As someone who was an avid listener of the Girls Like Girls music video, this was perfect! I sped through it in a day because I could not put it down!

Considering that this is Kiyoko's debut novel, and she does not have a background in novel writing, the style was impressive. Parts of it were redundant, but I think it added to the reader's experience of what it is like to be inside the mind of someone questioning.

On that note, it was the perfect 'prequel' (to be clear, that is what this is) to the events of the music video. It elaborated on the story we only received pieces of and the end result was compelling. It was not the storyline I was expecting going into this but, after reading it, I do not think any other story timeframe would have had the same effect.

Overall, the book made me feel understood in both Coley's confusion and Sonya's denial. It is a fast and easy read, but that does not make it any less important. After growing up with the music video and now seeing this story come full circle so many years later, I can say that reading this was healing.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the eGalley of this book, in exchange for my honest thoughts!
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I was so intrigued to read this once I found out the premise was based on Hayley's music video for the song of the same title. What a cool concept to expand art from one format to another!

This is a light fun read. It reads for a younger YA audience, and I think it would be perfect for younger queer teens who are finding themselves and coming into their own. The storyline was easy to follow and it had a very sweet ending; however, I at times felt it was lacking some emotional depth in some of the characters. They're dealing with somewhat heavier topics: identity and what it means to love. At times, it felt a little light or glossed over. Some conversational prose felt clunky or forced. I think those are the moments that pulled me out of the story, like, is this really how teens talk? I think with a bit of polishing, it could stand to be a stronger novel overall.

With that said, I'm excited to see if Hayley decides to keep writing more novels. Her instincts for storytelling are great and I'm pleased to see an icon in the queer world on my bookshelf.

Thank you so much to Rivka Holler of St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books, and NetGalley!

🎶Saw your face, heard your name/Gotta get with you🎶

I wasn't perpetually online when Girls Like Girls came out. But I watched the music video, and remember being in awe that Hayley Kiyoko, a former Disney star, did *that*. I remember when I had more time, endlessly watching the video over and over again , unable to pull my eyes from it. I was about nineteen, and already knew I was somewhere on the girl-liking spectrum. The Supreme Court of the United States was in the process of releasing their decision on same-gender marriage when the song came out two days before, and the music video followed in August. It's sort of a question, in my internet circles-- where were you when Girls Like Girls came out? Had you known? Did you expect it to be that gay? How did it hit you?

As soon as I heard there was a book coming out, it went on my to-read list. I knew that book, no matter what, could not hold up to those golden queer memories of the song-- how could it, when Girls Like Girls was such a monumental change? Proudly gay on the radio, with or without music video, or any statement from the singer to explain the queercoding. It was the All The Things She said for those just young enough to have missed the controversy.

Hayley Kiyoko knew the nostalgia she was tapping. Rather than replicate it completely, she went in a different direction: setting her book in 2006. Livejournal, rather than tumblr or other microblogging websites, is the primary source of journaling here, to capture the feeling of the half-lonesomeness and fear. While i knew I was judging Sonya harshly for some of her actions and her behaviors--- it was 2006. Sonya in 2006 would not have the same confidence or hope as Sonya might have even nine years later. Sonya's private entries capture her feelings, confusion, anger, desperation, and are, of course, perfectly matched to the song. It makes Sonya feel all the more real, how much more pain vibrated off the page. It would definitely be an excellent playlist!

Some tropes are unavoidable, particularly in a first book. Coley is the uniquely-named newcomer to the town, with her acquaintances unsure of even what it stands for. She's bold, bright, and insightful in a way that feels pulled directly from the movies of the time. But don't we deserve that too?
Moreover, while there's a bit of Not Like Other Girls directly addressed-- Coley says she's different solely because her mom is dead, and disagrees with the trope itself, Coley is still Special, able to cut through the bullshit and social excuses and patternings that Sonya and her friends have. Still, then again, she's a teen lesbian who is comfortable liking girls in 2006-- in essence, she can't be like most girls.

Trenton of course, is an asshole, and stays worse. I feel that the book becomes a bit too messy? around three-quarters of the way through, in the same way it ended things. It could have been a cut sideplot, but at the same time I wonder-- there's references to some other songs sprinkled in-- was this one too? Whenever I considered doubts for the story, all I had to do was rewatch the music video, and consider Stefanie Scott's cool, level gaze.

