Thank you to Hachette Audio for providing me this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the narrator for this story. She spoke clearly and made each character's voice distinct and easy to understand.
The story was cute, definitely exactly what I wanted (and needed) to read as a teen. I love that these kinds of books are getting published more now. It touches themes of identity, searching for oneself, and self doubt.
I think this should be required reading for every queer person, even just for healing your inner teen.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The story follows Angela, an asexual librarian who has never even been kissed. She makes a TikTok video about it and is unexpectedly propelled into internet fame when it goes viral. Seeking to navigate her evolving feelings about love and attraction, Angela recruits Krystal, a confident and charismatic bartender, to help her plan a scavenger hunt designed to explore connection and intimacy.

I loved how different Angela and Krystal were, and how their dynamic deepened the emotional and romantic tension between them. I especially appreciated the exploration of sexuality, identity and queerness. Gamez handled Angela’s ever evolving understanding of herself with such care and authenticity. It was also a joy to learn more about the ace spectrum through Angela’s journey.

The chemistry between Angela and Krystal was absolutely electric. The slow burn build up and tension were incredibly hot. Beyond the romance, the story explored themes of found family and a strong, supportive family dynamic, which made it even more heartwarming.

Overall, this is a brilliant sapphic romance with vibrant characters, sizzling tension and heartfelt exploration of identity. Gabriella Gamez has crafted a story that is equal parts tender, sexy and empowering.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Forever for the early access.

4.25 stars rounded down to 4 stars.

ALC Review: Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez
Pub Date: May 6th
Narrated by: Ruby Corazon

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Angela is an aspec lesbian who has never been kissed. When she reveals this to TikTok, she comes up with an idea to host a scavenger hunt - prize for the winner? To be her first kiss. While they haven't really been friends, bartender Krystal and Angela know each other through the bar Krystal works at and she's intrigued by this scavenger hunt and decides to help Angela. Soon Angela is questioning her own identity as she is feeling things for Krystal that she has almost never felt before.

This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me, though I did really enjoy the last half quite a bit. We don't see a whole lot of asexual romances which is a shame and though the ace spectrum has a wide wide range, I thought the discussions here were really important! A lot of what Angela talks about experiencing is very similar to my own experience which I'm really not sure I've ever read before. I did end up really liking the romance between Angela and Krystal - I thought their chemistry was really palpable and I like how they discussed boundaries and also how Angela pushes herself to see what she really does want.

My biggest issue in the beginning is that the external plot of the scavenger hunt felt pretty convoluted to me - I didn't understand how we got from revealing we had never been kissed to wanting to create a scavenger hunt in order to find someone to kiss. It just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, though maybe I missed something. The other thing that I struggled with a bit is that it felt like some of the messaging was sort of spelled out for us and was not subtle at all. It veered into feeling like a manual for aspecs which I don't think was the intention. I wonder if this was perhaps because I've done a fair amount of reading and education to help me in my own identity journey and the author here wanted to explain to more of the lay population how someone on the ace spectrum can experience romance/sex. So I was able to gloss past that part.

I think Ruby Corzaon did a good job with this single POV narration - she allowed me as a reader to really get into Angela's headspace.

I really liked Angela Gutierrez's journey to figure out her ace/asexual identity. The book does a great job showing how nuanced that process can be, and how even within the ace community, it can be difficult to figure out exactly where you fit. I also really liked Krystal as a love interest — their flirty dynamic felt natural and their relationship blossomed in a satisfying way.

By the middle of the book, I was losing a bit of steam compared to how invested I felt with the first book in the series. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the random coincidence with Krystal’s ex dating Angela’s cousin — it stretched believability a little. Overall, though, this was a pretty good meandering read, and I’d definitely keep going with the series to see what happens next with this awesome friend group.

Kiss Me, Maybe is a lovely contemporary rom-com following a lesbian woman on the asexual spectrum who has never been kissed. She decides to create a scavenger hunt to share on TikTok where the winner will be her first kiss, but her longtime crush (a local bartender) is helping her plan it and sparks begin to fly...

I kind of love that we get ace rep in this book, with a character who is still in the process of figuring herself out. It is a little funny that other spicy things end up happening before kissing, but it works for the story. It's dealing with complicated family reactions to coming out, and finding who you really are. It also does a great job of tackling what it can be like to exist on the internet and how fickle it can be. It can do a lot of good, but also a lot of harm and it's important to have boundaries.

