Thank you so much for this eArc Simon and Schuster! This book was an absolute DELIGHT of a read! I got the exact same feeling in every page of She Gets The Girl that I have when I watch one of my comfort rom coms. It's the exact energy of an early 2000's move starring the likes of Amanda Bynes or Lindsay Lohan but this time it gets to be QUEER so its even BETTER! I was so invested in both of these girls and I was completely sucked in to the story of their growing friendship that I just knew had to blossom into more. By the time they reach the skating rink the chemistry is electric and I was practically screaming at the page waiting for them both to realize it. What a comfort, what an incredible story of personal growth and learning to love someone else in a healthy way.

She Gets the Girl is a sweet and authentic coming-of-age story. I'll be the first to admit that this is quite the departure from the normal romances that I read, but I'm really glad to have picked it up and given it a chance.

She gets the Girl pulls you in from the very first page and you just can't help but root for Alex and Molly. While their story might be YA, it deals with some very heavy, very real issues.

Overall, I found this to be a really entertaining read and loved the way it was written. This is my first book by this duo and I look forward to checking out more from them in the future!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

I have no words for how incredible this book is. Screaming crying right now.

Slow-burn friends to lovers does NOT miss.

I absolutely adore Alex and Molly. I don’t think I can stress enough how much I loved their friendship. The started off by creating a plan for Molly & Cora and Natalie & Alex to get together while on not the best terms. Their friendship continued to progress as they slowly warmed up to each other to a more intimate and pure dynamic. It had me smiling till my face hurt. I love their banter and the way a lot of the time their disagreements were based in perspective.

Alex and Molly’s growth was spectacular. They were both flawed in their own ways and a majority of the book spends time on their personal growth. I love how their friendship and the deal they made compliments their growth instead of being a ‘fixing’ type of situation.

Alex was the outgoing toxic player who struggled to form genuine relationship. Watching her learn that she wasn’t her mother’s mother and how to actually connect with someone was amazing. Yea, sometimes in the beginning I was a bit iffy about her character, however, I grew to love learning more about her and watching her grow into someone who was not toxic but she was still her with her strong personality.

Watching Molly learning to be confident in herself and learning to be comfortable around new people was so amazing! Sometimes I was a bit iffy with how she treated her mom, but I also understand that she’s trying to get accustomed to college independence especially since her mom was her best friend through out high school. Watching Molly learn that communication and boundaries are important, even in a relationship with your mom and other people she’s very close with, was amazing. Emphasis on healthy communication and boundaries is something I LOVE seeing.

Dealt with heavier topics with a grace but I feel like the relationship with Molly and her mom could have been.better flushed out.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ebook copy for my kindle. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to read this early. What a cute story! I loved every single bit of it. I loved both MCs. Alex is my spirit animal! And sweet, awkward Molly! I enjoyed watching their relationship progress from strangers to enemies to friends to lovers. There were some LOL moments along the way too. This book was so cute! Check it out on April 5!

Super adorable ya romance with a cute roller skating scene. Love Molly and Alex. What more could I ask for.

I really enjoyed this book and the way that it switched between perspectives. This is such a great book and I loved the way that the plot progressed and the way I got to know the characters. I love this book and I totally recommend it to you.

Really loved this book! I wasn't too convinced of it when I started but I quickly fell for both Alex and Molly. They're both complicated characters with much to learn, and I loved their development over the course of the book -- both in their relationship to each other and on their own. I loved the mother-daughter dynamics in this book, too, where both Alex and Molly have different yet mutually complicated relationships with their mothers.

I fell for and bought the romance in this book, too! I loved how the girls' queerness was not questioned, it was really encouraging to read a book where they weren't fighting to be loved and acknowledged.

Overall, I'm just a big fan!

This was so sweet and adorable and I loved everything about this story. I was VERY interested in this book when I read the synopsis and the cover art is beautiful. I loved how different each of the girls were and getting both of their POVs really added to the story. Can't wait to get a physical copy!

She Gets The Girl is a refreshing, positive rom-com for the Sapphic set. Dealing with all the insecurities of the age, texting and its dilemmas and with everything in-between. There are plenty of chances to laugh, and some moments to cry, but most of all, we end up rooting for both our main characters and hoping they find their way to each other despite looking outward. It's a positive, hopeful story that had me wanting to return to it...and wishing for a sequel to see their happily ever after!

