I want to say so much about this book and I don’t know where to begin. Most importantly I want to mention that as I was reading, I paused to think and feel that it couldn’t possibly get any more perfect. The authors do not attempt to reinvent the wheel. It’s the old “smooth Player is going to teach the awkward newbie how to get her girl” trope. We know almost immediately what is going to happen. Is it disappointing? Far from it, because the joy of this story comes from the characters emerging into their own and the gorgeous telling of it.

Alex is the tall, sexy blonde who turns heads and is cool personified. She’s trying to prove to her musician girlfriend, who is currently away, that she knows how to be a responsible adult in a relationship. Molly is the shy, never been kissed, college freshman who is determined to reinvent herself now that she is away from home for the first time. She’s also dead-set on winning the heart of, Cora, the girl that she crushed on throughout high school. Molly and Alex agree to help each other achieve their individual goals and hilarity ensues.

The Pov’s alternate and the authors riff off each other seamlessly. It’s a showcase in how to have two people co-write a book and enhance the other’s work, making the whole shine as one tremendous effort. The pace is crisp and I never felt a lull or wished to quickly return to the other character’s voice because both Molly and Alex are scene stealing in their own wonderful ways. Tiny quirks of dorms and funky jobs fill in the background of university life. Likewise, making new friends in strange places and dealing with the changing dynamics of daughter/parent ties are on display as the mains take their first steps as independent adults. Alex and Molly take turns being the strength of their growing friendship as it should be, learning also that vulnerability is part of any relationship.

No doubt in my mind that this gem will be one of the best books I read this year. Just an fyi, although there is mention of sex, there are no graphic scenes and everyone is at least 18.

In She Gets the Girl, by real-life wives Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick, tells the dual POV story of Alex and Molly. The two girls meet as strangers during their freshman year of college while Molly is pining for someone from her high school and Alex is trying to prove to her sort-of ex girlfriend that she’s capable of not flirting with everyone who crosses her path.

And so, Alex takes Molly under her wing, in order to teach her all the steps and tricks to get someone to fall for you. The problem? You guessed it. They fall for each other.

To start, I went into this book with wildly different expectations. I know, I know, I know. Never judge a book by its cover. And I did. And that’s on me. But also, that’s on marketing because the thing that got me interested in this was the skates on the cover. As someone who roller skates, I was so excited for that aspect of the book. So imagine my surprise when roller skating is not even mentioned until the 70% mark.

But that aside, I found this book to be enjoyable while reading it, but the second that it was closed, I wouldn’t think about it at all. That’s not a good sign for me. I love the books that live in my head. And this one didn’t. Even now, writing the review a week later, I’m having a hard time remembering most of it.

I don’t know why this is. I liked the characters fine. I thought the conflict was realistic. I related to a ton of it. But for whatever reason… this just didn’t grab my me like I wanted it to.

If I could point to one specific thing, it’s probably that Alex and Molly don’t end up meeting each other until a quarter of the way through. I felt a little impatient for it to happen, knowing it was inevitable, and then once the moment finally happened, it was underwhelming.

I know that this book will speak to many people and it will nestle itself in the hearts and minds of a lot of readers. I wish that had been my experience with it.

DNF at 23%

I was excited for this dual POV enemies-to-lovers sapphic rom-com set in a college and co-written by wives, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters, especially Alex. When Molly started dropping hints of internalized racism and self-hatred for being half-Korean, it felt time to be done. The college setting is hard to find especially for LGBTQ+ books, but this one wasn’t doing anything for me, unfortunately.

I really hope people enjoy this one more than I did, especially because it ticks so many boxes that you usually don’t see with sapphic novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

This is exactly the kind of queer representation needed in YA books. For a rom com, there is a ton of depth in this novel on other subjects. I connected deeply emotionally to both Alex and Molly and enjoyed getting to know them. This story was emotional, silly, fun, and a joy to read.

Firstly, thank you Simon & Schuster for providing me with the opportunity to read and leave an honest review.

I though this story was super cute. The book is fast paced and the characters are very relatable. I found myself sucked into the story multiple times. I really felt for Alex and what she had to go through with her mom.

