Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited for Hayley Kiyoko's debut novel, and finding out that it's based on her "Girls Like Girls" video and her own experiences made me look forward to it even more. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite live up to the hype.

The writing itself was fine, nothing special but also nothing that jumped out at me as particularly bad either. But the plot was pretty by-the-numbers and ends right when it starts to get interesting. I understand why the novel is plotted this way, but it feels very mid-2010s tumblr than the year of lord 2023, you know?

On the whole, an okay book, and I'd be interested to see if Kiyoko writes more!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about Coley and Sonya and their relationship and how they grew from being friends to something more. Along with their friend group. It also tells the story of her mom and why they are new in town to begin with. Definitely check trigger warnings if you are going to read this book because it does talk about some heavy topics.

Personally I loved the writing and her sense of humor definitely came up in the novel which was sometimes cringey and sometimes hilarious. I feel like the story was a bit underdeveloped and simple but for a debut novel it was really good.

The obsession I had with this music video was what made me so excited and so eager to read this book. The Girls Like Girls music video came out at a time where I just started to figure myself out and so the idea of this book was so nostalgic for me. I love love love Hayley Kiyoko and so I went into this with such high hopes.

I'm just so sad because it fell flat. I think Hayley Kiyoko has such great potential with her writing but with this being her debut novel, it was pretty basic and nothing extraordinary. Everything felt pretty surface-level, so the characters felt one-dimensional outside the sexuality arc. I think the feelings Coley goes through in terms of her sexuality is so valid and so reminiscent of how I was feeling when figuring out my own sexuality and so that part was done so well.

Ultimately, I think this definitely could've been executed so much better than it actually was. I did still enjoy this which is why I am rating it a 3.5 and rounding up to 4, but I just think there was so much potential for this story. I also think in terms of romance novels, I have begun to realize that YA is just not my favorite.

3.75/5

"I'm being haunted by someone who isn't dead but who seems to want to be dead to me..."

This review is about as messy as my feelings about this book because it is a poignant story about acceptance and grief and heartache that is something a lot of us needed as closeted teens but it was put together in a way that I struggle to appreciate the depth this story requires.

This could have taken place in 2023, not 2006, but I understand the reasoning. The overall plot was a little scattered and sometimes we would jump from scene to scene with not much bridging the gap. Listening to the audio helped take care of the more choppiness of the plot and formatting and helped me focus on the characters and the visceral pain that Coley and every other character went through because being a teenager is hard.

**possible spoiler** Sonya annoyed the actual crap out of me and I sincerely wish she took care of her mess before she dumped it on Coley. And go Coley for walking away and protecting her heart.

Many of the side characters were necessary but also not flushed out enough to warrant their presence? This could have easily been just about Coley and Sonya without making us involved and invested with the other characters? The reunion at the end felt a little rushed and a huge conflict erupts in the last chapter which showed sides to the side characters that I felt like I wasn't exposed to until the very end because of all the back and forth? But *sigh* give me an epilogue pls i need to know how the school year goes

A solid debut and I hope Hayley writes more

Thank you Wednesday Books for my eARC

I had very reasonable expectations going in and that was pretty much what I got. I got a kick out all the AIM and LiveJournal references--YA historical fiction.

I’ve been a big fan of Hayley Kiyoko for many years now so obviously when this book was announced I got super excited. But after finishing it I’ve mostly felt very disappointed.

I think my main issue with it is the romance. I did not care for it at all. I felt no chemistry between the two characters whatsoever. It all felt very rushed but also very underdeveloped.

Another reason why I didn’t like it is just personal preferences. A lot of what happened in this book was very dramatic and it got even worse towards the end and it just had me rolling my eyes at everything, it all felt very unbelievable but that’s just a personal thing.

Another issue I had were the characters. I did not connect to most of them which made it very hard to care about their storylines. This mostly applied to Sonya, the love interest, I just couldn’t care less honestly.

Also I did not like the ending at all. It felt very rushed but also still left me with so many questions.

One thing I did like was Coley, the main character, and more specifically her relationship with her father. It felt very real and I loved how it developed towards the end. I definitely wanted more of them.

