3.25
We follow an ace-spec lesbian who is on her personal journey to find love.

Angela and Crystal genuinely built a connection. My favorite thing was that they actively and openly worked on communicating with one another to be able to better understand each other. Which made me want to root for their romance throughout the entire book.

The only thing that I did not really care about this book was the scavenger hunt. Every time that the scavenger hunt came up I rolled my eyes because I could have cared less about that. Especially because it continuously had mishaps that prevented it from happening which felt a bit repetitive.

I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook and the narrator. My only gripe with the audiobook is that in some chapters it would switch from one type of sound to the next. For example the production would sound scratchy but then in the next chapter it would sound smooth. But Other than that I enjoyed the audiobook. I also would listen to anything done by this narrator.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook published by Hachette Audio The idea of this book was intriguing but I feel like the execution fell flat. The main character read a little two immature and there were several plot points that were introduced and left in the air. Ruby Corazon did an amazing job narrating this book and would love to listen to more books narrated by her.

I really loved the narrator!
No notes.

As for the story itself, I unfortunately didn’t connect with it as much as I had hoped. There were elements I appreciated, but overall, it didn’t fully meet my expectations. That said, I still think it’s a solid read and worth 3.5 stars.

One thing I do want to highlight is the ace representation: it felt authentic, respectful, and refreshing to see! That aspect alone made the story stand out in a meaningful way.

While I didn’t fall head-over-heels for the plot and/or characters, I still ended up enjoying the overall experience of listening to this book. It’s a genuine cozy, queer romcom, and even if it didn’t become a personal favorite of mine, I think it will resonate deeply with the right readers.

3/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of Kiss Me, Maybe audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Overall, I enjoyed this book and the narrator. I sometimes had trouble differentiating between internal thoughts and spoken word in the novel. The premise of the book was a good one and I appreciated all the various identity reps that existed. I think it got a little repetitive at times in internal thoughts.

The audio was narrated by Ruby Corazon, spanning a 10-hour and 22-minute timeframe. This was my first time experiencing Corazon, and I liked her. I felt her become the main character, Angela Gutierrez. I hope to hear some more of her work in the future.

The story, KMM, was up in the air for me. I thought I would be experiencing a cutesy romance novel that would have had me giggling stupidly and tickled pink. And eventually, we did there. But before we got there, we took a very confusing walk with Angela Gutierrez and her journey of finding out what her sexuality is. It was interesting to learn about the Asexual Spectrum, as I'm not too familiar with all of its breakdowns. I appreciate how the author carefully explains the kaleidoscope of sexualities, all while having Angela navigate what was right for her. But the journey almost turned me off, as it enveloped half of the story, before we got to the romantics.

Things picked up for me once we settled in on the type of sexuality Angela was. Here was when it started to get cute. Because Angela was a virgin who had never even experienced her first kiss, she had the brainiac idea to host a scavenger hunt that shared her interests, with the grand prize of getting her first kiss. The scheme was original and entertaining. We had our questionable moments, family feuds, miscommunications, and several dropped bombs before we reached the end, which made it all worthwhile for me.

Kiss me, maybe is a sapphic romance with ace representation. What I liked most in the book was the ace representation and learning more about it through the main character, the premise of the scavenger hunt she host to have her first kiss and posting about it on her Tiktok account was something that I was really looking forward too. Unfortunately I didn’t like the romance as much, maybe i’m just not a situationship lover or I just don’t like the trope where a character pushes the other away or gives mixed signals, they did have chemistry and I liked the more smutty scenes but I was frustrated with the characters too at some points. Overall seeing the main characters journey was nice and I appreciated the book for what it was.

This book was wonderful! I always love to see asexual spectrum representation, especially in a romance! It's so nice to see different LGBTQ+ identities represented in this way, and as an ace spec person myself, I love feeling this seen!

This book was so delightful I was kicking my feet and squealing the whole time. I loved Angela's journey of self-discovery and it was so satisfying to see her find such a fulfilling relationship. This book was a combo of all of my favorite things so of course I was going to love it, but it absolutely exceeded my expectations.

The narrator of this book was phenomenal and brought Angela to life in such a beautiful way. Her character work was great and her ability to capture Angela's emotional states was really impressive. Highly recommend the audio version of this one!

