J'ai une relation hate/love pour les réseaux sociaux utilisés dans les histoires, j'ai grandit avec les livres sur les réseaux sociaux et leurs dangers. Je ne sais pas si c'est ça, mais j'ai eu du mal à entrer dans ce roman. Après ce petit passage difficile, j'ai beaucoup aimé nos personnages, tous avec leurs traits de caractères et leur humour, mais aussi leurs blessures. Je suis également toujours frustrée quand je n'ai pas les deux points de vues dans une romance, mais ça c'est ma curiosité naturelle ahah.
En tant que personne lesbienne et ace, la représentation est pour moi parfaite, il y avait de quoi contentée tout le monde et on s'identifie tellement à notre héroïne.
J'ai passé un bon moment avec nos personnages !!

Almost a painfully real depiction of the best and the worst sides of social media, of figuring out one’s own identity, and finding out who really are your friends. Angela's path to figuring out who she really is, what her sexuality is, and what she is looking for in a relationship was depicted in a way that felt realistic, with inline resources readily available and a lot of us learning more about other people but also ourselves through social media. Some parts of the story were a little difficult to listen to, because I just wanted to scream at Angela that just because someone is family, they don't get a free pass for everything, but other than that, I enjoyed the story a lot.

I requested this audiobook the moment I saw the cover, the vibrant Papel Picado absolutely screamed Mexico, and I couldn’t resist.

This story follows Angela Gutierrez, a late bloomer and proud ace librarian who goes viral after sharing her never-been-kissed status. Determined to finally get her first kiss, she launches a creative scavenger hunt that brings her longtime crush, bartender Krystal Ramirez, into her orbit. As the hunt unfolds, so does undeniable chemistry, challenging both Angela’s expectations and Krystal’s belief that love isn’t in the cards for her.

This was a heartfelt, fun listen with great rep, but what truly elevated it was Ruby Corazón’s narration, she brought the characters to life and made every moment hit deeper. Huge thanks to Gabriella Gamez, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy this gem!

This has a great narrator, but I had a hard time connecting with the book..while I enjoyed some of the story, I struggled with the miscommunication or resistant trope between the love interests.

What a lovely book! I feel like there needs to be more shouting about how lovely this book is! When I requested it, I simply liked the cover and title. It made me think of a RomCom and did not disappoint.

The book became a lot better as I went on a journey with Angela as she explored her A-Spec identity. I'd love to see more about how this romance book features an a-spec Lesbian. That's what truly needs to be shouted from rooftops because we don't always hear such a fun romp with such rep as well as the idea that identities are always evolving and changing.

Angela's journey to find her first kiss was funny, emotional, and informative in the best ways. It has such shocking scenes, I gasped out loud.

The audio quality was perfect. The narrator pulled me into Angela's mind and held my attention. I was able to hit the perfect pace for my own brain to fully love the book.

Asexual representation, Mexican American women falling in love, a viral TikTok scavenger hunt—all of this can be found in Gabriella Gamez‘s new novel, Kiss Me, Maybe. This is the second in her Librarians in Love series, and even if you haven’t read the first book yet (I haven’t), it works well as a standalone romance.

What I Liked:
- Asexual identity. As someone who is on the asexual spectrum, I’m always happy to read romances that highlight ace people finding love on their terms. This is one of only a handful of ace-led romances I’ve read so far, and I appreciated how this one dives into discovering your identity, determining what your specific sub identity is, and exploring Angela’s particular experience with asexuality. In contrast to ace characters in other books I’ve read, Angela is more sex positive and does explore what sex with a partner means for her—so there is open door spice here!
- Queer identity and coming out. In addition to being ace spec, Angela is also a lesbian. Much of her journey is about coming out to her family and dealing with homophobia (her cousin, who is already out as bisexual, unfortunately had a more difficult time with his family).
- Connecting online and finding community. Since it can be hard to find fellow aces in the wild, Angela fosters community through her TikTok videos, hoping to connect with other ace spec people.
- Being a late bloomer. Hey, not everyone has their first romantic or sexual experiences in high school. Some of us don’t have our first kiss until our 20s (yes, another way I relate to Angela), and there is nothing weird or shameful about that. I enjoyed seeing Angela, 27, being so open about her lack of experience and desire to change that.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
- The scavenger hunt kind of fizzled out for half the book. A major plot line at first was Angela’s TikTok scavenger hunt for someone to win her first kiss. Cute idea, but the whole middle of the book it seemed like this idea was quietly dropped as other (kind of unnecessary?) themes emerged. I wish the book had stayed more focused on the scavenger hunt and how bartender crush Krystal would factor into everything.
- Angela’s first sexual experience seemed advanced? Unrealistic? Maybe I’m naive or just a different type of person, but Angela’s very first time doing anything sexual with someone else seemed a little off to me. It took me out of the story a bit.

