Where to begin…. I loved this book! I found myself eager to continue reading and to follow Marcela’s journey through romantic relationships, self-love, and overcoming abandonment trauma.

I enjoyed the emotional depth of the characters throughout this book. The characters seemed well rounded and developed in the best way. I felt connected to multiple characters and found myself really rooting for Marcela and Theo.

They had many obstacles to overcome separately but did so in the comfort of each other - I found their story to be beautiful and wholesome.

The layers to the characters were interesting and realistic on a human level - they were full of good and bad qualities. I find that in a lot of books (especially romance) that the characters seem to fall in love and then all of their “bad” qualities or worries completely disappear.

Yet, I found with this book it did an amazing job with connecting to the reader about how Marcela was feeling emotionally and it made it very easy to either relate to her or understand it. Even with Theo, even though you don’t get his pov, the author did a great job as showcasing how he was feeling through Marcela.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves romance and who is looking for a good, fast read with depth.

I am happy I received an e-arc of this book. It was an amazing read. I’ll definitely be recommending this one to everyone!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley, Forever, and Gabriella Gamez for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Oh my gosh this has to be my favorite book of the year! I could not get enough of it, and I wish I could have called out of work to read it in one shot. Thank you so much for this opportunity again!

One of the things that appealed to me a lot about this book was that Marcela reminded me a bit of me. She has my dream job – being a librarian – and she was able to work on building a teen book club, something that I wanted to do while I was working at my local public library. The difference between us was that hers was actually successful, and I was super happy for her. She’s also more on the curvy side (re: fat, nothing is wrong with being fat and I’m hoping that I can also learn to not think of that word as always having a negative connotation) which so am I so it was nice to see a chubby girl getting some on the cover. Love it so much – oh also huge shout out to Leni Kauffman for such a bad ass cover job as always!

I was debating on whether I should put some of my favorite quotes in this review, but I think I’ll leave it out so that when people read it, they can enjoy it for the first time. So no more quotes in the review unless someone asks me for it directly!

Another thing that I personally really liked about this book was how Theo was really open and honest with Marcela and how even though he was really angry about something that Marcela lied about, he didn’t immediately turn her away and tell her he never wanted to see her again. He let her in and said that even though he was mad, they should still talk about it. I’ve been really liking the fact that more recently published romance novels have been showing their characters work on healthy communication with one another and showing that they are working on themselves and their relationships in a healthy way. Yes, I totally said “healthy” twice, but that’s how much I really appreciate it. There were so many moments in this book where – if this book was written maybe ten or so years ago – they would have had a major blow out, not talk to each other for a few days or even a couple of weeks, and then somehow come back together to talk about the miscommunication that happened with their argument. There wasn’t a moment where one character went “Wait! I can explain!” and then they don’t and the other one gets upsets and leaves before the first person can explain. That was honestly SO REFRESHING and it made me have hope that healthy communication between couples – regardless of status – is possible.

Another thing that I loved that I don’t know if I can say in this to avoid spoilers is what ends up happening between Marcela and Alice. Alice is the woman that Ben proposes to, and Ben is not only Theo’s brother but also the guy that Marcela was pining over for a decade. Marcela and Alice started off as friends but once Ben and Alice started dating, they drifted by the time the book starts. This fragile relationship could have gone in a number of ways, but the way that it did go was just stellar.

SHOUT OUT TO ANGELA! She is the best best friend that Marcela needs in her life. I hope that never changes, and I love that even though Angela doesn’t always agree with Marcela’s decisions, she still stands by her and supports her like a true friend. Honestly, Marcela and Angela have such a strong friendship throughout the course of this book that it’s beautiful to see. I love books that show positive and strong female friendships without any competition or pettiness.

