When I picked up ' The Next Best Fling,' Gamez' first book in this series of interconnected standalones, it was because of several book influencer's claims that it was the most delightfully messy thing they'd ever read -- the plot, not the writing. Naturally, I expected a messy lil romance here too, and I wasn't disappointed. 'Kiss Me, Maybe' centers two FMCs: Angela, an ace-spec, never-been-kissed, lesbian still struggling to define her identity and who decides it'd be easier to come out to the entire internet than to individual people in her life, and Krystal, a bit of a disaster bisexual who doesn't believe she's capable of love.

We came for the mess, we stayed for the mess, the pining, the moderately mature communication skills, and the solid narration by Ruby Corazon (her voice had me falling in love with Krystal too).

I had a good time, but it felt a bit long to me. There were a few plot and character points that got a little repetitive/maybe could have been wrapped up more efficiently or evocatively - I can't pinpoint if it's a matter of Gamez needing to trust her readers more, or needing to deepen the well of story or character. Maybe I wouldn't have noticed as much had I been reading myself, but having the story read to me inspired a few moments of "we get it already!" or "how are we still fixated on this?" in regards to plot and pacing. By the eve of the scavenger hunt, I didn't really care about the scavenger hunt anymore...and it low-key felt like Angela, Krystal and Gamez herself didn't either.

All-in-all though, I had fun and look forward to seeing how Gamez grows as a writer and tells the next story in this series. A successful sophomore novel by Gamez. If you liked 'The Next Best Fling,' you should like 'Kiss Me, Maybe.' I'd say it's a slightly different shade of spicy given Angela's identity and lack of experience, but it is still thirrrstyyy.

As soon as I saw this book had Ace representation, I knew I wanted to listen. And it did not disappoint. I loved not only that the main character, Angela, was Ace but also that she was questioning and discovering more about her Ace identity as the story progressed. Angela has had a crush on Krystal, her friendly bartender, for five years, and after Angela goes viral talking about her identity and never having been kissed, she and Krystal start spending time together and working on a scavenger hunt—the winner, gets that first kiss. I adored that Angela was a librarian and the whole going viral and the implications of that, but the time we spend with Angela and Krystal is the real winner, you could feel their connection. I did get a little frustrated that it took so long for them to kiss—especially when they did everything else. But otherwise, it was a really lovely listen. Ruby Corazon was the solo narrator of the book and did a fantastic job of giving life to these characters and conveying the emotions they were experiencing. At times, it wasn't always clear which character was speaking, but it wasn't too much of a distraction and not something that happened all the time. Overall, a solid listen.

I adored this story of LGBTQIA self-discovery and love. I hadn't previously read a book with an Ace spectrum character, and their narrative behind the interactions with platonic and romantic relationships. I am so happy to see the representation Gabriella Gamez portrayed and am excited for more similar stories.

I finished the book already a few days ago but decided that I need some time to properly form my thoughts about it. I totally understand when people loved this book because the writing style was captivating and made me want to continue the story but I think I just expected something else.

I liked the diversity in it and how different the characters were from each other. It was also not only about Angela figuring herself out but also about her friends and family.

It was a bit weird that tt was mentioned in the first 5mins and she of course went viral without even wanting to. The idea of the scavenger hunt was fun but it could have been executed better. It was probably difficult to explain it in a written way rather than really doing it but it felt a bit boring.

This book was a bit too spicy for me and the way those scenes were written, weren't really sexy for me. But it was still nice to see an acespec person discovering their own sexuality.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for this Audioarc!

At 27, Angela is sick of waiting for her first kiss, so she turns to social media to host a scavenger hunt of eligible women who might be up for the job. As an ace lesbian in a Mexican-American family, she is used to trying to mold herself into what people want her to be. But as her scavenger-hunt planning continues, she starts to realize that being herself (and following her own desires) is just as important as this one milestone, especially when she begins hanging out with the jaded bartender she has always had a crush on. This was a charming book about finding your people.

Loved the story arc and the laughs. Really good spicy scenes. I appreciated how it dived into and explained different sexual identities and preferences.

I enjoyed the heck out of this book! Angela, an awesome ace spec librarian goes viral on TikTok for never being kissed. And then she dates the internet…sort of! She shares this with her long time crush (not Sophia Bush, but a real life human in her zone of folks!) Krystal, and they come up with a plan to get Angela her very first kiss! A scavenger hunt around their city! They grow closer as they scope out stops and locations for the scavenger hunt, and Angela talks to a few folks online, growing her community! Angela’s crush grows much bigger, and Krystal struggles with thinking she’s capable of love. And they get rather intimate without even kissing! Some of the hottest intimate scenes I have read, despite the lack of touching and things! All of that sprinkled in with family discord and a reluctant artist, this book has a lot of folks to root for, and I enjoyed doing it!

