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!

Oh my gosh I ate this book up! I adored the diversity of asexual representation across the spectrum. It was lovely to see a variety of ways that people can experience asexuality. It was also a joy to see Angela have the freedom to question her labels and find one that fit where she is now. The queer discovery aspect of this book made me feel very seen. I so love that we get to see a journey that has some twists and turns. For some, their identity is immediately clear and for others it's more fluid. This book was hot yall!! There are multiple open door sex scenes in this book and I had a fabulous time with it. I did wish that Krystal was better at communication. The final 3rd frustrated me a bit because I was concerned that these two weren't communicating well but overall I had a good time.

I wanted to love this so much because look at that cover! A sapphic romance with plus size and asexual representation? Sign me up!

While I enjoyed the author's writing about Angela's journey in exploring her sexual identity; I felt like the romance between Angela and Krystal and Angela's own journey took a back seat to the social media aspect of this one. I was just repeatedly taken out of the story with discussions about TikTok.

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this book including the ace spec rep and exploring your own identity. I related to the feeling of being a late bloomer. But for some reason I found i wasn’t really that invested in Angela or her quest to find love. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the social media influencer aspect of this book but I do appreciate how it shows some of the reality of what social media is like. I loved seeing Marcela and Theo and I was a big fan of her first book so I will definitely keep reading this series. Overall neutral feelings about this book.

DNFed this one - didn't realize how much tiktok was going to be prevalent in it and I genuinely don't care enough to read a book focused around it.

I really enjoyed this Sapphic romance with excellent Ace/Aspec rep that has a newly out queer librarian trying to embrace her new sexual identity and find someone for her first kiss through an internet influencer fueled scavenger hunt challenge. With help from her lesbian bartender crush, Angela tries to navigate her new identity. It's steamy, heartfelt and fun while also tackling difficult topics like toxic family relationships and online cancel culture. Great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Claire Kann. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio and digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

As soon as I saw this beautiful cover, I knew I had to read this book. I’m a big fan of Leni Kauffman’s artwork, and I especially love that this clinch cover features two women and thoughtfully incorporates the colors of the lesbian and bi flags. It’s vibrant, romantic, and so meaningful—truly a standout in sapphic romance.

This story follows Angela, a butch-presenting woman who unexpectedly goes viral after posting about her asexuality online. With her platform growing, she decides to create a scavenger hunt where someone can win her first kiss. It’s a creative premise, and while the scavenger hunt element doesn’t play as big a role in the plot as the setup suggests, it does mirror Angela’s evolving priorities and emotional journey.

The book delves deeply into Angela’s relationship with social media—both the visibility it offers and the darker side of public scrutiny and bullying. At times, the viral backlash felt slightly exaggerated (especially the level of obsession over her dating history), but it’s not out of the realm of possibility given how intense and invasive online spaces can be. The commentary on how isolating social media fame can be felt real and grounded.

Angela’s introspective arc around her asexuality is central to the story. I really appreciated that her identity is allowed to be fluid—that she’s still exploring where she falls on the ace spectrum and finding the words that fit. The story also touches on her gender presentation and how she navigates other people’s expectations, adding further depth to her character. As someone not on the ace spectrum, I found this portrayal thoughtful and informative—a truly positive representation that makes space for questioning and growth.

However, while I appreciated Angela’s personal journey, I wished the romance with Krystal had received a bit more development. There was a lot going on thematically—family struggles, past relationships, social media drama—and at times, it felt like the emotional connection between Angela and Krystal was pushed to the background. Their chemistry wasn’t always fully convincing, and some of Krystal’s actions left me unsure of her role in Angela’s healing. That said, I did love that the book featured a butch/femme pairing—something I don’t see enough of in sapphic romance.

The spice level was also a surprise (in a good way). For a romance centered on an ace lead, the book includes several steamy scenes that are respectful of Angela’s identity and desires. The tension building to The Kiss was especially satisfying.

Overall, this was an introspective, voicey novel that centers an asexual main character in a thoughtful and affirming way. While I wanted more from the romance and some plot elements felt exaggerated, Angela’s journey, the representation, and that gorgeous cover made this a compelling read. I think this will really resonate with ace readers and allies alike—and I’d absolutely read more from this author in the future

I am so disappointed I didn't love this one, especially since I loved this author's debut book. This one just fell flat for me. I never connected to the characters, or felt their chemistry and the plot was super repetitive which bothered me. I also did not love the scavenger hunt/dating the internet plot that was not well put together and was semi abandoned a bunch of times. I loved the latina representation in this, and I also liked the conversations around fluid sexual orientation/identity and focus on teaching the reader about the various orientations within asexuality. Overall this book just wasn't one that I connected with but I hope to read more from this author in the future.