Another way that I relate to Marcela is how hurt she is about her father abandoning her and her mother. That’s exactly how I feel about my own father and how he left my mother, and seeing my mother also single and being the independent boss she is but not finding another romantic love made Marcela’s situation feel pretty close to home. Marcela and her mom have such a close relationship too and it reminds me of my own with my mother. Marcela realizing that her reasons for not wanting to get into an official relationship with Theo because she’s still afraid of abandonment is so close to the chest for me, and I’m glad that she had a conversation with her mother about it.

Shout out to Theo for being one of the sweetest MMCs in a long time! While neither Marcela nor Theo start off perfect, they work together to make themselves better people, and also put in the effort to support each other. I really feel like Theo was one of the main driving forces to this growth with his honesty in a situation that he really didn’t need to be, and I think that Marcela was the reason why. She also held him accountable to change and while there were parts that she did that I didn’t agree with – but understood – knowing that she had Theo in her life to do this with helped her become a better person too. Basically they both worked together to become better, and even though I don’t know if they will show up somewhere in the sequel, I hope that we can continue to see this upward trend of positive change.

All in all, this is one of my all time favorite books that I’ve read, and it’s definitely my favorite book this year so far. It’s only March though, so we will see if it survives by the end of the year, but it was definitely amazing. I highly recommend this one to all the people that love to love love. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I hate DNFing ARCs, but I have to call this one at 27%. I’ve been trying so hard to get into it. There’s nothing technically wrong with the writing, but it wasn’t super engaging. I think being single POV hurts more than helps in this case. It’s a story that needs the MMC’s POV to make him more understandable and more likable.

The setup is that Marcela is in love with Ben, who’s engaged to a woman named Alice. Ben’s brother, Theo, is in love with Alice. There’s a misunderstanding that leads people to believe Marcela and Theo are hooking up, so they decide to fake date to distract themselves from their feelings for Ben and Alice, respectively.

Now, I LOVE fake dating, but having both MCs in love with other people just didn’t work for me. I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between Theo and Marcela. All I could think about was how they were both into other people and would end up settling for each other — which is not what I want to feel when reading a romance novel. If I had finished this book, I knew it was only going to end up as a 2.5- or 3-star read, and I have too many other books to read to invest time in something I’m not enjoying. I read about the first 100 pages, and they were a slog to get through.

However, I can see myself trying another book by this author. I think this is more of a case of this not being the right book for me than anything necessarily being wrong with the book itself.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

The Next Best Fling is a really cute romance with a good mix of drama wrapped up in a fake dating trope. I really enjoyed Marcela and Theo's relationship especially when they got out of their own way and am excited to see where the author takes the next book in the series.

This was a nice, quick read for me. Marcela has a problem: her best friend she dated briefly years ago is engaged to another woman. Obviously, she’s heartbroken but she’s not gonna do anything about it. Then we have Theo, the groom’s older brother who’s in love with the fiancée. Marcela overhears him practicing a declaration of love and stops him from doing so. But that leads everyone else to think they’re seeing each other. So they go with it.

Things were a bit messy considering the familiar relationships in the book, but I really liked the two together. They were easy to root for.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

This had so much trauma digging! It was a whole overhaul of moving from unhealthy to healthy from friendships to relationships.

I still loved it. Marcela has been in love with her friend Ben since they dated in college, only for him to say he didn't think they were comparable and he started dating her roommate. Nearly a decade later, she's still hooked on him and he relies on her too, including her opinion on the ring he picked out for his soon to be fiance. She's heartbroken but willing to do anything to make his wedding dreams a reality. This happens to take the form of emotionally detoxing with his estranged brother who is not so secretly in love with the bride to be. But as they continue to fake date and rely on each other, real feelings creep in and real revelations regarding her friendship with Ben.

I loved seeing how good replaced bad, how the true colors came to light, and how bride and groom handled it all. I wanted to cheer at some points.

#arc
#netgalley
#thenextbestfling

I love a fake dating, best friend's brother romance. Add in a sports romance element and I'm sold.

