The Next Best Fling is an adult contemporary romance by Gabriella Gamez. Marcela has been pining over her best friend for years, and it’s only when he gets engaged that it finally hits her that she needs to move on. Former NFL player Theo has been longing for his childhood best friend, and on the night of his little brother’s engagement party, he is going to confess his feelings for the bride until Marcela stops him. And in doing so, she is presented with an opportunity. Theo is in love with the bride, and Marcela is in love with his brother, but he needs help to hide his feelings, and she desperately needs a distraction from this terrible situation they are both in. But one kiss shared between them opens them up to both craving more, until the distraction descends into something more headier and perhaps, maybe, something more real than either of them were prepared for.
I found Marcela to be so relatable. She loves her books and food, but she’s also stuck in her love life, held back by her longing for Ben, her best friend. Once she moved past that need to please him and started to see who he really was, which was such a glorious journey, she was then held back by her abandonment issues. This was a huge hang-up for her, this fear that it was almost better not to start something real and serious because she didn’t want to be a cause of pain to whoever she ended up with, but she also didn’t want to feel that deep hurt again, and I get it, I really do. I think a lot of us have issues due to our parents, but I was begging her to try, and the little steps forward and then a few back—an almost tug of war between what you want and what your niggling fear is demanding you don’t—is what makes this book so intriguing. It was such a wonderful growth period for Marcela, and of course, this worry won’t ever completely disappear for her, but it was lovely to see her try. I didn’t only relate to her for this but also to her issues with her body. The day-by-day battle of I look good to one little thing throwing you out of whack—the scene I’m thinking of in particular—had me begging Marcela not to let it ruin things, but the way Theo handled it made it such a wonderful moment, right before the spice hit. Aside from the trauma and fear, I loved how Marcela was warm, funny, and giving, and her passion for her job was enjoyable. I even loved it when she spiralled, especially after the drunk text moment, because most of us have been there, right? There wasn’t a moment in this book that I disliked this character. I understood where she was coming from, and I was frustrated by how she let her fears win sometimes, but it made the ending all the sweeter. I especially loved how she made progress with her Mum and allowed her in more.
Even though this book was only from Marcela’s POV, you still get such a great sense of who Theo is. To begin with, you greet him with the apprehension that Marcela has, but he’s like this big softy full of vulnerability and fear, despite his former NFL player appearance. He is so open and honest with Marcela and everyone in this book, and he truly listens and pays attention to Marcela, reading her so well. It was so clear to me that Theo fell first. I think he was falling for her before they slept together, but even through the spice, he was still paying close attention to her, willing to give her space when needed but hoping she wouldn’t need it. The only time I was angry with Theo was in the ten-day gap, but I loved them on the page together; they gave so much cuteness and this friendly flirting that the lines between friends and something more seemed to always be blurred. My love for Theo grew continuously. At one point, he was fighting for her by fighting her fear, and my heart was both breaking for him and blossoming from his actions. Not long before that, my heart was in my throat for how he could have reacted to a revelation, but like the gentle giant he is, he reacted with compassion and understanding. The two are so alike while both seemingly to be different, which makes what they have seem so easy at times and so much harder at others due to both their fears. I also loved how Theo is an all-or-nothing kind of person, but when he was giving his all to Marcela, he still waited, almost with a small gap of trepidation because he knew she wasn’t there yet. This was such a new behaviour for him, but he wanted her, and he was willing to go at her pace, which made me love him even more.
This section is just for the side characters and key moments. I hated Ben, and that hate just grew, so I’m glad with how this book ended for him. Alice, I wasn’t too sure of the entire book. There were moments I liked her, but it was only in the ending that I liked her because she was honest, which she should have been much sooner. When it comes to Angela, I wasn’t too keen on her, to begin with, but I warmed up to her massively as the book progressed, and I’m kind of hoping the next book in the series is hers. Now for those key moments, I love when a first kiss—a kiss that should be pretend—absolutely changes everything. I was literally chanting in hushed tones, ‘Just keep kissing’. Do you love a grand gesture? This book has two! I was dying with how much I loved both of them; the mixing of both their worlds was beautifully done, and his grand gesture had me grinning from ear to ear with how much like a couple they behaved, but I’m going, to be honest, I knew exactly what was in that box, and it was killing me at how long Marcela took to open it. The spice in this is a very nice heat. I wanted more (I always do), but in the beginning, I felt like I was being hampered, but the wait was definitely worth it!
This is the first time that I’ve read an ARC and knew from the beginning that it would be a Five out of Five star read. I fell in love with the way Gabriella Gamez writes four pages into The Next Best Fling. This book took me through a whirlwind of emotions. I was rooting for Theo and Marcela the entire time. I felt their pain, passion, fear, anger, humour, joy, heartbreak, and love. I felt anger towards other characters in the book, and the last 20% of the book had me so gripped that at one point, second-hand anxiety had me verbally exclaiming ‘No’ very loudly in a very quiet, busy waiting room. But the ending was worth the ups and downs I felt for Marcela. I don’t think there has been a character I have related to so much but also wanted to scream at for allowing her fear to ruin things, but maybe that’s why I loved her so much because I got it. I was also surprised by the lovely hit of spice (not too scorching), but as the greedy person I am, I always crave more, not that any more could fit in with this never-dull book. I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the Librarians in Love series.
I’d recommend My Next Best Fling to everyone who loves contemporary romance. With an almost friends-to-lovers/friends-with-benefits/fake dating vibe, it’s fairly hard to label this one with tropes, but it has two main characters who think they are in love with two people they shouldn’t be and turn to each other to help themselves through it. Theo is not only a former NFL player, but he’s the swoon-worthy, surprisingly soft, book boyfriend of your dreams (or mine, at least). Marcela is living my dream as a librarian and is so relatable, not only about her feelings when it comes to relationships and love but her body image as well. Her pushing through her insecurity was so touching, but boy does Theo make her feel sexy. I felt all the emotion in this book, and the last few chapters made all the pain and worry worth it for that wonderful HEA. Gabriella Gamez may be quickly making her way to my favourite author list, and I’m off to buy the paperback of this debut so I can reread it in the future.
I want to thank Dialogue Books for allowing me the opportunity to ARC The Next Best Fling via Netgalley. The quotes I have used may not be in the final released copy of this book.
Favourite Quotes
“The longer I’m around him, the faster common sense seems to leak out of my brain.”
– loc 789
“His hands cup my face as he kisses me, and he tastes like relief. Like I’ve been holding my breath all day, and he’s finally allowing me the air I’m craving. Each time feels covert and brand new, as if at any second this could all fall away from us.”
– loc 1267
“This doesn’t feel like pretending.”
– loc 1427
“His breathing is heavy, voice shaky. “How are you all mine?””
– loc 2101
“I keep so many truths from so many people. But most of all, the person I lie to the most is myself. There’s this image inside my head of the person I wish I was, and then there’s me.”
– loc 2170
“He surprised me. Took my life by storm and tore through everything I thought I knew to be true.”
– loc 3248
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Finer Details:
Title: My Next Best Fling
Author: Gabriella Gamez
Pages: 384
Publisher: Forever
Publication: 2024
Language: English
Rating: 5/5