4.5 STARS

The Next Best Fling was a fun, messy book that explores what love is. It was a pleasurable reading experience. There is librarian/library, plus size heroine, and Texas Latinx appreciation. I can’t wait for the next book.

I voluntarily read an early copy.

I liked this story. I love a plus size representation in books and this one was great. I didn’t love all the spicy scenes, I felt like some could have been fade to black and would have been fine. Overall though a great love story!

This was such an enjoyable read. I was slightly unsure about the book at first but really enjoyed reading it.

Some things I really liked were:
- Marcela is a librarian, this made her character relatable in a lot of ways as a reader and it was fun to read about how much she loved her job and how important it was to her
- Marcela and Theo had really good communication for the most part, especially considering their situations. So while yes, there was some miscommunication, it was resolved fairly quickly.
- Marcela’s bestie, Angela, I would love to read a story that is just about her!!
- This is more of a formatting thing, but I really liked how each song in the playlist (yes, there’s a playlist!!) had a short reasoning attached, explaining why the song was part of the playlist. I thought that this was really unique and liked it.
- I think the author wrote Marcela’s character well considering the fact that Marcela is plus sized, and often that fact becomes a major part of the plot, but that is not what happened in this book. Her weight wasn’t constantly brought up and when it was, it wasn’t in a weird way.
- The fact that a part of their date takes place in a library!! With candles (fake ones of course)!! That was such a cute idea (also, me when?).

So this isn’t REALLY something I disliked about the book per say, but just something I sort of cringed at. There was a grand gesture done by Marcela and for some reason it made me cringe REALLY hard. 🫢

Overall, while it was slow at times it was still a really good and enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGallery and Gabriella Gamez for the ARC.

This is a great book for anyone looking for a cute easy palate cleaner. There are so many things that I think many people will love about this book even though it did ultimately disappoint me. I'm excited for the authors next book since I did enjoy the writing but disliked the story and characters.

As someone who has been friendzoned, I don't think I can put in to words how much I needed this book. Gabriella Gamez helped me heal with this one and I absolutely devoured it.

Marcela and Theo may have just entered my list of favorite fictional couples, because they are EVERYTHING! Watching them go from fake dating to protect each other's secrets to falling in love with each other was magical. Especially when both of them were pining for the two people they could never have. It was interesting to see two people who could easily have used their unrequited feelings to try and break up a couple, come together and find the love they deserved with each other. Even when those feelings were a big obstacle in Marcela letting her guard down and open up to letting her and Theo love each other.

In a lot of ways Ben, Theo's brother and Marcela's long term crush, completely destroyed Marcela's trust and confidence. And this paired with her own past with her father made it so hard for her to trust others and even her own feelings, and it was so heartbreaking. Especially when it seemed like it may lead her to believe Theo's feelings were all fake because she had been burned too much in the past. But I loved how Theo truly put it all on the line and wanted to fight for their relationship even when Marcela kept pushing him away.

It was extremely beautiful seeing her take the plunge when she was ready and prove she wanted what they had and to be completely vulnerable in order to be together. Plus we are all fans of grand gestures, and both Theo and Marcela did so well with them.

I will say watching Ben become a villain type figure in this book had me feeling mixed emotions. I think it was necessary to see him for what he is and that was a man who in his own way seemed insecure. He always wanted to keep Marcela around, even though he knew her feelings because he wanted to keep her in his life. In doing so he put her through so much pain, especially when the person he was marrying was someone she was once friends with. Not to mention the way he acted with his brother made it clear to me that he had more growth necessary before he was ready to find love and needed to grow up.

Alice on the other hand, Ben's fiancee, showed amazing growth. Even if she knew about Theo's feelings she wanted nothing more than for him and Ben to have a healthy relationship again. She also was super supportive of him and Marcela, and I loved it. She showed growth as a character when she realized Ben was not her person, because he made her into a person she no longer recognized. One who had given up on her dreams, and was settling which wouldn't have been fair for either of them.

I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge and praise the fact we got to see a football player fall for a thicker woman. We love bigger body representation and watching everyone get their happily ever afters. And I love when author's show the insecurities we all have regardless of body type, but especially when it is a character who learns to love their body. Bonus points for having the hot NFL player brother constantly telling her how perfect she is!

I am so excited I got to read this Librarians in Love debut romance by Gabriella Gamez. As an avid library user, I was so invested in a good librarian love story.

Read this for:
- Fake dating
- Messy square of love
- Unrequited love/crushes
- Plus size rep
- Forced proximity
- Wedding related
- Just a hookup

Marcela Ortiz has been in love with her best friend Ben since they dated briefly in college. The only problem is that he's now engaged. When at the engagement party for Ben and his fiancé Alice, Marcela finds out that Ben's brother Theo Young is in love with Alice.

