Bad Kisser

by Cait Elise

Publicly branded a bad kisser by the most popular boy at Grover High, bookworm Lily Owen has only one thing on her mind: proving him wrong, no matter the cost. And she knows exactly what she needs…practice. With some meddling from her two best friends, Lily sets off on a lip-to-lip spree that brings on a bleacher-load of boys she never would have noticed otherwise. Her kissing quest seems like harmless fun until hearts become unexpectedly tangled. Will Lily prove to Grover High’s golden boy that she’s a better kisser and redeem her reputation, or will she lose sight of what—who—truly matters along the way?

Bad Kisser is a single POV, no spice young adult romance. It’s the first book in the Grover Gab series but can be read as a standalone.

277 pages, ebook

Published September 18, 2026

About the author

Cait Elise believes in romanticizing the mundane and emphasizing the silver linings. She writes honest characters and swoony scenes, but most of all, she loves creating healthy relationships with addictive banter. Cait's living her happily ever after at a former azalea nursery in the Sunshine State with her husband, babies, and ragtag crew of rescue critters.

Reviews

[Evelyn (Ev’s Novel Delights) · Rating 5 out of 5]

💋Bad Kisser by Cait Elise💋

🎀ARC BOOK REVIEW🎀

📖Expected Publishing date: September 18, 2026📖

Book 1 in the Grover Gab series.

Oh my goodness..
This was the cutest thing EVER
I LOVED how fun and sweet this entire book was! The banter, the plot, the characters, the friendships, the growth, EVERYTHING!

The concept of a kiss list is just honestly so funny and adorable to me 😂😂
And I’m always up for a fluffy, funny and sweet read!
Lily was so lovable! You could tell that she needed some room to grow in some areas and I love how we saw that throughout the book. To see that she didn’t need to be seen as a good kisser. She didn’t need to show that she was good at being someone’s girl. She just needed to be herself. It honestly even still gave me some counsel; to not have to care all the time about what people thought about you. I also loved seeing how much she loved books and reading!

Chase had always been the steady rhythym for Lily. He was loyal, smitten, already head over heels for her. And just waited, and waited until she finally saw that he’d cared for her this entire time. It was SO ADORABLE! UGH THE FACT THAT HE WROTE A SONG SPECIFICALLY FOR HER. WHEN THEY WERE ONLY FRIENDS BLEW MY MIND. If there’s one thing I can’t resist is a guy that either sings or writes songs about a girl 🥹🥹🫣🤭🤭
But I really did love him so much.

In truth, this book was what I needed in the moment. I love Love LOVED this books in its entirety! I would 100% recommend!!!!

My Rating: 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⚠️ Age Recommendation: 16+ ⚠️

CONTENT INFO‼️
Sexual Content: NO SPICE- mildly detailed kisses and lots of them lol, kissing lessons, etc.
Language: No cussing
Violence: not really any, some fist fights
LGBTQ Content: None!

[Cata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Cait Elise for an arc of this book!

Rating: 3.5
Language: none, only abbreviated or insinuated
Age rating: I would recommend it for ages 15 or 16+
Spice: no explicit scenes just one long semi descriptive kissing scene

The second half of this review will contain spoilers (I will warn when)


I have mixed feelings about this book

Bad kisser by Cait Elise is a young adult romance novel where the main girl "Lily Owens" out of an embarrassing occurance at her school with the most popular boy creates a "kiss list" so she can prove everyone wrong.

I like the overall message of the story since it does cover things such as insecurity and not caring what other people have to say about you, that you are enough, and that the right people will see you. I believe it's an important message to give to anyone, high schooler or not.

The writing was easy to read, I read the book in less than a week. Dispite the things I didn't agree with, it kept me engaged.

What I didn't like was how some things were approached in the book.

This book is considered to be a clean romance book but I feel like one chapter had a kissing scene that was a bit too descriptive and long for a clean romance. It made me a bit uncomfy to read since in the kindle version it was multiple pages long.

SPOILERS

Why did the characters never really touch on Venessa's really bad advice towards Lily? The most we got was Chase mentioning it was a bad plan and at the end Venessa saying "my bad" but it was never properly discussed. I know Venessa had good intentions with Lily but her approach to help her was one of the things that fueled her insecurities. Venessa insisted Lily to go with the plan dispite Lily rejecting it at first and then at the end said she had acted dumb by creating and following that list when it was her idea

The other thing I found confusing was the Chase and Jenna relationship. Chase wrote a whole song about Lily and preformed it while he was with Jenna? The book leads you to believe Chase never got over Lily but then Lily said Chase supposedly was upset when Jenna dumped him for a while when he was actually in love with Lily. I usually really like the "it's always been you" trope but the Jenna relationship made it look bad since Chase basically emotionally cheated on Jenna. I personally think their relationship shouldn't have been added since it didn't make much sense.

