Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks Casablanca for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I Kissed a Girl is scheduled for release on August 3rd, 2021.

I Kissed a Girl is about Noa Birnbaum, a make-up and special effects artist who got her first full-time gig on a movie starring Lilah Silver, an actress trying to expand her filmography past the slew of B-List campy horror films currently filling up her IMDb page.

This New Adult novel has it all: gore, snakes (I think this also gets a TW), queer representation, (TW) stalking, mystery; if only they’d add a love story (that was a joke).

This story follows Noa into her new job as she navigates trying not to fall for her coworker and primary make-up subject while also trying to prove to her parents that her passion was worth dropping out of university for. Lilah spends her pages coming out as bisexual, figuring out her place in the community, her place as an actress, and trying to ditch the pageant mom running commentary through her mind. After an entire first day of foot-in-mouth comments, Noa and Lilah become friends and quickly realize that they have feelings for each other. The two are then on the road to a relationship when some internet gossip drops about Lilah and she thinks that Noa sold her out which opens up a whole can of worms, so to speak.

The writing in this book is funny and relatable and really lets you feel what they’re feeling. There’s a variety of representation from sexuality to gender to non-monogamous relationships, even though the story doesn’t deep dive into all of them. The aspect of (TW) Lilah’s stalker was also well incorporated; it didn’t take over the story but the knowledge that they existed created a back-burner sense of awareness the entire time I was reading, and when it was the focal point it was super creepy, appropriately.

I love a good NA novel and I’m glad that more and more authors are writing them; I Kissed a Girl is a lovely addition to the genre. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a wlw romance, anyone looking to diversify their reading, and people who enjoy a good bad campy horror movie (with dinosaurs!).

This is a new adult novel (obvi) so it does mention sex a few times but it’s not graphic or detailed so I feel comfortable saying that it could be appropriate for young adult readers as well (but who am I to talk, I read Twilight in the fifth grade).

Oh, I almost forgot, as someone who graduated college with a film degree, I think that this was a solid depiction of a film set. Then again, I haven’t been on a whole bunch of sets and halfway through I realized I wasn’t as dedicated to that major as I thought I was. That’s not relevant to the book, but that’s okay. Y’all should read I Kissed a Girl when it hits shelves the first week of August.

I expected so much more. I had a hard time getting into the writing style. I liked the story, but I didn't connect with the characters and I didn't feel anything for their relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks and Dreamscape for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: stalking, blackmail, fear of coming out

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-f/f hollywood romance
-workplace romance
-scary movies
-a very cute puppy
-two Jewish heroines
-forbidden romance elements

This was a cute read, but I struggled with the pacing. It was slow a lot, the book more concentrated on the plot of the film and what was going on there than the romance itself. It made it difficult to see the connection of the two MCs who didn't spend a lot time together.

Noa was very judgy which made it hard to understand why she liked Lilah. I enjoyed the secondary characters and the fun setting. This was a light read of two people trying to find their place in the world and become comfortable in their own skin. Lilah was fun and very relatable with her trust issues and nerves about coming out as bisexual.

Rating: 3
Steam: 1.5 (completely closed door).

1.5 stars. It's bad. Like teenage wattpad writer bad. I read the first 10% and could tell it likely would not improve and goodreads confirmed my suspicions. I skimmed until the last 3 chapters and read those and don't feel like I missed anything. The writing wasn't good, the characters were boring, there was waayyyyy too many details about movie special effects and not enough development of the relationship, even the romance was cringe. I will not be returning to this book or author.

Lately I have been reading books based on LGBT genre and this book is one such book. The front cover is completely cute and attractive and since LGBT genres has now become one of my favorite genres, I decided to try this book out.

I thought the plot was good--both Lilah and Noa are Jews but one is bisexual and the other is openly lesbian. Lilah is closeted sort of and both have feelings towards each other. Lilah is an attractive actress while Noa is a makeup artist. The story mainly talks about how the friendship developed between the two girls which eventually led to romance. Another thing I liked about this book is it was a bit multicultural and the writing was good.