It's a quick read and a fun rom-com for spring that's definitely worth a read. The audio narration is great. One thing to note is this is all from one character's perspective, which isn't my preference in romance, but I still enjoyed this. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Gabriella Gamez, and Hachette Audio for the Audiobook ARC of Kiss Me, Maybe.

In this queer contemporary romance, ace lesbian Angela struggles with finding her first kiss in her mid-twenties while grappling with viral internet fame, confusion around where her aceness really sits, and a confusing crush on her friend Krystal.

Things I liked:
-The ace exploration was pretty affirming for me, though it was a lot spicier than I had expected (not my personal cup of tea but I never hold this against books!)
-The internet love-to-hate was super accurate and pretty well done
-While at times frustrating, I found Krystal's and Angela's relationship struggles to be realistic and plausible, while being a unique rhythm (one of the more communicative couples!)
-The narrator, Ruby Corazon, is overall strong and gave good personality to the characters
-Natalia was my fav!

Things I struggled with:
-The overbearing work caring so much about her social media was very strange to me - I find it really hard to believe that it would have gotten to them so quickly in the first place, let alone forcing decisions
-There wasn't as much romantic development as I would have liked
-The characters, especially Angela but really many of them, felt YA. Like if you cut the spice and told me all the characters were in high school I would have easily believed you. I promise that it's not because Angela hasn't been kissed bc girl does a whoooole lot more than that!
-Sometimes it was confusing whether we were listening to dialogue or narration, which happened on many occasions. Might have been more helpful for the character voice to differ in some way from the narration - more emotive, maybe.

I unfortunately don't think I'd recommend this unless you love spice, want some gray ace exploration, and want a more unique relationship rhythm.

Thank you again for the ARC audiobook!

Thank you to Hachette audio and Forever for the free audiobook of Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez. I loved listening to this audiobook so much! The Narrator really provided me with the best listening experience for this cute and spicy sapphic, never been kissed type romance 🙂‍↕️👏🏽💕 I loved everything about it!

I really enjoyed this book! The TikTok aspect of it was super fun as someone who enjoys being on BookTok. I also really appreciated the premise that our identities can evolve over time as we learn more about ourselves and as we grow and change a bit. And mostly that it’s okay for our identities to evolve and doesn’t make what we thought before wrong. I enjoyed the progression of the relationship between the 2 main characters and I especially enjoyed how Angela made/found her community in the end.

This book was so great .Angela is such a great character her journey with her sexuality and her family was so relatable .The relationship was sweet and among few couples that I root for and know they are made for each other. Krystal is so supportive and loving to Angela . The way family was discussed in this book made me feel validated because It was very real life experience. The narrator was also so amazing .I enjoyed the experience like wow I need even more audiobooks by her because like I need more . I am so grateful for reading an early copy of this book because this is among my faves books of the year

Thanks a lot to net gallery and the publisher for the audio ARCH .

Thank you to @readforeverpub for the gifted copy! Thank you to @hachetteaudio for the gifted audiobook!

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year and it worth the wait! Angela is the bff of Marcella from Gamez’s first novel: The Next Best Fling. I’m a sucker for interconnected standalone romances, I find it enriches the story so much because you already know some of the characters.

I adored Angela’s exploration of her sexuality and her identity. Her emotional growth was so satisfying and it was so fulfilling to see her be her true self by the end of the book. I loved Angela and Crystal and was rooting for them from the start. The spice was 🔥🥵 and Angela and Crystal were so compatible and cared for each other deeply. I really appreciated the representation in this book, queer, ace, demi. It’s so nice to see in a traditionally published book and was done authentically and very well here. I absolutely loved this book and now I’m anxiously awaiting more from Gabriella Gamez *crossing my fingers for more stores in this friend group since this book added TWO new friends*

This is a must read! 🩵

Thank you to Forever and Hachette Audio for the advance listener copy. These opinions are my own.

This is the follow-up to The Next Best Fling, Gabriella Gamez's debut that released last year. However, this does stand alone. The only thing you might miss by jumping straight in with Kiss Me, Maybe is a thorough description of the amazing YA costume events the library hosts.

In this book, we focus on Angela, a librarian who starts her own social media channel. On it, she shares about her lack of dating history and comes out as ace. As her followers and engagement grows, she starts planning a scavenger hunt. The winner will have the opportunity to kiss her.

I found this incredibly thoughtful and accurate in its portrayal of the ace identity and the fluidity of identity more broadly. I really appreciated Angela's character. And her growing relationship with Krystal was so well paced and shown. I would have liked to see Krystal a bit more well rounded as a character because she seemed so secondary to Angela.

