Cute second chance romance. (3.5)

What happens when you drunkenly send an email to your high school "What if?" crush? This book. I loved this second chance, friends to lovers, queer as hell story. It was definitely a coming of age, without some of the teen angst thanks to the 22 year old main character Wren. We have the little guy vs evil corporation. trope which is always one of my faves.

This book was cute and fluffy and I smiled the whole way through but it didn't wow me. It will definitely have cross over with a YA audience, especially with the lack of spice.

I loved that him coming to terms with his sexuality as a fluid thing. We see him struggle with intimacy and romance, and finding the words to describe what he is experiencing. I also loved the representation is this book.

Rep" demi gay mc, gay love interest, bi side character, sapphic side character, Filipino American gay side character,

This book was the absolute cutest. Never Been Kissed follows what happens after Wren drunkenly sends out emails to the boys he has *almost* kissed in his life. This leads him back to his biggest crush: Derick. Now they have to work together at Wren's beloved drive-in movie theater over the summer. I loved seeing how their relationship went from friends to something more. There were a lot of storylines (saving the drive-in, their history, family and coming out), which was only too many, but I still loved it. I will definitely be reading the other books in the series.
I also appreciated following Wren through his journey through his sexuality. I have never read a book that had someone demi or explored that as part of their identity.

3.5 Stars

Wren Roland has never been kissed, but maybe what is holding him back is waiting for that movie-perfect first kiss. On his twenty-second birthday, with his life moving from college to work after his final summer managing his beloved drive-in, Wren is feeling a little forlorn and a lot nostalgic. So, in a drunken stupor, he emails all the boys he almost kissed. He immediately regrets his decision in the morning, when he finds out his high school best friend, now ex-friend and former crush (Derick Haverford), is working at the drive-in as the social media manager. Wren must awkwardly interact with Derick, while trying to figure out his future, trying to convince a reclusive direct to premier her movie from the seventies at the drive-in, and stop his friend Mateo from getting the both of them fired. What more could go wrong? Oh, right, the drive-in is on its last legs and its future looks even more uncertain than Wren's.

A really cute and quirky book, which could have used a bit more fleshing out. I really loved the plotline of Wren working to bring an aging recluses cinematic masterpiece to the public eye. I thought it was touching and helped motivate Wren in terms of his own life and aspirations. His relationship with the director, Alice, was also memorable and I felt she had a lot to teach him in terms of loving yourself, being honest, and trying your hardest to keep and build relationships.

The romance was cute, if at times a little dull. I thought they worked well together, but wanted a bit more from their connection (too much about looks). I felt it would have been good to have more of their high school background thrown into the mix, maybe flashbacks of their past. Later in the book there was a bit more depth and I absolutely appreciated the demisexual representation. I think it was handled so well and the real conversations between the two leads about their sexual experience and orientation was so important (a huge win)!

One of my major qualms with this book was Wren's best friends. At first they were really solid, they had a great opening and seemed a really supportive unit for Wren and his story. But, as the story went on, they sort of faded into the background. Personally, I did not like the character of Mateo either. I felt he was a bad friend, and when I thought they were finally going to show him consequences for his actions instead Wren took half the blame and forgave him so easily. Like, no, Matteo was given a job by Wren when he lost out on an audition, and then he went about sabotaging his work by not actually listening or trying or taking orders, believing he was above the work; he completely undermined the trust that Wren placed in him. I understood that he was disappointed in losing out on a role, but his reaction and actions made him seem petty. Get over yourself, if you cannot focus on this job your friend got for you, quit!

Overall though, this was a cute, quick read. An enjoyable debut novel, which has me wanting to pick up more by this author as they hone their craft. Especially with how much I enjoyed the movie references and the plotline with the movie Chompin' at the Bit.

Wren wants that magic movie moment. He wants that moment that he has never experienced. He has never been kissed. Feeling a bit melancholy on his birthday he decides to send emails to all the boys he wanted to kiss before he officially came out. Of course, in the morning he got hit hard with what did I do feelings but when his first crush Derick enters his life again this could be trouble…of the best kind This was pure fun and loved the setting of a drive in.

Thank you #sourcebookscasa and #netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was cute but I didn't love one of the main characters. I would give another book by this author a try though. Different character personalities would appeal to me better.

I adored this lovely little rom-com, although other reviewers mentioned the main character being too young, I felt him to be accurate representation of his age. You also get to watch him grow along with all the typical rom-com fodder. Super cute!!

It was a very cute story, and I was so thrilled at the unexpected demisexual representation! Wren was a relatable character, especially the whole 'I've graduated now what do I do with my life?" subplot. Overall I just found the story a bit predictable and the writing a little bland and I'm personally not a fan of it's in first person so I must write every single train of thought that passes the main character's head type of writing.
It was cute, and a quick read but sort of boring.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for my copy. This was a sweet, cute rom com that was a quick read and overall enjoyable. The MC felt immature and young which made it hard to connect with the story at first but he grew on me.

This title magically showed up in my ARC list one day and I don't remember requesting it. I started reading it and realized it was not the right book for me. It skews very young, something I don't really like reading much of as a thirty-something. The premise reminds me a lot of "To All the Boys I've Loved Before". I'm sure there are people out there that will love this title, but it was not for me.

This was suuuuuuper cute. Wren does come across as very young at first, but as the story settled into its groove I felt like his reactions and thought processes were actually very accurate for a 22-year old. He starts the novel fairly immature and at loose ends, but through the course of the story he gains confidence in himself. This is helped along by his managerial position at Wiley's Drive-in (where he has to find the line between working with his friends and being responsible for his friends' mistakes), his blossoming friendship with reclusive former film star and director Alice Walker, and his rekindled friendship and burgeoning relationship with his high-school crush Derick.

