I, like so many others who loved the Girls Like Girls music video, was excited to read a book with the extended story! 


Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think I thought it was going to be more lighthearted (that's on me and my expectations) and was not expecting how emotionally heavy this book would be. Once I re-navigated my expectations I found a book that I ultimately really liked that handled challenging topics well. 

The story is the build up to what we see in the Girls like Girls music video, we watch Coley and Sonya navigate their feelings for each other while also each navigating complicated pasts (challenging parent relationships, expectations, and ex-partners).  What I love about this book is that it doesn't shy away from tough emotions, even when its characters might prefer that. You get to see a lot of Coley's familial struggles and struggle with self-love through interactions with her dad. You get to see Sonya's emotions through private Livejournal entries (nostalgia hits hard here for millennials). You get to see them grow and face these challenges.  

Ultimately, I would have loved to see some of the story after the music video. However, I did enjoy the book. I think it did a good job telling the story. So if you are a fan of the music video, of Hayley Kiyoko, or queer YA books I’d recommend picking this book up. 

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you thank you thank you for allowing me to review this book before being published. This has been one of my most anticipated reads since it was announced, I have been itching to read it since then!

Young queers everywhere remember when they saw Hayley Kiyoko's iconic music video for 'Girls Like Girls' when it premiered 7 years ago (I know I did). After the rumor speculating that Kiyoko was going to possibly make the video into a feature film was debunked (tragically) we got the announcement for the book and I have NEVER BEEN HAPPIER!

The storyline, the characters, the nostalgic feeling had my soul crying and smiling at the same time. I don't know if this will make sense but you know that feeling when someone hugs you and says "don't worry, it's going to be okay"? That is the feeling in my head when I finished this book. I do admit, I might be just a tad bit biased, but that's okay. Please read this book!

Like many other lesbians, this music video meant and continues to mean a lot to me, so I was beyond excited for the novel. But while reading, I just didn’t feel any spark here. There’s nothing wrong with the book or the writing, but I still can’t say I loved it.

Still a cool project, but sadly not as satisfying as I hoped it would be…

As a younger teen I was absolutely in love with this song and music video that followed. It made me feel all the feelings I didn't fully admit yet and gives you a voice which is something we've all most likely struggled with when it comes to topics like this. I was super excited to be given a chance to read this book after all these years of listening to it on spotify haha. Now I think this book did what it aimed to do, which was give us a deeper and more evolved background to the two girls Coley and Sonya. It was like you were looking from the sidelines and watching every moment that led up to what happens in the music video. Which I enjoyed, I've always been heavy on the lore when it comes to things. I'm a bit sad that it didn't give us any perspective on how things go AFTER the events we all know from the video. It was a little rushed on the final moments and It's probably due to us knowing it all but I was hoping for a little more there. All in all It was what I wanted and I'm still SOOOO happy that I was able to read it and experience it.

2.5/5 stars

15 years old I was obsessed with the "girls like girls" music video so obviously, I was excited about this book when it was first announced and had great expectations for it but the book disappointed me.

first of all, the characters were not at all likable. Not even the main characters. Coley and Sonya had no personality and it was very hard for me to like them. Sonya's friends were all shitty apart from SJ. She was probably the most likable character in this book.

The dialogues were repetitive a lot of times and a lot of conversations Coley and Sonya had were weird. One second they were at each other throat and the next second they were all lovey-dovey. The whole book felt like it was just made up of random scenes.

The ending of the book is pretty much what happens in the music video. I was hoping it would be more than that but it felt very abrupt and the dialogues were very cringe sometimes.

Overall the book is as good as a Wattpad-level book would be and I wish it was better written.

This book is going to save someone's life.
An unsuspecting teen is going to stumble on this, and feel seen.
I'm tearing up thinking about how whole this book is going to make someone feel.

Exploration in a society that doesn't always allow exportation is terrifying. As with her music, Hayley does a fantastic job at putting all those fears, and first times into words that are just perfect and raw. While I HATED Sonya and was really hoping for a different ending to this one I had to remind myself of their ages. A totally fitting coming of age tale that really hits you right in feels.

Every character is someone that feels real. A person I could have known in high school. The journal entries really take me back to the early 2000's. Such a well developed world build, I instantly felt like I was back in the year 2006. Many of the characters have growth arcs, while some stay stagnant.

You'll love this story if you are questioning, or if you love reading books through different points of views, or if you want to be taking back to that first time that you knew but maybe they didn't. It hits home, and I can't wait for it to be out in the wild changing peoples lives.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this read.

I was not a fan of this book. I thought this writing was bad and so cringy. This writing felt very young. I wanted to like it because I am a fan of Hayley Kiyoko. But I personally think she should stay away from writing books.