In case you're wondering, yes: the boyfriend's an asshole and he's worse. Yes, there's the scene and it matches perfectly. yes, the nostalgia is incredible.

This kind of missed the mark for me.

The story is definitely closer to a coming-of-age contemporary with a romantic side plot and should absolutely be marketed as such to set expectations from the get-go.

One of the big issues with first-person writing is that every awkward sentence becomes so much more tangible and noticeable. A lot of my issues, mainly Coley's voice, would have been a lot better if the writing wasn't in first person and the story was being told through an up-close third person voice. Raw, vulnerable moments were ruined by messy writing, awkward prose & sentiment that felt poorly communicated due to the POV.

It has the potential of a really great story and I know it will definitely speak to some younger queer audiences in a great way, but with some polishing I think it could be great.

I wanted to like this more than I did. It’s definitely more coming of age than romance but I kinda liked that. Much heavier than I was expecting. It’s messy and relatable but the ending was way to abrupt and rushed for me.

Thank you Wednesday book for sending me a digital arc of girls like girls!

Seeing Hayley Kiyoko’s music video for Girls Like Girls for the first time years ago gave me all the feels and now we finally have a backstory!

Seventeen-year-old Coley has moved to a small town in Oregon to live with her father after her mother’s death. Over the course of the summer Coley meets and falls in love with Sonya - a rich girl who is afraid of what her friends and family will think if she’s with Coley. It is only after Sonya pushes Coley away, breaking both of their hearts, that the girls see what they could have together.

While I did not feel a strong connection with Coley, I thought the character was complex and well-developed. I wish that we had gotten a bit more of Sonya’s perspective as her character resonated a bit more with me, but I loved the choice to use blog entries to convey her thoughts.

Overall, I thought this was a great debut from Hayley Kiyoko!

"I don't even know how to breathe or the name of this feeling. All I know is I want to be breathless forever, if it's like this."

When Coley moves out to live with her estranged father after losing her mother, she was just looking to get by. But when she meets Sonya, everything changes. Suddenly she's wondering if she's good enough to be with her. And wondering why Sonya is resisting the feeling between them.

_____________________

I loved the GLG music video, and am a huge Hayley Kiyoko fan! A fun concept turning the music video into its own book.

I wish I enjoyed reading this more. There was a lot of pain and sadness, from both characters, and it felt really heavy, with not enough deep diving into it. The book gave a lot of young, first, instant love energy. I really didn't care for the way Sonya treated Coley, regardless of her struggles. I felt for her, but it wasn't fair to Coley. I wish we got more of Sonya and Coley exploring their feelings, or even just better communication between them in any capacity. I think for the length of this book, and all the issues they both had, there wasn't enough resolution at the end.

This book is definitely something that would have translated better in a novella type story where it could focus on their relationship and they internal struggles of coming out. I think it's a great read though for teens and I always love a LGBQTIA+ story. I recommend readers look for tw/cw before reading because there are a lot of heavier topics.

I am very excited to see if Hayley will continue to write. I would love to see how her writing and story telling improves, because she definitely has stories to share with the world.

Thank you Netgalley, Haley Kiyoko, and St. Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

- 3 stars

This is a a funny and heartwarming coming-of-age novel that is perfect for young adult readers. I loved the premise, but I think that basis on the original music video holds the novel back a bit. I'll also add, the audience this book is intended for probably never watched the original source material. Overall, I enjoyed this.

This is a story of young women finding themselves. Coley is stuck in small town Oregon with a father she does not really know or want to know. Coley is angry at her mother for abandoning her. She knows it was the pain and mental illness that led her mother to make an irreversible decision. However, that does not make the loss any less painful.

After nearly getting run over by a car, Coley meets some of the local teens. It is not the most auspicious start, especially as one of the guys, Trenton, is a jerk and bully. However, Sonya takes her breathe away. She wants to keep spending time with her, and maybe more, but has to keep those feelings hidden, as she is not sure how Sonya feels. Sonya enjoys being with Coley, who challenges her and seems to "see" her for who she is and could be, not just the persona everyone expects. The friendship will progress into possibly something more before Sonya reverses course and potentially ruins everything. "Liking" girls is not something that Sonya ever imagined for herself, and not something she can handle -- the potential costs seem too great.

