Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a really sweet and cozy alien romance.

Jennette and Tamzir, have met online on an Alien forum and created a chat group with other similarly minded people from the forum.

This group has agreed to meet up for the first time at Space Con.

What Jen didn't realize that Tam is a lost Alien , stranded on Earth after being left behind on a tourist cruise.

I thought this was super sweet and low-stakes romance, all about the joy of finding your tribe and how to embrace being different but also authentically yourself in this crazy world.

I THINK I'M IN LOVE WITH AN ALIEN • Ann Aguirre • Pub Date: June 17, 2025

As a lover of Ice Planet Barbarians, this book seemed right up my alley. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Abridged Goodreads Synopsis: Tamzir "Tam" Jaarn is paying the price for risking an illicit holiday on an interdicted planet. His ride off-world never showed, and he has been stranded on Earth for nearly a year. But he's met some cool humans online (using the name "Seeker"), and they have invited him to the biggest space-themed convention around. Why not make memories with them while he figures out how to get home? Meanwhile, Jennette Hammond is an endearing weirdo, voted most likely to bang an alien in high school. Not that she's ever had any close encounters of the sexy, alien kind. Heck, she's never even been able to convince anyone to attend Space Con. But that's about to change! Finally, she has online friends who have agreed to go, and it will be a romp to remember—and she'll finally put a face to the name of her longtime crush, Seeker. When alien meets adorkable, they're destined for an out-of-this-world affair...right?

This was such a cute and unique premise! Watching Tam cope with the practicalities of being stranded on Earth (and all that entails for an Alien who can hardly eat typical human cuisine) while trying to find a way back to his home planet made for an interesting plot. I also loved seeing him navigate forming relationships with Jen and the rest of the group chat crew. This led to a story of found family and love, blended with a level of pragmatism and dry wit that I was not expecting (but enjoyed)!

Unfortunately though, this book was a little too weird to deliver the romcom vibes that it advertised. While Tam and the other cast of characters were fun, Jen's character fell flat. This makes the book a bit hard to love, considering Jen's POV comprises half the story. The romance between Tam and Jen never seemed to fully take off either. We are told they have a connection, but readers never get to truly experience that connection on the page. The conflicts that sprung up for the couple (e.g., alien "hunters" and family drama) were also ridiculously contrived and never properly resolved. Do not even get me started on the sexual harassment at the convention sub-plot...

The pacing of this story was also strange, coupled with the fact that the plot (and sub-plots) never seemed to fully build up or really lead anywhere. Maybe a tighter edit would have fixed this or maybe this book simply did not land for me. Either way, I was constantly pulled out of the story and found myself a little bored.

While I would not recommend this book as a romance or romantic comedy, readers looking for a watered-down fantasy with found family may appreciate this book! Sadly though, I think this book did not quite hit the mark. Maybe a stronger follow up with Ravik and Poppy could be in the works though?

"Galaxy Quest meets Roswell in this quirky sci-fi rom-com from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre.

He's stranded. He's desperate. He's not looking for love.

Alien Tamzir Jaarn, a.k.a. Seeker, is paying the price for risking an illicit holiday on an interdicted planet. His ride off-world never showed, and he's been stranded on Earth for nearly a year. His gear is breaking down, food is becoming a problem, and if his camouflage unit fritzes, he'll wind up in a government lab.

But he's met some cool humans online, and they've invited him to the biggest space-themed convention around. Why not make memories with them while he figures out how to get home?

Space Con or bust!

She's nerdy. She's flirty. She's ready for romance.

Jennette Hammond is an endearing weirdo, voted most likely to bang an alien in high school. Her house is full of gray man collectibles, adorable tentacle monsters, and yes, in college, she volunteered for a SETI-type program. Not that she's ever had any close encounters of the sexy, alien kind. Heck, she's never even been able to convince anyone to attend Space Con.

But that's about to change. Finally, she has online friends who have agreed to go, and it will be a romp to remember - and she'll finally put a face to the name of her longtime crush, Seeker.

When alien meets adorkable, they're destined for an out-of-this-world affair..."

I mean, I was sold at Galaxy Quest meets Roswell, but the fact that it's written by Ann Aguirre!?! Perfection!

I'm relatively new to the monster/alien romance subgenre, and this was a good light, fun read to add to the roster. The characters were fun, the chemistry was there, and the premise was intriguing. I think the biggest issue is the pacing of it, namely the sudden time skip more than halfway through that just feels like we're missing a big chunk of information. Overall though, lots of fun!

Im super dissapointed. I was really anticipating this book. Like I was so excited and hyped up and it was just...meh. This started so slow and just kept tge sluggish pace that I almost had to DNF this one. I think it more had to do with the fact that it's not set on a spaceship or really cool planet, it's just so boring and I was so let down with this one. Still love her other books but this one is a pass for me.

This was a light, fun sci-fi read. I thought that the characters were relatable and interesting, but the pacing really took away from the story line. It went from extremely slow, minute by minute to skipping a few months. It just felt off. Overall, it was a fun read, but not my favorite from this author!

Nerdy aliens galore!!! Space con and flirty banter! This book was perfect for a cute alien romance for SCi FI nerds around the world! I lOVED it! I giggled and swooned through the whole thing!!!

