Marcela and Theo had me hooked from the beginning! As they navigated through their feelings I was right there with them. Giddy at their “first” date to their real first date.
I absolutely loved this romance. Gabriella Gamez did an amazing job writing about the insecurities that plus size women feel in a relationship. It allowed me to connect even deeper to a book, than I had done before.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a copy of this book. This is the first time reading a book by this author and overall I thought this book was okay. The story was cute with a little bit of a best friend's brother with some jealous elements. There wasn't anything in this book that captured my attention and made me feel anything. I thought it was a cute romance and was a nice read.

3.5
Thank you @netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

**Also, I have to shout out the dedication page in this book because it made me tear up**

This book was addicting!! I loved the librarian aspect, the best friends brother aspect, the Latina aspect, ahhh! It was just *chefs kiss*.

If you're looking for a romance that you can't put down then I highly recommend "The Next Best Fling". I loved Theo and Marcello's HEALTHY relationship. Did it start off the best? No, but their communication made it healthy imo. The spice was the perfect amount and did not overpower the plot of the story and I just found myself smiling at so many things. I also loved the growth of Marcello's character and just to watch her blossom into the person that she was by the end of the story. I don't want to give too much away but I will say this is a really good book to add to your summer reads.

Some of the things I wish would've happened:
- DUAL POVS!!!!!!!! This book would've been a four star with me if it had this, I am pretty positive on that. ]
- A little more closure with one of the characters (but maybe we will get that in book 2?)

I will definitely be reading book 2 when that releases and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that I will get an ARC for that as well!

Keep your eye out for "The Next Best Fling" which releases on July 9, 2024. It is a perfect beach read!

This unputdownable, hot little romance!!!!!! Swept. Me. Away!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Excuse me, how does one pull off this magic!?!? Marcela and Theo are both pining for another person at the start of this novel and decide to have a fling to try to get over their long-term unrequited loves -- this should not have worked so well!!! It was so angsty and emotional. I can't remember a time where I was reading so fast, so immersed in this relationship, and so desperate for two imperfect characters to find happiness and peace together. I LOVE THEM.

• former NFL player hero 🤝 librarian heroine 🥰
• A 5 star debut!!! Ooh, that has me so excited about what's next for this author. This is book 1 in a series "Librarians in Love" (😱sign me up I cannot wait for the next!!)
• Marcela is a geeky librarian. She loves YA! She found solace in books during a tumultuous adolescence. (One of us! One of us!) You are going to absolutely collapse over the book related romance scenes in this book. The swoon is unreal.
• Excellent chemistry and the perfect slow burn pace.
• If you're like me and you're sort of sensitive/unsure when characters are pining for another in a romance, please rest assured that this one becomes sooooo convincing and everything is as it should be in the end! The missteps and angst are beyond worth it!
• Brace yourself for some messy starting ground...and a bit of an oncoming train wreck feeling, but know that I would never lead you astray--the HEA is just 🤌👩‍🍳💋
• In general, I love having both character's pov in a romance but this time I enjoyed the mystery of Theo's inner thoughts.
• Ridiculously hot on page steam, yes, of course, but also...... he signs up to get a library card on page and is there anything hotter than that???!

It's a new favorite and I already want to read it again. Thanks so much Netgalley and Forever

This book unfortunately has wasn’t for me!
I did love the plus size rep in here, but the 2 main characters together I did not
Love

There were depths to the plot that could have been explored more, but I felt like each plot line had a satisfactory ending with no major plot holes.
I loved this book. I loved the very raw and honest way Marcela was presented. Only having Marcela's POV A throughout the book might have added to some of my confusion. It would have been great to get some from Theo or maybe even Alice as well.
I'm going to recommend this to my library, and I will probably buy my own copy after it's released. My personal library isn't as big as Marcela's but I do have a couple of favorites' shelves.

When Marcela’s long-time crush and best friend announces that he is proposing to his girlfriend, she has to figure out how she’s gonna move on. As she begins sorting out her own feelings, her best friend’s brother, Theo confesses his feelings about his brother’s fiancée. Marcela & Theo start their relationship as a cover, but the unlikely pair find that they have more in common than they think. I really enjoyed this fake relationship, best friend’s brother, contemporary romance novel. The banter between the MCs is so pure and makes the reader vote for them. I definitely recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and forever for the e-Arc my opinions are my own. This was a fabulous debut. Loved the spice and the characters were well developed. I loved the representation in the book. I find miscommunication in books frustrating and find myself yelling at the eReader and the characters. Excited for the next book in the series.

Suggest pickingnit up.

Perfectly cute rom com. Not quite enemies to lovers, little love quadrilateral happening. Good spice. Their relationship didn't always feel totally healthy to me to be totally honest, so I had a tough time sometimes during a lot of their talks with how the conversations went. I think I liked the MMC more than the FMC. But cute overall. 4/5

This had the potential to be super messy and angsty in the best way and while it was a little bit, it wasn’t enough of what I was expecting.

I liked the FMC and I liked how she progressed and was able to realize certain aspects of herself and her friendship and what she should/shouldn’t stand for.

