Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the eARC of The Next Best Fling! All opinions in this review are my own.

This debut novel from Gabriella Gamez shows that she is just setting up for a fantastic series!

When Marcela learns that her best friend (who she has been in love with for years) is finally proposing to his long-time girlfriend, she knows it is officially time to start getting over him. However, when she finds his brother practicing a speech confessing his love for the soon-to-be-bride, Marcela hatches a plan to help both of them get over their unrequited loves. Eventually, Marcela and Theo can't resist anymore and give in to their fake dating story, but they each have to trust that the other is over their first love.

Not only is Theo a swoonworthy lead, but Marcela's home library is one I aspire to have. My two favorite things about this book are how Theo helps Marcela feel more confident and how Marcela describes her love for books.

I already can't wait for the next Librarians in Love book!

Theo was such a cutie. I enjoyed the flirting and the banter but I did not like that they were basically obsessed with other people. I didn’t like that their love story is so intertwined with the other couple.

While this book is super cute, I felt that the miscommunication was too drawn out. This book took me a long time to read because I felt that it dragged at the end. It also feels awkward that Ben and Theo are brothers so Marcela is still going to have to interact with Ben since they are dating. Overall this was a cute read but not my favorite rom com I’ve read this year.

3.5 stars

A love triangle is complicated, but The Next Best Fling starts with a love square when Marcela and Theo get involved/fake date to help each other with their feelings for Theo's brother and his fiance. They each want someone they can't have and it gets messy.

The characters were interesting and I liked getting to see and know both Marcela and Theo outside of the relationship issues. The author did a nice job making them multilayered characters who you hope find their HEA.

The story felt a little long like the plot could have been tightened up some, but overall this was a nice audiobook read.

I was really looking forward to reading this one with a librarian, a best friend's brother trope and fake dating. Unfortunately it did not work for me. I kept putting the book down as it did not hold my interest.

The main characters came off as very immature. It was hard to believe that both Marcella and Theo had crushes on other people for literal years even though those people were in a long-term relationship. Also, there was so much drinking and drunken behavior that was very off-putting. While I did like a librarian as a main character, overall this was a miss.

Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book.

Totally adorable read. Just my jam. I absolutely loved this light hearted romance. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review. Thanks to net galley I have another to favorite author.

Loved the plus size and Mexican-American representation, we cont see that enough in romance. Marcella and Theo were such a great match and it was fun seeing their fling advance to the real deal. Great banter and chemistry. It read quick in the beginning for me but did slow down and I found myself skimming a lot at the end. With that said, I would still recommend.

I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this being a debut romance from the author because it was SO good. There were points where the miscommunication trope was a little frustrating as a reader and felt drawn out, but overall the story line was fun to read. Will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author!

This was such a cute romance but it also had depth too which I always appreciate. The characters were authentic and actually had discussions in a mature manner and this made their chemistry believable. A great balance of swoony romance, emotion and spicy chemistry.

This was okayyyyyy but i am not a big fan of miscommunication and the back and forth was icky for me. It was just one that isnt memorable. There were parts i would say i liked and parts i didnt care for.

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez is a steamy, contemporary romance that I tore through in a day. The story centers around Marcela, a Latina youth librarian who’s secretly in love with her best friend… who just got engaged to another woman. Oof. Enter Theo, the retired NFL player and Marcela’s best friend’s older brother, who also has feelings for his younger brother’s fiancée. There’s a lot of messy, complicated emotions going on here.

Things get interesting when Marcela convinces Theo not to drunkenly confess his feelings and ruin the engagement, so he crashes at her place for the night. The next morning, everyone assumes they hooked up, and they just roll with it to avoid the awkwardness of their feelings for the newly engaged couple. But, of course, the more time Marcela and Theo spend together, the more they start to fall for each other. They decide to be each other’s rebounds, and we all know how that goes.

I really liked how Marcela is portrayed as a curvy gal who’s also dealing with her insecurities. It made her feel really relatable. The book could’ve been a bit shorter, especially toward the end, when their constant back-and-forth was a little much for me. However, I wasn’t expecting the relationship dynamics with Theo’s younger brother, and that twist really added a unique layer to the story!

