Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the e-arc!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book follows an actress named Lilah and a makeup artist named Noa. After working long hours on set together, their feelings start to grow.

I fell in love with the premise of this book when I first read about it. It sounded exactly what I wanted in romance. Sadly, it just fell kinda flat for me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my time reading it. I loved the horror movie setting and the characters. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this story.

I would definitely recommend if you’re looking for something light and fluffy!

TW: stalking

This was an entertaining read, but I felt that it missed it's full potential.  I liked the idea of the story of the lead actress & a makeup artist falling in love on set, but I felt that while Lilah & Noa were wonderful characters separately, they did not have that much chemistry as a couple.  I also felt that the story dragged a lot in the middle.  If you are after a light hearted romance, this book would hit the spot.

2.5 ⭐️

So, honestly the only good things about this book is the LGBTQ+ representation and the old school horror vibes. Other than that I thought the book was pretty lackluster.

The chemistry between Lilah & Noa is pretty meh. Their entire relationship feels rushed, and the whole insta-love thing just ruins it for me. I wish there had been more angst and longing and build up.

"I Kissed A Girl": 3 ⭐

(Unpaid Review: thanks to @netgalley, @jennetalexander and @sourcecasablancabooks for allowing me to read this eArc copy in exchange for a review).

We love books with lgbtq representation, we all know how difficult life is for the lgbtq community and I appreciate these reads so much! So, I loved that part.

The story talks about Lilah and Noa, two young women who met through their jobs and became instantly infatuated. Maybe it was that part that made the book a little underwhelming for me. I thought their relationship was rushed, especially because one of the protagonists gets infatuated on page 1. I wish it could've been slower.

However, it is a good read, very important for all of us! I recommend it! It wasn't that great for me, but it can be great for you!

The story follows two girls, Lilah, who is a actress trying to make it big and Noa, who is a make up artist and just wants to be part of the union. Both are total opposites of each other but opposites do attract.

I loved both the main characters, both were heavily flawed but that made them more human.

The story was pretty simple and straight forward and I liked seeing how both the characters dealt with the situations they were in.

At times I was frustrated with the characters but in the end the story and the characters won my heart!

Thank you, NetGalley and SourceBooks for the opportunity to read this story.

This was an enjoyable read! I found myself turning the pages to get to know Noa and Lilah. I love the way the author developed each character at a steady pace. Even if we would have to loved to see more interactions with Noa and her family or Lilah and her grandpa — the story was still perfect. It focused on their relationship and the obstacles they face together to have a relationship.

If you want a short and sweet romantic story — this is what you need!

I absolutely LOVED it.

Great book helped get me out of a reading slump. If you’re looking for a cute fun read here is your next book.

This story finds actress Lilah Silver facing what could be a break through role for her career. Also on set is makeup and special affects artist Noa Bimbaum who has harbored a crush on Lilah over the course of her film career. With long hours spent in the makeup chair, the two find themselves growing close as they connect over their shared religious backgrounds and common interests. Despite their growing romantic connection, the glare of the Hollywood spotlight threatens to keep them apart. First and foremost, this book is an absolutely lovely romantic comedy. It features the miscommunication trope which leads to quite a slow burn for Lilah and Noa’s relationship, but once they finally overcome the challenges that face their relationship, the payoff is really exciting for the reader. I think the majority of the problems for these characters could have been solved if they had just talked about their insecurities. Both characters get off to the wrong foot when they first meet, but their growing sexual tension keeps the story fast paced and engaging, especially as it is told in both of their points of view. This book also is really wonderful in how it approaches Lilah wanting to belong to the queer community despite not being out and her insecurities about not fitting in. All of the details and descriptions of the film set were well researched and written and helped really cement the setting for readers. I would have loved getting to see more character development for some of the background characters who were also unique, such as Chrissy and Tanner. One of the best parts of this books is the banter between Lilah and Noa and the adorable awkwardness when they both get flustered around each other.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an e-ARC of this novel.

<b> rating: </b> 3 stars

I Kissed A Girl, while having an extremely promising plot and a main character I absolutely adored, fell flat for me. The plot follows Noa, a MUA trying to build her career and Liah, an actress working on a horror movie. The two meet as Noa gets assigned as Liah's make up artist and the rest follows as a cute romcom!