What a realistic fiction love and sexuality story for 2025!

Angela unapologetically finding herself personal, sexually and her place in this world.

The pacing, narrator and piece social media plays in this discovery were all 👩‍🍳💋

This was definitely different than my typical genre but kept me engaged and invested in Angela's journey.

3.75 stars ✨

An informative reading experience, but it lacked emotional depth.

Angela is a compelling, authentic main character. I loved seeing her journey to better understand her identity and sexuality.

As a Latina, I really appreciated how the author approached complex relationship dynamics within a family with more conservative roots. It’s almost in our nature to avoid conflict and keep the peace because that’s just the way it’s always been in our culture. Of course, millennials and Gen Z are increasingly fighting back against this in order to be their true selves. Sometimes there’s hope after tough conversations, and sometimes those convos are clear signs that it’s time to let go. Family is messy and I liked that the author didn’t shy away from this and instead portrayed something real.

I loved the care that the author put into Angela’s exploration of queerness and sexuality. This is my first book with a main character identifying on the ace spectrum, and I enjoyed learning about it from their perspective—it felt like we were learning together. I also appreciated the emphasis on the fluidity of identities. This book felt like a safe space, with the message that we’re allowed to keep growing and change our labels as we see fit.

Unfortunately, there were several instances where it felt like Angela was giving us a Dora the Explorer type of explanation. Her internal monologue and some of the dialogue felt too cookie-cutter at times, like the characters were following a script rather than genuinely working through their thoughts.

I also wanted more out of Krystal’s charcater arc. I know it’s Angela’s story, but as her love interest, Krystal should’ve shown us that she was right for our girl. I understand that she’s scared, but she was playing too much, so I found it difficult to root for these two.

The TikTok scavenger hunt is important to the plot, but I couldn’t take any part of it seriously. The concept was sort of ridiculous. It took Angela over a month to plan the whole thing, and it’s very hard to believe that the internet would stay interested in something for that long. It also contradicts what Angela says she wants. She claims that her first kiss means something because she’s already waited this long—she doesn’t want to just “get it over with.” Yet, she’s prepared to kiss whichever random internet stranger wins her scavenger hunt?! And you have to know her well enough to figure out the clues?? Make it make sense.

Also, can we please be a bit more conscious of internet safety?! 😫 I know Angela invited only small handful of participants and she chatted with them a bit beforehand, but she’s still inviting total strangers to her parents’ house!!

Overall, this was very insightful, but read a little like a textbook. While I’m not a huge fan of Angela’s relationship with Krystal, both characters felt authentic, which contributed meaningfully to the story’s message of exploration.

Audiobook side note: Ruby Corazón’s narration was okay. She did a pretty good job of distinguishing Angela and Krystal’s voices. I liked that when she read the TikTok captions and comments, she sort of gave it this robotic voice, especially when reading the usernames. Her cadence and overall tone felt a little weird, though—it was like she was reading a thriller.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book is about self-discovery. A sweet story about an asexual lesbian woman who goes on a journey involving romance and family to understand herself better. I learned a lot about asexuality that I did not know.

Unfortunately. I almost DNFd this book multiple times at the beginning. It was difficult to get into and the story took a while to pick up. I also could not get over the safety concerns and practicality of executing the scavenger hunt.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc!

3.75⭐ rounded up
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️.5/5
Angela is: a librarian, aspec, a lesbian, 27 years old, and has never kissed someone. She accidentally goes viral on TikTok with a lip syncing video and posts a retraction sharing all of this. Angela decides to hold a scavenger hunt where the winner will earn her first kiss. Her friend, Krystal, offers to help, but there may be a conflict of interest as to who wins the scavenger hunt for her first kiss.

This was a little different than I was expecting, but part of that may have been on me as I haven't read The Next Best Fling yet and this is book two is Librarians in Love. I really appreciated the asexuality rep; I haven't seen a ton of it in fiction and what's on the page made sense. I didn't really love the TikTok influencer and backlash elements, but they worked in the story. I struggled a bit distinguishing between the narrator's voices for Angela and Krystal, particularly when they were speaking together. Otherwise, the narrator did a fine job. Minor spoiler: [Angela realizes eventually that she's sex favorable as she's learning about herself, and this means there was more spice than I initially expected.]

Thank you to Hachette Audio for an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will be published on 5/6/25.

