Kiss Me, Maybe

Librarians in Love #2

by Gabriella Gamez

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).

Librarian Angela Gutierrez has never been kissed. But after posting a video about her late bloomer status and ace identity, she's finally ready to get some firsts out of the way. Using her new influencer status to come up with a scavenger hunt idea in which the winner earns her first kiss, Angela realizes she may need some help to pull off the event. 

Enter Krystal Ramirez, hot bartender and Angela’s unrequited crush of five years. Despite vowing that romantic love isn’t for her, Krystal seems awfully determined to help Angela pull off the scavenger hunt and find true love. 

There’s just one the connection between Angela and Krystal is getting stronger and stronger the more they hang out, until Angela isn’t sure she wants to go through with the scavenger hunt after all. But Krystal is convinced that she isn’t capable of love and before long, Angela realizes she's falling head over heels for a woman who may never love her back. 

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Queer, Lesbian, Contemporary, Audiobook, Adult

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 6, 2025

Reviews

[bree | breesbookmark ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

as an asexual girl who spent most of her life assuming something was wrong with her because she was in love with the idea of love but never experienced the kind of attraction that she read about in books: this book meant the WORLD to me. i feel so seen and so understood 🫶

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 5 out of 5]

my goodness it’s hard to breathe after reading this.

Gabriella Gamez writes some of the BEST tension. I was sweating reading that almost kiss, and don’t even get me started on Ch. 18 🥵

I’m calling it now, Gabriella Gamez is only going to continue to get better with each book. Her debut, The Next Best Fling was one of my top romances of 2024, an absolutely phenomenal debut novel - Kiss Me, Maybe is even better, and I’m confident it’s going to be one of my top romances for 2025.

She’s officially an auto-buy author and I cannot wait to read more by her!

I absolutely loved watching the FMC explore her identity and sexuality - the author does a fantastic job handling a sensitive topic. She presents information on ace spec and queer identity in such a fluid and careful way. One of the best things about reading books with characters of different identities than your own (imo) its getting to experience a bit of what it’s like in someone else’s shoes - I loved learning more about the ace spectrum. For me, a mark of a good fiction book, is that it has me wanting to learn more about the information presented within and this book did exactly that! I leave this book with a better understanding of the ace spectrum identity and with the motivation to learn and explore that topic even more!

What’s to love…
- ACE spec representation
- identity and sexual exploration
- lesbian and bi FMCs
- Grade A++ tension
- medium to slow burn
- friends-to-lovers
- found family AND family forward story
- Mexican-American FMCs
- set in San Antonio Texas
- spectacular pacing
- bookish book (FMC is a librarian!)
- panty burning spice

What’s not to love…
- honestly, not much… this is nearly perfect but I do wish we got a bit more of the relationship with Angela and Marcela/Julian - the focus was strongly on the online presence and Krystal and while that was fine I did feel like I wanted to see more from the non-romantic relationships.

🌶️ - super freaking hot in terms of tension but mild in terms of explicit nature. Also fairly easy to skip if needed. Ch. 18, 32, 44.

Audio Narration: 3.5/5 - Overall a solid performance. Good narration but not my favorite. This was definitely one I needed to speed up as the narrator pauses quite a bit at each punctuation break. Nothing unbearable but it doesn't flow quite as well as I prefer.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever and Hachette Audio (ALC) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

4.5⭐️ | IG | TikTok |

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

siri play casual by chappell roan for a sec

forever pub making my weekend by providing all the sapphic romances? did i mention they are my favorite publisher?

Bookstagram | Blog

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiss Me, Maybe is a sapphic romance perfectly balanced with humor, heat, emotion, and warmth! While the beginning was a little slow for me, as soon as I got past 25%, the story picked up and had me in a chokehold until the very end. I absolutely loved Angela and Krystal together, their communication and built up tension was heavenly. The two had so much connection and undeniable chemistry, and I loved how their relationship unfolded as they found their bearings and realized what they wanted in life. I also have to mention how delicately handled and open the queer topics of this story were. Krystal and Angela both had their own experiences, and I appreciated that every aspect of their lives, from love to family and friends, was explored in relation to their queerness and identity. If you're looking for a tender romance full of yearning, emotional depth, and so much sapphic goodness, I cannot recommend this book enough!

