This was such a sweet premise for a book! Angela goes viral for coming out as an asexual lesbian who has never been kissed on TikTok. She faces backlash and fall out from her own family and gathers just as many haters as supporters online.

She plans out a scavenger hunt of sorts to get her first kiss, and ends up conflicted as she develops feelings far more than a crush for her planning buddy Krystal.

The will they won’t they in this was a fun slow burn. I really enjoy Gabriella’s way of writing such detailed and meaningful characters. She had a delightful knack for bringing such prominent scenarios from today’s world to life in her work.

Highly recommend. It’s a quirky LGBTQ+ love story.

I really enjoyed the first book of this series and excited to read Angela's story. She is a late bloomer and accidentally gone viral for posting a video about never been kissed.

There are few things that were a miss for me:
- For age, 27, she acted very young
- The scavenger hunt idea was just weird for me
- The ending was a bit of a let down
- I didn't buy the romance between Anglea and Krystal
- the never been kissed part confused me a little as usually, the kiss leads to other levels of spice. However, it got spicy for an asexual pretty quickly

I did enjoy aspects of the story:
- Angela finding her voice and standing up to her family
- Her friendship with her coworker, Marcela
- The representation of asexual

Ruby Corazon did a good job with the narration but the story was not the right fit for me.

Thank you @hachette.audio @readforeverpub for a copy of the audiobook.

I enjoyed the first book in this Librarians in Love series, so I immediately grabbed this ARC without even reading the synopsis.

I love supporting Latinx authors. Gabriella Gamez has a writing style that is clear and easy to consume. She’s also great at including diversity & representation in her stories. This one focuses on the MCs’ sexual identity exploration, Latinx FMCs, plus-size rep, and late-bloomer in romance rep.

In general, heavy themes of social media and influencer-life in books bug me, so I was disinterested in the whole viral TikTok premise/storyline. I struggled to connect with the story when that was such a big part of it. It felt very juvenile and not like something I’d expect for someone these main characters’ age.

I wanted to like this one more than I did, but I think I’m just not the target audience. And that’s okay. I am still interested in following this author’s future works!

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) & NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever Publishing, Hachette Audio & Gabriella Gamez for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Listen not all books will click with all readers- and maybe I'm in a reading slump? The positives: I completely felt the connection between the main characters and am glad they got their HEA. There are a lot of great aspects about found family and not giving your time and energy to blood family that doesn't accept you. I loved that. I learned a ton about the varied spectrum of sexuality. The process and experience of this discovery was wonderful for someone who's never experienced that.

But I did feel like the conflict for Krystal was meh for me. "I don't deserve love because I hurt someone else"? Yeah no. I feel like the whole premise of the scavenger hunt (which sounded so fun in the book description) was lost in the "issues" that didn't really matter?? Also- no kissing, but other much more intimate acts? I just don't... get it. Again, I could be in a slump. It looks like many others loved this book and I'm the exception. I see that as a me problem.

Narration was really well done- I would definitely seek books with this narrator again.

I really enjoyed, “Kiss Me Maybe”. I didn’t realize that this is the 2nd book in a series, but I did not feel like I missed anything by not reading it, but I will definitely be checking it out now! I loved getting to read about a character who was still figuring out the exact label of her sexuality. It was very refreshing to watch Angela find herself. I also enjoyed the relationships outside of the romance, it really adds to making this feel lived in and like every character has rich lives. I really loved Angela and Krystal’s slow burn, friends to lovers romance. These two have INCREDIBLE chemistry throughout each phase of their romance. It was so sweet and a little spicy, while also being such a deep connection between these two people who cared about each other. They both had so much personal and emotional growth in the story and balanced each other well. I also loved how supportive they were of each other, even in moments when it wasn’t clear if they could have a romantic relationship. I do wish that we got Krystal’s POV. I think it would have made the story so much better if we could have both perspectives of the main characters falling in love. I couldn't get into the scavenger hunt aspect of this book. It felt very silly and juvenile for a 27-year-old MC to be organizing a scavenger hunt via TikTok in an attempt to have her first kiss. Had that been the plot of a YA romance with a teenage MC, it would've seemed more believable to me. Overall, this was a fun read with great representation and two characters you cannot help but root for. Also, this cover is stunning! Thanks to Gabriella Gamez, Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I am looking forward to reading Gabriella’s next book.