Audiobook:
Ruby Corazon does a great job of narrating Kiss Me, Maybe. She captures Angela’s personality and excitement without over-acting.

Final Thoughts
Kiss Me, Maybe is a delightful novel that highlights the asexual spectrum, late bloomers, and women finding love. While there are a few things I would have liked to see more or just portrayed differently in the book, it was overall enjoyable and honestly made me feel less alone in my own ace journey. It’s also the second in Gabriella Gamez’s Librarians in love series, so I’ll be going back to read Marcela’s own romance in The Next Best Fling.

I received an Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Hachette Audio and Forever publishing for this ARC.

Firstly, I want to say that I really enjoyed the Narration by Ruby Corazon. I think her voice was very pleasant and easy to listen to. My only critique is I would have liked more distinction between the main characters voices but it did not diminish the performance.

Now, onto the story itself. I enjoyed this story a lot. I grew up in the city this book takes place and I loved the snippets of the city i got to see through out the book. I think Angela and Krystal are very relatable in their stories. Angela’s search in finding the right time and the right person to meet all these “traditional” miles and the pressure your friends and family can put on you to meet those things and the ostracization of not meeting those things is very relatable. Krystal’s belief that she is incapable of love because of an experience with a relationship moving too fast and turning sour is also very relatable to me. I think this is a story for late bloomers who may still be looking for the “right” labels and are figuring out what they want in relationship but I will say that I wish there was a more openness to the micro label situation. I think that Angela spent so much time trying to figure out this label that it felt like she was trying to force herself into a box and i would have liked to see her accept that things may change and that labels are truly fluid and not every person is going to fit within a label forever.

I love the narrator's voice, she sounds great! Only a few times where something sounded weird....kind of like there should have been a comma or a breath taken....but it just kind of runs on. (Like you know how when AI is reading something, it sometimes doesn't sound QUITE right....) The other minor thing that aggravated me was that this book very heavily centers on TikTok, and when she is reading the comments or DMs, she just reads the abbreviation as opposed to what it actually means. For example, she would say the letters "LMK" rather than say "Let me know." Not a deal breaker, just kind of weird when you are listening to it.

Also, the intimate scenes are ridiculously long and detailed. (which will be good or bad depending on how you like your stories!) I mean, those things go on FOREVER. For me personally, I'm more into the actual story and less into the open-door scenes. When I read the description, I was thinking it was going to kind of be like a Hallmark movie, where it's generally clean, and the whole time is spent building up for the first kiss that happens at the end. WRONG. Well, the first kiss DOES happen at the end....but by that time the two main characters have already fully "done the deed" more than once, in great detail. (Just without kissing on the mouth.) Which, to me, kind of cheapened the experience...because when the first kiss finally came at the end, I wasn't cheering that they finally got together, I was kind of like, "meh, they've already done everything else....soooo......" I don't know. It was kind of anticlimactic.

One character I really liked, that came out of nowhere, was Natalia. I really liked Julian as well; and of course, Angela's parents were fantastic. I wish we could all be so lucky to have parents so loving and supportive.

All in all, I liked it enough to go back and try Marcella's and Theo's story.

I loved so much about this. I learned so much about the Ace community through this book, and I'm really grateful for that. I also appreciated the time and care the author took in building relationships between characters, not just the love interests but everyone.

This was perhaps a touch too long, and I got a bit tired of the will they won't they and the indecision about doing the scavenger hunt, but I love where this ended up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advanced copy of the audiobook!

From the moment I saw the cover of Kiss Me Maybe, I knew I had to read it—and I’ve been showing it to everyone at work ever since. The papel picado and the vibrant flower crowns perfectly capture the warmth and joy threaded throughout the book. Luckily, the story inside is just as charming.

