⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🫑

First I want to thank Netgalley and Hachette audio for allowing me to listen to this incredible audiobook ahead of its release!

I loved this book. I think it might be one of my new favourites. What I liked most about this book is how a ton of different identites on the asexual spectrum are touched upon and explained. The main character is still on her own journey of discovery and I thought it was really interisting to see how she goes through that process.

The main character goes viral on tiktok and the story partially revolves around her building a community online. I usually don’t like when actual social media apps are mentioned in books, but this was written so well that I didn’t mind. I love how we got to see both the positive and the negative aspects of her internet fame.

The love story in this book was EVERYTHING. I love how both the main characters were so understanding with each other, regarding past experiences but also regarding Angelas relationship to sex. What I was kind of annoyed by was how long it took for them to actually kiss each other but I think that was just the slow burn working a bit too well.

The audiobook experience was amazing btw. The narrator is now one of my favourites. She managed to bring the characters to life in a way I think I would have missed if I had read it instead of listening to it. Her voice was sooo soothing! I often have a problem of not being able to pay attention if the narrators voice is too calming, but Ruby Corazon somehow walked that thin line perfectly. The audion was CRISP too. Also, does anyone else love the intros and outros of hachette?

Finally lets just take a moment for that GORGEOUS COVER! My favourite detail has to be the flower crowns in the colours of their sexualities flag! And the way they are so close to kissing but not quite???? I love Leni Kaufmann.

I will definitely be recommending this to anyone who will listen (and maybe also those who won’t)

Thank you to to Netgalley, Gabriella Gamez & Hatchette Audio for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion

I really liked this story. I was really invested in Angela and Krystal right from the beginning. Which, I'm not always this invested in a potential love interest straight away. But I loved the connection between Angela and Krystal. It was also very interesting to learn more about ace-spec folks. Even though I do know some things about asexuality. It's always nice to hear more from people. Even if these characters are made up, I'm sure the author pulled information from real people and their stories.

Also, I would just like to say, the narrator of this book, Ruby Corazon really had me hooked from the start as well. I am going to look into what else they have narrated for. I hope there's more. I may have a tiny crush on their voice. Please narrator every book from now on. Lol

4.5/5 stars

Angela is in her late 20s and has never been kissed. Yes, you’ve read that correctly, never been kissed. She is ace and she is ready to lose the stigma of never being kissed. She is ready to find that certain someone to be kissed by. She goes about finding a perfect suitor for a kiss by posting a TikTok that ends up going viral.

Krystal is a bartender in her late 20s as well. Angela has had a huge crush on Krystal for about 5 years. Even though she has been jilted by a past lover that has ruined the sanctity of love for her, she helps Angela in her endeavour to find her first kiss. What Angela doesn’t know is that Krystal has also had a crush on her. Who will be Angela’s first kiss?

I had a lot of ups and downs about this book and the downs honestly had nothing to do with the MC not having been kissed into her late 20s. What I do have a problem with **spoiler** is the fact that there are some scenes where Angela and Krystal get together in a very sexual manner before Angela is willing to kiss Krystal. Angela has a death grip hold on her first kiss and refuses to give it up before and even during her encounters with Krystal. My thing is if you’re willing to go all the way, then, to me, it’s a little unbelievable at this point that she wouldn’t have kissed Krystal before the literal end of the book. **end spoiler** Just my opinion so please take it with a grain of salt.

One thing I absolutely LOVED about this book is the talk of the ever changing sexuality spectrum. On her journey, Angela believed she was ace, by the end of the book and her journey, Angela realized she is graysexual. A lot of people out there have one sexuality and that is where they stay their whole life. A lot of people out there, their sexuality changes and that is okay. Our brains are ever changing and that is okay. I love the author’s exploration with Angela in realizing her change in sexuality and exploring it.

Lastly, because this was an ALC, the narrator. This was a tough listen, for me, because her cadence while reading was a little off. She would make pauses in sentences where there wasn’t a period. I wouldn’t say she was very monotone but she didn’t have much inflection in her voice so it was very one note during scenes that could have used a range of tone.

I did think the premise of the book was fun with the scavenger hunt. I enjoyed the parts of the story that featured her friends and family, and felt those could have been explored even more. I also appreciated that there was ace/aro representation, because it is very rare in romance. However...