Also, Hutton kissing Lily made me not really root for him and Venessa. Yes, he did it so she would do a favor for him but out of all the things he could have done for her, why kiss the best friend of the girl you want persue? He said not all kisses mean something and brushed it off but the whole time the book had been pushing the idea that who you kiss and it having meaning does matter.
Why would Lily want Hutton for her best friend after that?

Maybe that will be covered later in the series but I just wanted to discuss that scene

Also, one thing I wish we got more of was Lily fixing her relationship with her parents


NO SPOILERS

I'm very grateful for a copy of this book. I look forward to the author's future projects and giving her other books a try :)

[Desiree Zito · Rating 5 out of 5]

To put it mildly, this is one of the best rom-coms I've read in a long while. I laughed generously, I squealed, I gasped, I was filled with anxiety. One day I set aside twenty minutes to read and got sucked in for two hours. I could not fathom putting this book down. Every chapter had me either cackling to myself or kicking my feet dramatically. It truly reminds me of the next big romcom--think Abby Jimenez meets Jenny Hann. The kiss list was such an original, creative idea, with vividly wonderful characters. I think this book needs to be produced. This brought me back to the high school awkwardness but only in the I'm-still-figuring-out-love way and not the this-gives-me-major-secondhand-embarrassment type of way. I loved it so much I started typing this review out midway through so that I wouldn't forget certain things. I especially love that the conflict embodies the dramatic, immature mindset of a highschooler. Is it the absolute craziest scheme for getting revenge? Yes. Is it something that I could see happening IRL? Absolutely. In the beginning of this book, you think to yourself that you're going to kind of hate every guy she kisses because they aren't the MMC, right? Wrong. Each man that she encounters is charming in their unique kind of way and you can't help but like all of them the more you read on (Even though I'm obviously rooting for the MMC the whole time). I think the real reason I got so majorly sucked into this book is because Cait Elise REALLY knows how to leave you on your toes at the end of a chapter. I'm talking nail biters. I either wanted to throw my phone at the wall or melt into a puddle of embarrassment. There was no pausing the reading, I had to steamroll on if I wanted to know what happened next. All this to say, if you like books that make you laugh hysterically--you need to run to get this book!

Mood: Humorous
Spice level: Only Kisses

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

review of advance copy received from author

⭐️ARC READ⭐️

I have mixed feelings about this but I did enjoy!!
I’ve read a book by Cait before and I was excited to read another!

This was an easy read with the perfect amount of pages to get you through it, I liked the overall message of the book, about not caring what others think and really finding yourself and realising YOU ARE ENOUGH✨

I loved the idea of the Gab! It reminded me of Gossip Girl which I love!!
The Kiss List I wasn’t a fan of as I did nearly scream at the book to ask Lily what she was doing🤣

I did like the character development as Lily really did feel like the odd one out and she wanted to do anything to prove the haters wrong, she maybe just went about it wrong but in the end she got what she really needed.

I did feel a bit bored at times as it was a real slow burn between her and Chase but I love that they ended up together!! Love this trope

The song too🥺
“Loving you has always been easy, even when it was a secret. Because… you’re My Always.”

I’m very grateful for a copy of this book so thank you Cait!!

“For the “late bloomers.” You’re right on time. Enjoy the chapter you’re in.”

“Sometimes it takes losing what you love to realize that maybe you could love something else.”

"Whatever you've got going on, honey, when it's right, you'll feel it. People say love is confusing. It's not. Now, that doesn't mean it will always be easy, but you'll know who the one for you is when the time is right.”

“Lily, you don’t need to be anything other than exactly who you are. You’re perfect as is.”

“I don’t want to be on your list, Lil. I want to be your list. I want to be yours. And I want you to be mine. And only mine.”

“He’s exactly what my bookish dreams are made of.”

[Kayla’s bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have such mixed feelings about this one!

There were parts I genuinely had so much fun with, and then there were other moments where I just couldn’t quite connect with the story as much as I wanted to.

First of all — THE GAB.

I loved this concept! 😂 It reminded me SO much of Gossip Girl, and every time The Gab popped up I immediately got that “Spotted…” feeling. It added such a fun layer to the story and was probably one of my favourite parts of the whole book.

