This story is one made for reality tv gold!
“He wants the bride, she wants the groom.” Two people decide to fake date to get over their past loves.

I loved this story and the unique way it all unfolded. Both main characters are holding onto a past relationship that may never be anything but to them they hope one day it will change. Marcela has been in love with her best friend for nine years. These big feelings are really holding her back in any future relationship. She’s holding onto hope Ben might finally see her as more than a friend. My heart breaks for her to just realize he may not change. Theo is the other main character and he is in love with his childhood best friend that is now engaged to his brother. It’s messy, family drama, a lot of miscommunication, but in the end there is growth by both characters. Many thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

"the next best fling"'s premise of two people who end up confiding in each other after the two people they have been in love with for years get engaged was enough to draw me in initially and it was heartwarming to read about two people finding each other in this way to see their situations more clearly for the first time. however, the characters around them don't feel as fully realized as the two main characters which left me wanting more in the long run.

Gorgeous cover and a flirty story! I read this one quickly and it was easy to get into. I became invested in the main characters and I thought Gamez crafted a fun book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
I was looking forward to reading this book after reading the description, and I was not disappointed. Marcela and Theo both having feelings for their friends that were engaged leads to them having a fake relationship. This gave so many little stories and background to the overall storyline! Several spicy scenes that were sooo good and well written (not cringy at all!) I loved this book and look forward to more from Gabriella Gamez!

3.5 stars!!!! i am quite literally so obsessed with this book!!!!! it was such a cute and fun read. i absolutely loved the plus size rep, i think the author didn't over do it and was able to shed light on insecurities in a well manner!!!

i overall just think the idea of this book is brilliant. she is in love with the groom to be aka her best friend... and he is in love with the wife to be aka his brother's girl, and when they accidentally show up with each other to brunch the next morning... everyone thinks they hooked up and they let people believe it. INSANITY!!!!! there relationship might've started on unlikely ways, but their love for each other was beautiful!!!! they were both broken and fixed each other.

i also just loved the library and book aspects of it, made my reader heart happy!!!!

thank you netgalley for this arc!

I liked this book but I did feel like there was a lot going on. I understand one of the MC’s being in love with someone else but it was tangled web.
I could tell Theo was attracted to Marcela right away and I loved that they talked things out- good communication.

Wow, what a debut! The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez made my heart soar.

Marcela is the type of character I want to see more in romance novels. It was refreshing to read a book with bookish, curvy and Hispanic FMC.

And Theo is an open, honest and recently retired NFL player. If you’re a Swiftie, you’ll get Travis Kelce energy from him.

Read if you like:
🩵 Fake dating
🩵 Slow burn
🩵 Rebound
🩵 Love square

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Don’t miss The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez when it’s released this summer!

I love, love, love the cover of this book!! With the bookish heroine and a touch of fake dating, I was sold. This was a super fun and easy read. I got a little frustrated at times with the heroine’s immaturity slash inability to communicate, but I love how it all played out. I’m looking forward to what the author writes next!

I enjoyed this one quite a bit, and it’s likely because I didn’t immediately sniff out the entire plot after three chapters. Things I thought would be a big deal later in were handled maturely, and the real drama actually came from a valid place. There were more ups and downs than a lot of books I’ve read lately, and that kept things feeling fresh.

Marcela, a youth librarian, met Theo when she was in college, because he’s the older brother of her ex boyfriend and current best friend. Marcela has been a little bit in love with Ben for almost ten years, and she thinks she’s hiding it. Ben is engaged to someone else. At Ben and Alice’s engagement party Marcela stops Theo from making a public declaration to Alice. The chemistry between them was pretty evident from that moment forward. Their reasons for going along with everything thinking they were together were a little weak, because it was apparent there was mutual attraction and something else under the surface. I really liked that Marcela stuck up for Theo with Ben, and was willing to end a less than awesome friendship with him because of the feelings she’d developed. Theo is adorable almost to the point he’s not believable. He’s a former NFL player that has been pining for someone for more than a decade and doesn’t have relationships. He’s got scolded golden retriever energy. Marcela didn’t seem to know what to do with that at certain points, because she was scared of being left (like her mother).

Ben was a piece of work. A real piece of work. I don’t know if he’ll be redeemed in a later book, but I think he’s got a long way to go before I’d be interested in that.

I am hoping we’ll get Angela’s story next since this seems to be part one of a series.

There were several errors that I hope will be fixed before publication, but nothing too drastic that detracted from the story on a major scale.

The Next Best Fling made my heart soar with happiness! I loved that Marcela was Hispanic, a book lover and her growth just had me in awe! This book has her and Theo, the brother of her best friend Ben, on a journey of healing from broken hearts. When Marcela keeps saving Theo they start to form a friendship and come up with an agreement to help each other out. This story is messy and full of drama but I loved every second of it because life is messy and full of drama.

I found the characters to be very relatable and I loved the open honesty Theo and Marcela had. They both pushed the other and showed each other that love is more than just a feeling!

This book is told only through Marcela’s perspective but her journey is so inspiring that I had no problem becoming hooked and couldn’t put the book down! I’m paying for it today with lots of coffee but it was worth it!

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼, 𝗕𝗲𝗻'𝘀 𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗻'𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰é𝗲, 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗮, 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗻, 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗻𝗼-𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀-𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀.


I really did enjoy this one, and the two main characters I can’t even describe how much I love them. Wow.


𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼:
Oh, Theo Young, my new book husband🥹
From the first time he appeared I knew I’m going to love him.
He gave her an entire box filled with signed copies & special editions.
AND THE LETTER!! THE LETTERRRR!!

