Quick, cutesy read about an actress and makeup artist

Narration: I enjoy Natalie Naudus as a narrator, but I really wish that books with same sex relationships would be done in dual narration as much as m/f relationship books.

Thanks to Dreamscape and NetGalley for the chance to review,

This book falls in the catergory of "the book exists and I read it". There wasn't anything special to it, the characters weren't especially meaningful or unique. But it was really cute and of course, it's sapphic, so bonus points. I have a lot of fun reading books that take place on movie sets and with actors, so I enjoyed that aspect as well.

This was such a fun read! The characters were well-developed and relatable. The romance wasn't overly imagined and realistic. Jennet Alexander did an amazing job combining humor, romance, flawed characters, and drama.

Lilah Silver has been cast as the final girl actress in an upcoming horror film. Noa is the make-up artist that has been assigned to Lilah. It just so happens that Noa has had a crush on Lilah since her first movie. Will the love blossom in this high-stress environment?

Three words to describe this book: Messy. Confusing. Underwhelming.

Cover: I love this cover and the Hollywood lights in the background. It definitely sets the stage for the book.

Tropes: Shared bed, long-time crush, secret love

Character Development: While we spend a lot of time with the characters, I never got a sense of who they were outside of their roles as an actor and make-up artist. I know they are both a bit confused as they are young and figuring things out. Due to the lack of character development, I was not invested in their relationship.

World-Building: Going into this book, I was super excited for the world of a horror movie. I just don’t feel like the setting was explored much beyond a couple of parts such as kissing the co-lead and shooting on location. I wanted so much more from this world. Listening to audio, I had a tough time differentiating between the two characters' point-of-view at times because of the lack of character development.

Plot & Pacing: I thought the pacing in the first part of the book was great and got me invested. But then it lagged from about 30% to 70% or so. The book could not settle what romance trope it was going to be – secret love? Long-time crush? Shared bed? It toys with all of them. There is also a subplot about a stalker that was underdeveloped.

Narrator: The narration of this audiobook was fantastic! I love Natalie Naudus and her voice fits perfectly here.

Verdict: I am not a fan of this book. It pains me not to rave about a queer romance especially one as promising as this one.

ARC was provided to me by Sourcebooks Casablanca (e-book) & Dreamscape Media (audio). in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book a couple of weeks before its publication date and forgot to review it! I remember liking the characters, but not loving the story. The three-star rating is due to the predatory male antagonist, which to Alexander's credit was so well-written he nauseated me.

Overall a cute romance! If you want something lighthearted and you're willing to suspend belief for everything that happens plotwise...this book is a quick read with a fun premise. However, I found the conflict a little ridiculous and the characters didn't ever really act as I expected them to, making it hard to connect to or understand them. While it's a generally nice romance story, it's not one that I would return to.

This was a fun and quick read, but overall underwhelming.

As I was listening through an audiobook, it was harder for me to differentiate the POV's, but I saw a physical copy of it and the difference is much easier to understand there. This is just something to keep in mind if you're listening to the audiobook, you'll have to pay attention to character changes.

The romance was fun and I liked the connection between the characters, but the tension felt almost non-existent. But it was full of tropes which is always fun like only one bed! and forbidden lovers! and of course miscommunication... How does anyone have a third-act break up without it.

The stalking element in this felt useless. It tried to add an element of intrigue and mystery that wasn't necessary to the story at all. The ending could've taken place in a similar way without having to include this frankly strange element. It was also very clear to me who it was from the beginning and how information was getting out. Not much of an actual mystery there.

The representation in this was much appreciated, even if it was just side characters. Even just a line about a Non-binary lesbian partner in a polycule for one of the side characters was something I really appreciated. Even something so minor was important to me because I've never seen that type of representation before.

On a bit of a weirder note, sometimes characters would use certain terms that are clearly British (phone instead of call, housemates instead of roommates, arsehole?) which I found to be a bit odd for a book set in the US.

This book was okay, which is disappointing to have to say about a book. Books should be exciting, page-turning escapes from reality, but I found my mind wandering a lot while listening to this. The narrator was fine, and the story was fine. This felt more like a young adult book to me.

Enjoyed this sweet romance , great characters , fun storyline , really liked that the author made this story as realistic as possible when two people who meet and start falling for each other , the ups and downs of dating , perfectly written!

Overall, this book was just alright. After reading it, the details quickly began to leave my memory.
I Kissed a Girl follows Noa, a hopeful makeup/special effects artist who took a huge risk for the opportunity to do makeup in a new horror film. It also follows Lilah Silvers, a bisexual B list actress.
From the beginning, miscommunication was highly prevalent between Noa and Lilah. Most of their problems would have been solved if they just talked to each other, but then the book would have been 100 pages less.

I loved Lilah as the "misunderstood past beauty queen". Noa, however, jumped to conclusions about her and made quick judgements based on the past. Noa's supposed long time crush on Lilah is not made apparent by her actions or dialogue.

