Marcela is a youth librarian who is trying to make reading more accessible for her community. She has been in love with her best friend, Ben, for a long time, but now he's getting married. She's absolutely gutted, and it turns out someone else is too... her best friend's brother Theo has some thoughts about the engagement as well. Theo is an ex-NFL football player who is back in town and is mighty fine, but has a bit of a reputation.

This was a delightful twist on a contemporary romance and had a bit of a mystery aspect to it. The Next Best Fling is a book lover's romance, for sure. It features fake dating, codependent relationships, past trauma, and cultural representation. It felt a bit long toward the end, but overall, it was a sweet romance with a little bit of spice. This book does an amazing job of showing how past trauma affects your future relationships and working on breaking that cycle.

I would definitely give this a read if you're looking for something a bit more complex than your normal romance book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4 stars

The Next Best fling was fun, entertaining and had one of the best open and honest dialogue between main characters that I have read, which was very refreshing. This Book is a contemporary romance with a fake relationship trope, one character is an ex-football player so I would consider it a sports romance as well because it is part of the story.
Loved all the bookish references and Marcela being a librarian and being so in love with her books and loving her job was such an amazing part of this book it is such a fun setting as a reader. Not only that Theo, was full on board, supporting her and her love of books in several ways, that as a reader I was swooning so hard for him. It was a great aspect to show and made me love Theo as MMC. Marcela was beautiful, fun, optimistic, and sweet. She and Theo had a connection because of the situation they found themselves in, but like I said the communication and openness as relationship developed especially on Theo’s side was great. They checked in with each other throughout the story was amazing to have, as well as understanding where each of them was at. There was some fun sexy banter between them and a little tension. I would have liked to have it ramped up a little more as things developed but still good. Overall, this book was an amazing time, great setting and so sweet, definitely check it out.
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Wonderful! Sexy, fun, a little wacky. I loved the main characters and I really bought their love story.

The Next Best Fling, by Gabriella Gamez, is a fast-paced romance, full of witty banter and laughable moments. This book is a quick easy read that is perfect to toss into your pool bag!
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC
ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

The Next Best Fling was such a fun and quick read with a little spice thrown in! I was hooked in with the banter and humor, and stuck around for the drama! Seriously such a great read.

This book is the perfect book to read in spring. It's warm, comforting, and a little spicy. You can't help but fall a little in love with Marcela and Theo as they bump along their way to find acceptance, peace, and love. A special call out for the author's use of books to drive the story. Such a fun read.

Next Best Fling delivers a delightful romantic escape! Gabrielle Gamez weaves a captivating tale filled with humor, heart, and plenty of steamy moments. The characters are relatable and well-developed, and I definitely found myself rooting for the MCs to end up together. I generally prefer dual POV, but this was done really well for single POV!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the eARC and the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Family trauma, codependent friendship, plus size, Fake dating, Latin FMC, Book lover

Spicy- 1 chili pepper

I am so happy I was able to get this ARC!!!! I love Theo (MMC) he is my new lovable book boyfriend. I loved everything about this book! Marcela (FMC) has allowed her "best" friend and secret crush to dictate most of her life. Theo, an ex NFL player, is in love with his brothers fiancee and wants to tell her at the engagement party. Marcela see and stops him. That's when it all starts.

Theo was an open book with Marcela and fell for her fast. Marcela on the other hand has a lot of abandonment issues stemming from her father leaving her at a young age. She doesn't let herself express her feeling right away.

I loved that she was a book lover and a book collector!

Chapter 26 gave me all the feels. I felt the love and the hurt in every word. I didn't think I could love Theo more but this chapter showed me differently.

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing for my ARC

Perfect pace. I prefer dual POV so she had to work harder for me to love this and congratulations because yes. The drama, the a little faster than slow burn, the humor, the characters and the book geek of it all.

Super strong debut and I would read more. I am interested in this universe and these people. Also, this helped me out of a book slump.