Read if you like:
📚Found Family📚
📚Scavenger Hunts📚
📚Ace Representation📚
📚Friends to Lovers📚
📚Hispanic Rep📚
📚Hurt x Comfort📚
📚Steamy Romance📚

~Many thanks to Forever for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHY ISNT THERE AN ACE FLAG ON THE COVER 😭😭😭

I'm gonna stay mad at it forever. Angela being ace is literally the glue holding this whole story together and they couldn't be bothered to include some purple, black, white, and gray?!

So I really wanted to love this and don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it. I know that this book is going to undoubtedly end up on so many people's top books and I can see why but it didn't get there for me.

Basically we have Angela, who recently realized that she's on the asexual spectrum and she goes to tik Tok to post about being an asexual lesbian who has not been kissed at 27 years old. So essentially she goes a viral and forms this idea of doing a scavenger hunt for someone to earn her first kiss. This is a wild concept in my opinion. for someone who says they want it to be meaningful to hand it off to someone who wins a scavenger hunt seems contrary. I understand that the scavenger hunt was supposed to be hints that if you knew Angela you would win but how would strangers on the internet be able to answer those questions to win? I just feel like there's a little bit of a logistigal failure here.

Then we have Krystal, who is the hot bisexual midsize (don't try and tell me it's fat rep bc I will die on that hill) bartender than Angela has been crushing on for YEARS. Krystal sees Angela's videos and they start up a bit of a friendship beyond their semi-accquantainship on being bartender and patron. Angela desperately wants Krystal to be her first kiss but Krystal isn't ready for love and she might not ever be again.

Krystal offers to help with the scavenger hunt and Angela tries to stuff her feelings away. obviously that doesn't work.

So I think the asexual representation in this is fine. there are very clearly a variety of ways to be ace and on the ace spectrum and I think that this book is going to do a great job at delivering some of those possibilities to a more general audience. but honestly I feel underwhelmed and I'm going to be so transparent, I think that I'm holding a grudge against this cover because as a gorgeous as it is, it is not representative of the book and the representation that this book hinges on. this book would NOT EXIST without Angela's ace spec identity and to me it really feels invisible on the cover. I feel like a lot of care and thought went into planning this cover to make such a beautiful design with the different pride flag flower crowns and the decor in the background and their body shapes but why are we once again making asexuality invisible?

I know that some people are going to say it's not that deep but as an asexual person who has been constantly ignored or invalidated especially within queer spaces, I feel really let down and it affected my enjoyment of the book.

this probably is a solid four star read for me but I took off a whole star for my grudge about the cover. I'm just sad okay.

[monica ✨ romantasyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

angela has never been kissed. so she takes to the queer side of the internet to set up a scavenger hunt to finally get kissed!

I wish this was dual pov so bad. i needed to see krystal yearn for angela!!! yes we got some moments between the two and then finally a “show me” moment but I just wish we had more. Krystal was swoony even with her commitment phobia antics. Angela was so silly and so was the plot tbh. I HATED Angela’s cousin so much.

This book really came down to messy and complex characters exploring queerness and sexuality felt natural and real. Loved watching Angela find herself.

I just wanted a little more from the emotional depth.



actual rating 3.5

[amarachireads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute read I think Gabriella Gamez's books are just getting better and better. One thing I think they do well is infusing diverse romance into real-life characters and plots and that's enjoyable. The characters are real and have dimensions and growth, and I could relate to some of them. We have one of the fmcs Angela an ace librarian who is a virgin and has never been kissed. she becomes an influencer after relating videos online. The other fmc Krystal is a bartender who is hired by the other fmc to help her plan a scavenger hunt and find love and attraction. I loved how different the fmcs were and how Angela was navigating her sexuality, identity, queerness, and lack of sexual experience. I loved how it wrote her sexuality as ever-evolving and growing. This is a slow burn with steam and while Krystal is helping Angela with love they have this rule that they can't kiss which makes the moment when they do more special. The found family aspect was good and I liked the glimpses of Theo and Marcella. Overall a good read. Thanks to Forever for this arc.

