I really love Kayla's work, but I Like You Like That did not hit the mark for me. Grayson Owens and Angelina Rocca do an excellent job narrating and are the sole reason this is getting 3 stars from me.

I Like You Like That by Kayla Grosse is an emotionally charged, heartwarming, and unforgettable romance that will stay with you long after you finish listening. This audiobook, with its powerful narration and irresistible storyline, elevates the reading experience to something truly special.

Grosse’s writing shines with authenticity, capturing the complexities of love, self-discovery, and personal growth. The plot weaves a beautiful narrative that dives deep into the intricacies of relationships, exploring not just romantic love but also the importance of understanding and accepting oneself.

What really impressed me about the narration was the way both narrators managed to keep the tone and pacing of the story fresh, avoiding any sense of monotony. Their voices were so distinct, yet complementary, making it easy to differentiate between characters, even when the scenes became emotionally intense. The pacing was spot-on, allowing listeners to fully immerse themselves in the story's world.

The way they breathe life into Grosse's writing helps listeners form a connection with the characters, making the romance feel all the more real. It’s the kind of audiobook you’ll want to listen to in one sitting, but will also happily revisit because of how well the narrators breathe new energy into every moment.

In summary, I Like You Like That is a beautiful, emotional journey enhanced by top-tier narration. Whether you're a fan of contemporary romance or simply love a well-narrated audiobook, this one is definitely worth your time.



Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This narration was so good. The female narrator was perfect for Birdie. The slight raspiness to her voice gave me all the rockstar feels. Both narrators brought so much emotion to their performances. I didn’t want to stop listening. They did an outstanding job and I’m glad I listened to this story instead of reading. The tension between Birdie and Liam was palpable and I counted down the minutes until they finally gave in to their feelings. Birdie and Liam had something special as teenagers and how their past story was woven into the present brought a depth to their relationship and their connection I wasn’t expecting. It was magical when they finally gave in to that temptation. Thank goodness for meddling best friends! Liam comes back into Birdie’s life after her friends convince him to take a job as her bodyguard to handle a stalker. I was not expecting the stalker situation to develop the way that it did. It kept me on my toes. This book was amazing!!!!

This audiobook was amazing. I have loved everything I have read by Kayla and this book was no different. She really knows how to get you hooked on a story from the start!
This one follows rockstar Birdie Wilder as she travels the world on her tour when she get a stalker. To calm her label she accepts a bodyguard. Liam has been in the security business for a while now but when her best friend leads him to a job working for his best friend from when he was a teenager. It sounds like a bad idea as they parted on bad terms but Liam accepts. Now back together they must face what really went down all those years ago between them.
I love the dynamic between Birdie and Liam as they had history before they both try to ignore in the beginning but that doesn’t work out. Birdie confesses her feelings for him all those years ago and he rejected her. She even wrote a song about it and it was so funny seeing Liam figure out it's about him. Liam gets very protective over Birdie more than it being his job. I loved seeing Birdie challenge/taunt him. Birdie really found her passion and seeing her with her bandmates was so cute.
If you are looking for rockstar x bodyguard romance this is one for you!
Thanks to Netgalley for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

★★★★ — In her book, I Like You Like That, Kayla Grosse weaves a story of a female rockstar and her bodyguard.

It has been fifteen years since a high‑school fallout between best friends ended their friendship.

The years have been good for the heroine who is now a plus‑size rock star. Birdie Wilder is unexpectedly reunited with ex‑best friend Liam when he’s hired as her bodyguard amid a stalker threat. Their second‑chance romance builds through tense tour‑life moments, slow‑burn chemistry, and genuine emotional growth—anchored by Birdie’s unapologetic confidence and Liam’s messy history. While the pacing lags early and the suspense subplot wraps up a bit abruptly, the characters’ journey and body-positive representation deliver a heartfelt, satisfying read.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for ARC in exchange for honest review.

3 1/2 stars rounded to 4

I really enjoyed this book. It’s fun, fast-paced, and super steamy, with that popstar x bodyguard vibe that always hits. The friends-to-enemies-to-lovers angle keeps things interesting, and the plus-size rep? Top tier. Birdy is such a confident, relatable character, and I loved how her body was portrayed without it being a big “issue” in the story.

The relationship between Birdy and Liam fell a bit short for me. The flashbacks to their high school connection were sparse and underdeveloped, which made the “long-lost lovers” angle feel less believable. I wanted more insight into their history, especially why Liam kept Birdy at arm’s length back then. A deeper emotional foundation would’ve made their reunion hit harder.

🎧Audiobook Review 🎧
It’s so worth listening to! Greyson Owen and Angelina Rocca absolutely nailed the narration. Angelina brought so much emotion to Birdy, and Greyson made Liam feel grounded and real. They made the story way more immersive.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape, and Fat Babe Publishing INC. for the ALC.

