📚🏈The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez 🏈📚

Marcela Ortiz has been in love with her best friend Ben Young for the past ten years. The problem is, for eight of them, Ben’s been dating Alice and they just got engaged. Marcela knows it’s long past time to get over Ben, but she never expected a rebound to fall into her lap in the form of Ben’s brother Theo. Theo is also harboring a secret unrequited love, making him the perfect candidate for a short lived, no strings fling.

There are so many things to enjoy in this book! I loved Marcela and Theo together as they navigated their way through a very complicated situation. Theo scores major points for many reasons, from his A+ communication skills to his absolutely epic grand gesture gift. There were times were Marcela frustrated me, especially before she sees the light about Ben. Ben was truly The Worst™️ and I was glad at how his arc played out.

Overall I’d recommend this to romance readers and I look forward to what Gabriella Gamez writes next. I love that this was also a love letter to books and libraries and I imagine the next Librarians In Love book will be too!

There are some heavy topics to be aware of: parental abandonment (past), toxic relationships, fatphobia (past and present)

Marcela ha estado enamorada de su mejor amigo (Ben) por una década y cuando se entera que le propondrá matrimonio a su novia se le rompe el corazón.

Theo, el hermano de Ben está enamorado de Alice, la prometida y planea decirle como se siente y pedirle que le de una oportunidad, pero Marcela lo impide.

No hay desarrollo en la relación de los protagonistas, en un momento ella está enamorada de Ben, al otro le gusta Theo y luego vuelve a sufrir por el otro.

Las veces que M y T tuvieron relaciones sexules fueron a causa de interacciones por parte de alguno de ellos con Ben o Alice, o sea sólo fueron por despecho.




Me cayó mal Marcela cuando admitió que seguía siendo la amiga del tipejo porque esperaba tener una oportunidad para robarselo a Alice. Si hubiera tenido dicha oportunidad no le habría importado que fuera por infidelidad.



Espero que Alice tenga su libro y sea feliz.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars The Next Best Fling is a delightful debut novel filled with charming characters and emotional depth.

Librarian Marcela Ortiz has been in love with her best friend, Ben, for years. So when Ben gets engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Alice, Marcela knows it's time to finally move on. At Ben and Alice's engagement party, Marcela discovers that Ben's older brother, ex-NFL player Theo, plans to drunkenly confess his feelings for Alice and Marcela promptly stops him, allowing Theo to sleep it off on her couch. When the two show up to brunch together the next morning, everyone mistakenly assumes Theo and Marcela hooked up--which they don't deny. The two agree to continue the lie and to use each other to get over the bride and groom. Soon, Theo and Marcela discover a real attraction between them and begin to explore it, with feelings developing on both sides despite an agreement to keep it casual. Could this fling become the real thing?

Gabriella Gamez wrote a book with the perfect blend of swoon, spice, and emotional scenes. There's a lot of personal growth for all of the characters and you'll find yourself easily rooting for Theo and Marcela. Both main characters are easy to love since they are truly good people and are too sweet together. If only Theo wasn't a Cowboys player...Go Birds! 🦅 😉

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the ARC 💗 The Next Best Fling releases July 9th!

Such a fun read! The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez is a contemporary romance about two broken-hearted people finding solace in each others’ arms. Marcela Ortiz has been in love with her best friend for nearly a decade, and for all of those years, she’s harbored the hope that he would see her in the same light. Those hopes come burning down when he announces his engagement to his long-term girlfriend. Crushed she really doesn’t want to attend the engagement party, but as best friend to the groom, it’s kind of a requirement. While there, she finds she isn’t the only one crushed. Theo Young, the brother of the groom-to-be, is rehearsing his own speech to Alice, the soon-to-be bride. Knowing what a big mistake he is about to make Marcela steps in and takes him home. A misunderstanding leads everyone to thinking they hooked up which brings an opportunity to Theo and Marcela neither was expecting.

As I’ve already said but it bears repeating, this was such a fun read. One mishap after another leads Theo and Marcela into a no-strings-attached relationship, a “reboundship”, that will hopefully help them get over their first loves. These two are so much fun together. Because of the no-strings rule and the fact they both admit to having feelings for someone else from the beginning, it allows our two MCs a chance to be honest, sometimes brutally, with each other. I loved this open and honest communication. Now, I will say it gets off to a rocky start with Marcela hiding who she is getting over, Theo’s brother. The banter between them and the camaraderie makes for an excellent read. I found myself laughing and tearing up all within the same few pages throughout the book.

The tension that builds between Marcela and Theo drives the story. Their relationship starts off as no strings, but they quickly build a friendship, and from there romance ensues. I loved how the author introduced us to both of them. The story is told entirely from Marcela’s point of view, yet there is a lot of character growth that happens for both of them. But it isn’t all about Marcela and Theo. I loved the side characters we are introduced to, Angela being my favorite.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Next Best Fling. This one hit on all my favorite tropes: fake relationships, friends to lovers, etc. It was so easy to root for them that I found myself frustrated with Marcela at times for her own doubts. If you enjoy contemporary romance or you are looking for a fun beach or weekend read, I highly recommend this one.