I also loved the conversations around social media, privacy, and what if anything is owed to a social media audience. The art pieces were so amazingly described that I really want to see them. And of course, I enjoyed the library background.

Ruby Corazon narrated the audiobook beautifully. I felt like I was within the scenes as I listened. She especially grabbed me during the scenes with higher conflict.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for an early listen to this book. PLEASE NOTE: This is the 2nd book in a series. I did not read book 1 (but want to) but I don't really feel like I missed too much by starting with book 2 over book 1. I think I got book 1 spoiled for me, but since it's a romance and those already have happy endings, I'm not mad about it.

The good:
- I really liked the exploration of sexuality not just for the main character, but the side characters as well.
- I feel while Angela can be frustrating, she's a character you definitely root for and want to see be accepted and happy in every aspect of life.
- I appreciated the subplots of the book, which made me keep reading to see all of those subplots wrapped up nicely.

The loss of 2 stars:
- The narrator was just not for me, I feel like it made it tough to distinguish who was talking the majority of the time, which made the story harder to follow.
- The scavenger hunt (which is the center of the plot) just seemed like an afterthought for half the book and I feel like detracted from the enjoyablity of the story.

Overall, I'd recommend this as a queer romance via physical book or ebook, but it was not an ideal audiobook in my opinion.

“Kiss Me, Maybe” was an entertaining read.

I really appreciated the queer representation portrayed in this one. I think that visibility is so important and I will be sure to recommend it to all of my friends who read.

I found the love story to be fun. I also enjoyed that Angela seemed a bit clumsy in life and that Crystal was scared.

Also, the narrator did a good job bringing the personalities to life.

Thank you to Forever for selecting me for this ALC. I enjoyed it.

Gabrialla Gamez had me eating out of her hand for this book. I love romances with Aspec representation, especially sapphic ones. I loved Angela's growth and how much she learned about herself and her community. I'm not normally one for influencer romances, but she made this book so fun and beautiful. Plus, it really addressed the way the internet and even family can dog pile on you and refuse to learn about how you've grown and changed. I loved how Angela stood up to her family and to the internet for her, for Crystal, and for Jullian, but especially for her community. The unfortunate realism of some family never being able to accept you, though it hurts, felt really realistic and well thought out by Gamez. I loved this book. I'm so excited to see what she writes in the future!

3.5 stars.

"Kiss Me, Maybe" by Gabriella Gamez boasts a terrific LGBTQIA2S+ (specifically ACE) representation! In that aspect, this story is beautiful, and it gives readers a chance to learn about something they might not fully understand already. It's all about discovering who you are, leaning into the beauty of your identity, and being unashamedly you despite what others may think. It's also about not being afraid to cut ties with people, including family, if they are not willing to accept you for who you are. So often in fiction, friends and family "other" people and expect them to just roll over and take it. I hate that, no! Blood means nothing if it comes with conditions. This is a quick read full of interesting banter and intriguing people and situations. I love that Gamez isn't afraid to write messy, flawed characters. This was true in "The Next Best Fling," and it is true here, too. My main complaint is that this book comes across as extremely young adult at times. Though it discusses serious subject matters, Angela feels like she is written as a teenager, even though there is quite a bit of spice here. A lot of the conversations are important and revelatory, but some of them are juvenile, too. Maybe it's because of the scavenger hunt? I like the idea, but it comes across as kid-ish. You have to be *extremely* interested/invested in TikTok/viral videos/influencers/being chronically online to get into the meat and potatoes of the story. Some of it made me roll my eyes, if I'm being honest. TikTok isn't going to last forever, so in a decade, the major crux of this plot might be a relic of the past. It's not just a small part of the story: the entire thing revolves around Angela going viral on TikTok and becoming an ACE influencer as she creates a scavenger hunt to get her first kiss at 27 years old. There is a lot of ensuing drama that springs from Angela's decision to "date the internet," involving commenters online, her cousins, a local artist she wants to involve in the scavenger hunt, and Krystal, the bartender at her favorite bar. Gamez touches on the downfalls of being chronically online, parasocial relationships, gaining viral fame, and the negativity that comes with it. Also, a few things that happen happen a little too conveniently. Still, I think it is worth checking out for the representation alone. I enjoyed Ruby Corazon's audiobook narration, though I wish there had been a little more differentiation between her voices.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gabriella Gamez, Hachette Audio, and Forever for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Have you ever seen a more gorgeous cover than this one?!?! I absolutely adored The Next Best Fling so I was elated to read Kiss Me, Maybe.

