I rated this book 4⭐️. This was a real mix of best friend brother (crushes brother/unrequited love (seemingly)/rebound. Theo is in love with his brothers future wife, Marcela is in love with her best friend/ex boyfriend, so, there’s a lot going on, but it was written and played out brilliantly. And I love that we have plus sized representation.

Marcela and Theo’s chemistry is undeniable, despite both being in love with other people. That element obviously makes it complicated for the pair, especially as Marcela doesn’t tell Theo straight away that she’s in love her best friend, Ben. But the relationship that blossoms between them is wonderful - Theo doesn’t judge her for her insecurities, he just does what he can to make her feel comfortable, and never pushes her.

Theo has a heart of gold, but has his own troubles to work through such as his relationship with his brother, his feelings for Alice, and his early retirement from American Football. Marcela is working through her own insecurities and her wariness to get into anything serious, which causes her to go back and fourth at the end the book about whether she could enter into a real relationship with Theo.

Marcela and Ben have been best friends since college/university. They dated for a short time but Ben decided to just be friends. Marcela has been pining for him ever since, but as the story unfolds, as do the real reasons behind a lot of Ben’s actions. He is an unexpected villain, and his toxicity and controlling behaviour is slowly exposed, not only towards Marcela but to his brother and future wife as well. Marcela realising who Ben really is, is the best thing to happen to her because she’s finally free from his restraints and her love for him.

This story is definitely spicy, tension-filled, and romantic, but it’s also emotionally heavy, with unexpected layers. On one hand, Theo had me swooning over how he treated Marcela, but on the other hand, my heart ached for the pair as they revealed and worked through their own personal struggles whilst trying to navigate their complex relationship. I definitely think this is a must read for all romance lovers.

𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 .𐦍༘⋆
this book is so good! and for a debut novel? i enjoyed it so much!

if you’re looking for a fun read about fake dating and family / friends drama this is it!

𐙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙:
I was so enthralled with the story and all the characters! i loved the overall story and character development of each character so much. without spoiling I will say that i was thoroughly happy to see that each character felt real and that they all developed in their own way, good or bad.

The author Gabriella Gamez did such a great job of giving us flawed main characters who we can grow to love as they navigate the story.

𐙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:

I do feel like the miscommunication and withholding of information from certain characters made this book a bit longer than it needed to be. Especially with how our main couple was handling the new changes within their relationship.

The Next Best Fling follows Marcela who is a librarian who is secretly in love with her best friend who gets engaged to someone else and Theo who is her best friends older brother and an ex NFL player who is in love with his brother's fiancee. Marcela finds out that Theo is going to confess his feelings for his brother's fiancee at their engagement party but she convinces Theo to sleep it off at her place. When they go to the family brunch together the next day, everyone assumes that they hooked up. Since they both want to get over their feelings, they decide to go with the lie and one night, they take it a bit too far and their chemistry is undeniable between them.

Having a body positive FMC is great and having positive female relationships was nice to see.
Both Marcela and Theo had unresolved issues and felt like the only reason they were together was because they didn't have another choice. This being said, their banter was quite funny to read. I do feel like their spicy scenes could have been better and a little more spicy!
Reading about the family relationships and the toxicity of those relationships was interesting. It added a lot to the story that I feel like it needed. I also didn't like that it sometimes felt like they were being forced to be with each other that it became a little repetitive. Overall, I think it is a great beach/summer read

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dialogue Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Views are my own.