This was such a fun read! I did find the ending with the hunters very anti-climatic, I feel like there could be more with the story or dove deeper into them once they suspected with the group or a continuation of the group being hunted. I did feel like the characters (at least the human ones!) were relatable, I loved how every few chapters had the group chat seeing them build their friendship and the personalities come alive in chat form.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca, Net Galley and Ann Aguirre for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It’s no secret that I’ve always loved the alien romance genre. With my raving reviews of Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarian series and Chris Redd’s Alien Fated Mates series, it’s pretty hard to turn down the opportunity to read another.
I Think I’m in Love With an Alien follows Seeker aka Tam, an alien trapped on earth after his transport failed to pick him up. He’s been stranded for a year, trying to fix his tech to be able to get back home. He ends up joining an online group chat where he meets a few friends and together they decide to meet in person at SpaceCon.
Our second POV is Jennette Hammond, obsessed with all things alien, she’s dreamed of becoming an astrologer and of course, meeting an alien. When she finally makes some friends online, she is thrilled when they all decide to meet up at SpaceCon. Will they be as welcoming in person as they are online, and will her online connection with Seeker turn into something more?

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. Finding people with linked interests and being able to meet in person is always a thrilling adventure especially in this day and age where almost everyone is chronically online. I also relate to Jennette’s character a lot with her difficulty to maintain long lasting friendships and relationships due to her quirkiness. I loved the little group chats and private chats in between the chapters that allowed a more personal connection to each of the characters.
I will say the pacing was…different. Majority of the book is a day by day, essentially hour by hour, representation of their time at SpaceCon, but then all of a sudden around 70ish percent we skip past a bunch of months which definitely threw me off. Also Jennette’s willingness to just completely cut off her family seemed rushed to me. I know she’s never felt fully welcome but she still had a connection with them. Obviously their comments after meeting Tam were inexcusable but I expected her to fight for herself more, especially knowing that Tam missed his family and could maybe use some more connections.
I also have to say the ending lacked finality for me. So much left unsaid with the hunters and Ravik leaving. And essentially where everyone else ended up.
Overall, I did enjoy the story. Most of the characters were relatable (besides the aliens of course) and I enjoyed Seeker’s POV the most in terms of the humorous aspect of him navigating human customs. I think the book could use some more editing for the pacing and slight plot holes but still a solid read.

A very sweet and unusual take on Alien romance. The two MCs are both outsiders, one human, one alien trapped on earth, who meet online and then decide to meet up at a convention. Hilarity and sparks ensue. This was uncomplicated and cute escapism.

This is such a sweet story about two lost souls finding love. Tamzir is an alien stranded on earth and Jennette is a human who has always felt a little out of place in her life, and also happens to be obsessed with aliens. Jennette makes friends with a group of people online and becomes closewith Tamzir's alter ego. They agree to meet in person at an alien convention and slowly get to know each other.

Jen and Tam are from different worlds - galaxies apart. When they meet up at Space Con after a year of getting to know one another online, their differences come to a head and the two must figure out if friendship and love can cross species boundaries.

A very different take on the alien romance genre as aliens are trapped on Earth instead of humans trapped in space. This was a very light rom-com that harkens back to some of Aguirre's other alien tales. I personally prefer her grittier series (Sirantha Jax and Perdition Chronicles), but these are a funny escapist reads.

DNF at 38%.

I really liked the premise. And the cover is stunning. But I wasn't connecting with characters or the writing style at all. Maybe the present tense contributes to it?

There's back story in group chats/DM style messages, but they were so formal, it didn't feel right to me. And while the characters stated their interest repeatedly in their inner dialogues, I never got the emotional/physical connection that it takes to convince me of their interest.

This one just didn't work for me. :(

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Ann Aguirre, Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for this ARC. This was my first foray into "monster" romance. I loved the mix of the online chats in-between. it helped break things up and kept you wanting to know more. I felt that the story was a little flat. I was more curious about how an alien and a human get together than I was rooting for the characters. All in all it was a fun spring read.

This was a fun and quick read! I've been getting more into alien/monster romance and this book hit the spot. I loved the characters and the plot.

I really, really wanted to love this, but at 30% I had to DNF. Nothing has really happened besides the MCs and side characters wandering around the convention and listening to panels. The MCs really don’t feel like they have too much chemistry either? Like I get that this is their first in person meeting but the way they’re talking in their inner thoughts is as if they have this bond built prior to meeting in person by chatting online. But all the chats we’re shown are very surface level and I’m just not buying it.

I do think the camouflage technology Taz uses is very unique and cool! The way it almost gives him an uncanny valley vibe in the FMCs POV is super cool and I love that everyone sees him differently based on their own concepts!

Definitely a quirky read, there are aliens among us. A group of nerds (lovingly) go to a convention and get closer than ever. A fun read! Also great representation for the ace spectrum!

Thank you NetGalley, publisher & author, for giving me a chance to review this arc. Unfortunately, I had really high hopes for this book, and it fell a bit flat for me. The romance felt stilted. I've read Ann's other work (Strange Love) and I loved it. However, it didn't have the same appeal to me this time around. I wished the story was a bit more flushed out because the build to the end was too abrupt imo.

interesting romance with an alien. loved the group chats and and that she found love with an alien. Loved that they met up at a con and there were actual aliens in the group.

I loved the story of an alien shipwrecked on Earth and finding a group of friends online and then falling for one. However, some of the friendships didn't feel much beyond surface level when I think the aim was more Found Family. Despite that this was a light and fun read that I eat up and finished really quickly and left it wanting more.

I normally don't like the Miscommunication trope but in this works not only because of how it was written in the story but because logically an alien new to Earth is going to have some issues. It never felt forced or used as a gag just honestly an alien trying to figure out humans and humans not knowing they are talking to an alien.