I really enjoyed this book! Marcella and Theo are both in love with other people when they shouldn’t be. So, they come up with the idea of “fake-dating” each other to cover their feelings. I enjoyed watching them get closer and opening up to each other. Theo was great! I love when the MMC is not afraid to communicate his feelings and he did it so naturally and I loved that for Marcella. I also really enjoyed reading about a fellow bookworm, it felt validating. Now, about Marcella, I feel like she was always a foot out the door in their relationship. She was so afraid to fail that she didn’t even want to try. I relate to her on that though.
BUT I feel like there was too much drama for my taste. I’m not a big fan of love triangles and here it was a love square so I had a bit of a hard time getting into it.
All in all, I had a good time reading about Marcella and Theo given the fact that this is a debut novel.

'The Next Best Fling' is an amazing spicy romcom from debut author, Gabriella Gamez. This book is unlike any other romance that I have read before. Marcela has been in love with her best friend, Ben, for almost ten years. They went on a few dates, but he thought they were better off as friends. She has pined for him for years, but now, he is engaged to his long term girlfriend, Alice. Ben's brother, Theo, comes home for his brother's engagement party. Theo is a retired NFL player, and Marcela finds him outside of the engagement party. He reveals that he has been in love with his brother's fiance, Alice, for years! Marcela takes Theo away from the party.

The next day, when they arrive at brunch, everyone assumes that they hooked up. Theo and Marcela decide to go along with the lie, and they will fake date. As they fake date, they decide to use each other as rebounds to get over someone else, but this leads to them developing feelings for each other.

There is so much steaminess and fun in this story. Marcela's love of books and her job as a librarian play such a pivotal role in the story. I love the parts of the story that reflected Marcela's confidence struggles with her body. I think that this is so relatable, and I enjoyed how it was written about in the story.

This was a slow burn, and it technically contained a love square. There is no cheating, and I was so happy to see that that was not a part of the story.

Overall, this is an amazing debut, and it's one that I will purchase when it comes out in July.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for an ARC of this book.

I liked the characters most in The Next Best Fling, Marcela and Theo are very relatable and their chemistry sizzles on the pages. The pacing of this book keeps you engaged, and the dialogue adds a playful touch, however I think there there's some room for improvement. There were some plot points that could've been fleshed out further which could've enhanced the experience, such as including more of the character's backgrounds which I feel like were briefly touched on and going into detail about the coastal town which were hinted at but not explored enough to enrich the reading experience. Despite these small flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

10*stars. The book was fantastic. I went through something similar to this character so I could totally relate to her. Their HEA was so very much deserved.

This debut novel is full of tropes: fake dating, unrequited love, slow burn, rebound, love square, geeky girl/athletic guy, in love with bride/groom. Marcella, a librarian, has been in love with Ben for almost 10 years, but Ben just got engaged to someone else. It hooks you right from the beginning. Marcella then stumbles upon Theo, Ben’s brother and the hot NFL player. Swoon!

I enjoyed the setting in San Antonio, Texas as I’m from deep South Texas and Hispanic. I liked all the Texas and Mexican touches. Sometimes it was a bit much especially with the Whataburger name drops. Not that I didn’t go and get Whataburger while reading this. And she was speaking my love language with the pumpkin empanadas.

It gets spicy but it’s not over the top or too much. The plot is interesting and I enjoyed Marcela’s character ARC. I’d love to see what’s next by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you like a fake dating trope, this book is for you. I really enjoyed this book and was very excited at the end to see that there is another book in the works by this author slated for 2025.

The relationship between Marcela and Theo is simultaneously sweet and steamy. One of the things I most enjoyed about their relationship and this book was the communication between Marcela and Theo. Even in the unsure moments of their relationship, at least one of them seems to always be willing to speak up and make it clear that even if they don't have everything figured out, there's real interest and care between them. That's not to say that this book or their relationship is without conflict. I just thought the communicating of feelings was refreshing given how often the opposite is true in contemporary romances.

My only "complaint" isn't really a complaint since it in no way detracts from how good this book is. I just personally would've enjoyed a more solid/clear cut epilogue. I know a lot of people like HEA that leaves room for interpretation or the possibility of anything, and if that's you, resolved HEA but with room for any future, this book's ending is for sure up your alley. But I personally love a more cliche wrapped up ending.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for hones review.

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez
Pub date: July 9, 2024
Rating: 4/5

Librarian Marcela has been in love with her best friend, Ben, for yrs. When he gets engaged, she finally realizes that it's time to move on. Theo, an ex-NFL player and older brother of Ben, is in love with Ben's finacee and drunkenly plans to confess to her. Marcela stops him from making a mistake but everyone assumes that they are together. They decide to stick with the lie but ends up developing feelings for each other....

