Note: Review to be posted to Goodreads on April 5, 2020 and on retail sites (Barnes & Noble, Amazon) upon publication date (currently to be determined / September 2020).

This eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Auriane Desombre’s f/f romantic comedy, I Think I Love You, absolutely swept me off my feet and is a gorgeous LGBTQ+ addition to the YA contemporary genre. I couldn’t get enough of Emma and Sophia’s (adorable) enemies-to-lovers romance, inspired by Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. To be honest, with all of the uncertainty of today’s world, it was a joy to briefly escape reality and get lost in the pages of I Think I Love You.

Told from their alternating POVs, I Think I Love You introduces readers to Emma and Sophia, Desombre’s modern-day Beatrice and Benedick. Initially, it seems our two leading ladies could not be more opposite; Emma is a hopeless romantic who lives for rom-coms while Sophia firmly believes that all love is doomed to end in heartbreak. Their dislike for one another reaches an all-time high when they become rivals in a film competition; however, when their friends intervene with some matchmaking shenanigans, their feelings intensify and unravel in an unforgettably swoonworthy romance.

Hands down, my favorite element of I Think I Love You was the relatability and realness of all of the characters. Desombre truly imbued vulnerability into each character, which made the story feel more authentic and really come alive. Emma’s character was my personal favorite; her die-hard romanticism and at times, naivety, was a delight to read. In addition, by including Emma’s bisexuality in her narrative, Desombre has provided some much-needed representation and further helped to fight bisexual erasure / biphobia in today’s society. Emma’s strong desire to see herself represented in romantic comedies throughout the course of I Think I Love You perfectly captured the importance of seeing LGBTQ+ stories told, especially for younger audiences.

Furthermore, Desombre absolutely captured the essence of New York City in this book, with her characters traveling all over the city to shoot their respective entries for the film festival. As NYC is my favorite city in the world, I could easily picture myself in Desombre’s story, from shooting with Emma by the famous lion at the New York Public Library to joining the ensemble at movie night in Bryant Park. With I Think I Love You, Ariane Desombre has written a love letter to New York City, which only made this romantic tale more magical.

Perfect for fans of Amina Mae Safi’s Tell Me How You Really Feel, Auriane Desombre’s I Think I Love You is a YA romance that is not to be missed. I absolutely adored Desombre’s debut YA book and would love to read more of her books in the future!

3.5 stars. i think this is a pretty solid debut novel!


first of all, this cover is gorgeous!! probably most of the reason i requested it ;) and it's sapphic so what's not to love?

i really really loved the sapphic representation in this book - especially Emma being bi because i related to that so much. i still haven't come out to my parents because of the exact same reasons so i really connected with Emma as a character. also, i just absolutely loved the romance between Emma and Sophia so much. i didn't care about the rest of the relationships (or really any other characters) but i loved those two a lot.

i think there was a lot of unnecessary drama in this lol but hey the characters are teenagers and that's what they do, so i think it was also realistic. the dialogue seemed a little unnatural at times, but then there were the really candid moments between sophia and emma that i loved.

i think this is a perfect book for younger readers who are interested in a queer YA romcom. this is exactly the kind of book i wished i could have read when i was first discovering my sexuality in high school like 7 years ago

This was such a sweet rom-com with so much heart. The alternating points of view worked really well as both characters had strong, distinct voices. The construction of making a story (movie) within the story worked well for both Sofia and Emma.

I found myself rooting for them to get together even when they started out being so nasty to each other. Their love story was believable and very sweet. Definitely recommend this cute story.

At it's core, this is a sweet YA love story where the main character is bi. Her goal is to earn a scholarship to a Los Angeles film school by creating the rom-com she's always dreamed of - one in which she sees herself represented. With the help and meddling of her friends she sets out to find true love.

I didn't connect with the characters in this book because they seemed a bit flat and I found the dialogue unnatural and repetitive at times, which is why I ranked it lower. It's just a personal preference and has nothing to do with the plot or themes in the book.