Read for:
- Queer romance
- Latina rep
- Ace x bisexual fmc
- Librarian fmc

[lexie · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was actually not a big fan of this one 🫣 there’s good hispanic, ace, and lesbian rep but the rest was a mess. i didn’t like the scan center hunt aspect and without getting too spoilery, having a parasocial tiktok romance is not my idea of a romance.

the love interest was also a shit. i wasn’t rooting for them whatsoever and i think angela deserved better. none of the characters were likable aside from her 😭 i enjoyed the writing though, i would read more from her but this one just didn’t do it for me

thank you to netgalley and forever for the arc!!

[megan ◡̈ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ahhhh i love when women!!!!! this was my first book by this author and im already eyeballing going and doing marcella & theo’s story!!

i am absolutely obsessed with the amount of representation in this book!! i left this book feeling like i learned a lot about different parts of the queer community and i just really loved all of the conversations surrounding labels & how maybe something fit you once upon a time but doesnt anymore. as a bi girl who constantly struggles with wondering about comphet and trying to figure myself out it was really comforting to listen to others going through the same and coming out on the other side of it 🥹

i really loved the journey that angela and krystal go through, yes it was frustrating at times but i also think that thats just apart of human nature when trying to figure yourself out. especially when there are a lot of outside forces trying to tell you youre something youre not!!

the literal only aspect of this book that fell flat for me (unfortunately its kind of a big one lol) would be the social media/tiktok stuff, im not the biggest fan of social media in my books per say and its not even that i found it bad in this one it was just a bit lacking. there were multiple times where i found myself forgetting that it was even a major role in the story. i think the concept of the scavenger hunt was adorable, but i found it hard to believe that this scenario was something that people would religiously follow. i think its kind of a double edged sword for me because i didnt like it due to not having it be center enough in the story but if it had been the focal point i wouldve probably had a much lower rating.

but over all i really loved the layers and complexities of this story, i had a lot of fun binge reading it all day 😙

[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiss Me, Maybe is a sapphic romcom following a 27 year old who's never been kissed, and puts all her potential matches up to a test with a scavenger hunt. It's a ridiculously cute premise, very befitting of the romcom genre. The characters felt fleshed out, and there are some really important conversations about sexuality and representation. Overall, it's a quick cute read, but it's also got some depth (also the cover is gorgeous). I'd definitely recommend it!
Thank you to Hachette Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, I think? Overall, I really loved this. Objectively it’s probably more of a 4-star read, but heck, it was personally relatable and just a heck of a lot of fun.

I loved our MC, Angela. As a 27-year-old, overall late-blooming, gray-ace lesbian, so much of Angela’s experience resonated with me. She was also such a himbo/dork and I absolutely adored that. Our love interest Krystal was hot AF — such a commanding presence and badass bartender — and she and Angela were so adorable together. 🥹🥹

I appreciate how Angela and Krystal were both flawed and seemed like real people. It especially warmed my heart how Angela didn’t really bat an eye at the reasons for Krystal’s love-related guilt. Maybe it’s just Angela being a goner — which, fair — but I don’t know, it’s almost like she always just *saw* what a lovely person Krystal really was, and nothing could change that. So sweet.

Another thing I LOVED about this book — and some people might feel the opposite as me —- was that the majority of the cast of twenty-somethings seemed so young. God, it was nice! Because we ARE young and a lot of us don’t have it all figured out! Maybe this is just me feeling too young to be 27 (and insecure about it, rip ✌🏻), but regardless, I loved this. The last book I read, while incredible, featured teenagers who seemed *so* mature at times, so this was a nice change of pace.

