Marcela and Theo stole my heart and ran for the touchdown. I hope that makes sense, I’m awful at understanding football — however The Next Best Fling did justice to my lack of knowledge and made me feel like I could actually comprehend the sport! Not a small feat, so hats off to you Gabriella Gamez. Sports aside, Theo and Marcela’s romance was a spitfire, a whirlwind, full of insane tension and some expertly written pining. I was crying, giggling, grinning, going through all of the emotions with this book. I couldn’t have asked for more, truly. I will be looking forward to any and all future publications from Gamez, this was one of my top reads for the year thus far!

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez is a debut contemporary romance featuring a plus-sized Latina librarian and a retired football star.

Marcela has unrequited feelings for her best friend, who just got engaged. Theo has been in love with his brother's new fiancée since they were kids.

This was charming! I was definitely rooting for Marcela and Theo the whole time. I especially loved the way Gamez wrote growth arcs. She does a great job of keeping the balance between trying to have lighthearted moments, but also have deep discussions about personal insecurities and gaining the courage to follow your dreams.

It was also very steamy, from a qualitative and quantitative standpoint. The chemistry between our mains is on-point, and the artist did an AMAZING job on the cover to help showcase it.

If you like books mentioned in your books you're in luck, because this series focuses on librarians! A grand gesture in this book is definitely the dream of many book lovers. I'm excited to see which librarian we'll focus on in the next book!

Tropes in this book include: best friend's brother, forbidden, fake dating, rebound, cinnamon roll hero

CW: parental abandonment (prior to book), codependent/toxic friendships, fatphobia (prior to book and on page)

Marcela Ortiz has long been in love with her best friend, but his engagement forces her to move on. When she discovers that his brother, Theo Young, plans to confess his feelings to the bride-to-be, Marcela stops him, leading to a fake relationship that quickly turns real. As Marcela and Theo navigate their unexpected attraction, they face complicated emotions and family dynamics that challenge their budding romance. Marcela did have share her insecurities which I thought was very honest in a way that I think most woman who are in a bigger body could relate. I am glad that Theo made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman. There are repetitive conversations, including miscommunication, between characters throughout the book and I just wanted to shake some sense into them, but I did think the characters were able to demonstrate a good amount of personal growth. Thank you Netgalley, the author and @ReadForeverPub

I appreciated that this book included a lot of representation for communities that don’t always get to see themselves on the pages of romance novels, including plus size women, Latina women, and asexual women (in Marcela’s best friend). I also enjoyed the library setting and general book advocacy throughout. I thought the book was well written, and Marcela was extremely realistic…unfortunately, the result was that she was also frustrating to read because her insecurities and pining after Ben were so obviously not healthy to an outside observer. I also found that I prefer when books like this include the dual perspective, because Theo was such a black box, making it harder for me to find him attractive as a romantic hero. Not a personal favorite, but I would be open to reading more by this author in the future as I think she has an interesting and unique voice.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc!


I really like this book. I am just going to put a short review for now because I want to and I need to sleep. But this book was cute and heavy at the same time. BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Ben is such a bitch and that is crazy.

Thank you so much for the publisher for the ARC of this novel.
Over all I really enjoyed this story. The growth of Marcela throughout the novel was great to see. I really enjoyed the troubles that she and Theo worked though with their pasts. The story definitely resonated with me and I can not wait to read more from Gabriella in the future!

Gabriella Gamez's debut novel, The Next Best Fling, is a delightful and captivating read that offers so much more than your typical romance. Gamez skillfully crafts a story full of genuine emotion, complex characters, and palpable chemistry that makes this book a standout.

Marcela Ortiz, the protagonist, is a librarian with a heart full of unspoken love for her best friend. Her journey of moving on from that unrequited love is anything but smooth, and it’s made even more complicated by the entrance of Theo Young, an ex-NFL player and the older brother of Marcela's long-time crush. The chemistry between Marcela and Theo is electric from the moment they meet, and Gamez masterfully builds the tension between them, making every interaction sizzle with anticipation.

One of the strongest elements of The Next Best Fling is the way Gamez handles miscommunication—a trope often met with mixed reactions in romance. Here, it’s done in a way that feels incredibly real and relatable. Marcela’s hesitations and insecurities are laid bare on the page, making her struggles deeply personal and moving. The authenticity with which these emotions are portrayed makes Marcela’s journey all the more compelling.

The plus-size representation in this novel is also worthy of praise. Marcela is a character who feels real in every sense, and her body image is depicted with a refreshing honesty that’s often lacking in romance. Gamez doesn’t shy away from the complexities of Marcela’s feelings about herself, and it adds a rich layer to her character that makes her incredibly relatable.

While this book has so much to offer, my only disappointment lies in the single POV. As much as this is Marcela’s story, I found myself yearning for more insight into Theo’s thoughts and emotions. His character is intriguing, and there’s a depth to him that I wish had been explored further. I believe Theo has more to give us, and his perspective could have added another dimension to an already engrossing story.