I felt that her vibe was very immature, to the point where her being like 21/22 would be more believable. I also struggled to believe her relationship with Krystal. It moved very, very fast once they started hanging out. For being ace, the book got spicy like, really fast, and how she was like only Krystal can touch me like this for a girl she didn't know that well. IDK, it was a little weird to me how quickly they moved for someone who needs to build a strong connection first.

As for the audio portion, I liked the voice/pacing of the book but I would have liked a little more differentiation between the voices. It was hard to tell people apart during dialogues sometimes.

Kiss Me, Maybe is a sapphic romance that offers a refreshing look at identity, self-discovery, and life in the spotlight. Angela, the main character, is figuring out what being on the asexual spectrum means for her—both romantically and sexually. Gabriella Gamez handles this exploration with clarity and care, making it easy for readers to understand what that journey might look like for someone in real life.

If you're into social media and influencer culture, this book gives a pretty honest take. It shows both the sense of community and connection that can come from being online, as well as the pressure and backlash that often come with it.

It’s also nice to see returning characters like Angela’s best friend Marcela and her cousin Julian. Their support adds warmth and familiarity, especially for readers who’ve followed the series.

There's an intimacy that develops between Angela and Crystal as they truly open up to one another and start to realize that they are the ones they truly want. Their relationship needs both of them to work through their own issues and claim their love for one another.

I thought the narrator had a great voice to listen to, but I would have appreciated a bit more difference in narration of the two leads voices to understand a bit better as I listened.

Thank you to Forever and Hachette audio for the eARC and ALC. All opinions are my own.

My first foray into ace romance! This was a wonderful first step into a different spectrum of sexuality for me and damn, it was a good time.
Angela has never been kissed and is beginning to tire of not experiencing the many “firsts” she feels she should have had by now. With the help of a very beautiful, emotionally closed off bartender, she goes on her own personal scavenger hunt (iykyk) to find out maybe she doesn’t need to meet anyone else’s expectations, just her own.
I learned a lot from this book and I am so looking forward to more by this author and of this genre.
Trigger warnings: acephobia/arophobia, homophobia, bullying

Angela has never been kissed and she shares this, her ace identity and her interest in a first kiss with her social media followers, creating a scavenger hunt where the winner earns her first kiss. Krystal, a bartender that’s she’s had a crush on for years, offers to help her with the scavenger hunt and their relationship heats up.

I really enjoyed the character development and growth throughout the book, the open dialogue between characters and learning more about the ace spectrum. I would have enjoyed hearing directly from Krystal as well, to get deeper understanding into some of her challenges and a second perspective, but overall it was an engaging and thought provoking read.

The narration of the audiobook seemed to match the characters and enhanced the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hatchett Audio and Gabriella Gamez for the advance reader copy.

What a fabulous audiobook! I read the ebook of this and then listened to it and the story was even more amazing the second time around. There was a lot going on in the story and I felt like it may have dragged a bit here and there but overall I really enjoyed the characters and found a lot of her internal struggles relatable. The plot was fun and interesting without feeling like it was something I’ve read before. Big fan of Gabriella’s writing and cannot wait to see what comes next.

Thank you to Forever Publishing for the eARC and Hachette Audio for the ALC.

Did Not Finish.

There are many good things in this one. The open discussions about the spectrum of sexuality and identity. The realities of growing up in a homophobic family. But there was a revelation about Krystal midway through the story and I honestly can't get over it. It changed how I view her as a love interest. And Angela continuing on with a scavenger hunt (with the prize being her first kiss) despite falling for Krystal made me feel icky. Sorry but I'm doneskis.

This book was so cute! A variation of the movie Never Been Kissed in the TikTok era, it was fluffy and spicy in all the best ways. I appreciated the asexual and bisexual mess representation, and being in the midst of defending your orientation to people who don’t deserve your explanations. It was a joy watching Angela become a more confident version of herself while exploring her sexuality and watching Krystal forgive herself through her attraction to Angela. Overall, it was a breath of fresh air.

🗓️ out 5/6

Honestly taught me some great things about A sexual and the LGBTQ+ community.
A super fun scavenger hunt storyline! I laughed out loud a lot as well.