I’ll definitely be reading more from Gabriella Gamez! The third book in this series will definitely be lovely, if it’s about who I think it’s about…👀

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been on my radar for damn near a year. I have been not so patiently waiting to read it for almost that entire time. Since the cover reveal I’ve been in love with these characters and their story, knowing NOTHING about them, but the absolute joy and love the artwork is serving… and it is SERVING!

Little did I know that what I thought was a Mexican sapphic story would be absolutely PACKED with asexual representation. I mean, it was still everything I had hope for, but now it got 1000 times better. This has the most well-versed (for those who don’t understand and need to be taught) explanations on the feelings, both sexually and not, of an ace spec person. Our MC, Angela, is finding herself later in life, so she’s also figuring out what it means to her to be asexual.

These kind of stories are so important, because not all queer voices are represented enough. While sapphics and achilleans are in mainstream media, it feels as though the rest of the alphabet has been all but forgotten. So I love getting a story where not only is the main character ace, but so many of the book’s characters are as well.

And let’s not forget the romance. You may be asking, “but haven’t you been talking about the characters being asexual?” BOOBOO! Ace comes in lots of shapes and sizes. Read this book for more info… also, if you want some ICONIC banter and HAWWWWWWWT spice, Kiss Me, Maybe is WHERE IT IS AT!!!! 🥵

[Brooke ♥booklife4life♥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

*a big thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC, this in no way affects my very honest review*

oh boy where do i even start with this? i usually rate romances low, but FF and MM i tend to like and even rate 3 stars or higher, but this, well this was not good.

right off the bat the author had a weird message about tiktok being banned, i hope that is edited out when it goes to publication but one it's cringe, and two, you tried to make tiktok an "important" part of this story, but it fell very flat, so just super weird to include it.

the main character, ugh, i didn't like her at all, not a single likable thing about her. she's 27 and works at a library, but the working part matters very little, she goes semi tiktok famous but her job says no. could just quit the job and be famous but i guess she wanted to be a 'bigger' person or something. also it felt like she was 13 the whole time.

the plot itself was not great, felt all over the place and i think the author forgot about the scavenger hunt, and just threw it in at the very end.

the narrator deadpan delivers lines like "omg Angela i'm cuming" and "that feels so good"

there are times where i feel like the author just googled something and copied/pasted it into the book. dialogue felted unnatural.

[Sapphic Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one! I’ll admit I was scared, because I could have sworn I saw people say she ends up with a person I was not at all rooting for her with. I adored Krystal. I really connected with her and I loved her arc. I really enjoyed reading Angela’s story and the way she learned and grew. Oh and the steamy scenes are 🔥🥵

Pub Date: May 6th, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for a copy of this eARC.

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like messy/real queer love stories, this might be your book. I did end up liking the story of 27 year old asexual lesbian Angela seeking her first kiss and falling for her bisexual bartender friend Krystal along the way, but I have some...ah...notes.

Note #1: the protagonist really doesn't know what she's doing. Angela has only recently really nailed down her identity, and is the type of character to get an idea and then go for it, without thinking it through. E.g. THE SCAVENGER HUNT. She conceives this thing to help her accomplish her goal of getting her first kiss, so it's not just with some rando. However in the book it's on... it's off... It changes forms many times. Can be frustrating if you like a straightforward plot.

Note #2: this book has a significant plotline around online oversharing and backlash. Re: scavenger hunt above, Angela's first thing to do is announce it in a rush of overconfidence, on TikTok. Readers are along for the ride as people on the internet first react with enthusiasm, then there's a "scandal" brought on by some haters (including a cousin), and then there's lowkey cancelling and rebound. As a non-TikTok user I thought I'd find this element tedious but actually thought it was a pretty good summary of what happens when you do anything popular/personal online. YMMV.

