"The Next Best Fling" by Gabriella Gamez is a steamy and heartfelt romance that explores the complexities of love, friendship, and unexpected connections.

Marcela Ortiz, a librarian harboring secret feelings for her best friend, finds herself entangled in a web of complications when she crosses paths with Theo Young, the older brother of her unrequited love. What starts as a mission to prevent Theo from confessing his feelings for Marcela's best friend at an engagement party quickly evolves into a tangled mess of misunderstandings and simmering attraction.

Gamez expertly crafts a narrative filled with palpable chemistry and emotional depth, drawing readers into Marcela and Theo's journey as they navigate their burgeoning feelings for each other. From library aisles to late-night bar encounters, their relationship unfolds with intensity and passion, blurring the lines between rebound fling and something more meaningful.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its exploration of familial dynamics and the impact of secrets and misunderstandings on relationships. Marcela and Theo's bond is tested by the complexities of their respective family dynamics, adding layers of depth and tension to their romance. Gamez deftly balances moments of steamy romance with moments of emotional vulnerability, creating a nuanced portrayal of love in all its messy glory.

The characters in "The Next Best Fling" are well-developed and relatable, each grappling with their own insecurities and desires. Marcela's internal struggle with unrequited love and Theo's conflict between loyalty to his brother and his growing feelings for Marcela are portrayed with authenticity and sensitivity.

While the plot may venture into familiar territory for romance readers, Gamez injects fresh energy and depth into the narrative, keeping readers engaged and invested in Marcela and Theo's journey. The pacing is brisk, with plenty of steamy moments and unexpected twists to keep readers guessing until the very end.

In conclusion, "The Next Best Fling" is a captivating and passionate romance that will leave readers swooning and rooting for Marcela and Theo's happily ever after. Gabriella Gamez delivers a compelling story filled with heart, humor, and sizzling chemistry, making this novel a must-read for fans of contemporary romance.

An adorable romance!! The FMC and MMC in this have really great chemistry and it's a really unique take on the friends to lovers trope. I like that the characters are really flawed and help each other grow rather than judging each other for their mistakes and vulnerabilities. Their pasts and traumas are really well thought out and complex which gives them a lot of depth and the author does a great job of releasing information slowly so your perspective of situations changes over time. My main critique is that I'm not sure the third act breakup was entirely necessary and it went on for way too long, in my opinion. If you like a little angst, it's very possible you'll disagree. But overall, this book was really cute and so fun. I think a lot of romance readers - especially the ones who always wanted a partner that would buy us special editions of our favorite books and set up dates in the library - will like this novel.

Super- duper cute and really relatable. I really appreciated the concept of these two obviously flawed people coming together and helping each other.

On paper there’s actually not much I didn’t like about this. Plot, characters, it wasn’t overtly ridiculous or too serious. Ultimately though this just didn’t quite hit the right spot to get me super invested. Still, enjoyable and I’d be happy to recommend to someone in the right mood for it.

The Next Best Fling HOOKED me from the very beginning. I am a sucker for a good fake dating trope. I also love a strong, confident female main character, and she’s even a librarian! The male main character is so swoon worthy. He falls first and falls hard. Their story is such a delight!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own

I gasped on page two. I was absolutely ecstatic at the turn we took and the premise of the book. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy hanging out in Marcela’s head, and three chapters in, I lost interest. The writing is easy to follow. I would guess three to four stars for the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a love triangle? Love square? Ben loves Alice. Marcella loves Ben. Ben is besties with Marcella. Theo loves Alice. Theo and Ben are brothers. Simple, right?

My first Gabriella Gamez book and it won’t be my last! She did such a great job of building the relationship between Theo and “Marce.” I found myself smiling while reading their story!

Not suitable for teenage readers.
Tropes: Fake dating, professional athlete, plus size, open door romance.
🔥🔥🔥
🦋🦋🦋

Truly soooo cute!! I love the librarian romance aspect! And the idea that it’s her best friend, who is engaged!!!! I could cry! So freaking good!

I highly recommend reading The Next Best Fling for anyone who likes sport romances or the fake dating trope. Marcela and Theo have amazing chemistry and you will be rooting for them from the start.

Marcela and Theo are an unlikely couple and, boy, are they adorable. The Next Best Fling is the very best kind of messy. Marcela has a long time unrequited crush on Ben. Ben just got engaged to Alice who is the object of Theo’s affections. Theo and Ben are brothers. (Still with me?) What better way to get over a broken heart (or two) than a rebound fling? That’s the beginning for Marcela and Theo. What happens next is unpredictable and utterly enjoyable.

Gabriella Gamez has written a fun, flirty rom-com that touches on deeper issues of trust and self-acceptance. It captured my heart from the first page. Things I loved:
- Marcela is a librarian who loves books; really loves books.
- Some favorite tropes: fake dating and he falls first.
- Well written, plot advancing spice.

If you like your rom-coms sweet and spicy with characters who deserve a happy ever after, this is the book for you. With a release date of July9, 2024, it will be a perfect summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

THIS IS ADORABLE!

If you’re a fan of messy, messy romance books, this absolutely delivers. It also delivers an incredibly poignant lesson on recovering from trauma imposed on you (TW: parental abandonment) and a childhood full of toxic competition.

So, she (Marcela) is in love with her best friend (Ben). Ben’s brother (Theo) is in love with Ben’s new fiancé and long-term girlfriend (Alice).

This is already a lot of mess AND then Marcela catches Theo about to confess his love to Alice AT HER ENGAGEMENT PARTY and Marcela shoves him into an Uber to stop an impending kerfuffle.

