I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely adored this book! It was a good mix of fun romance and serious topics. I was immediately attached to the two main characters and was whole heartedly rooting for them the entire book. I thought it handled heavier topics really well and nothing felt too dramatized. I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing and just seeing roller skates on the cover and i’m so glad I requested it! I would definitely recommend! Makes me want my own cute little university lesbian romance too.

She Gets The Girl
By: Rachael Lippincott

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I ended up loving this book more than I thought, such a light, fun, and sweet queer
read. It almost felt like an enemies to lovers type of trope! I am a huge fan of POV's, with Molly (I loved Molly) and Alex’s (Loved her too) self discovery throughout the book was just the cherry on top for me.

Every page I got a taste of what both characters are like and I just couldn’t get enough! Although it was a slow burn type of romance, I was able to enjoy it with the strong character development. Such a heartwarming book with Alex and Molly’s “fake dating” deal, I don’t know how else to summarize this without having to spoil it all. It’s definitely a book I’d recommend reading!

TW:Alcohol Addiction and Abandonment.

A sweet, gentle slow burn romance between two girls who seem like opposites but find common ground in their combined searches to "get the girl." The book is sprinkled with lovely references to Cyrano and Twelfth Night as Alex helps Molly woo her Roxanne/Olivia/Cora, only to discover she's been chasing the wrong girl. Both characters are easy to root for and the subplots with their mothers add nice dimension to their character arcs. I'm pleased to see that early college settings are becoming more popular and that quiet, character-focused books without high concepts are getting ushered into the world. A joyful comfort read full of likeable characters and a well-earned Happily Ever After.

She Gets The Girl is a harmless and fun young adult romance about two college freshmen, Alex and Molly, who are both hung up on different girls. They decide to help each other out with their girl problems, and lo and behold something blossoms between the two of them...it’s super cute and a easy breeze of a book.

There were some great scenes in this book that really caught my attention. Obviously won’t go into detail, but a particular scene involving the retrieval of phone numbers gave me all the romantic comedy vibes I wanted! While it didn’t deliver at all on the alleged “She’s All That” premise, it did give me hardcore nostalgia for the romcoms of the early 2000s.

I definitely had some personal problems with this book - for example I found Alex’s chapters much more difficult to read than Molly’s, especially in the first half of the book. It was probably because I found Molly to be so much more interesting and relatable so Alex’s came off as more of an interlude to me? With that being said though I did and I do always appreciate dual POVs in a first person romance.

I think while this book isn’t necessarily perfect for me, it’s definitely the perfect book for another young person out there. It’s sweet, it’s sapphic, and it’s written by a married couple which is just the cutest thing I’ve ever heard of! Worth the read, especially seeing as it’s such a quick one. 3.5/5

Oh my did I love this book! A perfect definition of a slow burn enemies to lovers. Molly and Alex are two completely opposite people. Molly, an innocent and shy girl. Alex, a free spirited and wild character. Alex decides to befriend Molly on campus and help her get the girl of her dreams, Cora. Alex is trying to prove that she can be a good person and help others to her estranged girlfriend, Natalie. As Alex walks Molly through a five step plan to get the girl, they slowly start to open up to each other and become friends. Between family drama, new adventures and new feelings, we get to see who gets the girl. Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick wrote such a beautiful love story together. If you are a fan of slow burns, this one is for you. I instantly fell in love with the main characters, Molly and Alex. I cannot wait to see this book hit the shelves in April!

She Gets the Girl is such a fun read! Five Feet Apart was one of my favourite books of 2018 and this one did not disappoint. I loved how accurately awkward Molly is and honestly really understood her dorm room struggle of not having friends built in to her first year of college. Alex was also extremely relatable and realistic. I really enjoyed the adventure of their friendship!

First of, can we just appreciate that this was written by wives? It makes my heart so happy!!!

I was super excited to read this: A sapphic romance set in college? Sign me up!

I really enjoyed reading the first half but unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with the pacing of the book. It took a long time before our main characters, Alex and Molly, became friends. The romance felt very rushed after that, and a bit underdeveloped. I did love these characters and loved reading from both their perspectives. The banter was really great too!

I mostly just feel very neutral about this book but She Gets the Girl is overall an easy to read, cute wlw romcom.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me of an arc in exchange for a honest review.

This book was so much fun and definitely one of my new favourite sapphic YA novels!