Marcela is shocked when her best friend proposes to his very longtime girlfriend - only to be caught off guard when his brother, Theo, comes to town. Theo comes with regretted-love-from-afar baggage of his own.

Their first encounters are awkward and inconvenient, both hiding their feelings for others for so long. Facing reality, what will they do?

A spicy read with fun, awkward, memorable, and tense moments sprinkled in, you get to know the characters and those around them. No one's perfect, everyone has their perspectives, and it paints a realistic community. I really enjoyed this debut from Gabriella Gamez!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Forever/Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

The Next Best Fling is a creative premise that leads to a fake dating romance. Gabriella Gamez puts her characters in emotional high stakes situations while making them feel like real people.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Librarian Marcela is devastated when her friend Ben, who she’s been crushing on for years, tells her he’s getting engaged to his girlfriend Alice. She forces herself to go to their engagement party and spots Ben’s football player brother Theo. Theo’s been in love with Alice since they were in high school, and is determined to reveal his feelings at the party. But Marcela manages to talk drunk Theo down, and whisks him away to her apartment. When they show up to brunch together the next day, everyone assumes they hooked up. Then they kiss to keep up the pretense and—uh oh—it’s amazing. So Marcela and Theo decide to continue the farce and maybe help each other get over their unrequited love. But what happens when their plan works, and their feelings are a lot more than just a rebound?

I enjoyed this story a lot. I think the setup of “she has to stop him from breaking up his brother’s engagement and fake dating is the solution” is a fun one. Theo is a sweetheart who gets a bad rap from his family, especially Ben. Marcela is a realistic character, and her supportive friendship with her bestie Angela is fantastic. I also love the Latinx and curvy rep. And who doesn’t love a YA librarian?

I adore this premise, but I got frustrated with Marcela at times. Logically I know it’s all part of her character arc, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to clear up a variety of miscommunications much earlier on in the story. And, since Theo has plenty of issues of his own to work through, I would have liked to see his POV too.

The Next Best Thing is a creative premise and an ode to librarians everywhere. If you are a fan of complex family dynamics and, of course, fake dating, you’ll enjoy Gabriella Gamez’s steamy debut romance.

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

This was such a charming story. Theo and Marcela are each in love with half of the newly engaged couple - he with the bride marrying his brother and she with said brother who is her best friend. When Marcela stops Theo from rushing into the engagement party to declare his undying love for the bride, everyone assumes that by leaving the party together, they left "together." What starts as a cover-up quickly becomes more: the perfect rebound.

I really liked Theo. He's dealt with more than his share of challenges in his life, including an estrangement from his brother. Marcela has body image issues and now doesn't trust men. I love characters who are flawed in real, every day ways, when I can see myself in them. The evolution of their relationship is sweet, funny, touching, and simply real.

Now, lest you think this is just a sweet book, let me assure you that there is definitely spice. And drama. And the drama gets good. To the point where I was yelling, "I knew it!" This is a great, relaxing read, and moves quickly. Perfect for a summer weekend.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Next Best Fling is a fun, promising debut that managed to sell me on one of my least favorite tropes, friends-with-benefits by focusing on some of the core elements of the dynamic, while also not forgetting the emotional investment throughout.
Marcela is incredibly relatable. Starting with the obvious, I love that she’s a librarian who generally loves her job. Her unrequited feelings for her best friend are also painfully realistic, and I couldn’t help but feel for her watching him marrying someone else. Theo, meanwhile, is her best friend’s older brother, who happens to have unrequited feelings for the bride. This setup was so fun, and I loved how things progressed from there.
The dynamic between the two is super sweet. Marcela has some baggage she’s reckoning with, being jaded about love and relationships due to her parents’ divorce. Meanwhile, Theo is a sweetheart and very in touch with his feelings. I loved the patience he had with her, as well as the overall supportive foundation they built with each other, which translated beautifully as they began to explore their feelings for each other.
This was a solid debut romance, and I hope to read more from Gabriella Gamez in the future. I recommend this book to readers looking for lighthearted contemporary romance.

This was a strong debut from Gabrilla Gamez. I thought I knew where the arc of the story was going and I didn't, at points. I'm unsure if I enjoyed that or if I thought it would have been tighter if it followed the beats I was expecting it to. It's a messy story about messy people and I enjoyed how much they leaned into that. I also thought Angela's coming out scene to Marcella was so unexpectedly sweet. I hope the next book in the series is about her.

I wish there was a bit more emotional release with regards to Ben (seriously he SUCKS) or at least an epilogue where we can rub their happiness in his face. I also found the librarian/book references a bit much, and wish it had been toned down a bit. And that's coming from someone who deeply respects the YA genre and what it does for people.

All in all, I had a good time with this one, and can't see what comes next!

I flew through this messy love square. I adored the FMC, Marcela, and her bestie, Angela. Theo was a complete sweetheart! 😍

The book club & the date were my favorite parts in the book. The third act break up was so expected and frustrating but the resolution was worth it!

I'm looking forward to Gamez's next book!

Thanks to NetGalley & Forever (Grand Central Pub) for an advance copy!