Note #3: as it came out in the book club I discussed this book with, both Angela and Krystal can come off as kind of...young/immature. They are suuuuuuper involved in their own relationship/identity statuses, in a way that felt teens/early 20s rather than a decade later. So - whether this works in a romance for you will depend on how invested you are characters who are deeply parsing these questions rather than focused on wooing the other person.

Note #4: asexuality rep is...kind of confusing. Maybe it's because it's confusing to Angela herself, or maybe I haven't read enough about asexuality / asexual characters in fiction (probably definitely true), but this is NOT the book I'd point people to who are just beginning to get a sense of the asexual experience.

Also: it took me waaaaay too long to realize that the colors in the flower crowns in the cover art represent their sexualities: red/pink/orange/white for lesbian (Angela) and blue/purple/pink for bisexual (Krystal).

OKAY BUT! All that aside I still liked this book. I liked that it took an unconventional approach to the "order" of physical intimacy. I liked the supporting cast of characters (Julian is a goddamn hero and I might read his book). I liked that there is NO miscommunication in this book; the opposite, in fact - Angela and Krystal are quite forthright and honest with each other, and have sensitive and thoughtful conversations about their identities and past traumas.

My only real, unasterisk-ed critique is that this book is too long. Wish it had been at least 50 and maybe even 100 pages shorter.

[lauraღ · Rating 4 out of 5]

To have my feelings returned is like someone starting a wildfire inside my chest.  I'm burning with want. I could so easily fall in love with her, if she’d let me. 
I want her to let me.

A light, breezy romance that also becomes hard-hitting and poignant when it needs to be. I had my ups and downs with this (especially when it came to the writing) but I ultimately really liked this. I really didn't expect it to make me so emotional. Angela is a recently out (both to herself and others) asexual lesbian, who accidentally goes viral on TikTok for being never-been-kissed. As she cultivates an online ace community, she also starts organising a fun event to have her first kiss. She ends up being helped by Krystal, the cute bartender that she's been quietly crushing on for years. And Krystal, unlike Angela, is very much not looking for love.

I really love reading queer, romance that has a pointed focus on identity and self discovery, and I love it when all of that discovery doesn't happen before the story or at the end of the story. Angela, through the friends she makes online and the new experiences she opens herself up to, is learning what asexuality means for her, learning where exactly she fits on the spectrum. And it's lovely to see someone's own understanding of themselves shift as the narrative goes on. That hits harder at the end of the book, when certain conflicts come into play. I got so upset on behalf of the main character! It can be so infuriating when people take it upon themselves to define you without your permission, and I really liked how the author explored that experience. I will say, when you write about identity and definitions and labels like this, it can come across as a bit clinical, and that did sorta go there, from time to time. Certain conversations felt very, like... idk, staged. You could tell that it had been written for a book. But I found that easy enough to forgive, especially when juxtaposed with how much joy Angela, and other characters, got out of it.

The romance was everything I could have wanted; it made me giggle. Slow burn when it came to the kissing, but not much else. I would have preferred full-on slow burn, because I am who I am, but we did have a history of slow friendship and pining between the characters, which was delightful to me. I wouldn't have minded getting a few flashbacks, or maybe just a few more descriptions of their earlier dynamic. I loved Angela and Krystal so much. They both have reasons to be hesitant about a relationship, and it was lovely seeing them fall for each other despite it. They're also both pretty flawed characters who have made mistakes and bad decisions in the past, and I liked how the narrative didn't shy away from showing when they were in the wrong, but also giving them sympathy and room to grow. And look, sorry not sorry, I felt for Angela and Krystal WAY more than anyone they might have wronged. But I'm biased. I just really loved them. The chemistry was so intense, it was incredible, and they had a lot of quiet lovely moments to balance it out. 

