I loved this book! Being Mexican myself I loved how Gabriella added those tiny details pertaining to the food, the way the FMC mom is, the language as well. I loved how this book was! I loved Theo and Marcela togerther, but I also loved how much persona; growth they had as well. Although at some point there were parts where the FMC really did annoy me with her indecisiveness with their relationship, but I get why it had to be done. The last 10% I feel like I could've done without. The pacing was great up until that last 10% then I felt like it kinda dragged on. I can't wait to buy a physical copy and highlight my favorite parts! I laughed out loud, kicking my feet in the air with all the giddiness I couldn't contain.

I’m all for pumping up debut authors and especially diverse authors… but I had such a difficult time getting into this one and keeping my attention focused on it. I didn’t love the way it played out and while the plot had a lot of potential, it definitely felt like it had a lot of work left to be done before publication.

I liberally give it 3 stars but caution readers going in that this is most definitely a debut novel and not a well-honed one from a beloved author. The character’s chemistry came out of left field and was very confusing (made no sense at all, especially when a mention of Ace came in!). I’m hoping that future releases from Gamez will take this framework and build on it - the structure is certainly there but needed more depth and time.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and this is my honest opinion.

2 Stars
This started off really cute but I quickly found myself annoyed with the conflict in this and with the female MC (there was just so much unnecessary drama and her thought process had me rolling my eyes constantly, I really don't understand how she was pining for a guy for years that gave her literally nothing lol). This definitely slowed down in the middle and it didn't pick up after that for me. Ultimately, this one fell a bit flat and it was just an okay read but I don't think I care to continue this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing).

Marcela and Theo have found themselves in quite the dilemma, she is in love with his brother and he is in love with his brother's fiancé. What better way to move on than to become friends with benefits with a splash of fake dating?

This was a really cute and lighthearted debut contemporary romance. I loved the pairing here, a Latina librarian who loves pumpkin empanadas and an ex NFL player with a big heart.

I wanted to shake Marcela a few times to knock some sense into her! I honestly cannot understand what Marcela saw in Ben, Theo's brother. The spice in this debut was 🔥 and the big gesture at the end was every book lover's dream.

The Next Best Fling tells the story of Marcela and Theo and how they decide to fake a relationship, and then decide to enjoy a rebound fling. Author Gabriella Gamez does a wonderful job of showing all the messiness of unrequited love, and the problems created when one keeps hoping too long. While I found the storyline a bit too conflict heavy, I did appreciate the growth in both main characters shown and watching as they earn their HEA. The body positivity, and the love of books expressed added to my enjoyment. Several open-door steamy scenes tastefully done.

A solid debut by this author with some lovely moments and some hiccups.

This book kind of felt like my best friends wedding except the best friend is actually an asshole and she falls for his brother instead.

Marcela has been in love with her best friend Ben for years. Since they dated and he told her they were better off as just friends. When Ben gets engaged to Alice his brother Theo (ex NFL players, but it's not really relevant as he's retired now) shows up and admits to Marcela that he's also in love with Alice.

It's super soap opera-y and entertaining the writing is fast paced and easy to follow.

It's got some issues in that there is a lot of repetition and the FMC goes back and forth on her feelings A LOT. Too much. It also felt weird that the one character kind of holding everyone hostage just becomes a villain and there is no wrap up of that relationship by the end. It felt disjointed and weird.

Overall it's cute. But just ok.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this review!

Marcela is helplessly in love with her friend Ben, but Ben is engaged. On the night of the engagement party, Marcela stops Theo, Ben's older brother, from revealing his feelings for Ben's fiancee. The only problem - everyone now thinks Marcela and Theo hooked up - so they decide to play along until OF COURSE they catch feelings for each other.

This was a fun, sweet and spicy romance. Marcela and Theo both have their baggage to work through, but I thought the way their relationship developed was great. Theo is such a cinnamon roll and I was here for it. I loved Marcela as well - her development throughout the story was done well. I knocked it down a bit because the pacing felt a little big off for me at a few points. But overall, this was a great debut and I look forward to reading whatever this author does next!