The cons of this book is it was wayyy too long. For such a cute love story between the two, I think there were some unnecessary parts in the book which is not relevant to the story. I found myself skipping some parts.

Overall, a cute romance novel that is worth 2.5 stars in my opinion. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Man, I'm really disappointed I didn't like this one more. Then again, I guess I'm glad that there enough queer books out there that I don't have to pretend it worked for me just because it's the only rep. That's a deserved feeling, just like the straights.

There were a number of things I really enjoyed about it. I liked seeing two Jewish MCs, which feels rare in traditionally published romance, and some of the dialogue was clever or made me chuckle. It hit several tropes/pain points that just made it a really not enjoyable reading experience: the kind of fetishization or fixation that Noa already has for Lilah made me a bit uncomfortable, the extremely unfounded jealousy that Noa exhibits when introducing Lilah to her friends. The invasion of privacy in Lilah snooping in Noa's phone was really just a bridge too far for me, as someone who has experienced that particular invasion.

Ultimately, I guess I'm just not really sure who this book is for. I didn't ever really feel the chemistry as the relationship building was sacrificed for the sake of this side plot to kind of evoke the feeling of being in a B-movie, but there was still a shocking level of intensity to the point that Lilah had invited Noa to France with her after they'd kissed once and they were having a screaming match on their first actual date? I don't know how I'm supposed to root for a relationship where the two romantic leads have zero trust for each other from day one. It also didn't quite thread the needle of romcom and B-list horror film. I get the intention, but I don't think the impact quite hit the mark. But even though I can't think of who the audience for this book is, I'm 100% sure it exists and wish it the best.

I Kissed A Girl is your classic romcom with sapphics (yay!). It’s told in dual POV, switching between Lilah (a beautiful budding actress) and Noa (a budding makeup artist). Both women have insecurities that break through during the long hours on a movie set. The POV switches smoothly between both women throughout the book.

I enjoyed the banter between the characters and the clear tension between them. I found myself most drawn to Lilah , though Noa remained entertaining. The extent of the world building, including the details about the film industry and the actual horror movie being made, was pleasantly unexpected. A lot of romance books gloss over world building details, but it works well with this story.

This story felt similar to the book "Something to Talk About" in terms of there being a lot of miscommunication/non-communication. This trope isn't my favorite, as most of the characters problems could be cleared up by talking it out and being honest with each other. So at times, that got frustrating. However, I was invested in the characters and them getting together so it didn't deter me from reading.

Alexander manages to keep a good pace with the romance despite the trope and the extensive details. 100% would recommend.

This was such a fun book and a much needed pick me up from a month of heavy reading.

I was given a netgalley ARC in exchange for an honest review

Our story follows Noa, a makeup and FX artist, and Lilah Silver, a B-list actor who wants more. They come together through a movie set and a little bit of fate and a whole lot of gay panic.

Pros:
-Cute plot
-A ton of awesome representation
-Likeable and believable characters
-A not depressing romance
-THE MISCOMMUNICATION TROPE
-Bold and enjoyable writing style
-So much more

Cons:
-Too short
-Got a tad confusing at some parts


I really enjoyed this book for A LOT of reasons. The plot was a cute and quirky and definitely made me feel good. It was funny, adorable and informative. (I got so many product ideas from this book). The author has given us a story that utilizes the knowledge of a movie set, and leans on the horror genre without crossing into horror, despite some of the novels scary scenes. An awesome balance if you ask me.

Seriously go read this book cause the writing was good, the plot was good, the characters were cool and we need more sapphic novels like this one.

Tallyho indeed!

This book was fun! I really enjoyed getting to know the two main characters and I love how this was an ff book! It's your typical "falling for the superstar" but with a twist and I'm super happy about it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the earc in return for an honest review.