Molly seemed like a sweet character and I was rooting for her every second. I loved the edition of TBR and book reading references. The description of college life was also refreshing.

I can't wait to read more stories by this author/duo soon!

Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I thought this book was super cute and I really enjoyed the college setting. It took me awhile to get to know the characters, but after I did, I was hooked.

This book focuses on Molly and Alex as they start their freshman year of college. Molly gets Alex’s help to impress a girl that she likes… but ends up falling for her instead. In the beginning, I wasn’t a huge fan of either character, but they grew on me throughout and I think that they’re really good for one another. It was nice getting to see them grow while experiencing new things at college and finally sorting out their feelings for one another.

I also liked that this story touched on some hard topics and how the two characters relied on each other for support. I feel like this definitely places the book into the new adult category and I recommend it for people looking for a cute romance!

Very sweet YA f/f romance. Molly Parker and Alex Blackwood are both starting as freshman at Pitt. Alex is pretty, confident and flirty. Molly is socially awkward, and is looking to starting over in college wanting to have friends besides her mother. It's her goal to get to know Cora, the girl she crushed on in high school. When they meet at a welcoming party Alex sees an opportunity. She will help Molly be the kind of girl that get Cora's attention. In return Alex will show her girlfriend, who is performing on the road with her band, that she can be faithful and do a good deed. Something her GF doesn't think is possible.

This is a cute set up and works well. Alex is very off putting at first with her swagger and a great balance for Molly and her insecurities. They both are smart but come from very different backgrounds. There are some heavier elements to the story including alcoholism, parental neglect/emotional abuse and some racial issues (Molly is part Korean). The story is told alternatively from each girl. I like that they were doing typical freshman things like attending classes, eating, sports tryouts, shopping and attending parties. It all feels realistic. I especially enjoyed Molly's dream date of roller skating. The book is geared for 14 and up and includes kissing and some language.
*as requested I will wait to post review publicly till closer to the publication date. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In a cute Romcom filled with all of our favorite clichés and tropes, the bookish and painfully introverted Molly strikes a deal with the flirt in all-black, Alex. Alex’s relationship with her long-time girlfriend is on the rocks and to prove she’s bettering herself as a person, Alex decides to help Molly get a date with her dream girl but as the two get closer as friends, they quickly realize that maybe the one they’re meant to be with all along has been right beside them.

First off, I demand more YA novels that take place in a character’s freshman year of college. The vibes were excellent. Second, as cheesy as a handful of lines and moments are, I still couldn’t help but smile at the romance blooming between these two.


I’m terms of what I feel needed work, I think the plot line discussing internalized racism had a very strong start that didn’t go anywhere really. It was mentioned about three times and really discussed/acknowledged twice in very brief ways. It’s a plot line following too big of an issue to have been that forgotten about and briefly mentioned. I also think Alex navigating her relationship with her girlfriend was a bit odd at times. Going into this book knowing Alex and Molly are love interests and seeing Alex having a girlfriend almost the entire time was tricky to navigate. We don’t see any negative traits in this girlfriend until the chapter where Alex starts to have warm feeling for Molly about halfway into the book. It goes downhill from there in diving deep into Alex handling a toxic relationship that isn’t very good for her. I’m a bit confused why we only started acknowledging that this girlfriend wasn’t good for Alex right when romance between her and Molly sparks. It felt very convenient and last minute to alleviate our guilt about Alex falling in love with Molly while having this girlfriend (who I guess isn’t fully her girlfriend at the time of meeting Molly despite the two remaining loyal to each other on this break until they figure things out.)

The themes surrounding addiction and a child taking on the role of caretaker for their parent, though, was a painful and meaningful thread that ran throw the entirety of the story. I think Alex’s character got the most attention with her growth and depth while Molly’s story tended to function as necessary and more lighthearted breaks in-between the heavier topics explored.

This was precious and a good time.

4.5 Stars - If you watch romcoms like thriller movies, get ready for the second-hand embarrassment and slow burn of this one. YA novel in the first year of college is my new jam. This was an excellent read by one of my auto-buy authors. Duel POV LGBTQIA Romance.

