Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Being a theatre person, I loved that a significant part of this book was about saving a drive-in theatre. I loved that demisexuality was addressed in the story. The narrator really grew on me—I loved the way he voiced the role of the elderly female director!

Wren Roland is just graduating from college with a degree in film studies. He plans to spend his summer as the manager of the drive-in movie theatre where he has spent the last several summers. He has recently come out as gay…but he has yet to have his perfect first kiss.

Enter Derick Haverford—before Wren came out, he ALMOST had his first kiss with Derick. He even wrote him an email about it. And after a birthday celebration involving much alcohol, he actually sends the email. What he didn’t know was that he would be spending the summer working with Derick, the new social media intern at the drive-in.

What to do? Ghost Derick, the way he ghosted him after high school? Or take a chance? How can he save the drive in? And can he handle being the boss of his best friends/roommates, one of whom really doesn’t seem cut out for this kind of work?

A really delightful story about young love, appreciating the past, and trusting in the future.

Sweetest Demi romance I’ve read in forever. Perfect for YA collections with a slow burning romance, a lovable main character and a curious mystery in a small town.

A very sweet, funny, and heartfelt coming-of-age story and romance set in that magical time that is summer when you're young. The main character, Wren, and his friends work at a small-town drive-in movie theatre. Wren is almost painfully earnest in his approach to the world, friends and relationships, and his love of movies. This is definitely a YA story but also really enjoyable for those of us who are not so YA anymore. It gave me nostalgia for that time in life when you had time to obsess over music or movies or your chosen interests, and your main worries are getting to your job on time, not pissing off your boss, and maximizing time with friends. I also really enjoyed the different ways this explores the experience of being queer, the various aspects of coming out, and the range of ways we all give and receive love. There's a nicely done thread on demisexuality that I appreciated for not being oversimplistic or offering easy answers. The romance between Wren and Derrick is an interesting look at friendship and love, and also how easy one can be tripped up by youthful uncertainty and miscommunication but also how that can be overcome by striving to understand ourselves and those we love. The secondary characters add both heart and humor to the story. Finally, I really enjoyed Wren's pursuit of his movie project and his devotion to the drive-in theatre. An all-around lovely and enjoyable book.

A note on the narrator: Mark Sanderlin's narration is wonderful, very effectively conveying all the varied emotions and perspectives of young adulthood - exuberance, angst, insecurity, hope, optimism, young love. I also thought he handled the range of voices and ages really well. In addition to Wren and friends, the characters also include an older female moviemaker, parents, the drive-in owner, and others. It's a lot of voices, but I never felt lost, and all the unique personalities came through. It really added to the dimensionality of the characters.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC of this audiobook!

*Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media audio and author Timothy Janovsky for the audio ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

Rating : 2 ⭐️

I wish I could have liked this book but I didn't.. reading other reviews before starting it myself gave me such high hopes for it, and unfortunately it flunked for me which makes me so sad..

I can't pinpoint if it was the book itself, the narrator's voice or both, but this one just didn't do it for me.

This book was okay! It didn't fully capture my interest so I think it's just a 3-star read. There is demisexual representation so that's nice but I found besides that, there isn't a ton of other stuff to vibe with. There isn't a lot of relationship or character depth and the plot is just eh. I think you may like this book if you're part of the community but for me, it was just an ok read.

I really enjoyed my listening experience; the narrator fit the character perfectly. The romance and characters were super sweet. Derrick was a sweet love interest imo. And I enjoyed reading about the different dynamics in this book.

I will say the demisexual rep was very well written and handled. I could especially relate to this as I’ve also been questioning my sexuality recently; so I thought the scene between Ren and Brandon discussing demisexuality was perfectly executed and explained.

On another note: apparently this is the first book in a series? duology? trilogy? I don’t know! Though I wonder who the next book is going follow: Avery or Mateo maybe? Again, I don’t know. But I’m intrigued to find out.

Overall, this was super cute. And I would highly recommend this if you’re a big fan of movies and also pop culture references in books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet little summery romance. I'm pretty picky about my audiobook narrators, they can really make or break a story so I feel like the choice is super important. The right choice was made here - give it a listen!