Thank You NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for ELC of I like you like that. I have read many Kayla Grosse books and she's quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I really do appreciate how she writes REAL women as her lead characters. the Narrators Grayson Owens& Angelina Rocca knocked it out of the park on this one I was captivated from beginning to the end. With both MC having unspoken family trauma it made the story feel genuine when they were both able to get it off the chests to explain why they parted ways in high school. The survivors guilt trope is not my favorite but the way Kayla writes it was full of compassion and not just oh poor me.

SHE is the rock star
He's her bodyguard
Second Chance Romance

Good Lord. What more could I want?! This one was 5 out of 5 for me. I love Birdie so much! I feel so bad for Liam, teenage boys are so dim sometimes and what he thought was going to save a friendship really blew it all apart.

the casting was PERFECT.
It was everything I had hoped and more. they embodied the characters and brought them to life

Thank you to Netgalley for my audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review!

It was the easiest decision to sign up for this: famous rocker gal + body positive + bodyguard = GIMME. However, while it was a breezy and enjoyable read, this one didn’t quite live up to my hopeful expectations.

The twofold suspense keeps the momentum going: 1) How will Liam’s hurtful words ten years ago be excused?, and 2) Who is Birdie’s stalker? Once the first bit is revealed – about the midway through – I LIKE YOU loses some steam. I am of the mind that the past reveal either should have happened a bit later (keep that delicious yearning going), or the storyline should have more quickly transitioned to place the stalker plot front and center to carry us through to the end. Instead we have to wade through a significant portion of relationship bliss that takes a bit of the wind out of the narrative’s sails.

The writing is also somewhat simplistic. I wish there had been more nuance as none of the secondary characters had much dimension to them. We don’t learn much about them aside from how they relation to Birdie and Liam. Even then, however, I’m not sure I would have enjoyed spending more time with them since all they seem to do is tell Birdie how she should live her life (her manager, her publicist, her band – Kevin excepted). I was also shocked that Birdie never told Ben and Wren off for tricking her back into Liam’s path. It worked out for the best I suppose but still – toxic AF behavior. If I had been Birdie, I would have burned those bridges to the ground and never looked back.

Narrator Grayson Owens is a great Liam – grounded and just the right amount of gruff without putting him over the top. Initially I was a fan of Angelina Rocca’s Birdie – her voice has a pleasant scratchiness to it – but I ultimately found her staccato cadence distracting. It felt like she was sprinting through the middle of sentences and slowing before the periods. This peaks-and-valleys often made her words hard to catch and understand.

A second chance, rock star romance with a plus size heroine. This was such a sweet story. Birdie and Liam were heartfelt, and I loved both characters. I devoured it because I was so invested in their story. The spice was so good and well done. I absolutely loved the body positivity! The narrators were amazing and really did an excellent job! Highly recommend!

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Audio 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Preformed by 🎙️:
Grayson Owens & Angelina Rocca

Kayla Grosee knows how to make some audio!! This is my 3 audio review and they all have been phenomenal!! Grayson Owen’s has become my favorite narrators!

This story has Travis Kelce/Taylor swift vibes to me. It was a re read because I have read it before but wow does the audio make me love it again and again!!!

Birdie is a famous rockstar with a stalker. Her team hires her. A bodyguard; a d in walks Liam her former bestie and childhood crush. He broke her heart and. Now she has to look at how everyday? Birdie is seriously questioning her karma. But that sweet joy who held her heart is still in Liam and maybe this is their second chance. Oh wait the stalker …

I Loved this audio it made me remember how much I loved this story!! And the narrators did a fabulous job!

Thank you to @netgalley
And Dreamscape Select for letting me review this audio amazingness!!

#ilikeyoulikethat #kaylagrosseauthor #kaylagrosse #PlusSizeHeroine #secondchance #bodyguard #idratherbereading #bookboyfriendsdoitbetter

Birdie Wilder and Liam Miller were best friends until Birdie confessed to Liam via a chat message, to which he replied with "I don't like you like that." 10 years later, Birdie is a superstar singer plagued by a persistent stalker. She agrees to a bodyguard so her tour can continue, and those depending on her can keep their jobs. Having Liam walk in and be introduced as her new bodyguard does not make her happy, but will the forced proximity make them open up about the past and see a new future?

It's not a bad story. It's not bad writing either. It's something I've read many times before and done just a little bit better, so nothing was keeping my interest. Both Birdie and Liam feel like super generic characters, with Birdie's saving grace being that she's vocal about accepting her weight and feeling beautiful no matter what others say about her size.

Grayson Owens and Angelina Rocca do an excellent job narrating and are the main reason I didn't rate this lower. They bring the generic characters to life and infuse them with a personality that I honestly did not find in the writing.

Overall, I don't regret the hours I spent listening to the audiobook, but I don't feel like something I'd go out of my way to recommend or even remember after the last word.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape, and Fat Babe Publishing INC. for the listen.

A Rockstar romance where the FMC is the rockstar! Heck YA!

