This was such a heartfelt second-chance romance with just the right sprinkle of suspense to keep things interesting! I really enjoyed the emotional pull between Birdie and Liam. There’s a ton of unresolved tension, history, and hurt between them, and watching that slowly unravel was super satisfying.

Birdie is a plus-size rockstar who absolutely owns the stage and her voice (literally and figuratively). She’s bold, vulnerable, and easy to root for. Liam brings that emotionally constipated, protective energy that somehow makes you want to both yell at him and give him a hug. Their chemistry builds slowly, which worked well with the overall pacing of the story.

While the spice level was on the lighter side, I didn’t feel like anything was missing…the romance and emotional connection were strong enough to carry it. I also appreciated the stalker subplot! It added just enough tension without overtaking the main romance.

The audiobook narration was solid, too. Grayson Owens and Angelina Rocca did a great job bringing Birdie and Liam to life and giving each character distinct emotional tones. Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this audio!

I love Kayla Grosse! Her books are steamy but also have unique plots that keep her readers glued to her stories! This was such a cute book! The FMC is a curvy rock star and the MMC is her bodyguard who also happens to be her ex-best friend. The chemistry is electric! You should definitely read this book!

Rating: 3.75 stars (rounded up to 4)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of I Like You Like That by Kayla Grosse!

This was a fast, entertaining romance that delivered on the second-chance, bodyguard/pop star vibes. I really loved Birdie’s character—she’s a confident, plus-size musician who’s strong, funny, and easy to root for. I appreciated how her body was represented in a realistic and empowering way without it being the sole focus of her character arc.

Liam and Birdie’s dynamic had great tension, especially with the forced proximity element. While their history made for some angsty moments, a few of Liam’s choices and the third-act conflict didn’t quite land for me and felt more like a plot device than a natural development.

The pacing was solid, the chemistry was there, and overall it was an enjoyable read with heart, steam, and a little suspense. I’d definitely be open to reading more from this author in the future.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Overall: 4/5
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 These narrators, Angelina Rocca & Grayson Owens, are amazing entertainers—I get lost in them!
🤩 Therapy representation.
🤩 Meddling friends. Friends who tell it like it is.
🤩 That need to know their history & true enemies-to lovers vibes.
🤩 Bodyguard/rockstar romance!
🤩 Honesty & sweet apologies.
🤩 Suspense plot in the bodyguard romance.

What I'm Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 I don’t love a “not about me tonight.” Let the girl have her fun, too. You know you want it.
💫 We deserved some actual Santorini time with them.
💫 HEA/timing was a bit rushed at the end.
💫 Continued therapy.

🎤🎹 Audiobook Review 🎹🎤

Thanks to Dreamscape Select & NetGalley for the gifted listener copy of the audiobook. It’s newly released in audiobook—available now! I found the ebook on Kindle Unlimited.

3.5⭐️

Birdie is getting ready for her world tour when she receives several threatening letters from a stalker. Though she is encouraged to cancel her tour, she decides to hire a bodyguard to go with her. Her childhood best friend, Liam, who she was once convinced was going to be her forever, but now she hasn't spoken to in ten years, is her new bodyguard. They are trying desperately to survive being around each other, but lingering feelings break through, as well as mountains of sexual tension. Is it possible to mend their relationship and potentially become more?

✨childhood friends to enemies to lovers
✨pop star x bodyguard
✨second chance
✨plus size fmc
✨🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

This was super entertaining! I really liked Birdie as a character. She was badass and super resilient. I do like the way Birdie was written as plus sized but that was just the tiniest aspect of who she was. I feel like so often plus sized characters are JUST that, and it bothers me, so this was refreshing. I thought Liam was okay, but I didn't think he was as swoony as he could've been. He's no Rhys Larsen bodyguard, let's just say that LOL. I also liked the side characters and I wish we had more of them! The audiobook performance was fabulous & I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Dreamscape Audio, NetGalley, and Kayla Grosse for an ALC of this book🫶🏼

I Like You Like That Honest ARC Review:

4.5⭐️
Curvy Girl Romance? Yes please!!
Having read Kayla Grosse’s other books, I can say this story holds greater depth and complexity. I really enjoyed it!! It was humorous, reflective, suspenseful and heartwarming.