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗲:
Whoa, the woman that you are!!🥹
I never once thought she was irritating or disagreed with her decisions. She seems like a really nice person, and I would absolutely lend her my comfort books.🫂💞 I really want to read "An Ember in the Ash," too, because of her obsession with it!

𝗕𝗲𝗻:
I hope both of your pillows are warm.
I hope every time you go to your favorite bakery or restaurant and want to order your favourite, it’s sold out.
I hope your charger doesn't load, even if it’s new.
I hope you step daily on Lego (with no shoes).
I hope you also stub your toe daily.
I hope your ketchup is very watery.

Staying up until 3am to finish this book was worth every single second spent. A bookish FMC (with a home library, aka the DREAM), a charming MMC (who’s a former NFL player, a nod to the sports romance lovers), so many angst filled chapters because of a love square (you read that right), and even more self love?? I had to see it through, and Gabriella did not disappoint. Marcela and Theo were so easy to love, and the easy way they communicated with each other and saw the other for who they were really stuck with me.

The Next Best Fling has been the debut I’ve been looking forward to the most this year, and I’m so happy I was able to read an ARC of it 🩷

If you like romances that include:
•Latine characters
•Plus sized representation
•So much library love
•Angst filled unrequited love x2
•Fake dating
•H‑E‑B

Then I highly recommend this book for you 🫶🏽

Obsessed with this! Marcela navigates complicated love—her best friend engaged to another, and his older brother entangled in the drama. Amid popcorn-worthy moments, a tale of trust, self-love, and escaping unhealthy relationships unfolds. Marcela's body positivity shines, addressing insecurities without overdoing it. A perfect balance that resonates with plus-size women. Also, Theo Young? Absolute favorite!

I absolutely loved this book! This is the first romance book I’ve read in ages that made me genuinely excited and I’m so stoked to share this one with others (friends, internet friends, coworkers, customers at the bookstore, etc.). The emotional journey and growth of Marcela and Theo was enjoyable but still realistic. And the balance between sweet, emotional, fun, frustrating, steamy, and all the other aspects were so well balanced.

Ok, I feel incredibly torn about this book. On the one hand, I loved the writing and am impressed as this is a debut work by Gabriella Gamez. I’m definitely interested in what she releases next. However, I just think I may not be the indented audience for this book. I realized I do not enjoy love triangle stories and omg this one is A LOVE SQUARE my gosh the complexity and the drama.

Theo, the MMC, is such a lovely character though! He was so so so sweet and so honest and such a strong communicator. I would have loved half of the book from his POV. I enjoyed witnessing his personal growth as well as Marcella’s. They both had a lot of relational trauma and fears to process through before they could give a relationship a go and I appreciated how Gabriella wrote that aspect.

Read if you like stories with librarians, book lovers, a rebound romance turned more, family drama, a plus size FMC, and spice (three skippable open door scenes).

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Forever Publishing, and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Oh hey it’s meeeeeee I’m reading this for work! Aaaaaaand there's a character limit on reviews here are some more words

I loved this book! 4.75 stars rounded up.

The plus size book loving heroine, the San Antonio vibes, MCs having actual emotional growth and sizzling physical chemistry made Next Best Fling a read I couldn’t wait to come back to multiple times day until I finished it.

At times I worried about our main character, Marcela, and her self sabotaging habits built from a cycle of family trauma, but major kudos to the author for actually having our girl do some much needed self reflection and have a honest to goodness character arc! We love to see it!

I don’t know what tropes I would use to describe this book, and I love that fact! It’s a refreshing read, shaking up the sometimes over-relied on romance tropes. Will “getting over someone by getting UNDER his brother” be romance’s next big thing? Because this was HAWT.

I loved the themes of friendship, how family can hurt you, self acceptance and self kindness, and leaving toxicity behind are woven throughout the book. And praise the romance gods for giving us a plus size MC who doesn’t hate her body!!! As a plus size reviewer, I connected with some of Marcela’s very real thoughts and insecurities about previous dates and interactions, but she ultimately never let them become intrusive or stop her from loving herself. Seriously, the bar shouldn’t be so low but I adored how the author allowed Marcela to convey some realities of plus size life without ever leaning on fatphobia to show us.

All in all, I loved this one and will absolutely be recommending to all Texan and Plus size romance readers.

Thank you to Forever and the Discover Forever program for the arc.

Ate this book up in under 24 hours. Normally I don’t like if the MMC mentions another girl if it isn’t the FMC BUT THIS AUTHOR CHANGED MY MIND REAL QUICK. The chemistry between the characters AND THE GRAND GESTURES??? MY book lover heart was screaming. I love this book sm.

Thank you Forever and Hachette for the ARC!

I loved this book. I got home from work and only stopped reading (begr dgingly) to eat dinner. The writing was witty, engaging and conversational. Marcela was a loveable disaster with a good heart who had me rooting for her the entire time.

I loved the way that Marcela and Theo bring out the best in each other and grew together and individually. Theo was a DREAM. His words made me melt, but his actions made my heart stutter even more. Marcela's fears were all understandable and it was glorious watching her grow to understand herself, but to want to have more for herself too.

I don't think I could say anything bad about this book if I tried. Love. Love. Love.

3.75 stars rounded up. I almost DNFd during chapter one and I am very glad that I kept going. While this book was not perfect and I had to majorly suspend belief at times, there is a lot about it that I really loved and I look forward to the author’s next book.

The main character is fat, she’s obsessed with books, and she doesn’t trust her feelings or the hunky hunky love interest’s feelings. So like, is this effing play about me?!

It’s set in San Antonio and all the Texas things made me very happy, especially the H-E-B tortillas shout out.

Also it was very hot. My jaw was hanging open multiple times lol.