Overall my high expectations were simply too high. This book had a lot of potential but sadly fell flat in most parts.

if you’re like me you’ll remember that hayley kiyoko shaped 2015 with the song and music video for girls like girls. now eight years later she has written a book based on the storyline in said song and video; and it is such an admirable debut!

the chemistry between the two main characters, Coley and Sonya, is undeniable. though i wish this relationship hadn’t been as insta-lovey because the friend to lovers relationship had so SO much more potential

girls like girls is definitely a romance at heart but also explores several other heavier topics and themes – family, grief, heartbreak.

what knocks it down a few stars for me is the lacklustre overall storyline and the ending which to me felt extremely abrupt and therefore fell flat.

the publisher kindly provided this arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this! I think Hayley was perfectly able to capture the feeling of the Girls Like Girls music video throughout the novel. The writing isn't perfect but I still thought it was super fun to read and it was easy to get through. I would be interested to see Hayley writing more books if she felt inclined to! 3.5 stars from me :)

Y’all, Hayley Kiyoko wrote an absolute masterpiece. I know I’m late posting this review, but once I started reading this, I completely devoured it. At the moments when I had to pause reading, this was the only thing I could think about. The sheer exhaustion I felt last night, was the only reason I was unable to finish it last night. Obsessed is an understatement. I need this book physically so that I can just admire it.

The story was so so so good, validating and comforting. Coley, the amazing strength this girl has is amazing. She starts with an understanding of who she is, which turns into silent acceptance, and then that turns into pride. Sonya, babygirl is perfectly okay to be scared. The world has NOT been kind to our community, but with love you can do anything. I’m honestly so fucking proud of these two.

I’m also, so so happy that Coley was able to take a step back from Sonya and really get the chance to connect with her Dad, and some other really amazing people. She made a lot of great, long-lasting friendships at work, and I love that for my girl. Sonya also needed that break, she need that chance to realize what was important to her and what isn’t worth losing. I’m so happy she eventually got the strength to act on her own happiness.

The two things I really wanted to see were: Coley coming out to her dad; I just know he would’ve been the absolute sweetest and supportive dad. And Sonya standing up to her mom; man, I wanted to fight the mom and she barely appeared on the pages. Other than that, ugh I loved this book so much! READ THIS BOOK.

I was 20, about to turn 21, when Hayley released the song “Girls Like Girls” and while I was always silent in accepting who I was, this song made me feel the most seen. I obsessed over this song and replayed it constantly. Catch me telling, nah PUSHING, all my besties to read this book. New mission unlocked: See Hayley sing this song live one day.

I’m not going to deny that I requested this arc because I’m a huge fan of the song. Sadly this book just isn’t for me.

I couldn’t get past the writing style which feels juvenile even for a YA novel. I got a lot of secondhand embarrassment from the cringy dialogue.

As a millennial I did enjoy the nostalgia of LJ and AIM but I’m also wondering if the target audience for this book will?

Do they know what LiveJournal is? Or AIM for that matter. Both are dinosaurs in internet years!

*Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC!

Very well written book! I was not sure what to expect but I enjoyed the story the author told . It is a quick read and I think a great read for any young girl struggling with following one’s heart and not feeling pressure from society. The story covers one’s sexuality, drugs , mental health, suicide and bullying. It’s a book about self discovery. It is a quick read .

I voluntarily received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

I would recommend this book

the music video set the bar so high, that this book didn’t even stand a chance

i feel like this book could’ve been SO MUCH MORE, i had such hopes for this, like, a cute, summer, sapphic romance, who wouldn’t be excited for that?? but long story short, this is what we got instead

-an annoying back and forth between the characters
-one of the fmc’s exes, who is quite literally the definition of an SA waiting to happen
-unlikeable side characters
-a lack of any kind of emotionally depth
-not a single speck of the relationship, that wasn’t even really a relationship??
-incohesive plotlines

truthfully, i just want everyone in this book to leave each other alone, heal, and find some peace

the only small detail i liked was coley building her relationship with her dad, but it took to long to get there sadly

thank you to netgalley and st. martin's press for the arc

I loved this book! At first when it started I wasn’t too sure if it was going to be too heavy but it handled the pain of loss well and after a few chapters I was completely hooked. The romance was sweet and undeniable from the beginning. The confusion between the two girls made the story easy to relate to. I loved the journal entries and that Coley goes through quite a bit to figure out who she is and what she wants. I honestly can’t believe this is a debut. This was a great read that I would definitely recommend as a sweet romance.

CW: death of a parent


Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

Mini synopsis: after the death of her mother, Coley moves in with her estranged father in a new town where she makes new friends, falls for a girl & repairs her relationship with her dad.

This was more than I was expecting! I don’t mean that in a bad way but when you see a celebrity writing a book, I never know exactly what to expect. But I will say I really enjoyed reading this book!