I honestly just struggled to get behind the plot. The author's writing style seemed choppy and oddly worded, and the insta-love trope is one I've never been interested in. The characters had no development and bored me, and all in all I just couldn't see myself getting attached to the romance the way I would have liked to, especially considering this is a romance. The subplot seemed very promising, but it just isn't enough to carry the book on its own.

I'll first focus on the redeeming qualities of the book. The LGBTQ+ rep was great! Lilah is a struggling closeted bisexual who undergoes an inspiring arc throughout the book. She is kind & gentle but plagued with insecurities, as anyone would be as a young starlet growing up in the spotlight. It was great to read about her growth & coming out process to becoming more confident & outspoken, little by little. The Jewish rep was also quite endearing & I can see Jewish readers finding those elements exceptionally relatable. The stalker plotline was also the only thing that kept me engaged & my guess was right! So I wasn't exactly blindsided but it was still a gripping element. It was also quite chilling to read about being stalked & watched from Lilah's perspective.

Other than that, I did not find anything else to be enjoyable.

First, the insta-love. Insta-love always feel less than authentic & often lack substance. This flaw has never been so glaring as I read this book. Lilah, despite seeing Noa for the very first time is already losing sleep thinking about her. And because they literally knew nothing about each other, their attraction was often reduced to physical attraction. I felt no emotional connection between them. No chemistry, just lust that popped out of nowhere. This made it very hard to be invested in the relationship because I had no idea why they liked each other so much.

Both the girls were also so easily offended so the dialogue was almost unbearable. Besides them having to clarify that they're joking or bantering every time a slightly informal comment is made, the dialogue was simply unrealistic. Most lines were things I would never expect to hear in real life. They were just walking on eggshells around each other because they're still literal strangers. The protagonists were also very similar to each other & was not very distinctive at all, especially as more pages passed. The jokes made also never landed as intended & were often flat & cringe-worthy.

I could not care less about Noa. She has no redeeming quality. She was spiteful & judgemental towards Lilah for no reason. It seemed like Noa desperately wanted Lilah to be snobbish & diva-like when none of their interactions have ever indicated that. Noa was just a very contradictory, inconsistent & flat character, honestly, she even felt manipulative. This book reads like teen fanfiction. It's classified as New Adult & coming-of-age. I couldn't disagree more. I also did not appreciate the inconsistencies & loopholes in the book.

Overall, the romance was lacklustre & Lilah's growth & the stalker subplot were the only redeeming qualities .

3.5 stars rounded down
I Kissed a Girl has the fun premise of two women working on a movie set together and secretly falling in love. This is a good set up to a story and this was a cute, quick read, but I was slightly underwhelmed by the romance. The main characters of this book, Lilah and Noa, come from two very different walks of life. Unfortunately, I did not get the sense that Noa was judgemental of Lilah's lifestyle or privilege, but rather that she was just judgmental of her. Considering how much Noa judged Lilah in the beginning of this book, the end conflict felt inevitable and like a potential deal breaker, rather than just an instance of miscommunication. I also wish there were a few more scenes of Noa and Lilah in the middle stage of their relationship, so that we could really see their connection and what made their love worth fighting for. All that being said, there were some really good parts of this book too. To start, I found Lilah's character to be extremely well written and relatable. Specifically, her journey of coming out, and her feelings of not wanting to make a big deal out of it if she isn't actively dating a girl were very relatable. This book also impressed me with its diversity (the two leads are a Jewish lesbian MC and a Jewish bisexual MC). The diversity never felt like tokenism, and every social issue this book mentioned was explored in good detail. Overall, this book had a lot of good to it, such as its discussions regarding the complexities of coming out and feeling welcomed in queer spaces, but the actual romance of this book was somewhat lacking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks @netgalley for this eARC of “I kissed a girl” by Jennet Alexander!
The plot was really intriguing for me because I worked in film as a makeup / hair artist for 12 years, and I appreciated the queer representation, however this one fell flat for me. The author executed describing working on set very true to life but the writing style felt a little choppy. The characters were cute / relatable individually but I didn’t feel any actual chemistry between them romantically. The ending also felt a little dragged on and was too much of a slow build throughout.

