- best friends brother
- fake dating/friends with benefits
- ex football player
- plus size FMC

I thought this one was super cute. I loved that the FMC was a plus size girlie. My only dislike was the fact that I struggled to connect to the characters at times. I personally couldn’t imagine pining over the same person for 10ish years, that’s just bonkers to me, especially when that person gets into a committed relationship. But at the same time, I don’t think it was handled distastefully either.
By the end, I loved the relationship between Theo and Marcela, they both took each other’s broken pieces and held each other together. I couldn’t help but to cheer them on.

I’m not the hugest fan of romances that begin with one of the MCs in love with someone else. The fact that they both did in this book could have put me off but I was actually intrigued from the moment I read the description and have been eagerly waiting to read this book and although im definitely still not a fan of that sort of plot line, this book won me over!

The main reason why it didn’t bother me was they incredibly open communication and the way they both knew what they were getting into. Seeing them open up and fall in love with each other was adorable. Theo was so cute and such a nice guy - I loved his honesty and how he fought for Marcela. She was a bit more closed off and her fear of abandonment made it harder for her to to be as open as Theo but they truly brought the best out of each other and made each other want to be better and finding love and happiness along the way was a great bonus.

I really enjoyed their character developments. Marcela, especially had a tough realization about her relationship with her best friend and how toxic it was and thought it wasn’t easy, she eventually was able to put herself first and let it go. Similarly, Theo also had to get some space from a not very healthy dynamic with his brother but I wish we’d count out more about what brought the brothers to where they were.

Overall, a really enjoyable read. If you’re looking for a romance with two lovely characters who are honest each other and have great chemistry, check this one out.

I'd like to thank Gabriella Gamez for reminding me that I don't have to settle for mediocre romance books when books like this exist in the world. I was truly blown away by this book, I don't even know if I get get across all my feelings in words. This book was so healing in so many ways -- from being the friend that no one ever wanted to date or pining for someone for so long to just being a librarian in the year 2024, I just felt so validated by Marcela's experiences and I'm sure so many readers will agree. Also, Theo's grand gesture is any book lover's dream (and even though I was expecting it to happen, that didn't mean I loved the plotpoint less).
PS -- If Ben has no haters I am dead.

"Call me whatever you want," he says against my lips. "As long as I get to call you mine."

A hot librarian and a professional football player, ex’s brother? Tell me less honestly.

What I liked:
- Such a cute book. I loved Theo & Marcella together
- It was pretty low stakes, but we get some good angst throughout.
- Love how Marcella found her voice throughout the book

What didn’t work for me:
- The pacing felt a little odd to me
- Didn’t love the third act conflict.

The concept behind this book sold me immediately on reading it. The dialogue in this story was so enjoyable. I didn’t love the pacing of this novel and the conflict wasn’t captivating enough to be entertaining. There was a little spice which was enjoyable. I loved the plus size representation.

4.5 🌟 this book was so different from what I was expecting but in the best way possible! I thought I was getting a spicy, fluffy, rebound romance but got the depth and the realistic relationship problems I typically associate with an Abby Jimenez/ Emily Henry story. Even though it was easy to be frustrated with Marcela, it was so clear how her past relationships and family dynamic impacted her character. Theo was such a great love interest and gave all the golden retriever energy! & how he made Marcela feel so confident and only further instilled that confidence when she was vulnerable with him 🥹 Overall, such a good read and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
spice: 🌶️

this book was so cute! i loved that marcela was a librarian. 🥺 that is my dream job!

theo and marcela were so cute together, i loved the way their relationship started out.

this was such a fun read, but i felt like there was so much conflict in this book and it took away from theo and marcela as a couple.

this book includes:
• librarian fmc
• former nfl player mmc
• love square
• fake dating
• ex’s brother

This was a really fun read. The premise was kind out there for me but I got pulled in by the fact that she's a librarian. It was heartfelt and I was really able to connect to the characters. I felt like it progressed in a way that wasn't far fetched and made sense. The love story didn't feel rushed or unbelievable and I feel like that characters had a lot of growth both individually and as a couple. I am very interested to see what this author brings us next.

Marcela is a curvy YA librarian that is secretly in love with her best friend Ben. Theo is Ben’s older brother, a former NFL player who is in love with Alice, Ben’s girlfriend. When Ben proposes to Alice both Theo and Marcela freak out realizing they will never get to be with the person they have loved for years. When they abruptly leave Ben and Alice’s engagement party together, everyone assumes they hooked up, and thus begins a fake dating relationship between Theo and Marcela born out of desperation. What follows is a delightful fake relationship that quickly becomes more. The dialogue and characters were swoon worthy (I think we all wish we had a Theo in our lives), the main character growth was wonderful, and the doubt and guilt the characters faced felt real and authentic. I also loved the representation of LatinX characters and curvy woman. This was a great story. I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

Marcella is in love with Ben who is engaged to Alice who Theo loves. Got that? Ben who is at the center of this group, is undeserving of Marcella,, a hard working librarian with a big good heart. His brother Theo, who recently retired from the NFL, will eventually see that it's Marcella, not Alicia who is the one for him. He's a good guy. There's a bit of spice and good banter. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fun read.