Advanced copy provided courtesy of #NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Underlined for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I’m always looking for a funny, feel good romance that is queer. I so very much wanted to love this book, but I only ended up liking it. I felt that overall, there were some really good points in the book, and at other times the book fell really low and didn’t do anything for me. First off, I want to say how much I loved the rep in this book. It was one of my favorite parts. We’ve got bi Emma (hi, yes, I am ALWAYS looking for a good bi character I can relate to!) and lesbian Sophia. I thought, what on earth could go wrong?

The Writing
The writing is lovely. I felt that it was one of the best parts of the book. Desombre is a lovely writer, and I think the book was easy to read, and it flowed well overall. The writing was delightful and smooth, and I loved that part of the book. I was impressed by it.

The Pacing
Funny enough, I thought the pacing in this book was rather good. There were events causing others to happen, and I think the pacing worked. I never felt we got bogged down or were sped through something too fast. I think it was just right for what this book was. And sometimes with these romances, that happens. In this case I am pleased to say that the pacing and the writing together worked wonders.

The Plot
I even mostly liked the plot. There were a couple moments in this book in which I thought the plot was rather “eh” overall, especially because I felt that it was dramatic. And I understand it was supposed to be dramatic. I just didn’t love that, and so for me, that’s something more personal rather than critical. One plot point I really did love was the discussion of sexuality that is really candid between Emma and Sophia. I really appreciated the nuanced conversations they have, and their remarks in general. It was done well.
The film plot was interesting, but I sometimes felt that it was awkward, or forced at times, but that may tie into my feelings on the characters themselves.

The Characters
So, the characters. Surprisingly, I didn’t really hate either of the protagonists. I know I said I didn’t love this book, but I did like it. I liked it enough that I think it has some merit to it. While Emma was a rom-com diehard, and at times, I felt she was annoying, I also felt that it was a real enough quality, that Emma herself felt somewhat real. So when she aggravated me, I realized this was the author giving her flaws. Same for Sophia and her anti-love statements. However, I do think Sophia felt a little more fleshed out, and a bit of a stronger character. I enjoyed reading her portions far more than Emma’s.
The romance also felt a little forced, and a little too quick, but perhaps that is because of how it came about. It was nothing egregious, I just didn’t love the way it happened. I loved enemies to friends and so on, but this just didn’t quite work all the way for me.

Overall
I think it was a cute book. The cover is adorable, and I loved the idea. I even liked the characters. And as I said, it just didn’t fully work for me. This was not a bad book by any stretch of the imagination, it was rather lovely, but it wasn’t perfect for me personally. I am always looking for good bi rep, and this did have it. So, it does get good points for that!

I really loved this book. I read it in one day and could not put it down. The characters were enjoyable and relatable, the romance was well written, and I really felt invested in the story & relationships. The only issue I had was I wanted a little more in the ending regarding what happens after the last chapter and the events of the previous chapter. I don't wanna spoil anything so I am trying to keep in vague, but that was an issue I had with the story. Besides that though it was really great and is a book I cannot recommend enough.

DNF at 26%

I had to quit early; the book is fine and I'm sure many will adore the premise and the romantic arc. But the writing style/voice is not working for me and it would be unfair of me to continue if I'm not enjoying the book. YMMV so read a sample first.

A super cute hate-to-love romance!

This is such a sweet and cute YA romance. Everything about this book feels YA and I mean that in the best way! The characters are teenagers...and shockingly, they read like they are teenagers too! *fake gasp*

I love how imperfect each of the characters are and how they are all trying to figure out who they are and what they want in life. Sophia and Emma are two characters that are really trying to figure out life and I enjoyed being in both of their POV's and see them learn to look at life in different ways. The romance was very cute, though a bit insta-lovey but it was so cute that I almost didn't care. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters especially Kate and Tom's side plot.

Definitely recommend to readers looking for a cute YA contemporary romance with a great friend group!

This book was a bit superficial and lacking in depth. It moved quickly, but mostly because there didn't seem to be much happening. I was hoping for a more energetic story that would make me feel something and this was not it.