This story was nothing revolutionary, but it was good. The whole story felt like a corny romance movie, which isn’t a criticism - it’s a fun read.
The representation is great, and whilst the romance did feel a bit flat to me because of the insta-love trope, it was still cute.
The story had a few interesting side plots and lots of great side characters.
Overall, this book was entertaining and quick to read, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, easy read.

3.5/5 Stars

This was a fun, easy, sapphic read about a horror movie actress and a makeup artist who meet on a movie set.

I did at times have difficulty connecting with Noa, she was very judgemental and I just didn’t vibe with her. That put a bit of a dampener on the romance for me.

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

Noa is a college dropout trying to make it as a makeup artist in California. She gets a job on the set of a horror movie, getting her foot in the door. Her favorite horror movie actress also happens to be working in the same movie. Lilah is hoping to make it big someday, to take on roles that are more substantial than the Final Girl. She knows she’s bisexual so Noa isn’t her biseuxal awakening, but the attraction is certainly there. Unfortunately, for Noa to keep her job, she needs to keep her hands off Lilah, no matter that their mutual attraction keeps rising to the surface. Throw in a potential stalker and we’ve also got a mystery brewing on set alongside a somewhat slow burn romance.

The romance starts off a little love-at-first-sight before simmering down into real attraction based on common experiences and mutual love of the business of movies, though from different sides of it. Noa is the more relatable character of the two at the start. She dropped out of UCLA to become a makeup artist and has parents who completely disapprove of her decision, questioning her sanity and the reality of the industry, which is hard to get into. Lilah grew up as a pageant queen. For me, the romance just simmered. It wasn’t the fiery, passionate thing it could have become. Maybe it’s because their attraction was solely based on physical appearances at the beginning and, though they spent a lot of time together, their attraction didn’t go much beyond the physical. But it just wasn’t enough in this case. The romance didn’t reach the depths I felt it could have, remaining a surface attraction in my mind. Part of this is because of how judgmental Noa was about Lilah, forcing herself to judge Lilah based on her surface qualities so she wouldn’t like her as much. This judgment lasted throughout the book, making Noa seem shallow and unwilling to accept Lilah for who she was.

I like that each character had meaningful relationships outside of each other, despite the fact that both were busy on set. Noa had her roommate and Lilah had her roommates as well as her grandfather, who we see her having phone conversations with occasionally. Lilah speaks of her parents but not to them, while Noa has a few judgmental conversations with her mother and her father piping in occasionally.

The queer rep is extensive. A sapphic romance should have good queer rep, though that’s not always the case. There’s Lilah, who is bisexual. Noa, who is a lesbian. Noa’s roommate is a trans lesbian who is also polyamorous. Lilah’s costar, Tanner, is gay. It’s all very casual and no one is having a queer identity crisis, which is appreciated. Lilah isn’t sure about being out and what it will do for her image, which is valid, as an actor trying to break out of horror movies. Her unsureness of how to be a bisexual woman, how to act and what to wear, was sweet at times. But she focused a little to hard on what it meant for others to look queer and less on what it meant to feel queer. She didn’t make the next leap that, because she is queer, whatever she wears or however she acts is inherently queer because it’s what she is.

The author made use of the contraction ‘Noa’d’ far too often, to mean ‘Noa had.’ Once would have been enough. Why is it so hard to just say ‘Noa had’? It caught my eye every time and it drew my focus away from the plot. The dialogue never took off for me, either. It felt flat or forced a lot of the time, the humor not quite funny. For all that Noa said she got tongue tied and awkward around Lilah, there wasn’t much of that on the page aside from the beginning. More of that, more clues that Noa actually liked Lilah and got awkward around her, would have made for a better romance. The stalker mystery helped pull the plot forward and led to an inevitable, predictable conclusion. I was curious about the stalker up until the last quarter or so, when the stalker showed their true colors. Their past actions, when I found out they were the stalker, weren’t creepy on their own, though. It was only when they went completely off the wall that their actions became overtly creepy and their past actions were shown through a different lens. Basically, I didn’t suspect them until their actions got especially weird or Lilah started noticing them in a different way. She didn’t start getting suspicious of them until right before they were revealed to be the stalker. A few other hints would have been appreciated.