I listened to the audiobook version of The Next Best Fling, narrated by Ruby Corazon, who did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life. Her narration added an extra layer of emotion to the story, making the listening experience truly enjoyable.

In summary, The Next Best Fling is a spicy, heartfelt, and thoroughly enjoyable debut that leaves you rooting for Marcela and Theo from start to finish. Gabriella Gamez has proven herself to be a writer to watch, and I can’t wait to see what she delivers next.

I did enjoy this romance! It was not the big 5 star read that I thought it might be, but it was great! My opinion might have been different if I had read it a bit slower, but I did read it pretty quickly.

This was overall a wonderful debut novel by Gabriella Gamez! Marcela was a delightful character, the most dedicated librarian and a ride-or-die friend, and loved her curvy girl rep. I didn't love how she was handling herself at the beginning of the book and the way she was essentially torturing herself by remaining friends with this man she's had a huge crush with unrequited feelings, but the more I read she really grew on me. And Theo is both the hot NFL footballer, but somehow simultaneously THE BIGGEST cinnamon roll and has so much depth, I loved him from jump! Though there was a lot of back and forth, both of them had a lot of the past to get over, and their own issues, I really enjoyed seeing their feelings for each other blossom. There was so much growth done by not only the two main characters, but also some of the supporting characters, and I absolutely loved the justice that was served at the end of the book!

All in all, this was a really enjoyable read and I can't wait to read more from this debut author!

I absolutely LOVED this story. The angst, the spice...the swoon!!

Theo is ideal Book Boyfriend material. A big, bad ex-NFL football player with a heart of gold who is honest about his feelings and unafraid to put it all out there. Could it get any better? Marcela was so relatable as a heroine. She is the friend who always puts herself last even to her own detrimant, a librarian who loves to read and who struggles with her own body image. I appreciate when plus size heroines are represented realistically and Gabrielle Gamez did justice for Marcela and her insecurities without the glossing over how it effects her but also not making it her whole personality. The chemistry between Theo and Marcela was FANTASTIC and, despite the unsettled feelings the two of them had with other people, the slow-burn of their romance was perfection and 100% worth the journey.

This was just one of those books that gave me a warm, cozy feeling in my chest and I was sad when it was over. I will absolutely be rereading this one!!

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

First thing first, the beautiful cover is everything. This book had some unique twist and turns. You will definitely enjoy the banter and chemistry between Marcela and Theo. Marcela loves her best friend who is now engaged. Then there's Theo who is in love with his brother's fiancé and wants to confess his love. Marcela stops him and the chemistry starts there. Although the picture is of a plus size woman and thick man, there wasn't any focus on weight and I loved that. Theo is definitely book boyfriend material.

Oh my lanta, would I take a Theo any day of the week!! I loved that he wasn’t too haughty to take a small coaching job after his NFL career unfortunately ended, like he wasn’t too good to just teach kids. Even from the beginning, his grumpy was barely a mad kitten and I just wanted to squeeze him while making his speech to himself at the party. At least the recipient of HIS affection wasn’t an absolute jackbutt like someone we know that he’s related to. The amount of disbelief regarding his seriousness in general was baffling to me, but also not necessarily surprising from one black sheep of the family to another. Ben definitely seemed to carry far more of his father’s traits than was good for him and I was so stoked reading how things ended up for him! Gabby and her mother had such a sweet relationship and I’m glad she finally began to see her self-worth in total and was able to fix some of her relationships that needed repair, cutting off those that didn’t! So excited for the next books in the seriesssss. 4.5/5 for me!

When I started reading this book, I was automatically drawn to Marcela. Marcela is an enthusiastic youth librarian filled with passion for her job. Theo is a retired pro-football player turned high school coach, who has recently moved back to San Antonio. Their not so “one night stand” turns into a fling to help one another get over unrequited feelings they have for someone else. Their relationship isn’t conventional but it’s something more. It’s filled with depth and embracing change in one another. I loved that as their fling progresses, you can see both of their walls come down. However, Marcela was a little infuriating with her second guessing her feelings and thinking Theo could never actually be into her. I’m not a big fan of third act break-ups but I think what Gamez did here worked for this book and it’s what needed to happen for us, the reader, to get the ending we wanted. One a side note, I loved the references to San Antonio/Texas; Whataburger, UTSA but I wished she had more local spots thrown in for Texas readers. Overall, I think this was a great debut and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series 🤗

3.5⭐️!

this book was the perfect quick & fluffy romcom read! i loved the body positive message in it as someone learning to love their own body. theo & marcela are absolutely precious & i loved how they bonded & made each other better versions of themselves. i do have to say that ya guess the third act breakup pretty early on & that the fmc has a lot of self sabotaging doubt (but that does make sense with her background). i loved the friendships in this book & i love that is highlights having rose colored glasses on for someone that isn’t your person. anyway, i love theo. && i looooooved marcela’s love for books!

if ya need a palette cleanser book, this is the perfect romcom!

