I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH🥹
once i started this i couldn't put it down, i finished it in less than 24 hours and absolutely recommend this book. LOVED LOVED LOVED the latina and plus size representation.

this book had so much depth. i was swooning, i was crying. i was rooting for marcela and theo so hard. i hated that she was pining for ben, it felt so wrong but i felt for her nonetheless...they were all friends before so it was...complicated. then theo comes along and is also pining for someone else and it ends up bringing the two of them together. i was so hooked. theo has my whole heart🫶🏽 the spice scenes could have been better, it wasn't spicy in my opinon it was about 🌶️🌶️/5...but it was angsty.

read if you like:
📚fake dating
📚pining for other people
📚friends to lovers
📚best friend's brother
📚librarian fmc
📚former nfl player
📚latina rep
📚plus size rep

The Next Best Fling had a cute premise--two people in love with other people who help each other out when the people they're in love with become engaged to each other. Did you catch all that?

Marcela and Theo have been in each other's circle of acquaintances for a while but get to know each other when Theo's brother (Marcela's original love interest) and his girlfriend (Theo's original love interest) become engaged, much to their chagrin. Marcela and Theo become each other's plus one to all sorts of events and it's through these dates that they get to know and care for each other. It becomes clear, from early on, that Theo's brother is a complete douche and Theo is the superior brother of the two. Thankfully, Marcela picks up on that sooner than later.

While I enjoyed the idea of this novel, some of the execution didn't work for me. Something was a little off with some of the dialogue, which I found distracting. I also thought it went on a little long and so I found my interest waning. That being said, there were some cute scenes and a lot of potential for future books in this series.

Oh where to begin. 😂

Marcela used to date Ben in college. He decided they are better off friends, he instead starts to date her friend Alice.

Theo is Ben’s brother. Theo has loved Alice since high school.

When we begin this novel, Marcela is still crushing on Ben, Theo is still crushing on Alice, Marcela and Alice are no longer friends, Ben and Alice are engaged, and Ben and Theo have a very complicated brother relationship. Are you following? Do you feel like that Always Sunny meme with the stressed guy and all the strings? 😂

Marcela and Theo decide to be each other’s rebound, fall in love, etc etc, some mistrust, a third act breakup, Marcela has some daddy issues that are pretty unnecessary if we’re being honest this story has enough going on.

But the villain of this novel, is BEN. An actual garbage of a human being. Like Marcela, girl, call the red flag guy because 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩. His story ended how it should have. He was hit by a bus.

Just kidding. 😈

Anyway, overall, this story was so messy 😂. The writing was just okay. It went on a bit longer than it should have. I just had SO many issues with Marcela and Ben’s 🚩 “friendship” and I could not BELIEVE Alice let it go on for like 8 years 😂. Absolutely ridiculous.

If you love a messy romance though, you’ll probably like this. I expect more books will come with stories for all the friends.

Thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I had such a fun time reading this book! I do with it was a smidge shorter, I definitely felt as though some could have been cut. That being said, I can't wait for more from Gabriella Gamez!

I absolutely loved The Next Best Fling and I am so excited to read future books that Gabriella Gamez writes.

Marcela, a librarian, is hopelessly in love with her best friend, Ben, who as it turns out is basically the biggest jerk. However, I really enjoyed the fact that it was slow buildup of how much of an unlikeable character that he was. In comes Theo, the football player who falls in love with Marcela and while they start out as a fake relationship, we see it turn very real.

I loved how real that all of the characters felt and we also had some amazing side characters (who better get books of their own!) that really added to the story. This book had great character development, great relationship development, and great banter. It left me feeling teary eyed and swoon all at the same time.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I found it readable, not necessarily my most favorite book. I felt the story to be a bit held back by all the messiness. I wasn’t a huge fan of Marcela, I found her making things more complicated than they needed to be. I wanted something different for Theo in the end..

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book was easy to read. The author made it easy to like some characters and dislike others.
It was slightly predictable with Ben coming back and being a suck-up, but that's how these unrequited love stories usually go.
Theo was so lovely and I'm glad they didn't have a big breakup or argument towards the end.

This debut was such a fun ride! Marcela and Theo’s journey pulled me in right from the start. I mean, who doesn’t love a fake dating situation, especially when it’s all about getting over unrequited love? Marcela was so relatable—plus-sized, Latina, and a total book nerd with her librarian vibes. I loved how much her passion for books came through!

Theo was such a sweetheart too, and while I wasn’t sure about his whole "in love with his brother’s fiancée" thing at first, his chemistry with Marcela made me root for them. Their dynamic was steamy and sweet, whether they were sneaking kisses in library aisles or spending late nights at bars.

That said, the second half dragged a little for me with all the back-and-forth miscommunication, and the pacing felt off at the end. But, honestly, it didn’t take away too much from how much I devoured this book—it was a quick, easy read that kept my attention.

Overall, Gabriella Gamez did an amazing job for her debut, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from her in the future!

