Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-f/f contemporary romance
-queer exploration/discovery
-mutual crush
-friends to lovers
-never been kissed

I loved this one on audio. A story of exploraition, about acceptance, and just so much pining. I loved the soft burn of it all and how sexuality was explored. A beautiful story

I absolutely adored this book and the main couple. They were so loveable, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their relationship.

The main couple were so adorable. The way they pined over each other for years before actually dating is so cute, and reading about the way that simple things made them flustered was adorable.

I especially loved the ongoing conversation about fluidity of identity, asexuality, and compulsory heterosexuality, especially in relation to the experiences of brown women. It was so refreshing to see a character be sure of one aspect of their identity, yet explore another part and experiment with labels. Also, the spicy experimentation to see if Angela was on the ace spectrum was..... so hot.

Overall, I would recommend this book to readers who want to read more diverse queer romances, or readers who want to feel seen in their experiences with identity experimentation. I loved this book, and I can't wait to read more by Gabriella Gamez

A huge thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

So I loved the first one in this standalone series, and i thought that this one was still good. i loved learning about asexuality through the lense of our main character and the trials of her finding out who she is, what she likes and wants, and also the struggles in her experience. i think this book did an outstanding job of showing how social media can be a hurtful and that there is a real person behind the account. social media can be so damaging and can truly affect someone's life and the author did a great job of showcasing that along with the community aspect of it too. i will say that i wasn't too wild about the love story, i kind of thought it wouldve been more fun if she ended up with the librarian who was wanting to be in the scavenger hunt. i liked how our main character found herself through her love interest but their connection fell flat for me.

I was initially drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and vibrant colors. It's so good! The book is a charming sapphic romance that balances fun with genuine emotional depth. The MC, Angela, is an asexual lesbian trying to navigate viral fame with a fun citywide scavenger hunt, which was a fun twist. Her slow burn romance with bartender, Krystal, had refreshing chemistry and super sweet moments. Overall, the pacing occasionally wanes, but the book is a delightful celebration of queer love with diverse sexual representation.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, Forvever, and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kiss Me, Maybe is a sweet and surprisingly spicy novel set in San Antonio where we follow the life of Angela Gutierrez. She shortly become a Tik Tok local influencer after posting a thirst trap and begins to "date the internet." Angela is 27 years old, lives at home and is just leaning more into her own sexuality. This is very much a coming of age story audiences in their 20s. For some reason as a millennial, it felt too young and naive! The MC should have been highlighted as a 24 year old, not 27. Either way, I am still interested in the author's other books.

Thank you to Gabriella & Forever Pub for an ARC via NetGalley!

I battled so much with whether or not I wanted to DNF this one. It took me over a month to get through, setting it aside and picking it back up over and over. In the end, I really did want to see the story through 🩷

Angela has never been kissed. No biggie, until she goes viral on TikTok for it. The story follows Angela and her journey in discovering where she lies on the Ace-Spec, with the main mission being to have her first kiss.

The premise and idea of this book truly made my heart feel happy. I loved reading about someone finding themselves, and learning to be okay with the fluidity of their sexuality. However, Angela was portrayed in such an immature manner, I had a really hard time connecting with her as a character.

I fell in love with Gabriella’s writing last year and with Angela as a character through Next Best Fling. I am so glad these books exist and I hope Gabriella keeps writing forever!!

After going viral for coming out as a late bloomer and ace, librarian Angela Gutierrez launches a first-kiss scavenger hunt to finally embrace romance. Helping her plan is Krystal Ramirez, the bartender she's secretly crushed on for years. As the two grow closer, Angela starts to wonder if her perfect first kiss has been beside her all along—but Krystal’s fear of love might break Angela’s heart before she even gets the chance.

Angela has taught me so much about my own identity and even though I don’t think I’ll ever label myself (nor do you have to!!) I adore her and how open she is.

Angela is in her early 20s and has never been kissed. She puts out a TikTok video about how she identifies and being a late bloomer that goes viral. Then, she decides to put on a scavenger hunt, and the winner gets her first kiss. The bartender, Krystal, she's been crushing on jumps in and helps with the scavenger hunt.

This was a mid romance for me. I liked the representation in this book and how the characters explored and learned about themselves. Angela was a little too oblivious at times. Both about herself and Krystal's feelings toward her. If you like sapphic romance with a little bit of spice and self discovery, definitely pick up this book.

thank you to NetGally and the publisher for this ARC!