After I read The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott, I thought it was one of the best YA books I read that year. Her current YA, written with her wife Alyson Derrick, is equally as good. It also dealt with some serious issues such as alcoholism and social anxiety, but there was a great blend of humor to make it thoroughly entertaining.

Alex was a habitual flirt and had many hookups. She was never willing to commit to anyone. She kept a part of herself closed off to hide her embarrassing home life with an alcoholic mother who often passed out and needed Alex’s support in all ways. Even though Alex was nervous about going off to college and leaving her mother alone, she worked too hard to let that opportunity slip away. Alex made arrangements with a neighbor to check on her and had groceries and bills taken care of. The only thing Alex didn’t take care of was her commitment to her girlfriend of five months, Valerie, who was going on tour with her band. After realizing Valerie might be the one that got away, Alex decided to show Valerie that she can change by not flirting with anyone and being a good and selfless person. Alex just needed to find one college student that would need her help.

Molly, well organized and in control of all aspects of her life, except in a social environment, was that person. She suffered from social anxiety and was extremely awkward with everyone except her family members. Her mother was her best friend and she relied heavily on her. She never had any relationships, but thought going away to college would help her be less awkward and even get her long time high school crush Cora to become her girlfriend. However, after another embarrassing social situation, this time with Cora and other college students present, Molly’s hopes for getting her girl was slowly diminishing. Alex saw this perfect opportunity and offered Molly her expertise on how to get the girl. In return, Alex would then have proof to show Valerie that she was a selfless friend to Molly. Even though Molly was reluctant to accept this help from Alex, who she did not like or trust, she nevertheless agreed.

I loved how the story was told from the perspectives of Alex and Molly. This really allowed the reader to get to know them on a deeper level and experience their emotional highs and lows.
Alex and Molly were very likable characters who each had their own problems to deal with. The authors did a great job in developing these characters and how they reacted to the changes taking place within themselves and to those around them. Their transformations were beautifully executed. It sort of felt like watching a butterfly struggling to free itself from its restricted cocoon, but once it does, it happily takes flight. Those awakening scenes between Alex and Molly were very sweet and heartwarming.

The mother-daughter relationships were also very interesting. It was a study in contrasts, one neglectful and the other loving. But they did have some similarities in that both Molly and Alex struggled to confront their mothers’ behavior and its impact on their lives. These scenes were at times emotional and heartfelt, for both mother and daughter.


Overall, this was a very engaging story. It was well written and flowed smoothly from start to finish. Throughout the book there were positive messages such as being true to who you are and sometimes, if given the chance, the most unlikely person will surprise you. Even though its targeted audience is for YA, I think anyone who reads this book will find it enjoyable.

Wow what a fantastic book! My heart is so happy having read this! Molly and Alex both were dynamic characters that made you want to root for them.
This book has dual points of view between Alex Blackwood and Molly Parker. Alex is a flirty protagonist with a rough home life who scrapes together enough to send herself to college. Her girlfriend doesn't believe she can do a real relationship or friendship, leaving Alex with something to prove.
Enter Molly Parker, shy, awkward, and incapable of making friends, let alone girlfriends. Alex notices quickly that Molly is desperately in love with Cora Myers, the coolest girl from Molly's high school who manages to also go to Pitt with her. Alex decides to prove to her girlfriend that she can be someone's friend by helping Molly get the girl of her dreams. Little do either of them know what will happen next.
This book has romance, hijinks and the crushing awkwardness of college freshmen all in one. Finally seeing the "makeover the girl to get her love" trope done well is a fantastic bonus too. The writers have clearly put a lot of themselves in the novel and the writing was beautiful.
Be right back, recommending this to everyone I know!

Okay, wow, I just read this entire book today, in practically a single sitting. I absolutely adored it. Sure, some of the writing in the very beginning felt a bit forced, but once I was hooked I was hooked.

This is a really cute love story, with some of my favorite tropes done really well. I didn't even realize until I read the acknowledgements that the authors are married, which makes it even cuter. I'd definitely recommend this to any romance fans.

And (spoilers ahead) I was reeeaaally glad it was explicitly acknowledged how manipulative Natalie was to Alex. I was really worried for a minute that we were supposed to think that was an okay way to treat someone you're with.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the chance to read and review this ARC.

“Some things have to fall apart because they don’t belong together, but some things belong so much they could never break.”