The Next Best Fling 🌸 by Gabriella Gamez @gabbywritesalot
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️
She’s in love with him. She stops his brother from confessing his feelings for his brother’s fiance. They use each other to get over other people… but it’s working too well.

My Thoughts: First off, if you love drama and tea, this is for you! This was so messy and had so much angst but all in the best way. I love the plus size representation. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with Theo’s character but he stole my heart! He was always so honest, patient, caring, and so damn sexy! Swoon! he’s such a sweetheart and I love Theo and Marcela together. There was so much personal growth throughout the book. It was so realistic, and this book was just so full of emotions. I really liked how they communicated every thought, even when they didn’t want to talk, they still chose to talk it out and thought of each other every step of the way. That’s how relationships should be! The book felt so smooth and fluid I had to force myself to take breaks and not ignore my day’s responsibilities 😅 I definitely recommend this book and I’m so very much looking forward to the next book.

I love me a good romance novel featuring a librarian protagonist (I mean, I have a whole shelf on Goodreads dedicated to this concept), and Gabriella Gamez's debut novel did not disappoint.

Marcela, though romantically naive, has a kind heart and is a good friend. She supports her true love/ex-boyfriend when he proposes to another, and she stops his brother, Theo, from crashing the engagement party to declare his love for the bride-to-be. After the party, assumptions are made about Marcela & Theo, and fake-dating ensues as a way of keeping the peace.

However, peace is not to be had. Because the groom is decidedly not a good friend, and he goes off the rails trying to break up this fake relationship. His efforts only lead to Theo and Marcela growing closer as they learn to appreciate each other's unique qualities. Slowly, fake dating becomes more and more real, and the emotional stakes just get higher for all involved.

Marcela was a flawed, but still amazing protagonist. Her struggles to overcome emotional baggage from her previous relationships, as well as trauma from her childhood, were described in an authentic way. Theo was such a wonderful counterpoint, with his honesty, patience, and willingness to both see and accept her for who she truly was.

I also appreciated that Alice's character development went in a positive direction. She wasn't Marcela's enemy, and that friendship was able to be redeemed to some extent in the end.

Ben... well, let's all agree that Ben is a POS. Full stop.

Since the series title is "Librarians in Love", expect me to be excitedly awaiting the next installment.

I throughly enjoyed this book. I couldn’t put it down! I loved the concept and story, it was original and the angst was top tier! The characters were wonderfully written, I loved both Marcela and Theo and their relationship. This did not feel like a debut novel to me, the author’s storytelling is so well done. I’m looking forward to what comes from this author in the future!

This is a really cute debut romance read but my gosh was it a bit chaotic and messy. The fmc Marcella has not yet gotten over her love for Ben who is engaged to another woman. His brother Theo is the mmc has always wanted to be with the woman Ben is engaged to and it's a hot mess lol. The main characters get together and start a no-strings-attached relationship to get over those they were pining over.

This book has angst, is a bit emotional, and very complicated. I liked the main characters for the most part but they annoyed me at times. Overall this was a good debut with steam, cute moments, and realistic characters and experiences. Honorable moment to the fmc who is a librarian and advocated for the library throughout the book. Thanks to Forever for this arc.

Read for:
- Plus size rep
- Latina fmc
- Librarian fmc
- Romcom

Spicy and swoon-worthy, The Next Best Fling is a complicated and messy romance, in which two lonely hearts pining for people they shouldn't fall into a mutually beneficial no-strings-attached relationship in an attempt to get over the people they wish loved them back. This was such a fun and quick read that I refused to put down until I finished the last page. Our characters Marcela and Theo go through so much in the book dealing with toxic relationships, heartbreak, feeling inadequate, abandoned, and hopeless but on the flipside we see them overcoming all of those and learning that it is not okay to let others treat you badly because of their insecurities. I loved this book and I loved Theo, best book boyfriend ever!

