This was such a cute story, the way to own your own identity is an amazing superpower. Love the scavenger hunt for love and it was such a journey, and sometime, everything you need is in front of you all the time.
Librarian Angela Gutierrez has never been kissed. But after posting a video about her late bloomer status and ace identity, she's finally ready to get some firsts out of the way. Using her new influencer status to come up with a scavenger hunt idea in which the winner earns her first kiss, Angela realizes she may need some help to pull off the event.
Enter Krystal Ramirez, hot bartender and Angela’s unrequited crush of five years. Despite vowing that romantic love isn’t for her, Krystal seems awfully determined to help Angela pull off the scavenger hunt and find true love

Kiss Me, Maybe is book two of the Librarians in Love series. Angela Gutierrez has never been kissed, and for the longest time she couldn't figure out why (and why she didn't really care all that much). Turns out, she's somewhere on the asexual spectrum! When she posts something that accidentally becomes a thirst trap, she uses her newfound fame to "date the internet" by creating a scavenger hunt and awarding the winner her first kiss. The only problem is her long-time crush, Krystal, wants to help Angela with her quest, and as the two become closer, it gets harder and harder to ignore their feelings.

I love the aspec representation here, and from personal experience, it mirrors a lot of the thoughts/feelings/doubts that come along with identifying as aspec in any way. I enjoyed the characters, but the plot was a little convoluted - there were so many things happening that I had a hard time getting into the book because so much time was spent on side-quests that didn't really add to the plot. The back half of the book went much faster, and the spice was spicing. Overall, a pretty good second book in the series, and one I would recommend to those seeking a book that has aspec representation.

Thank you so much to the Forever team and Netgalley for this eARC! I always appreciate the opportunity to read early so I have a chance to write a review before release day.

Kiss Me, Maybe was recommended to me by a fellow ARC reader, and I am so glad I took her recommendation. I haven't read many books with asexual rep, let alone ones that overlap with sapphic representation, so I was so excited to dive in!

Angela Gutierrez is a librarian who goes viral for a thirst trap that wasn't actually a thirst trap, and it leads to her building a platform online as an asexual lesbian who has never been kissed. She decides to "date the internet" and to run a San Antonio-based scavenger hunt for some local (vetted!) fans to compete for her first kiss. Her friend (and long-time crush) Krystal Ramirez, a bartender at her favorite bar, steps up to help her plan the scavenger hunt, especially when a key location needs to be replaced after a mural is removed by the city. Sapphic yearning due to (Angela's self-imposed) rules begins almost immediately (ah. classic wlw antics).

I should preface my review with the fact that I have a natural bias against books where real-life social media is mentioned or referenced heavily, and of course this one has Tiktok at its center so that is pretty unavoidable. I wish I could say that this part of the story didn't bother me, but I did find the viral tiktok fame angle to be the weakest part of this book. With that said, I was still invested, and I enjoyed the rest of the story in spite of this!

I went into this book so intrigued by the scavenger hunt plotline but I actually felt like the relationship between Angela and Krystal outside of the scavenger hunt planning is what shone the brightest - the quieter moments where they got to know each other and were dealing more with how to navigate their feelings, their identities, and the very different levels of romantic experience they both had were really what grabbed my focus and carried me through the story. I loved the way Gabriella Gamez contrasted someone who was still exploring their identity and who had never been in a relationship before, with someone that had nearly been married - the baggage and emotions that came with both of those experiences were so interesting to explore. I truly enjoyed how much more confident in herself Angela grew with every single encounter, regardless of her feelings for Krystal growing beyond her control. Discovering her sexual identity, cutting her hair, standing up to her cousins, figuring out what she liked in the bedroom - it was such an amazing journey that felt perfectly paced and really highlighted why a "friends to lovers" style trope works. There was so much trust between the two women at the start, and it gave realism to how they handled the conflicts and intimate moments that I really appreciated. Also 10/10 for yearning. so much yearning! Gabriella really and truly captured a key part of the sapphic experience - yearning painfully for someone who is literally right there.