The pacing did feel a little off near the end. A certain thing kept flipping back and forth, back and forth, and it got a little tiresome, to be honest. Certain conversations about coming out hit me the wrong way; I really don't like when it's framed as 'lying to other people' or 'lying to yourself' or 'hiding who you are'. It's subjective, of course, but it really bothers me.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Ruby Corazon, and I really liked it! She had a good range, and made every character voice distinct, even if she didn't change her voice much. I do wish there had been longer pauses for the sections breaks though; I sometimes couldn't tell when the scene switched, because it moved so fast. Otherwise, it was a great listening experience. And a great book! Definitely recommended for anyone looking for a light, sexy sapphic contemporary that still has great conversations and a lot of heart to it.

☆ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an audio review copy! I am voluntarily leaving a review.

“She’s raging into love the way soldiers rage into war. Love is an act of bravery to this woman. It doesn’t make her weak or vulnerable. It makes her powerful. She’s offering up her heart like it’s a challenge to be conquered.”

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez
Librarians in Love series #2. Contemporary NA diverse romance. FF, ace-spec.
Angela Gutierrez is feeling underrepresented and uncertain about her status and ace identity. She uses her influencer status to try to find her way out of her celibate and lonely life.
Krystal Ramirez has had a crush on Angela for years. She’s willing to help Angela with her work of the scavenger hunt and also help Angela with some of the firsts she’s missed.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and audiobook. The narration was performed by Ruby Corazon who did a great job with the two main leads and a few of the secondary characters. The passions of uncertainty, anger, happiness and arousal were clearly heard.
I did listen to this at a speed above 1.5 to more clearly match my reading and conversation speed.

There was so much inner dialogue by Angela. She should be sharing what’s she thinking and not keeping it inside. Yes, she was uncertain what she wanted and how she would know if she had labeled herself correctly but she never expressed her doubts or concerns with Krystal or anyone else unless she posted something on social media.
This is more about her confidence than about her sexuality.

The romance is filled with angst as are some of the other relationships with all resolved and comforting in the end. Hea which is what my heart wants by the last page.
3.5

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Hachette Audio.

[Juniper L.H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so I liked this a lot but there were also parts that I didn’t like as much and they annoyed me, but the premise was solid and there were some really great moments, but also the execution on some of the main elements like the scavenger hunt I didn’t really like and also there was a lot that I didn’t connect with, but also I liked how they addressed several issues like social media and cancel culture and parasocial relationships and also WOW the spicy bits were good, but at the same time there were some things that just were ugh you know and I didn’t like too and I don’t know if it’s because I’m not into social media in that way but at the same time like caring so much about kissing when you already did the other things is strange but it was also really cute and heartwarming so idk.

-A review in a single horrible run-on sentence by a confused reader who doesn’t know how they feel.

(3 stars, maybe boosted to 4 for the nice spice?)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️

Thanks to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and of course Gabriella Gamez for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Kiss Me, Maybe was such a wonderfully tender story about finding yourself in the chronically online world we live in. Angela was a really well developed main character and her character arc is so hard earned. Dealing with mean girls online and family issues is always hard, but it’s especially hard when they’re attacking your identity. I really appreciated the LGBTQIA+ representation, especially heavy ace representation because I just think it’s not there in literature really.

The idea that she has for getting out of her shell in hosting a scavenger hunt which is…interesting. Gabriella Gamez does a great job of showcasing the messy, but realistic stage of the formation of relationships. There’s a lot of miscommunication involved, so be aware of that. Angela and Krystal are dancing around one another for a LONG time and this scavenger hunt thing is honestly…high key dumb and an unnecessary plot device in my opinion. The scavenger hunt is the reason this isn’t getting 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book, but the idea that you’d invite strangers on the internet to a scavenger hunt to be your first kiss is inherently dangerous. They would need to know enough about her to guess the clues as well. So I just…I guess I know that the scavenger hunt was to get her and Krystal working together and probably introduce other characters. It was just sloppily done and I wish their friendship had grown more naturally into a relationship without the need for this outside force. I really enjoyed this otherwise. So much hinged on this, so I just had to make note about it. Also, the library board was weirdly involved in her personal life in this book just like they were in the FMC’s life in the first book. Weird.