And then we have the Kiss List…

I’m sorry, but the concept of rating guys based on their kissing abilities and creating an actual list absolutely sent me. 😂 It was ridiculous in the best possible way and gave the story some really fun moments.

Where this one lost me a little was Lily.

I found it hard to connect with her at times, and because of that I never became quite as emotionally invested in everything happening as I wanted to be. There were moments where I really enjoyed her and others where I felt like there was this little disconnect between me and her character.

That doesn’t mean I disliked the book, though. Far from it! There was plenty here that entertained me, and the combination of The Gab, the Kiss List and all the college drama made it a fun read.

[Rachel Blanchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily is a bookish girl, socially invisible until she's publicly humiliated by one of the most popular boys in school. Her self-consciousness (and quirky bestie Vanessa) set her off on an ill-advised quest to kiss enough boys until she proves the jerk wrong.

This is a well-written teen romp, including fun classroom scenes and even the prom. Due to the nature of the plot, there are a few different kisses (one even lasting for a couple pages).

What sets this book apart from other fun stories is that Lily grows to keenly feel the consequences of using others to exalt one's self-image, when what she really needs is to be confident in what substantive qualities she's always had to offer.

There is also a sweet romance from a green-flag guy who actually values Lily and gives her good advice, despite the in-person and online pressure she experiences! A timely message wrapped up in an enjoyable story.

I signed up to receive an early copy from the author, and a positive review was not required.

"Don't let your insecurities steal the possibility of something that could be amazing." 💕

[TrulyBookReviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the author for providing me with an ARC of this book!! I'm leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.


There were a lot of really good things about this book: I really enjoyed the book references, every scene with the band was great, and Chase. Chase is golden and is honestly one of the most likeable MMCs that I've read in a while. And finally, I liked the ending, I liked that everyone was sane and apologetic. That was refreshing.


There were also a lot of things I didn't like: I really struggled with Lily's character. Insecurity is very real, but Lily lacked any self awareness and that was difficult at times. Vanessa is just kinda of a sucky friend. And there were multiple uses of the word crotch-rocket. 


All in all, I think it's a good book that maybe isn't a good pick for a mid-twenties mom that doesn't miss high school AT ALL. 


CW: There is a small mention of off page abuse.


Language: None


Spice: Many descriptive kisses


I'd recommend for any adult or a teen 16+

[Bri Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5/5

Overall it was not a bad book. The writing style was good and consistent throughout the book. But the plot was just a little bit everywhere. There were characters that popped in and out and didn't really contribute a ton to the overall story(like TJ and Adam). I really enjoyed "The Great Gatsby" references throughout the book- and also found that that characters were relatable to what a high-schooler may be. Chase and Lily were sweet. It was just torture watching the whole story play out when I knew how it was going to end within the first few chapters. The overall plan that Venessa had came up with just didn't make sense to me personally, but maybe it would to someone in highschool trying to make a name for themselves.

Overall, the book is worth the read if you are into HEA's and high school romance. (for me it didn't really click-but I've been out of high school for 9 years).

tropes: "its always been you", friends to lovers, overcoming insecurity, no spice!

[Simone Gremillion · Rating 5 out of 5]

A best friends to more, YA romance that deals with peer pressure in high school. Add a local social media app for the school and things get messy. This was a cute YA that addresses peer pressure but also the realities of being intimate (kisses only) with someone and what that looks and feels like emotionally.

Lily is in her junior year of high school and has gotten to know one of the popular jocks on campus through tutoring. When he claims she is a bad kisser, she is determined to prove him wrong. When one of her best friends helps her to plan how to do that, the kissing list is made. What better way to prove him wrong than to kiss a bunch of boys and get practice?

This is a single POV story and a great book for teens that I would recommend. It seems that this will be the first in the Grover gad series. I’m excited to see more from this group of characters!

#arcread #yaromance #nospiceyoungadultromance #singlepov #bestfriendstomore

**I received an advanced copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Aimee Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

So happy to be an ARC reader for this book! 🩷

I absolutely love the premise of this book. Totally high school, totally ridiculous, and completely original.

I loved the characters, all of them were written well with their own voice/personality. But I do wish there was some more character descriptions, at some points it was hard to picture what was happening.

I really enjoyed reading this, the writing style and the pace were perfect. It’s a slow burn, spice free romcom with a few twists I didn’t see coming that had me giggling and gasping.