As mentioned, the weakest part of this story for me was the Tiktok angle. I actually did enjoy the scavenger hunt concept, but I think the very tiktok-specific moments (like video descriptions and comment sections) pulled me out of the story a little bit. Tying into that, I didn't love the Natalia plot point either, which felt like a bit on the nose foreshadowing of what was to come in regards to the conflict with Angela's cousin, and didn't really serve the rest of the story all that much (for me, at least!).

Overall this was such a fun, vibrant, and romantic sapphic love story. I had such a great time reading it, and I would definitely recommend it to any reader of sapphic contemporary romance looking for something new! The scavenger hunt concept felt unique, and the asexual rep with Angela's exploration of her sexual identity were done so well. I rated this book a 4/5 stars. Thank you again to Forever for the eARC!

This was a cute and fun read! I really enjoyed seeing the main characters develop their relationship, and it was a believable slow burn.

OMGGGG this book was an absolute delight! I *loved* Angela as a main character, and I loved all the ways she and Krystal complemented each other. The identity exploration of it all really resonated, and the steamy scenes were on-point, and I just really adored this book!

Thanks to Forever and Netgalley for the arc!

I think I’ll revisit this one as an audiobook. I like the premise, and I’m always in for a librarian mc, but I started reading this one when Iwas Going Through Some Shit ™️, so it never quite worked out.

The rating is based on what I think I would’ve given it had I finished it, probably between 3.5-4 stars. It sounds really cute and I love the cover.

I look forward to revisiting this one at a later date!

While a fun premise, the book failed to convince me people would follow Angela on social media or care about her plight to find her first kiss. I'm not saying people wouldn't care about that, but the book didn't convince me they did. Without that buy-in, the rest of the plot fell flat. Once Angela found someone she wanted to kiss, the social media aspect holding her back was maddening and told me a lot about her character that she cared more about social media than finding love.

Also... I didn't buy the chemistry between the MCs. Angela's attraction to Krystal is what drove her and it made me feel gross sometimes. Like care about something other than her looks, PLEASE.

This author's writing has such potential, so I will read the next book in the series, but this one was a miss for me.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez is an absolute swoon fest romantic book that features Latinx, ace and bisexual representation that is fun, witty and relatable.

As a latin demisexual woman, I absolutely knew I had to read this book and it was amazing. I loved seeing ace representation in romance that feels authentic and I loved that it shows how Latinx people are not a monolith and we are all so different and our different stories and experiences deserve to be told and have a romantic story with it. I loved how they are complete opposites but they decide to help each other and it's all practice but we all know what happens next. It's charming, sweet, endearing and everything you'd want from a romance. Absolute tension and spice filled romance that also makes you soft in the center seeing two people find their happiness within each other. A must read! thank you to forever publishing!

Kiss Me, Maybe
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“I think you’re beautiful, Angel. Inside and out, but more so when you’re not afraid to be your truest self. When you’re not afraid to put yourself out there. To be vulnerable in front of the entire world.”
🩵
This is going to hurt and it pains me to say, but I just didn’t love it!!!!!!! I got the arc for her first book The Next Best Fling and it was a 4.5 for me so I was really looking forward to this one, but ugh it just didn’t work for me! I wasn’t buying into the going viral thing, that and this scavenger hunt felt so forced. I did feel the same way about the first book, like one conversation could have solved a lot. It’s like I enjoyed the characters, the friendship they were building, the open and honest conversations, but I also felt like they could just be together and call it a day 😩 Like the longer it went on the less I enjoyed it and more frustrated I found myself getting.
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This is a perfect example of why reading LGBTQ+ romances as an ally is so important because I did learn a lot of new terms and I got to explore even more about being an asexual lesbian. I think there’s a lot that’s relatable in this book. We’re all just trying to find our place and people in this world, society gives us the perfect roadmap of what our lives should look like and when *eye roll* being comfortable exploring who we are and our wants and needs, I think we can all see a piece of ourselves in both Angela and Krystal. BUT then we would talk about the flipping scavenger hunt and it ruined it for me! I know the internet is such a big part of our society now, but I didn’t like the idea of finding random people on the internet to go on a scavenger hunt and the prize is to kiss you? It felt weird to me and at moments juvenile. I’m sure plenty of people will love this one, but it felt a bit messy (writing and forced plot points) to me ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thank you NetGalley, Forever, and Gabriella Gamez for this e-arc, it comes out May 6th!