I’m definitely adding the second book in the Librarians in Love series to my TBR for next year. Big thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC!

This was fun! I normally hate friends to lovers but for some reason when friends to lovers & fake dating are used together, I eat 👏🏼 it 👏🏼 up 👏🏼

I love when you get to see that evolution between friends to lovers where it hits that “maybe you’re alright” and now I need to figure out how I’m feeling about my feelings towards you.

I felt that this story really flowed well and I enjoyed that back and forth we got.

Special thanks to the author & @readforeverpub for my gifted copy‼️

What’s a romance without a little fake dating, friends-with-benefits, and no strings attached? Let’s take it a step further what’s a good romance without a ruined engagement, a lot of drama and some miscommunication?

Gamez took fake dating to the next level because not only was our MC fake dating an ex-football player she was secretly in love with his brother Ben who just so happened to be her best-friend. Here’s where it gets good the brothers were in love with the same woman but it wasn’t Marcela. I wanna say this had a little love triangle going on but the fact four parties were involved this was a messy ass love square.

Marcela prevented Theo from ruining his brother’s engagement party when she should’ve just let him do it. When the two are seen leaving the engagement party together it sparked rumors that they might be involved. Instead of clearing the air they run with it. Now I’m all for going after who or what you want. Buuuuuuut Marcela two brothers boo and she was kinda a rebound for both of them. This whole situation was a recipe for disaster.

Overall, this was a decent book I live for the drama so you know I was engaged. The pacing was up and down but it was so well-written and detailed I didn’t care. Not to mention all the secrets and constant conflict between the characters made it worth reading. If you’re looking for a messy romance or like the fake dating/ friends-to-lovers trope you’ll enjoy this book.

3.75 Stars Rounded up to 4

The 411...
The Next Best Fling features a plus sized Latina female librarian who is feeling stuck with a case of unrequited love for her best friend. A bestie who is getting married to a mutual college friend leaving Marcela feeling like the ship has sailed on their second chance romance. They briefly dated years ago but Marcela always felt as if she was never quite enough for him. Fast forward to the events leading up to the wedding and with it, his older brother and ex-NFL Player Theo’s return. Theo is also harboring some unrequited love of his own and its for the bride-to-be. They were all friends at one point but his feelings for the bride led him to put some distance between them for some years. Now he’s back and is considering letting her know exactly how he feels before she marries his brother who he has some friction with. Cue Marcela who overhears his plan to stop the wedding with his confession and decides to stop him. Marcela talks some sense into Theo and so begins their friendship which leads some in their inner circle to believe they’re actually dating. Including the groom who begins to aggressively try to persuade his bestie Marcela that his brother is not the great guy she thinks he is. This leads Marcela and Theo to let the lie roll so to speak while actually exploring a friends with benefits relationship.

Mini Review...
I’m always on the hunt for Latinx romance to feed my soul, these books typically have families as supporting characters and delicious dishes being cooked in the kitchen being served alongside the steamy romance. The Next Best Fling checked off all the boxes while also stirring my appetite for some authentic Mexican food. Marcela’s mother always having food on the stove or set aside for her was heart warming and made me think of my own dad who loved to feed his daughters. I also loved the library setting and actually seeing Marcela in her work environment where she thoughtfully chooses books for the Young Adult community reading in her branch. The fun nights of Cosplay she and her friend organize to really get kids excited to read and be a part of something had me smiling and wishing I had that as a teen. Marcela is one of the coolest FMC’s I’ve come across with the exception of the lack of transparency she had with Theo while he was confessing his years long feelings for the bride to be. They were in the same exact boat except Theo spent it mostly in the dark about Marcela’s feelings for his brother the groom. Other than this, I could relate to Marcela SO MUCH! her insecurities absolutely came into play while handling her feelings and it was empowering watching her come into the realization that she’s bad a**! and NOT undesirable. Theo being the sweet kind big guy that he is allowed Marcela to see she was settling before just by simply listening and observing all of the little things she loves. Instead of making someone the center of her world, she was being doted on like she deserved. Friends to Lovers is my favorite trope to read from and although there isn’t a foundation for their friendship, it does evolve as one first before it turn romantic. This is the first installment in the Librarians In Love series by Gabriella Gamez and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

THE NEXT BEST FLING by Gabriella Gamez was such a fun romance! I love how the main character is a librarian (as a librarian myself, this was so fun to read about).