⭐⭐⭐✨
Rep : Asexual Lesbian MC, Bisexual LI

💗Sapphic Romance
📱Accidental Social Media Influencer
🗺️Scavenger Hunt for MC's First Kiss
🍺Bartender the MC has been Longing Over for Years
👪Complicated Family Dynamics
💜Nuances of Asexuality

🎧Audio Experience🎧
I was given and advanced listening copy of this through Netgalley and I think if you decide to read this, the audiobook is solid. It is not the best audiobook I've ever heard recorded but I do think the narrators really brought the story to life. However, I personally hate listening to sex scenes on audio (it makes me cringe so bad when I wouldn't if I was physically read it) and I didn't realise this book was going to have multiple sex scenes which was just not a fun experience to listen to.

What I Liked
1) I absolutely loved the absurd premise of the MC 'dating the internet' and putting on a scavenger hunt to find her perfect first kiss. However, the MC kept putting it to the side and we didn't see much about it until the end, which I understand as she fell for the love interest, but I think it just fell really flat on such a funny concept.

2) I loved the discussions around how the internet is always waiting for queer influencers to make the smallest 'mistake' in their eyes and then dogpile on them for it. The internet hates and both loves nuance and I think this book explored that well.

3) I felt very seen in the conversations about asexuality in this books as it is the rep I've read so far that is closest to my own experience. I would recommend anyone who is on the asexual spectrum and does not feel 'ace enough' to read this as I think it would really validate a lot of people. I also loved how the MC felt she couldn't discuss the details of her asexuality without getting too TMI cause that is soo real 😭😭

What I Disliked
1) I really did not like the actual romance in this. All of the other elements were really working for me but I just wasn't feeling the chemistry between them. I don't think they were destined to be together and they had so many problems that just kept popping up again and again and I was just getting so tired of the same issues. I think the relationship was represented in a realistic way but I think they should have broke up like I think there was just way too many issues.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio, Gabriella Gamez (Author) and Ruby Corazon (Narrator) for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

Honestly I didn’t love or hate this story, but I can say it made me truly realize how little I know about the Asexual community. I really had to sit and do a little research on what it means to be asexual and how they navigate intimacy and relationships. The connection between our librarian and hot bartender was so strong, even though they really had different motives throughout. The spicy scenes definitely gave tho 🤭 so overall it was interesting but not my favorite sapphic romance. Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this ALC!

I really enjoyed Gabriella Gamez’s first book, so I was excited to check this one out! There were points where I was really enjoying the book, but more points where I just felt bored. I think this book would have been better as a short story

what a fun romance, and how good is it to get more acespectrum rep! i really enjoyed this read, i was really rooting for the characters!

the narrator had a very calm voice, and was not distracting from the story. very good audio production

thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review.

4.25/5 stars - Late bloomer hive rise up!! I loved how this story went deep into Angela's identity exploration as a greysexual lesbian. Her relationship development with Crystal had me giggling and squealing!! There were a few parts of the book where I felt the pacing slowed down for a bit, but overall I really enjoyed the audiobook for this.

First Impression -
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (so far)

Narrator, Ruby Corazon's delivery is cozy, engaging, and perfect for the story.

I’m only a few chapters in, but had to pause to share first impressions. The TikTok-style lingo threw me at first, but it grew on me quickly. It’s current, honest, and easy to fall into. Especially while crocheting!

Loving the representation: asexual lesbian MC, Hispanic, living at home, with themes around religion, coming out, and generational living—something I deeply value as a mom. Also appreciated the spotlight on indie artists and supportive queer community.

Layered, real, and off to a great start. Will update once I finish! 🎧🏳️‍🌈

Final review :

This started off strong—cozy, honest, and layered. I appreciated the representation of an asexual lesbian main character, discussions of religion and generational living, and the celebration of queer identity and indie artistry. Ruby Corazon’s narration really brought it to life.

At first, I was unsure about the TikTok-style language, but it surprisingly worked… for a while.

That said, as the story progressed, it became repetitive and leaned too heavily on internet lingo. What began as a potential 5-star read ultimately settled into a 3.5 for me.

Still, it’s a sweet and inclusive story that brings something valuable to the table—especially for readers looking for modern queer romance with a cozy vibe.

Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez is a sweet, sapphic romance that blends late-bloomer charm with heartfelt identity exploration.

Angela Gutierrez is a librarian who’s never been kissed — and she’s ready for that to change. After going viral for a video about her ace identity and never-been-kissed status, Angela comes up with a scavenger hunt idea where the winner earns her first kiss. But organizing an event like that is a lot… and she’ll need help.