Molly has a crush on a girl she barely talked to for years and hopes that because they are going to the same college, maybe something will happen. She is an introvert who hasn’t figured out who she is yet, and trying to get a girl to notice her isn’t the easiest thing, and by the time Molly gets the nerve, Harper seems to be interested in someone else, Alex. Alex is in a rocky relationship with her long-time girlfriend (she thinks she has no friends), and she needs to prove that she is better herself to win her back. So why not help Molly get the girl of her dreams to prove to her girlfriend that she can have friends after all. So it’s only natural that the girls get closer and closer as the novel moves on. The slow burn and backstories shine a light on the characters, and I enjoyed how Rachael Lippincott wrote this one with her wife. You can see how their writing meshes well together and flows like one. This was was truly addicting.

Full review on my blog.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Warning: Racism, addiction, parental neglect, parental abandonment, & toxic relationships

Alex’s relationship is falling apart. So when she heads to college, she wants nothing more than to prove to her girlfriend, Valerie, that she can be faithful. She wants to prove she can make friends and have platonic relationships. Enter Molly. Molly is painfully shy and not at all assertive. If Alex can help Molly get the girl of her dreams, she can prove to her girlfriend that she’s capable of helping others, capable of making friends.

If I had any criticism, while our main characters, Alex and Molly, evolved, Valerie turned out to be the complete opposite, which threw me for a loop. I’m not sure if that was a stylistic choice to match Alex’s evolution or not. I didn’t really care for Molly’s endless judging. But Alex perfectly counterbalanced her with her fount of positivity, and in that, they make the perfect team. I liked the alternating perspectives and the way the girls clicked. This was an adorable, upper YA read. Thank you, Simon and Schuster Children’s, for sending this along!

This was a quick, easy read that I liked a lot! The characters were engaging. The story has lots of popular tropes and they are used well. There is added depth to the story with subplots regarding alcoholism and expressing one’s own true identity. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This was such a fun, witty, adorable friends to lovers college romance. Rachael and Alyson are an amazing writing duo with amazing flow. The story really struck a cord with me especially because it not only focuses on the romance aspect, but it deals with two very different mother daughter relationships/traumas.

Freshman Alex needs to prove to her long distance kind of girlfriend that she isn't a player. Molly is trying to prove to herself that she can be a new person and not socially awkward like she was in high school. After a chance befriending and seeing how hopelessly Molly flirts with the girl she likes Alex comes up with a plan.. She will show Natalie that she can be friends and help people, by helping Molly get her girl. But what Alex doesn't expect is to fall for that very same girl along the way.

I related to Molly and her mom a lot, because like Molly my mom and I were attached at the umbilical cord. Her and I had to go through much of what they had to go through to learn that living our own lives is an ok thing.

The biggest issue I had with the book was the internalized racism that Molly's mom Beth had for being Asian. I thought it could have been resolved a little better. But it doesn't impact how much I liked the story.

cw/tw
Alcoholism
Abandonment
Toxic Relationship
-Parental
-Romantic

Written by wife and wife co-authors, She Gets the Girl is a fluffy hate-to-love lesbian romance in which two girls practice date with the aim of winning the girls of their dreams, but end up falling in love with each other in the process.

The book follows two girls, Alex and Molly, as they navigate the turbulent first few weeks of college, and explore the ups and downs of college relationships. While I felt that some parts of She Gets the Girl were weaker than others, I did enjoy the commentary on young adult relationships. In particular, Lippincott and Derrick do a fantastic job of showing Alex’s unhealthy relationship with a girl who treats her poorly, and examining how Alex’s low self-esteem and strained family relationships have led her to believe she’s not deserving of anything more than that.

There were certain parts of She Gets the Girl that I wasn’t as keen on - for example, in their first meeting Alex virgin-shames Molly in front of a large audience of strangers, humiliating her, and I felt that this was brushed off too easily. I would have also liked to see Alex and Molly’s very different home lives explored a little more; it seemed like an interesting possible conflict for the two girls to work through, but this was never fully developed.