I did not really care for the ending. I am glad that Sonya was finally able to admit her feelings for Coley, but it came about too suddenly. I also would have liked to see SJ play a more prominent role. The initial impressions of SJ are not the most favorable, but as the book progresses, it seems like SJ might be the most decent person among this group of teens.

Final Rating:: 3 stars
I wanted to love this book SO BAD, But unfortunately, it was just okay. Based around Hayley Kiyoko's "Girls like Girls" music video: this book is about a 17 year old girl (Coley) who has to move in with her estranged. father after her mother's suicide. Her first day wandering about she meets this group of teens that she befriends. Among those teens is Sonya, our LI, who proceeds to treat Coley terribly (at least in my opinion).

Honestly, I didn't jive with the writing style either, this really just felt like a jumbled mess (particularly towards the end) I really think this would make a better movie than it did a book.

To start, thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC! I was so excited for this book and it did not disappoint. Hayley Kiyoko is known for her songwriting and frankly, for being lesbian Jesus (haha). I wasn’t truly sure what to expect going into this, but Kiyoko really knocked it out of the park. This story is the perfect extension of the Girls Like Girls music video. The video itself had a massive impact on me as a bisexual teenager and I think this book will do the same for a new generation of lgbtq people. Kiyoko gives us the perfect mix of softness and tragedy in a coming of age story that gets you hooked. She truly gets across the almost shame and embarrassment of being a closeted lgbt teenager while counteracting that with these tender moments that leave you wanting more. Kiyoko puts forth a taut wire of desire here. The ache that comes from sleeping next to, interacting with, and even just sitting near the person you want more than anything. She so perfectly represents the feeling of being undone by someone, the feeling of never knowing if you’re doing things the right way. I highly recommend this story as well as a music video rewatch!

I liked this book for what it was. A Teen-YA queer love story based on the song Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko. But it wasn't much more than that for me.

It follows Caley after she moves to middle-of-no-where Oregon, to live with her dad who she hasn't seen since she was three. It's the summer before her senior year and she is not loving her life. She meets Sonya and her friend group and quickly gets sucked into her "friendship" with Sonya...

It's a cute story, but I feel like it wasn't fully fleshed out. It seemed like it was thrown together quickly, especially the ending. It was so rushed and I really wish I could have seen more happen after the vig conflict. It leaves the reader feeling like they need more to really end than story. Like a cliffhanger but not. Just too abrupt.

It was good for what it was and I enjoyed it for what it was.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. ✨️

This was a fun little queer love story with just the right amount of drama and a cute ending. I really enjoyed the characterizations of Coley and Sonya.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

I love Hayley Kiyoko so it was a given that I would buy her book. This was a super quick read but very cute. It was honestly a 5star until about the last 10% which felt very rushed and closed the loose ends a little quicker than I anticipated. When I got to the last page, I was really wanting an epilogue or something. I do wish we saw more of Sonya’s actual coming out. Otherwise this was super cute and sweet! I really liked the growth Coley showed. I’ll definitely read more by Hayley Kiyoko!!

Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko is a heartbreaking but truthful look on what it means to be a member of the LGBT+ community in a small town. Some people make downright derogatory comments disguised as jokes, some people drown their feelings in drugs and alcohol and some people, like our main character Coley, just exist.

Coley isn't a lesbian in a small town, she's a girl who is stuck with her estranged father after the sudden death of her mother who is just trying to fit in and she happens to like girls.

Sonya has been dancing since she was little, training for hours and scrutinizing her body and just trying to fit into societal norms. And she likes girls.

The way Sonya and Coley's relationship goes from friends, to lovers, to hurt by each other to lovers again is heartbreakingly poignant and one of the most accurate depictions of young love I have ever seen and if Hayley Kiyoko continues to write Young Adult novels, I will be first in line to check them out.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!! I actually cannot believe that I GOT AN ARC OF HAYLEY KIYOKO"S BOOK. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH
This book is a solid 4.5 stars for me!