💜🍹🎊

this was a sweet and fun read with an important message. the discussion of asexuality, acceptance, the struggling of developing a social life in your 20’s and feeling lonely is all something that anyone can relate too and i feel like this book handles that very well!

the only thing that didn’t work for me was how modern the setting was. i’m not a big fan of when books bring up pop culture aspects into books, so the mention of such things really turned me away.

but other than that, i feel like this is a genuinely lovely story!

⭐️: 4.75/5
🌶️: 2/5
Format: 📱 arc

This was simultaneously delightful and uplifting, and also made my heart ache, because wow, Gabby, you did it again.

We already loved Angela as Marcela's supportive and badass best friend, and I loved that right away, we find out that Angela's got depth and dimension of her own. We find out how she feels darker emotions along with all the light we saw in the previous book. Angela identifies as asexual, and we get representation in a way I haven't seen it before. She's unsure and still trying to figure things out herself, and we get to witness it. Angela's growth throughout the book is visceral and real and relatable as all hell. We also get to explore queerness as a fluid spectrum, not as a fixable identity.

We still get the romance tropes we love when we meet Krystal. We get a she-falls-first, a one-night-stand-plus, a trainer-and-trainee situation. There is tension and worry and drama, and it's done in a way that made me feel so cozy. Plus, as a book lover, what's not to love about librarians?

I was a huge fan of The Next Best Fling so I was really excited to pick this one up. I really enjoy books with different types of representation so I was really interested to read a book where the main character was ace. I enjoyed learning more about the ace spectrum and different ace identities.

I struggled a bit with the concept of this book. It made sense to me that Angela wouldn't have a sexual past and would want romance but I felt the story focused a bit much on the idea of a kiss and not other types of romantic and sexual experiences. It might have been fun to see Angela do different dating activities instead of be so focused on the one event.

I think if you want a story that lets you learn about Ace identity and deals with the idea of what it's like to be popular online you'll enjoy this story. If you are choosing this one for the romance or the scavenger hunt plot it might not be for you.

3.5 Stars

THE 411...
Kiss Me, Maybe is the second installment in the Librarians In Love series by Gabriella Gamez where we follow Angela Gutierrez as one of her TikTok videos goes viral for reasons she could’ve never anticipated. In what most would consider modest pajamas, Angela speaks on her Ace identity and the fact that she’s a late bloomer who’s never been kissed. Influencer status UNLOCKED. Viewers want to follow Angela’s journey to getting that first kiss and so she feels inspired to turn this into a scavenger hunt with the prize being her first kiss. Women start flocking to the comments and asking for the application to participate and before she knows it, the city is tuned into her journey. Including one hot bartender Krystal Ramirez who Angela has had a five year crush on and thinks it to be a case of unrequited love. Krystal seems eager to help Angela find her first kiss and doesn’t deny her attraction to her but she’s also upfront with where she stands on love. It’s simply not for her and she doesn’t wish to get attached.

THOUGHTS...
This one is sitting at 3.5 stars with me which is a smidge lower than the first book in the Librarians in Love series but still enjoyable. I did wish that like its predecessor, we had seen Angela in a library setting but instead we spend more time at the bar where Krystal works. The only time work is brought up is when Angela’s higher ups frown upon her TikTok getting so much traction for her choice of sleepwear which showed not a lick of skin to begin with. That being said, the bar was lively and had all the vibes you’d want to see when drinks are being served. What I loved? The discussion on the highs and lows of having an online presence as Angela experiences online love/support turn to attacks on her personal life. The very real possibility that your offline career could be watching and have some sort of say in the content you post. I loved seeing how respectful and supportive Krystal is of Angela as she’s figuring out where she stands with her Ace identity. The questions she wants to answer for herself as someone who’s never experienced a kiss or anything sexual with anyone else, Angela is tired of not knowing. There’s a ton of exploration between the two with open-door play that is definitely a step up in the spice meter than The Next Best Fling. What I appreciated? Krystal’s reason for staving off love actually being well within reason and not something that is contrived to keep her away from our MC. Lastly, it wouldn’t be a Latinx romance without the presence of a large family that perhaps meddles a bit too much haha! Angela has these cousins who she always has felt the need to lie to in order to keep them out of her personal life, if this means making up a boyfriend or kiss then so be it. I’ve seen this happen way too many times and have also experienced the inquisition from my own Latinx familia so on that note, same girl! same! I do we hope we get another installment in this series and soon ❤

A charming romance with great ace representation and characters going through messy yet authentic coming out journeys. Lots to swoon over, especially that ending!

