personal preference.

All together I enjoyed this tropey contemporary and look forward to more in the series.

I was really excited to read this book, how could I not be when it’s ex NFL player and librarian and fake dating and plus size rep?! All good things that I enjoyed for the most part, but I personally thought it was bit repetitive and the lot line of Marcela being in love with her best friend and Theo with his brother’s fiancée was too messy of a plot line that I didn’t like and wished for a simpler premise of them falling in love than in these circumstances. Especially when the best friend was so nice in the beginning and turned into an evil person overnight! I wished I’d loved it!

This was a great book. I connected with the characters. I felt engrossed with the plot. I would read another book by this author.

I really enjoyed this one, even when a bit hesitant of the whole unrequited love part that imo dragged a bit too long. Other than that I loved Marcela and how her relationship with her body was portrayed. Also specially loved all the latinx representation, made me want to have some of the food ☺️

This was a solid debut by a promising writer,

Thank you to netgalley and Forever for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review

Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Gabriella Gamez for a eARC copy of The Next Best Fling.

I enjoyed this book. I loved Marcela and how genuinely kind she was, and her bookish librarian nature was a fun facet of her personality that any avid reader can relate to. Her character was developed well and had fulfilling relationships outside of her feelings for the male protagonists, which was one of the things I appreciated most about the book.

Now, for the *drama* - Ben was SUCH a tool. As the reader we got a good, unbiased view of his treatment of Marcela and OH.MY.GOSH he was awful. Gamez really wrote him well, because the reaction I had to his character was a visceral hate. Theo was a dream boat. I know he had his issues with commitment, and it wasn't all perfect but gosh his development throughout their relationship was dreamy. I loved the curvy girl and husky guy representation. The spice was on point, and I loved how she addressed the difficulties/insecurities that come with intimacy when you have a larger figure.

I don't always talk about cover art, but I really feel like this was such a beautiful cover. I am someone who will always choose any illustrated book cover page, and this one was no exception, and I loved the way it really embodied the picture Gamez created with her descriptions of the characters.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves easy, low-stakes romance with larger body representation.

This was a wonderful, quick, spicy, and swoon-worthy read!

"He wants the bride, she wanted the groom. But what if all they really want... is each other?"

I was able to sit and finish this in a day. Marcela is a very relatable female main character. She's a book lover, who is self-conscious and not sure how to love due to her daddy issues. Theo is the definition of a cinnamon roll, swoony, and leads with honesty.

I loved their interactions with each other throughout the story. One of my favorite scenes is at the YA Book Club. It had me giggling and swooning just like Marcela and her 14-year-old patron. I loved all of the books and Texas references throughout the story.

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys the following :
-plus size rep
-latina rep
-best friend's brother
-friends with benefits
-fake dating
-angst/pining
-unrequited love

Wow, wow, wow. When my rep from ReadForever sent this over as a MUST READ, I was so excited to dive into this title for a plethora of reasons. Latinx FMC + plus sized + she's a librarian? I'm swooning all over the place. Marcella has been pining for her best friend Ben for over a decade, but that pining is crushing her the moment he tells her he's proposing to his girlfriend of 8 years. Heartbroken and forlorn, she is catapulted into dating apps but her heart still lingers and she needs a rebound. What she doesn't know though is that she can find said rebound closer than she thinks and unfortunately a whole degree away from Ben - Theo Young, his older brother. Through a series of what if's and trying to do the right thing, Marcella finds that Theo has to be off limits but she cannot help herself by being drawn to him. I loved this title due to the situational unrequited love, the way that it unfolded was done in such a way that made me devour the pages. I loved that communication was such a pinnacle point and done in a way where no one left things unsaid if they could help it. I only marked down due to some of Marcella's internal dialogue that felt a bit grating though understandable for development.

A fun, sweet read. I expected a trope-y library romance and ended up with very human characters struggling through their own issues and ultimately winning a future together. I have alternately laughed, gasped, and cursed out loud reading this, much to the surprise of family members trying to watch television. I can’t wait to read more from Gamez.

3.5 stars! I really enjoyed this book and the characters. Theo was endearing and I couldn’t wait to read his parts. I did love the librarian aspect of the story as well! Looking forward to the book next year!