Angela Gutierrez, a librarian and self-described late bloomer, finds herself unexpectedly in the spotlight after a vulnerable social media post. What follows is a heartfelt, sometimes spicy, and often hilarious journey of self-discovery, queer joy, and complicated crushes. As a demisexual reader and aspiring librarian in Florida, I saw pieces of my own experience reflected in Angela’s: navigating identity, the consequences of being online, and trying to carve out space for authenticity in a world that doesn’t always understand.

One recurring frustration I have with books that center ace characters did crop up here—namely, the pacing slows a bit when the narrative over-explains asexuality and its various facets. While I appreciate stories that illuminate underrepresented identities, I wished the book had trusted its readers just a little more in those moments.

Still, this book checked so many of my boxes: thoughtful representation, a creative (and chaotic!) scavenger hunt, a crush dynamic that made me smile, and a romantic arc that kept me turning pages. It’s not a perfect book, but it is a joyful, queer, sometimes steamy, and genuinely fun read that I’m glad to have in my reading life—and one I’d happily recommend.

Gabriella Gamez’s Kiss Me, Maybe is a sapphic rom-com that tries to blend heartfelt asexual representation with the chaos of social media fame and a scavenger hunt for prize kiss —but doesn’t always stick the landing. Still, there’s something undeniably earnest about this story, and Ruby Corazon’s smooth, emotionally attuned narration elevates the experience in audiobook form.

At the heart of this story is Angela Gutierrez, a sweetly awkward librarian whose viral coming-out moment as a late bloomer and ace-spectrum woman sparks a romantic experiment gone slightly off the rails. With the help of her longtime crush and local bartender, Krystal Ramirez, Angela launches a scavenger hunt where the prize is her very first kiss. It’s quirky, ambitious, and kind of wild—just like the messy feelings that bubble between her and Krystal as they spend more time together.

Let’s start with the good: the ace-spectrum rep is thoughtful and refreshing. Angela’s internal journey around coming out and unpacking her identity is laced with vulnerability and care. It’s one of the few places the book really shines, offering a rare and valuable voice for readers still navigating that terrain themselves. There’s nuance here, and it’s clear Gamez wants to show that there’s no single way to be ace. That’s worth celebrating.

The romance itself, however, struggles under the weight of a plot that feels overstuffed. The scavenger hunt concept, while fun in theory, ends up dominating the story to a frustrating degree, and Angela and Krystal’s connection often gets buried beneath all the back-and-forth logistics. The central tension—Krystal’s belief that she’s incapable of love—feels a bit thin and underdeveloped, and as the emotional stakes rise, the plot meanders with tangents that distract more than deepen. It’s hard not to wonder if this book might have hit stronger emotional beats as a YA novel, where the structure and tone would feel more fitting.

Still, Ruby Corazon’s narration is a definite highlight. She brings both warmth and distinction to the characters, and her voice imbues Angela’s moments of self-discovery with sincerity that might not have hit as hard in print. Honestly, the audiobook helped me stay with this one, even when the pacing faltered.

In short, Kiss Me, Maybe is a sweet but scattered ride. If you’re looking for authentic ace rep in a sapphic rom-com setting, there’s something to enjoy here. Just know the romance can get a bit lost in the shuffle of hashtags, scavenger clues, and emotional whiplash. A solid pick for listeners who love messy queer stories and are patient with a plot that takes the scenic route.

I'm quite sad I didn't like this book more after enjoying the first book in the series!

I listened to the audiobook for this, and I thought Ruby Corazon did a great job with the narration, bringing real life into each of the characters. I honestly don't know if I would have made it through the whole book if I read it rather than listened. I also have to applaud the author for including representation for a lot of more under-represented queer identities that is lacking in literature.

If you would have told me this was a YA book instead, I would have enjoyed it SO much more. I understand that the point is that Angela is a late bloomer, but god the dialogue and the whole scavenger hunt plotline was very high school, and these characters are in their mid-to-late 20s. I struggled to see the genuine connection between the two main characters, and as they got closer, I didn't understand keeping the whole scavenger hunt plotline going. There was so much back and forth about it that I stopped caring about it in the slightest.

