I received an ARC from NetGalley for this book.

I really enjoyed the plot of the book. I thought the representation of being in the closet and the anxiety that surrounds it was well written.

However, this book had a lot of underdeveloped subplots and I felt as though it needed more rounds of editing and rewriting. I think it has the potential to be a really good book.

I also thought that it would have been better to be set in university due to the amount of drug/alcohol use and present.

I think, for a first time author it was a good debut and I look forward to see what else she has in store.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
While I’ve enjoyed Hayley Kiyoko’s acting work in TV movies like Scooby-Doo and Lemonade Mouth, and her guest role on Wizards of Waverly Place (belated Stalex shipper here!), I’ve never followed any of her other ventures, although I was of course aware of her growing popularity as a musician. Nonetheless, I was excited to try her first book, Girls Like Girls, inspired by the song of the same name (which I’ve since listened to and fallen in love with!), and I ended up flying through it and being delighted with the results.
Setting-wise, it sits in that delicate area between being historical and contemporary, as it’s set in 2006. I suppose for the target demographic, there will be an element of the historical to it, but for me, having lived through it, it felt more nostalgic, what with the references to older forms of communication, like AIM, and blogging through LiveJournal being a means through which one of the the leads communicates her thoughts. I can understand why Hayley Kiyoko made the choice she did, as this would reflect her own experience as a queer teen more accurately, as opposed to trying to imitate the experience of modern teens (something older writers don’t often do well). And, other than the aesthetics, the story does still feel fairly applicable to the modern audience in how it explores its central themes of self-acceptance, healing from grief, and reckoning with heartbreak.
Coley’s an incredibly sympathetic protagonist, and going through a lot. I felt for her as she reckoned with her mother’s death, but also appreciated the relationship she developed over the course of the book with her father, working through all the intense issues between them. She has a lot of baggage, and I appreciate that the narrative didn’t shy away from delving into her complex feelings.
Sonya took some time to grow on me, as she definitely had toxic moments. But she’s also similar to Coley in that she carries her own baggage and scars that she has to reckon with throughout, and I definitely understood her more as the story continued.
I enjoyed this book a lot, and while it isn’t perfect, I would read more from Hayley Kiyoko in the future, as well as following more of her career going forward. If you’re a fan of her other work (especially the song and video of the same name), this is absolutely worth your time. And even if you’re not, I’d recommend this book if you’re looking for sapphic YA contemporaries with flawed protagonists.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for review.


After being a fan of the author's music. i knew i had to pick this up and it didn't dissapoint. the book itself genuinely felt like you were in a Hayley Kiyoko music video and i highly enjoyed it.

I was so excited when I heard Hayley Kiyoko would be writing her own book! I knew that it could not disappoint. She has a beautiful voice, both in music and on paper. She can really do anything and I can't wait to see what she does next. Hopefully more books!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

Fans of Emily Henry and Casey McQuiston may like this cute romance.

This book is amazing and has portrayal of a bunch of things actual teenagers in this generation go through. It’s an amazing contemporary romance story with also life lessons.

Hayley Kiyoko has done an amazing job at bringing a queer story to life, she does it in her songs and to be able to do it in a book is amazing.

Highly recommended read! I would say ages 15 and up.

There are quite a few content warnings ( I got an ARC so I don’t have the finished version but I’m hoping she adds a CW page!) :

-death of a parent
-suicide
-drugs
-alcohol
-divorced parents
-internalized homophobia
-homophobia
-domestic abuse ( closer to the end, ex boyfriend to an ex girlfriend)
-breaking and entering
-characters DUI

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Wednesday Books for the ARC through NetGalley!

I had never heard "Girls Like Girls" or seen the video before picking up this book, but I guess I can see the influence. I thought this was going to be a fun read, but it definitely did not go down that road. Coley is sent to live with the dad she barely knows after her mom dies. They move to a small town and there's just underlying issues there in the way of their relationship.

In comes Sonya, who Coley is immediately drawn to and she feels like Sonya is drawn to her as well, but has never experienced a same-sex relationship so these feelings are new to her. This ends up being a true coming-of-age story for both of the girls, but Sonya isn't very likable. Maybe that is what the author was going for since she is confused about her feelings and doesn't really know how to handle them.

While this is a YA novel, it is set in 2006. I'm not sure it will resonate with today's audience, but maybe it will if they focus on the true essence of the story. I struggled with this book mostly because there was no flow to me. It is supposed to be a romance, but I really just wanted to see Coley win on her own because I don't think she and Sonya were a good match.

Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of this book.

When Coley's mom dies, she is sent to move in with her dad who she essentially doesn't know, in a town that she also doesn't know. She quickly meets Sonya and her friends - Sonya and Coley are immediately drawn to each other but though Coley has liked girls before, this is all very new to Sonya. Not to mention that Sonya's ex-boyfriend is still a part of her friend group and actively trying to get back together with her. What follows is a true coming of age and discovering yourself story

There were parts of this that I did appreciate - I liked Coley as a character for the most part and thought the depiction of her trauma and grief was well done. The writing itself was also well done, particularly for a debut author.

However, by and large I really struggled with this book and ended up speed reading towards the end just to get it over with.

This is supposed to be a romance but I found myself actively rooting against the couple getting together in the end. I actually think it would have been a much more powerful message for Coley to choose herself and walked away from the toxicity of Sonya and her friends (or at least Brooke and Trenton). Sonya had so much growth to do and she did it all in the last 5% of the book and truthfully it wasn't enough growth whatsoever. Basically Coley deserved so much better than Sonya and it was actually genuinely disappointing to see them "end up together".

Trenton is one of the worst characters I've seen in a YA book - he literally has no redeeming qualities AND he doesn't have to answer for his abuses of both Sonya and Coley. I mean he literally assaults them both in the last 5% and we just hear that he left the party and that some of his friends yelled at him. I wanted him to SUFFER. The ending was incredibly rushed.

I also do not understand the intended audience for this book - it's a YA but it takes place in 2006... I'm not sure that young adult readers today will really relate to the book but it also certainly wasn't for me, an almost 30 year old who could theoretically relate to that time period from my childhood/teenaged years. The internalized homophobia that Sonya experiences was really hard to read - though I think Sonya's worries were probably accurate to the time period, I wonder how relatable it is to teenagers nowadays when the world (generally) is a much more open place.

If this hadn't been an ARC I probably would have DNF'd it at 50%. Again, this book just wasn't for me but I also just don't really understand who it is for. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'll update my review once I finish reading it. I received a physical copy from St. Martin's Press, and so that is how I will be reading this book.

What I will say is that I hope this lives up to the hype. I remember watching the music video and listening to the song this is based on when I was 15. It was so influential to me, so when I saw it was becoming a book, I knew I had to see what it would turn into.

Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko is an angsty sapphic coming of age story based on her music video of the same name.

This YA romance (?) follows Coley as she moves to Oregon to live with her father after her mother's death by suicide. Coley becomes magnetically connected with a girl named Sonya, whose on again off again shenanigans play out almost until the end.

I'm going to be honest, parts of this were difficult for me to read. The angst was high. The grief was high. Sonya was cruel and rude. I'm not sure that she deserved Coley in the end. The pacing seemed off from a typical romance, but that could be partially due to the underlying music video basis.

Overall, I liked this story, but it worked for me more as a coming of age and dealing with grief for Coley than a romance.

honestly, this was painful for me to get through. i skipped through so much of it and felt so bored. i’ve also been in a bit of a reading slump lately, so that might have contributed to it ??

however, i’ll always remember the iconic-ness of the “girls like girls” music video <3 i used to watch that mv on repeat !!

I didn’t request this book, but I ended up being sent two physical ARCs and an eARC, so I ended up reading it anyway.

TW: discussions of suicide, death of a parent by suicide (off page, prior to start of novel), homophobia, internalized homophobia, violent homophobia in the form of physical assault

2.5 stars

The reviews on this one are very mixed, and I understand why. My thoughts on this are also mixed. In the beginning, I wasn’t loving it. Mostly, it was just a series of not-for-me type things. The writing and narration weren’t the strongest, and it was very internal monologue heavy (not for me). The romance was also very insta-attraction in the first meeting and first couple interactions, which doesn’t tend to work for me. But then, about 25% in, through about 60-70%, I started to get drawn in and started enjoying myself. And then the ending was one of the worst endings I’ve ever read.
In general, I liked Coley as a main character. I think she had a lot of growth in the book, and I enjoyed it. She was easy to love and easy to root for—and I think that’s where one of my main complaints with the book comes in. She deserved better than her relationship with Sonya. I didn’t hate Sonya, but she had so many issues and internalized homophobia that she never handled, and instead took out on Coley. And unlike Coley, she never showed significant growth. I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be rooting for the main couple in a romance to get together, but I was actively rooting for them to stay apart, grow on their own, and move on.
Prior to the ending, I was going to say that it was a book that, if the song/music video means something to you, you should definitely read it, but if not, you wouldn’t be missing much if you passed on it. After the ending… All I can say is if you really really want to read it, I won’t say not to, but I don’t recommend it.

