Birdie and Liam are the ultimate slow burn. “Not everyone is lucky enough to meet the love of their life at fifteen.” Naturally this can only be slow burn, years of burn. The anguish of teenage unrequited love fuelled Birdie’s rockstar career. She grew to be a woman of strength and a powerhouse on the stage. Watching Liam walk back into her life was the ultimate rush. These two ooze chemistry and I loved watching their fire. Love based in friendship is more powerful than anything and they prove that as they fight for their time. Absolutely ‘right person, wrong time’ for them.
This story has suspense, frustration and heat. It was more than a little addicting. I also loved the way the represented plus size beauty, reinforcing that beauty has nothing to do with size.

Audio notes: Angelina Rocco is so fun as Birdie, with her sass, her spirit and her wit. She draws out all the silent emotions and wraps you up in the story. Grayson Owen’s is equally compelling as Liam, with and intensity that makes the character real. His vulnerability and his inner battles were so real. I love the way played off each other in this narration.

Kayla Grosse is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors. I Like You Like That is the fourth book of hers I’ve read (well, listened to in this case), and I’ve loved every single one. This story had me hooked from the very beginning—every spare moment, I found myself squeezing in another chapter or two.

Kayla has a gift for blending heartfelt, relatable storytelling with just the right amount of spice, and she never lets one outweigh the other. That balance is so important to me when I’m choosing a book, and she nails it every time.

The audiobook narration was also excellent. I often find male narrators’ attempts at female voices distracting or even caricature-like, but that wasn’t the case here. Both Birdie and Liam’s voices were spot-on and truly brought the characters to life.

I can 100% recommend this audiobook, and I’ll definitely be seeking out more of Kayla Grosse’s audiobooks in the future.

First and foremost, thank you to Kayla Grosse, Dreamscape Select and Netgalley for access to the AudioArc of "I Like You Like That" in exchange for an honest reaview

Summary
Birdie Wilder thought she and her best friend Liam Miller were always meant to be more than friends, but after he rejected her, their friendship ended. Ten years later, Birdie is a famous rock star with a stalker, and the label hires her a bodyguard who turns out to be none other than Liam. Recently recovered from an accident, Liam must protect the woman he once hurt, even as old feelings resurface. Forced together, Birdie and Liam must face their past while navigating growing tension and danger.

Short and Sweet Opinion
This was a fun, fast, and steamy read with great audio narration that brought the story to life. Kayla Grosse’s signature charm and plus-size representation shine through, making it an enjoyable romance despite some rough edges.

In Depth Opinion
First, the audio arc was fantastic. Both narrators fit their roles well, with pacing, tone, and inflection that matched the story perfectly. This novel, along with Kayla's others, fits very well to the dual narrator style of audio.

I was excited to pick up this book because Kayla Grosse is one of my favorite authors. You can see glimpses of what I love about her writing here, especially her badass plus-size heroines and lovable male leads. The story was fun and steamy, and it went by quickly.

That being said, I could tell this was an earlier work. The characters did not feel as fully developed as they do in her more recent books. Some of the plot choices felt odd, and the ending came across as a bit forced. The book also seemed caught between being a romcom and a romance thriller, which caused it to lose some clarity in tone and direction.

Even with these critiques, I still enjoyed the read. Part of the fun was being able to see Kayla Grosse’s growth as a writer. While this may not be my favorite from her, I loved the opportunity to experience more of her backlist.

ok ok okkk this was gooood!

* rockstar / bodyguard romance
* badass FMC
* second chance
* childhood friends to lovers
* romantic suspense
* twistyyy

I didn't exactly know what to expect with this one but dang I enjoyed it! Nothing like having your first love who told you he would never like you like that become your bodyguard and then fall in love 🥰 It was sweet with a little spice and an epic twist at the ending that had me going 😳 I do think we could have used a little bit more story development, specifically with our MMC past, but regardless I enjoyed it.

3⭐ 4🌶️

While this was fun to listen to and the narrators were great, there was very little depth to the plot and the relationship between the two MCS was rather superficial, which was disappointing.
I haven't read this trope before and I'm not sure if I will again because it really just felt inevitable like they didn't have to work for this relationship at all. They just fell together which was a bit boring. The stalker aspect was a highlight but it felt a little forced and not well thought out. Really. Not sure if I'll read more from this author.

Big thanks to netgalley and Kayla Grosse for a copy of this audiobook. This is my honest opinion.