Overall, though, She Gets the Girl is a sweet trope-filled new adult romance which is sure to appeal to fans of the genre.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for providing a copy of She Gets the Girl. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. She Gets the Girl will be released on April 5th 2022.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Rating: 3 stars | ★★★✰✰
Review posted to Goodreads and Paperback'd Reviews

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Simon & Schuster. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

She Gets the Girl is a YA hate-to-love sapphic romance following two college freshmen. In short - this was really cute! Molly and Alex's dynamic was fantastic. I don't really have more to say about it. It's light and fun and sweet. TW for an alcoholic parent, though.

One thing I will say is that I found the detailed Pittsburgh-ness a bit distracting. From a yinzer that went to college here, the mentions of Atwood Street, the Bigelow Bash, etc., constantly took me out of the story. But I'm positive that this won't be a common experience for readers, and it IS nice to see a book set in Steel City.

Overall - highly recommend. And I love the idea of wives writing a gay romance together. You should pick this up for that fact alone.

I enjoyed She Gets the Girl, by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick and
I easily read this YA fiction novel in a lazy afternoon. Alex and Molly were such fun characters; I'd love to read more about them.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Are you a lesbian? Are you in college? Are you upsettingly single? Do you have mommy issues? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider reading “She Gets the Girl.”

When I learned that married couple Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick wrote a YA novel set at the college where they met, I knew I had to find any way I could to read and review it. Lucky for me, I am TikTok mutuals with them. A little bit of nepotism goes a long way.

Anyway, here’s what the book is about.

Alex Blackwood was just dumped and wants to win back her ex. Molly Parker has a crush she doesn’t know how to act on. The two of them are just starting their freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh, and when they meet each other and open up about their romantic struggles, they hatch a plan. Alex will help Molly get with her crush, and hopefully, that’ll show her ex that she’s not self-absorbed and is ready for commitment.

But then, of course, they start to fall for each other.

Effortlessly queer (nobody is closeted!) and delightfully tropey, “She Gets the Girl” is one of those books that you wish your younger self had. Alex and Molly have a hilarious, adorable dynamic, and watching them slowly realize their true feelings was simply wonderful. My roommate can attest that I had very visible and audible reactions to many things happening in this book.

What hit me the hardest was not the love story, though; it was the characters’ relationships with their mothers. Alex’s mother struggles with alcoholism, and Molly’s mother has a rocky relationship with her identity, as a Korean -American adopted by white parents, that she passes on to her kids.

But you feel the love that they have for their mothers, in Molly’s close relationship with her mom (who is pretty much her best friend), but also in Alex’s determination to provide for her mom and prevent her from making poor decisions. I wasn’t expecting any of that going in.

And another thing — you can feel the love that Lippincott and Derrick have for their alma mater. I may be a bit biased, as someone who wrote a book set at a place that rhymes with Schmellesley Schmollege, but college settings just have so much character to them.

I read “She Gets the Girl” knowing that the places they were going were real, knowing I could very well go to the University of Pittsburgh’s library and actually see the place where the main characters have a few of the novel’s pivotal moments. And I love that so much.

At the end of the day, though, I keep going back to the romance. It’s cheesy, it’s fun, it’s everything you could possibly want. More married couples need to write books together.

“She Gets the Girl” comes out on April 5. I received an early copy from the publisher, Simon and Schuster, with persuasion from Rachael herself, in exchange for a review.

She Gets the Girl follows two queer college girls who are trying to help each other in their respective relationships, but of course this leads to maybe something more between the two of them. It's fun, it's wholesome, and also impeccably human, and made me laugh out loud multiple times. The characters are both equally lovable and have their own respective issues at home to deal with that really added an unexpected layer of depth to this story. It was so clear the care both authors put into these characters without it feeling self-insert-y in any way which was fresh and exciting.

I do wish that the journey to the end was explored more. It felt like the first 80% of the book was this one journey and then both characters had "aha" moments in the last 15% that led us to the end. Had maybe one of these happened sooner it would've allowed more time to see how these characters dealt with that reality. However, understanding that this is in someway a true story about the authors, I can understand following the sequence of events based on reality versus what might be most structurally sound.