I really enjoyed this book.
Ben is a big red flag from the start and it's amazing to see Marcela FINALLY get over him, with the help of... His brother!
We're all flawed, and have pasts... And that book is showing that quit nicely. I liked the way the 2 are acting around each others, they were shown as real, unperfect persons, who have/had complicated choices to make. Theo is a big, loveable cinnamon roll!
I just found the last part of the book to drag on a bit... Come on girl, jump over your own shadow already! But otherwise very enjoyable!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Dialogue Books for access to the ebook in exchange for an honest review.*

In this spicy and charming debut romance, librarian Marcela Ortiz and ex-NFL player Theo Young form a no-strings-attached fake dating relationship to move past their unrequited loves. Marcela, secretly in love with her best friend, halts Theo's drunken plan to confess his feelings for his brother's fiancée at their engagement party. The next day, mistaken assumptions at a family brunch lead them to play along with the idea that they hooked up. As their fake relationship deepens, their undeniable chemistry takes over, leading to steamy encounters in library aisles and beyond. What starts as a rebound quickly becomes something more, challenging their notions of love and commitment.

A plus size bookish herione was all I needed to hear to want to pick up this book and it did not disappoint.

We follow Marcela, a librarian who has been in love with her friend Ben since college, she is left heartbroken when he announces to her that he is going to propose to his girlfriend Alice. Marcela realises she needs to move on from crush on Ben. Then we meet Ben’s brother, Theo who reveals he is also in love with one of the wedding party. The two are seen together and people begin to assume the pair are dating so they decide to fake date and become each others rebounds. I think the fake dating trope was well done in this book.

I really loved Theo as a character but found Marcela's back and forth towards the end a bit repetitive when we knew what the outcome would be. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and the book club scenes were some of my favourite.

The book cover is adorable and I would definitely recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a copy to review.

read this alongside the audiobook and that was the best decision. so steamy and heartfelt, i ate this book up and found myself unable to put it down!! i read it in two good sittings and i thought it was so stinking cute, highly recommend!

✨✨4.25✨✨

This book really took me by surprise. I was intrigued by the premise but also wary as it could go very wrong if not handled well. Thankfully everything was handled beautifully in this book. The plus size representation was wonderful, emotions about it all are complex and can change day to day but it’s not your entire personality. The moment of vulnerability where Marcela admits to feeling self conscious was a lovely scene without it being made into a huge deal. There was also a dash of Asexual representation with the best friend Angela starting on a journey of whether that is her sexuality and what that means for her future and that love and sex can be separate desires.

The actual development of the relationship was great to watch unfold. It was gradual but at the same time you could see how gone Theo was for Marcela (despite not being in his POV). It did bother me that Marcela kept her secret from Theo for so long, mainly because the tension was getting to me as being in Marcela’s POV she was constantly thinking about needing to tell him. Ben was a piece of work, I’m glad that issue wasn’t just magically resolved to have everything end perfectly. I liked how much the ending fit the story, wasn’t some massive time just it was just to show Marcela still having faith in them and finally introduce a boy to her mother.

I’m definitely interested in reading more from Gabriella Gamez, especially if she writes Angela’s story!

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ok, so I was really looking forward to this - I love a fake relationship romance - but this was just not it for me. The hero and heroine have a lot of unresolved issues and it felt less like they were together because they wanted to be and more like they had bonded over their shared mutal pining for someone else. Add to that the fact that the heroine has been pining over the same guy for nearly a decade without realising that he's a narcisist. And that's hard to read. So sadly not for me, but I can see that it's worked for other people.

I really really enjoyed reading this book and I loved Marcela and Theo. I love that every song from the playlist has a little backstory. Im a little sad that the story wasn’t told in dual pov because I wanted to read Theo’s pov so much! The writing style was fast paced and I’m really excited for other books from this author!

Thank you Netgalley and Dialogue Books for this arc.

3 stars

I started this book really excited because it's a plus-size Latina heroine! But unfortunately I didn't like her or more so... there was so much drama around her that I couldn't focus on her 😭
Also, the chemistry between our MCs wasn't there. I didn't buy their love story until almost the very end.
Still, I like the writing, and some of the side characters were entertaining, so I'll definitely be reading more of this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review

What a complicated mess Marcie and Theo are in - she wants the Groom, He wants the bride and now they find themselves in a fake relationship trying to sabotage a wedding!