Birdie and Liam were best friends - 10 years ago. Now, Birdie is a famous rockstar. She is on tour but a stalker is about to put an end to that.
This is where Liam comes in. They may not have been friends in years but they are still a part of the same friend group. He finds out pretty quickly that she is in danger and becomes her body guard.

Birdie is very put off by the idea of a body guard so imagine her response when it's Liam, her ex best friend, that takes on the role.

Liam is down bad for that girl. He might not see it, but it’s obvious. He has his own struggles and does not handle them well when it comes to Birdie and how he feels about her.

I love how they both challenge each other, how they are better with each other.

Seeing snippets from the night they stopped being friends made me frustrated with Liam but he continues to redeem himself.

As always, Kayla has written a beautiful, chunky, proud in her own skin FMC to swoon over.


-Narration-
Both Angelina Rocca and Greyson Owens are excellent narrators. The huskiness of Angelina's voice really went well with the “bedroom” voice Birdie is described as having. So husky.
It's such a good read, Greyson will have you swooning with his depiction of Liam. They are both able to keep consistent with the other character voices they use.
I listened at 1.5x


Do you love?
✨ rockstar/bodyguard
✨ ex best friends to lovers
✨ forced proximity

Thank you to Kayla, Fat Babe Publishing INC., & NetGalley for the ARC.
All opinions are my own.

I absolutely love Kayla!!! This was the sweetest story! I am a sucker for second chance! Thank you for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook! The narrators killed it!!

I jump on every opportunity I get for a Kayla Grosse book. I really enjoyed the female rockstar and bodyguard basis for this story. The story flashes back to some tough moments from when they were kids and brings out some of Birdie's insecurities, but Liam does his best to prove to her that she is exactly what he wants.

This book has a bit of suspense throughout trying to figure out who is stalking Birdie and Liam is super protective, which I really enjoyed. His history was also tragic, but he worked so hard to make sure that he took care of Birdie and ensured her safety. Together these two were really sweet and I enjoyed that she was able to lean on Liam throughout.

The narration by Angelina Rocca and Grayson Owens was excellent. Angelina did a beautiful job bringing out Birdie's ambition, fear, and insecurities. Grayson is always superb and he is always exceptional bringing out everything from the fierce protectiveness all the way to the soft, tender moments.

TROPES:
Rockstar x Bodyguard
Plus Size FMC
Ex-Friends to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Second Chance

Thank you to Kayla Grosse and Dreamscape Select for the ALC.

🎤friends to strangers to lovers
⭐️celebrity x bodyguard
🎤 second chance
⭐️body positivity

Sadly I didn’t feel invested in the relationship - particularly when the MMC kept stating that he didn’t view her in that light. They could’ve worked out a friendship, but I didn’t buy the romance.

The mid-stakes plot didn’t bring enough to the table to justify tying the story together or making it so lengthy. It just repeated the same points over and over until the FMC was worn down.

An advanced listener copy was obtained from Dreamscape Media via the NetGalley platform.

I got this book on NetGalley, so I assumed it was a new book by this author. Turns out it’s from 2022 and it’s just the audiobook that’s new. I’ve read a few books by this author and by the writing here, I’d say her writing has developed a lot in the last 3 years.

The initial premise seemed promising: a second chance romance between a pop star and her bodyguard. Unfortunately, the plot was not well developed. When we finally find out why he broke her heart in high school, it was literally for no reason at all. I thought he’d have some big secret, but nope.

Birdie as a character had no real depth. She’s a singer who likes to drink and has terrible body image issues. The book looked like it would have positive plus sized representation, but it really didn’t. She was still just a “chubby” (her word not mine) 16 year old girl with Daddy/abandonment issues.

How could her assistant be 22 and have graduated from university and have been working with her for long enough to build trust? University is from 18-22. She would be an apprentice at best. And the whole plot of having her have their bio dad send sexually explicit threatening letters to her half sister who doesn’t even know either of them exist? Yeah, that’s messed up.

The plot was full of holes and underdeveloped ideas. And if I had to hear her say “chocolate eyes” one more time I’d dnf the book. I get it, his eyes are brown. 2-3 times tops for that description across the whole book would have been more than enough. The book needed more editing.

DNF at 50%
I really thought this book was going to be good.
But I REALLY didn’t believe they wanted each other.
It felt like they were actors paid to sleep together

Rockstar- check
Long lost love- check
Angst, drama, and spice- triple check!

Oh my word this was so damn cute! These cutesy romance novels are becoming my new favorite thing! This book checked off everything on my must haves list! This was an adorable second chance romance with drama left and right! Not once did I think that stalker reveal was coming. I literally had no idea who it could be!!!! I adored Birdie. She’s got to be one of my favorite characters I’ve met in a while. I love how strong and body positive she is. Im so happy Liam allowed himself to love and to be loved. He had such a hard life but im so glad he and birdie got their happy ending!