First things first, I did really like Angela and Krystal's relationship. I thought they had good chemistry and I enjoyed their banter. This was spicy, but still very much a slow burn and the no kissing added some nice tension.

This was a beautiful story of self-discovery and it had some good queer representation. I liked the ace rep and thought the explanations/descriptions were delved into well, but at times it felt very much like an info dump.

I liked the premise of the story. Angela's accidental thirst trap leading to social media fame was a fun precursor to her master plan of having her first kiss. The scavenger hunt to win that first kiss was a cool concept that could've been really fun, but I feel like it fell a little flat. It was portrayed as a huge part of the storyline and I would've loved more of a follow through on it.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and I like the author's writing style. There were some hints towards a third book and I'm quite excited to see more of those characters!

If you're looking for a deep, detailed, and honest exploration of romance and sexuality, this might be the book for you. We follow Angela as she explores her lesbian ace identity. Not all is smooth in that journey and the revelations along the way are plausible of what some may experience.

There was a fair amount of angst and the social media aspect of the book is always a hard sell for me. While I think this is a very solid insight into a part of the queer community underrepresented, there are parts that dragged a little for me personally.

It was a worthwhile read and it will go on my recommended reads list!

Kiss Me, Maybe is a single POV romance about discovering your identity and embracing the way that grows and changes. Angela is an asexual lesbian and she’s finally ready to share that identity with the world. When a TikTok video goes viral she shares that she’s never dated, never been kissed. Her crush, a bisexual bartender named Krystal, helps her come up with an idea for a scavenger hunt that will help her meet like minded people and maybe get her first kiss in the process!

This was such a great read! It was my first book to read with an asexual main character, which I loved because it helped me feel seen, it was a layer of representation that I didn’t realize I was missing. I could identify a lot with Angela’s struggle to figure out her identity and, even though our experiences on the ace spec are different it’s very relatable. Definitely worth the read!


Read dates: 04/03/2025- 04/05/2025
Goodreads review: 04/05/2025
Instagream review: 04/06/2025
Blog review: 05/06/2025

I had really high hopes for this book because of how much I love the first book of the series. Unfortunately, I don’t think this was the book for me. I was a little confused by the plot and then information given throughout the book that I kind of just got lost in it. I couldn’t get myself to care enough about the relationship between Angela and Krystal because I wasn’t understanding the purposes of the plot. I think the use of social media in the plot was interesting though and highlighting how normal people utilize for things bigger than themselves. I think this book would definitely be a hit for someone else but just not for me!

A romance about a woman who discovers her sexuality and goes viral for it? Wonderful. Adn the writing? Wonderful.

Okay, definitely a cute read! I fell in love with the next best fling and was so excited to read this one. I’m a sucker for some “practice” and or lesson style tropes, which this book had in full :)

Angela and Krystal are made for each other. I really enjoyed Angela as a character and how she really comes into herself as the book goes on. I was rooting for her through ever chapter.

The story did drag a little bit for me here and there with some of the writing getting a little repetitive. That, however, didn’t take away from the overall experience of the book personally. I really enjoy the diverse sexualities and relationship experiences Gabriella writes about. Her characters are still figuring it out and that makes everything feel so real and authentic. Very excited for whatever comes next from Gabriella!