This book is such a warm, charming gem! Angela’s journey from shy late bloomer to confident woman embracing her identity and desires felt so authentic and heartfelt. I loved the fun twist of using a viral moment to create a scavenger hunt—it added a fresh, playful vibe to the story.

It’s a beautiful story about self-discovery, love, and taking chances—definitely a 4-star read that left me smiling!

I don't have much good to say about this one, unfortunately.

I thought it would absolutely be for me when I learned it was a sapphic Latine romance with one asexual lead and a bisexual love interest. Throw in the scavenger hunt idea, which seems so fun and intriguing, and gives big end-of-Never-Been-Kissed vibes, and I was all about it.

But unfortunately, I think the characters tend to be more soap boxes than fully-realized people, and sadly the entire scavenger hunt was one big red herring that gets all but completely written off because it's so painfully obvious that Angelica and Krystal are pining for each other. While I do appreciate how this story gives the characters space to have in-depth discussions about their identities and space to explore their connection with sexuality, it ended up feeling more like an intellectual exercise rather than an organic relationship rooted in genuine emotion.

The two main characters also seem to have a very mixed up moral heirarchy when it comes to the "santicity" of the first kiss — which they are determined not to have with each other, even though they have no qualms doing things other than kissing. This humble demisexual was quite perplexed about the entire predicament, frankly.

Sadly, while I do share a lot of overlap with the characters in terms of ethnicity and queer identity, this one left me feeling cold. I'm still glad I had a chance to read it, but in the end it wasn't for me.

well... the clock app mentioned at exactly 3% (and it's not even on the first chapter!)

clock app aside, it tackles real life situations offline. also, natalia's side story got me tear up a little.

the audiobook however, i didn't know how to feel about this. the way she narrates nailed it, but when she voiced the characters, it has no feelings for it. that's why i gave it a low rating.

There’s a lot I loved about this book. The romance was cute, the characters were fun, the self-discovery and navigating romance and attraction and relationships in a way that’s different than what is expected and accepted and battling the pushback of what’s considered “normal” when it comes to love and all the firsts and timelines and how you’re supposed to act and feel etc. Loved all that.

But this book was too long. The heart of the book is buried in so much excess story. The author was SO sweet when I saw her the other week, she loves her characters and her stories and I love that for her and you could see it in this novel that she wanted to do so many things. And she did them all, when someone needed to step in and be like let’s trim this back.

This started out with the scavenger hunt and by the end I wish it had just been scrapped because I was right with Angela on why are we even doing this anymore? It kept getting brought up like a “oh yeah that”.

Marcela is supposed to be Angela’s best friend and we barely see her here.

The bright light of this novel is Angela and Krystal. Every scene with them together is where this novel truly shines. Everything else pales in comparison, went on for too long, we didn’t need all the extra stuff with the artist. Just, too much. This needed a trim, some more focus, and it would have been amazing.

Overall, this is really cute, and if you like a lot of extra stuff in your books, you will have zero problems with this. The cover is beautiful. I’ll pickup the authors next book regardless 😂.

Thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

What a great second novel by Gamez! After loving her debut, I was excited to get into Kiss Me, Maybe and it did not disappoint! She writes great friendships, quick banter, and the tension🥵. Gamez handles the sensitive topics with care and I loved the ace-spec representation.

While this book is super important to have for ace/aspec rep, everything else in it was kind of a mess. My thoughts most of the time were, ok well if Krystal likes you and you like her, why are you trying to still kiss a stranger on the internet? I didn’t really like Angela’s character either. Motivations didn’t make sense to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez. I really enjoyed this one, though it took me a little while to get into the story. With a series title like Librarians in Love, I had hoped for more emphasis on Angela’s work as a librarian, but the story focused more on her TikTok influencer life. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the content creator angle and all the talk about views, but it ultimately made sense within the arc of Angela’s personal growth and the plot. One of the standout aspects of the book for me was Angela’s journey of identity discovery. Her exploration of being ace-spec and eventually finding comfort in the label “greysexual” was handled with care and depth. It was refreshing to see such thoughtful representation, especially with the message that labels can be fluid and evolve over time. The romance between Angela and Krystal developed at a satisfying pace, allowing room for both characters to grow and reflect. And I have to say, some of the spicy scenes were phenomenal. Easily among the best I’ve read in sapphic romance: steamy, intimate, and never cringey. Overall, this was an affirming read with heart, heat, and a nuanced look at identity and connection.