I received an eARC courtesy of Forever and Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

4/5 ☆
2/5 🌶

Yet another amazing book from Gabriella! I absolutely loved this couple's growth and seeing them both work through their own personal trauma/history, but supporting each other through the changes. The gender & sexual identity journeys were so well done and I can't wait to read more from this author!

I really wanted to love this book. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for it or what, but I just couldn't get sucked into it and I read half of the novel. Nevertheless, I hope to try again one day, maybe listen to the audio.

This was longer than it needed to be, at least in my opinion.

As an ace-spec person myself, I did enjoy all the effort put in to discuss sexual identity and the representation.

I really enjoyed seeing Angela's journey throughout the whole book, and it was clear as day that Krystal and her had found their endgame. Watching them navigate each other, their past relationship trauma, and their heart to hearts as they got to know each other was a wonderful journey.

I loved seeing Angela slowly continue to unfurl and let more people in the more the book progressed.

I will admit all the tiktok and social media stuff got really exhausting after a point and I felt that it took too much away from the other plot points the book had.

Like for example, that cousin.

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

This was a really cute story. I really enjoyed Angela's journey of discovering her sexual identity. It was really interesting to see that even after coming out, she was still learning how fluid someones sexuality can be.

I thought the commentary on the importance of community in the queer community was really well done.

I also enjoyed the romantic journey of Angela and Krystal. They seemed to be exactly what the other needed to figure everything out.

I would like to jump into the book and punch Esme. What a crappy cousin.

i really enjoyed this!!! a sweet sapphic romance with a lot of really important underlying themes. angela’s complex character conveys a lot of very important elements of being a young adult in today’s society. her understanding of her identity, her relationship with friends and family, and her experience with public perception played imperative roles in her character development. i learned a lot about different sexual preferences i hadn’t known about before and feel like i definitely have a deeper understanding of certain members of the LGBTQIA+ community now. the plot was really interesting and i honestly thought the integration of tiktok was super cool. utilizing it as a platform for speaking out and developing a safe space was neat, and i love that it gave angela the ability to meet people she resonated with. angela and krystal’s relationship was really fun to watch unfold. there were a lot of factors at play and obviously many things in consideration that led to a fair amount of bumps along the way, but ultimately ending in a beautiful love story.

thank you forever for the ARC!!! i look forward to reading more from gabriella gamez!

Kiss Me, Maybe is a sapphic romance perfectly balanced with humor, heat, emotion, and warmth! While the beginning was a little slow for me, as soon as I got past 25%, the story picked up and had me in a chokehold until the very end. I absolutely loved Angela and Krystal together, their communication and built up tension was heavenly. The two had so much connection and undeniable chemistry, and I loved how their relationship unfolded as they found their bearings and realized what they wanted in life. I also have to mention how delicately handled and open the queer topics of this story were. Krystal and Angela both had their own experiences, and I appreciated that every aspect of their lives, from love to family and friends, was explored in relation to their queerness and identity. If you're looking for a tender romance full of yearning, emotional depth, and so much sapphic goodness, I cannot recommend this book enough!

Read if you like:
📚Found Family📚
📚Scavenger Hunts📚
📚Ace Representation📚
📚Friends to Lovers📚
📚Hispanic Rep📚
📚Hurt x Comfort📚
📚Steamy Romance📚

This book is so fun to read. Angela and Krystal have so much to figure out on their own before they can be together but it’s such an amazing journey to read. This book centers around Angela figuring out who she is and what her sexual identity is while also not being afraid of trying new things. As someone who has struggled with ace-spec labels (demisexual in my case), this representation is everything. Even though the miscommunication and back and forth hurt me at times, I understand why it had to happen. They weren’t ready for each other yet and while that SUCKED, it all worked out how it needed to. This is everything you could ask for in a second book in a series. Spice, chemistry, and incredible representation!

Thank you to Forever Publishing for the ARC!!

This one let me down a little. It has some great rep in it, but I could not get into the romance. I didn’t care for the paradoxical relationship stuff, and I didn’t care for the romantic interest either.

