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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
medium-paced
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really loved this one! It was cute and flirty and had genuine connection and conflict.
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is by no means a perfect book, but I found it a refreshing take on several things. We have a fat MC who is ambivalent about her body, not actively hating it, but bracing for impact when it comes to the scrutiny of sexual and romantic partners. Highly relatable!
How you can get stuck on pining mode for years and end up forgetting what it is about the person you are pining for that you even liked in the first place. (If you haven't done this, congrats! But also, like, if you haven't done this, it probably feels very improbable and might account for the low-ish rating on this one. Believe me, the author got it very right. Not relatable to everyone, but those who get it GET IT.)
I agree that the withholding of information is frustrating, but it's also very believable to me. And the characters were so open with each other in many other ways, so it didn't bother me too much. I read this in basically a day and traditionally published romance doesn't always keep me reading straight through.
I also don't mind a single POV, and I think it was effective here. Plus, the grand gestures were so cute and in character, and I don't know if it would have had the same impact if we'd been in Theo's head. He was a great cinnamon roll character, and some of the things he said were really swoon-worthy, but not out of character or over the top. Just . . . what we (and Marcela, of course) need to hear.
This reads like a refutation of other reviews, but I guess I'm mainly saying that things that seem to bother other readers actually really worked for me, and I'm definitely looking forward to more from this author!
How you can get stuck on pining mode for years and end up forgetting what it is about the person you are pining for that you even liked in the first place. (If you haven't done this, congrats! But also, like, if you haven't done this, it probably feels very improbable and might account for the low-ish rating on this one. Believe me, the author got it very right. Not relatable to everyone, but those who get it GET IT.)
I agree that the withholding of information is frustrating, but it's also very believable to me. And the characters were so open with each other in many other ways, so it didn't bother me too much. I read this in basically a day and traditionally published romance doesn't always keep me reading straight through.
I also don't mind a single POV, and I think it was effective here. Plus, the grand gestures were so cute and in character, and I don't know if it would have had the same impact if we'd been in Theo's head. He was a great cinnamon roll character, and some of the things he said were really swoon-worthy, but not out of character or over the top. Just . . . what we (and Marcela, of course) need to hear.
This reads like a refutation of other reviews, but I guess I'm mainly saying that things that seem to bother other readers actually really worked for me, and I'm definitely looking forward to more from this author!
This review is for The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez which releases in the UK on the 9th July! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Dialogue Books for giving me an eArc copy for this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is the authors debut novel, and what a way to start! I read this in one day and honestly couldn’t put it down.
The main thing I loved about this story were the characters. I loved the diversity of characters we see, and I do have to say Angela was my favourite. She was my unproblematic Ace queen, and I connected with her the most. Seeing how she described learning about her sexuality, and how she figured out she was Asexual really resonated with me. Especially when she talks about still wanting to find love, and realising that not wanting sex, doesn’t mean she doesn’t want love. I also have a soft spot for Theo, he was such a cinnamon roll and I love a male main character who is such a sweetheart and willing to do anything for their partner. I love how this story was a good combination of romance and some more difficult topics, such as fatphobia (both external and internalised) and abandonment issues. It was a really good balance of witty banter and deep discussions about their feelings, being as honest with each other as they can.
Some aspects of the storyline did really frustrate me, such as the characters love for self sabotage. It was also just kind of a mess, with a lot of people kinda doing shitty things to each other. The drama of the storyline and the situation they were already in was already enough, the main character then also self sabotaging herself just seemed a bit much.
I did really enjoy this book, and can’t wait to read the next in the series. I hope the next books focuses on Angela, as I can’t wait to see her have a happy ending!
This is the authors debut novel, and what a way to start! I read this in one day and honestly couldn’t put it down.
The main thing I loved about this story were the characters. I loved the diversity of characters we see, and I do have to say Angela was my favourite. She was my unproblematic Ace queen, and I connected with her the most. Seeing how she described learning about her sexuality, and how she figured out she was Asexual really resonated with me. Especially when she talks about still wanting to find love, and realising that not wanting sex, doesn’t mean she doesn’t want love. I also have a soft spot for Theo, he was such a cinnamon roll and I love a male main character who is such a sweetheart and willing to do anything for their partner. I love how this story was a good combination of romance and some more difficult topics, such as fatphobia (both external and internalised) and abandonment issues. It was a really good balance of witty banter and deep discussions about their feelings, being as honest with each other as they can.
Some aspects of the storyline did really frustrate me, such as the characters love for self sabotage. It was also just kind of a mess, with a lot of people kinda doing shitty things to each other. The drama of the storyline and the situation they were already in was already enough, the main character then also self sabotaging herself just seemed a bit much.
I did really enjoy this book, and can’t wait to read the next in the series. I hope the next books focuses on Angela, as I can’t wait to see her have a happy ending!
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Marcela was not a typical romance lead, one of the best things about the book. The story could be predictable but Gámez throws in a couple twists to keep things interesting.
This FMC is so emotionally immature she really shouldn’t be in any kind of relationship until after a few years of therapy.