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.

Finding ace representation is already hard, but finding someone ace who is exploring their identity and seeing the support and also criticism that comes with it? Thank you for this gift! I loved being an arc reader.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Gabriella Gamez, and Hachette Audio for being given the opportunity to listen to this book!

This is the second in the series which I didn't read the first but didn't feel as though I was missing anything. That being said this is such a cute and romantic book. There's ACE representation which you don't see much in LGBTQ+ books and I was able to learn a lot. The spice is not only 🔥 but also beautifully written.

📖Bookish Moments:
I loved this audiobook so much. Angela, our FMC, immediately pulled me in—a librarian turned unexpected TikTok star, trying to find her place both online and in her own life. The banter between Angela and Krystal was effortless, and their chemistry was undeniable right from the start.

Beyond the fun of the scavenger hunt and the lighthearted romcom setting, what really made this story stand out to me was the representation. As a Mexican American, seeing Angela’s family dynamics—the love, the expectations, the generational challenges—felt incredibly real. And seeing sapphic love centered so joyfully and authentically in a family story like this meant a lot to me.

The story also didn’t shy away from showing the painful realities of homophobia within the community, especially among older generations. I appreciated that it acknowledged those struggles without excusing them—because real love, especially queer love, deserves to be fully seen, and celebrated.

What you can expect:
📖 A librarian turned TikTok star
💛 Late bloomer vibes
💬 Witty banter for days
🫶 Slow-burn sapphic romance
🏳️‍🌈 Sapphic love and healing

Final Thoughts:
📖 Final Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧 Audio Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎙️ Narration Style: Solo and she amazing! I really loved her narration!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC! All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachett Audio / Forever for an audio galley. 💜

This story was steamy, tense, and utterly emotional.

I think that Gabriella Gamez did the asexual and bisexual communities justice with “Kiss Me, Maybe”. As Angela went on her personal journey to discover what exactly she wanted from a partner—what she might never be able to give—I felt like I was right there with her.

Gamez didn’t try to change the characters to make them more “appealing” or palatable. We read all of their flaws and, I think, that’s what made Angela and Krystal feel so real. 🥹

Audio performance:
I struggled a bit. I listened on 2x to stay engaged. Otherwise, it felt too slow. I also found it difficult to distinguish between dialogue and inner thoughts. Overall, I’d rate the audio performance ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.


💜ACE representation
💜Bisexual FMC
💜Lesbian FMC
💜Found family
💜Slow burn
💜Friends to lovers
💜Mexican-American MCs
💜”never been kissed” project
💜 Hurt-Help trope
💜 “If you’re a good girl!” Excuse me?!?! 🫠

I really enjoyed this one! It was such a big step in the right direction from her first book, and that made me extra happy.

I loved the characters and the representation this brought, both the positivity of it and the reality of how scathing the internet can be about it. I think the author handled the exploration of being asexual (and the sexualities touching it) in a wonderful manner and I LOVED that we had such a positive love story with someone who was asexual (and a lesbian!) in a contemporary romance. Chef's kiss.

The slow build romance between the two characters was lovely and it also felt authentic. I enjoyed seeing how Angela grew into herself and her realization that her feelings for Krystal as they spent time together.

The only things I had a hard time with were the fact that Angela's job immediately had an issue with what she was doing (it just brought up a lot of questions for me that were never really talked about, like how did they find out so quickly? And also, if it's not hurting the library directly, why would they care? We are pretty chill in libraries) and I had a really tough time getting into the story at the start. The scavenger hunt felt really forced to fit the story and convoluted. But once I got past that, it was a great story.

I enjoyed the narrator but I do wish she did a little better job between reading the book and the dialogue, sometimes it was hard to tell when someone was speaking.

I was so excited to get back to the Librarians in Love series!

Angela and Crystal were so cute!! I loved how their relationship blossomed. The slow burn was amazing and I really liked getting to know them, getting to the bottom of their reservations and what made them pause when it came to relationships.

I also learned so much about other identities as a cis-straight woman. I really enjoy reading for fun and to escape but reading books that also allow me to learn without it feeling like a lesson is a big part of why I enjoy reading.