What begins as a terrible drunk decision - sending emails to all his former crushes and almost-kisses - ends up with a real chance at happiness.

Wren's friends are adorably quirky - sometimes a little *too* much so - and sweet. Reading the scenes of them together took me back to my college friendships. Derick is a bit of a mystery for pretty much the entire book and I think it could have benefited from some Derick POV chapters. The mystery does add drama and move the plot along in places, however, so I can understand why the author chose to do it this way. I also really appreciated how many of the characters were LGBT+ and how matter-of-fact it all was. There was a little bit of drama between Derick and his family but it wasn't too much and didn't detract from the sense of queer joy that develops throughout the book.

I listened to the audiobook version of this and really like the way the narrator chose to read it. His voices for all the characters were easy to tell apart and fit the characters very well.

I was fully invested in the story from beginning to end, and came away with a lot of nostalgia and also a real appreciation for how the author handled the story.

Also! It was SO nice to see demisexual rep in this story! Ace rep of any kind is hard to come by in fiction, and demisexual rep even more so. It was also explained really well without taking the reader out of the story and really fit Wren's character and experiences. As someone who is demi, I really appreciated the rep. It made me feel that much more connected to the story and more sympathetic to Wren. Especially when he decides that "queer" is how he's going to identify, with the knowledge that he's also gay and demisexual. It was very relatable. Society doesn't know how to handle asexuality for some strange reason, and it can feel very alienating.

The best parts of the story, hands down, were the scenes with Alice Kelly, reclusive film star and brilliant director - and cantankerous old lady. She really came to life in my imagination and quickly became my favorite character. The way Wren approached his friendship with her, slowly drawing her out while making sure she is always comfortable with what is happening, was wonderful to see.

I loved her story that was slowly revealed even more than Wren's and Derick's tbh. I would *definitely* read a book about her life. I'm glad she became such an important character and her story interwoven so thoroughly with Wren's and Wiley's Drive-in.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing an e-arc for review.

I absolutely loved it!!!!! Quick read and full of goodness on every page. Highly recommend this one.

3.5 stars. Janovsky's new adult tale of drive-in movie nostalgia and first love is sweet, but uneven. I enjoyed Wren's journey in particular, as he comes into his own and deals with his long-time crush on childhood friend Derick. It's always nice to see demi representation in romance, and Janovsky handles Wren's self-discoveries with sensitivity. I didn't really feel the chemistry between the main characters, although I enjoyed them both separately. Some of the plotlines weren't given enough attention, like Wren's eccentric group of friends. But overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to Janovsky's next endeavor.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

8/10
Never been kissed by Timothy Janovsky is a really great book to read when youre in a bad mood and want something to cheer you up. Like “to all the boys ive loved before” but queer, with good representation and an incredibly lighthearted sense of humor, this was a solid read. The aspec representation and found family dynamic really drove this one home for me.

Reminiscent of some of my previous reads such as Waiting for Tom Hanks (waiting for the right one trope) and To All The Boys I've Loved Before (love letters / emails trope), the main character is a young adult who has never had his first kiss, let alone a boyfriend in. a long-term relationship. With every almost came an unsent email of declared feelings, only one night, he intoxicatedly sent them; and one of the recipients will be working side by side with him all summer long at the local drive-in.

A medium-paced, first crush-focused LGBTQIA story, Never Been Kissed also touches on sexual identity beyond just being gay or straight, as well as pace of life as our MC navigates a different take on relationships and approaches of one's firsts while trying to convey it's okay to not go down the same road or drive at the same speed as everyone else, even if it feels like you're behind.

Personally, I had to switch to the audiobook to avoid the temptation to skim in the beginning, but it was a cute story once it picked up the pace towards the end.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Timothy Janovsky for the read in exchance for my honest review.

Incredibly fluffy and soft book. Loved the demisexual rep in this book. For me it's what made it worth while. Loved the slow burn and that the story is not revolving around the romance.

This rom-com was just what I wanted it to be and more! Reading about Wren and Derrick was fun and funny. Being able to “go on this adventure of self-discovery” with Wren was enjoyable thanks to Janovsky’s writing.

I instantly got “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” vibes from this, except a gay version and there are no letters to past loves, but emails to four guys Wren almost kissed. Never Been Kissed is a light-hearted, fun read where we meet Wren, a twenty-two year old who’s been waiting for a special moment to give away his first kiss. Enters Derick - former best friend who he crushed on hard, but also the friend who ghosted Wren when they went off to college.


Admittedly, I was a Derick fan from the start. Why? I’m not quite sure. He ghosted his best friend and didn't reciprocate any mutual feelings to Wren but I saw great things and I was not wrong. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. In addition to the cutesy romance, Wren struggles with an identity crisis throughout the novel and being labelled gay. Wren isn’t sure if this suits him and his sexuality best - but he’s relatively fresh out the closet and he just isn’t sure. I love how this was executed and represented.


A little side note: I received an eARC of Never Been Kissed however I struggled to get into the book so I listened to the audiobook instead. Mark Sanderlin did a wonderful job with narration - I've never listened to his work before and I enjoyed the uniqueness of his voice.

This didn't end up being the right fit for me, so I'm unable to review. However, I enjoyed the drive-in setting and Alice Kelly's story.

I was so excited to read this book but I think it isn't for me. I can't for the love of god get more into this book. I liked the storyline, I liked the cover, I liked the writing style. But I just couldn't read it. It put me in a reading slump.

Absolutely adorable. I loved every minute of reading and now I want to go cuddle at a drive-in movie.