Love Marcela and Theo. Theo is such a sweetheart! He's almost too nice to be real. Marcela is terrific and sweet too. Great characters! Ben is ARGHHH...
Really had fun reading it!

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the arc!
Pub date: 7/9/24
I enjoyed this read very much.. The story was cute. You definitely could read it in one day. I liked that Theo and Marcela had so much in common from the beginning. I liked how they kept finding each other. There want and need was there. I wish it was dual POV, I wanted to be in Theo’s head so much.
I recommend this book.

"Home. It doesn't matter if he's talking about my place or his, Wherever Theo is feels like home".

What to say about this book? It's been a few hours since I've finished and still can't find the right words to say.

This book has so many great points that to talk about them would require spending the whole day writing this review, so I'll just highlight my favorites.

I loved how this book is centered around the life of a librarian, and how Gabby managed to bring this into the narrative in a way that made a statement about the importance of encouraging people to read more. As a child, I didn't have access to books (there wasn't a library close to my home), and I'd love to have a community ruled by someone like Marce and Angela who saw kids like me and decided to do something about it, even if the context on the book was a bit different.

Another point that got straight to my heart was Theo (obviously) and his vulnerability. Reading contemporary romances has led to a lot of books in which the guy is 30% vulnerable and 80% possessive, and while I love this kind of book, I also love it when the MMC is just a sweetheart who spent his whole life jamming to "when will I be loved?" by Linda Ronstadt (that could also be Marce's song if we think about it). Every single time Theo opened up his heart (and his mouth) a little, I'd swoon immediately because that's just how perfect, and yet failed, he is.

And to end with my third favorite point: LATINX POWER!!! While I'm not Mexican as Marcela, I'm still Latin American (from Brazil) and it's so hard to find books that represent our diversity out of that stereotype from every TV show/movie from the US. And to add to that, she's a Latin character who's not ashamed of it and it's not a thin character — which only made the book better, since we got to watch her struggle with accepting her body when in front of other people (her moment with Theo almost made me cry!!!).

I've never read a book with a rebound as its center plot, which made me a bit weary of the book, since I had this feeling that everything would be very hushed and all about the spice, but man, I was wrong!

The only point that got to me was that sometimes I struggled with the way Marce repeated things with a certain frequency. I understand those were intrusive thoughts, and that considering her trauma they were bound to happen, but sometimes they literally came out of nowhere, and there wasn't really a trigger, but it didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the book.

Gabby is a powerhouse! That's the comment. If I didn't follow her on instagram, I wouldn't read this book and believe it was her first ever published — she deserves to be known and loved, because her writing and creativity match some of the great contemporary romance authors from nowadays. And absolutely everyone who gets to read "The Next Best Fling" will fall in love with its story, its characters and well, everything.

Summer 2025 is too far away for book 2.

Thank you NetGalley and Gabby for allowing me to read and review this book!

P.S. I just realized I'm the person without a library card. I think I'll go look for my other half at the library.

"The Next Best Fling" by Gabriella Gamez takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, weaving a story that is as charming as it is entertaining. Gamez has a knack for crafting well-rounded and endearing personalities while also creating a plot with a perfect balance of unpredictability and familiarity. Overall the book is quite enjoyable and easy to follow. I'm excited to see what Gamez produces next.

I absolutely loved this book! Theo and Marcela made such a cute couple. I loved seeing how their love story unfolded.

Thank you so much for the ARC NetGalley

Two unlikely friends became friends with benefits to help each other get over their unrequited feelings for the bride and groom.

Calling all book lovers!!! This one is for you!!
I have so many feelings after reading this. To say I'm obsessed would be an understatement.

I relate to Marcela on so many levels. She is the perfect mfc for the plus size girlies, the reader girlies, the Latina girlies, and the library girlies. And Theo? He embodied the perfect love interest in my opinion. He is kind, patient, and refused to let her do the miscommunication thing. Becoming friends with benefits/fake dating the brother of the guy you're in love with, while he's also in love with his brother's fiancé, is bound to become a messy situation. And it did. But it resolved in the most delicious ways. They slowly began to realize how wrong their unrequited love's were, and how right they were for each other. And watching Marcela as she came to love and trust him made this such a lovely read. I couldn't put it down!

Okay but the best part? This is a Librarian X Retired NFL Player. Theo *swoon* was written for the book girlies. We all want a man like him:
- He falls in love with her when she forces him to act out a scene from her favorite book in front of her entire book club
- He asks her for book recs
- He listens to her talk about her favorite books
- He plans a date for her in the library
- He writes her a love note where he ends it with "you should never be without your favorite books"

Thank you Netgalley and Gabriella Gomez for this ARC! I cannot wait for book 2!