Another thing I really loved about this book is how it explored those less than supporting families and how necessary it is to create those boundaries and go no contact when it feels right. I love when people stand on their beliefs and don't let things go so easily by the end!

Really enjoyed the narration of this one aswell! I loved how the narrator put so much emotion into the characters and although it was mostly female voices in the book I could still tell the difference between each of them. I didn't feel like one single voice reading every conversation.

Kiss Me Maybe is a fantastic representation of asexual relationships. I like how it shows how our main character's sexuality fluctuates over time. Through Angela’s character we see so much of her inner monologue and really go on a journey of self discovery.This book handles this in a very educational way and takes the time to talk about different sexualites as they come up in the book. I also liked how Kiss me Maybe handles the complex family dynamics of coming out and toxic familial relationships along with the toxic ones. I thought it was interesting to see the full spectrum.

I loved the concept of this book and thought it was very clever to have a main character that had found fame on TikTok. This was a very unique and timely premise as so many people are becoming online creators. The main problem that I had with this book was the pacing. I felt like not enough actually happened in this book to justify the length. Our main character, Angela, while being very educational, did not really have a distinct personality of her own and this made the book drag for me especially in the second half. I loved the premise and the educational aspects of this book but some of the execution and plot was lacking for me.

Ruby Corazon was a great fit for this book and was easy to understand and fit the meek and shy character well. She was easy to understand, but at times the narration felt a bit dry. I think this was more due to the characterization of Angela than the narrator herself. I think this was an excellently produced audiobook with a great narrator.

If you are looking for a book that is educational about the fluidity of sexuality and the Ace spectrum, this book is a great option. I am so glad that we are getting more books with asexual characters and can't wait to see this genre grow in the future.

4.75 stars

I really loved this one!

This was a book about finding yourself and being your true self with all of the people in your life first and a romance second. This book was so many things that I don't always love in books, but Gabriella found a way to make me fall in love.

First off this is a book about a tiktok influencer which is something I personally tend to avoid. In fact, the whole book revolves around a tiktok series. I was very skeptical at the beginning of this, but it really worked in this context.

This is also a friends to lovers story and I also don't like that trope usually. I have learned that the times a friends to lovers story is most likely to hit for me is when there is ARO, ACE, or Demi representation. I feel like these aspects of the LGBTQ+ are less common in books, but I love that we are finally getting more of these stories.

The main character, Angela is an ACE Lesbian and has a viral video of her coming out and everything that happens after that including how it impacts her relationships with her family, her friends, and her acquaintances. This book was so well written, it was impactful, and all of the representation was done so well.

This was a good reminder that sexuality is fluid and that people aren't defined by their terms.

I do wish this book would have been dual POV because I feel like it really would have elevated this story to another level, but I still loved it.

Thank you to NetGally for the gifted advanced audio copy of this book.

oh boy where do i even start with this? i usually rate romances low, but FF and MM i tend to like and even rate 3 stars or higher, but this, well this was not good.

right off the bat the author had a weird message about tiktok being banned, i hope that is edited out when it goes to publication but one it's cringe, and two, you tried to make tiktok an "important" part of this story, but it fell very flat, so just super weird to include it.

the main character, ugh, i didn't like her at all, not a single likable thing about her. she's 27 and works at a library, but the working part matters very little, she goes semi tiktok famous but her job says no. could just quit the job and be famous but i guess she wanted to be a 'bigger' person or something. also it felt like she was 13 the whole time.

the plot itself was not great, felt all over the place and i think the author forgot about the scavenger hunt, and just threw it in at the very end.

the narrator deadpan delivers lines like "omg Angela i'm cuming" and "that feels so good"

there are times where i feel like the author just googled something and copied/pasted it into the book. dialogue felted unnatural.

Kiss Me, Maybe had a lot of things I was excited about, Latina and LGBTQIA+ rep, but overall, it just didn’t totally work for me. I liked seeing Angela’s experience coming out later in life and the mix of family support and tension felt really real.