This is my formal request for more new adult literature. I loved this book so much. I’m a big fan of drive-ins but know that they are far and few these days. Some of my favorite memories from growing up were going to the drive-in for a double or triple feature with my dad and brother. My dad had a car where the center console could flip up and turn into a third seat so the three of us would crowd into the front of my dad's car with our candy and popcorn while watching movies like Underdog. As an adult, I've tried to go to my local Drive-In at least once a year.

The book totally nails the post-grad feeling of having a degree and not really knowing what you're going to do with it and then going back to a job that has kept you sane throughout college. My version of that was substitute teaching. I graduated with a degree in education and didn't know what I wanted to do so I started subbing at my local elementary school and ended up in a 6-11 classroom that I absolutely love.

I love the former best friends to lovers/kind of second chance romance that this book has. Derek and Wrenji are absolutely adorable. I love the way that this book emphasizes the importance of communication and even though there are some miscommunications throughout it, it is acknowledged and worked on later in the book. This book also gives gay representation as well as demisexual representation, which I had only ever seen in one other book that I've read. So now I know that that's another topic that I would like to seek out in books that I'm reading.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for giving me access to an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book reminded me of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” but make it gay!!! I loved it! Wren just turned 22 and is feeling the pressure of never having his first kiss. He gets home and logs into his email to look at the drafts he’s saved of past crushes. On a whim, he sends them all out. Derick, Wren’s biggest crush who ghosted him after senior year of high school, responds to the email. They find out they will be working together at the movie drive in theater Wren is trying to save. While figuring out his feelings for Derick, Wren is also figuring out about himself and how he loves. The spice level was maybe not even a 1 due to Wren discovering his demisexuality. The narrator was okay and I almost didn’t listen because his voice was off for me. This book was cute, fluffy, flirty, full of self discovery, and full of teamwork to save a gem spot in their town! Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this read in exchange for a review!

Audiobook Review:
Overall – 4
Performance – 4
Story – 4

I ending up liking this.

For some reason it took me a quite a few chapters before I really got into this story. Mark Sanderlin did a fine job with the audio but I honestly felt like his voice sounded too young for a 22-year-old and that may have been why it took me a bit to get into it. I guess I also felt like the characters acted a bit immature for their ages. The only thing I really have to base this on is myself; I was much more settled at that age with a good job, a husband and a mortgage.

As for the story, by about 50% into the book I was totally invested and couldn’t stop listening/reading. I loved Alice and how she interacted with Devin and Wren and how she helped them try and save the drive-in. This story really made me feel nostalgic for the days when my husband and I went to drive in movies. Alas there are no theaters left in the city where I grew up.

An advanced copy of this book/audiobook was provided to me at my request via NetGalley but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author/narrator.

Well this book was very sweet and giving very summery vibes.

I love the setting of a drive in movie theater, this has definaelty insprised me to good see a show! Also love the exploration of sexuality and having this character not having everything figured out. Also love a good friendship group!

However this book realisically didn't really wow me. Sweet but forgettable. I think maybe it just its just not my genre.

5✨

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book

Honestly look no further for the perfect summery, fluffy, and adorable romance. This probably would of been more of a 4 star to me but the fact I felt so seen by the main character Wren I had to bump it up. This is definitely a book I will be rereading many times.

I love books that show characters going through a period of change. Maybe it’s because I’m someone who’s terrified of change so it makes it seem not as scary but man Wren story hit. Wren is 22 just graduated college, working his last summer before he needs to find his “adult” job, but also doesn’t know if he wants to leave this current job, and discovering if he’s Demi (and what it means to add another label to himself). Oh and all of that’s happening when a boy comes back into his life. This book is just fun and has a lot of heart to it. I laughed I teared up and just overall made me so happy.

Would totally recommend and cannot wait to pick up whatever this author has next.

This book was just alright for me. The third act conflict felt a bit exaggerated. It’s a fun summer rom-com, but there’s nothing outstanding here.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to listen to Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky in exchange for my honest feedback. If you loved the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before series you’re gonna love this book! Poor Wren has never been kissed before and the day before his birthday he accidentally gets drunk and sends emails to his prior crushes known as his “almost kisses” some are delivered and some fail but one will definitely stick and stand out over the others.

*4.5 Stars*

Wren Roland has never been kissed. There has been moments but something was always off and it never happened. And now, it never feels right, he just wants that magic moment, you know? It's now his 22th birthday and he's out and about with his friends and he gets very very very drunk. He's been writing emails to his almost kisses for years, and, on that night, he sends them and Derick Haverford who was one of his best high school and has ghosted him a couple years ago, actually answers...