This book is so cute. I love the majority of the characters minus Ben. He's an ass. Theo is top-tier boyfriend material. Most of the characters have great character development. I love Alice even more by the end.

Marce is a librarian who is in love with her best friend Ben the groom. Theo is Ben's beother and former NFL player who is in love with the bride. It's a messy situation.

Theo is about to make a huge mistake and tell Alice how he feels. Marce stops him despite how tempting it is. She let's him stay the night versus heading back to Ben + Alice's place.

Rumours swirl, and they find themselves "pretend hooking up" as a distraction. They end up falling in love, and it's a wild ride from there on out. Will they get together? Will they not? You'll find out eventually.

Received as an e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book releases July 9, 2024.

She’s a librarian in love with the groom, and he’s a former NFL player in love with the bride. Why not fake a relationship to hide their feelings?

This was a really cute book.

The characters and their relationships were compelling and I found myself caring for them. The main romance was sweet and the friendships were well developed.
I appreciated the thoughts Marcela had about her comfort with her body, and they felt realistic and reflected a lot of my own experiences.


A few things that bothered me, to look out for if we happen to share the same bookish pet peeves:
•The spice scenes seemed very awkwardly and formulaically written, with the same phrases and adjectives popping up over and over again.
•Marcela, the female lead, is a YA Librarian. A few times, her rants about books she likes really took me out of the story and felt more like I was reading an advertisement than thoughts or dialogue.

Overall these things were minor annoyances only, and I still really enjoyed this story.

I will absolutely grab the next in the series when it releases!

This book was a lovely surprise. I enjoyed their push and pull, and watching as they battled with their real feelings for each other and the lines got blurred? It has had me hooked.

I loved this book! Marcela and Theo had amazing chemistry, character development and so much fun together. I really enjoyed the slow burn and spicy of this novel. A must read rom com of 2024!

Marcela is in love with Ben, and has been for years, despite the fact that Ben's in love with and about to propose to Alice. Theo is in love with Alice, and wants to tell her at her engagement party, potentially blowing up everyone's life. But Marcela stops him, and they start spending time together. Can what started as a mutually beneficial fake relationship turn into a HEA?

I really liked this book. It had all the usual tropes (hunky ex-NFL start, unrequited best friend love, a couple swoon worthy grand gestures) but I loved that Marcela was a book lover, a little awkward, a realistic size. I admit to not liking Ben from the beginning, rooting for Theo from the get-go, and coming to really like Alice. Could everything in the book have been settled quicker with some communication between the characters? Yes. But where's the fun in that?

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

What do you do when the best friend you’ve secretly been in love with for 10 years gets engaged? You hook up with his brother of course!

Marcella is a YA librarian who’s been in love with her best friend of 10 years ever since they briefly dated in college. When her best friend Ben gets engaged Marcella is plagued with what ifs and she isn’t the only one. She finds Ben’s older brother Theo practicing confessing his feelings for the bride! When Marcella stops him from making a big mistake sparks fly on a drunken night and they begin to hook up. No feelings and no promises of the future seems easy enough but will their attraction lead to more?

The Next Best Fling from debut author Gabriella Gamez is a fun, spicy rom com about figuring out who you are and what you want. This book was fast paced and short enough to finish in one sitting. It has excellent fat and Mexican representation. Nothing felt forced and it truly felt like reading a lived experience. As a Mexican American I felt so seen by the book. I loved reading Spanish words and reading about traditional Mexican treats that make me think of my culture. This books if for fans of Abby Jimenez and I think anyone who loves rom coms will love this sweet and spicy story!

Well written story but I just didn’t connect to it. This is a fake relationship/friends to lovers/ love square(?) story. The plus size (author made this point many times) FMC is pining for ex boyfriend turned best friend. MMC is the best friend’s brother who is also in love with brother’s fiancé. FMC/MMC strike up friendship turned friends with benefits as they pine and try to move on from their respective interests. It’s a lot. Quick read, open door scenes (but not really spicy, just meh).

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book!!! New favorite author unlocked.

The Next Best Fling begins when two broken hearts decide that the best way to get over their first loves is with a no-strings-attached relationship. Marcela is in love with her best friend, Ben who is engaged to another woman. Theo is in love with his brother's fiancée. Did I mention Theo is Ben's older brother?!

I loved that the characters were both messy and very swoony! The story flowed and I couldn't put it down.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the Advanced copy.