DNF I really wanted to finish this book! As i continued reading. It just lacked interest. I couldn’t feel with the characters. It was just dull. I might give this another chance in the future. Just wasn’t for me at the moment.

4.5/5 Stars
The best one-sentence summary I have for this book is that it is a 21st Century Sapphic Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Rom-Com. Featuring characters readers love to love and characters readers love to hate, readers also experience their favorite tropes like only one bed, miscommunication, and locked in a room. This book also includes poly, trans, and non-binary representation, though brief or minor.
Noa is a proud Jewish lesbian (and this book actually says “lesbian” which is important and one star is for that alone) and Lilah is a shy Jewish bisexual. They make a fantastic pair to read about. The tension throughout all of the stages and changes of their relationship was solid. I really enjoyed seeing how their religious beliefs and traditions carried on through their relationship. It was not stereotypical, and it was a refreshing natural take on Jewish culture, practicing and non.
The mystery element to this book had me on edge. The great ground work in the initial revelation to the reader of the stalker carried on with great build up to high tension. I had my suspicions, but the reader doesn’t get enough clues until the story wants the audience to know. It was handled perfectly, in my opinion.
This is more than just a love story. It is an adult coming of age sprinkled with mystery and lots of special effects makeup. This book will be loved by readers into cheesy horror films and costuming and special effects. Alexander really delivered on details and brings the set right into the lap of the reader.
The only reason this is half a star shy of a five star read is because this isn’t one I’d immediately gravitate to wanting to pick up again and again, though that’s due to personal taste. I will absolutely be recommending this book before and when it comes out.

1.5 stars rounded up.
Unfortunately I really didn’t enjoy this book and give it one star for the concept / idea and another for the diversity and LGBT focus. I couldn’t get into the book or the characters and found myself skim reading through the book after the first 30% of the story and eventually decided to not finish the book at about 50% through.

What I liked:
- the storyline and concept of the story line. Love a good Hollywood movie set story - such a different life than mine so it’s fun to escape to.
- The diversity in the characters
- I’ve been looking forward to reading about more lesbian and/ or bisexual characters and was excited for a trans character too!

What I didn’t like:
- I struggled to connect with the characters. There’s something about them that I’m finding just lacks some depth or something in the writing 😕.
- Also found the descriptive scenes in between talking long and drawn out
- Overall the book was a little slow building and could have used some tightening / editing in my opinion.
- Was a little too slow burn even though I usually like slow burn.

Thank you so much NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for providing me an eARC of this book!!

First of all, I want to say that this is not an attack to the author in any way. This is my honest and personal opinion.

I hate to say it but I did not finish it. I tried but I couldn’t. It bored me too much, and I realized life is too short to read books you don’t like. It felt like a chore, something I had to finish, instead of something I liked to do.

It had potential, reading the sinopsis the story sounds great. But the pacing is too slow, nothing happens, it’s just the main characters overthinking everything and jumping to conclusions all the time. I’ve read 70% of it and I don’t remember anything important that happened.

Additionally, the characters felt flat. They didn’t have a distinct personality and I felt no connection between them. I couldn’t understand why they liked each other, they just seemed to instantly have a crush on each other for no reason. What didn’t sit right with me is why Noa liked Lilah so much before knowing her. She wasn’t a “famous” actress, so why was she so obsessed with her to have her as a lock screen? And if she was actually that famous, there’s no way the production would hire a young woman with no experience to do the special effects make up. I could tell the author has worked in the industry, and, as a film major, I really appreciate the details, but the relationship made 0 sense. I didn’t care about any of the characters.

I started reading with no expectations and I still ended up disappointed. I feel like the author thought of this book like a movie, no it would have made more sense as a movie, but as a book it lacks something.

If you are wondering wether or not to read this book just ask yourself one question: do you want an elaborate story with complex characters or do you prefer a simple romance? Maybe you’re in the mood for one thing or maybe you’re in the mood for the other, but don’t expect much of this book, because, if you do, it will disappoint you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warning: stalking

Pros: Overall, I Kissed a Girl is a light and fluffy read with a jewish bisexual main character and a jewish lesbian main character! I really enjoyed Lilah's character, her coming out, and struggling with her identity. Lilah was very relatable especially as she learns that bisexuality is valid.

