



The Next Best Fling
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4.3 • 28 Ratings
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Gamez puts a saucy twist on the fake-dating trope in her fun and flirty debut. Librarian Marcela Ortiz, 27, has harbored feelings for her friend Ben since college, when they briefly dated. When Ben announces his engagement to his girlfriend and Marcela's ex-friend, Alice, Marcela realizes she needs to finally put her feelings to rest. Her solution appears the night of the couple's engagement party in Theo Young, Ben's hot NFL player older brother. Marcela prevents disaster when she stops a drunk Theo from confessing his own long-held feelings for Alice and, when the pair leave together, it sparks a rumor they're dating. Marcela and Theo agree to go along with it, hoping to conceal their real feelings from both bride and groom. Fake dating leads to authentic chemistry and they agree to rebound with each other. As feelings change and grow, however, the lines of their situationship start to blur and the love quadrangle demands to be untangled. Marcela and Theo's emotional journey to overcome past baggage and messy family dynamics adds depth to this swoony read. Marcela is the sole narrator, leaving Theo feeling a bit less developed by comparison, but he's still a worthy hero. Readers will enjoy the ride.
Customer Reviews
Interesting and well written
New author for me. Good storyline. Different from most surprisingly. She’s a good writer and look forward to reading more from her!
Good storyline Somewhat different and interesting love story. I get tired of the same old story just different author. Very well written!
New author for me and look forward to reading more from her.