Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the opportunity to read this ARC prior to release. Also, thank you to Zoraida Cordova for such a wonderful book!

The Meant to Be series has been a beautiful, romantic, and lovely ride. I will 100% say That "Kiss the Girl" is by far the best of the entire series. While, "If the Shoe Fits" had such a fun and amazing premise and "By the Book" was slow burn, KISS THE GIRL had me from the beginning! The falling in love the first night and how Ariel/Melody and Eric's relationship evolves throughout that first evening! I just can't even get over the BEST FIRST DATE EVER!

Zoraida Codova has captured the beauty and essence of a true modern fairytale. I am recommending this book to anyone and everyone who needs a sweet romance...strangers to lovers...rock star love! It is all the greatness that a true romance novel needs.

I just reviewed Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova. #KisstheGirl #NetGalley

First off, this is an excellent and ingenious retelling of The Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid story, both the original fairy tale and the Disney version, are, in my opinion, deeply problematic. None of those elements are present here. The style of writing is also fun and different- two POVs plus Instagram, Twitter, and blog posts that are relevant to the story and make sense with who the characters are.
Ariel Del Mar has been part of the all-girl family pop group Siren Seven for her entire life. Now in her mid-twenties, the band has met their obligations with their controlling, record label owning father and can do what they choose. Except their father does not intend to let Ariel go. After a chance meeting with singer and dreamboat Eric Reyes and his band Starcrossed, Ariel (going by her first name Melody) joins their band on their tour as their merch person. Her and Eric slowly fall in love but he doesn’t know who she really is. Will he still want to be with her once he finds out that she’s Ariel Del Mar and that her ruthless father will stop at nothing to get her back under his control?

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for a review.
I requested this book because of the cover but I stayed for the plot! I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more by this author!

A fun, swoony retelling of a classic tale. The characters felt fresh, developed, and interesting. I was rooting for their romance and happy ending from the start. I love this series and think Córdova is a wonderful addition to canon. Highly recommended!

I love the meant to be series and this one is a little mermaid story and it's a fun retailing in real life ways and I really enjoyed the book thanks for letting me read

3.5*
Retelling ones favourite childhood Disney movie is a challenge. It sets the bar and it sets it high, but Córdova is up for it. Ariel might not have been a mermaid in this version, but a superstar might be just as magical. So it is more than fitting that the prince charming that gives her a place in the land of the normal people is an up and coming charmer. A rising star singer with the same passions that she has, with the same difficult family history. But hey, if he doesn't know that you're actually a superstar because you usually wear a wig, does that count?

It was a very smart way of telling the story little me watched a million times over on the screen. Córdova was up for the task. Her writing is quick and quickwitted. The prose was mercilessly funny and it upped the romance in the best possible way. The instant-love between Eric and Melody/Ariel also worked and that's not an easy feat. I loved the way some of the sidecharacters were reincarnated (the poisson blue took me too long to get). The only remark I have was that some of the foreshadowing felt a little repetitive at times and that the ending was a bit too quick. A little bit more air at the end might've given it more weight. But hey, I'm not complaining, because it adds up.

If this book is an indication of anything, than it is the fact that Córdova gets my permission to rewrite all of my favourite childhood stories into cute YA romance novels. I trust her with all of them.

I loved this "meant to be" series the moment it started so far it has not disappointed! Before I get started in earnest, Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers: Hyperion Avenue. So this one is based on the little mermaid and if you are a millennial like me you grew up with Ariel. This was full of little nuggets for fans to find. The love story was cute and I loved the whole story line.

I loved this book! The Little Mermaid was my favorite Disney movie as a kid, so this retelling was right up my alley.

Fresh off the Siren Seven farewell tour, Ariel del Mar sheds her pop sensation persona to join up and coming band Star Crossed as their merch jockey on their first national tour. It was love at first sight with lead man Eric Reyes, but they've both been warned to stay away from each other and not compromise the tour. With elements of Hannah Montana and She's All That, Kiss the Girl is a super fun retelling full of Easter eggs for fans of the Disney classic.

