I just want to say thank you to NetGalley and Hachette for allowing me to listen to this audiobook before it is released. To start, I did not realize that this is the 2nd book in a series. After listening to the audiobook I will be picking up book 1. Kiss Me, Maybe follows Angela who has never been kissed before and after one of her videos goes viral on TikTok she decides to create a scavenger hunt where the winner will earn her first kiss. While navigating her online presence she is also talking to the beautiful bartender Krystal who Angela has had a crush on for years.
I enjoyed this story so much that I had to pick up a physical copy of the book. I loved that this book explores sexuality, identity, and influencer culture, which is very prevalent in today's society. The narrator also captured the vibes of both Krystal and Angela, and you can hear the difference in the characters' voices and tones. The narrator captured the story perfectly and I will be looking for audiobooks by this narrator in the future.

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for this ARC!

I had mixed feelings throughout this book. Despite that, I learned important things about myself alongside the characters. It was educational for everyone involved.

I’ll start off by saying, the ebook was losing me at a rapid rate so I requested the audiobook and thankfully got accepted! I restarted the book from the beginning and I’d forgotten so many things from when I was reading the ebook. The narrator did an amazing job of keeping me in the story, especially for the parts I wasn't fond of before. I enjoyed it much more this time around and even cracked a chuckle at a few jokes. What was initially three stars got bumped up to four.

The most engaging parts of this book [for me] were the conversations around sexuality and the family connections. The former was repetitive at times, but I have no doubt readers will see their lives and identities in these pages. It won’t always be in the best light when it comes to family, but it’s worth seeing the story through. I love a good family drama, and online?! I’ve been reading so many contemporary stories lately, and social media is portrayed so painfully accurate. Seeing how Angel grew and navigated it all was *chef’s kiss*. I only wish we’d gotten more when it came to Krystal’s side. I was deep in her business but didn’t get as much as I wanted.

With all this talk about sexuality and getting into the details, I had an epiphany: I might be asexual. It’s a strong possibility. Reading about Angel’s sexuality in the beginning resonated with me so deeply that I swore I was reading about myself. I always wondered, and now I’m more sure about it.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan of the scavenger hunt idea and what we were doing it for. Maybe I’m just not a lover! It was a huge part of the plot, and that dragged the story for me, so I wasn't having fun half the time. Then on top of that, we had Krystal helping out… I stopped caring for their romance halfway through because they were getting on my nerves (the book might’ve been doing its job well there). It wasn’t that Krystal was throwing out offhanded comments about helping; she was always there, step by step, both knowing they had feelings for each other. There’s only so much I can take from thirty-year-olds. By the end, I was all for Angela and that lady she met online—I really liked them together. I will say, I did like how Angela and Krystal showed up for each other and stuck up for each other when they both needed it. Maybe that’s contradictory, but I’m always for girlhood; it’s the romance that needs to be done well.

A perfect read to kick off May! I have never identified with a character more than I did with Angela. This hits closer to home as I am an ace spec lesbian, in her late 20s, who also lives in Texas lol. This also releases the day after my birthday 😉 This was a very sweet story and had a delicious amount of angst. I loved her and Crystal's relationship and the journey they went on. This was absolutely refreshing as you don't see many ace lesbians in literature. The realistic scenarios and questions Angela had. The reality of social media and what it opens up, both good and bad. I am team booo anti-esme and I adored and loved Julian. Overall, this was fantastic and I look forward to more work by this author. If this sounds up your alley this beauty releases May 6th, 2025

After reading Gabriella's debut, Kiss Me Maybe was immediately on my radar! I absolutely loved the aspect of Angela taking everything into her own hands an auctioning off her kiss! The scavenger hunt aspect was so unique and I loved hearing about all the things that Angela loved and what made her "her" and why she wanted to put them in the scavenger hunt. Hearing Angela talk about the artist she loves and the art they create was one of my favorite moments of the story too. The way it was described made me see it so clearly in my mind and ugh. I felt the emotions that Angela felt. The open communication between Angela and Krystal are what DREAMS are made of, truly! They're talks about sexuality and labels/microlabels was so enlightening and beautiful. And the tension between them?? It had me SWEATING. I loved them for each other and I hope they made appearances in Gabriella's future novels!

This book is FULL of sapphic pining! From the very start, it's clear that Angela has been crushing on the bartender she's been chatting with and drunkenly quasi-flirting with.

I loved how much discussion (internally and externally) there was about sexuality and micro-labels. While Angela largely knows herself, there are always little bits and pieces she doesn't necessarily have everything fully figured out, and she's open to continue learning about herself! Being on the journey alongside her is so special.

Another thing that really stuck out to me was the scavenger hunt. It was so fun getting to learn about Angela through what she wanted to feature, and what she felt connected to in her city.

The audio kept me in the story and I loved getting to experience Angela's thoughts in such a way. The pacing was perfect, along with the delivery of lines, and overall performance.