I loved the constantly changing dynamic between Alex and Molly, and getting each of their points of view allows the reader to be there as their views of each other, and even themselves, change. Alex was my favourite character, although I loved reading Molly, too. It was interesting to read a YA novel that took place in college, and watching Alex navigate financially supporting herself and her alcoholic mother while trying to have a life was heartbreaking and real.

If you love an enemies-to-lovers slow-burn romcom, this one's perfect for you!

I almost don’t know what to say. I knew from the 20% mark that this would be a book I’d reread a dozen times. That this would be a book I’d recommend to everyone, that this would be a book I’d give five stars. But I had no idea that it would make me laugh, smile, and cry the way it did. This book holds a special place in my heart. I felt seen in a way I never have with a book, from Molly’s identity as mixed race, to the queer identities of both lead characters, to Alex’s tumultuous relationship with her parents and how she coped. This book expertly balanced the perfectly paced arc of the romance with the powerful arcs of the characters as individuals. They completed each other while still growing as people on their own, learning their worth and learning things about themselves in a way that was incredibly moving.
Every issue touched on was done so with tact and with passion that was both respectful and satisfying. The story took a realistic but still hopeful approach to the aftermath and resolution of said conflicts in a way that I think those impacted by similar situations will appreciate.
Each individual character was so raw and real and relatable, and acted their age without feeling like young adults being written by adults. From the witty and current dialogue to the pop culture references, this book and the little corner of the world it takes the reader to is both authentic and engaging.
It was so incredibly refreshing to have good queer representation where their sexual identity was never a point of conflict or a source of tension. It’s so disappointingly rare to find queer media where homophobia isn’t present, be it an unaccepting family, a homophobic side character or interaction, or an initial inability to accept oneself. Of course while many of these things are unfortunately part of the queer experience, it was nice to be unburdened by that fact and be in a world where my identity did not have to come with our hardships. For a few pages, I could just be. This book means so much to me, and I am so lucky and so grateful to have had the chance to read an early copy. I will 100% be picking up a physical copy upon the release date and I would recommend this wonderful story a thousand times over.

She Gets the Girl - Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick

I was so excited to received an ARC of this, thanks Netgalley and Simon & Schuster. This is out April 5th!

This follows two POVs, Alex and Molly. Both main characters are lesbians. It’s a YA contemporary set in the first year of college which is something I love but is not as common as YA set in high school.

Alex and Molly immediately don’t like each other but agree to help each other out. They’re both trying to get other people and develop a really cute friendship. Of course they realize they love each other instead! They are such different characters but also have their similarities. I loved how they opened up to each other and just watching their friendship develop was such a joy.

There was not as much roller skating as I expected from the cover, however the roller skating scene was perfection. I really loved this and can’t wait till it’s out so I can add a physical copy to my shelves!

ꜰɪʀꜱᴛʟʏ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ netgalley ᴀɴᴅ simonschusterca ꜰᴏʀ ɢɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴀʀᴄ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ. ɪ ᴀᴍ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ ɢʀᴀᴛᴇꜰᴜʟ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀ ʏᴀ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ ɢɪᴠᴇꜱ ᴀʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀ ꜱʟᴏᴡ ʙᴜʀɴ ꜱᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴅɪꜰꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟꜱ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴄᴜᴛᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴᴀʟ ʟɪꜰᴇ ᴅɪꜰꜰɪᴄᴜʟᴛɪᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴍᴇ ʙᴏɴᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʟʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʟᴇx ʙʟᴀᴄᴋᴡᴏᴏᴅ………ꜱʜᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ꜰʟᴜᴛᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ʟᴏʟ. ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏ-ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ ɪꜱ ᴀʟꜱᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ ᴏꜰ ꜰɪᴠᴇ ꜰᴇᴇᴛ ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɪꜱ ᴍʏ ᴀʟʟ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴏᴠɪᴇ. ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ɢᴏ ᴘʀᴇᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ɪ ᴀᴍ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ.

An elevated sapphic spin on she’s all that. Honestly I shouldn’t need to say anymore to get you guys running to add this to your tbrs!

Molly starts her freshman year with hopes of reinventing herself only to show up and realize she’s in a single dorm room. As luck would have it she ends up at a party with her high school crush. Enter Alex, who strikes a deal with Molly to help her get the girl!

Almost everything about this book was so fun and light and heartwarming I finished it almost all in one sitting. Molly’s journey of finding herself and becoming the person she felt held back from becoming while at home is so relatable.. I can’t say much more without giving away too much. But I honestly can’t recommend this book enough.

