I wanted to love this book so badly - it's a demisexual dream after all! I enjoyed the setting of a small town's drive-in movie theatre and the focus on films, but it all felt a bit rushed. It even features my favorite trope, ONE BED! I think I just wanted *more*. I wanted to learn about Wren and his friend group, see what made them tick, etc. It's possible that I wasn't in the right headspace when I was reading it initially, so I'm down for a reread when I'm in the romcom mood. Overall it's a cute queer rom-com that I'd recommend for anyone who loves films or wants to learn a bit more about demisexuality/asexuality.

*Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Listen *claps hands excitedly*
THIS. Book.
I absolutely adored this story.
Janovsky absolutely reeled me in with the first couple of pages and once I was thrown into Wren's world, I never wanted to leave. I cannot tell you what my favorite part was. The concept of a drive in movie theatre? (excuse me, my European-ness is showing) The tender, soft, and very Demi and beautiful romance? THE SNARK? The cutthroat female director turned elderly recluse that is still as feisty? (I will not spoil too much at this point as she's not in the summary and I want you all to *experience* her) - you know what? It might be all of it.
I can already tell that this is a book I will re-read and re-read until I know every line by heart.
This is an absolutely show stopping debut of a novel and I think Timothy Janovsky can be very very proud of himself. The writing was amazing, the wit, the humour, the mushy feely emotions - all there. There even was sniffling at the end, can you believe? Gorgeous, gorgeous book that everyone must pre-order and then read right away.

It’s cute. I liked the romance and I liked the character arc, but I couldn’t get into or at all invested in the story.

This wonderful book has pitch perfect voice, a love of its classic movie roots, and so much queer found family. My heart was all in with Wren from page one. A stellar debut.

A cute and easy read, this book Is perfect for those who loved the idea of Jenny Han's "to all the boys I've loved before', with an additional LGBTQ+ twist. The character of Wren was so cute and lovable, going through so much at once but also always seeing the silver lining. This book has all the aspects of a summer read- with it's adorable scenes of young love and the hopeful Wren finding himself through this experience. A bit too cutesy at times, I'd have wished for a bit more sustenance to the book, but overall a very good read for those wanting more LGBTQ+ representation within YA novels. Defiantly recommend as a must-read this summer.
Rated 3.5 stars.

This book is such a delight for the movie fan in us all! As a person with a degree in filmmaking who graduated out into the world with little to no idea what to do with it it truly felt like this book was for ME. It tugs at the heart stings of anyone who has ever had a beloved safe space like the drive in. And the wonderful conversations about identity of ones self even after you feel like you've reached some kind of finish line really knocked me out. The idea in the queer space that once you come out, discovering new things about yourself feels like you lied is so real. When really you just didn't know those parts of yourself yet! It was easy to love this book, I felt seen and comforted and I love it dearly.

This book perfectly straddles the line between YA and adult romance. It's sad that NA isn't really a viable category because this is a perfect example of that strange time after graduating from college but before your life gets started in earnest.

Wren and Derick are a sweet couple who it's impossible not to root for. And honestly, I know it wasn't the point of the book but I would happily read about Alice Kelly forever. What a delightful curmudgeon! Highly reccommend.

I want to start by saying that I loved the demisexual rep in this book! Some other things I enjoyed in this book were the side characters. Alice was my favorite! I also thought it was really fun that this mostly took place at a drive-in theater in a small town. It felt very nostalgic! Speaking of, there were plenty of pop culture references, both current and past which is something I love in books. This book is a childhood friends to lovers and I always worry with those that we won’t get enough of their prior friendship to really understand their connection. That was not the case with this book though. I thought there was a nice mix of reminiscing on the past friendship while also exploring the new feelings.

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a book about finding yourself while also being on the lighter side.

I thoroughly enjoyed how utterly sweet this story is. Though I found the plot to be predictable (as most romcoms), Wren and Derick's delightful banter warmed my heart. I only wish they had explored Wren's sexuality a little more. Overall, this story provided exactly the queer Hallmark movie feel I was looking for!