4/5 ⭐️

There was so much character growth in this book and it really was so sweet. Marcela is way too good to be stuck on a jerk like her best friend and luckily she is there to save his brother. There were so many cute scenes that had me grinning like crazy. I am so excited for the next book.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Once I started this I couldn’t stop. Best friends brother done in a way that was unexpected. Best friend is who she’s been longing for for years just for him to become engaged and then you fake date his brother but come to find out best friend is trash and brother is the most swooniest, heart on his sleeve giant football player??! Oh and he’s in love with brothers fiancé?! Give me all the drama I ate this the fuck up!! I wanted to skip sleep some days and if I wasn’t pregnant and exhausted that would have been no issue. Marcela stood in her own way a lot but Theos constant assurance and confidence in what they had was all we needed. This is also very much for the bookish girls, Marcela’s job, her at home library, her desire to get books into young people’s hands, the book club and all her little jokes and tv comparisons were perfect. Let’s not forget the grand gesture we all hope for. I loved this soo much

DNF- Going into this book, I knew the basic premise, but after reading the first few pages….she’s been pining over this guy for eight years and he’s been dating one woman the ENTIRE TIME? That is not okay behavior. She’s essentially sticking around, hoping he dumps his girlfriend? That’s just yucky.

This is Gabriella Gamez's debut novel and I think this book is planting the seeds for where and how Gamez will grow in her writing style and in finding her voice. The Next Best Fling has a premise that is sure to be messing and fantastic. This novel has a lot charm and frustrations woven together to creating this push and pull with in the reader. Gamez has lots of ideas, her characters are complicated and frustrating at times, but ultimately there is a charm to this romance that will win in the end. I really see this novel as a stepping stone that will help Gamez grow as an author and I hope she soars. The Next Best Fling is a novel that is sure to charm some and frustrate others, but I think if you are in the mood for a young and new author who is discovering her voice, than this is a charming into to Gabriella Gamez and I for one and excited to see where she goes next.

This book was a bit of a wild ride for me personally. I almost dnf'd it and while I am glad that I didn't, I probably wouldn't read it again.

My feelings for all the characters (except Theo) flipped flopped through the whole book. I started off thinking Marcela was awful as a friends and a woman (because there were some very 'not a girls girl' thoughts about Alice I did not appreciate) and a person because I really hate deception. However, she ended up growing on me and I was able to understand why she lied, although I still wasn't a fan. Alice confused me at first but she seemed unproblematic and I was very happy about her ending. Ben is terrible. Theo is perfect.

The beginning was kind of slow, there was a lot of telling rather than showing which is not my taste. The middle was fantastic! The complications and tension was perfect. I was thinking this would actually be more of a 4 or 4.5 star, however all of a sudden it just kept going and going, and I was like how am I only 60%, let's wrap this up please. It was almost 400 pages! Why? 30-50 pages could have been cut.

In the end I was upset because I loved the middle but I just felt like it dragged and it annoyed me.

The Next Big Fling by Gabriella Gamez is a spicy and charming contemporary romance that follows the lives of two broken-hearted individuals who decide to embark on a no-strings-attached relationship to get over their past loves (Goodreads). The story centers around Marcela Ortiz, a plus-size Latina librarian who has been secretly in love with her best friend, Ben Young, for years. When Ben gets engaged to Alice, Marcela realizes it’s time to move on. Enter Theo, a former NFL player and Ben's brother, who also harbours feelings for Alice.

The Next Big Fling by Gabriella Gamez is a heartfelt and engaging romance that offers a fresh perspective with its diverse characters and exploration of complex themes. While it has its flaws, the book's strengths in character development and emotional storytelling make it a worthwhile read for fans of contemporary romance.

I was definitely drawn to this one due to the librarian connection, and the ways books were used in the story was definitely charming. Overall, this one was just fine for me though, and I can't quite put a finger on why it didn't land quite as well as I wanted it to.

I will forever read a plus size main character book. The Next best thing was one of a kind. Ben sucks and I wish him all the worst in life. To everyone else in the story, I will defend you until my dying day. I can't wait to read what is next.

• Friends with benefits
• Fake Dating
• Plus size rep
• Sports/Bookish themes
•Debut
🌶🌶

What a cute story. All the warm fuzzy feelings. I look forward to more by Gabriella Gamez!

Unfortunately after multiple attempts I have been unable to finish this one. I was super excited about the concept, but I am really not gelling with the writing sample. I was hopeful that maybe I was reading it at the wrong time for myself, but after three attempts to restart, I don't think that's the case here.

3.5⭐️

I struggled with liking the Marcela in the beginning bc what do you mean you liked Ben for 10 years and you daydreamed about him breaking up with his girlfriend.

Other than that, I think it passed by fast. It was a super easy read. And I liked how Marcela and Theo got a chance to grow and learn about love.

I set this one aside during a recent romance slump, and decided to finally give it a go! It was a really fun, sizzling, slow-burn book that held my attention and plopped me right back into my 20's dating life. I enjoyed how both characters were pining for someone else at their first meeting, and their agreement to try a no-strings-attached arrangement. In some ways, that allowed them to lower the stakes and angst, while exploring their undeniable chemistry. The spice was absolutely spicing, and I really felt this was a solid romance debut! All the expected drama was fun, and the conclusion was very satisfying. I look forward to what this author pens next!