This is really cute! I put it on order for a few customers already who wanted a lighthearted and cute romantic read.

Light hearted story of girl who's never been kissed and who is going to be her first kiss. Love the grumpy tutor who happens to have a golden retriever brother. Cute story so far looking forward to see where this is going!

The Kiss Bet was such a fun read! Volume One had me hooked with its charming mix of high school drama, romance, and humor. At first, I was all in for Sara and Patrick, but now? I’m torn between Patrick and Oliver! The love triangle adds just the right amount of chaos.

The art is absolutely gorgeous—vibrant, expressive, and full of that signature Webtoon charm. Sara is super relatable, navigating love, friendship, and high school awkwardness. Her first kiss dilemma is both hilarious and heartwarming, though I wish the bet itself played a bigger role.

There are some classic teen cringe moments, and the pacing slows at times, but overall, it’s a sweet and entertaining story. If you love lighthearted romance with K-Drama vibes, The Kiss Bet is definitely worth checking out! 💖

4.5/5 Stars, rounded up to 5/5!!

This was a phenomenal first volume. This first volume covers chapters 1-18 of the Webtoon.
It felt nostalgic to dive into this series as I was reminded of the teenage drama I went through growing up. Some not so nice to be reminded of but others made me laugh and I found myself relating to Sara and what she was going through. The art style is similar to others on Webtoon, but was so vibrant and colorful that it stood out, and has me running to Webtoon read more about not only Sara and Patrick, but their interactions with Joe and Oliver too!

Thank you to Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

This was a fun, quick read. Poor Sara Lin couldn't get herself together. The banter in this book was so reminiscent of being in high school and how indecisive we were. The tension between Patrick and Sara is so "Best friends that secretly like each other but don't know it yet." everyone else around them sees it but them, and the fact that "subway boy" turned out to not only be her neighbor, but her math tutor as well was genius!

The soft love triangle is fitting for high school kids, and the cliffhanger ending was great because what now?!?

I am interested in reading the second installment of this graphic novel. I am now invested in Sara Lin's journey. Will she be successful in her mission? How will the festival turn out?

Thank you, Netgalley, Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group | WEBTOON Unscrolled, and Ingrid Ochoa for the ARC of The Kiss Bet Volume One.

Eh, this wasn't very interesting. The story struggled to keep my intention, the characters read far younger than they were, and none of the plot really moves forward. A miss for me.

Heat Factor: The whole thing starts because Sara’s never kissed anyone, and that doesn’t change

Character Chemistry: There are a lot of angsty avoidant teenage feelings so far

Plot: Sara is so embarrassed by everything that she doesn’t try for anything she wants, and the crush, the best friend, and the tutor who thinks she’s a weirdo all have different experiences with her indecisiveness

Overall: I mean, it’s really cute.

There’s plenty of set up to The Kiss Bet to draw this series out for quite a few volumes. Sara’s bestie, Patrick, is giving her a hard time about never having had her first kiss one evening at the train station, and the first bet is made: Patrick bets Sara fifty bucks that she wouldn’t go up to this guy sitting on the train platform and ask him to kiss her. And she does.

Technically that’s the bet, so I think she won it, because she did ask, but she and Patrick feel like she lost it because the guy said no, called her a weirdo, and she ran away, still unkissed. I feel like the guy’s response was reasonable, so not really sure what Sara and Patrick were expecting.

Anyway, not only does Sara give Patrick fifty bucks, Patrick also tells a bunch of people at school about the bet and how poorly it turned out, so Sara’s just dying of embarrassment. She’s also not a great student (at least in math), but luckily there’s a new student who tutors Calculus.

I know what you’re thinking…

BUT YOU’RE WRONG!

The new student who comes into Sara and Patrick’s classes is named Joe, and he’s a total dreamboat. Everybody’s crushing on him. Sara couldn’t possibly talk to him like a normal person.

But, okay, misdirection, Sara’s tutor isn’t Joe, it’s Oliver. Oliver is, in fact, the guy from the train station. And, fun fact, Sara finds out that Oliver lives across the hall from her very own apartment. Poor Sara. She’s just a teenage girl who needs some confidence.