Thank you to Sourcebooks, NetGalley and Edelweiss for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: discussions of homophobia, discussions of biphobia (side character), discussions of toxic relationship (side character), sexism

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)
-m/m second chance romance
-friends to estranged to friends to idiots to lovers
-summer romance
-work place/close-proximity
-new adult romance
-drive in movie theater
-appreciation for movies
-only one bed
-sloooow burn
-demisexual representation

I really enjoyed this light and fun debut. I'm a big fan of books that take place in the in between moments, in this case the summer after graduating college, when the world is scary and new all at the same time. The beginning definitely gave me To All the Boys I've Loved Before vibes.

Wren is movie obsessed, trying to figure out his career and also still waiting for his first kiss. I loved the intersection of the drive in movie theater, brining the premiere back. All of the plots were intertwined and fed into the love story in such a sweet way. I loved that none of the characters were perfect, just human.

If you are looking for a book about that perfect first kiss, low angst and low steam, definitely check out this debut.

Steam: 1

I really enjoyed this queer romance. From the very beginning, it's funny and sweet. Wren is a lovable character who is just doing his best. I enjoyed his friendships and relationship with Derrick a lot. Plus, Alice really grew on me throughout the book. I especially loved the aspec representation in romance. It was refreshing to see a character questioning and growing over the course of the story.

I think this book is perfect for romance readers who want a sweet read. Not only does it have some laugh-out-loud moments, but you really find yourself rooting for Wren the whole way. Just make sure to be prepared for the third-act breakup, which I saw a mile away. There's nothing like the relationship seeming perfect so far and then looking down to see you're only 70% of the way through.

PS. Major 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before" vibes at the beginning, and also Sing 2 vibes (Alice is Clay Colloway, btw).

This book was so sweet!

Our main character is Wren, an adorable queer 22-year-old film major waiting for his first kiss. After an email-related confession mishap, he’s ready to start his job at the local theater with his BFFs… and one of his missed kisses, Derrick.

I won’t get too into it, I don’t want to spoil anyone, this story:
- is sweet without being saccharine
- has conflict and growth without being tragic
- features a really wonderfully queer and affirming cast of family, roommates, beaus, a reclusive director, an excited podcaster, and a gruff drive-in theater owner.
This book has big Red, White, and Royal Blue, and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda vibes. If you’re a fan of quippy queers and softly falling in love, this is the story for you!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5).

Never Been Kissed is a wonderful queer romance. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book. It’s such a sweet and heartfelt story. I loved all the characters and the plot was funny. This is definitely not a spicy book, I mean it’s literally called Never Been Kissed and that’s accurate. Wren has been waiting out for his perfect first kiss. I really liked the book. I also love to see ace spectrum rep in romance books so I was happy to see that. Definitely would recommend reading this once it is released in May!

Thank you Netgalley, Timothy Janovsky and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the free eARC of this book. All opinions are my own!

Wow — this book is much more than I was expecting. This wasn't just a queer love story; it was passion. It was cinema. It was charm.

This is a feel-good romance featuring queer chosen family, female empowerment and second-chance romance. The demisexual rep made my heart melt. This coming-of-age novel is so heartwarming and the ONLY ONE BED TROPE WAS HERE (it's not a romance if there isn't the only one bed trope). The movie appreciation was perfect and the writing was so fitting.

The reason this book wasn't a 5-star was because of the pacing — I thought it was a little slow in terms of pacing at times and I wanted more Avery! She was my favourite character (so was Alice, though).

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Red, White, and Royal Blue or anyone who's ever lusted after a queer All The Boys I've Loved Before book (because I definitely got ATBILB vibes while reading the beginning of this). Can't wait to read more from this author!

Content Warnings: it’s a pretty safe read. all of these warnings are mentioned without much detail; death, biphobia

Never Been Kissed is so cute that I’m willing to forgive the secondhand embarrassment I felt in the beginning.