What I liked was the slow build of the relationship, the will they won’t they. At most points in the book I was thinking no way they aren’t gonna end up together. TBH Sonia was awffuuullll I know we are supposed to root for them but she was just the worst! Even when she tried to make it up, I felt like Coley shouldn’t have forgiven her for all the shit she put her thru.

Another thing I loved was the repairing of a relationship between Coley and her dad. The tenseness of the beginning and the sweet ending. Him coming to her rescue after that crazy scene with girl from the gas station 😳 I did not see that coming! But I liked how it brought them closer together and helped rebuild a relationship.

While I wasn’t the exact same age as the main character in 2006, I really related to all the instant messenger chats and live journals. Such a fun touch!!

Overall, a solid read with all the summer vibes! I would def recommend & am gonna keep my eye out for more novels from her!

I fell in love with Hayley's music video for her song Girls Like Girls years ago when it was released, so when I saw that she'd decided to expand that story into a novel, I was so excited. I went into this expecting a similar tone to the video, and that the characters would feel recognizable to anyone familiar with the video, but that wasn't what I got. I might not be as disappointed by this book if it had been released as an individual story, with a different title and character names, instead of a tie-in with an existing song and video. Completely not for me as someone who loved the video and was expecting an expansion of that storyline, but maybe someone completely unfamiliar with the material that inspired this book would enjoy it more.

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this eARC in exchange for a review!

As someone who was heavily impacted by the Girls Like Girls music video growing up and it being a part of my queer awakening (even before i realized it was), I loved having a continuation of Coley's story. I also really enjoyed having the intermittent livejournal chapters so we can see how Sonya's brain is working through all of the feelings as well.

I think that Coley's self healing journey was really emotional and raw as well. As someone who has experienced loss in the same way, I felt like I was really able to relate to her in a number of ways. The writing style is very simple, and I can see how some people may be turned away from that, but I personally felt like it made me get into Coley's head even more deeply, and process her grief and confusion the exact same way she was.

As mentioned before the writing is really simple, and while I had a deep connection with the music video and song so i connected to this book a lot, I will say you may not have the same reading experience if the song/video was not as important to your growing up. I cannot say for sure, but I could see that being the case for some readers! Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend!

I wish I could do half stars here, cause I would really give this book a 3.5 because the concept and inspiration is amazing, it was just missing something extra.

I really wanted to love it, but if sort of fell flat to me, especially towards the end. There was so much build up and then it was all kind of resolved in a couple chapters right at the end. Maybe it's cause slow-burns aren't my favourite, but I wanted to see them actually be together more than just the last few pages. Or maybe its cause I wanted more than a story with so much of the plot being based on internal homophobia. Either way, I just wish there was more!

Coley is the new kid in town after having to move in with her dad, who she hasn't seen since she was a baby. On one her of first days out exploring her new surroundings she meets Sonya, who she immedietly falls in love with. While Coley is coming to terms with being queer, Sonya is only just starting to question, which is a difficult thing being from a small conservative town.

I did really enjoy the beginning and seeing Coley and Sonya's friendship grow into something more, but Sonya seemed to recover from her struggles with her sexuality very suddenly and I wanted so much more of the aftermath of Sonya deciding she wants to be with Coley, no matter the cost.

I know this book is based of our Lesbians Jesus' (also known as Hayley Kiyoko) music video by the same name, I just wish that inspiration wasn't the full climax at the end and we got to see more of them together.

I absolutely loved this, it’s such a cute story of chaotic yet beautiful people. I loved the mc Coley and her ability to look inward and decide what love she wanted. Such a good book.

This music video is amazing so of course I was extremely excited to get a ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

Once I started this I could not put it down. Let me start by saying this book is messy. I know that sounds bad, but I mean that in the best way. The story, much like our heroine, is all over the place. All the conflicting feelings, trauma, and overall messiness of life when you are 16 really shines here. Coley has been through a lot in her short life and you feel all of it right along with her.

Once you accept this and roll with it the story just flows. The emotions and situations are all intense and I loved every second of the drama. There are of course things I would love to see more or less of, but I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to whatever Hayley Kiyoko does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Hayley Kiyoko for letting me read this arc. I have been a huge fan of Hayley's for a while now, and I'm beyond thrilled that I got to read this! I got really attached to the main character Coley very quickly. I lost my mom when I was in my early 20's. Not the same age as her, but I can still relate to her over that. I really hated Trenton. He was the worst. I think this story was so important as well. The Sapphic representation is amazing. I loved seeing Coley and Sonya's relationship change throughout the book.. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends this year. Thank you again so much for letting me read this arc.