Marcie has crushed on her bestie forever but now that he's getting married to someone else, she realises this is her last chance. She's going to have to pull up her bigger girl panties and seize the day/the man!

Theo is larger than life. He was a star football player and used to getting what he wants. But Fate does not take want into consideration - you get who you need and it would appear that destiny has decided Marcie and Theo are perfect for each other.

Marcie is sweet, loyal and has put everyone else before herself. But when she gets that bee in her bonnet she just can't see reason - she's determined to get her man! Theo could lose his family if he declares his feelings for his brothers fiancé but is she worth the heartache? But when his brain and heart finally get on the same page and he realises that Marcie may just be his ACTUAL dream woman - he's all in! He knew the perfect way to declare his love for Marcie - get her favourite books, signed by the authors and keep up a steady supply!

Absolute gem of a book!

Love librarians, and the best friend pining for their best friend is one of my favourite tropes, even when it doesn’t work out for them and is written as a plot point for the Mc’s to find each other. This book wasn’t quite the lighthearted romance I was expecting, (hard when the two main characters are both pining for other people!) but I still really enjoyed it. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the read.

The Next Best Fling
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶🌶/5

Marcela is in love with Ben. Theo is in love with Alice. Ben and Alice are getting married. Theo is also Ben's brother. Marcela stops Theo from telling Alice his feelings at their engagement party and through a series of misunderstandings and intense mutual attraction, Marcela and Theo begin a fling to help them keep themselves in check during the engagement.

I haven't read a love triangle in a long time and it was messy. However it's only messy because I was rooting for one character the whole time and it takes a while for the FMC to see that. But a big tick for character development. Theo is super hot and had so much natural chemistry with Marcela that the angst and tension between them was so much more. Gamez also managed to tap into some of the major insecurities that come with being a bigger girl so well, especially around dating and intimacy, which hit the heartstrings more than I thought they would. Theo and Marcela were each others biggest cheerleaders in the end and the banter between them through the book was so good that I really went through a full range of emotion with this read.

Thank you so much to Dialogue books for the ARC! This was one I was incredibly excited to get my hands on !!

What an amazing debut novel!! Loved the chemistry between the characters and the deeper elements to the story too. Looking forward to future books by this author!

4.5 STARS

This was definitely one of the best romances I’ve read this year so far! I really liked the writing style and the main characters were great. I was invested in their story and could barely put the book down. I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series!

What starts off as a fake fling for Marcela and Theo soon becomes real, but are they still both too hung up on someone else? A great read, hope there will be more books for the other characters in this book.

I devoured this book in 24 hours. I was glued to the pages wanting to get more of Marcela and Theo. Their dynamic and chemistry was just so full of chemistry.
The way they both share their interests and the other makes it their mission to care and implement it in their lives. You can honestly tell that these two complement each other perfectly.

I loved Marcela’s love for books and libraries as I am a complete library addict. Such a cute read, a page turner and would definitely recommend to try out!

Thank you to netgalley to allow me to review this book 📖

This was supposed to be a fun lighthearted read that turned out messy…..
What made me out of my mind WAS THE BACK AND FORTH AND BACK AN FORTH between the supposed feelings the fmc had for someone else, it was so annoying i was reading 2 pages of progress just for the next 10 to be about those feelings again I GAVE UP WHO ALLOWED IT
the mmc was a doll, he should find someone better than the FMC because he was not appreciated dude

So sad to give this one just3⭐️

Thanks netgalley and the publisher for the arc

Release Date: July 9, 2024
Date Read and Reviewed: July 10, 2034
Ratings: 2⭐️

°

I was really excited about this one and MANIFESTED IN GETTING AN ARC.

Unfortunately, this romance novel wasn't for me. In my opinion, the characters were JUST PATHETIC. I couldn't feel any chemistry nor care about them. They're just that UNLIKABLE.

Thank you Forever for the e-arc opportunity via Netgalley.