As a plus-sized, Hispanic bookworm from Texas, I thought this book would be a guaranteed 5 stars. Unfortunately, I found it a struggle to get through. I tried for months and couldn't finish. I had zero desire to pick it up. While I didn't love the premise, I was willing to put aside my concerns and give it a shot, but the idea of both MCs pining for other people just made me uncomfortable. It would've been one thing if I believed the chemistry between them, but it felt like I was being told that they were attracted to each other, rather than being shown. There was just no spark at all. The banter wasn't there, and I didn't feel like they could've gotten over their feelings for other people enough to form a genuine connection. When it felt like a chore to keep going, I sadly had to throw in the towel. I just didn't connect with the writing or the characters, which is a huge bummer.

This was a sweet romance! I liked Theo and Marcela’s love story. They had some really great moments.

I also really enjoyed curvy representation as well as the Latina perspective.

Some of the characters’ choices were hard to understand, like Marcela’s obsession with Theo’s brother who just seemed like a terrible person to me. But I loved seeing her finally moving past that and experiencing the love she deserved.

I really got into the story by the end and I’m excited to hear more from this author in the future.

I love a good fake dating plot and this one didn’t disappoint. I do wish there had been a little more pining, because that was one of the best parts, but I love how much Theo loves Gabby. I did feel that Ben was a bit unresolved and just villainous. Overall a good book.

4.5 stars!

This debut was so entertaining!! I was laughing and swooning and for sure frustrated at times and cheering for our two main characters. It had all the makings of a great rom-com! I thought Gabriella Gomez did a really great job tackling the idea of two people falling in love with each other after starting a fling to get over their first loves (who they still love!). how do you trust their feelings? And what do you do when the people you’re trying to get over are still very much connected and in both of your lives? So much drama! So much laughter! But also so many sweet moments. theo is every booklovers’ dream man! the way he supports Marcela and her love of reading and spoils her? I think we can all admit we want a man like that. No but for real Theo loves Marcela so well! And I absolutely adored watching them fall in love with one other. Excited to see what Gabrielle does next!
Thank you ReadForever & Netgalley for the eARC! This is my honest review.

This book felt like a hug.

It felt real, conceivable, in a I totally believe these two people were meant to be together even though he wanted her ex best friend and she wanted his brother first type of way...

The characters' chemistry was fantastic, and the relationships were well described. I swooned, I teared, I happy danced through Marcela & Theo's relationship and rooted for them right from the jump!

A fantastic debut, and I can't wait to hear more from them in book #2 - or see more from the author in general.

Thank you NetGalley & Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC copy of this book.

This was an enjoyable read and very easy for me to start and finish!

Thoroughly loved the plus size representation and diversity of characters. Although this book was enjoyable, it just didn't hit the mark for me. The romance wasn't convincing and I would have liked to see a relationship that develops more throughout the book!

It was certainly cute but not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Forever Publishing, for letting me read an eARC of this book!
Release date is July 9, 2024.

I absolutely LOVED this book. Marcela and Theo had undeniable chemistry and I was rooting for them since the beginning of their little fake dating arrangement. I loved the character growth as well as the exploration of familial dynamics displayed throughout the book & it made me absolutely invested in this story. I also loved that Marcela is a librarian and we got to see a little bit of her work throughout the novel! I really enjoyed seeing Theo and Marcela getting closer and getting to know each other better and it made my heart so happy to read this book.
Overall, I’d highly recommend you pick this book up!! One of my fave romances of the year.

DNF 10% in.

This sounded like a fun book but the plot wasn't working for me. I have learned from this book I don't seem to like the unrequited love trope as I don't like a character who is still pining after someone who has been in a committed relationship for almost a decade with someone else. And the fact both of our main character's are that way is something I just didn't enjoy. But I do like the writing style so I definitely plan on keep an eye out for what ever the author writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Pub for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts <3

The Next Best Fling is a phenomenal debut from Gabriella Gamez. I was instantly whisked away when I started the first page. As a library assistant, I loved seeing the all the library lingo and can completely relate to having stacks of library books taking up every inch of free space in my house. Marcela is such a great character because of how hard she's trying to get by while being in love with her engaged, best friend. She doesn't want to hurt anyone, even if it might lead to her own happiness.

Marcela and Theo have chemistry like no other. He wants her bad folx!! Their romance is unique and messy and delightful. They quickly become each other's confidantes. Communication is key and I liked seeing how these two navigated the difficult conversations and reveals they had. Really, once they "got it out of their systems" it was genuinely so fun to see them break the rules they set in the beginning. Theo knows how to put it down and let Marcela know just how much he wants her. I liked the portrayal of Marcela's thoughts on her body. It's always refreshing to see a fat character who sometimes has their struggles (because it's so real) but also loves themselves so much.

Read this if you like bookish MCs, MMCs who are down bad, getting it out of our systems, communication that isn't perfect but is doing it's damn best, and fat MCs that are deeply desired.

early DNF. The writing style was just not a match for me and I found Marcela to be really annoying. I also am unsure how I feel about this premise as a whole, which obviously is on Me!!!