💜 Romcom
💜 a sexual rep
💜 tiktok/ social media plot line
💜 super slow burn
💜 pining


Thank you @readforeverpub and hachette audio

4/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️

Thanks to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and of course Gabriella Gamez for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Kiss Me, Maybe was such a wonderfully tender story about finding yourself in the chronically online world we live in. Angela was a really well developed main character and her character arc is so hard earned. Dealing with mean girls online and family issues is always hard, but it’s especially hard when they’re attacking your identity. I really appreciated the LGBTQIA+ representation, especially heavy ace representation because I just think it’s not there in literature really.

The idea that she has for getting out of her shell is hosting a scavenger hunt which is…interesting. Gabriella Gamez does a great job of showcasing the messy, but realistic stage of the formation of relationships. There’s a lot of miscommunication involved, so be aware of that. Angela and Krystal are dancing around one another for a LONG time and this scavenger hunt thing is honestly…high key dumb and an unnecessary plot device in my opinion. The scavenger hunt is the reason this isn’t getting 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book, but the idea that you’d invite strangers on the internet to a scavenger hunt to be your first kiss is inherently dangerous. They would need to know enough about her to guess the clues as well. So I just…I guess I know that the scavenger hunt was to get her and Krystal working together and probably introduce other characters. It was just sloppily done and I wish their friendship had grown more naturally into a relationship without the need for this outside force. I really enjoyed this otherwise. So much hinged on this, so I just had to make note about it. Also, the library board was weirdly involved in her personal life in this book just like they were in the FMC’s life in the first book. Weird.

I know there is a discourse of this book not having a lot of Mexican representation even though it is marketed as if it had a lot. I am not the right person to say if its accurate or not, I just wanted to make it clear that I know about it.

Other than that, I loved this story so much. I thought it was so cute and I loved the conversations about asexuality and also the family dynamic of that one toxic cousin that you can still love and care for but just not want in your life. I thought these two ladies were just too cute and it took them a while but we got there.

I really love how Gabriella tells her stories, and the narration in this was 10/10.

Angela, a 27 year old late bloomer ace lesbian makes a scavenger hunt to get her first kiss. At 20% the story seems to be opening well, a nice groundwork being built. Krystal the local bartender says romance isn't for her but she has a suspiciously strong want to help Angela plan her scavenger hunt. As the two continue to work together on this scavenger hunt leading the sapphic internet to Angela both women can't fight the feelings they have for one another but Krystal doesn't feel like she can love anyone back the way they deserve. I felt like it was a little slow at times but it did pick up by like 40% or so. I liked the family conflict and the found family dynamics since these are relatable to a lot of others in the queer community. I also liked the exploration of self. I'm not ace myself, so i don't know how accurate this was for those identifying individuals but it did give me an insight and help learn about that part of identity that I knew nothing about prior. I found the ending to be satisfying and would love to see a follow up with other characters in an interconnected series.

Thank you Forever publishing for a free ARC and ALC copy of this book, I am always grateful.

I will start off by saying this book is so important in platforming identities that are often overlooked in readers spaces including ACE, Latinx, and a variety of queer identities are represented in this book. I also appreciate how integral these representations are to the story and are continually discussed through our main character, Angela’s, TikTok platform. Unfortunately, this was a “it’s not you, it’s me” kind of book. I thought the premise was interesting but I couldn’t really connect with the writing which led to feeling disengaged while reading. About 2 chapters in I switched to the audiobook which definitely was a much better experience for me personally! However, I struggled with our main character, I felt some of her actions and motivations were very immature for an almost thirty year old and I found the other characters to lack depth.

I chose to DNF this at 60%. I want to make it very clear however, that this was very much a me issue. This book will definitely be up someone’s alley even if that alley is not my own. I understand why this book has received the love it has so far and I think it is deserving even if it did not directly click with me.

My first book by Gamez, but certainly not the last! While this is the second book in an interconnected series, I think it worked fine as a standalone but I am looking forward to circling back and reading The Next Best Fling.