Now I want to get into the ending, but I can’t do that without spoilers, so read on at your own risk.

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During the last 5% of the book, Coley and Sonya reunite after Sonya freaked out and dropped Coley. Basically, they talk and Sonya is freaking out. She’s dealing with a serious sexuality crisis, and I don’t blame her for it, but she’s saying she wants Coley, but she can’t want her because “wanting her is wrong” and “she can’t be wrong.” She’s clearly fighting with internalized homophobia, but she’s also clearly letting the internalized homophobia win.
Then, the next day, she is looking all sad by the pool at a party and Coley goes to her, and they talk, and it’s still like “I want you but I can’t have you”, but there’s chemistry and they lean in to kiss and OUT OF NOWHERE this guy comes and PHYSICALLY ASSAULTS THEM for kissing. This happens FIVE PAGES before the end of the book. I’m genuinely not kidding, I counted. Coley beats him up (go Coley!) and then starts to leave, because traumatizing, and Sonya chases after her and catches her in the driveway and says “wait no! I love you and I’m gonna do it! I’m going to be with you!” and they kiss and go back to the party. The end. Literally, that’s how it ends. This was definitely the most rushed ending I’ve ever read, and it all came out of nowhere. There was absolutely no time to process, for either the characters or the reader.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books & St Martin Press for an advance copy of this book!

There has been such early buzz for this book and I was very excited to be able to get an early copy of this book.

I had seen early mixed reviews on it so going in I was a little nervous but I thought this book was very enjoyable and such an easy read. It is also at the perfect length for a book coming in at 320 pages.

Coley is a 17 year old girl whose mother passed away and she has to leave her life in California and move to Oregon with her father whom she hasn't seen since she was 3. He encouraged her to go out and try to make friends. After almost getting hit by a car by driver Trenton, she meets Sonya who turned her world upside down.

"That's the thing about falling. Sometimes you crash."

I am not of the queer community but I thought the apprehension and the confusion in your teenage years came across believable. Because while I might not know what it is like to have a crush on the same sex, I do know what it's like to have that first big crush and all the feelings that come with it.

While a big portion of this book was the potential romance between Coley and Sonya, it also deals with Coley's grief and starting a relationship with her dad as well as the complicated teenage years and making friends. I was really more interested in seeing Coley's growth with her estranged father and knowing more about his history and we definitely got a piece of that towards the end.

One thing that I loved was that this took place in the early aughts so the main technology was AIM which took me back to my high school and college days. Also love that LiveJournal got to be spotlighted as that was something I definitely used and wish I still had access to my account.

I have heard that the audiobook is a cast of full characters which Hayley had handpicked in doing the narration.
I am excited to check that out to see how it translates. I think I know how it worked as this is only told primarily from Coley's POV but we get teases in those LiveJournal entries of other voices.

"I could spend my life chasing her."

I had not previously watched the music video where the origin of this story came from until today and I'm glad that I waited because I could definitely see storylines from the video that were also in the book. I also like how Hayley was able to use the font from her single cover to be on this cover and that there is a moment where the two girls are sitting by the pool that mimics the cover. Just a nice full circle moment.

I think this book is a great book for teenagers and those coming of age! But could also be meaningful for those who are still trying to figure themselves out at any age.

To begin, let me just say that I had not watched the Girls Like Girls music video until about halfway through this book when I decided I had to see it immediately. I will say that if you were already a fan of the music video then I think that you're going to like this book a whole lot because it takes that general concept and it expands it, but the beats it hits are the same. There's just a level of emotional devastation in the book that you don't necessarily get in the same way in the music video because you don't know any prior trauma either girl may have.

In the book version, Coley has moved to Oregon to live with her dad who she hadn't seen since she was like, three or something, because her mom died by suicide. Coley is... not dealing with things particularly well, though still far better than I would be in her shoes. Anyway, she winds up almost getting ran over by this douche bag and his ex-girlfriend, Sonya, and her summer starts going in a bit of a different direction. There's a pretty immediate connection between Sonya and Coley, but it's interesting because Sonya is very much the "cool girl" and the most popular girl so Coley pushing back and challenging her is new. As for what Sonya's dealing with, basically it's her mom being awful.