The MMC? I literally did not care. I don’t really mind whether something is dual POV or single or multiple, but this book felt incomplete being single POV. I think this is a case where it would’ve been beneficial to get his POV and his thoughts and feelings.

There’s a fun playfulness between the MCs that I really enjoyed and we do see them become friends and let that grow into something more, and there’s so many cute, swoony moments.

I liked the side characters and I think the story progressed well. I don’t want to spoil anything so all I’ll say is certain reveals/realizations felt disappointing but I do like how the FMC handles things a lot.

So I think this is the case of great idea, not my favourite execution but it was still fun and an easy read!

4.25 stars. This is such a fun debut! Messy, but fun. The MCs are both in love with a part of a recently engaged couple, and, after some misunderstandings, decide to have a fling as a distraction. They end up with some pretty intense chemistry. I loved the grace they give each other with their mistakes, both past and present. And there’s a love letter! I always love a love letter.

I liked the premise of The Next Best Fling, but I found some of the characters fairly draining to read and felt like the end stages of the book dragged along. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.

There seemed to be some kind of disconnect here for me and this one. The chemistry just wasn't present and there didn't seem to be enough plot-wise to keep me interested. Still well written and great for representation, just wasn't for me.

This was a fun read. I found myself in moments of giggling and periods where I was just smiling because of the sparks between the characters. I adore a book where the male main character falls first. That said, this is a book filled with some angst that stops it from being an overly "fluffy" read. The relationships between main and secondary characters with complexities and created in a genuine way. I'm not usually a huge fan of the fake dating trope but found that the author did a great job navigating it without overly falling into some of the traps I've seen in other authors.

I freaking loved this book! It had me swinging my legs and giggling because it was so freaking perfect. I loved every moment between Marcella and Theo because they were genuinely written so well but also their love was so pure and perfect.

I love the fake dating trope in any setting and I loved how well Gabriella wrote it in this book. I was absolutely hooked with the tropes and premise of this book, I cannot stop thinking about this. It was so perfect and cute. Definitely one of those feel good romance books you pick up when the spring flowers start blooming.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

All the angst! When I read the description I was wondering how will this very unusual love square will end. I had to find out! I’m so happy that I got to read this book early. The secondary characters really make this book more interesting; from the FMC’s best friend, the best friend/brother and the fiancé. The dynamics of all these overlapping friendships, histories, relationships feels like a genuine friend group who navigate life together. Theo and Marcela are the perfect couple because they make you forget the reason their not together is a really good reason to stay apart. Just a great, funny, emotional read (the brothers relationship is COMPLICATED).

Marcela, the FMC is in love with her BFF, Ben. She’s been pining after him firmly from the Friend Zone for a smooth decade. Ben has gotten engaged to Alice, a mutual friend to Marcela. Ben’s brother, Theo, has some residual feelings for Alice, his brother’s fiancee.

Marcela & Theo decide the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else and they’re each other’s next best fling.

What in the QUADRILATERAL hell, y’all? This wild ass Love Square!

While this book seemed to be built on the premise “What if EVERY character was a card carrying member of Team Bad Decisions?”, please understand I was SEATED until the last page. Lovers of MESS will do well with this one. A solid debut by Gabrielle Gamez! 3.5 stars

I read this in one sitting, it had the perfect romantic comedy aspects that I love. We follow Marcela and Theo as they help each other navigate heartbreak over their first love. They fake date to get through her best friends (MMC brother) wedding. I loved the drama that ensued as we learn more about the dynamic of the MMC and FMC and their connections to their first love. This book was MESSY! and i loved every second of it! Sometimes I just need a messy book to get me through the week. I also really enjoyed the discussions of libraries because the FMC is a librarian. (please go to your local library and get a library card). The MMC and FMC had great chemistry that grew as I continued reading!

What a fun romance full of angst and beautiful character growth! The Next Best Fling by by Gabriella Gamez is a fun rom com that will publish in July.

Thanks to @foreverpub I was #gifted a digital ARC of the book. And I devoured it in two days!

In this book, we’re introduced to Marcela, who has never gotten over being dumped in college and instead became best friends with the guy. Nearly a decade later, her best friend is getting married. Coincidentally, she discovers that his brother, Theo, is in love with his brother’s fiancee. Both nursing unrequited love, Marcela and Theo team up to fake date, but their chemistry leads to more. Can they ever find love with such a messy start to their relationship? You gotta read it and see!

This book explores themes of healing, boundaries and growth in such a beautiful way. I loved the journey these characters went on and thought the ending was perfect.

One unexpected delight? It’s set in my hometown of San Antonio, Texas! I loved seeing settings I’m familiar with like The Guenther House, the Riverwalk and the downtown library. It’s also got great Mexican American culture and plus-size rep.

You know who else this book is perfect for? Book lovers. Marcela is a librarian who loves YA fantasy novels and especially adores signed and special edition books. I absolutely ate that stuff up when it came up in the storyline!

This was such a cute story but also very refreshing. I loved how Marcela and Theo grew together and how realistic their love story seemed. I was on the edge of my seat in the second half because I couldn’t predict what Ben would do.