There were several questionable choices made by the MFC, however, the whole story is based on a questionable choice and I think it’s important to note that these are juniors in HS. Who didn’t make questionable choices when they were that young?

I think my main issue was with the MFC’s parents, the way they were written I just don’t buy that they wouldn’t have been more involved in their daughter’s life.

Otherwise, this was a ridiculously fun story about teenagers falling in love.

[Andi McGrath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bad Kisser by Cait Elise
This is so fun!! This is a YA book that revolves around Lily Owens and her friends. Lily is a junior in high school and has been tutoring the star baseball player. He kisses her one night while she’s tutoring him and things spiral from there. She thinks Jake is going to ask her to prom and he embarrasses her and said she is a bad kisser in front of a crowd.
Lily goes on a journey with her friends Vanessa and Chase in trying to become not such a bad kisser. On this journey she figures out she might just have feelings for her best friend Chase. But does he feel the same???
Such a fun clean coming of age book for Young Adults. I have a 12 year old and a 16 year old and I feel safe in knowing they could really enjoy this book and relate to a lot of what is going on in the story.
This is a must read for teens and young adults just wanting to read a love story.

[Leanne Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent young adult romance from Cait Elise! It was a quick read, completed in a few hours. I've read other reviews and noted the things other readers took issue with, but I fundamentally disagree with them.

Bad Kisser shows us a very real portrayal of life as a 17-year-old. You get caught up in your feelings, you're blind to red flags, your friends convince you their bad ideas are good ones, and you execute them poorly. Every bump in the road feels like a mountain you're climbing backwards and blindfolded, and keeping your struggles to yourself seems like the best option.

Lily romanticized Jake, followed Vanessa's lead too readily, and stumbled through every obstacle with Chase and the boys on the "kiss list." Had she been 35, it would have been a totally different story, but that's not the story we signed up for! We got the cute, messy truth!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bad Kisser was such a fun easy read. I know in high school I would have loved this book so much. It made me think of when I read books like Fangirl in high school. The characters made decisions like dramatic teenagers do. Normally I cringe when I remember some of the decisions I made as a teenager but this book made me laugh about it. Some of the characters naturally learn from their decisions. This could be a fun read for a teenager since the book doesn’t necessarily condone the bad decision. I will put the disclaimer that one of the kissing scenes is a bit long. That scene didn’t bother me too much. I really enjoyed the book and I can’t wait to see what else the author writes in the future.

[Jamie Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how I got to read this for the second time as a complete work. I didnt rate it the first time because it was in the rough stages.
Looking back on these characters and their moments, I felt like we can all relate to Lily a little. She just wanted to be a pleaser, to have people like her and the one time we hope it goes our way it is thrown back in our face.
I loved all of the side characters, I felt like I was with them the entire way. She will always have me as a fan of her banter.
I loved how we got to experience what it was like getting through a tough stage in childhood and feel like this will connect to other girls who are facing similar situations. I hope she keeps up her YA journey, I see it being a good one.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was so cute! It was refreshing to read a story for a young adult reader that wasn’t spicy. This was just a funny story about a girl that is learning how to grow up.

Lily is insecure about many things that teenage girls would be insecure about. She hasn’t had her first kiss and when she does, she’s deemed a “bad kisser”. What ensues is a journey of a young girl that learns that she may not have to look too far to find everything she’s looking for.

Get ready to smile and laugh along with Lily and her friends.

Tropes: coming of age • friends to lovers •
• he falls first • slow burn • YA romance • no spice

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ⭐️

this was a book that i read within hours.

while i loved the second half of this book and adored chase’s character and the way you could tell he liked lily from the beginning of the story.

BUT

lily’s character was annoying. it was sometimes hard to constantly see her put herself in situations due to listening to her friend vanessa, who gave her the worst advice ever.

and i understand her want to not be made fun of and to not feel insecure about what had happened but the way she went about it..it was just…not it.

but to see lily and chase get together was adorable and to see them confess was heart warming, especially the way he talked about her.

[DeannaReadsClean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily is a only child of diner-owner parents that are gone quite a bit. She finds a lot of comfort and companionship from her best friends Vanessa and Chase. Her world gets flipped upside down when her classmate she’s tutoring, Jake, kisses her! This winding road of kiss lists and the Grover Gab is nothing short a high school mess! I really enjoyed Lily & her friends’ relationships. Also how the characters changed and grew through the book. I just think I’m too old for this high school style of book. Otherwise the story and characters and plot line were great!