I’ll start off with the one thing I didn’t like, which was Coley in the beginning of the book. She was just annoying, and it made it a little hard to get into the book. I also wish Sonya’s struggle with her sexuality was shown as more of a central plot point. I suppose it was a central plot point, but it seems like every time it was brought up it was in relation to Coley.

Now that I’ve gotten that over with, I only have good things to say! The characters are written really well, and I definitely cared about all of them! I feel like Alex should get his own spin-off book!!

I loved that this book, while having some stressful points, wasn’t super stressful to read! Overall, definitely read this book!!!!

I was really excited when I learned that Hayley Kiyoko was writing a book based on her Girls Like Girls music video. The book expands the story of Coley and Sonya, explaining why Coley is new in town, how they became friends, and how their feelings for one another developed. However, I was hoping that the ending would go farther with showing their story beyond the music video.

Something that I enjoyed, but I’m not sure how it’ll resonate with the target YA audience, is that the book is set in 2006. I was in high school in 2006, so the characters talking to each other on AIM and seeing Sonya’s private LiveJournal entries felt nostalgic for me. I think that Hayley does a good job at having the story feel like it’s set in that time period without relying on using pop culture references. Coley’s backstory of having to move in with a dad she barely knows after her mom dies adds a lot of depth to the story. Also, Sonya’s complicated feelings about her own mother fleshed out her character.

However, I did end up feeling like this didn’t fully flow as a complete narrative. At times it seemed more like a collection of scenes than a book. Also, a lot of the scenes ended up feeling repetitive and like they were all accomplishing the same thing for the overall story. The ending was also pretty rushed. I wanted to spend more time with them after the final conflict.

While I didn’t love this book as much as I wanted to, I did still enjoy reading it. I think it did a good job at sensitively covering difficult topics and showing the feelings and fears of these two girls. If you’re a fan of queer YA books or the music video I’d recommend checking this book out. It’s a breezy read even though it has some more serious moments.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for allowing me to read this book.

Girls like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko is everything I ever imagined it would. The song itself was such an important cultural moment, but I digress. The book is told by Coley and Sonya. Although, Sonya's perspective is seen through text messages, emails, and diary entries. I just have to say this was such a unique way of telling the story. I loved it. Both characters are struggling with their identities and where they fit in society. On top of that Coley is dealing with grief and moving to a new place. If you are not a fan of angst and drama this book is probably not for you; however, I think the angst and drama play an important role in the story. Girls like Girls is going to be one of those books everyone needs to read because it deals with such serious topics.

Please check out content warnings before reading.

A review will be published on Instagram on April 22, 2023 at 3:00pm @abookwormsgarden

I'm a huge fan of Hayley’s music, so I was so excited to see what she could do with this book, and I'm happy to say I had such a great time with it! It broke my heart and gave me a big hug all at once. A really fun YA romance! And I absolutely loved reading about Coley’s relationship with her father and her friends outside of Sonya.

It’s also filled with fun easter eggs about Hayley’s music that any fan of hers will appreciate!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the ebook in exchange for a review!

Hayley Kiyoko's Girls Like Girls music video literally changed the trajectory of my life when I was eleven/twelve. When she announced this book I was so excited and when I got an early copy of it, I was even more excited.

The story starts with seventeen year-old Coley having just moved in with her dad who she hasn't seen since she was three because her mom just killed herself. Not only is she dealing with the grief of her mom's sudden and unexpected death, but she is also dealing with moving to a new town to live with her dad that she hasn't seen for years and that she harbors resentment for for leaving her and her mom.

She is biking around town one day and gets hit by a car. The driver is a guy her age, Trenton, who is pretty insensitive about him hitting her with his car, but he is with a girl who also comes out of the car and shows concern for her. This girl turns out to be Sonya, who Coley is immediately smitten with. Coley is annoyed at Trenton and embarrassed so she walks into the arcade across the street. Sonya and Trenton walk in and meet their other friends: Alex, SJ, and Brooke. Trenton is bothering Coley and he and Sonya recount the story of their meeting to their other friends and Sonya invites Coley to go with them to hang out at the lake nearby.