Librarian Angela Gutierrez, the queer daughter to two Mexican-American parents in Texas, is looking for her first kiss. When her long-time crush and mega-hot bartender, Krystal Ramirez, comes up with a brilliant plan to combine Angela’s first kiss search with her love for social media, you’ll be kicking your feet from the first chapter.

I loved this book so much! Don’t let the cute and beautiful cover trick you this had some scenes that had me blushing and fanning myself. Ruby Corazon did an amazing job as the narrator for the audiobook! I loved listening to it so much, and it was still good at times two speed which I needed it to be as that’s my default for everything these days! Angela and Crystal are everything to me, the way they slowly got closer and let each other heal instead of forcing it which would only lead to a break up was great. Every queer Mexican child deserves to have the kind of parents Angela has, their support for their daughter was healing to me. There’s so much representation in this book and the way it talks about finding oneself and figuring out one’s sexuality is a journey, uhh I needed that. I loved the friends to lovers journey we took, although it was very obvious that they were friends that were mooning over each other and just needed to take that jump. Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the arc!

well... the clock app mentioned at exactly 3% (and it's not even on the first chapter!)

clock app aside, it tackles real life situations offline; just like angela <spoiler>caught TWICE at erika's (her boss) library office for posting videos on the same app.</spoiler> also, natalia's side story got me tear up a little.

the audiobook however, i didn't know how to feel about this. the way she narrates nailed it, but when she voiced the characters, it has no feelings for it. that's why i gave it a low rating.

I was really excited for this book since I loved The Next Best Fling a lot.
I did enjoy this story too! The mystery scavenger hunt was nice. I liked that idea and how she included an artist. But it was obvious that she was going to end up with her.
All in all, this was a fun/aweet romance about someone trying to figure their identity out and get herself out there. Seeing the characters from The Next Best Fling was a happy surprise.

Phew this is definitely Casual by Chappell Roan turned into a book, but also it’s so much more!
Damn can Gabriella Gamez write tension, I was sweating. This book had so much heart, I can’t imagine being queer and not seeing yourself in here somewhere.

As a gay woman who doesn’t follow the stereotypical path in realtionships it was very refreshing to see so much validation from so many characters, even if out 2 main women are trying for that traditional happily ever after ( tradditional meaning women loving women has Sappho intended)

The Audio was perfection Ruby Corazon breathed so much life into the characters- I was in a chokehold the whole time


Thank you Netgalley and Hachette for the audio ARC

📚 Book Review 📚

Title: Kiss Me, Maybe
Author: Gabriella Gamez
Narrator: Ruby Corazon
Genre: LGBTQ Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨ Summary ✨

Librarian Angela Gutierrez, a late bloomer with a new influencer status, plans a scavenger hunt to find true love. She enlists Krystal Ramirez, her five-year crush, to help her execute the event. However, their bond grows stronger, and Angela realizes she is falling head over heels in love for a woman who may never be able to love her back.

💭 My thoughts

This was quite the emotional journey, throughout this story I experienced all the emotions. I love Angela, I love her story, I have loved seeing her find herself and find her voice. The relationship between her and Krystal was beautifully written! Gabriella has done an incredible job writing characters you immediately fall in love with and root for. There is nothing I would change or add to this story.

Ruby is an exceptional narrator, she was perfect for this role!

My only question is, do we get Julian’s story??

📌 Favorite Quote

"I've wasted so much time pretending to be someone I'm not, the amount of catching up I have to do feels insurmountable sometimes."

Perfect for fans of sapphic romance with lots of banter, perfect tension, and just enough spice!

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Audio | Forever for this ALC.

Thanks so much to netgalley and publishers for this ALC!

This book was fun! I enjoyed the characters, diversity, and friendships in this story. I love ace representation and the way this book approached it was a lot of fun! I really liked the narrator as well, I thought she did a great job of portraying the story!

This is beautiful and raw LGBTQIA+ representation! I absolutely loved the rollercoaster of figuring out sexual and expressive identity. This is a wonderful book with representation for BIPOC and queer voices. A cute romantic story with some realistic spice (because being new at something is okay.)! This shows a realistic view of both the positive and negative effects of social media as well. I enjoyed the elements of art, family, and self-discovery throughout this book. Well-paced writing with beautiful descriptions. I felt like I was a friend along the journey with Angela. Questioning identity and how that relates to family connection is so real in the queer community. It truly is a breath of fresh air to see this struggle represented and also to be able to feel so deeply while reading.

I really enjoyed this title. The discussion of coming into one’s own sexuality and self is highly important, especially right now. I particularly appreciated the range of representation, as asexual and aromantic sexualities are not often addressed at all, nevermind represented in literature. Would recommend!