[CW ✨]

Unfortunately, I think I'm too chronically offline for this book to resonate. When the main character was grappling about not "being honest" with her online following, I cringed. For a book about social media and the potential harms of it, it lacks self-awareness.

Putting those aside, this is an affirming story about a-spec identity, the fluidity of identity, and that love stories aren't always linear.

[Angie Miale · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the characters but it was a bit too spicy for my preference. It was hard to follow Angela’s motivations.

[currentlyreadingbynat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kiss Me, Maybe is a warm, affirming sapphic rom-com that shines brightest in its representation of queer identities, particularly asexuality and Latinx culture. Angela’s journey to self-acceptance and first love is full of heart and good intentions, and the book does a lovely job of showing the power of community and connection—especially through the lens of social media and chosen family.

That said, while the themes were meaningful, I struggled a bit with the tone and believability. Angela’s character, at 27, often felt much younger in voice and behaviour, and the scavenger hunt plotline—though a fun concept—didn’t quite land for me. It felt more like a teen challenge than something an adult would commit to, and I found myself wishing the characters had been given more depth beyond their identities and cute banter.

Still, if you’re looking for a sweet, queer romance that uplifts and centres underrepresented voices, this is a worthwhile read. It’s light, quick, and celebratory in its portrayal of queerness—just don’t expect too much emotional complexity along the way.

Also, hats off to Ruby Corazon for her excellent narration.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio | Forever for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

[alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kiss Me, Maybe is so fun and addictive that I was consumed by it for the past couple of days. I was unable to put it down even when I wanted to, the writing is just that good. This is my first by Gabriella Gamez and it definitely will not be my last. The romance is off the charts and while I had some disbelief in terms of the bathroom scene (iykyk), I still really liked it. Also, overlook the fact that the love interest has been calling the FMC "Angel" for the past couple of years. While it gave me the ick at first since they were not dating, it did kind of grow on me!

All that said, I have a hard time believing some of the plot. My main set-back was the the scavenger hunt... this is happening at 27 years old? Yeah I don't know about that. It's a fun concept but it just doesn't seem plausible OR likely. I did enjoy the social media aspect of the book and I thought it was great that Angela was able to connect with others on there. I also thought it was a good way to provide insight and representation for the ace community too! So while the scavenger hunt part may not have done it for me, the actual social media aspect was good!

I also want to shoutout Ruby Corazon. Her narration was on point in this and I thought it added so much to the story. I think I am going to go back through her other projects because she was the perfect narrator for this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC!!

[Susie Dumond]

A charming romance with great ace representation and characters going through messy yet authentic coming out journeys. Lots to swoon over, especially that ending!

[Eloise · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4 because of the ace rep.

What I appreciated most about Kiss Me, Maybe is how central asexuality is to the narrative and the main character's personal growth. Angela’s journey of exploring and understanding her identity, starting with identifying as aegosexual and later finding more comfort in graysexual (and lesbian) labels, is heartfelt and nuanced. Her open conversations about questioning micro-labels and the fluidity of identity were refreshing and meaningful. I especially loved seeing a sex-positive aspec character, which is still rare.

The romance was sweet and comforting, though ultimately it’s not what will stay with me about the book.

Where it lost me, though, was the scavenger hunt plotline. I really struggled to buy into the idea that a newly out 27-year-old "late bloomer," who has never been kissed, would decide to launch a public scavenger hunt on TikTok to find a stranger to share that first kiss. The premise that only someone who really knows her would solve the clues didn’t hold up, especially given the viral nature of TikTok and the sexualisation she had already received from her previous videos. It felt unsafe and unrealistic, and what bothered me even more was that this decision was never seriously questioned by Angela or the people around her. Everyone just seemed to go along with it like it was a great idea, which felt unconvincing and a bit frustrating.

Also this may be petty, I'm mad that the cover features a lesbian and bi flag but no ace flag, despite asexuality being such a major and well handled theme in the book...