Overall, I had a really great time with this book, I didn't think that I'd be reaching for other books by this author because I think what drew me to this one was the "based on a true story" aspect, but after reading it I definitely have more of an interest in their other works.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.**

SHE GETS THE GIRL by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick was a one-sitting read. I was first drawn in by the cover (and waited eagerly for the moment it would make sense--loved the skating scene!) I really enjoyed seeing prickly Alex find her softer side, and watching previously passive Molly come into her own. By the end of the book, they were the perfect pair.

This book did not end up being a five star read for me, but it was really close! It didn't leave me with the overwhelming wow feeling I was hoping for... I think that can happen when you build up your expectations a little too hard. That being said, I do feel justified in my lowering the rating a bit, simply because I just didn't highlight the book nearly as much as I do for my five star reads on my Kindle.


This book was extremely character-driven, so let's take a look at our two main characters. The first of the pair that we meet is Alex. Alex is a chronic flirt from Philly. The book starts off in Manayunk, which I previously stated is my hometown. Technically I'm from Roxborough but... close enough. When we first see Alex, she's at the bar she works at, watching her girlfriend, Natalie's, band on stage. However, when they go back to Natalie's apartment, things fall apart. Alex leaves the next morning for college in Pittsburgh, determined to prove to Natalie that she can be a committed girlfriend. Meanwhile, Natalie is leaving for a tour with her band that she simply... expected Alex to give up on college to go on with her.

Then, we meet Molly, who is a Pitt native. Molly is very much the opposite of Alex. Where Alex is tall, blonde, and exuding confidence... Molly is smaller, Asian, and quite introverted. Molly is not going far from her hometown or family to attend college. Throughout high school, Molly did not have friends. Her best friend is honestly her mom. College though is supposed to change that for her. She'll have a roommate and make friends and convince her crush of four years to fall for her. This, of course, hits a snag.

The two girls meet at a party, ironically through Cora herself. Cora is the girl that Molly has been pining for all these years. They've hardly ever interacted. Cora is the type of girl that draws everyone to her. This party kicks off a wild adventure in which Alex hopes to help Molly get the girl... while she proves to Natalie that yes, she can make friends that she doesn't flirt with.

This is where I'd like to put my major content warnings.

Firstly, this book deals heavily with alcoholism. Alex's mom is an alcoholic. It also deals with parental abuse. For years, Alex has been the moneymaker of her two-person family. She has been responsible for keeping her mom alive.

This book also deals with a toxic relationship. While Alex is certainly not perfect, the way Natalie talks to/about her is downright abusive. I could see it from the very first interaction they had and I urge the readers to view Natalie with a critical eye.

I'm pleasantly surprised to not have to trigger warn this book for homophobia. That was certainly a breath of fresh air! Beyond my major content warnings, I would like to add some for minor depictions of racism, as well as a prior abusive relationship.

I did really enjoy this story. I'm impressed by Rachael and Alyson's dedication to creating content with one another! I'll be recommending it to many people once it is released for sure. I wish it had punched me in the gut as hard as I'd expected but it is still an incredible read. For people who have dealt more with situations similar to Alex or Molly, this book might give you that gut feeling.

It's worth celebrating the rise of the rom-com novels in LGBTQIAP+ YA novels and the shift away from stories solely focused on trauma; this shows room for a wider variety stories of teens. However, in many of the recent rom-com books, the characters often lack depth and so I hesitate to use them as examples in my writing workshops. SHE GETS THE GIRL by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick is a smart romantic comedy with two characters who are richly written. Both Alex and Molly have flaws and room to grow--and their progress is not simple or easy. They both make mistakes, sliding into old behaviors more than once. I especially appreciated the depiction of class through Alex's story. Alex has regarded college as her escape from her alcoholic mother--and ending up like her mother--but now that she's starting her first year, what now? She's still struggling to pay her way while covering expenses for her mother and life isn't easy for Alex. One standout scene is when Alex's friends tell her she shouldn't pursue pre-med, that she should "do what she loves," but this feels impossible to Alex. She needs to make money with her degree; "doing what she loves" is not affordable to her.

Even though it becomes quite clear how the book will end, the characters are so engrossing, they manage to make the reading journey enjoyable. I also appreciated that the authors circumvented some cliches and avoided the expected "big moments" of most rom-coms.