This book is an exciting and adorable read! The premise is fun but still carries a tone of seriousness. Theo and Marcela are really well balanced and their chemistry absolutely comes alive! I love the tensions that builds throughout the book for them and how they really grow as people. They build their foundation on trust and honesty, which is really refreshing in a novel! I wish Marcela didn’t have the classic self-doubt feelings, but overall, the author didn’t harp on self-doubt too much. I loved the best friend’s brother trope and how the ending shook out. This book is both familiar and unique at the same time with a fun approach for characters that start off pining for other people. 4.75⭐️, 2🌶

4.75 stars
I have so many feelings about this book (they're all good!)!! What starts as a plot to use each other and get over the love they have for their friends turns out to be the best decision they can make. Marcela and Theo start as an unlikely pairing that realize they're more alike than initially thought. The connection they have with one another is constantly evolving and I love how they go with the flow even when they're both in the deep end.

I truly cannot believe this is a debut for Gabriella Gamez. It is a well rounded novel with so much feeling and thought and development and is just so incredible. You can tell that Marcela has qualities of a real person and her inner monologue reminded me of my own. Her character development is ongoing and I am so happy that we get to know her so well.

The ONLY downfall about this book is that I wish it was dual POV. The lack of Theo's POV doesn't take anything away from how good this book is, it would just add another tick in the pros column. I really wanted to know what was happening in Theo's head because he is such a complex character and I wanna know his thoughts about everything that happens and learn more about him!

I cannot recommend this book enough. I will definitely be re-reading and I hope everyone gives this book a chance because it is SO good.

Thank you so much for this eARC!

THIS BOOK ITS EVERYTHING THAT ITS GOOD IN THIS WORLD AND I CANT STOP THIKING ABOUT IT I NEED EVERYONE TO READ IT AND ADD IT TO THEIR TBR BECAUSE IT JUST SOOO CUTE AAAAHHHHH

Final Thoughts

This was a really fun read, lots of giggling, great chemistry, our MMC is a giant teddy bear (Theo-bear?) of a man who is great at being open and communicating with or FMC. I loved their relationship and thought it felt very real and natural.

What I loved...
- MMC & FMC are 30+
- FMC is curvy/plus-sized (although the specifics are a little ambiguous)
- FMC is a librarian and a book lover
- the banter in the beginning of this was 🥵
- MMC is a big boy NFL player and everything about him sounded sexy tbh
- chemistry between the MMC + FMC is 🔥
- he buys her books... do you really need any other reason to read this
- her best friend, the one she is in love with, is an absolute piece of trash (and yes I'm counting that as a positive!)

What I didn't love...
- The pacing at the end of the book - it felt like more than one chapter at the end could have been cut out.
- our FMCs confidence was wavering at best and I was very frustrated multiple times in regards to this. I understand that in the real world our confidence can waver but I felt like there were way too many wavering moments for a romance heroine, I want my plus-size/curvy queen to feel real (read: have not confident moments) but I also want her to be a role model (read: have the confidence that perhaps some of us in the real world are still working on)

Final score 4.5⭐️
- despite the pacing issues at the end this was a really great read and have more to offer than your average romance!
Spice: 1 🌶️
- there is maybe 2-3 explicit scenes and they are very tame

6/30/2024 Thoughts
Can’t decide how I want to rate this so I’m going to sleep on it. I loved the first 90% of this book and thought for sure this was a 4.5⭐️ romance but then the last 10-15% of the book happened and it feel like a waste of my time.

I’ll sleep on it and come back to this in the am.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

*Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

What an absolute delight of a debut! A fake dating meets best friend's brother meets he falls first that had me gasping and giggling with each page. Marcela and Theo are just perfection together, with her bringing out this soft and sweet side of him that I wasn't expecting. On the other hand, he helps Marcela become confident enough to say NO to icky Ben (seriously so so so icky). And god the way Theo just effortlessly throws her around in the bedroom was SO HOT. Also the way this man puts in the effort? Next level. That date was just everything and so personalized to her. I really enjoyed the plot of this romance, especially with how it subverts the third act break-up trope.

I cannot WAIT for Angela's book because she deserves someone that makes her ace heart go flutter.