But the writing felt a little clunky, and I never fully clicked with Angela as a character. The scavenger hunt idea, which sounded super fun at first, ended up feeling really immature for a 27-year-old, and honestly, the whole thing just made me anxious. I kept thinking, "Girl, you’re gonna get a stalker!"

The way asexuality and labels were explained also kind of interrupted the story at weird times. Plus, I wish there had been more focus on Angela’s lesbian identity too, not just her ace-spec journey. And Krystal, the love interest, didn’t have enough depth for me to really care about their romance.

Overall, it’s not a bad book, just not my vibe. I think some readers will really love the rep, but I found it hard to stay engaged throughout the whole thing

Thank you Forever Pub for the eARC and ALC via Netgalley!

Zunächst einmal muss ich gestehen, dass ich nicht wusste, dass es sich um den zweiten Band einer Reihe handelt. Band 1 dreht sich um Angelas Arbeitskollegin und beste Freundin Marcella, die ebenfalls eine nicht unwichtige Rolle einnimmt, aber grundsätzlich ist Band 2 auch ohne Vorkenntnisse lesbar.

Vor allem, die Prämisse hat das Buch auf mich aufmerksam gemacht (und natürlich das bi und lesbisch kodierte Cover): Late Coming Out, Tiktok Fame und eine Schnitzeljagd um den ersten Kuss, bei der natürlich eine Romance in die Quere kommt. Genau mein Beuteschema. Erst recht, wenn auch noch asexuelle Repräsentation darin zu finden ist – aber dazu kommen wir etwas später noch mal.

Was mochte ich?

Der Erzählstil war leicht und kurzweilig, weshalb ich der Geschichte problemlos folgen konnte. Trotz der Alter der Protas (Mitte zwanzig) haben mich die Vibes an Young Adult Romances erinnert, die ich persönlich sehr gern mag.

Freundschaft und Found Family wird hier großgeschrieben. Gerade die Nebencharaktere sind so liebenswert, dass ich auch gern mit ihnen befreundet wäre. Geade Leti und Julian. <3

Außerdem hat mir die Darstellung der Schattenseiten von Social Media extrem gut gefallen. So erlebt Angela zwar eine Menge Support, aber es ist eben nicht alles Gold, was glänzt, und scheinbar unproblematische Dinge können die Ursache eines gewaltigen Shitstorms sein.

Und last but not least, die Selbstfindungsjourney war fantastisch. Angela beginnt das Buch als frisch geoutete asexuelle Lesbe, lernt jedoch im Verlauf der Geschichte mehr und mehr über sich selbst, ändert ihre Labels zu besser passenden und ist damit auch eine Inspiration für ihre Follower*innen. Diverse Charaktere finden sich auf dem asexuellen Spektrum wieder, haben unterschiedliche Einstellungen zu Sex (denn asexuell bedeutet nicht gleich Sex-abgeneigt) und nutzen verschiedene Microlabels. Das war einfach unheimlich erfrischend!

Aber wie auch in sozialen Netzwerken ist nicht alles gold, was glänzt, und ich habe ein paar Kritikpunkte.

Nummer eins ist direkt Angela. Mit ihr bin ich einfach nicht warmgeworden. In diversen Flashbacks lernen wir, dass sie in der Vergangenheit gelogen und mit allen männlichen Wesen, die nicht bei drei auf einem Baum saßen, geflirtet hat, um Freigeträcke zu erhalten und straight zu wirken. Das mag Teil ihrer Journey gewesen sein, aber trotzdem: Girl, wtf?! Selbst Jahre später hat sie aus diesen Fehlern nicht gelernt und flirtet die ganze Zeit hemmungslos mit ihren Followerinnen, die sich Hoffnungen machen, sie zu erobern, während ihr Herz sich eigentlich schon entschieden hat.

Dabei ist sie zu naiv und kommunikationsscheu, um tatsächlich mit Krystal darüber zu reden. Allgemein haben die beiden es nicht so sehr mit Kommunikation. So viel von dem Konflikt hätte vermieden werden können, wenn die beiden einfach mal alle Karten auf den Tisch gelegt hätten, aber nein … Das war extrem nervig und frustrierend und hat mir den Spaß beim Lesen etwas genommen.