That was such a great romance. It talked about asexuality, queerness and more, and I had so much fun with it. It had several unexpected and unprobable twists and turns and I enjoyed every second of it.
I loved the main character. He was deeply flawed but I think that's what made him so great for me. I loved seeing his layers and him growing throughout the story.
To me, the secret to great romance novels is great characters and connections and that was definitely the case here.
I also really loved the secondary characters and the whole storylines about the drive in and the famous director. I was truly so invested in all of it and I definitely think I will be rereading this book.
Basically, this is an amazing debut and I'm so excited about what Timothy Janovsky has in store next.

Thanks Netgalley, Sourcebooks, and Dreamscape Media for the ARC and audio ARC of this. I switched back and forth between formats while I was reading.

This was such a cute, queer, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before vibes story. Wren drunkenly sends 4 emails to the boys he almost shared his first kiss with. When one responds and mentions they’ll be working together that summer, he’s throw for a loop. I loved seeing a demisexual character! A perfect, light, summery read.

I loved the narration on this! Really easy to understand and listen to.

Honestly I could not finish it. For some reason the story seemed lacking of emotion. I wasn’t exited to keep on going, and it felt like a bad version of “To All the Boys I’ve loved Before”. I didn’t like the characters, they were honestly cliche, and also the main characters wasn’t interesting enough for me to care about what was happening to him.
Giving it two stars, do not recommend.

This book was pretty cute and I liked the plots within the book. The beginning premise is essentially a queer To All the Boys I've Loved which was intentional but I didn't get invested into the plot until a couple chapters in. This book was pretty light and fluffy except for the usually mid 20's doubts and fears of figuring out your sexuality and what the future holds. I like that any miscommunication was dealt with fairly quickly and didn't go to extremes in thought or action before being hashed out.

Overall though, I would say this book didn't reinvent anything. At times the main character came off kind of pretentious and had pick me energy which made me not care for him as much as I could have but I liked the journey and the overall ending. Some of the side characters were also a bit annoying but it wasn't unbearable while reading since they are not in the novel as much.

i adored this novel and all the characters within it! as they navigate admiring, i admired how they all supported each other as they discovered themselves while worked out their post-college graduation lives. i loved the movie “to all the boys i loved before” and this novel totally reminded me of it! i listened to the audiobook version of “never been kissed” and i thought the narrator did a really great job at voicing all the characters. there were a few times that the audio jumped in the middle of a chapter to a completely different scene and i’d be temporarily lost. however, considering this was an arc, i hope that it was all sorted for the finalized narration :) wren is an absolute gem and as a fellow hopeless romantic, i totally connected with him! he is such a sweet soul and i was rooting for him to get his “happily ever after” the entire time!

wren and derick’s romance was a friends-to-lovers type sprinkled with the beginnings of enemies-to-lovers. i really enjoyed their banter but it simmered down real quick and i thought wren was quick to forgive derick for the past. i would’ve loved to see more of their back and forth comebacks because that definitely put a smile on my face! at times, i wasn’t the biggest fan of wren’s best friend, mateo. he’s more on the carefree, immature side and i thought that his personality clashed with the rest of the characters. i really hope this novel gets a movie adaptation in the future! this is a super fun summer read and i especially loved the lgbtqia+ representation and plot line.

Never Been Kissed is a queer take on To All The Boys, and also reminded me somewhat of Felix Ever After. The characters are a little older, and I liked that it felt more adult than YA but still had a nostalgic, young-summer-love feel.

The best part of this book is the lovable characters that you can’t help but root for. Wren was so sweet and funny. I particularly enjoyed his internal discussion as he figured out and grew into his sexuality–this is the part that reminded me of Felix. There was great ace spectrum/demisexual representation and discussion.

The side characters were amazing too–I always love a snarky older person to bring some humor to the page.

There was one thing I thought was missing: didn’t Wren send these emails to more people than Derrick and Matteo? We never saw any other reactions besides theirs, and even Matteo’s was extremely understated. If I sent a love letter to my best friend, there would at least be some extensive teasing about it!

As this is a debut, I am extremely excited to see what else this author writes in the future.

Audio Review: Fun and easy to fly through! Mark Sanderlin is the narrator, and he did a great job of drawing the listener into the story.