The romance didn’t go hard enough and was too love at first sight for me to enjoy to its fullest extent. I liked Lilah’s journey of self discovery and the behind the scenes movie magic the best. Noa had potential and, in the beginning, was my favorite character, but her judginess and overall lack of growth bothered me. The stalker subplot helped propel the book to a Happily Ever After ending but it carried the book to an end, rather than the romance doing most of the work, which I did not appreciate in what is supposed to be a romance book. The slow burn was too slow and sputtered out long before the HEA, for me.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love reading books that represent the LGBTQ+ community and this book has amazing representation in it.

The love story was fun to read about. Both character really compliment each other well, it made reading the book very enjoyable and fast to read! There were a few dull moments in the book but overall a great summer read.

I kissed a girl is a beautiful book hidden under a playful title
.
It is a RomCom with funny and incredible scenes in a horror movie set with special effects, armchairs eating people and two good Jewish girls looking for the way of finding their own way within the Queer community
.
On the one hand is Noa, the talented makeup artist specializing in special effects who tries to break through into the movie industry through experience and networking while trying to ignore the impossible crush she have in one of her favorite actresses of the genre while working in her skin.
And on the other hand there is Lilah Silver the main actress, former beauty queen who wants to get more professionally serious roles and find the perfect excuse for her best friend to stop playing matchmaking with her ideal man without telling her that maybe the ideal would be a woman
.
Lilah represents so many people who try to be part of the community but do not know how to do it, the fear of going out and accepting the gaze of others , mostly loved ones, about who they are can be very difficult to cope with but it is through friends and trusting to take the first step that can be possible . On top of this is the incredible chemistry of these two characters are the dialogues that have you pining for them, and every step they take towards a possible path appear
.
It is a queer book about finding love and acceptance through a friendship that grew out of an attraction at first sight. Served with dismemberment, syrup blood and special effects dinosaurs, an obsessive stalker, and a bunch of friends who make you wish this is the first book of many
.
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Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Jennet Alexander for give me this beautiful book in exchange for my honest opinion, I really enjoyed reading it and I hope for more books like this one

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was incredibly excited to read I Kissed A Girl as I am a bisexual woman and am a sucker for sapphic love stories, but this one unfortunately fell pretty flat. This book follows Lilah, who is a B-list actress that is desperate to escape from the world of poorly produced horror movies, and Noa, a recent college drop-out/makeup artist who needs to make this gig stick. The book is set in dual POV, allowing us to get both Noa and Lilah’s side of the story, as these two eventually fall in love on set. I will have the details of the positives and negatives from I Kissed A Girl listed down below, but overall I am rating this a 2.5 star read rounded up (simply because of my love for Lilah and her bisexuality journey). I enjoyed some aspects of the novel, but overall I do not think that I will be returning to this book anytime soon for a re-read.

The Positives
I do want to commend the amount of diversity that is represented throughout the book: Jewish Bisexual, Jewish Lesbian MC, Transgender Side character. It was refreshing to read a book filled with actual diversity. Next, I LOVED Lilah’s characterization and her growth throughout the novel. She is not only trying to break out of her shell in terms of the acting world, but she also begins to come out as the novel progresses. Lilah’s anxieties around not fitting into the queer community, especially because she feels that she looks to heteronormative, was extremely relatable and I thought very well done. Additionally she is constantly fighting to not be seen as “just a pretty face”, which I thought added depth to her character. The saving grace for the entire novel for me was Lilah, and she truly deserves the world. Finally, the stalker situation. I know that some have complained that this sub-plot took away from the love story and relationship, but honestly it was often the only aspect keeping me engaged. It was fairly predictable, but it was necessary in a romance novel that I could hardly see any chemistry between the two main characters.

