I received this book via the publisher Forever. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez Series: Librarians in Love #1
Published by Forever on 2024-07-09
Length: 384 pages
Reviewing eARC from the publisher Forever
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2024, 2024 COYER Unwind
![](https://momwithareadingproblem.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/JDDiBooks-CBS-W-e1531416902596.png")
Two broken hearts decide that the best way to get over their first loves is with a no-strings-attached relationship in this spicy and charming debut romance.
Librarian Marcela Ortiz has been secretly in love with her best friend for years—and when he gets engaged, she knows it’s long past time to move on. But before she gets the chance, she has a bigger problem to contend with in the form of Theo Young, ex-NFL player and older brother of the man she’s in love with. When she discovers Theo's plans to confess his feelings for his brother’s fiancée at their engagement party, Marcela is quick to stop him—despite how tempting it is to let him run away with the bride-to-be. She manages to convince Theo to sleep off his drunken almost-mistake at her place and when they arrive at a family brunch the next day together, everyone wrongly assumes they hooked up.
Since Theo needs a cover for his feelings for the bride and Marcela needs a distraction from her unrequited feelings for the groom, they decide to roll with the lie. Until one late night at a bar, they take it a step further and discover a layer of attraction neither realized existed. Soon, they find themselves exploring the simmering chemistry between them, whether in library aisles or Marcela's bed. There are no boundaries for the rebound relationship they form—just a host of complicated feelings, messy familial dynamics, and uncovered secrets that threaten to tear them apart before they can even admit to themselves that their rebound is working. Maybe a little too well.
Such a fun read! The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez is a contemporary romance about two broken-hearted people finding solace in each others’ arms. Marcela Ortiz has been in love with her best friend for nearly a decade, and for all of those years, she’s harbored the hope that he would see her in the same light. Those hopes come burning down when he announces his engagement to his long-term girlfriend. Crushed she really doesn’t want to attend the engagement party, but as best friend to the groom it’s kind of a requirement. While there, she finds she isn’t the only one crushed. Theo Young, the brother of the groom-to-be, is rehearsing his own speech to Alice, the soon-to-be bride. Knowing what a big mistake he is about to make Marcela steps in and takes him home. A misunderstanding leads everyone to thinking they hooked up which brings an opportunity to Theo and Marcela neither was expecting.
As I’ve already said but it bears repeating, this was such a fun read. One mishap after another leads Theo and Marcela into a no-strings-attached relationship, a “reboundship”, that will hopefully help them get over their first loves. These two are so much fun together. Because of the no-strings rule and the fact they both admit to having feelings for someone else from the beginning, it allows our two MCs a chance to be honest, sometimes brutally, with each other. I loved this open and honest communication. Now, I will say it gets off to a rocky start with Marcela hiding who she is getting over, Theo’s brother. The banter between them and the camaraderie makes for an excellent read. I found myself laughing and tearing up all within the same few pages throughout the book.
The tension that builds between Marcela and Theo drives the story. Their relationship starts off as no-strings, but they quickly build a friendship, and from there romance ensues. I loved how the author introduces us to both of them. The story is told entirely from Marcela’s point of view, yet there is a lot of character growth that happens for both of them. But it isn’t all about Marcela and Theo. I loved the side characters we are introduced to, Angela being my favorite.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Next Best Fling. This one hit on all my favorite tropes: fake relationships, friends to lovers, etc. It was so easy to root for them that I found myself frustrated with Marcela at times for her own doubts. If you enjoy contemporary romance or you are looking for a fun beach or weekend read, I highly recommend this one.
About Gabriella Gamez
Gabriella Gamez is a Mexican American author living in South Texas. She writes about incredibly messy, well-meaning women trying their best and accidentally falling in love. When she’s not writing, she can be found drinking copious amounts of coffee, wasting too much time playing video games, and obsessing over other people’s books. She also goes by Gabby.
Gabriella is represented by Samantha Fabien of Root Literary.
I like the sound of this one. Fake relationship is a favorite of mine.
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This one sounds right up my alley! Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Great review!
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