3.5 stars!

This was such a fun book! And a DEBUT novel?!?! BRAVO!

I was obsessed with the storyline from the beginning and love that the story was a plus sized librarian falling in love with an hunk ex-NFL player!! Eeek!

But let’s get into the meat of this story. Marcela Ortiz has been in love with her best friend Ben Young since college after they dated for a few months and ultimately decided it would be better to remain friends. Except, Ben was the one to decide that and it left Marcela heartbroken and pining after him for the last decade. So much so, that she hasn’t had any serious relationships because she compares them to Ben or Ben steps in and makes comments about all the guys and she ultimately dumps them… yeah babe, BEN IS A HUGE DICK. This man strings her along for YEARS even as he is ENGAGED to the girl he dated after Marcela!!

Cut to the engagement party, where Marcela finds Ben’s older, hunkier, ex-NFL brother Theo Young pacing and drunkenly muttering to himself about to speak his peace at the party!!! Turns out Theo was best friends with Ben’s fiancé, Alice, and has been holding a torch for her since high school!! Although Marcela doesn’t want Ben to marry Alice either, she knows that Theo will regret his drunken choices. She convinces him to leave the party with her and soon rumors spark that the two are an item! Theo and Marcela start out as a way to get over their heartbreak and over time morph into a beautiful and honest relationship.

I love that Theo was upfront and honest from the beginning about his confused feelings and always gave Marcela 100% of himself whenever they were together. He went on dates, learned all about her, showed up for her unlike anyone else ever had. I loved him. I also love that as Marcela experienced what a real relationship was like she was able to see how fucked up Ben was to her. He basically kept her on the sidelines for years, confused her feelings for him knowing how she felt, and when you read about the moment he changed his mind about her because of her plus sized body, you will want to punch him in the throat. It’s on sight if I ever see that man!!!!

Theo made her feel important, special, and threw her around like a rag doll and I am 100% happy for her and their relationship!!!

With all of this, you might be wondering WHY I only rated this 3.5 stars, and its simply this:

-There was so much repetition. We absolutely know for sure that Marcela has abandonment issues from her father leaving and has been pining for Ben for forever. It’s a point that is driven home over and over and over again.
-Marcela doesn’t tell Theo that she is in love with his brother but he tells her the truth up front. She has multiple points in time to tell Theo it is Ben but never does and when it’s found out, HE DOESN’T CARE and she just wastes time!!
-I think it was clear to the reader (me) that Theo has developed feelings for Marcela through his actions but it was just SO messy! Each of them pining after one half of an engaged couple!? Marcela running to Ben and questioning Theo’s intentions but never Bens? Alice in the mix? Is she a nice person? Is she leading Theo on? What is the deal? At times I wondered if Marcela truly liked Theo or if she was just interested in having sex with him. It was a messy chaotic time.

It was a strong book and I will absolutely read anything else Gabriella Gamez writes!

As a plus size girl myself, I really enjoyed this read. It was super relatable and loved the story. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Not sure when the last time I've disliked a "nice guy" more than with Ben. Ugh. I was so happy to see Marcela find what she deserved with Theo, even if it took them a while to see what was right in front of their faces!

Gabriella Gamez gives us angst and swoon in this one! It was very interesting to see these two love interests come together in response to the failur of one of my favorite tropes (they are in love with their best friends but those friends are marrying each other!!)

Can’t wait to see what Gamez does next!

I think this is a case of "it's me, not you" but I seem to have come across a trope I don't like. This book revolved so much around the MC and LI both pining for other people for so long, that I failed to see the romance in their relationship. I do think they were better off together, but I didn't enjoy the road to getting there, because so much focus was on the other couple that they were each pining for. It just absolutely didn't work for me, which is a shame, because I did like the writing.

What an amazing debut by author Gabriella Gamez! The Next Best Fling was a quick and entertaining read filled with bookish shenanigans for all book lovers.

At the center of this story we have Marcela and Theo both caught up in unrequited loves with Ben, Theo's brother, and Alice, Ben's fiancee, respectively. Yet, they can't deny the chemistry between them and pursue it in an attempt to move on from their one sided pining.

This is such a fun and unique premise! I haven't read many romance novels with this focus. This story shines a light on the grief of loving someone deeply when they don't love you back and being unable to move on until you make space for someone new.

While I didn't feel deeply connected with any of the characters, I thought Marcela and Theos fears and concerns were handled very realistically. I enjoyed seeing them be cute and have fun with each other while slowly falling in love. What I loved even more was the amount of honest and communication between the two!

I am so keen to continue following Games' works.

Thank you so much Forever Pub for the opportunity to read and review!