A plan between the two begins to form. They can help each other get over their crushes by getting under one another. What could go wrong when they are just hooking up? Only a really messy square of love that starts to unravel with all the things Marcela is hiding not only from Ben and Alice, but also from Theo.

This will definitely suck you in with the drama immediately! It's so intertwined with all the characters you are going to be ready to find out how this could all work out?
I loved how much Theo let down his walls. His trauma from his injury and past NFL football career and issues with his brother ran deep. Even with all of that he was determined to pursue a real relationship with Marcela and that was so sweet.

Marcela finally was able to break free of her own past traumas with her Dad to be able to see what she deserved. I'm so glad she was able to stand up for herself in her relationship with Ben and see him for who he really was, not how she imagined in her mind.

I'm looking forward to the next one in this series!

Thank you to Forever for the e-ARC and a physical copy of the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book!

“The Next Best Fling” is a fake dating romance that follows Theo and Marcela, as they try to deflect from their unrequited love for the bride and groom of the wedding they’re both attending.

I really enjoyed reading this! The characters feel so real. They’re wonderful and messy. Theo and Marcela had so much chemistry. The tension was palpable.

I definitely recommend this book to any lover of romance! 🫶🏻

Marcela has been pining for her friend, Ben, for a painfully long time. She finds out Ben's brother, Theo, has been pining for Ben's fiancé, Alice, for just as long. They decide to get over their crushes by getting under each other. Classic!

I enjoyed Marcela and Theo's relationship. Marcela had trust issues she was working through and Theo was sweetly patient as she gained trust in their relationship. I also loved that Theo made Marcela feel sexy and confident when that was something she struggled with. I did get a little frustrated wishing they'd communicate with each other more openly about their crushes and how they were feeling like they were moving past them. I also did not understand Marcela's attraction to Ben so I was glad to see everyone realize he was kind of an a-hole by the end! I felt satisfied with how the story ended and was happy for Marcela and her character growth.

I really enjoyed reading The Next Best Fling! It had me swooning and smiling at every cute moment. Theo and Marcela are the cutest! They helped one another become better people and heal. The chemistry between them was insane!! Theo is the type of mmc that would give her the moon and the stars.

Theo is patient, kind-hearted and wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s one of the most thoughtful mmcs. I cannot get over every single detail he remembered from conversations he had with Marcela and how he took that to show her how much he adores and cares for her

Marcela is loyal, kind,and selfless. I found myself relating to her throughout the book. She is Latina and adores books with her whole heart- she pursued a career as a librarian because of her love and passion for books and wanting to reach more of the community. There was so much depth to her character. She gives her full self to others even when they may not deserve. Marcela is also very open about her body image and how she’s struggled with loving herself. Seeing her character growth was amazing!

Cant wait for everyone to read this!

Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the Arc.

I thought this one was really fun! I really like the characters Gamez has created, and watching Marcela and Theo find each other was really lovely.

Very cute and such a good platelet cleanser after reading so much fantasy! The characters story really made sense with the pacing and it was just such a cute story

Thank you for the e-arc of this book!

At first I had concerns about the premise of this book and how the author would resolve it with the third act breakup or betrayal or something like that. Boy, did I have no need to be concerned. This book was excellent. It was sweet, the characters were great, the side characters even better. I honestly really enjoyed this book and would read more from this author.

Things I didn’t love. I thought the NFL career was kind of unnecessary and really just a way to grab interest in the book. It was really irrelevant to the story and didn’t add anything. But I like how he had to get a career and move back home but thought the nFl career piece was just not worth it.

However, I enjoyed the rest of this book and I loved the FMC’s book nerdiness. It was special. I also loved the authors visualization of San Antonio and its culture/community. Overall, a 4.5 star read and I’m keeping my eyes out for the next one!

What a fantastic spicy debut! This book has its cute moments that made up for the miscommunication. I believe this will be a series and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

Oooooh this was a good one! I loved this book so much; the plus sized fmc, the hot guy- ugh!
This was a fun read and I would definitely recommend it to others!

This book was absolute perfection! The characters were relatable, funny, and full of so much depth! The story behind what even led to Marcela and Theo getting together in the first place will have you at the edge of your seat saying, “There is no way this is happening” Lol I absolutely adored Marcela and could totally see myself being friends with her and Angela! And Theo! Sweet, heartwarming and thoughtful Theo, is and will forever be one of my favorite MMC 🥹 How he handled certain situations and treated Marcela, was so beautiful and that date and gift???!!!! 😭 He definitely stole my heart 💕

3.5/5 Marcela and Theo. Theo comes back in town because his brother Ben is going to marry Alice. The problem is Theo has always had feelings for Alice. Marcelaa wants to stop Theo from making a mistake because she knows from experience. Marcela has always had feelings for Ben. Marcela and Theo team up to get over Ben and Alice and discover each other and what they need in a relationship. I love the library aspect. Marcela is a librarian and there's lots of book related discussions. Healthy relationship conversations.