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.

Really enjoyed the story. Will recommend to others. Cannot wait to read more from the author.

Ok first I'd like to say that I wish Marcela was my librarian. She is just incredibly passionate and I absolutely adore her.

Then you add in Theo and their chemistry and I just could not get enough. This was an incredibly moving story with such ups and downs that made it more than just your run of the mill romance. I can't believe it took me so long to read this one but it was so worth it.

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez was SO FREAKING DELIGHTFUL! And the fact that it was set in San Antonio, a city that holds my heart, made it even more special. It's steamy, and sweet, and the main character is a curvy Latina librarian. What's not to love? Marcela has been in love with her best friend for years, but now he's getting married, and she knows she needs to move on. She just doesn't expect to move on with her best friend's older brother--an ex-NFL player who has recently moved to town. Turns out Theo has been in love with his brother's fiancée--what a tangled web, right?--and he also needs someone to distract him from what could have been. Their immediate connection deepens beyond what either of them expects, and they realize they may just have a chance at something real--together.

All the little Texas easter eggs made this Texas ex-pat so happy. I may be a Pacific Northwest girlie now, but I spent my first 31 years in the Lone Star State, most of those in or near San Antonio. It's safe to say that Gamez accurately captures the south Texas ethos and spirit--I'm extra critical of books set in familiar settings, and she knocked it out of the park.

Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for my advance reader copy in exchange for my review.

Plot: Marcela has been in love with her best friend, Ben, since they started dating her freshman year of college and even though they've been over for years, she's never been able to move on. Now Ben's engaged. When Marcela overhears Ben's brother, Theo, practicing what he's going to say to Alice, Ben's fiancé confessing his love for her, she stops him. Long story short, this leads to some assumptions about the idea that the two of them hooked up and they decide that's a useful fiction to maintain to get them through until Ben and Alice are married. Of course, things don't always go smoothly.

What I Loved: Theo makes literally one of the sweetest grand gestures that is so tailored to who Marcela is and it shows how well he pays attention, that I just really loved it. Marcela, unfortunately, was very thick headed and seemed incapable of recognizing for a while that Theo is actually the best thing to ever happen to her, but fortunately, she eventually got there.

What I Struggled With: Well, I guess I already said, but Marcela. She drove me nuts. Now, admittedly, I would also be absolutely that obtuse so it's not like it was unrealistic, but I wanted to shake her sometimes.

Who Would I Recommend this to: Anyone, really! I think if you like books and bookish main characters, you will also enjoy this one a lot. I do think you need to be a person who understands a person who pines even when they realistically should have moved past the person they haven't moved on from though.

3.5

I started this book and immediately questioned the past version of me that requested this book because in what world do I like this set up. Marcela has been secretly in love with her best friend for years, and when he gets engaged she knows it's time to move on (one could argue it's been time to move on but we get there eventually). It gets worse when at the engagement party, she runs into Theo, the best friend's older brother, who is planning on confessing his feelings to his brother's now fiancée, who was a childhood best friend. Basically, it's really messy and both Marcela and Theo make arguably questionable decisions. Like I get that brains are weird but this couple that they're in love with different halves of have been together for 8 years so like... there's holding a torch and then there's being ridiculous.

That being said, I went in fully expecting to DNF and ultimately found myself finding reasons to keep reading. Because yes, Marcela and Theo have got to get their shit together but the relationship they form together is so sweet and I think the whole story highlights that there so many people stay in situations and hold on to relationships that are, clearly from an outside perspective, toxic to them and their mental health, but it's what is easy and comfortable and leaving feels too impossible or scary.

Overall, I found this to be a really solid debut and a quick fun read. Gamez is clearly a reader and pours so much love for books and diversity in books into Marcela and I loved that. Was it a favorite of the year? No, but Book 2 is going to be sapphic featuring an asexual main character and you can bet I'm going to be sat for that.