Read for:
-ace lesbian library assistant/influencer MC
-bi bartender LI
-queer side characters
-discussions on asexuality
-scavenger hunts

Angela has never been kissed. She's 27 and she knows who she is for the most part. It took her a while to realize she was an ace lesbian, but she still hasn't had her first kiss and she feels like it's overdue. After she gets some attention with her videos online, she posts about her identity and her lack of firsts. In opening herself up to the internet, she's able to grow a community that feels like a safe place for her to be herself and let out her thoughts.

After some thinking and more videos, she decides to host a scavenger hunt in her city. The prize? Her first kiss. She opens herself to online dating to the max, knowing that not everyone will be in her city, but feels like this is what she wants to do. She starts working through the idea with her best friend, Marcela, and the bi bartender she's been crushing on for years, Krystal. But as Krystal helps her with the scavenger hunt and they grow close, more unravels, and maybe there's something there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

When a book is set in my hometown during Fiesta, my favorite time of the year, and features amazing queer rep? Instant obsession. I was already swooning over the cover of Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez, but the story? EVEN BETTER.

Krystal agrees to help Angela complete a scavenger hunt to get her first kiss, but sparks fly, and suddenly it’s not just about the list. The chemistry was there from the start, and I was rooting for them the whole way.

Gamez captures different types of sexualities that don’t always get the spotlight and reminds us: love isn’t linear. Sexuality isn’t linear. And that’s what makes this story so special. 💖🏳️‍🌈🎉

This book was fun and inspiring. I loved the characters and how they used social media to build their own community as well as help them better understand their own identities. The narration of this book was great. I wish they could have been a bit more differentiation between the two FMC voices but there was enough that it wasn’t confusing. The story felt a bit odd to me with the sexual acts happening with ease despite having such a hang up on kissing someone.

This book explored identities and self discovery in a beautiful and insightful way. The characters each had their own journeys where they grew and learned from each other as the story went. I loved getting to see this process and falling in love with the story along the way. Narration was done perfectly to fit the tone of the story.

I LIVE for a book with good tension, it’s not always done right, but when it is?!

This was my first Gabriella Gamez book and I will be back for more — Marcella and Theo, I’m waiting for you!!! I love her writing and the fact that there was so much representation — hispanic, ace, lesbian. It was so informative and handled with so much care.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the scavenger hunt and parasocial TikTok aspect, but I can appreciate how it helped form the storyline and bring Angela and Krystal together. And again, the tension between them!!! The almost kiss?!

A big thanks to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Gabriella Gamez for the ALC!

This book was so fun. I love the queer representation in here. The characters were really sweet and made you cheer for them. This book made me smile

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Netgalley and Gabriella Gamez for the ALC!

Kiss me, Maybe was a very big eye opener for me. I have very little knowledge about ace-spec identities and the broadness that comes with sexuality. This book was a glimpse into it and honestly it makes me want to find more books with it. The representation in this book was great, I fully enjoyed the idea of TikTok being used to help with the whole scavenger hunt.

I became invested in the love story between Angela and Krystal, and while I didn't feel there was a lot of tension to gravitate towards, I could feel a small pull between the two and why they do fit perfectly together. The more spicy scenes didn't feel to over the top or overdone. I actually felt it was nicely done, made sense and had the right amount.

What I didn't like however was that the scavenger hunt was a big deal for so long, and a major point of the book then within a few chapters felt like it didn't matter anymore. I could also see points where this felt very immature and even though I knew they were in their mid/late 20's, sometimes it felt as they were just 18.

For the Audio, I felt it was a great narration. I felt at sometime she change one of the characters tone, and then went back which bugged me. Overall though I really did enjoy the book and the Audio.

When 27 year old Angela's video about never having been kissed goes viral, she decides to use her newfound fame to start a scavenger hunt where the winner gets the honor of being her first kiss. Krystal, the bartender Angela has been crushing on for years, becomes her scavenger hunt planning partner. As they go through the planning process, their connection starts to deepen.

I really wanted to like this more than I did. My biggest hang up with this book was that the plotline felt really juvenile. Like if you took out the couple of smutty scenes and made the characters high school students, this could be a great YA book, but the plot felt like it didn't fit in an adult romance. The whole scavenger hunt idea that was supposed to be the driving plot of this book kind of just disappeared in the middle somewhere. I felt like I never really fully understood what the scavenger hunt was or how it would have worked. I also didn't feel any chemistry between the two characters throughout most of the book.

The narrator of the audiobook did do a great job though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette Audio for the alc!

Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez is the second book in the Librarians in Love series! I love the premise of this book in general; going viral on social media and then using that to leverage your life and experiences is so fun and unserious. Angela is a “late-bloomer” in both “experience” and still figuring out her sexuality. Kiss Me Maybe has representation of sexuality of both FMC’s an ACE lesbian, and bisexual: I love that that sexuality and identity is fluid throughout the whole book and the care and the conversations surrounding feeling misunderstood and confused felt so real.

If you read Gamez's first book and loved the messiness, you will not be disappointed with the level of mess in Kiss Me, Maybe. This Sapphic novel

Kiss Me, Maybe was narrated by Ruby Corazon, who did a fantastic job capturing Angela's moods and feelings. You can tell that the narrator immersed themselves in the book and fit Angela's vibes perfectly. I’m an audiobook lover and had a great time with this one!