This book was super cute! I loved the dynamic between Krystal and Angela. Their story was really interesting and I couldn’t put it down. There was a lot of LGBTQ+ representation which was amazing! But the real star of the show was the growth Angela went through. It was so cool to see her find herself and how even after she felt like she found herself she still continued to grow and came to terms with the fact it’s okay to always be evolving. I can’t thank NetGalley enough for the arc!

I loved Gabriella Gamez’s “Next Best Fling” and knew I had to read this new one, especially when I saw this BEAUTIFUL cover!!! and wow am I glad I did because Gámez has secured herself as a must read author for me!!!!

I love this story so much! there’s so much love, acceptance, adventure, healing, growth, and spicy spice. I loved Angela’s whole story here: the asexual representation that includes so much detail and nuance to the individual experience; the nuanced familial dynamics; how identity changes and grows over time, especially considering who we surround ourselves with; and mostly I loved seeing her become so comfortable in her own skin, regardless of what she could identify or define about herself to others, she finds comfort and peace in herself and as Krystal’s partner and friend. it’s so beautiful seeing Krystal and Angela get closer and closer here, especially from Angela’s pov getting closer to Krystal requires so much trust from us the reader (through Angela’s pov) to hold her story safely. it’s truly so beautiful.

this story is also so funny and spicy and satisfying to read! it’s definitely one of my top favorites of the year!!!!

The inclusion of social media use plays a big role in the plot, and it worked very well. A good slow burn between MCs was fun to read Angelica finding her voice in the bedroom and realizing she likes to take charge. She finds confidence and explores her sexual identity with the help of her audience and close friends/romantic interests. Reconnecting with family members but more so found family plays a big role.

Angela is hosting a scavenger hunt local local TikTok followers to have her first kiss. What she doesn’t anticipate is how far she’s falling for her favorite bartender, Krystal. While working together planning the scavenger hunt, things get complicated. Will Angela get her first kiss or will the whole thing implode?

Kiss Me Maybe explores sexual identity including ace. As someone relatively uninformed, I found myself understanding Angela and subsequently other ace folks better from the exploration and conversations in this book. The book provides a voice and representation for those identities not often seen in traditional publishing.

I overall enjoyed the story, but felt it lost focus intermittently. The book has a push-pull of exploring identity, navigating relationships with friends and family, and also the scavenger hunt.

I appreciated that the book pulled some strong emotions out of me. Angela’s cousin demonstrated how awful people can be - being hateful online, unwilling to communicate and hear others out, and generally making people’s lives unnecessarily miserable. I felt for Angela when this happened - no one deserves to be treated that way.

Overall, I generally enjoyed this book and learned from the characters. Real people experience situations in this book in current times and we can learn from these situations to do better.

Angela comes out a an Ace Lesbian online looking for a community. With the popularity of her videos she comes up with an idea to hold a scavenger hunt for the prize of her first kiss. Her bartender acquaintance Krystal offers to help her set the scavenger hunt up despite confessing she doesn’t believe in love anymore. As the two women spend more time together feelings get conning and the whole plan gets messy.

This book explorers identity and belonging, along with the navigation of social media. There is lots of longing between these main characters. I loved them and the side characters that made an interesting cast. There was lots of TikTok talk which is not for everyone and discussion on how toxic online culture can be. The scavenger hunt didn’t really pan out for me and I do feel like there was some loose ends in the book. Overall I did enjoy it.