While I liked the writing, and I think others will really like this one, it was just okay for me.

Kiss Me, Maybe is an absolutely incredible novel that beautifully captures the journey of self-discovery and acceptance. The story follows Angela Gutierrez, who goes viral after coming out on TikTok, and her quest for her first kiss with the help of her long-time crush, hot bartender Krystal Ramirez. As Angela navigates her newfound fame, she realizes that her connection with Krystal may lead to something much deeper than just a kiss, challenging her understanding of love and identity along the way.

What I loved most about this book is its authentic ace-spectrum representation. Gabriella Gamez brilliantly explores the fluidity of being asexual, dismantling stereotypes and celebrating the diversity of identities within the community. The narrative is relatable, especially in its exploration of the complexities of social media, where connection and toxicity often coexist. The themes of found family versus blood family resonate deeply, particularly in the context of love and acceptance within the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

The narrative adeptly contrasts Angela's explorations of her sexual identity with Krystal's off-page journey of self-acceptance. While Angela navigates her initial hesitations and societal views on relationships, Krystal wrestles with her own identity, questioning whether her feelings towards romantic love stem from a deeper sense of aromanticism or if they are a reaction to the harm caused by heteronormativity. This interplay adds depth to both characters, illustrating how societal expectations can shape and challenge one's self-perception and acceptance.

The pacing of Kiss Me, Maybe is chef’s kiss, with a slow burn that keeps you invested in Angela and Krystal's developing relationship. The writing style is engaging and heartfelt, making it easy to connect with the characters and their struggles. The tension between them is palpable, adding to the excitement of their journey from friends to lovers.

Don't sleep on this one, especially for folks doing the work of self-discovery and acceptance.

Thank you to Forever Pub and Netgalley for an arc of this book. After reading The Next Best Fling last year, I was so excited for Kiss Me, Maybe. I mean, I believe in my review last year I said I wanted Angela’s story. But somehow it didn’t not land. While the research was there for asexual & queer representation, It definitely lacked in the latine culture representation. Still enjoyed it but wanted more cultura shown throughout

(3.75/5⭐️)

In this single pov romance, we follow Angela, a late bloomer who is embracing her identity as an ace lesbian. After years of hiding who she is, she's now intent on building community and desperately in search of her first kiss.

The best part of this story was the connection and chemistry between Angela and her crush (the hot bartender), Krystal. There's plenty of yearning and a genuine desire to understand the other, which was altogether refreshing and sweet. Angela's own journey to understanding her sexuality also felt authentic and was honestly informative.

What didn't work as well for me was most everything else. Most romance novels require some degree of suspension of disbelief, but this one got to the point that it was distracting. Not to be nitpicky, but the idea that you can have 7,000 followers on TikTok and get people to show up on a scavenger hunt with two weeks notice to win a kiss from you is a lot to get on board with. But even getting over that, the whole book revolves around this event only for it to end in the most anticlimactic use of this plot point. And as important as Angela's personal journey was, it at times got repetitive.

rep: ace lesbian mexican-american mc | bi mexican-american love interest

Kiss Me, Maybe is the second book in the Librarians in Love series, and even though I haven’t read the first one, I loved this one all on its own. I seriously couldn’t put it down! It’s been a while since a book had me full-on blushing and kicking my feet.

Angela is 27 and recently came out as an asexual lesbian. After a thirst trap of hers goes viral, she decides to hold a scavenger hunt through social media to finally get her first kiss, but when her forever crush, the beautiful bisexual bartender, Krystal joins the hunt to help her out, Angela starts feeling sparks that could change everything.

I really loved Angela as a main character. She’s the hopeless romantic I remember being at the start of my own queer dating journey. I enjoyed the whole concept of a scavenger hunt leading to her first kiss. Online dating can be rough, so I totally admired Angela’s desire for something more romantic.

I will say, I lost a bit of the scavenger hunt excitement near the end, but I still really loved how it all came together. Plus, I appreciated that side characters like Julian, Leti, and Natalia all got their own little happy endings too.

This book gave me everything I wanted: sapphic yearning, Mexican-American leads, a librarian main character, unrequited love that slowly turns into friends-to-lovers, ace-spec, bi, and lesbian representation—and so much steam… just no kissing allowed!

I highly recommend if you are looking for a fun sapphic Latinx romance!

Thank you so much @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the advanced copy!