Siren Seven has just wrapped up their farewell concert tour, and Ariel del Mar, youngest of the seven sisters, wants to take a break. Unfortunately, her father (the group's manager) has lined up a solo album for her, and she feels pressured to do it so that her sisters can follow their own dreams. But when Ariel sneaks out in disguise one night to catch the Battle of the Bands and the up-and-coming StarCrossed band, she runs down a thief trying to steal the guitar of StarCrossed's front man, Eric Reyes -- and ends up catching Eric's eye. After the concert, they spend the night walking around New York City, enjoying each other's company, and since Eric doesn't want to leave her, he offers her a spot on his band's national tour, leaving the next morning. When Ariel returns home at last, late for the big announcement about her solo career, she ends up fighting with her father, packing her bags, and leaving -- just in time to join Eric's tour.

This homage to Disney's "The Little Mermaid" (in the Meant to Be series) offers plenty of nods and winks to the movie but ultimately delivers a more mature and less problematic romance. Ariel, 25, has spent 15 years in her family's musical empire, and while she loved the music and the fans, she also knows there's something else she would rather do and wants the chance to explore it -- if only she could feel less pressured to look out for her sisters. Her sisters are a regular presence throughout the story, even if only through the group chat, and their total support helps Ariel follow her own dream. Eric has Prince Charming vibes from the start, but he, too, has family issues he has to work through in order to become his best self. And while he knows he falls in love too easily, he can see from the start that Ariel is someone he can connect with more deeply.

Great side characters, too, like Eric's bandmates and manager, the bus driver Oz, and even some of the people they meet on tour. The happily-ever-after is well worked through (they have a number of issues to address and do so with care). Overall, it's a fun but grown-up update to a childhood favorite. 4 stars.

Thank you, Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

I have really enjoyed the meant to be series and look forward to new publications every year. I loved the diversity of story lines and characters that the unique authors are able to develop. However, while I enjoyed this book, at times I found it forced. It felt as if the connections to "The Little Mermaid" were not as subtle as they had been in previous installments.

Still, with that being said, I really enjoyed this novel. I loved the complexity of both Eric and Ariel and how falling in love wasn't as simple as they thought it should be. It made me reflect on my own parents and the parenting I am doing to my children and how I'd want them to see me when they grow up.

This is definitely a book that needs to be added to your beach bag this summer.

I know, I always say I’m not a romance, lover, and I’m not a big romcom watcher, but man these books get me every time! I don’t know whether it’s the connection to the fairytales and Disney movies, or the creative way that these writers manage to weave those stories and do something that sounds and feels more modern, but I love all three that I’ve read so far. In this a little mermaid retelling, Ariel and her sisters are pop stars , the biggest girl group in the world, but when she wants to break away from her tyrannical father, she runs right into the arms of Eric, an up-and-coming musician. But in order to be with him, she has to be somebody else, or maybe just who she was always meant to be, but who knows if their love will work when they find out who each other are really are. Zoraida Cordova is a favorite author of mine, and so I knew that this story was going to be a favorite. It is a great read, fun and light hearted, but completely engaging and grossing.

Loved the cover and the title! The story was really cute and I enjoyed the characters and their development.

Such a fun and cute read that I really enjoyed. I loved the main characters and the story was super entertaining.
I want to thank NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fresh and heartwarming retelling of The Little Mermaid. Love this series and how it brings the Disney Princess stories to the modern day

I usually stick to YA and MG because my goal is to promote diverse lit to teachers, but I will read anything by and everything by Zoraida Cordova! I actually thought this reimagined Latine Little Mermaid rom-com was a YA book because it’s published by Disney. I still think it is more than appropriate for high schoolers who grew up with Ariel plastered on everything. Cordova has added lots of fun little tidbits for true fans to enjoy.