Loved this super cute f/f rom/com!

I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers vibes between Emma and Sophia. There opposites attract love story felt grounded by their honest conversations and the backstories that were revealed. I have been trying to read more queer stories this year, especially f/f, and I liked that the queerness wasn't the focus of the story, though it did cover coming out to parents.

As someone who has made short films with my friends, I felt the project was realistically portrayed and it felt fun to be reminded of that creative environment. And yes it can definitely feel dramatic at times, though not to this level, haha.

All-in-all this was a fun, quick romance read with a believable couple in Emma and Sophia!

Thank you Netgalley for this ebook arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book, and the first chapter had me excited; however, once the second character POV was introduced, I was disappointed. The plot/character motives were not at all what I was expecting, and the second girl's "I don't believe in love" attitude was much too hard of a sell for me. After a few chapters, the setup and characters just weren't interesting or uniquely approached enough for me to stick with it, and the writing style/voice was weak, so unfortunately I had to DNF.

I Think I Love You is a cute, summer adventure about two enemies falling for each other while competing against each other in a film competition. Sophia and Emma, two teens living in NYC, share the same circle of friends but think they have nothing else in common. They start out the novel completely against each other and only talk to bicker and argue. But their friends quickly find a way to make the two girls realize they might be more than friends.

I Think I Love You is a dual narrative told from both Sophia's and Emma's POV and I loved that we got to see each girl's perspective. Both girls are dealing with a more serious subplot--Emma is trying to figure out how to come out to her parents and Sophia is dealing with the aftermath of her parent's divorce. I loved that the author added in some issues that many teens are facing in real life and allowed the girls to work through their emotions.

Overall, this is a light, quick read with a cute queer romance at the heart of the story. It's about mending friendships, growing up. and finding your happy ending. This is an excellent selection for younger teen readers who are new to YA and fans of contemporary!

It's hard to pinpoint what I didn't enjoy about this book, but I just couldn't click with it at all. It felt like there was almost too much going on, the film festival and friendship dramas started to overshadow the romance and it wasn't moving fast enough for my liking. I actually found that I wasn't at all interested in the dynamics of the 2 friendship groups and their relationships, and that definitely never helps. It read a little on the young side and some of the dialogue was quite stilted.

I think if there had been a little bit more of just Emma and Sophia getting to know each other and slowly developing a relationship, this could have been a slightly higher rating. But I was just bored for most of the book, and therefore would not recommend it.

3.5 rolled up to 4

Filled with awe! This book is simply adorable! I am a sucker for a friends-to-lovers romance and this one even though it's filled with moments of misunderstanding, these ladies are super mature in the fact that they don't let that hinder their relationship. They move past it which I thought was super mature of them.

Thanks, Netgalley and Underlined for an advanced copy of I Think I Love You, I do hope you'll check it out, especially if you fall into the LGBTQ+ family or if you're questioning your ability to fall in love, or come out to your parents. Lovely read.

It was a nice read, maybe the characters were a bit annoying and it was the usual unnecessary and forced drama just to create tension and pain, but it was enjoyable and an easy read.

I didn't like that there wasn't much romance. Well, there was, but side plot lines overshadowed it and I wanted more.

A fast and easy read.

I think I love you is a modern-day, sapphic retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, centered around a group of friends trying to win a film making contest! Like Much Ado, this book features the tried and tested miscommunication trope and also the "meddling friends" trope, and it was overall a super cute, light, fun read!

The book is a dual pov story told from the perspectives of both Emma (rom-com aficionado, low-key manic pixie dreamgirl and bisexual disaster) and Sophia (cold cynical lesbian, doesn't believe in love, also is a snob) as they take on the task of making a short film for the contest. Shenanigans ensue. People fight, then they make up, happily ever after etc etc. You know how this story goes.

Like I said, while this book was a light, fun read, I also felt a little disappointed by it, on the whole. The writing was fine, for the most part, but it felt very repetitive. There were a few phrases and sentences that would just show up over and over and instead of the result being an emphasis on the thing the author was trying to say, it just got annoying. The main miscommunication plotline was also a little...I don't know, extra? overly convenient? something like that. Not gonna lie, it *was* hilarious, but I was not sold on it. The character reactions to it also felt ooc. Maybe I would've bought it if we had fleshed out the side characters more so it would feel a little more natural, but they weren't and I didn't.