Birdie Wilder is a gorgeous, plus size rockstar who tours the world sharing her love for music. In each song, she sings of her past experiences. Her unrequited love for Liam Miller led her to her first chart topping single.

There was great banter, plenty of angst and reconciliation. Fans of Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez, this one’s for you!

⭐️Second Chance Romance
⭐️Friends to Lovers
⭐️Rockstar and Bodyguard
⭐️Curvy Girl Romance


Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscape Select Fat Babe Publishing for this ARC. It had everything and more!

This was super cute! I loved Liam’s protective instincts and pure love for Birdie. I really enjoyed that once they decided to be together, there was no hesitation. I don’t like the wishy washy-ness, they were all in right away and it was amazing. I didn’t like that they had a third act breakup, but I did thoroughly enjoy their friends reminding them what’s important. Such a great story! And Angelina Rocca and Grayson Owens were superb, as usual. Love this audio!

4 🌟
Spice: open door
Format: ALC

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this one! Ex best friends, second chance, body guard x rockstar. Add in a but of suspense and this was the whole package. I love our FMC, curvy girl rockstar 💖 I would totally be her fan if she was real. Liam being so protective of her had me melting. The events in his past definitely played a part in the 3rd act breakup, but it was understandable to me. I wish I better understood why he made the comment he did when they were younger. He goes over it, but I just feel it was a cop out. I'm glad they found their way to each other though. The audio was really good. The narrators are super easy to listen to.

Let’s all stand and applaud this amazing book! Holy moly! I’ve had several friends tell me to read Kayla Grosse’s books and I am certainly glad I finally did! It hits every single point you’d want it to. Former best friends, a rock star X bodyguard set up, a bit of a mystery thriller happening, good character building AND epic spice?! YES PLEASE!!! I really felt like I could relate to Birdie as a plus sized teen growing up and her inner thoughts were on point. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

I Like You Like That by Kayla Grosse is a BodyguardXStar steamy romance with plot. I found myself loving Liam and Birdie’s banter, flirting, and just downright goofball energy towards each other. Overall a very enjoyable book. Birdie is a famous singer with a stalker on her heels, so she must hire a bodyguard but little does she know it’s her ex best friend that also happens to be her first love.

Incoming potential spolier warning:

The only part that seemed rushed and didn’t make much sense to the story was the third act breakup taking place in the last 10% of the book. While I don’t mind miscommunication tropes or third act breakups, this one seemed rushed and unnecessary to the story. Other than this I thought it was a good bodyguard romance. The voice actors did an excellent job narrating and making the characters come to life!

This is such a wonderful story. Just enough dark with the stalker to keep it interesting while also experiencing a giddy and feet kicking love story.

I listened to the audio and really enjoyed it. The narrators did a great job bringing the story to life. I loved the friends to enemies to lovers aspect. Birdie was such a great character. Even though she still had her struggles, she was confident in herself and I loved that about her. The way her relationship with Liam evolved after they talked things out and worked through their past was really well done.

Kayla Grosse knows how to bring the spiceeee! And the plot was giving so much that I loved every minute of it. Narrator did amazing job !!!!

If you love friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance, bodyguard/rockstar, plus size rep, super spicy, and forced proximity this is the book for you! I am not normally a fan of second chance romance but this one was so beautifully done that I devoured it!

The audiobook was so well done Angelina Rocha and Grayson Owen’s did amazing! Even though I had previously read this book it felt brand new with the way they preformed it. Highly recommend the audiobook for this one!

I have become a fan of Kayla Grosse's writing over the last year, and I'm thrilled she has continued to pursue turning her books into audio versions. Angelina Rocca and Grayson Owens made a perfect Birdie and Liam, and they infused their acting with real emotion, which made the story even stronger. 🥰
4.25🌟

3.5 ⭐️

🎧Audiobook = 5⭐️ the narrators were fantastic, Angelina Rocca was a great choice and matched the tone/description of the FMC. As always, Grayson Owens fully captures Kayla's MMC.