At the lake, Alex is the only one that is friendly with her and Trenton picks her up and starts walking to the lake, she gets really annoyed and stomps away from them soaking wet. Sonya calls after her and is confused and flabbergasted that Coley is annoyed with her and her friends, particularly Trenton.

A few days later, Sonya shows up at Coley's house because Coley had mentioned the street she lived on the day they met. They end up hanging out that day and then most days after that. Sonya invites her to a party with her and her other friends. She agrees to go but does not really have a great time. Her and Sonya have been having these moments over the two weeks they've been hanging out where Coley is sure that she returns her feelings, but at this party Sonya dances with Trenton, Coley has since learned that they used to date. The cops show up at the party and to escape them, Coley leads them to a ditch that ends up being filled with poison oak. Trenton gets so mad at Coley, like unreasonably angry. Sonya tells Coley that she has lotion to treat poison oak at her house and she can shower there and sleep over. They strip down Sonya's bathroom an help each other rub the lotion on each other's shoulders. And then in bed, Sonya falls asleep and cuddles with her.

About a week later, Sonya and Coley are hanging out and then they make out but then Sonya freaks out and runs away. At a party after that, Sonya is acting weird around her and Coley is trying to get her to talk to her about it, but Sonya is being really rude.

A week later, Sonya leaves for dance camp while Coley is heartbroken about the way she treated her and denied their connection and it really sad and moping around. Her dad approaches her and tells her he is concerned, especially considering her moms history. Coley starts hanging out with this girl named Blake and start making out. One night when they're hanging out, Blake runs out of weed and is like "it's okay, my kind of gay ex that got me pregnant and then paid for half of the abortion has weed.".........okay girl. They drive to his house and Blake breaks in while Coley is in the car and we find out that Alex is her ex and he approaches her car with a bat and Trenton in tow. Alex and Trenton try to capture Blake but Blake gets away and then they drive away. Coley is justifiably freaked out and Blake calls her a bitch and then kicks her out of her car. Hysterically crying, Coley calls her to dad to pick her up.

After that night, Coley and her dad have a nice talk and their relationship starts to improve and Coley gets a job at a local restaurant and starts to heal. When Coley is in a good place, who shows up at her workplace but Sonya. Coley agrees to talk to her and Sonya basically just insults her again while simultaneously confessing her love and Coley tells her she doesn't want to be with her.

The last chapter is basically what I was waiting for this entire book without even knowing it. Even though I haven't seen the music video since I was twelve, it is literally burned into my brain. I could literally be dementia-ridden and on my death bed and this music video would be playing in my mind. SJ invites Coley to a party saying that Sonya has been sad since they stopped being friends and she would appreciate it, so she shows up. As she's about to leave, she sees Sonya sitting at the edge of her pool and goes to sit down beside her. As they're about to kiss, Sonya screams her name as Coley feels a sharp pain in the back of her head. And then the climax scene from the music video plays out. The book ends with Sonya saying that she wants to be with Coley and Coley agrees and then they kiss.

I enjoyed this book and Coley as a character, but I felt like her, Sonya, and Curtis were the only well-developed characters that didn't feel one dimensional. Trenton was your stereotypical controlling, homophobic douchebag, Alex and Blake were stoners, and SJ and Brooke felt like very forgettable side characters. The fact that this is a debut novel shows, but if she were to write another book, I have hope that it would be better.

I did not like Sonya as a character and was disappointed they ended up together. Sonya was obviously dealing with self-loathing surrounding her sexuality. I honestly didn't care for her chapters where we would see her LiveJournal posts and her drafted emails to Coley. Trenton's character was supposed to be pure evil that we were supposed to hate, so it made no sense when all of the other character's were defending him to Coley, and yet we were also supposed to like these characters. He literally called Coley a slur at one point, on top of all of his other behavior, yet Sonya and Alex continued to stand by him and be his friend. It would make sense if Sonya and/or Alex told her that they've known each other since they were kids and since they're graduating in less than a year, it's easier for them to just put up with him until they all go their separate ways instead of expressing their feelings to him and dealing with the fallout.

I think the book should've ended with them parting amicably and on good terms, but both understanding that they're at different places in their lives and their journeys and a relationship would not work out.