There's a lot of drug and alcohol use for kids in high school. But what really struck me the most about this book is how perfectly it captures 2006, but also holy cow, so much has changed since 2006?? It almost makes this book feel like historical fiction. I'm so curious how young adults who read this book are going to feel about it because it's truly so different. Do you remember AIM away messages? And the way we would all make those messages so targeted at one person... Ah, the nostalgia. Anyways, this book deals a lot with homophobia and it's so interesting because wow, the flashbacks. I don't want to spoil anything, but also, if you want the general vibe, just go watch the music video.

All in all, I would recommend this book, but only if you're okay to be emotionally destroyed. Also, Kiyoko has an interesting writing style that felt very different to most of what I read, so I would recommend trying a sample to make sure you'll get along with the writing. And if you're looking at this book for a young person in your life, I would recommend getting one for you too so you can talk about all the 2006 references with them and how, for love of all that is good and holy, gay is not an insult. You know? Because we just really don't need to go back to that time. We really, really don't.

I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The "Girls Like Girls" is one of the first music videos where I saw me clearly, so I clearly wasn't going to turn down a chance to read the book.

The book shows what happens BEFORE the events in the music video. Coley is new to town and struggling with who she is. She just lost her mom and uprooted her whole life. Now she's dealing with hot and cold feelings from Sonya, her new friend and love interest.

As an a teenager, this would have been exactly the book I needed. It's a journey of self exploration, love, and friendship. However, as an adult, I know the relationship in this book is not what Coley needs. She deserves more.

I loved the friendships in this book and the personal growth. But man am I am mad it still ends the same way as the music video!

3.5/5

I was drawn to this book cause I always liked the Girls like Girls song. It was so filled with teen angst and heartbreak and that pure teen craziness. This book really captures those feelings. It was a teen hormone drinking and drugs filled mess as Coley navigates her way to finding friends and herself in a small town. When I first started reading I had so many Forks Washington Twilight vibes. I found Coley and classic mix of trying to be cool and fit in and also the chip on her shoulder trying to be a badass that needs no one.
I found the character of Sonya the most fascinating. She was a perfect prom queen preppy rich girl but she was a really good and loyal friend. Her feelings for Coley were complicated by her and her moms relationships and how she thought she had to be. You really got to feel her inner most feelings through her journal entries.
Over super good moody teenage love story with great family and great friend dynamic. It was the music video come to life.
Ps it also desperately made me miss My Space and AIM!! Ahh the 2000s.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley for review.

Reading this book was a very middling experience. I felt like there was a lot of processing by the author and main character through out, but by the end I was left disappointed. I appreciate that Coley spent the time to process what her sexuality was throughout the book, but I was really hoping she'd end up somewhere different than with trying again with Sonya (who SUCKS as a love interest). The writing overall was alright, it felt like it dragged a little in the middle 30% and I wish there had been more depth to the friendship between Alex and Coley as it seemed like they were both processing or had processed similar experiences throughout the last few years. I think having Coley be alone in the end would have made for a much better ending, and a more honest one. Overall, I think it's an alright coming of age summer read for those that might be questioning their feelings/sexuality, but the story feels like it could have dug deeper.

Thank you for the ARC copy of this book!

To start I absolutely love this song and have seen the music video tons of times. So I was excited to read a book that was about the music video and song. Personally the writing in the book fell a bit short for me but I still enjoyed the read. I think one component for me is that the writing feels like it may be for a younger audience than myself which I fully understand. I also felt that the ending was a bit rushed. I did think the book covered some of the challenges that young queer women face quite well. It was a quick read for me and I hope others like the book.

For a debut novel & for someone who isn’t an established author, I felt this was written very well. I’d recommend this for older teens and adults only because it deals with heavier content. This book is so honest about how messy, difficult and heartbreaking life can be but it does an amazing job at highlighting how beautiful and how there’s always hope and room to grow as a person.
This book also deals with loss/grief and how it can effect your relationships and emotions, but also shows you how beautiful moving forward and dealing with those emotions can be.

I really wanted to like this one, the premise sounded so promising. Unfortunately the writing is very immature and cringey at times. I just could not get into it.

2.5

This was surprisingly better than I thought it would be. The writing was rocky in the beginning, and got better but also used sentences like "she was not like other girls" on the first page.

Some of the characters and plot lines felt entirely unnecessary. Brooke and her little crush on Trenton had no major role, nor her beef with the main character. The whole Blake plot line felt useless as well. I believe that these could've been used to develop the main characters relationships better.

The Livejournal posts were fun, but for a book targeted to young adults, a lot of which at this point would not have been alive at the time this book was set may not understand certain references such as Livejournal etc. (I know I had to google what AIM was).