As for the leads, I really liked Emma as an MC. She was quintessentially YA, and while she could get a lil annoying, I was also taken with her. Girl's adorable, what do you want me to do! Sophia, on the other hand...oof! I absolutely hated her in the beginning. It's a me-thing, though, because I think her character development over the course of the book was actually pretty well done. But, I couldn't stand her for a good third of the book lmao. (I was so annoyed, I wanted to throw things at her.)((I think I have had it with edgy, snobby teens in books)).

One of the parts of the book that I really liked was Sophia and Emma's relationships with their parents! Sophia, being a child of divorce, has a really complicated and rocky relationship with her parents and while Emma's family is very cute and close, she isn't out to them and that's a whole thing. Despite the lighthearted nature of the book, I felt like these conflicts were pretty well-handled! I would've loved to see more of it, but this isn't that kind of book, and I understand that. Bless, there wasn't any overt homophobia against the leads or anything. Which is not exactly relevant, but it was just an added bonus!

The romance between Emma and Sophia was very cute, but I wanted more of it! Also they kept throwing the world love around a lot in the beginning itself, and I know teenagers do that, but it was another me-thing that made me roll my eyes so much. Anyway, yes, we got very cute sapphic yearning moments, and panic-filled hand-holding and BAKING TOGETHER and all that, but I still wanted there to be moreee. Sue me.

Overall, very cute, but also not the best story out there, all things considered! It takes a lighthearted approach to a story about identity and love and friendship and it does an okay job of saying the things it wants to say. I had my problems with it, but I can totally see others — especially younger readers — benefiting from reading this! And, like, it's also just a super quick read and would make for a great book to just chill with. So yay, for that!

"Damn, even in my wildest fantasies, my cat’s love life is more exciting than mine."
~ I Think I Love You, Auriane Desombre ~


I would like to thank @tbrandbeyondtours and @aurianedesombre for this e-ARC of I Think I Love You! My review is in no way influenced by it and is completely honest..

BOOK REVIEW

"As the two resident gays of this squad,
maybe we should dance?"

"Okay, but only for the gay rights. "

(I Think I Love You, Auriane Desombre)


Sometimes you come across stories that will lighten your mood, and leave you giggly and giddy whenever you think of a certain parts of them. Well no need to look far, this one here is exactly that type!


Emma is the representative of all those people who swoon over honey dripping and 'happily ever after' romances. Basically, a hopeless romantic, like most of us. On the other hand, romance was a big no-no for Sophia, because of what she had witnessed in her life. I loved both of their initial interactions, where Emma was being all dramatic and Sophia just wanted to run away from that chatterbox. I could literally feel her rolling eyes at Emma! They just annoyed each other to death.


The slow, budding romance between the was soooo sweet to witness! Ah take all my heart, you cuties! The author also included the growing love of other couples in their squad and well, even though it seemed not so necessary, I guess it was lovely to see them supporting each other. Especially Sophia, who was having a hard time due to her parent's divorce and catching up with everything after being literally away for a year. Emma’s coming out to her parents as bisexual and their reactions would come as relatable to many of you.


But truly, I would have like more character development of Emma and Sophia and how they collaborated their obviously different ideas into creating movies. Emma’s part sometimes felt too dramatic and her motto seemed like talking about love. Likewise, Sophia was being too much stuck up with her talks about Paris and I would have preferred watching her try interact more. Also, their doubting the intentions of the guys felt a bit over. Maybe I'm being too cynical about this because I'm somewhat of a Sophia myself, but I would have seriously loved this even more if the story had the certain points I mentioned.


All in all, this was a much needed, heartwarming Sapphic romance and I would recommend you all to add this in your TBR to cosy up a little.