When a late bloomer goes viral for coming out, she decides to use her newfound fame to get her first kiss—with the help of a sexy bartender—in this “funny, smart, and spicy” romance (Abby Jimenez).

My Texan heart absolutely loved the setting of San Antonio during Fiesta De Los Reyes! If you’ve never been to Fiesta just think HUGE street party with tons of food, dranks and all the Tejano music you fathom. 🤠🇲🇽🌮 This book absolutely captures the magic of San Antonio.

And the love story!!!! Such a sweet almost coming of age journey (since Angela is a late bloomer). I learned so much about Ace identities. Learning from fictional characters is icing on the cake. The pining in this book had me in a chokehold. 🥹 Angela and Krystal are just the cutest. Seeing their vulnerability and courage to be themselves is so inspiring. Did I mention the steam?!?! 🥵🔥

Unrequited love sucks! So when Anglea decieds that the crush she's had for years isn't going anywhere she enlists Krystal's help to have someone win her first kiss during a scavenger hunt. But when her library job catches wind of the idea... they're not too happy about it. So what can Angela do to salvage the hard work she's been putting into the scavenger hunt? Make it for charity.

Krystal doesn't believe that she's good enough for love. So no matter what feelings she may or may not have are void because she doesn't want to ruin what she has with Angela.

Angela identifies as ACE, which really tugged at my heartstrings and made me feel heard. It's not often that a book will make me feel seen, heard, and understood in ways that I didn't know I needed to feel heard. Kudos to Ms. Gamez for her excellent portrayal of the ACE community.

I really enjoyed Ruby Corazon's narration of this story. Even listening at 1.75% she sounded professional and well rounded all the characters out. Kudos!

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Angela has been embracing her ace identity by posting on TikTok, but she never expected to go viral for never having been kissed. She decides to put together a scavenger hunt where the winner gets a kiss and enlists her friend and long-time crush Krystal to help. Along the way, it becomes less about the kiss and more about what is blossoming between the two friends.

Read if you like:
-Own Stories
-Queer Romance
-Ace FMC
-Sapphic Friends to Lovers
-Long Term Crush
-Slow Burn
-Experiments
-Figuring out who you are and what you want and embracing it

*Pterodactyl Screech*
Ok, let me try again.
*Incoherent rambling through happy tears*
Sorry about that.
*Hugs book to heart*
I have never, ever felt so SEEN! Thank you thank you thank you Gabriella Gamez!

Angela and her journey will forever hold a special place in my heart because this book felt like a piece of me on the page. While I'll never go viral for being ace, everything about this felt authentic to my own story. Being a late bloomer, hiding behind a flirty mask, feeling so confused, and finally figuring it out. Yes, to all of it.

I love it so much and I want everyone to read it!

Firstly, I love the cover. The colors, the vibe, the design. The love literally jumps out at me. I could hardly wait to start the audiobook. After just a few minutes, I was thrilled by the story and the narrator. The story about Angela is modern, beautiful, heart-warming, steamy and so damn romantic. It's a search for yourself, your sexual orientation and, of course, for true love. I loved the idea of a scavenger hunt to find the perfect woman for Angela's first kiss. And there was so much tension and longing between Angela and Krystal - god! That was really perfect and so beautifully written.

Overall, I found the characters had a lot of depth with lots of backstory and great development. And the story was just as colorful as the cover. Great LGBTQIA+ representation, especially the ACE!

I especially liked the narrator who was very fitting and her voice reflected all the emotions that happened in the story. By changing the pitch and depth of the voice, I was able to distinguish well between dialog/characters and Angela's narration. She brought the story to life. I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC.

Thanks to the Netgalley and the publisher for the ALC

This was a fun and interesting read, with a lot of focus on the MC's self-discovery journey, her ideas of what her first kiss as a "late bloomer" could be like and where she fits in the queer community as a newly-out ace leabian. The ace rep was fantastic.

I thoroughly enjoyed the introspective sections and the development of Angela's relationship with Krystal, as well as her friendship with her colleague and her cousin. Angela's hesitation to act on her feeling, or even to recognise exactly what they mean, felt so relatable and tangible page after page. However, I didn't love the focus on the scavenger hunt, which felt unnecessary quite quickly.

The narrator's voice was really pleasant throughout it all and kept me engaged. I'm quite new to listening to audiobooks, but I'd happily seek out more novels she's narrated.

Generally a smooth, enjoyable novel that I'd recommend to romance lovers!