I love a story with messy characters who are living and trying to figure out life because honestly, that's relatable and none of us have this life thing figured out and we're all learning more about ourselves every day. As a late bloomer and someone who is working through the trauma of purity culture, deconstructing religion, and figuring out which labels feel right, I was immensely grateful for the thoughtful conversations Gamez had throughout this story. I loved the ace spec representation and how transparent and honest Angela was in her journey of exploring her identity. Angela's exploration and the conversations she facilitated with others were personally affirming and there were many times throughout the story where I felt personally seen and it resonated deeply. Thank you, Gabrielle for this!!

While this is a romance, I do think it is more character driven and focused on Angela's personal journey, which is very important to the overall plot and themes of the story, but I was a little confused about the pacing of the romance and spice - no kissing, but sex was okay?

I liked the ignoring 'due dates' in relation to firsts - no one should ever feel pressured from anyone (giving major side eye to Angela's cousins and followers) to reach milestones or cross things off a list. There is no set timeline for when you should have been kissed, had sex, been in a relationship, etc. and I appreciated how Angela reflected this.

The audiobook was fun and I thought the narrator did a great job of infusing heart and humor into the story, but I do wish there had been two narrators so Angela and Krystal could have both been represented.

I received an ALC of this book from NetGalley & Hachette Audio.

This is the second book in Gabriella Gamez's Librarians in Love series, and we get glimpses of Marcela and Theo from The Next Best Fling here. I enjoyed having the context of the first book, but don't think reading them in order is a deal breaker.

Angela Gutierrez is a 27-year old library assistant who makes an accidental thirst trap and goes viral. She uses that as a jumping off point to explore her identity as an ace lesbian. She and the bartender she's been crushing on, Krystal, come up with a plan to create a scavenger hunt that will lead to Angela's first kiss.

There is some great family stuff here, including the reality that not everyone in your life is going to accept who you are, and sometimes it's not worth the fight to "get them on your side."

For me, the scavenger hunt and plot with a local artist got a little muddled, and the end was a little bit of a low with who's admitting they're in love with who and when.

Overall I enjoyed this book, and Ruby Corazon's narration added to the enjoyment of the book for me. And the cover is gorgeous! I love the Easter egg of the flag colors in the flower crowns.

I first want to say that Angela and Krystal are so freaking cute and I loved the tension they held. I was definitely cheering them on the entire book!

If you’re a romcom lover who likes family drama, doesn’t mind TikTok being a focal point in the book, and make it sapphic? Then this will be for you!

I looooved learning more about the asexual community and the labels/intricacy that comes when we are exploring our sexuality. I thought the author took care and time to showcase so much for the queer community as a whole.

My biggest issues were the whole “scavenger hunt” theme and it felt like Angela was not 27 and more like 17.

The scavenger hunt felt so ridiculous because they didn't really do it or it wasn’t flushed out well. Angela felt like a teenager for the first 30% of the book so that threw me off as well. It did get better in the second half, but it was a struggle in the beginning.

Overall, I think this book holds so much wonderful representation and a big thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

I love to see all sorts of representation in the books being written these days, and Kiss Me, Maybe features one that I want to see even more of: asexuality. I thought this rep was so well done, not just having an ace character, but having her question and grow into her identity. Gamez made sure to include a lot of the common discourse about asexuality throughout the pages and have that be something our main character, Angela, was grappling with, like sex revulsion, how attraction works, etc. I appreciated seeing Angela go through figuring those things out, and I think that this will be a great book to help asexual people see themselves and learn about themselves!

The rest of the book was really cute and quick to read (I love when I can just roll through a book without really wanting to stop). Though the tiktok premise was *almost* a little too far-fetched for me, it definitely is still something that could happen, especially how people react to things on tiktok. If I were to see what Angela was doing on tiktok though, I'd probably be judgy about it (i🙈 Angela feels a little immature for her age, and Krystal (a potential love interest) is just a little sketchy. I feel like to make it past some of their issues, we needed a little more depth. But regardless, it was a fun read.

The narrator was excellent as well! She did a great job with differentiating characters.

In conclusion, I liked it! Probably like a 3.5-3.75.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the e-ARC, e-ALC, and gifted copy!

As a San Antonio local, this book was a fun read. I found the scavenger hunt plot disappointing, as it was abandoned so easily. I liked the main romance and felt like the characters had good chemistry, but there were some weird blurry boundaries that felt uncomfy to me.