On top of including some of my favorite tropes, this book brought diversity without making it an example of diversity. It was so nice to read what felt like a heartfelt and honest story about a fully formed woman who was in touch with her culture. Adding in the touches of her family life and welcoming others through food was a very special moment. Many books that attempt folding in an ounce of diversity make it a teaching moment. As a society, we put so much pressure on underrepresented communities to educate the masses. It was nice that different cultures could just *exist* in this book.

Unfortunately, I found the pacing a little jerky. It felt like the mundane parts dragged and the exciting bits flew by. I wish we got to see more of the character's college and pre college life. These characters obviously had a strong foundation of friendship and shared experiences, I just would have liked to have experienced it with them. There were flashbacks in the way that we look back on things, picking apart the embarrassing bits. You know, those things that flash into your mind in the middle of the night and you physically shudder? The flashbacks however mainly focused on the FMC's insecurities. She was so strong and confident as an adult and in her career. It would have been nice for the flashbacks to show that or even better, demonstrate her growth over time.

3.5/5 ⭐️

This book was MESSY- like telenovela messy. I definitely enjoyed the characters and the idea of this book. It started a little slow, but picked up a lot in the second half.

Aspects of this book: fake dating, best friends brother, NFL player, librarian, Hispanic rep

I really enjoyed the representation that was featured in this novel. The plus sized representation and the feelings that Marcela went through with other partners just hit me straight in the gut because plus sized women deserve so much more than what society gives them. The romance between the two of them, and how he was unappolgetically attracted to her and eventually in love with her was everything. The queer representation for her friend was also lovely, and I'm happy to see it.

I did however want to beat them both over the head with a mallet a la whack-a-mole. Sure I am an onimpotent being reading their story and knows the better parts of whats happening between the two of them without them knowing, but still. The amount of miscommunication and lying by omission is very high, and it was a little too much for me. Though I did appreciate the swoon-y-ness that Theo presented.

Also that cover though...

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Grand Central for an e-copy.

If you ever thought you were in trouble, there is no way to top Theo and Marcela's situation.
She's in love with the groom, he's in love with the bride. What could be worse? He's the groom's brother and she's the groom's best friend. They fall in love while trying to avoid ruining the wedding.
I was honestly a little skeptical about The Next Best Fling, I was wondering how the switch from being in love with the groom to his brother would be and Gamez did it surprisingly well. The reader can tell the switch when the switch to the love interest happens and isn't left wondering if either is still in love with their first love. It was a little less smuttier than I thought it was going to be, with the title being The Next Best Fling, but it was still incredibly romantic and had great movement throughout the book. It was an enjoyable read, however did take me a moment to get into it but I would definitely read again.

4.0 Stars - Marcela has had feelings for her best friend Ben since their college days. However, after almost a decade, Ben has proposed to his long-term girlfriend, Alice, leaving Marcela heartbroken. When Ben's brother, Theo, comes to town for the engagement party, Marcela discovers that he has been in love with Alice for years. Together, they decide to help each other move on from their unreciprocated love by fake dating.

I loved their honesty, accountability, and kindness towards each other. Theo is an amazing book boyfriend, taking time to learn Marcela's likes and planning the world's best date. The book normalizes women's struggle with maintaining a body-positive attitude and highlights the fear of being vulnerable. It's an enjoyable reading experience with difficult sibling dynamics.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A very cute debut from Gabrielle Gamez. I think there could have been more tension in the relationship if they had held off on the physical relationship longer, and so it just felt fast at the beginning. But then it became a really interesting exploration of how to sort out feelings for two different people (for both of them). I was really impressed at how Gamez didn't default to the easy third-act breakup that I was sure was coming--she preempted it earlier and made a much more nuanced final third of the story.

Thanks to Forever for the ARC.

Thanks to Forever and Net Galley for my advanced copy.