These teenagers are having plenty of teenager issues, from divorced parent woes to jockeying for social status at the school newspaper. It’s a little bit over the top, but it’s also playful and sweet.

The illustrations are also adorable. (Seriously, their noses are just these squirty little cute, boopable noses.) And they’re very much in keeping with the tone of the high school drama (romance?).

I think I’ll keep going with this one if the publishers will let me!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

Thank you to NetGalley and Webtoon Unscrolled for providing the ARC.

I am so happy to see that one of my favorite Webtoons is getting a physical publication. I have been following this one since the beginning and it is an adorable and fun romp through high school shenanigans. I love the updated art work and the fact that Ingrid's storytelling ability shines through her work. This comic is not one to be missed and I can't wait to see more!

I enjoyed the art style In this book, especially the different characters. Sara annoyed me a little bit, but I enjoyed her interactions with the different characters and can’t wait to see her interact with them more. I would love to see more of Tammy and Vicky as well!

Sara Lin, a senior in high school, just turned 18 years old and she’s never been kissed before. Patrick, her friend since forever, makes a bet for her to ask an attractive stranger who appears to be about the same age at the subway station to kiss her. Sara accepts the bet but didn’t quite expect the stranger to yell that she is a weirdo. Sara will never live this down as it goes viral at school.

Not only that, but Sara is failing calculus and her teacher assigns a tutor to help her. Well, guess who the tutor is – the exact same stranger who she asked for a kiss at the subway station. Oh, the horror! Oliver is new to Sara’s school, a genius at calculus but short on social cues and patience. The subway incident was never brought up by either Sara or Oliver. Does Oliver even remember or does he recognize that it was Sara who asked for the kiss? Oliver’s older brother Joe is in Sara’s class and the school’s new heartthrob. Sara is one of the ones with a crush and hopes he will be her first real kiss.

I am usually not a fan of YA graphic novels. I usually make them a DNF due to excessive foul language, inappropriate situations, ridiculous stories, etc. However, I was so pleasantly surprised with this graphic novel. First off, the story is absolutely ADORABLE! It is totally cute, funny, and sweet. To top it off, the illustrations are perfect, depicting the exact facial expressions, reactions, and emotions. It reminds me very much of Svetlana Chmakova’s Berryville Middle School graphic novel series.

Knowing that there will be another upcoming volume, I am hopeful that there will be even more volumes. After all, we just HAVE to find out whether Sara ever gets her first kiss or not and I will be first in line to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

The Kiss Bet is kick your feet funny. I’ve been reading The Kiss Bet for a while now on the Webtoon app and it’s great that’s it’s being released as a graphic novel. I love Sara Lin, she is very relatable when it comes to that high school mentality of every little thing feeling like doom, the math tests, dating and friendships. This first volume covers chapters 1-18. The art style is adorable as always. It was kind of refreshing rereading the beginning because it reminded me of just how good it gets.

4 Stars! 🌟 A huge thanks to Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group and NetGalley for the ARC! 💌

Okay, so this was my first time diving into The Kiss Bet graphic novel, and I totally loved it! 😁 Volume One covers episodes 1-18, and let me tell you, I had a blast! At first, I was all about Sara & Patrick ending up together, but now? I’m totally team either Patrick or Oliver! The characters might seem a bit immature, but hey, that’s the charm of high school drama, right? 😂 It reminds me of all those cute moments from K-Dramas that make me wanna cry and laugh at the same time. 💫

The art style? Ugh, so good! 🎨 I was honestly blown away. It’s got that webtoon feel, but even better—the colors and details are just gorgeous! 😍 And I’m officially hooked. 😜 I’m definitely gonna continue the manga on Webtoon now, because patience is not my virtue... 😂

Sara Lin is such a relatable character, trying to figure out love and life while also dealing with high school pressures. She’s awkward, funny, and so endearing! 💕 Her first kiss is this huge thing for her, and I get it! Everyone’s got an idea of what they want it to be like. But then comes the twist with her friendship with Patrick, and I’m here for the drama! 🌟

At first, I was super intrigued by the whole Kiss Bet thing, but after a while, it kinda felt like the story went in other directions (don’t get me wrong, still fun, but I did want more of that bet). Also, gotta say, I’m not mad about the love triangle! There’s Patrick, Oliver, and Joe—oh, the drama! I love a good messy romance. 💕