SHE GETS THE GIRL is a young adult romcom that’s a sapphic twist on “She’s All That” filled with beautiful and difficult lessons about being yourself and knowing what you deserve. I loved this book so much! The beginning was a bit slow for me, mostly because the authors spend time building out solid backstories for both of the main characters, and I absolutely flew through the second half with my heart in my throat.

I found both of the narrators very compelling: Alex, who’s been scraping by her whole life with not enough money and not enough help managing her mom’s alcoholism, distracting herself with flirting and short-term flings but never letting anyone truly see her, and hot off a breakup with the enigmatic Natalie; and Molly, chronically shy and socially awkward, unsure how to fully own her identity instead hiding herself away from others, and with an epic long-term crush on bubbly Cora, the girl of her dreams. Alex and Molly meet in their first week at college and form an unlikely alliance: Alex will help Molly break out of her shell and finally reach out to Cora, in exchange for Molly helping Alex get back together with Natalie by proving that she can be selfless and open.

The romance in this story is done so well; it builds up slowly and feels really authentic, with a bit of an enemies-to-lovers energy, very fun banter, and great chemistry. Both of the girls gradually realize their feelings for each other while simultaneously gaining insight into their own stuff; they have an arc as a couple while having separate personal arcs also, as all of my favorite romances do. There’s so many fun elements from “She’s All That” - the bet, the makeover, the accidental feelings - without some of the more problematic parts. And the cover does not lie, there is an extremely adorable roller skating scene in the book!

I think this is going to be a new favorite for many of us; it’s fun, it’s sweet, and it’s so delightfully and achingly real. Thanks to Simon Teen for the eARC! This book is out in April.

Content warnings: alcohol addition, parental neglect/abandonment

Took awhile to take off but once it did it was an okay read. I kinda had higher expectations for it.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

So so cute! I loved this sapphic romance that didn't shy away from family conflict, alcoholism, or anxiety. I loved the exploration of parental relationships, as well as the awkwardness of trying to tell a crush that you like them! This was truly a delight--charming without being cheesy.

There is no way I can describe this book if not dramatic.

As we start the book and introduce our main characters, we soon meet a problem. Molly, one of our main characters, has a crush on Cora. Cora has a crush on Alex, our other main character. And Alex? Isn’t interested in anyone but her ex.

I was really surprised by this love triangle (love square?) inclusion, but not fooled. It’s obvious from the description of this book how this story is going to go, and this book doesn’t fall off of that path.

I really liked the bits of the story that focused on Molly and Alex’s character development, such as Alex teaching Molly how to be smooth. I also really enjoyed the side characters for being so supportive of our main characters and helping them be the best they can be, especially Jim.

(Is it weird to say your favorite side character of a young adult romance is an old and jaded food truck owner?)

Unfortunately, I felt like this book was tackling too many hard-hitting stories without delving into them as much as it should. We’re sidetracked from the basic story to talk about racism, drug abuse, and abusive relationships. None of these subjects are really explored beyond a basic introduction, making the book feel as though its trying too hard for an angsty plotline without doling out the character development that comes from exploring these topics.

As much as I hate comparing books to other books (especially when one isn’t trying to be similar to another), I also want to point out for the purposes of this review that I read a very similar book just before reading this ARC. The main characters of these books look the same (a blonde and an Asian girl in college) and the blondes have similar family-related problems, which makes it a little hard to tell these books apart in the specific details. It was difficult for me, while reading this book, to not compare it to the book I had read previously and find it lacking in ways the other book excelled in. I know this has largely affected my somewhat negative views of this book and want to point this out solely to show why I am so nitpicky over this book.

No matter what, I do want to point out that I rated this book three stars, which personally means that I didn’t like it or hate it. While there are certain things about this book I felt like could have been omitted or made better, I also enjoyed other aspects of this book. If you find yourself extremely interested in this book, I would still recommend for you to pick it up and make your own judgements.

Okay so I'm going to start this review by saying that I think it is absolutely fucking adorable that the authors of this book are married and the acknowledgments are so freaking cute.

For the actual book, I will admit that it took me about 25% to really get invested but once I was there I was there. Alex and Molly are two college freshmen who are both just trying to get the girl of their dreams. Alex grew up poor with an alcoholic mom and right before she leaves for college her girlfriend tells her that she's really flighty and that she has to prove her love to her. So Alex spends this book coming up with a plan to show Natalie that she is worthy of her love and being in a relationship. Molly is quiet and anxious and shy and she's been in love with a girl named Cora for the last 4 years. The only problem is that she has never talked to Cora. They went to school together and Molly is determined to make an impression on her now that they're in college.