I will say if the end of the book didn’t have you in tears, the acknowledgements will! Finding out both the co-authors are married in real life made my heart melt tenfold

She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick follows Alex and Molly. Alex is used to flirting with girls. Getting dates. But when it comes to keeping a relationship, it’s a different story. Molly’s awkwardness has left her uncomfortable befriending anyone except for her mother. Molly is in love with Cora, a girl she can’t bring herself to talk to. Fresh from a bad breakup, Alex discovers Molly’s predicament and soon realizes that helping Molly with her crush would be mutually beneficial. Alex thinks that if she helps Molly get together with Cora, Alex’s ex will see she’s not selfish. Molly is hesitant to go along with her plan, but she agrees because she sees that Alex knows how to navigate dating better than she does. As the plan begins to go off without a hitch, Alex and Molly begin to question their feelings for each other.

This is such a heartwarming, charming, and funny story. I had a great time reading this book. I couldn’t get enough of the chemistry between Alex and Molly!

actual rating: 4.25

it’s not very often that i pick up a book AND finish it within the same 24 hours, but it really felt so easy to breeze through this one. college freshmen begrudged co-conspirators to lovers, both of them girls (lesbians!!!!!) trying to get with their own girl but they may or may not end up falling for each other… and there’s roller skating involved, i mean!

this book felt especially special because the co-authors are actually wives irl, and i got the sense that they wrote some of themselves into this book. i'm not sure how they went about writing it - if they wrote a character each, or did it some other way - but regardless i found it easy enough to distinguish between the 2 POVs, and the progression of the story was so smooth i didn't feel like there were any slow points or points where i had the urge to stop reading.

also, as an autistic lesbian, i have to say that reading molly's POV i really got the sense that she is an autistic lesbian. (also molly being a wynonna earp fan was a little treat sprinkled in especially for me i think.)

SPOILERS AHEAD:
if i had one critique, it would be that i don't think there was enough pining or foreshadowing that the main girls liked each other. the time from when alex realises she likes molly to them getting together feels quite rushed, and i think that if particular thread had been dragged out longer and had been more prominent in the overall story arc, it would've given the ending a greater impact.

*thank you to netgalley and simon & schuster canada for providing me with an earc of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

I absolutely adored this book! I love the dual POV’s as we got to see the story from both Molly and Alex, Molly’s character was the sweet, shy girl who always stayed closed off and hidden away. While Alex was the badass eccentric girl who put on her hard exterior to hide the struggles she goes through. I loved the way the relationship between Alex and Molly went from rivals to friends to lovers, it was a perfect transition through each stage and I loved how nothing felt too rushed. Seeing Molly’s confidence grow throughout the book and seeing Alex’s walls slowly get brought down by Molly was absolutely perfect. This book was funny, sweet, and heartfelt all tied in one. The story was fast-paced and I just felt so drawn into the world of Alex and Molly it was a super quick read for me! I loved every bit of it and will definitely be picking up another book from these authors 💕

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the ARC!

I had the honor's of receiving Racheal Lippincott's last book "The Lucky List" which was an enjoyable and heartfelt ride . I was delighted when I receive the arc for her newer book which she wrote with her wife. Reading was an agreeable experience but I would be lying if I said that I prefer this one over "The Lucky List".

The character's in this story are quite relatable especially Molly's which her social interaction's inexperience and social anxiety reminded me of myself when I entered the dating sphere. Their relationship growth together and individually is beyond adorable and I promise you will have a small smile on your face while reading. I also thought that the nod to the food truck that Lippincott and her wife co-own was a nice touch.

But my problem with this book is that it was extremely predictable and plot-wise I have read something similar in the past. In addition, the romance didn't have the time to fully blossom because of how quickly we pass trough the two month's that the character's are bounding. The humor in this book wasn't fully there but I did laugh at the rugby scene. I just wanted far more and a slower build up to the romance.

Overall, it's a nice sitting sort a book with adorable characters but with a plot that has been done and a time-frame that didn't allow the romance too slowly blossom.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Canada, Racheal Lippincott and Alyson Derrick for the arc.

PS. Congradulation's for the baby!

I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley.

This book had me smiling non-stop. It's everything you could possibly hope for in a rom-com. It's sweet, it's funny, it's burying your face in your pillow and screaming because you want this type of love. I loved it so much.

Molly and Alex had the slowest of slow burns, but I loved every second of it. The tension, the glances, knowing as the reader that they're into each other even if they don't yet. I loved getting to see how their relationship developed from being complete strangers, to enemies, to best friends, to being completely and madly in love with each other. It just does not get better than that.

