I don't often look for much more than lighthearted, enjoyable, and feel-good reads when I pick up a romance novel, but this one had a lot more than meets the eye! With a quick-paced writing style and lovable characters with great chemistry, I had a hard time putting this one down. I appreciated the diverse representation and found myself relating to Marcela in a lot of ways - I rooted for her from the beginning and was pleased to see how much growth she displayed from start to finish. This is a great one to pick up for anyone who loves romance and spice but wants some deeper themes and connections - thanks so much for this ARC!

Thank you to Forever & Netgalley for the advance review copy--all opinions are my own!

Good grief, this was fantastic!! Emotionally rich, swoony, spicy, just the right level of angsty for me, so much personal growth, two main characters who make each other better and give each other patience and support when they're struggling, a couple I rooted for so easily and loved finding their way to happily ever after.

Content notes: parental abandonment (past), codependent/toxic friendship, fatphobia (past and on page).

Quick Intro: Marcela has been in love with her best friend for almost a decade, but he doesn't know it. Once he gets engaged, Marcela determines that she's going to move on. Entering the picture, is Theo, her best friend's older brother, and he's in love with his brother's fiance and wanting to finally let her know at their engagement party. Marcela intervenes and takes a drunk Theo home. When they show up the next day at an engagement brunch, everyone assumes they are together. So they keep it up to hide their feelings. Except their feeling start to shift.

Review:
All I want in a man is one who communicates openly and freely like Theo. He does NOT shy away from his feelings, and wants to dive into the open and honest communication with Marcela. Especially about where they stand with each other and as they navigate their feelings for whom they were in love with. He is a true cinnamon roll of a man, and I wish I had a Theo in my life.

As a teacher and plus size woman myself, Marcela's actions were difficult for me to read at times. While her role as a librarian is essential for helping teenagers find a place to navigate who they are through books, it was hard for me to read because of my relationship with students of that age and how they view the importance of librarians where I am at. It was also difficult for the emphasis placed on food as a crutch, because this is not my go to when I look for plus-size heroines, as I want them to have move passed their struggles. However, these are all real world instances, so for me, it is a very accurate portrayal for many plus size women, myself included.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was well paced, and I could feel the growth between Marcela and Theo throughout the story.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201627008-the-next-best-fling" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Next Best Fling (Librarians in Love, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1699464844l/201627008._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201627008-the-next-best-fling">The Next Best Fling</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/46658210.Gabriella_Gamez">Gabriella Gamez</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6314910084">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
She’s in love with her best friend and he’s about to get married. Suddenly his brother is there and she must stop him from ruining the engagement. What better way to get over the unrequited love they both have than by sleeping with each other? What could possibly go wrong? What starts as fake dating to help him get over his childhood crush, develops into so much more. I soooo loved this book. Mexican plus size representation and her just enjoying eating was such a relief to see! The friendship and love development was so intense and I loved every second of it. I definitely recommend everyone to read this cute novel! <br /><br />I am so thankful to Gabriella Gamez for allowing me to read this advanced copy of this book and cannot wait to buy a copy when it releases! <br />
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6094585-rosa-maria-lueras">View all my reviews</a>

I really enjoyed The Next Best Fling. I loved the dynamic between Marcella and Theo. And I loved how much thought was put into actually giving Marcella a personality.
Theo was a GREAT book boyfriend, and was good to put opposite of Ben (who I hated as a villain from the beginning,) I enjoyed the interesting fake-but not fake take on the fake dating trope. Overall, this book earned 4 stars from me. The only thing that kept it from a 5 was Marcella's wishy washy behavior.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book before publication.

This book is like a warm hug, where each word, each sentence, wraps around you in literary bliss until you become a part of the story. I love the fake dating trope, but it becomes so much more with the love square, former NFL star coming home after retiring, and introvert librarian who is trying to find herself again. The characters grow and learn so much throughout the story, and you can’t help cheering them on (except for You Know Who, although I wish him well. Sequel, maybe?). Seeing the evolution of Theo and Marce as individuals as well as a couple made the book for me. There are so many faking dating books that finish on an unsatisfactory note. This is not one of them.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that The Next Best Fling is a satisfying read that takes you on the ups and downs of the rise and fall of relationships, and manages to rebuild your belief in a happily ever after that doesn’t feel forced or false.

Happy birthday to me when this book is released the day after my birthday in July. Can you guess what I’m buying first thing?

I really enjoyed this! Fake dating, instant love, little bit of sports romance, family drama, plus size representation, latina representation and library workplace - for a debut novel, there was so much here and it was great.

I think my favorite thing was Marcela’s growth throughout the growth, by the end we see her becoming secure about herself and her feelings while also letting go of baggage that has held her down. It’s a huge bridge to cross and I love that we got to see her grow through it.

Theo was SO sweet and I adored him for it. The way he paid attention to Marcela and her likes/who she was, was so beautiful.

I thought the side characters were great too, even Ben. As annoying and bogus as he was, I was glad that we got to see that side of him. I honestly find myself hoping for his happiness in the future.

this book was CUTE. i love a good bookish themed book and this librarian + athlete romance was a combo i never knew i needed! both MCs were well written and honey there was enough drama & baggage to unpack for a 3-season series😭 usually i dont care for slow burn but the author def knew how to spice it up *just* enough to keep you on the line & i enjoyed the ‘fake dating to lovers’ storyline! they found love where they least expected it. i can’t wait to get a physical copy! 🤍

This for fair! I also found the portrayal of working in a public library to be very realistic. I loved the plot set up between the two main characters. I thought it was so funny.