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great debut romance read that was super fun and quick to get through. . Theo and Marcela were super cute together right from the beginning. I loved the personal growth in this book too, not just the romance. The romance was nice, don’t get me wrong, it was the perfect blend of spice with sweet. I’ll definitely be picking up the next books in the series when they’re released.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an adorable romance. I felt the chemistry between the mcs from their very first meeting, and it only grew from there. They were flawed but lovable, and I loved Marcela’s friendship with her best friend, Angela. There were some deeper issues discussed in the book, such as family abandonment. Marcella and Theo handled their muddled relationship situation maturely and I really rooted for them as the story went on.

I found some of the stuff around Ben and Alice to be a little repetitive at points, but I ended up really loving the way the novel finished up. This was a really sweet and fun read that I’ll definitely be recommending.

Chaotic and messy and I couldn’t put this one down. Marcela has been pining for her best guy friend, Ben, for years and in for total heartbreak when he proposes to his longtime girlfriend, Alice. And as if going to an engagement party wasn’t enough anxiety, she stops Ben’s brother Theo from drunkenly declaring his feelings for Alice. When they leave the party together and then show up at brunch together the next day, everyone thinks they hooked up, and they seem to go along with the lie to prevent anyone else from suspecting their real feelings for the engaged couple. We get a fun little fake dating situation for a hot minute, until they decide to go with a friends with benefits situation instead. But Theo doesn’t know about Marcela’s crush on Ben, everyone is telling Marcela to stay away from Theo, and Marcela is just trying to protect herself from getting hurt. It’s all sorts of messy and dramatic, but Theo has generally been open and honest with Marcela about his feelings and is basically the one making a try at a real relationship. Overall, Theo is the best, Ben is the worst, Alice is actually a decent friend, and Marcela just needs a pep talk.

I had a good time with this book, so much so that I read it in on sitting. I normally don't like the idea of two characters who were pining for two other people getting together, but I think this was executed really well. The two biggest elements that made me enjoy this was Theo's insistence on open and honest conversation between him and Marcela and Marcela's best friend Angela who kept prodding her for information and giving her things to think about without out right telling her what to do. Theo and Marcela were so sweet together, even when they were just hooking up. Their earnestness made me believe they'd still be together when the story ended.

I ended up dnfing this book. I just couldn’t get into it and didn’t care for the fmc. I did love Theo from what I did read. Even though this book wasn’t for me I think others will enjoy it. I don’t want to hurt the author so I won’t leave reviews…just because I didn’t care for it doesn’t mean others won’t.

I LOVED the representation with the nods to Texas. I felt the chemistry and was all in! Then it got really messy with miscommunication and self-sabotage, and it kinda killed it for me. I loved the writing, though, and will absolutely keep an eye out for anything else the author writes.

A perfect romcom!

This romance was a lot of fun, plus steamy too! The banter between these two was very good.

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of emotional depth with the characters. They had a lot of growth throughout the book. The emotional parts of the story brought angst which I enjoyed. It felt realistic.

A complicated romcom with steam. I enjoyed this debut and would be interested to see more of this author’s work.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book!! I had heard good things and was so excited to be approved for the arc of this book but I got so busy the past while that I almost forgot all about it. Then, I started reading and just couldn’t stop! I finished it all in one night.

I thought this was a new way to approach a few of the tropes we all know and love: best friend’s brother, friends with benefits, rebound, unrequited love. I liked that both of the characters were basically going through the same thing at the same time and it’s really what brought them together. I liked that it was realistic and there was clear expectations set out and this casual relationship gradually turned to more.

I hated Ben from the moment he was introduced. Bad vibes from the start. Then we he thought he had the right to tell Marcela who she could and could not date? Bye. What a gaslighter. So not a fan.

I love the name Theo for a big burly guy because it makes me think of Teddy which is often a nickname for Theodore and then makes me see him as a big teddy bear! Which he totally was.

I really enjoyed this book!

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez release on Tuesday, July 9, 2024.

📚 The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 ~ 3.5 stars (4 on Goodreads)

I saw this was immediately available in the catalog and "Librarians in Love" jumped right out at me. Unfortunately, once I started reading, I was deeply mired in the messy book. The Next Best Fling was one big Charybdis of complicated feelings and broken hearts. Instead of a love triangle, this book featured a love parallelogram with unrequited yearnings flowing every which way. The novel started off with two people hung up on an engaged couple who were due to marry someone else that weekend. I couldn't wrap my head around this. This romance novel felt so wrong and I couldn't root for people pining over emotionally unavailable characters with someone's ring on their finger. I mostly skimmed this and struggled to focus. I definitely won't be returning to this author. I will have to be more vigilant in the future when placing requests in the catalog, especially those that are in the Read Now section. The Next Best Fling was a poor substitute for a real relationship and I won't be accepting stand-ins in the future!