What tropes and themes do we have?
- second chance! (my absolute favorite)
- workplace romance
- friends to lovers
- small town romance
- only one bed
- childhood friends if you squint
- HEA

And while our main couple is two cis white dudes, they squeezed a respectable of the diversity into the secondary characters.
- demiromantic/demisexual main character
- achillean and sapphic besties
- besties are poc
- there’s some republicans if you’re into that kind of thing
- a grumpy bisexual old lady!

This was a fun read, really. The

Fluff: ★ ★ ★ ½
Spice: ☆
Miscommunication: ★
Made me feel old: ★ ★ ★
Secondhand embarrassment: ★ ★ ★ ★

Wren is in his early twenties, and he's yet to experience his first kiss. He's desperate to feel like he's growing up, like he belongs, like he's 'normal', but he can't help but feel as though he sees things like kissing quite differently to everyone else around him. Drunk, depressed, and desperate for answers, Wren fires off emails to his old crushes, never expecting to receive a reply ...

Never Been Kissed is a beautiful study of someone coming to understand themselves and their identity. I highlighted so many painfully accuate lines about the experience of identifying as demisexual, and I know this book will be so important for so many people. It's the kind of book I wish I had had access to as a teenager, and I'm so happy to see aspec experiences on the page written in such a nuanced and honest way. I really liked that time was taken for the already-out Wren to question whether it was ok for how he sees himself to shift, and for him to be reassured by all those around him that it was.

Outside of Wren's journey of self-discovery, I personally found myself less invested in the 'what else happens' events of the book (although, as this is a Romance, I would argue that Wren coming to understand himself better is the true main plotline, while saving the drive-in and promoting Alice's film were more the side-plots). However, I requested an ARC of the novel because I was specifically interested in seeing how Wren's queer coming-of-age story was handled, and I have nothing but praise for the author in this regard.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free eARC of Never Been Kissed. These opinions are my own. I wish to praise Timothy Janovsky and Sourcebooks Casablanca for their active engagement with queer reviewers, especially those who identify as demi or ace.

I really wanted to love this book, but I left just feeling more "in like" with it than "in love." The first half is very slow to start with and Mateo and Avery, Wren's best friends, tend to talk more like characters from a Diablo Cody movie than anyone who is actually real. The story is sweet and the drive in is a really compelling place to have the story set. But what I wanted more of was to feel the real connection between Wren and Derrick that just never fully emerged. Derrick didn't really feel fully developed, which could have been because we spend the whole story in Wren's head and Derrick sort of pops in and out, but for the most part, I just never really got the sense of what was going on with Derrick at any real point.

Overall, Never Been Kissed is really sweet, but it doesn't quite hit every craving that you want from a romance.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It was a really cute book! Wrenji and Derrick were so adorable! It was a proper rom-com with drive-ins. It was hilarious and the side characters provided a good comic relief. I swooned during Wrenji and derrick parts. There were amazing representations and a chosen family in the story. Wren explores his sexuality and labels, and the support he got from his family and friends was very refreshing. All the queerness made me so happy. I loved that the plot revolved under a suppressed female director - Alice. it was a super fun book even though it was slow at times. I would definitely recommend it.

This was so absolutely ridiculously adorable. I suffered some secondhand embarrassment and also wanted to just force the two mains together to solve their issues so I could watch them be precious.

I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

ADORABLE!!! This rom-com really blew me away! I loved following along with Wren as he tried to rescue his local drive-in theater. Reading about how passionate he was made me root for him every step of the way! We also meet Derick, Wren’s childhood crush who’s working at the same theater this summer… a recipe for disaster of course! I loved reading their interactions and the social media posts included throughout were perfect! I got major Red, White, and Royal Blue vibes from this book! Highly recommend for a fun romance that really makes you wish for fun summer nights out at the drive-in! Keep an eye out for release on May 2, 2022!