RATING: 🌟🌟🌟.9/5

I’m a huge fan of rom-coms, so when I heard that this followed a rom-com fan and film maker I knew I had to pick it up. I wasn’t disappointed! Desombre’s writing is approachable and I really enjoyed how she wrote her characters. Her main and supporting characters were all interesting and felt real. I really enjoyed reading from both Emma and Sophia’s perspectives. They both had completely different backgrounds and it was interesting to see how it affected the other. I especially appreciated reading from Sophia’s perspective. If this was only in Emma’s perspective then I would have despised Sophia. She came across as pompous, rude, and self-centered. Not until I got Sophia’s perspective a few times did I really get to know her and understand her better. This really helped added depth to the two characters.

The story is predictable, in the way that all rom-coms are, and I think that’s what I loved about it. It follows the rom-com formula and made it a comforting read. At no point was I worried about everyone’s well-being because I knew where the story was going. Now that’s not to mean that there were no surprises. The “mystery” element of the rom-com was interesting and I wasn’t able to predict the culprit. Once it was revealed it all made sense, but I hadn’t know from the beginning.

I also loved the environments in this story. They visited a lot of parts of New York, but they felt like different environments because of why they were there. The overall plot of writing and creating a 15 minute film was interesting and I loved how it progressed. I did think in the end that this movie seemed awfully long for a 15 minute movie, but then again I know nothing about making one so maybe that is typical.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It would be a great summer read because of how fun it was and how quickly I read it. I managed to read this all in one sitting – a very rare thing for me. I think you would enjoy this if you enjoy Kasie West, Ali Novak, or Katie Cotugno. I can’t wait to see what else Desombre comes out with.

I Think I Love You is told from two perspectives, Sophia and Emma. When it comes to love, Emma is a romantic. Sophia is little more pragmatic when it comes to love. When the two find out that a film festival is holding a competition, the two butt heads with what kind of film they should make. Emma wants to film a gay romantic comedy, while Sophia wants to film a more abstract artistic film with a message.

The story alternates between the two girls’ perspectives. The concept seemed super fun, especially since there’s one of my favorite tropes-enemies to lovers. Unfortunately both of the characters were unlikable. There was something whiny and immature about them that had me getting annoyed throughout the story. I know this is a young adult story, but there was still something a little too melodramatic about it that nagged me. The relationship seemed rushed and poorly built, and felt a little bit unhealthy.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

this book was a little ray of sunshine in a world so dark and bleary. I haven't read a lot of wlw content and that is me thing because I never thought I could relate to the stories. I did'nt want sad coming out stories or angst I just wanted to see queer girls in love and that's what this book gave me.

The story follows Emma and Sophie. Emma is a die-hard romantic and movie lover who wants to participate in this film festival competition where the winner gets scholarship money and a few other things. Sophie recently spent.a year in France and returned back to New York cynical and pretentious but also deeply lonely and desperate to rekindle old friendships. Emma and Sophie always kept each other at arm's length because everyone expected them to date just cause they are both queer. WIth Sophie joining Emma's movie along with the rest of their friends and both of them constantly butting heads they decide to split the friend group in half and make their own movies.

I adored Emma's relationship with her family and how close she was to her friends. I loved her romantic notions and mild insecurities and fears of being a bad person. I also loved Emma's growth throughout the book and how she learns to unlock her heart from the cage she forced it into.

Overall there were a lot of pacing issues and some moments felt rushed but considering this is a debut I am excited for more from this author and it was an absolute delight!!

This book was adorable and cute and fun the two main characters brought me literally so much joy. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC

This was a very cute high school romance but it also felt very high school-based. I found the movie making and the feel of being in New York a lot of fun, really enjoying it. The girl always seemed to fighting or some kind of drama did seem a bit off for me but I think someone of a younger age would really like this. Overall it was still a cute read and quick.

I Think I Love You was an absolute joy - a celebration of films, romance tropes, friend groups, family dynamics, romance itself, passion projects, queer community, and striving for queer rep in media. You just can't help but root for the frenemies to rivals to lovers and turn into mush when they realize they actually love each other.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a little torn about how I feel about this one! On one hand, I thought it had a really cute plot and our main two characters had some really cute chemistry. Whenever our leads are alone together, this book really shines.

On the other hand, however, I think almost every character in this book behaved really irrationally or unrealistically at least once or twice throughout the book's story, more if we're talking about Matt or Tom...but mostly Matt.