I absolutely LOVE this book! I cannot wait for the audio to come out so I can reread. The angst, the growth, the love. UGH. It’s so great. There were definitely some content warnings that people need to beware of, but they were handled with love and care. Such a great debut novel

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I do love a good librarian/any other occupation trope. As is the demanded trend these days, the male lead had a sports related job (very recently retired from NFL, the author thankfully spared us from sportsball details like position and … stuff?). The hook that drew me in was the mirrored position both main characters found themselves in, being in love with a couple who had just announced their engagement and how they chose to cope with that. I thought the author did really well, saving back a crucial bit of information which makes some things make sense historically. Also, I didn’t have to hear about football actually happening on page, so huzzah!

Despite desperately pining after her best friend Ben for nearly a decade, Marcela Ortiz is not going to let anything get in the way of his happiness and ruin his engagement—especially not Theo Young, his older brother who has been pining after the bride-to-be Alice for even longer. What starts as a well-meaning attempt to stop Theo from confessing his feelings to Alice becomes something more when everyone sees Marcela and Theo leave the engagement party together and wrongly assumes the following day that the pair hooked up. But as they continue their fake relationship, real feelings start to develop and the couple begin to realize that their plan may have worked just a little better than they ever expected.

First off, let’s hear it for the librarians who are doing their best to create safe spaces and fight back against book bans in order to create spaces that will allow people—especially youth—to feel safe to explore who they are and who they want to become. Marcela is everything I could have hoped for as a main character, insecurities and all. And truly, how can anyone have anything but high standards when a character like Theo exists? An ex-NFL who isn’t afraid to explore his softer side and takes his time to learn about the interests of the woman he loves? Yes please!

And just as strong as the leads are, Gamez creates a sneakily villainous character in Ben. Though the story is told strictly from Marcela’s (rose-colored) POV, it’s clear to anyone on the outside looking in (both characters within the story and the reader) that he is not everything that Marcela has built him up to be in his head. Gamez finds a way to somehow convince the reader of Marcela’s view of Ben while still showing how sinister he can truly be underneath. While it takes time for Marcela to unravel the side of Ben that's she's never seen, the reader already has a sense of what is hiding under the surface while still discovering at her pace.

I never really expected to read about messy straight people in a love square and I sure didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, but here we are! These four people have been so intertwined for so many years and now that there are big changes afoot, everything is really coming to a head. Gamez has a way of taking something that could become extremely convoluted and confusing and painting a picture that is easy to follow and draws you in.

As I often find myself doing when I know a romance is the first in a series, I kept my eyes peeled for hints as to what is coming next and I am happy to report that I think the seeds are perfectly planted. Gamez gives just enough hints to keep us guessing and wanting to come back for more and I, for one, can’t wait to see what comes next!

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review.

Gabriella Gamez's debut novel, "The Next Best Fling," is a brilliant story with awesome characters and a whole lot of chaos. While reading you will find fake dating, a BFFs older sibling, a hot librarian, an ex-NFL star and a great Rom-Com! The characters and world building are absolutely awesome and so much fun. What more could you want in a romance?

Marcela's world is upended when she learns that her lifelong crush and BFF, Ben, is engaged. As if that’s not enough drama, Ben’s brother Theo drops another bombshell—he’s planning to confess his feelings for Ben’s fiancée at the engagement party! Of course Marcela steps in to prevent the chaos that the confession would have caused. However, the next day, while at brunch together, and everyone assumes they're a couple. A wild thought for them, but easier than explaining why they are together so they decide to roll with it and keep up the fake dating charade.during all of the wedding drama.

This story is full of funny banter, spicy twists, a dramatic groom to be however the fake dating leads to some real feelings between Marcela and Theo. Together they find hot sex, face fears, embrace changes and new beginnings and follow their hearts. And my favorite part- Marcela learns to love herself- flaws, quirks, and all.

This debut novel by Gabriella Gamez is one of my favorites of the summer and I hope to be reading her next novel soon!

Get ready for Gabriella Gamez's debut novel, "The Next Best Fling," where you'll encounter fake dating, a best friend's brother, a hot librarian, and an ex-NFL star. Seriously, what more could you want in a romance? Marcela's world is shattered when she learns that her lifelong crush, Ben, has just gotten engaged. As if that’s not enough drama, Ben’s brother Theo drops another bombshell—he’s planning to confess his feelings for Ben’s fiancée at the engagement party! Marcela steps in to prevent the impending chaos, but the next day, they end up at brunch together, and everyone assumes they're a couple. So they decide to roll with it and keep up the fake dating charade.

Not only is this story packed with hilarious banter and spicy twists, and a narcissistic brother/best friend, but in the midst of all the fake dating shenanigans, Theo and Marcela stumble upon the real deal when it comes to love. Their escapades are more than just hearts and flowers - they're about facing fears, embracing new beginnings, and having the guts to follow your heart. And as Marcela navigates this crazy ride, she learns to love herself just the way she is - flaws, quirks, and all.

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Gabriella Gamez and I look forward to whatever she writes next!

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Gabriella Gamez and NetGalley for the ebook arc. All opinions expressed are my own.