Enter Krystal Ramirez: confident bartender, queer heartbreaker, and Angela’s long-time crush. Despite claiming she’s not built for romantic love, Krystal is all in on helping Angela — and their chemistry is undeniable.

This story is full of community love, and queer joy. I especially loved the Mexican American rep and the affirming journey Angela takes toward understanding her identity and desires. That said, some aspects — like the scavenger hunt — felt underdeveloped, and the characters skewed a bit young for my taste at times.

Tropes & Themes:
• Influencer x bartender
• Mexican American main characters
• LGBTQIA2S+ rep
• Sapphic romance
• Unrequited crush
• Friends-to-lovers-ish
• Late bloomer / first kiss journey
• Mutual pining
• Identity exploration (asexual & aromantic spectrum)

A tender, sapphic romance with heartwarming representation and a fun concept — even if the execution felt a little young and underbaked in places. A sweet read if you’re looking for a sweet sapphic story with great rep and a premise that’s equal parts cute and emotional.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever and Hachette Audio for providing an e-ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I really loved this story! Even more than book 1! The characters had so much depth, and I adored them so much. The story gave such an in depth view of the Ace community. I loved the representation so much! The romance was so compelling. I was rooting for them the whole time! I also really loved this narrator. She did a great job making these two women unique.

There is plenty to love about this book! The main romance was full of sizzling yearning, with a genuine will-they-won’t-they feel as the book went on.

What really stood out about this book is how the author explored different queer identities, particularly on the asexual spectrum. The main character, Angela, tells us quite early on that she identifies as an asexual lesbian, and over the course of the book she explores the ways she can express her sexuality, and discovers more about the spectrum of asexuality. Asexuality is often seen as being very cut and dry, and I really liked how this book explored the whole asexual umbrella.

I do have mixed feelings about the role social media plays in this book. I do really like the way Angela found an online community, as that’s something many queer people experience, and it thought that was done really well. I also liked the idea of her accidentally going viral, and having to balance her online presence with her real life, and how the two impact each other. The whole scavenger hunt plot, however, I wasn’t so keen on. I wasn’t really a fan from the get-go, and as the book went on it just felt increasingly drawn out.

That aside I really enjoyed this book, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for more from this author.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

I’m sorry, I tried, but I just could not get into this book. I don’t necessarily think it’s bad, just not for me. The main character just really annoyed me and I could not get into it even though I really tried.

She calls her Angel. Just had to let you know.

Asexual representation in adult romances overjoys me, and Kiss Me, Maybe did it with nuance. Our main character Angela is very much in the exploratory part of understanding her identity, and along for the ride is bartender Krystal – who herself has sworn off serious relationships. Complicated feelings ensue.

I listened to the audiobook, and it is long. The book is probably long, too. We get quite detailed in this story, and whilst at times it serves the purpose of honesty or transparency, it mostly feels unnecessary. If you don’t mind a bit of a slower pace – go right ahead!

I think of the narration as sincere. It came across as stilted, but I suspect this is a reflection of the writing as it corresponds with the main character’s awkwardness, which made me not mind.


Thank you NetGalley, Forever and Hachette audio for the ARC!

I loved this SO MUCH. I loved the representation it had and the unrequited pining????? Chefs kiss. Every time Crystal and Angela went to bat for each other made me love them SO much more.

If you love a slow burn romance with highly unrepresented sexual orientations look no further! Kiss Me Maybe was a breath of fresh air that will likely lead many to do more googling to determine what, if any, labels may apply to themselves. It does have a degree of spice to it which is not closed door so just bear that in mind if your only knowledge of asexual is an individual with zero interest in sexual acts, as the book details it is a wide spectrum.

As Angela learns about herself and her support system, she works through a kooky scavenger hunt idea to help her further her self discovery but things don’t go according to plan. Enter Krystal, a love shy bartender who isn’t capable of being in love and won’t put herself in that position to hurt someone again… right? Solid follow up for Gamez, very different from her debut novel but just as solidly built up with life lessons, crappy family members, and all the tension.

A few random notes:
Ugh fuck Esme for real. I cannot remember the last time I wanted to reach through the pages to throttle a character before, which definitely speaks to the 3 dimensional character aspect.

Krystal being simultaneously the protective caretaker type while having a submissive side as well was *chefs kiss*

Never Been Kissed vibes but make it TikTok and sapphic.

Audio book specific: overall enjoyable narration, no issues with voicing other characters, etc.

Thank you Hachette Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.