Alex originally sees Molly as an opportunity. She thinks that if she can get Molly together with Cora that it'll prove to Natalie that she is worth something and that she can talk to other girls without flirting with them. Molly kind of hates Alex at the beginning and is extremely reticent to take her up on her offer of dating help, but when she realizes that her mom is her only friend she realizes that Alex is her best chance at getting Cora.

Alex and Molly spend this book going through different trials getting Molly to have more confidence in herself, dealing with their relationships with their mothers, and becoming best friends. The only issue is that right when they both can get their girls, they realize they might have feelings for each other instead.

This book is a stellar enemies to lovers. I really enjoy it and would definitely recommend it. If I'm able to get my hands on an audio version I would definitely give it a reread. I especially loved Molly and the way that her anxiety was represented. She and Alex are such opposites in every way and seeing them realize that they compliment each other was great.

This is a new adult contemporary romance with no explicit scenes.

Rep: Korean American lesbian MC with anxiety, white lesbian MC, sapphic relationship. Secondary queer characters.

CW: alcoholism, mention of drunk driving, neglect and emotional abuse of a child from parent, gaslighting and manipulation, underage alcohol consumption.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I am unable to provide a full list of content warnings due to being unable to finish this book. Please educate yourself on the content warnings for this novel before reading.

---

// Quick Statistics //
Overall: 2/5 Stars
Characters: 1/5 Stars
Writing: 2/5 Stars
Setting: 2/5 Stars
Plot: 3/5 Stars
Memorability: 2/5 Stars

---

// Quick Review //
The first book I read by Rachael Lippincott was Five Feet Apart, and I loved it! So, I was very excited when I found out that Lippincott was writing a sapphic novel with their wife. I had high anticipations for She Gets the Girl but was, unfortunately, let down. Whether it’s my general dislike for rom-coms or whether the unrealistic characters threw me off, I was unable to finish reading this novel.

---

// Other Information //
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Page Count: 384 pages
Release Date: April 5, 2022
Series: None
Tags: Fiction, Young adult, Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQ+, Enemies to lovers, Lesbian, Rom-com (Romantic comedy), Sapphic

---

// Characters //
One of my least favorite parts of this novel is its characters. I so desperately wanted to love the characters, yet they were incredibly too unrealistic and unrelatable for me to connect with or care about them.

Told in dual-POV, She Gets the Girl follows the stories of Alex and Molly, two gay women both leaving home to go to college in Pittsburgh. Just before leaving her hometown, Alex breaks up with her girlfriend as the result of an argument over Alex’s unwillingness to commit to a relationship. Molly on the other hand has a crush on Cora Myers, a girl who is totally cool yet practically doesn’t know Molly exists.

From the start it is very obvious that Molly and Alex will get together, it’s just a matter of how it happens. Before reading, I was looking forward to the hate-love relationship between the two that was promised. Unfortunately, even before the two characters met, I found myself indifferent to their lives and relationships. They both seemed dull, like there was something crucial missing to them that would have made them lively and realistic.

---

// Writing and Setting //
The writing is not as compelling as I would have preferred. It’s your typical YA contemporary novel.

I found it appealing that the events of She Gets the Girl take place at a college, rather than high school (which seems to be very popular with YA novels). It was something fresh in an otherwise dull novel.

---

// Plot //
The plot was what kept me reading as long as I did. I was struggling to get through the book, as it is very slow-paced and disjointed at first (for the first 20% of the book, at least). I only ended up reading to the 20% mark, because I was just so bored. However, I read that far for the promise of two new college students trying to get girlfriends but falling in love with each other instead.

I was excited when I first got the chance to read this book because of the premise, however, so many other issues were hard to overlook and made this book unreadable (for me at least).

---

// Overall Review //
I’m not opposed to trying to read this novel again another time. There wasn’t necessarily anything wrong with it, it just wasn’t for me. I find that I hardly ever like contemporary novels, and especially not rom-coms. If I do, there has to be something unique about the book, it seems. Regardless, if you are a fan of Rachael Lippincott’s works and are looking for a sapphic rom-com to read, She Gets the Girl will be perfect for you.