There are a few moments where I felt secondhand embarrassment (classic teen stuff!), and sometimes I wished the plot moved faster, but hey, I’m in for the ride. This manga is all about those sweet, awkward moments of discovering crushes, navigating friendships, and yeah... a little bit of love drama. Can’t wait to see where it goes from here! 🌻

So, if you're into cute, hilarious, coming-of-age stories with a dash of romance and high school chaos, this one’s definitely worth checking out! 💖

Okay, I am a Webtoonz girlie, and I ABSOLUTELY love my comics getting the red-carpet, virtual and print edition makeover. I am used to scrolling through the story chapter by chapter on my small phone screen, but blown up pictures, colors, and actions make me super excited to start this story again. The art is beautiful and the paneling choices add to the romantic flair and drama, and I definitely forgot how this story began, so I am on the train again for this!
It is always interesting seeing how the transition from scrolling down on a chapter translates to a book, and as I said, the paneling was superb, but I found myself missing chapter headings or direct indicators that we transitioned from a chapter to another. There are some signs, like 'the next day' caption or a room/location change at the start, but at times it felt like a run-on sentences (It could have been the app I was reading it on as well, since the first app I tried had no words in the panels, which is not a fault on the story at all.)
Storywise, this starts with a girl who's best friend dares her to kiss a random stranger at the subway station, and of course she takes the dare. Somewhat, surprisingly, that subway boy in fact had an opinion of his own being propositioned at that time of day by a stranger, and even better, keeps crossing paths with her in unexpected ways. This story is fun and funny while encompassing the real feelings of uncertainty and our desires to love and be loved. The Webtoon isn't finished yet, but man am I excited to see how our characters progress in this messy, uncomfortable but ultimately rewarding game of relationships and affection.

I read this when it was first releasing on WebToon, and it's exactly as cute as I remember. Sara Lin is relatable in that she's struggling, she's dreamy, and she just wants to have fun with her friends. It all starts when her friend Patrick dares her to kiss a random boy on the subway, and sadly, the boy says no.

I don't think Sara or Oliver (aka Subway Boy) are ready for how their worlds are going to overlap. This is such a sweet comic about the absurdity of high school, the complexity of feelings exacerbated by youth and hormones, and about trying to figure out what and who matter to you as you grow up.

Truly, stick around, this story gets even better, but it all starts with one question: can I kiss you?

☆ARC REVIEW☆
Publication date: February 25, 2025

This was a super fast and cute read. Definitely would be geared towards young adult readers. The whole Manga was very much high school and it was kind of nostalgic reliving that through this comic. Also it does leave on a cliffhanger and the next volume isn't out until August 2025!

Thanks to NetGalley, Ingrid Ochoa, and Wattpad Webtoon Book Group for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

The illustrations in this were really cute! All of the white bubbles were blank so I have no idea what was being said.

You could smell that this was a Webtoon money grab in the first few pages. No formatting, no extra flourishing between panels, and no real editing. This was an awful adaptation. The characters were immature for 17/18 and fell so flat. This webtoon standing next to genuinely good adaptations like Suitor Armor or Curse Princess Club is like purposely trying to lower your credibility.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

The Kiss Bet, Vol. 1 by Ingrid Ochoa is a high school webtoon about a girl who takes a bet to try to kiss a random stranger on the subway...only for him to show up later in every aspect of her life. I remember trying the beginning of this before and think I have similar feelings as last time: it reads a little young for me to enjoy. Nothing wrong with the book itself; it definitely feels written appropriate to the age of the characters, but the way they act gets on my nerves, so I won't be continuing this one. Fun premise, and I know there are a lot of people who would like this, but it is just okay for me.

I thought this was a cute story with a cute art style. It has a fun charm to it but not too serious or too crazy. I can tell that there are some love triangles going on in all different directions. It is a light story if you want something cozy and easy to read through. It also left on a cliff hanger that makes you want to find out what will happen next.

I loved The Kissing Bet! And not only would I read again I cannot wait to get my hands on the next part to know what happens next for Sara and her friends/crushes. The story is well written, adorable and really makes you root for the silly lovable Sara. The illustrations are also super cute, and make the story come to life.