It was pretty good I don't usually like second chance romances, but this one was good. Childhood friends to estranged Eventually to singer and bodyguard. Birdie is a singer who turns out to have a stalker, so her band and friends convince her that she needs to get a bodyguard. Liam and birdie share the same friends so when they hear she needs a bodyguard they convince Liam that he should take the job given his background as a cop. I did not see the plot twist of who the stalker was. One thing I love about Kayla Grosse books she does tension and spice very well. The Audio was also great.

Birdie Wilder and Liam Miller were inseparable as teens—until one heartbreaking moment shattered their friendship and ended things before they ever really began. A decade later, Birdie’s a famous rockstar on tour… with a stalker. Enter her new bodyguard: none other than Liam.

This second-chance, friends-to-lovers romance has all the ingredients of a juicy page-turner: unresolved feelings, forced proximity, a stalker subplot, and plenty of slow-burn tension. Watching Birdie and Liam navigate their past heartbreak while trying to deny present day feelings was both angsty and addictive.

Birdie is a confident, plus size heroine who’s largely made peace with her body, though she still wrestles with insecurities. I appreciated that she felt grounded and real, even as a celebrity, she’s far from the typical “diva” trope. I usually don't love the rock star trope, but here it worked for me, and I think it's because Birdie felt so relatable. Liam, meanwhile, plays the stoic protector to perfection, hiding his regret and feelings behind his job, until that façade inevitably cracks.

The meh- well there’s miscommunication. And there’s a third-act breakup. Which felt super unnecessary to be honest. But the emotional weight behind their fallout felt believable, especially given their complicated history. Add in a bit of suspense, some meddling friends, and undeniable chemistry, and this was plenty entertaining. Oh—and the spice? Kayla Grosse absolutely delivers in the steam department every time. 🔥

I listened to the audiobook, and I highly recommend that format. Greyson Owen and Angelina Rocca brought Birdie and Liam to life beautifully. Overall, a heartfelt, sexy, and slightly suspenseful romance with real emotional depth.

fantastic and a book to just fall head over heels in love with. this is an author I always love to read and will shout from the rooftops and love every new book that she has come out.

Kayla Grosse's books are always sublime! I loved Birdie and Liam's story. The rockstar x bodyguard trope will never age up <3
Birdie is just wonderful in her personality and actions, and Liam's tortured past just made my heart melt.
I love second-chance romances, and this book is a must for anyone searching for plus-size fmc representation with an accurate and realistic description of the life of a rockstar on tour. I will 100% recommend this book to others!

I think it should surprise no one to say that I loved this book! Second chance romance with a plus size main character? Right up my alley.

Like I said, I loved this book. A second chance romance with a break up that makes sense that you still find yourself rooting for them to get back together … that’s a hard thing to accomplish! Kayla does a great job making Birdie and Liam seem realistic but still likable (A male character that is realistic yet still likable? That’s a challenge that only a male character written by a woman can compete with.). Someone coming back from your past that is there to protect you? Liam being a bodyguard for Birdie is one of the only things that makes the touch her and die thing a little more realistic. Not that he would kill someone but someone hurting Birdie? … that’s makes sense.

Overall, loved it!! Thank you so much Kayla and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story!

Okay book.

Couple of things that worked for me.

Birdie worked very hard about her body image with her therapists etc....,
she had an absolutely fantastic relationship with her band mates,
her personality was breezy and sweet.
The sexy times were hot.
And Ben and Ren were cool too.

Okay what did not work

Liam and his rejection made no sense to me
Icky that he thinks about other women to get off, when he's turned on by the FMC
The 3rd act breakup which seemed unnecessary.

I listened to this book and the narration felt correct for the characters

#ILikeYouLikeThat #NetGalley

This book was a mixed bag for me, with some good elements and some that had potential but fell flat. 3.5 stars rounded down.

I loved the friends to enemies to lovers trope - but it felt incredibly juvenile. I get that they were kids when the whole thing went down, but it's years later and you are both adults now. It felt weird to still be holding so much against someone for so long.

I enjoyed the almost romantic suspense that was starting to develop with the stalker, but it never really became what it could have been. I won't hold this against the book, as it didn't claim to be a romantic suspense, and this is totally a personal preference. But that could have brought the book to a different level for me.

Other than these personal preferences, I enjoyed the book. Birdie is a strong character, especially when it comes to body confidence. The story was a quick and easy read, and it was overall enjoyable.