I have to start of this review that there is a certain bias here and take this review with a grain of salt as I was in a sort of nostalgic haze while reading this. Overall, I really liked this book. It tackles a lot of serious subjects and I think it did so really well. I was really invested in Coley's storyline trying to connect with her father, and I related a lot to her figuring out her sexuality and coming out. Sonya also had some interesting personal struggles going on but we got very little from her perspective and I just wish we got to see a little bit more of her side of things. That might also solve my issue with the romance. I didn't think it was extremely healthy because both girls had so much going on personally that they were either projecting on the relationship, or they were running away from in the relationship. I feel like we got to see Coley grow from that and actually go into the relationship in a much healthier manor towards the end but Sonya's growth seemed to come completely out of nowhere. If we could have gotten a bit more from her perspective I think we could have seen that growth much, much better and would allow me to like the resolution of the romance more as well. The writing of this book was also quite simple but I actually think that worked really well. I feel like it made for a quick read, but also conveyed the emotions of these girls really well. It felt very stream of conciousness and really transported me back into the mind of teenage me. I especially liked the LiveJournal entries that told Sonya's perspective because they truly felt like a confused teenager's diary. But Coley's internal monologue also just felt very confused teenager and I just really liked it. Even though this wasn't a five star for me I do see myself revisiting this in the future because it was just such personal experience for me. I don't know how to explain it really. I definitely highly recommend this to everyone who spend their questioning years listening to this song on repeat, in love with the music video.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martian’s Press/Wednesday Books for allowing me to read this ARC!

While this book doesn’t have the best writing, I think it perfectly captures the emotions, cringe worth, dramatic moments of being a teenager. This really reminded me of all the crazy, and unnecessary, stuff my friend group got up to in high school. Which makes this book super realistic. This is definitely YA focused writing and character development which is exactly what it is supposed to be. If you are looking for a Sapphic Romance like Delilah Green in this book, then you are completely missing the point. Being a teen, and a teen figuring out their sexuality is always going to be drama filled and messy. Hayley Kiyoko has done a beautiful job at taking her song/music video and turning it into more.

Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was beyond excited when I got the email for this book. I remember being a teenager when Hayley Kiyoko’s music video came out. It was all I listened to/watched for months on end. I was even more excited when I read this book was based on the music video!

Girls Like Girls tells a story that many young queer people face: falling in love in an ignorant town. Coley has gone through a traumatic upbringing when she arrives to the scene, but so has Sonya (in her own way). However, Coley is prepared to ignore the hate she may receive, but golden girl Sonya is too scared to try at first.

I only wish that this story fleshed out its many characters more. I ended the book feeling as though I knew Coley and Sonya, but I desperately wanted to know more about the colorful side cast, like Curtis and Alex. Especially with Alex, we got basically a bomb drop of crazy information on him, just for him to barely show up afterwards. I also wish we had more climax— so much of the story focused only on Coley’s growth but not her actual journey’s end with Sonya until the final pages.

All in all, fans of Hayley Kiyoko and young queer individuals will love this story that brings such a famous video in recent history back to light.

I recognized Hayley from her lemonade mouth days and had no idea that she is now a singer or that this was based on a music video. Overall it was cute, a little too YA for me but I loved the emotions and the representation that it holds. I think this is going to be inspirational and relatable for a lot of people. I hope she writes more in the future

When I heard that Hayley Kiyoko was coming out with a book based on Girls like Girls, I absolutely lost it. I adore the song and its message. I love the music video. It’s been engrained in my brain for years.

I was expecting the story to be set in the 2020s or at least the 2010s but I love that it’s set in the 2000s. I love that we got to see the AIM chats, emails, and texts.

I just want to give Coley a giant hug. I love how she was complex. She had layers. She’s willing to do anything to protect the people she loves. Sonya was even more complex. There were so many moments where she made me so angry and others where I felt bad for her.

This isn’t just a romance, this is a coming-of-age story. Coley is coming to terms with her sexuality and just simply who she is and wants to be.

I absolutely love the LGBTQ+ representation in this. I’m so happy we’re getting more LGBTQ+ inclusive love stories. Especially ones that are full of depth and tug at your heartstrings.

It’s interesting to see more and more celebrities writing fictional novels. I do believe that Kiyoko has a gift for storytelling. Her writing style is poetic and nuanced.

There were times where I had tears streaming down my face from sadness and happiness.

I did find the first 1/4 of the book to be a little slow but other than that I enjoyed it.