I both liked and didn't like this book - mostly I had trouble with the MMC, Liam. The former friends, bodyguard-rockstar aspect was fun, but my goodness he needs a good check, even towards the end I was like WTF man.

I loved eyeball reading this book years ago and the audio is SO GOOD!! The narrators brought Liam and Birdie to life exceptionally well. They are absolutely fantastic and do Kayla justice. This is my third audiobook for Kayla and they’re always such fun listens! Her writing is wonderful and it makes me so happy. I fell in love with Liam and Birdie all over again.

Thank you to Dreamscape for this ALC!!

This one is for every girl who ever had her heart crushed by her first love.

Birdie and Liam were inseparable as kids—best friends with the kind of bond that felt unbreakable. But everything changed when Birdie worked up the courage to tell Liam she like liked him, and he responded with the kind of honesty that leaves a scar: he’d never feel that way about her. The rejection? Brutal. And unforgettable.

Fast forward ten years. Birdie’s no longer the heartbroken teen she once was—she’s grown into a confident, wildly successful pop star. Liam’s a professional bodyguard with his own past to reckon with. What Birdie doesn’t know is that Liam’s been hired to protect her from a stalker, and their reunion sets off a storm of unresolved feelings, past hurts, and undeniable chemistry. I Like You Like That is equal parts heartache and healing, reminding us that sometimes the person who once broke your heart is the only one who can truly make it whole again.

Kayla Grosse delivers a sweet, swoony second-chance romance that captures all the messy beauty of first love, rejection, and fate bringing two people back together when the timing is finally right. And the narrators? Absolutely nailed it. They brought Birdie and Liam to life with emotional depth, perfect pacing, and just the right amount of emphasis to make every heartfelt moment hit even harder.

3.5 stars, rounded to 4.
This was a cute, fast little read.
Childhood best friends Birdie & Liam were inseparable until one day Birdie decides to tell Liam that she likes him more than a friend. Liam drops a bombshell on her that he will never "like you like that". This causes a giant rift, and they end up never speaking again.
Fast forward - now Liam and Birdie are adults, and it just so happens that fate brings them back together.
Birdie, now an ultra-famous rock star, has a safety problem with a stalker.
Liam - now a retired cop after a tragic accident does private security.
Both of their friends think it's a good idea to have Liam become Birdie's bodyguard (unbeknownst to Birdie).
Liam shows up to be her bodyguard, and sparks start to fly.
Birdie and Liam get their second-chance romance.
This is a good one if you like:
-forced proximity
-second chance romance
-enemies to lovers
-touch her and die
-stalker
-childhood trauma
Just keep in mind, there is a mild representation of PTSD in a dream, parental alcoholism, and body image/weight are discussed. So if any of these trigger you, just want to make you aware.
This is a good palate cleanser and beach/poolside read for your TBR.
The plot was structured, and the pace was good.
The characters are fairly well developed and were engaging.
Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to review this ARC!
Happy Reading!

Thanks to Kayla, Dreamscape, and NetGalley for providing me with an audio copy of the novel, I Like You Like That.

4.25/5 ⭐️
1/5 🌶️

We open in the first 2 chapters on present day for our FMC, Birdie, and MMC, Liam. Then we flash back to their teenage selves and how they became friends and why their friendship fell out.

Birdie is now a famous musician. Liam is an ex-cop turned private security (bodyguard). Brodie needs a bodyguard because of a stalker. Their initial interactions are tumultuous at best. Eventually they really talk about what happened. They realized that for 10 years they could’ve stayed friends or become more!

We get doses of the steamy scenes Kayla is known for, although this is one of her more tame novels.

For the audiobook there are veteran narrators Angelina Rocca voicing Birdie and Greyson Owens voicing Liam. I adore Angelina’s voice and think it was the perfect fit for Birdie, given she has this sexy raspiness to her voice. Birdie is described as having a similar voice. Kayla loves her some Greyson Owens, as he narrates a lot of her audiobooks. He does a wonderful job portraying Liam. They both portray the array of emotions well.