I did not enjoy the third act breakup. Rarely do I like them, but this one felt forced and completely unnecessary. down.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for my copy!

Book: I Like You Like That
Author: Kayla Grosse
Rating: 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Another great read by Kayla!

I really enjoyed this one. It had super relatable characters and some great suspense that I was not expecting.

The MMC ends up being the FMCs bodyguard. They were friends when they were younger until the FMC declared her feelings to him, which caused their friendship to end over some miscommunication.

My struggles were with the MMC. There were so many moments I yelled "get your head out of your a$$". Thankfully he was able to redeem himself over and over again.

You get:
• Contemporary Romance
• Spicy
• Bodyguard/Celebrity
• Past Trauma
• Forced Proximity
• Second Chance
• Stalker

I enjoyed this one! Available on KU, ebook, paperback, and audiobook.

I love everything Kayla Grosse.. and have read almost all her books so with that being said I think this one could be my least favourite!

The story line was good and I did enjoy this book! It just wasn’t the tropes for me! I have a love hate relationship with the musician MC in my book so think this is what put me off the entire book!

I will say I always LOVE that the FMC is plus size! Makes it so much easier to picture it when it’s someone with your body type!

⭐⭐/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ I Like You Like That by Kayla Grosse

This was honestly not my favorite by Kayla Grosse. The spice is amazing, as we expect from Kayla, but I didn't love the story. The third act breakup killed it for me.

💜She's a pop star
🎤He's her bodyguard
💜Second chance
🎤Childhood friends-to-lovers
💜Romantic suspense

I would have loved the book had it not been for a few issues. I enjoyed the story, the characters and their flaws, and it was well written and narrated. I particularly liked that the fmc was a plus sized kick ass rockstar, who overall loved herself, but admitted it took time and effort to get there. However the fact that she'd drink to the point she'd black out and gamble was the bit that was not addressed. The mmc was mostly well written, except for the fact that he was thinking with his d**k and talking to it way too much. I enjoyed the narration, but I'm not sure if the double narration added anything, as both the female and male narrators were readibg both male and female characters. The plot was good, with both the relationship between the characters developing at a good pace, and the stalker subplot developing in parallel. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook to review, really enjoyed it.

This audiobook was a re-read for me and I actually enjoyed this book more the second time through. This was a one sitting kind of book which I love and has a lot of body positivity! I love Liam and Birdie's relationship and how they found their way back to each other after so many years. Plus it doesn't hurt that I love a pop star x bodyguard trope! This book does have a suspense aspect and it was a little predictable with the suspense aspect but I still loved it.

This duet narration with Angelina Rocca & Grayson Owens was absolutely fantastic! They really brought the characters to life.

3.75

second chance
body guard
famous singer
plus size FMC

I loved the audio of this and think the narrators did a phenomenal job with the characters.

3.25 ⭐️

There's a lot to like about this book, but there's also some things that just didn't work for me and that's okay. First and foremost, I really love the way the plus size FMC was portrayed in this book. You knew she was plus sized, but it wasn't talked about 24/7 and it wasn't thrown in your face during every interaction with the MMC.

I really loved the superstar plot line. It was fun and fresh and I liked reading about the tour and the performances. I really did like the FMC as whole, she was engaging and I feel like she was relatable in some ways.

I really HATED Liam. I feel like his character was underdeveloped. I found him boring and really surface level. My biggest qualm with him was that he is the MMC to Birdie and there was too many mentions of him with and thinking about other women. I just got the ick from it and couldn't side with his character at all moving forward.

Overall, I did enjoy the story. The stalker plot line was fine. The third act breakup was there and felt pretty unnecessary, but it doesn't bother me that it was there. The narration felt a bit dry and didn't really add anything to the story but didn't hurt the story either. I would recommend if you're a Kayla Grosse fan (like I am) or if you're wanting a bodyguard x superstar romance.

The Vibes:
-Body Guard x Superstar
-Second Chance ISH romance
-Enemies to Friends to Lovers
-Stalker

✅ Birdie Wilder, plus sized rockstar has to hire a bodyguard, Liam, because she has a stalker.
✅ Birdie and Liam were teenage best friends but their friendship ended when he dashed any dreams of more between them.
✅Dual POV
✅ second chance romance
🌶️: starting half way

An enjoyable listen, easy to breeze through