I'm sure some people out there will love this, but it was simply not for me.

I picked up this book for the lesbian, bisexual, and ace rep. That delivered. The cover art is beautiful. Thank you so much to Net Galley and the author for this arc! The characters are so sweet.

Kiss Me, Maybe is a fun acespec sapphic romance that follows Angela, a late bloomer who turns her unexpected TikTok fame into a heartwarming (and hilarious) scavenger hunt to find her perfect first kiss. This story had everything I love, tension, swoony romance, identity exploration, and a cozy found family vibe that hit just right.

I adored tagging along on Angela’s journey. The way the book balanced the painful return of bigoted family members with the bubbly charm of a romcom was super well done. And Krystal? Her storyline totally tugged at my heartstrings. After so many failed relationships, watching her grow more confident and recognize what she brings to the table was incredibly satisfying.

Also, shoutout to the audiobook—Ruby Corazon absolutely nailed it! Her narration brought Angela to life and made the whole experience even more immersive. Highly recommend giving it a listen.

First off, the narrator, Ruby Corazon, was the **perfect** fit for Angela. #KissMeMaybe was an adorable story of finding yourself, and letting those around you see you for who you really are. Angela has a viral video that ends up with her late blooming into her identity. This is a cute story centered around a scavenger hunt, identity exploration, a situationship, and queer rep.

Gabriella Gamez, I love you. There's something so special about these books. As a Tex-Mex-Am reader, these books feel like home. I see my own family in them, I see myself in them, from the little bits of Spanglish to the references of HEB and my favorite museum in Texas. There's something so comforting in escaping into the stories Gabriella builds in the world that I already know and love. I loved Angela and Krystal's story so much -- and I usually don't go for friends to lovers! Angela's journey of self discovery and self identity is so relatable to any queer person -- ace spec or not! I can't wait to reread this already!

CW: lots of alcohol, sexual content and scenes,lesbiphobic rhetoric, past bullying (mentioned) and aphobia

Rep: Angela (MC) is cis, Mexican-American, lesbian and asexual
Krystal (LI) is cis, curvy Mexican-American and bisexual

I loved Angela's messiness and how she is so unapologetic about it.
She was a great character and her experiences were so relatable as someone who's on the ace spectrum as well.

The only thing I wished for
is that the narrator had distinguished her voices more for the different characters so I found myself confused and needing to rewind a few times. Other than that I enjoyed it so so much.

Thank you Hachette Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

Before I get into my review of “Kiss Me, Maybe”, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the audio arc!

Also before I get into my review; these are all MY opinions!

This book was just not it for me. This book felt like a YA book trying so hard to be an adult romance.

The smut in this book was *so* unnecessary, in my opinion, and also made me uncomfortable. As someone who predominantly reads Sapphic adult romance, it’s a weird occurrence that I feel uncomfortable with smut.

Also; maybe this was mentioned but I could not figure out these characters' ages. This book was very clearly written by a millennial (and if the author’s not, I’d be shocked.) It felt like a millennial trying to write Gen Z characters and failing completely.

I’m honestly saddened by the smut being incorporated because I feel like this could’ve been such an amazing YA book if the author put a little bit more time and effort into it.

I did however love the ace rep since it is so hard to find in books.

Overall I think this book was a great idea but not executed to its full potential.

⭐️⭐️.5

3.5 ⭐ , rounded to 4 ⭐

I wanted to like this more, ohh I so did! I’m surprised the ace flag wasn’t on the cover, considering how much being asexual was present within the story. I did not feel as though the plot aspects were for me. I’m not a big fan of internet references in the books I read, so this taking place on TikTok really didn’t vibe with me. The characters could’ve been so much more as well! I wasn’t fully convinced of the romance, I didn’t feel a spark for them. Overall, I feel as though the story could’ve been a lot stronger. Each element just needed a bit more work. I’d have loved to see more of the scavenger hunt! The book was not bad, just not entirely for me. The cover illustration is gorgeous and I loved the diverse representation!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kiss Me Maybe was an adorable story of finding yourself, and letting those around you see you for who you really are. Ruby Corazon's narration pulls a listener in with comfort and ease. Gabriella Gamez's sophomore novel did not disappoint in the slightest.