REVIEW: Second First Dates by Gabriella Gamez

Second First Dates by Gabriella Gamez:Leti Maldonado is finally ready to return to the dating world after a four-year break, but her first date with Julian Gutierrez goes spectacularly wrong. Then she realizes they’ve actually been on this exact date before. And because apparently that isn’t awkward enough, Julian also happens to be her brother’s new roommate.

Now he’s everywhere—and after witnessing one too many of Leti’s terrible dates, Julian offers to take over her dating apps.

SECOND FIRST DATES by Gabriella Gamez was a funny, heartfelt romance filled with dating-app disasters, forced proximity, grumpy-meets-sunshine chemistry, family expectations, and two people who discover that finding love doesn’t always happen the way you expect.

Leti is sarcastic, independent, a little grumpy. But underneath that confidence is someone who has spent a lot of time navigating family expectations and trying to understand where she fits within them. I loved watching her become more comfortable standing up for herself and deciding what she actually wants rather than what everyone else thinks she should want. Julian brought such a great contrast to Leti. Warm, patient, playful, and much more emotionally open. I loved how he gave her room to figure things out at her own pace.

And then there’s their chemistry. The banter between these two was so much fun, especially because Julian is clearly interested long before Leti is ready to admit what’s happening. Watching him help her with her dating apps while quietly becoming the person she spends the most time with was such a fun setup. The more he helped her look for someone else, the more obvious it became that maybe she wasn’t looking in the right place.

SECOND FIRST DATES was a fun combination of LOL dating disasters and a romance with heart underneath it. Leti and Julian’s chemistry, the thoughtful ace-spectrum representation, and the way their relationship gives both of them room to be completely themselves made this much more than a story about finding the right match.

Tropes & Vibes
📱 Dating app romance
🏠 Forced proximity
☀️ Grumpy x sunshine
💕 Friends to lovers
💘 He falls first
🏡 Brother’s roommate
😂 Dating disasters

Book Info:

Publication: July 28, 2026 | Forever |

One bad date, shame on you. Two bad dates, shame on me …

After four years of a self-imposed dating hiatus, Leti Maldonado is finally ready to get back on the apps. Dating wasn’t really that bad … right? When she matches with Julian Gutierrez, his profile pic rings the faintest bell. But it isn’t until their first date implodes that she remembers why: She’s been on this exact date with him before—and it’s just as awful the second time.

To make matters worse, she discovers that Julian not only lives in her apartment building … he’s her brother’s new roommate. Suddenly, he’s everywhere: In the mailroom. In the stairwell. And witness to another one of Leti’s terrible first dates.

After one epically bad night, Julian offers to take over her dating accounts. And honestly? He can’t do any worse than she has. But as Julian’s dating app takeover draws them closer, they might just realize that true love has been right in front of them all along.