It often felt like, as soon as I would settle in or begin to enjoy myself while reading this, some really stupid misunderstanding would occur and none of the characters would be willing to talk to one another to sort things out.

I do know that this is common when it comes to teenagers, but it happens so often and with such vitriol that it almost always left me wondering why these people were friends at all. They just felt like they were all there to get into fights with each other or disagree and there was very little in the way of actual cuteness.

That said, when things get cute, that's when this book is at its best, but there is so little of it, I certainly had a hard time getting to the finish line on this one, despite some good things being around.

I think things were absolutely at their worst when it came down to the sabotage plotline and, unfortunately, I think that's what I'm going to remember most clearly once I've had some time away from the book, which is unfortunate.

If Desombre is able to work on writing characters with more depth, particularly her side characters, I might be willing to check out more of her work, but as it is now, it's definitely nothing to write home about. Better luck next time!

likes:
- the first kiss scene is SO CUTE
- a fairly light story

dislikes:
- HATED all the drama & deception
- i felt like we were dropped into the middle of the story and didn't really give much background to the characters/their relationships/friend group
- i didn't really get why the girls hated each other so much, then they very quickly went to trading i love you's
- pretty much any of the main characters? i started to like Sophia a little more as the story went on but every one else.....

i do think i'm starting to get away from YA & can see why the targeted age range for this book would enjoy it more than i did.

I picked this up on a whim because of the cute cover, but I was a bit disappointed by it. I mean it was still cute but I just couldn’t get into it? It got a bit dramatic towards the end and some things that happened were a bit convenient I guess? Still, I think this book could work for a lot of people, but for me this wasn’t the case unfortunately.

When NYC high schooler Emma learns about a film competition, she sees an opportunity to make her dreams come true. She enlists her friend group to help her, including Sophia, who has recently moved back after spending a year in France. To make a long plot summary short, creative differences lead to Sophia deciding to make her own movie, which means that now she and Emma are competing against each other for the same prize.

The narrative unfolds via dual points-of-view, and at first, the two girls have nothing in common and are thoroughly annoyed with the each other. But then, thanks to some not-so-subtle intervention—or manipulation, depending on how you want to look at it—from their friends, with both girls being told that the other girl has a crush on her. This turns the sniping into flirting, but they are still in a competition, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

This book does a wonderful job of capturing the tumultuous emotional range of the typical teenager. I do love a good UES story, but it was rather pleasant to deal with average kids rather than Waldorf-types. These kids are sorting out who they are and what they want, and the effect the film contest has on the dynamic of their friend group.

I would recommend I Think I Love You. There’s a nice balance of lighthearted fun to counter the more serious plot elements, and the conflicts are realistic rather than contrived or exaggerated.

3.5/5🌟: i'm a bit indecisive about this one. it was really cute and i read it in the span of a few hours. the writing style was easy to follow and relatable! sapphic rivals to lovers is always super intriguing anyways.

but, and here comes the big but, both of the main characters were (presumably) white, the definition of bisexuality was once again.. not going beyond the gender binary (i'm sorry, but it's 2021, do we really have to keep talking about only boys and girls?) and a few times it felt like the straight side characters were more important than the actual queer love story...

i love the cover! i definitely think that a lot of people are going to enjoy this one and i'm so happy that we are getting more happy sapphic romance novels!

2.5 stars. This book just didn't live up to its cover. I've read a few YA romances recently where one of the love interests is super genre savvy but still doesn't actually realize that they're in a rom-com (<i>Like a Love Story</i>, <i>Today Tonight Tomorrow</i>, etc). In this case it seemed like an excuse for Desombre to get away with as many cliches as she wants but at the end of the day, a self-aware cliche is still a cliche.

Both of the protagonists are insufferable and tend to repeat their respective viewpoints on love way more often than any reader actually needs to know. Luckily they do get a little more tolerable as they mellow each other out but at that point I was pretty uninvested in their character journeys. The side characters are boring and we're constantly told rather than shown their one (or fewer) personality trait. The one saving factor is that the romance is actually decent, but not quite worth the slog.