I loved this book! It was a fun new take on the classic fake dating and hookup tropes, and the added messiness of the love square situation made me keep flipping the pages. Theo’s openness inspires me to be more open with those around me, and Marcela’s insecurities hit home as well. I loved that they KEPT fighting for each other, working through their problems and insecurities, talking things out like adults.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and Hachette book group for the chance to review Gabriella Gamez’ debut The Next Best Fling. This is book one in the “librarians in love” series, and I already cannot wait to read the next one! Marcela has been in love with Ben forever. The only problem is, Ben is getting engaged to Alice. When it comes time to celebrate the engagement, Ben’s brother, Theo reveals that he has actually been in love with Alice for quite some time.

Theo and Marcela undertake a fake dating scenario, then just a very casual thing. I’m a sucker for grand gestures, though, and Theo is a total sweetheart despite what his brother might say.

This book was sweet and spicy, and I loved all of the book references. Theo grow so much as a person, and Marcela gets to learn who she really is. I loved every minute of it!

I will be honest, I struggled to get into the book at the beginning. It was overall a good book, very cute. I was very happy how it ended. It could have been such an angst book and I think it was well controlled. I loved Theo’s letter, I was a little disappointed how long it took Marcella to open her eyes to how real their relationship was, but she got there in the end. I would recommend it, it was well written and a cute book, I know ladies who might enjoy it more than I did.

This book! It was such a lovely story from my new favorite Latina / South Texas author!!

As Gabriella wrote a-la Lifetime movie tagline - He wants the bride, she wants the groom. But what if all they really want. . .is each other?

Marcela has been in love with her best friend Ben since college - now, 10 years later, he is proposing to his long time girlfriend, Alice, leaving Marcela with a broken heart. When Ben's brother comes to town for the engagement party, and Marcela finds out he has been in love with Alice for years, they decide to help each other get over their long time love ... by getting under each other.

Through secret hook ups, YA book clubs, high school football games, sunday hikes, and not-s0-secret make out sessions, Theo and Marce create their own love story, flaws and all. I loved the honesty and transparency with each other - how they kept each other accountable, how well they communicated (most of the time), and how good they were to one another.

This Texan / Latina / Plus size girl approves! Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy for my honest opinion.

I want to thank NetGalley for the ARC for this title.

This romance is filled with tension, heart ache and find understanding with another soul. The main character Marcela is stuck in love with someone she can never be with and in doing so she holds herself back and makes mistakes. I was so frustrated by her actions many times because of how she never choses herself and continues bad habits that enable her own misery through unrequited love. But I will say I have been there, and this was such a good representation for it and we can see ourselves reflected in her. I enjoyed seeing her find her own and finding her worthiness, while helping someone else find theirs. I enjoyed the family conflicts and the honesty that that the MMC has that lets something that is seemingly a bad idea be something that is healthy and healing.

I would give this a 4.5

This one was messy but fun haha. I love the plus size rep. Anyone who loves an old school romcom drama with faking dating will be pleasantly entertained

The chemistry was off the rails with Marcela and Theo. I was rooting for them from the beginning. The author does an incredible job with these characters’ story, the topics mentioned were written with sensitivity and the romance was messy but very raw.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. I immediately sympathized with Marcela and her unrequited feelings for her college best friend/crush, Ben. But, she pulled herself together enough to try to be happy for him. Inside she was dying and wanted anything for a distraction. Enter Theo, older brother of Ben. He has been in love with Ben’s fiancée since forever as well. So Marcela and Theo decide to fake date to help each other out with their respective love losses, and give them cover for their families.

Of course, with fake dating always comes real feelings getting involved. Marcela realizes what a catch Theo would be, and his attraction to her can’t be denied either. But Marcela doesn’t know how she can trust Theo’s feelings since this is all supposed to be fake. Plus being a full figured woman, she has some insecurities about her body. Theo, however, is very patient and does his best to reassure her. Things do get very messy all around, but this one has a very good ending!

I recommend this one for a good old fashioned rom-com with librarians, plus size and Mexican representation, with light spice.

Thanks to @gabrielle and @readforever for the eARC through @netgalley.