I also really appreciated the personal obstacles that both characters went through, with Alex learning to trust and open herself up to people, and Molly becoming more comfortable with herself and confident in going after what she wants. I always love when books have growth in the characters as much as they do in relationships.

I will be thinking about this book for a long time, and I am worried that I will hold future rom-com reads to way too high standards now.

Thank you, Rachael and Alyson for these characters and this story, it has brought me so much joy.

And thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for this ARC!!

she gets the girl
alyson derrick and rachael lippincott
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

tw//alcoholism, internalized racism

i read five feet apart a couple of years ago and loved it. when i saw the advanced reader’s copy for rachael lippincott’s new book written with her wife (alyson derrick), i jumped at the opportunity of getting it and luckily i got approved :)

she gets the girl is a dual point of view story from alex and molly. molly is shy and close to her family while alex is a little extroverted, has no dad and an alcoholic mom. at first, molly is trying to make cora fall in love with her and she has been for years. alex on the other hand is trying to set them up to prove to her girlfriend (?) natalie that she’s changed, that she won’t cheat or flirt with other girls but most importantly that she can open up to people and have friends.

this book was a five-star read for me because it was fun and a lighthearted romance but also addressed important topics that aren’t talked about enough. throughout the book, you get to see molly stand up to her mom about needing space and her internalized racism as a korean. alex had to watch her dad leave her while her mom was drowning herself in alcohol. she worked hours and hours to pay for her rent and school, in a program she didn’t even like just so she could financially support her mom. it’s a heartwarming romance about to broken people putting each other’s hearts back together while tearing down the walls they’ve put up over time.

i will be first in line for a physical copy of this (or yk @simonandschuster it was my bday not long ago if you want to get me a present ;))

3.5 stars! thanks to netgalley and simon & schuster for the arc

She Gets the Girl is about two girls who devise a 90s romcom-style agreement to win the hearts of their respective love interests, and of course, end up falling for each other.

this book was super cute and very easy to read! molly and alex were both adequately fleshed-out characters and i enjoyed the dual pov—their voices were distinct enough that i didn't get them mixed up. they each had their own problems as well—molly's social anxiety and alex's family issues—which were handled tactfully and resolved in a realistic way.

giving this a lower rating because overall, i have very neutral feelings towards it. the characters could have used some more depth (although the book was quite short, so i understand), and the writing style was just average to me!

i do love that this was written by wives, and the acknowledgements were SO cute <3

p.s.—a huge reason i read this book was because it was described as being similar to She's All That which was a LIE. still fun tho

The following review will be posted on Sunday, April 3rd, two days before publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram between that Sunday, and the publication date (Tuesday, April 5th), but the review has already been posted on Goodreads. The blog post includes links to pre-order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, LGBTQIA
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Content Warnings: Discusses alcoholism.

“She Gets the Girl” follows Molly and Alex, two university freshman who are trying their best to get their girls. Molly, being close to home and having a deep relationship with her family, is looking to grow more independent and have her high school crush fall for her. Alex, running half way through her state to attend university as far away from her alcoholic mother, is trying to win her ex girlfriend back and looking to become a better person. After meeting in a party, Alex takes on the mission of helping Molly break out of her shell and get the girl, all the while Alex is trying to show her ex she’s changed, that she can have friends and do selfless things for them.

First things first, it’s SO cute that this book was written by a couple. Rachael Lippincott is an author I hold close and dear to my heart ever since I read “The Lucky List”. Alyson Derrick is Rachael’s wife and “She Gets the Girl” is her debut novel—even though she’s already set to publish another book next year, that’s how promising she is. They both built an interesting world through alternating points of view.

Now on to my review of the book: The self-pity and the “uh I’m too damaged to love or be loved” isn’t a trope I necessarily like, but this book delivers a nice feel-good story and I’m trying to focus on that instead. I don’t know who was more stubborn and annoying, Alex or Molly, but they were definitely exasperating.

I see books as, yes, works of fiction—but fiction in a way that they try to imitate real life at the best of their abilities. Even when reading dystopian or fantasy novels, those works of fiction carry real-life emotions and situations that seem possible in other realities. Sadly, this work of fiction did not hold this to be true. I felt like the characters and all the situation they lived through were so farfetched for the sake of being unique that they somewhat lost their magic.

I would recommend this book to high schoolers and young adults that enjoy LGBTQIA+ books. It’s a nice, light read, and could be a great book to give as a gift.

And yes, even though this wouldn’t be the first Rachael Lippincott book I would recommend, I still wouldn’t dismiss it.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: April 05, 2022