3 stars

Marcela loves Ben, Theo loves Alice. Ben and Alice are engaged to each other.

It's a premise rife for tons of angst and Gabriella Gamez squeezes every drop she can out of it. Most of her characters are grappling with a Big Emotion or two and there are tons of obstacles that both of our main characters have to tackle in order to get their happily ever after. I will give this book credit that it definitely delves into the emotional turmoil of letting yourself accept love than any other book that I have ever read. For me, this did make the book overly long and I found myself a little tired of how repetitive the thought patterns got from our single POV. While those particular aspects of the book were not to my particular taste, I think that there are a lot of readers out there who will really connect to the journey that these characters take.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

The Next Best Fling - ARC Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
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WHAT I LIKED:
-Latina Lead
-All of the book quotes and library references
-Cute Grand Gestures
-Theo! He was warm, open, honest, kind, and so swoony! His flirting was adorable.
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:
-Marcela’s secret keeping and lying: She lied to Angela and she kept secrets from Theo far too long. I wish she had come clean on her own and earlier. It was hard for me to believe Theo could trust her after all of that.
.
Thank you @netgalley for my eARC copy. I was given this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

Ehhh... it wasn't horrible but I was also I bit bogged down by the messy messy back and forth.

They chemistry just was NOT there for me. What was even drawing these two together besides mutual pain and pining?

It got exhausting going on the ring around the rosy.

I would read this author again, but this book just felt very unsatisfactory by the end.

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez is the debut novel and first book in the Librarians in Love series.

Why You Should Read It:
- Fake dating
- Best friend’s/ex’s brother trope
- Ex-NFL player
- Librarian protagonist
- He falls for her first
- Flirty banter
- Latinx representation
- Angst
- Steamy scenes

4 ⭐️ | 2.5 🌶️

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Marcela has been in love with her best friend for years, so when he gets engaged, it devastates her. She intervenes when his brother, Theo, almost confesses his feelings to the fiancée. After leaving together that night, everyone assumes they had a fling, so they decide to continue the facade and pretend to date. What starts as a fake relationship soon becomes real as they spend more time together and develop genuine feelings.

From the outset, they were clear about their intentions, but Marcela (or Marce, as Theo calls her) kept from him that she needed to move on from his brother, Ben. She excuses herself, believing their relationship isn't real and would end naturally, so she didn't see the need to share. Marcela struggles with abandonment issues from her parents’ failed marriage and her father leaving them, influencing many of her actions. She kept Ben close, hoping he would choose her and wanting to support him. Ben treated her poorly—dating her, then friend-zoning her, and constantly interfering in her relationships. She unfortunately heeded his advice.

Theo, retired from the NFL due to a past injury, also faced difficulties because of Ben. As Marcela and Theo grow closer, they help each other overcome their pasts, leading them to realize their mutual feelings.

Theo was the opposite of Ben's depiction. He was attentive, supportive, excellent company, and a kind person. Marcela, despite her body image issues and abandonment fears, was compassionate, sweet, and beautiful.

I loved how Theo planned their dates, though one scene broke my heart. Their romance, though largely one-sided with Theo falling for Marcela first. As for the spice, it was amazing. Their flirting, how desirable and confident he made her feel, and how beautiful he found her—she was amazed to cause that effect in him.

Angela, Marcela's best friend, provided excellent support and insights, always being there for her.

While the book excels in portraying Latinx culture, food, and family dynamics, the frequent miscommunications and dramatic twists occasionally overwhelmed me. Marcela's prolonged struggle with unrequited love and insecurity tested my patience but realistically underscored her character's complexity.

Overall, The Next Best Fling is a compelling read for fans of angst-driven romance and fake dating tropes. I eagerly anticipate Gabriella Gamez's future works.

Thank you to NetGalley & Forever for providing an advance copy. This review was submitted voluntarily.