This book is messy and fun. I loved Angela using social media to “date the city,” and this scavenger hunt sounds like so much fun! And it’s set in San Antonio, TX, so I'm obsessed! Overall, the book was 10/10. Gabriella Gamez quickly became an auto-buy author, knocking her second novel out of the park!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever Audio, and Gabriella Gamez for the ACL copy to review!

I'm always wary about reading books that center around social media and this book is a prime example why I am right to be. The dedication is about TikTok being banned and within the first 2 chapters alone, it was mentioned at least 10 times...I did not like that. I understand that there's obviously going to be mentions of popular social media apps in contemporary books but this felt excessive.

The characters did not feel real. I appreciated that the main character's asexuality was crucial to the story and that the author tried to show a less common part of the spectrum but a lot of the time, it felt like the author copy-pasted a google search response on asexuality. The conversations in the book felt unnatural, especially between the fmc and her love interest.

I loved the relationship between the mc and her family and friends though. I also enjoyed the author's writing style even if the story itself wasn't to my liking. I listened to this on audio and I found the narrator to be quite good. Her character interpretations were very engaging.

<b><i>"Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review" </i></b>

I really enjoyed Gabriella Gamez’ last book so I was excited to pick this one up! I liked this too. It was a little less messy than the first one and I liked that messy drama, but I still liked it. The characters were great and tiktok was included in the book in a way that somehow wasn't cringe so I am impressed by that.

I really wish that there were ace colors on the book cover. Obviously I am happy to see any obvious queer and sapphic representation but we get so little ace representation in romance books so I would have been nice to see it on the cover too.

The narration on this audiobook took my reading experience to the next level. I was already enjoying the content of the story, but Ruby Corazon made me feel so much throughout!

Now for the story - Gabriella Gamez the person that you are! I loved this one so much. I was a little nervous about the use of social media throughout because nuanced conversation is often missed, but I can tell that Gamez really thought through how it would be in this story. Watching Angela figure out her sexuality and being so comfortable with change as she figured it out was nice. Watching her realize her parents truly supported her made me tear up a little. It was great commentary on how we perceive our parents versus what their actions and facial expressions actually mean. A great reminder to just open your mouth and ask!

At times this story felt messy and chaotic, but in the way a journey like this is supposed to. It felt like Gamez had a strong hold of the reins the whole way though and I'll definitely be back for more.

Awesome narrator that truly made the character feel real and authentic!

I appreciate this book on so many levels. First and foremost it feels like a vital read for so many queer readers. There is such vulnerability in both FMCs and even supporting cast too. Lots of very real talks on family and being queer in Latine families.

I truly appreciate the sexual awakening and discovery of this book as well. I said this before but the vulnerability extends to all of the sensual and intimate moments as well. I istantly gravitated to this raw eotionally journey in this book.

I also have to give a quick shoutout to the QPR representation. QPR's are so unique and even dare I say delicate? This book captured the uniqueness of a QPR!

I love the family drama, I find it very relatable and great learning experiences. I think that this could have used a little more on-page, explicit and vibrant Latinx representation. There were "some" sprinkles, but I think this author is capable of more. Maybe with the more books get written, the more the author can see how much she feels comfortable adding in books. I just also think of all f the Latina/Latino/Latines trying to finding themselves in this most beautiful Ace and queer rep.

What great ACE rep this book had. The story was so relatable even though I don’t identify as ACE. I felt like it showcased how much of a spectrum being ACE can really be like and I know it’ll really help someone out there soon. I definitely would suggest this to anyone who is looking for a semi slow burn sapphic romance. I immediately suggested it to all the booksellers I work with and our store owner

*Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to Hachette Audio for the gifted ALC*

Sapphic scavenger hunt shenanigans? Yes please! I loved all of the ace and aro representation and the important discussions within this romance. As someone definitely on that spectrum, it felt true to my lived experience. The incorporation of TikTok was fun, both in the initial premise of a "dating the internet" series and the conflict it generates. It absolutely got STEAMY, even with Angela still holding out on her first kiss. The narration did detract from the book at times - the vibes just didn't quite fit the moment (be it feeling cheesy during the sexy scenes or too serious in the happy ones). But overall, the representation and premise was great.

Thank you to Forever for the arc!

DNF @ 15%

I would recommend this if you like books about self discovery, especially being an asexual lesbian, and “late bloomers” having their first kiss. I also think you’ll like this if you’re a fan of highly focused plots, lighthearted and low-angst romances, and introspective main characters.

One of the FMC’s, Angela, has a crush on the hot bartender at a bar she frequents. I love an unrequited crush, but when Angela and Krystal started talking, it was very casual and didn’t have the angsty tension I like at the start of a romance.

There also doesn’t seem to be any conflict beyond Angela having never been kissed. She posts to TikTok? It goes viral. She wants to set up a big scavenger hunt? No problem, the hot bartender will help. Everything is coming too easily to her and there’s no tension.

I used to really like super low-angst romances like this, and I might come back to it when I’m in the mood for an over the top plot, and a low angst mood.

The narrator did a great job with the mood of the story and creating unique voices for each character!