4.5 rounded up! I love Gamez's writing so much and this series is such a welcome homage to the queer community in ways that made my heart swell. I loved the dynamics between the two love interests here, and I felt my blood racing hot against the cousin who could not get it out her head to stick and mind to her OWN business. The premise was so cute, going viral for a certain niche and then landing on trying to covet a first kiss. I really appreciated the slow burn of it and the ways the two navigated around their past transgressions and how they overcame it. The spice scenes as well were majorly A+ in my book whew.

I read this book on a plane, and I genuinely thought tea was going to escort me off for disrupting the peace because I could NOT stop wheezing into my hoodie like I was trying to self-smother. The BANTER?? DEAR GOD-

This book is really something beautiful. It’s a rom-com, yes, but it’s also like… a love letter to people still figuring themselves out. especially those who look around and go “ok, but where am I in all these love stories??”

And let’s talk about the ace rep. No, actually, let’s YELL about the ace rep. because not only is it THERE, it is LAYERED. It is a bouquet of ace-spectrum experiences - main characters, side characters, off-page characters, people just EXISTING in their queerness in a way that isn’t footnoted or watered down. gabriella gamez said “you want ace rep? HERE’S A WHOLE DAMN TAPESTRY.” And I cried.

Angela is navigating her very public coming-out moment, accidentally going viral on tiktok, and trying not to pine after her longtime crush (who, again, is a hot bartender and kind of a menace - I love her). Krystal, meanwhile, is quietly off-page sorting through her own identity and feelings about love and partnership, and even though we don't sit in her POV, her presence is so full and felt. They don’t just fall for each other—they LEARN each other. It’s intimate in a way that felt so real and so soft.

Gabriella Gamez is an author who understands that love and life happens in context. In group chats. In work schedules. In identity crises. In spur of the moment awkward dinners. And in the weird middle space between being known and being seen. And it’s not just the romance that’s well done - the friendships, the cousins who bully Angela, the weird “talking” stage relationships, the found family vibes—they all add layers that made this feel like a full, lived-in world. I never once questioned what would happen when the characters left the page because I felt like they were going to keep living their lives whether I was watching or not.

Also!! The commentary on internet culture?? How everyone wants vulnerability until it gets messy?? I FELT that in my bones. Being perceived is terrifying. Being demanded to perform your identity for consumption is even worse. This book doesn’t shy away from that.

Thank you Forever and Netgalley for this review copy

This was a really sweet read. I was a little nervous at the start about the TikTok/social medial focus but I thought it was handled really well. I loved Angela's exploration of her sexuality and what her identity is and what that means for her. It was handled with a lot of care. Stories about late bloomers are much needed in the romance genre. I like to read romances with all spectrums of love, experience and parings. I enjoyed Gabriella's first book too and thought this one showed some improvements. I look forward to reading what she writes in the future!

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

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me at a little over halfway. As others have said, I think queer, Latinx stories are SO important. I think this book will click with others, but I personally found I wasn’t connecting with anything that was happening, and it felt very young adult to me even though the main character is 27.

Thank you to Forever for the opportunity to read early! I’m sad this didn’t work for me but definitely give it a chance if it sounds like it’s something you would be interested in.

3.5 ⭐️
Thank you Forever for this arc! 💓 Kiss Me, Maybe is a sapphic romance about 27 year old Angela who has never been kissed

I think this book was really informative and fun/ flirty but unfortunately the back end just didn’t do it for me.

What I loved:
• Amazing representation
• kind of felt like a coming of age story/ self exploration
• Loved the cameos from The Next Best Fling

What I didn’t love:
• sometimes the explanations of Angela’s identity felt too text bookish - a lot of telling rather than showing
• The TikTok drama was okay at first but then it started dragging towards the end
• reallyyy spicy for someone who has never been kissed and is asexual (this may be my assumptions but idk 😬)

The romance felt like a slow burn but also not at the same time… there’s obvious attraction and flirtation between the two characters but there’s so much back and forth and weird family & friend dynamics that make it feel a little slower

I think the book is still enjoyable though so I would recommend

Queer rep (lesbian FMC, acespec rep, queer side characters) was really well done in this book. Watching Angela navigate figuring out her identity was very relatable, and I really appreciated how that was navigated. I enjoyed the idea of building an online community and loved the idea of a fun scavenger hunt, but after a while, the tiktok talk got a bit boring for me. The friends to lovers aspect was also well written. I absolutely love the cover art, and might go back and read book 1.

Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez is the second book in the interconnected standalone Librarian’s in Love series. We follow another Librarian through their journey to find love in this sapphic romance full of longtime crushes, identity soul searching, scavenger hunts, lots of firsts, and humor.

A sapphic romance full of tension, connection and self discovery that had me rooting for the main characters from the very first page. Gabriella Gamez has once again created a story that feels authentic and relatable while also incorporating laugh out loud moments and second hand embarrassment opportunities 🥰🤗 I also absolutely adored the narrator (Ruby Corazon) who I felt really brought Angela's sass and strong personality to life in the audiobook.

This novel involves two late-twenties women (Angela and Krystal) who are navigating a viral social media post that thrusts Angela's lack of dating experience into the spotlight. Given the age of the two main characters I felt that some of the dialogue and conflict was immature but appropriate for the life experience of Angela and Krystal. As the two form a closer relationship the tension and chemistry builds between Angela and Krystal, let me tell you the sparks do fly and the wait is worth it! This novel is an open door romance with moderate spice (🔥🔥🔥/5).

Overall this is such a fun and flirty rom com about discovering yourself and what makes you happy. Thank you Forever and Hachette Audio for the advanced copy.

4/4.25 ⭐️

YES. JUST YES.
This was an absolute joy to read! I had the best time returning to this world and following our MCs.

Gabriella’s writing is some of my favorite writing. It’s extremely bingable, way to read and addictive. This was pretty unputdownable. I never wanted to stop. I couldn’t wait to see how it was going to end.

I really enjoyed the tiktok / influencer aspect of this book. I know a lot of people don’t like seeing that in books but it’s valid and so common now that I liked seeing the storyline. It was really well done as well.

I really enjoyed the identity and sexual exploration. It’s an important topic that i think we don’t see in books often. Generally, the books are where the MCs are already established. I liked seeing this part of their journey where they are still trying to figure out where they feel like they belong. It also hurts my soul to know how there are probably TONS of people who feel like our MC did and just feel like they belong nowhere. YOU ARE ENOUGH - no matter what. Literally there is nothing you could do in terms of identify, gender or sexual exploration that would make you less than. YOU 👏🏼 ARE 👏🏼 ENOUGH.

THE TENSION. when i tell you the tension was dripping off the page… its no exaggeration.

You’ll find the vibes are giving…
-Lesbian & Bi MCs
-ACE representation
-Identity and Sexual Exploration
-friends to lovers
-TENSION 🥵
-medium / slow burn
-PACING 🤌🏼

My ‘downsides’ are pretty minimal ngl. I truly loved this book, but i would have loved to see this as a dual pov. I’m a sucker for a DP though, so it doesn’t break it or ruin it. i just am a sucker. 😆

Also, I wished we saw our MC interact with some of the other friendships she had. I wanted to see more of the found family aspect that was touched on.

Narration was good. I did audio + digital and has a great time. I wouldn’t say the audio made or break the read, it was just fine.

Overall, I enjoyed this narration, Ruby Corazon. The production quality was excellent. The narration was clear, and I enjoyed it at 1.5 speed. However, I do wish there had been a bit more emotion poured into the words. For example, it would have been great to have her voice crack when the character reports being on the verge of tears.

I enjoyed how she navigated her inner thoughts and voiced slightly different inflections for the main character, Angela, versus Krystal. I was always clear on who was communicating.

This is the second book I have listened to by this narrator, and I will listen to her again!