I was so excited for this book, and unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. While I loved the Ace representation, I feel like so much the discussion around being asexual was done so in an information dumping capacity, rather than an exploratory and exciting way. Understanding your queerness is a journey, and I do feel like the focus was on Angela being asexual and every now and then we're reminded that she's a lesbian - queerness is expansive and the information dumping became frustrating throughout the read. I will also note that this is my introduction to the writing of Gamez, so maybe her style isn't for me, and that's ok! I also feel like the marketing of this book wasn't accurate because it's marketed as a Latinx sapphic romance, however we don't get much from the Latinx cultural perspective. There is so much complexity to being Latinx and there is SO much history, but I came in expecting to experience culture in a way that's relatable and exciting and it just wasn't there. All in all, I was excited for this book but felt letdown overall. I am submitting this review via NetGally but will not be posting to my socials.

Kiss Me Maybe has amazing asexual rep, and actually discussing different points/identities on the asexual spectrum. I also loved that one of the main characters is a librarian. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Overall, I enjoyed this story!

Ace representation and education: I loved the rep this book has for asexuality, acknowledging that sexuality is a spectrum and can be fluid, and the bits of knowledge thrown in to the book. I will say, sometimes it was a lot of info and did sometimes feel like info dumps, but I understood that we were kind of learning with the FMC.

Social media: I think the book did a good job showing how quickly social media can rally and support, but also how quickly things can be turned around. I did love the idea of the FMC finding and building community through her posts though. I also loved how sharing her story made her realize that she wasn't alone.

Latinx representation: This book wasn't too heavy on the cultural references. The cover made it seem like it was going to be a little heavier on the culture, but not every latinx family speaks Spanish to each other. I would view this as more of a queer second first. This focused on the FMC's journey around her sexuality and newly found tiktok fame then her cultural background or ethnicity.

The romance: I kind of wish we would have gotten a little more from Krystal as the love interest. I wasn't super invested in her story. Plus, I like yearning and groveling and I wish she would have done more to prove herself to Angela.

I really wanted to love this. Truly. But I found it really hard to get into.

What I did enjoy was the ace, lesbian, and hispanic representation and the idea of Angela being a 'late bloomer' when it came to her romantic relationships. I did identify with her a lot.

My main issue was with the plot itself. The thirst trap, the scavenger hunt, the misunderstanding. Maybe I'm just too old for this, but it didn't excited me or interest me.

I would still recommend this for the representation! I would definitely give Gabriella Gamez another shot with her next book.

After reading The Next Best Fling and loving it. I knew I needed to read this book. The cover is beautiful and the description had me intrigued. Though, I found myself feeling a bit disappointed after finishing it. I’m not sure if I just got in my head about what I thought the book was going to be but this one just didn’t do it for me.

I was looking forward to the scavenger hunt aspect of the book and honestly I found that it was heavily lacking.. it almost didn’t even seem apart of the book. The whole time I found myself waiting for something to happen with the scavenger hunt and when it finally happened.. Angela barely attended and it just seemed boring - to me personally.

I would have also preferred more of a build up between Angela and Krystal. It seemed like the second they were alone and hanging out, that they both started to have that tension of crushing on each other in an almost obvious way. With Angela still figuring out her identity and Krystal still mentally torn over her past, I would have expected more confusion, tension, and longing. But I found it jumped in fairly quickly for someone who has spent 27 years of being distant and unsure of how they felt towards others and their own sexuality.

I did enjoy the fact that this book had a range of diverse characters. Though I found the book itself was lacking depth.. I would have thought there would have been more emotion and mental walls to break through with trying to figure out oneself while also facing family conflict.

I can understand and see why some people will love this book and it will be touching for them. But for me personally I didn’t connect with Angela and Krystal and I didn’t find myself rooting for them especially because it just seemed overly obvious she was going to ditch the scavenger hunt and it just seemed like the whole book was building up to something.. just for it to not really happen.

I’m still super happy that I got the opportunity to read this book. I still love the authors writing and I’m looking forward to what she comes out with next.