4/5 stars
2/5 spice

I love a book with positive plus size representation and the author did that so well with Marcella.

I related to the unrequited relationship aspect and all of the aspects of Ben and Marcella’s relationship throughout the book.

Marcella and Theo’s relationship might’ve started for the wrong reasons but seeing them both grow together to change what they thought they were capable of and becoming better was so beautiful to see.

The miscommunication between the characters in this book was a lot for me at times and I just wanted to scream at them to talk it out and stop having so many secrets! So if you like the miscommunication trope this book is definitely for you.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and being from Texas seeing the Texas aspects in it made me love it that much more.

A romance about a librarian? sign me up!

or wait, maybe not..........


I was looking forward to The Next Best Fling but it failed to meet expectations.
- the female mc kept ragging on the male mc for 'withholding information' but she was keeping pretty big secrets (knowing they'd bother him) for an extremely long time. He also kept baring his soul to her but she wouldn't tell him anything and deflected questions. I just knew this would lead to some messy conflict later and honestly didn't want to deal with it. If ya'll are falling for each other you should be able to talk about basic things. And to make it worse she knew she was doing all these things and not properly letting him know her.....but she didn't take timely steps to mitigate it.
- on that note, them 'falling for each other' was really uninteresting. All their conversations centered around the other people they were infatuated with (who both kinds sucked tbd). I want to see love interests pining for each other, not merely trying to hook up but always getting distracted because they actually like someone else.
- the female mc needs a new best friend. Because taking 8 years to suggest getting over an ex is really too long. And never bringing up how controlling and damaging said ex is......you're not looking out for your friend there

Love the cover and description, but had to quit this one - the writing style didn't quite work for me. I'm sure it will work for others, but this just wasn't the book for me right now.

I devoured this romance. Fake romance is one of my least fav tropes so I was coming to this with judgy eyes. The author took me by surprise on how organically she made them enter the scheme. I enjoyed the chemistry the two main characters have from the start. The mmc is perfection. Fmc was a bit annoying with her thinking process and insecurities. She was a powerhouse and didn’t see it. It’s so frustrating. She’s endearing though so it evens out. I enjoyed their romance.

Oh boy, I was on the edge of nervous anticipation during this entire book. The big reveal made me so anxious. However, I think the author pulled this off wonderfully! What a fantastic way to include so many wonderful things in one book!

I definitely would read more of this author! Thank you Forever for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this title to read and review. A 4.5 star read for me! This was such a delight, and I really enjoyed getting to know Theo and Marcela. I adored Marcela as a librarian who shares her own YA novels with teens at her library, and Theo seemed like a big ol' teddy bear that's impossible not to like. I would say that there was a bit of repetition in their story, in their insistence that they would just be each other's rebounds, and that I can't believe how long they were still hung up on their respective first loves - but overall it made for a fun scenario that brought them together and me into their lives for the ride. If this ends up being a series, sign me up!!

Let me tell you, I was INVESTED. Can you imagine being in love with your bestie for ten years but he has now gotten engaged to his girlfriend of 8 years, and you intercept his BROTHER from confessing HIS love to the fiancee?? My friends, I was hooked, I could not stop reading. I loved Marcela, I love the plus sized rep, the friendship with Angela, and the library (!!!)/being a librarian. And can I just say, I felt SO SEEN with the favorite book scene!! Also, Theo is such a cinnamon roll, I love him. Loved this book!!

I really enjoy a romance with many layers and The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez delivers.

Marcela has always been in love with her college best friend, Ben, but now that she's engaged, she realizes that it is time to move on from her perpetual broken heart. While at his engagement party, she stops Ben's brother, Theo, from confessing his love for Ben's fiancee. Marcela takes a drunk Theo home with her to avoid a scene at the party. The next day, at the engagement brunch, everyone assumes Marcela and Theo hooked up and they correct them.
So begins the romance of Marcela and Theo.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between our two main characters. It was very clear that if they had met first then they would have always been together. They are so sweet together and their communication is pretty good, except for the secrets that they keep from each other.
Theo is a cinnamon roll, this book is a slow burn, and Marcela is able to break free from a toxic relationship.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a complimentary eARC of The Next Best Fling for my honest opinion. I honestly really liked it and I can't wait to grab a copy on July 9.

I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get into the characters. They both really annoyed me from the start and the whining and miscommunication was too much. Maybe it was the mood I was in but i just hated all these characters. Not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for ARC of this book.

Total romcom vibes!

What first drew me to this book was the art work on the cover and the fact it featured a plus size FMC.

Marcela and Theo take us on a cute, faking dating, let's stay away from the person we're pining after rollercoaster lol! As they grow closer as friends and being to navigate their growing feelings, we get to see how Marcela learns to look at other possibilities in love besides her best friend Ben, Theo's brother.

I really enjoyed the build up and interactions between the MMC and FMC. There was a good mix of funny, angst, passion and self-reflection within this debut romance.

As a new to me author, Gabriella Gamez definitely kept me interested and hooked the further I got into the book. I was definitely rooting for Marcela and Theo!

This was such a quick read I loved it! loved how this book touched upon real life issues along with being cute and funny. Fell in love with the character Marcella, quickly became one of my fav books characters ever! I’m always a sucker for the fake dating trope and would definitely recommend this! Really enjoyed how the story did not feel rush and I could see the character development!