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very cute story, and has some life lessons about the physical side of relationships that everyone could stand to learn regardless of age. My personal enjoyment of the book was hampered by being too old to appreciate high school storylines that much anymore - though I will say I did not find it to be at all unrealistic because this is exactly the type of silliness high schoolers would absolutely get into. Still would recommend if you like friends to lovers, bookish FMC, artist MMC, and high school romance.

[Bryanna Alcala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the plot! The minute kiss list was mentioned I was hooked! The intro to the character and our main romantic lead was so good! I couldn’t wait for the characters to get together and I love that though the feels were there, the kiss between them was build up wonderfully! This book was perfect for the beginning of the school year and perfect for YA!
There was no spice and no swearing which I lovedddd!

Tropes:
•coming of age • friends to lovers • “it’s always been you”
• he falls first • slow burn • kiss list • bookworm x musician

[LoghanJoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ¼
This one was definitely a bit hit or miss for me! I really enjoyed the Kiss List, even when it had me laughing and rolling my eyes at the same time, and there were plenty of moments that kept me entertained. The Gab, though… all the drama had me face-palming more than anything lol. I also had a harder time connecting with Lily, so I never became quite as invested in her story as I wanted to be. Still, there was a lot here that I enjoyed, and it made for a fun, chaotic high school romance!

Thank you so much to Cait Elise for the ARC!

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting in that it is a YA story. I really liked the concept of the Gab, and thought the kiss list was... Interesting. I could think of a lot more intense revenge, but in the end it really went off the rails! I liked Chase, but initially struggled with Lily. At the end of the story, though, I loved how Lily grew up and matured! This book is all about not letting other people's opinions of you matter too much, which I could definitely appreciate!

[Jasmine Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the author for the advance copy of a digital ARC. For someone like me who loves to read Abby Jimenez and watches a lot of Hallmark movies, this book is perfect. Each guy that she kissed made me think that this is the guy. But, another guy comes in, and I would change my mind. This is a fun book to read, and I can't wait to read more books from Cait Elise if she got any more of them written.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for this ARC!

This book was so cute and had me giggling like a school girl. Funny how we can be so blind to what’s right in front of us sometimes! This took me back to high school and the things we thought were so important back then! If you want a funny cute read that takes you back to your glory days this is your chance or if your a teen now this will brighten your day and remind you that you’re not alone in those high school blues sometimes.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was interesting and it developed pretty well I liked the main character's friend Vanessa she stood out for me as a character. This book was fast paced the main character Lily was likable she drove the plot well, and didn't make it boring. I recommend it to someone who wants a quick, cosy read.

Thanks to the author for the arc.

[Jessica Moser · Rating 4 out of 5]

**ARC Review**

Bad Kisser was a really cute young adult romcom. I could totally see it being made into a netflix movie. It was such a good representation of awkward high school days, peer pressure and finding yourself. The writing style and the spice free slow burn romance between Chase and Lily was great! Totally recommend if you’re looking for a fun, quick read by the fire.

[Whitney Amazeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much! Friends to lovers is my favorite trope so I absolutely GOBBLED this whole thing up 🤭 and the plot itself was so compelling! I sped through this and now I'm sad it's over! Can't wait for the next one!

[Catelyn Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! As a girl mom and teacher, I’d be able to recommend it without issue. I loved being able to see the struggle from their side and that a valuable lesson was learned and shared. Thanks for another good one, Cait Elise

[Vania Angelus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book sucked me right in from chapter one.
As lily was preparing for this grand promposal I was literally reading like this 🫣 waiting for the moment everything was going to blow up.
I went into this book with no knowledge of the plot other than “sweet YA romance”, so as soon as I got a whiff of friends-to-lovers I was SOLD.

This was my first Cait Elise book but it’s absolutely going to be the first of many. I am in love with this author’s voice! It’s so fun to read lines like “I’ll dissolve into a puddle formerly known as Lily Owen”.

I do wish we got some more resolution regarding Lily’s family drama, I was expecting it to come to a head a some point in the story, so I feel that was the one thing that brought it down for me.
I’m a sucker for friends to lovers and a guy who falls first so this was a massive win for me and I can’t wait to see what else Cait Elise will bring us in the future

A big thank you to the author for the e-arc!

[Belle Glisson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was so cute and adorable. I can’t even think of words to describe how I feel. If you’re looking for a good no swearing or no spice novel, this is it.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute YA read, I enjoyed reading a clean romance. The three best friends, Vanessa, Lily & Chase maneuvering through high school & young love.