Cons: The book was a little too long if it was 300 pages instead of 400 I think it would have held my interest more. The story was underwhelming in my opinion. I wish the romance portion would have picked up more...I did not feel the chemistry between our two main characters.

I would recommend I Kissed a Girl for light hearted fluffy rom-com.

I Kissed A Girl follows an up and coming film scream queen and her newfound makeup artist. Lilah is trying to break out of the mold she's been continuously cast in while Noa is just trying to get her foot in door so she can do special effects. Spending so much time together has both girls catching some feelings.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I thought the premise was super cute and different. However, it read more as a young adult book than new adult which isn't necessarily a problem, it just wasn't what I was expecting. The two main characters were pretty immature in their thought processes and some of their actions. I really didn't like how Lilah was not empathetic about Noa potentially losing her job, and not being able to step on the breaks for just a couple of weeks. I did like the drama happening on set and the mystery of the online stalker. I also loved Tanner and his little fur baby. The description of things happening on set and the filming process was super cool and interesting to hear about. For me, this book was a 3.5/5.

I received a digital copy of this book free from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and SourceBooks Casanova for my advanced copy of I Kissed a Girl by Jennet Alexander.

The premise of the book really appealed to me, the idea of learning about your true self and breaking free of the shackles of expectation when it comes to former beauty queen turned B-movie actress Lilah Silver. Noa has lived as herself for sometime and has taken her own risks by not pursuing education in favour of learning hands on instead as a make up artist/special effects creator... There's also the fact that both main characters are Jewish and I liked the way their religion comes into play in their everyday life.

Lilah is a character who comes to life from within the pages of the book, she feels very real and relatable as she navigates her persona versus her reality. She knows she's bisexual but hasn't truly experienced what that means and is aware that appearance is everything within the movie industry even if its battling unrealistically designed dinosaurs!

Noa, however reminds me too much of women I have been initially attracted too myself. She comes across at first as very non-judgemental and accepting of Lilah but that swiftly disappears as Noa tries to justify why she shouldn't pursue a relationship with Lilah and her reasoning is all very superficial and turns her from this appealing, fun and non-judgemental to someone who is unworthy of Lilah's very sweet and kind nature.

There doesn't feel to be any real chemistry between the two that draws you in. Noa makes snap decisions and objectives Lilah and I feel doesn't truly acknowledge that being open about her sexuality isn't easy for Lilah as it's new to her. I wanted to see a real, deep connection between the two - something definitive that makes you believe that they're destined for true happiness and it's not there.

There is a sub-plot that focuses heavily on Lilah and is both historic as well as present and it's that plot within the book that held my attention and was one that was very well done with excellent characters coming out from the shadows and secondary characters who give it depth at first. This too however kind of fizzled out into something farcical which at times had me rolling my eyes in despair.

I wanted something that held my focus from beginning to end but this wasn't it. Lilah was the saving grace of the book, which felt like it dragged on and could have easily been shorter than it was, some of the secondary characters add nothing to either plot in the story and my hopes for what could have been a brilliant LGBTQ represented book were lost early on.

It's HEA, but I cannot fathom why as Noa and Lilah just don't make sense in the end. I think in reality they would have been a brief flirtation before going on with their own lives...

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the advance copy of this book!

3.5 stars.

Lilah is a b-list actress with dreams of making it to the a-list. Noa is a college student looking to make it big in the special effects industry, who may or may not have a big crush on Lilah. When the two of them end up working on the same film, Noa can't believe her luck and immediately puts her foot in her mouth upon being introduced to Lilah. The two of them overcome the awkwardness and become close during filming, but will it turn into something more than friends? Not if an unhinged super fan of Lilah's has anything to say about it.

I struggled to get into this one, I won't lie. It's not a bad story, at all, but I found myself much more interested in the side character Chrissy than I was either of the main characters. It was also a very long book, and I kept having to talk myself into continuing to read.

The story is a cute idea, the characters are likeable enough, and overall this was an okay read.