The element of the stalking sub-plot did add an interesting and unexpected mystery to this otherwise rom-com storyline. This story would also appeal to those interested in the subject of behind-the-scenes movie making and production.

I gave this book a 3 stars.

While this was an enjoyable listen, there are so many better LGBTQIA+ novels out there. It was funny and had its moments but this one isn’t top of my list if I’m asked for a recommendation. If you want something fun, this one is good - but not great.

This is a sweet, fun, romantic comedy set in the world of film making. It is an LGBT+ novel that is by far one of the sweetest, cutest, funniest of the season. The plot that is set on the set of a B horror film is fantastic and the character development is phenomenal. The narrator did a fantastic job of keeping character voices separate and individual while also consistent.

This was my first audio book in 20+ years and I absolutely fell in love with the style of book but also and more importantly the book itself. The story was wonderful.

Noa Birnbaum is a recent college dropout who left college for her dream job of make-up artist on a movie set. She also happens to be on the set of her favorite actress Lilah Silver. Noa is a B list Horror film expert and a huge fan of Lilah as Lilah has primarily starred in horror films thus far in her career. Regardless, Noa is thrilled to be working on set and to learn she will be doing Lilah's make-up often. Noa makes a fool of herself more than once in front of Lilah and isn't sure whether she'll ever recover as the crush she has is mega huge.

Lilah sees Noa and her friend Chrissy arrive on set and assumes they are together and she also secretly finds Noa attractive. It gives Lilah a bit of hope that someday maybe she will be able to tell people that she is bi, but also makes her wish she was already out. When she finds out the Noa is her make-up artist she wishes she had worn her bi-bracelet from Pride, to say "Hi, Look at me! I'm here and I am bi!" But alas she stays quiet. And then Noa offends her, repeatedly.

Eventually, the two start to trust one another, even go out together (as friends of course, because both make assumptions). Then they even become friends. As craziness on set, a stalker, and random events unfold the laughter, romance and story build to something absolutely incredible. This is a MUST read/listen!!

Although this was a fun read I never felt like they fully established the relationship in the beginning. They just met and loved each other. I loved that there was an added mystery so the drama in the relationship wasn't from trauma. I did like how their relationship developed in the end so I wasn't mad I read this. I just don't understand how the became a couple in the beginning. The representation in this novel was great though!
Natalie Naudus was amazing as always as the narrator!

This was such a cute lgbtq book for young teens. I really enjoyed it as an adult and I wish we had more books like this when I was young. It explained things correctly and I highly recommend

*3.5 stars
This was an enjoyable rom-com, if a bit forgettable. There's nothing ground breaking here, just a light and sweet romance set in the world of Hollywood. The tone does take a bit of a turn near the end, which I didn't love even if it does make sense in the context of the book.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and the narrator was amazing. I loved her. I loved the plot of this book but the characters themselve left something to be desired, honestly. I have never read a book like this however and I thought the storyline was well thought out. I am glad that I read but I will not read again.

I wanted so badly to love this book, but it just didn't happen for me. Hollywood is a pretty common setting in f/f romance and sometimes it just doesn't gel. The characters had an insta-love thing going on, but then it's just super slow until near the end. This kind of pacing can break a book and I'm sad to say there wasn't anything keeping me reading.

This book might work for readers who want younger--but adult--characters in their f/f romance, a lower heat level and to spend some time in tinseltown.

Audio notes: The one bright spot for me was Natalie Naudus' narration, which was lovely as usual. I've listened to so many books by her (many of which are f/f) that the not-great books carry the patina of the much-loved books just by hearing her voice.

Fun, light read about attraction and being brave enough to take the next step. Characters are fun and likable. I was surprised there was a little mystery built into the story which was nice and kept your engaged and guessing.

If you liked Nina LaCour’s Everything Leads to You, this is the grown-up version. A green make-up artist and a C-list horror actress meet on set and fall in love. After some snooping, a stalker, lots of calls to Zayde, gallons and gallons of fake blood, and temporary tattoos, can they make it as a couple?

Diverse reads:
- Both MC’s are Jewish.
- Noah is a lesbian.
- Lyla is bisexual.
- Noah’s BFF is trans (mtf).

I would have preferred if the audiobook narration was done by two different actresses, one for Noah and one for Lyla. It makes it easier to pick up in the POV.

I loved a romance novel that gets to the POINT! This love story is sweet, and it was a quick listen. Noa is a makeup artists, Lilah is a B-List actress, who is bisexual (in the closet) and trying to do more with her career. They moved on very fast to liking each other, and not being too obvious because of their working situations. I found Noa to be so understanding and such an amazing character, but then Lilah felt like a bimbo character, no depth and no nothing, just a beauty queen who is closeted and likes Noa but.......... Thats it. The book didn't keep my interest even with the stalker situation. I wish I loved it more, even though Noa is the best!!!!

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.