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.

What a weird way to end a book. Alright, so, here’s the thing. I hated the dialogue in this book. It sounded like it was written by an AI bot to was told to write dialogue in the way other people assume Americans speak to each other. It was just horrible. Horrible. Nobody talks like that, and if I ever met someone who did, I would hate them. Anyway, other than that, the story was meh. It was interesting enough to get me to finish the book but idk if I care enough to read the next volume. It left off on a really ridiculous cliffhanger and it felt like the middle of a book to be honest. Like whatever the next volume is, I’m sure it could’ve been combined with this one into one book. Separating the story like this just feels like a waste. It had potential, but it could’ve been executed a lot better.

The Kiss Bet is a funny, lighthearted graphic novel. Ingrid Ochoa's art is vibrant and unique, and Sara Lin is a quirky and relatable female MC. I think Oliver and Sara are so cute together even if he is the grumpy type. I will definitely be checking out future volumes!

YES YES YES YES!!!!

I started reading this when it was first released on Webtoon. And let me tell you this, it is my favorite. I cringe at times, but it’s a good cringe. The story is so fun and quirky without making the characters obnoxious.

And the more serious themes fit perfectly without sticking out like a sore thumb.

I’m truly looking forward to many more installments.

MY FAV!!!

The narrative is both sweet and engaging, capturing the complexities of teenage emotions and relationships. The illustrations are charming and complement the lighthearted tone of the story. I particularly enjoyed the character development and the humorous situations Sara finds herself in. Overall, it's a fun and heartwarming read that I'd recommend to fans of young adult romance.

Cute introduction to a girl who wants to get her first kiss even though she's in her senior year of high school, and how the bet to do so goes embarrassingly wrong. The art style has its own charm and even though Sara doesn't know it, she's surrounded by three guys who probably more than willingly wouldn't mind giving her a kiss.
I didn't know this was a Webtoon unscrolled until mid-way and so I will probably read the rest on their app since it's also free. I wouldn't have given this book a chance if I didn't get it through Netgalley.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

Not sure if I find the characters annoying or endearing. The writing and dialogue itself are very plain and boring but I did enjoy the art style and the overall plot. I didn't care for how often Patrick and Sara argue with each other and mess around together. They're clearly best friends, so this is normal for them, but it felt like too much at times. Based off the cover too, I expected Sara to like Oliver?? Or that Oliver was her friend? I thought he'd be the one giving her the bet and Sara would be trying to show him up while also harboring this crush for him but... that's not it at all. I'm interested to see where this goes though since it seems like she kind of likes 3 guys.

The Kiss Bet is a young adult webtoon focusing on our main character, Sarah Lin, who is currently failing calculus and has not had a first kiss. I gotta be honest, I am not a fan of the weird pressure to have a first kiss by a certain age. That being said, this is a true YA story with a quirky and funny cast of characters as Sarah begins tutoring for calculus and continues her betting escapades with her friend Patrick. I loved the art style for this story, the pastel color scheme fit the more lighthearted themes of this story. I like that we just get to learn more about Sarah in this installment and why this matters so much to her but also her personality. She is dramatic, funny, and strange in her endearing way and I am excited to see what happens next. In typical teenage fashion, she can't really decide what she cares about more; righting the awkwardness between her and her tutor Oliver, pursuing her crush on Joe, or letting Patrick fool her into giving him more money (again) with his bets. While I know this annoyed some other reviewers, it just made Sarah feel more realistic. Also, if volume 1 is anything to go off of this is going to be a very slow burn (which I am always a fan of ).