The next day everyone assumes they hooked up and they go along with it. And keep going along with it.

They’re honest enough with one another about the fact that they are each into other people but that they enjoy spending time with one another. Their spicy scenes are so 🌶️🌶️🌶️. I love how much Theo validates her even when she’s insecure about being a curvy girl.

At times, she’s in awe of why this ex-NFL player would be into her and his response is some version of why would I not be into you? I LOVE this for her.

I also absolutely love seeing a woman who is confident and in love with her career. SHE’S A LIBRARIAN. And I truly love a book about books and seeing Marcela share her love of books with others makes me giddy. AND THEO DOES ONE OF THE SEXIEST BOOK THINGS I’VE EVER SEEN. It would have broken me in the best of ways.

Theo starts as someone who is hung up on someone unattainable but it’s really not long before he lays everything out for Marcela. He falls first. And hard. And over and over.

I’m in love with this one. Get your hands on it and all the copies on your shelf.

OK - I did not expect this book to have as much depth, heart and soul as it did (I judged the book by its cover).

This was an incredible story of healing, faith, love, trusting yourself and confidence. Marcela and Theo both jumped into something to heal a wound, to survive a pain that they were both feeling. They grew into falling in love, healing themselves and seeing the toxicity around them for what it really was.

5 stars.

I was HOOKED after the first few paragraphs. It’s clear that Gabriella Gamez is a talented writer. The Next Best Fling is the story of Marcela and Theo as they attempt to get over their exes- who just happen to be engaged to each other. To make matters more complicated, Marcela is in love with Theo’s brother.

This book was a solid 3 stars for me. I loved the authors writing style, but I would have liked to see some smoother transitions. I also didn’t really feel the connection between Theo and Marcela, and would have loved to see more “build” and development of their relationship. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a good romance novel, fake dating, and a love triangle. I would definitely pick up the next book that this author puts out and can’t wait to see what is next in store for her! Thanks to the author and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

"The Next Best Fling" is the first book in Gabriella Gamez's new series, "Librarians in Love." (I'm a fan of a whole book series being centered around librarians!) In "The Next Best Fling", Marcela has been in love with her best friend, Ben, for years -- despite him being in a long term relationship. However, Ben is now preparing to propose to his girlfriend, and Marcela has to finally face the reality that she and Ben will never be together. At Ben's engagement party, she runs into his brother Theo, only to discover that Theo is actually in love with Ben's fiance! The two of them recognize how miserable the other one is, and a friendship develops -- that soon becomes something more.

I thought this was an original premise that was written very well, and I enjoyed the chemistry between Theo and Marcela. I was a little surprised that Ben became the "bad guy" towards the end, but I guess most everyone had a happy ending. The book was good, but there was something missing for me personally. However, I will certainly read another book by Gamez! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

As a librarian I really wanted to love this book about a romance between a librarian and an ex-football player. Unfortunately, the main characters didn’t draw me in enough to care about their story. I DNFed this before it even got spicy and that’s rare for me because sometimes well written spice will save a book. It looks like this is the beginning of a series, so I’m hopeful that they get better as the series builds.

I was HOOKED after the first few paragraphs. It’s clear that Gabriella Gamez is a talented writer. The Next Best Fling is the story of Marcela and Theo as they attempt to get over their exes- who just happen to be engaged to each other. To make matters more complicated, Marcela is in love with Theo’s brother.

This book was a solid 3 stars for me. I loved the authors writing style, but I would have liked to see some smoother transitions. I also didn’t really feel the connection between Theo and Marcela, and would have loved to see more “build” and development of their relationship. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a good romance novel, fake dating, and a love triangle. I would definitely pick up the next book that this author puts out and can’t wait to see what is next in store for her! Thanks to the author and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I’d give it 3.75 stars if I could. It was a sweet, quick read. There were certain words that seemed over used and I wasn’t a fan of, such as “pining”. Think it would be great to use some synonyms there. Overall I had a hard time putting it down and am excited to check out other books from this author!

Thanks so much for the chance to read and review!

I love a good fake dating trope, and The Next Best Fling was just the right mix of messy and fun and unique. It was easy to like both main characters, and I enjoyed the vibe of falling in like (and then love) over the fading summer. I thought Gabriella Gamez did a wonderful job creating the worlds that Marcela (library) and Theo (football field) love for some of the more signifiant scenes. I look forward to seeing Marcela and Theo in the next book in the Librarians in Love series, and I'm excited about the other things that Gabriella Gamez has planned down the line.

This book was everything I need! I related to Marcela so much! As a kid I also spent everyday at my local library which was right behind my house. People I talked to most were the librarians who were 4 decades older than me. This book touched on so many of my emotions and childhood/family life. I can’t wait until this book comes out and I hope one day I can get a signed copy from the author because it’s truly amazing and deserves all the star ratings in the world.

I can definitely see the potential in this book. It was just…. Repetitive & felt like the story was just going in circles.

I think Marcela & Theo have a cute story but it could have been cuter if it weren’t for all the fluff & run around. I’ve read stories where there’s drama, scandals, dating as rebounds & then falling for each other but in the end of those stories, the characters swoop you off your feet. The characters were flat & I know Theo technically falls first & he did super cute things for Marcela but his character could have been better.

The epilogue was also anticlimactic, one that could have been in the book vs an epilogue. I kind of wish the epilogue had updates on Ben & Alice & what they’re doing & how their friendship status between the 4 of them ended. I mean, we know how it ended but let’s say, 6 months from now, what’s it like now? Are they still not talking? Did Ben forgive them? Just a little more pizazz.

A delightful read from a new-to-me author. I devoured this book in two sittings and highly recommend it!