[b.andherbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Queer, ace librarian Angela comes out as "never been kissed" after she inadvertently posts a thirst trap video. Thirst? After her!? Deciding she might want to try dating, and maybe even kissing and more, Angela enlists the help of her bartender crush, who becomes a contender in the best way.

Sizzling and fizzy in feelings, the search for identity, finding one's place in their various identities be it Mexican-American daughter, asexuality, and so much fun romance moments. Also very hot in a lot of very fun ways. Sign me up as a professed lover of bossy virgins <3

I will say the TikTok // parasocial relationships aspects of this were my minor quibble; mostly to the tune that i am not as versed in that world as many other readers will absolutely be. YMMV.

ALSO there's a very minor but very lovely secondary romance that is mostly off page but i loved it anyways.

Content Notes: homomisia, off page, countered (mostly towards secondary character due to parents not accepting queerness), a bit of a love triangle, on-page sex scenes, blood (from a wound, tended), drinking.

thank you to the publisher for the review copy; professional review to come for Library Journal

[Eden]

DNF @52%

While a fun premise, the book failed to convince me people would follow Angela on social media or care about her plight to find her first kiss. I'm not saying people wouldn't care about that, but the book didn't convince me they did. Without that buy-in, the rest of the plot fell flat. Once Angela found someone she wanted to kiss, the social media aspect holding her back was maddening and told me a lot about her character that she cared more about social media than finding love.

Also... I didn't buy the chemistry between the MCs. Angela's attraction to Krystal is what drove her and it made me feel gross sometimes. Like care about something other than her looks, PLEASE.

This author's writing has such potential, so I will read the next book in the series, but this one was a miss for me.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Anniek · Rating 2 out of 5]

With Gabriella Gamez's previous book, I found myself saying "it's not you, it's me", and I once again have to reiterate that. I'm sad to say that despite being super excited for a romance with ace/aspec rep, this book just didn't work for me. The writing felt off to me and I didn't connect to it. I'm not usually someone who's easily annoyed by main characters, because I can usually empathize with them even if they're very different from me, but for some reason Angela rubbed me the wrong way in how she acted and communicated with people. And the scavenger hunt element was one of the things that drew me in the most, but it felt so anticlimactic with how it did (or rather didn't) play out.

[suonnahbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiss me maybe by Gabriella Gamez
ARC from Forever
Release date: May 6th 2025
May’s book club book ❤️‍🔥📚

-the authors note 😩🫶🏾🔥
-omg I love Angela she’s funny and quirky I feel like we’d be besties
-I’m not usually a fan of having TikTok or references of it in books but I like the way it’s done in this one
-I’m so quickly am intrigued and into her figuring out her dating life , I feel her when it comes to dating anxiety etc
-I love the scavenger hunt idea it’s cute
-Love the asexual rep, explanation and sexual orientation exploration
-I feel like if you’re trying to figure out your identity, dating, sexuality and more this might be for you 🥰
-I relate so much with her when it comes to love and dating wow I feel so seen 😩
-I can feel their connection in their friendship not me forming a crush too with Crystal while also rooting for her to find someone with the scavenger hunt I love Krystal 🥰
-I love their friendship so much they get each other and I love how supportive Krystal is
-“I’m so used to breaking my own heart before anyone else gets the chance to, to believing theirs something wrong with me, that I’ll never be enough , that I may never try falling in love if I’m not capable of it, I know who I am and no one can tell me otherwise” 😭👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
-the exploration talk has me hot and bothered oufff
-EATING UP THE TENSION ❤️‍🔥
-love the drama too
-the narration puts you right in the book , the voices are perfect I could truly imagine the characters and the scenes, I felt like I was in Angela’s head , loved the pacing I couldn’t stop listening makes it even better
-this book was so good juicy, hot but also heart warming when when it comes to Angela becoming her true self, learning about herself and sexuality wow 👏🏾
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️