Marcela, a beautiful, curvy, Latina woman is still in love with Ben, her best friend and previous short-term boyfriend who called off their relationship nearly a decade ago, but keeps her close as a friend. Marcela fantasizes about Ben coming back to her when and if his relationship with Alice falls apart, but that seems less likely now that Ben and Alice are engaged.

Theo, Ben's older brother is in love with Alice, his childhood crush and next-door neighbor, but Alice and Ben are now getting married and he has to do something to stop it. So Theo plans to come clean and try to break up the couple at their engagement party, but Marcela sweeps in and stops him from making a huge mistake, but now everyone things that he and Marcela are hooking up. The two decide to make the best of the situation and mutually agree to be each other's rebound to get over their broken hearts.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Next Best Fling. This book was very cute. As a fat Hispanic woman who is also from Texas, I loved the representation and reading about someone who is very similar to me. I love the conversation around keeping books for teens diverse at high school and libraries.. I love how they well Theo communicates even if he does hold back a secret.

I do not like how whiny Marcella gets. She repeats the same point over and over again if she can’t trust him and they don’t belong together. This point continues to drag throughout the book, and it’s the only big point and conflict which if it is going to be then it’s got to be more than whining.

The biggest reason it’s 4 and not 3 was because of how well the representation and conversation about diverse books was.

Marcela is hung up on Ben who is recently engaged to Alice. Marcela has been pining after Ben for many years. Enter Theo, Ben's brother, who has been pining for Alice since childhood. Marcela and Ben come together to get over their respective relationships.
I really enjoyed the characters and setting. Living in Texas, the nods to Whataburger, HEB, and a few locations throughout the state was a gerat treat for me. I love the representation of bookish girls and our signed copies and home libraries.

While I enjoyed the set up and the emotional journey of Marcela and Theo, the third act was a challenge for my personal taste. I found some of the charcter decisions a little jarring from earlier behavior. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Gabrielle Gamez for the opportunity read this book. Excited to see your future work.

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez was a sweet romance novel that is going to be enjoyed by many. I loved that it was plus size representation, as well. I think this is a perfect summer rom-com that will keep you hooked while reading it. The characters were cute, a little angsty and overall truly enjoyable.

This book was so sweet. It was a really quick and easy read, and as a plus-sized girl, I loved the representation. I found Marcella to be really challenging to understand at times because I was so desperate for her to say what she meant. I think the book balanced what could seem like miscommunication and emphasized our truths are our own to share.

Theo is a total dream boat. If you catch me drooling over blonde book boys, look the other direction. I loved his complex relationship dynamic with Ben and Alice (shout out to Alice for being a supportive girl’s girl in the end).

Overall, I had so much fun reading this and it was something I didn’t want to put down. If I had the time, I probably would have read it in one sitting.

This book is so cute. Its style is a be more tell than show at places where the exposition could have been a conversation, but it’s so adorable I’m not even mad about it. I enjoy the MCs and the fact that the girl isn’t another skinny white chick who think she’s big. I thought it went a little too back and forth with the "will they won't they." The guy she was in love with in the beginning was a total narcissist and had so many red flags it was a little unbelievable that she would like him to begin with - he gave serious ick to the point where it was obvious he was just a conduit to his brother which didn't seem as realistic.

I think this would have been better as a duel POV book instead of a single POV book as written. The jokes are funny, the spice is sexy, recommend to anyone who enjoys romance.

this book was honestly everything i needed after a stressful week of testing 😪 it was steamy, fun, and so romantic and the perfect romcom, filled with drama and grand gestures… and typically i’m not a grand gesture kind of girlie but i was kind of swayed.

the plot was like an exciting soap opera and i thoroughly enjoyed the realistic growth of the characters and seeing them grow on their own and together. the final climax actually had me on the edge of my seat and it was a joyous experience.

thankful for the arc and had so much fun reading it!!! 🩷☺️