I just finished reading an early advanced readers copy of The Next Best Fling and I absolutely loved it. Gabriella is a wonderful writer and author and this story was beyond cute, sweet, emotional, and funny at times. If you love these tropes/feelings: angsty emotion, best friend's brother, love square, pining after someone, librarian centered, book lovers, ex-NFL player status.... then this book is certainly for you and one you will love. Potential spoilers but I believe the synopsis on the back of the book says much of this: This book embodies what it means to try to move on after there is no hope left with the one you loved for a decade... or thought you loved. There are strong "fake dating" vibes in this book in order for two people to attempt to get over the one they pined for, for far too long. In doing so, they find they are getting more than they bargained for, but maybe that isn't such a bad thing.
All in all this book was wonderful and I am secretly hoping it is part of a series or connected to another book soon because I LOVE these characters. 5 star, 5 heart read for me! Just a girly in her romance reading era!

If you're rebounding with your crush's brother, but that brother is pining for the crush's fiancé, is that a love square? Yes, you read that correctly - a love square. Let me simplify:

Marcela loves Ben.
Ben is engaged to Alice.
Theo (Ben's brother) is in love with Alice.
Marcela & Theo agree to be each other's rebound fling.

Is that a love square? A love Venn Diagram? What I do know? THE NEXT BEST FLING serves like a telenovela / CW network drama with secrets & lies, steamy attraction, miscommunication, and grand gestures.

Seriously can not over emphasize the melodrama of it all. I wanted to cry when Marcela self-sabotaged. Had to restrain myself when Ben showed some toxic behavior. Was absolutely baffled by Alice's choice of brothers. Meanwhile, if I could protect Theo from all harm, I would.

This is the book you buddy read with a bestie or a club. Because you'll have opinions about who was right or wrong in each conflict. And sometimes its not so easy to judge when you know the deep history and hurts of these very real-to-life characters.

A critical note, I feel the story was hampered by repetitive conflicts. The number of times Ben & Alice gave Marcela the same cryptic vague warnings drove me crazy. Theres also a few bookish references that elicited a LeoPoints.meme reaction that took me out of the story. But! If a book can inspire more reading - diverse reading - then yes please give me more name drops and help me build a TBR.

Thank you Netgalley & Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I always enjoy a “Best Friend’s Wedding” theme, but this situation was beyond messy to say the least. I enjoyed the fact that Marcella had no desire to try to stop the wedding between Ben and Alice. Maybe it was she was the fact that she was too busy trying to stop Theo (Ben’s brother) from declaring his love for Alice.
Even though Marcella had been friends with Ben for a long time, she didn’t know much about his older brother. She did know he was an ex-NFL player, and it wasn’t until this situation that they learned more about each other. I enjoyed Marcella and Theo getting to know each other. I loved that Theo really listened to her; he got her. He knew of her love for books, her friends, and her job as a librarian. I love how honest Marcella and Theo are with each other and that her curvy body was not an issue for Theo. She was used to the opposite.
This is a love story, but it is also about fear of abandonment, of being heart broken, inexperience, and body image. There were twist and turns in both Ben and Alice’s relationship as well as Marcella and Theo’s. The fact that this book kept me guessing about the outcome of these relationships was a pleasant surprise. I can’t to read more of the Librarians in Love Series.
** I have posted to Goodreads. I am going to post on Instagram tomorrow 5/8/2024.

The Next Best Fling was a great debut - a fun fake dating/friends-with-benefits story featuring a librarian and an ex-NFL player. Marcela and Theo find themselves in a very complicated situation at an engagement party. Theo happens to be in love with the bride Alice, his childhood friend. And Marcela is in love with the groom, her best friend Ben who she dated briefly in college and who also happens to be Theo's brother. After Marcela drags Theo away from the party to prevent him from confessing his love for the bride and everyone at the engagement party assumes they hooked up - they come to an agreement to keep up the charade and help each other get over their unrequited love. There is plenty of chaos, hilarity, and angst to go around. Marcela's love of books and her job as a youth librarian was so sweet - I loved the scene where Theo tries to have her pick her favorite book. She is incredibly relatable as she deals with insecurities about her body and her own trust issues. And despite his less than favorable reputation as a player - Theo is adorable and genuine, doing what he can to push past Marcela's insecurities. I'm definitely excited to read more from Gabrielle Gamez - looking forward to the continuation of this series. Thank you to Forever/Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to read this novel in advance.