Wow, frankly I'm impressed at just how awful this was. Not only was it a bad book, but it was a terrible retelling of Much Ado About Nothing. The author didn't make a single decision I agreed with, and I was just incredibly angry this whole book.
First, both main characters were so unlikeable and annoying. The character that was based on Beatrice was totally one dimensional.
Second, their banter was atrocious. One of the more important parts of Much Ado About Nothing, in my opinion, is the banter between Beatrice and Benedick, but this book sucked all the fun out of it. It was cringy and immature.
The cheating plot line was just so stupid and the fact that they didn't immediately figure it out was so annoying. I hate Claudio, but at least in Much Ado About Nothing, it made more sense for him to immediately believe it.
All in all, this book was superficial and annoying, and I don't recommend it at all.

3.5

I Think I Love You is a sweet, funny YA romance novel between two rivals who have two very different ideas on love. I liked the characters, despite being unable to really identify with them. They were a bit childish at times, and they argued pretty much constantly in the beginning - which, to be fair, what's a YA romance without some teenage angst drama? - but as soon as we hit a certain point I was into the story. I guessed the antagonist pretty much right away, so I wasn't too surprised when I was right. The one thing I will say though, is that I felt like the romance between the two was a little rushed. Being tricked into seeing someone differently, even if it's with your rival, won't suddenly change your feelings for them, in my opinion. As least not as quickly as they did. It had its sweet moments though, which warmed me.

A solid read for a YA romance, and for a debut.

When it comes to romance, there are two types of people. You have your Emmas, your diehard romantics who believe in happily ever after and have fallen head-over-heels in love with love. And then you have your Sophias, who roll their eyes at rom-coms and take a more jaded approach to the whole concept of love and relationships.

I am a Sophia. I don’t hate all romance, but it does take a lot more for a fictional romance to impress me, and this one didn’t quite hit the mark. It was fun and light and entertaining, and I think the Emmas of the world will truly enjoy this one, and that’s great. The world needs more lighthearted gay romance. But I have to be honest and say that I was hoping for more: more maturity, more complexity, more depth.

Maybe I’m just too old and cynical for teenage love stories. And this one was very teenager-y. Emma isn’t just a diehard romantic; she’s so preoccupied with love that it’s practically her only personality trait. She’s melodramatic and her actions are selfish and juvenile. Everything is about her: her feelings, her ideas, what she wants to do. I should have been able to relate to her subplot of not being out to her parents, having gone through exactly the same thing, but it didn’t get enough attention and development.

I liked Sophia more than I liked Emma, first, because I related to her a lot more. Her story combined many different threads, all of which I found interesting: the aftermath of her parents’ recent divorce, the failed relationship she left behind in Paris, her struggle to reintegrate with her friend group. But even Sophia had moments when she annoyed the heck out of me. It’s no wonder she has trouble fitting back in with her friends; she won’t shut up about Paris around them. And while I, too, have a cynical view of romance, Sophia took it to an extreme.

Also, this book had way too much heterosexuality for a book about two girls falling in love. I couldn’t have cared less about Kate and Tom or Myrah and Peter. Come to think of it, this book had way too much going on in general: friend drama, family drama, side relationships. I like complex and multilayered plots, but only if each subplot gets enough development to keep you invested, and there isn’t so much going on that it distracts from what should be the main focus of the story: in this case, Emma and Sophia falling in love and making movies.

As a result, the development of their relationship felt rushed and sloppy. The foundations of Emma and Sophia’s dislike for each other were about as petty as they could get. Their constant bickering wasn’t flirtatious, it wasn’t cute, it was immature and irritating. And the different schemes in this book to get people together by lying to them? Also not cute, completely cliché, and definitely not a solid foundation for a healthy relationship.

This book wasn’t all bad. Emma and Sophia had a few romantic scenes together that warmed even my cold heart. But the good moments were bogged down by all the unnecessary teenage drama and immaturity. I wish I could give this book a higher rating, but given how much time I spent rolling my eyes and skimming through subplots I didn’t care about, I just don’t think I can.