This book reads like it was posted on Wattpad, take that as you will. It was fun and cute, I didn't love it but I didn't dislike it either. I think it was a very interesting take on the music video and I can see how they tie together. I love Hayley Kiyoko as a singer, maybe not as an author. If you are looking for a sapphic read to make you a lil emotional, this is it.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! I love the Girls Like Girls by a music video as it is not only a song but a cinematic masterpiece that played a role in my sapphic awakening. Now lesbian Jesus has given us the pleasure of a book based on the same music video I mentioned moments ago. While this book didn't hit the spot for me (which has nothing to do with Hayley Kiyoko's writing, more so to do with I'm not a huge YA person but I HAD to read this because Hayley Kiyoko) I think it could have great potential to become a piece of iconic sapphic literature for younger queer individuals. If this book had been written when I was 13 it would be a definite 5 stars, but at 23 I'm going to rate it 3.5. I do recommend younger individuals read this book as the premise is relatable for many young queer individuals. Is this the healthiest sapphic relationship? No, but moments of it are very real and very raw and there's so many things in this book that I found myself relating to. I am looking forward to seeing what Hayley does in the future!

4.5 stars rounded up - lovely debut novel by Hayley Kiyoko. I love the "Girls Like Girls" music video and was excited to see she was writing a book expanding on the storyline and thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley I got my hands on the arc!

I didn't expect Coley to have such a big backstory and growth arc, but loved that they both were written to have character growth both together and separately. This wasn't a perfect book by any means, but I feel it will be a really important read for younger people and I still fell in love with it. The pacing was a bit off, some parts were really descriptive and then others breezed through weeks at a time, but the detailed bits were really well written. I would have loved to see more description/development from the side characters, as some were there throughout the whole book but you don't get much more than a name and a small glimpse into their personalities, and I know you can't give every single character as much as the MC's, but it was an odd balance that I noticed. Coley's dad was a really good character, toeing the line of how much of a role Coley was allowing him to have in her life, and I wish we saw some more of that relationship at the end. The end of the story was great but it happened so fast, I wish it weren't so rushed and we got some more, but maybe that just means book two is brewing! We can only hope after that ending. For a YA book, I think this is going to be a really sought after read for the youth, especially queer youth, this year!

Super interested to see if Hayley continues this story or just seeing more from her in this writing world, I'll definitely be on the lookout for more from her!

I was so happy to get an ARC of Girls Like Girls from NetGalley! I love Hayley Kiyoko. I thought this book was so, so sweet and a great read for this time of year! I'm so glad she's dipped her toes into writing books and I wish this book had existed when I was in high school. We are absolutely getting it for our library when it comes out, I think it will mean a lot to its readers.

Hayley Kiyoko can do it all! This book was SO GOOD.

It captured the feeling of being a teen knowing that you are expected to be one way but knowing that you have to follow your heart. How one person can enter your life and have you questioning everything you've ever known about yourself and wake up desires you buried deep inside.

CW - grief, suicide, parent death, emotional/physical abuse

I requested this book because I’m starting to really like contemporary romance and trying to expand myself within the genre, however this one was a huge miss for me.

Now I didn’t know any of this until after I finished the book, but apparently Hayley Kiyoko is an actress and singer, and the book is based off of a music video for her song “Girls Like Girls” which is a super cute concept, but you can tell it is her first book.

Coley is not a super likebale character – she starts off by talking about how she’s not like other girls: but not in the way boys mean it, and then talks how she’s not like other girls because she’s sad and moody and likes girls not boys. *eye roll*

This book is set in the summer of 2006 and it’s very obviously so, Sonya uses a LiveJournal to blog her summer, they speak on AIM everyday, and yet somehow the small town homophobia is set in the early 1990s.

Now I grew up in the suburbs of a major city, so my teenage years in 2006 were way different than those of a small town, but the way characters responded to the lgbtq characters just felt off to me. They just really seemed to ramp up the homophobia for ~plot reasons~ and I was not a fan.

This was also a very character driven story which is fine, not always my thing personally but it helps if the characters are likable. I despised Sonya, almost all her friends except SJ and the side character Faith.

I just felt like neither love interest had much of a personality outside of each other and like one hobby.

Overall this book just wasn’t my vibe, it was predictable and too character focused for my liking, and you can tell it was a first book. I do hope Kiyoko continues to write though and I’m curious to see what she does in the future.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. A book based on a music video what more do I need to say this was the perfect book I didn’t know I needed.

The deal: A queer little YA romcom from Hayley Kiyoko. Yes, THAT Hayley Kiyoko. I got an ARC from NetGalley.

Is it worth it?: The tropes are out (obviously), it’s set in a dripping-with-nostalgia-version of 2006 (Kiyoko knew exactly who she was writing this for), but if you detest the kind of queer plot where the main tension is “repetitive back and forth over one of the leads not being out yet,” this is not for you. That being said, either Kiyoko hired a really exceptional ghostwriter, or she could leave music and do this full-time if she ever wanted to. Whole thing felt pretty effortless to me.

Pairs well with: Kiyoko’s songs/videos for “Girls Like Girls” (this book is based on it) and “For The Girls” (just because)

B-