The Negatives
I think the biggest drawback I have from this entire book was Noa’s character all together. She was incredibly judgmental, and often so rude to Lilah both to her face and behind her back. She refused to let Lilah feel comfortable in her femininity, and instead constantly made her feel insecure for liking typical “girly” things. Her snap judgements of Lilah from day one, that she was a privileged prissy pageant girl, stuck throughout the novel even though time and time again Lilah proved to her the amount of depth that she truly had. Due to my intense dislike of Noa’s character, it also made it incredibly hard to root for the two of them being together. By the end of the book I was actively wishing that they were not together and would instead go their own separate ways in their careers. Not a great feeling to have for a supposed romantic novel.

I tried so so hard to like this book, especially since it is a diverse queer novel which is such an important storyline but overall it fell so flat for me. There were unfortunately to many dislikes for me to see myself recommending this to many people once it hits the shelves in August.

When Noa gets hired to be a special effects makeup artist on a campy horror film, she is determined to not out herself as a fangirl for the movie's star, Lilah. Noa continuously says the wrong thing but both she and Lilah feel a spark between them that can't be denied. Add in a stalker and production delays, and maybe this horror film is more of a drama after all.

While I loved the sapphic element of this and I really enjoyed Lilah's character, who really does seem to learn from her mistakes and is a complex human, I did not enjoy this book as much as I expected. I think my biggest issues were Noa's character development (or really lack thereof) and I absolutely could not see a spark between Noa and Lilah.

Thank you to the Author and to NetGalley for providing me an eArc in exchange for an honest review!

I Kissed a Girl was my first read that was set on a film set and I loved it! the attention to detail and the way in which the author describes the setting makes it feel like the reader is right there amoungst the angst and drama! The subplot was also interesting and kept the book moving!

I am a sucker for a sapphic couple and I loved Lilah and Noa, however at times the chemistry between the two seemed to be laking! Apart from the physical attraction, there seemed to be no emotional connection at times!

Apart from that I really enjoyed this romance and I think it the perfect fluffy summer romance!

I Kissed a Girl has probably one of the most interesting settings I've ever read about. There aren't many novels set on film sets and if anything this book just made me want more. The attention to detail will really make readers feel as if they too are on the set, floating through the scenes and dressing rooms as our two main characters fumble with their feelings for each other.

Unfortunately, the romance of I Kissed a Girl falls flat. In theory the two halves of this sapphic couple should make a perfect whole; sweetheart actress Lilah that so desperately wants to prove her worth in the industry and unconventional college dropout makeup artist Noa who wants the same thing. The potential with these two is a no-brainer. However, the characters lack chemistry and refused to communicate properly, which made the book hit a dead end for me. There were no real sparks between them aside from the ones of physical attraction, and there were times where Noa didn't even really seem to like Lilah at all.

The stalker subplot is the most interesting thing about I Kissed a Girl, and while I enjoyed reading it I wish it hadn't come at the cost of a rather lackluster romance.

All of that being said, the writing is fun and I even laughed a couple times. I liked being in the characters' heads and the author really had a way of writing them that felt real.

Overall, a decent read with an exciting setting that would benefit from a few more scenes showing chemistry between the main characters.

I Kissed a Girl is a sweet and moderately suspenseful romcom about an actress and her make-up artist. The setting being a film set was really intriguing and something I do not see often enough in romance novels! The side plot that included a stalker ended up being an aspect of this book that kept me up late reading to find out what was going to happen-- and that's really saying something, for I am not a thriller reader at all. Since the film was a horror movie, the stalking plot seemed to fit well with this and it worked without taking away too much from the romance and rom-com nature of the book.

I wished for a little bit more chemistry between the main characters. In some ways it seemed like they were simply building a very sweet friendship, but even with some kissing, I just didn't feel like there was enough romantic tension throughout the story. We don't get a ton of time with side characters, but the separate roomate/ friendship relationships for both Lilah and Noa show a lot of their personality and the friends were genuine. I always love the positive female friendship representation.

I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a sapphic romcom and who doesn't mind a bit of a thriller side plot! Overall, it was a really fun read that I didn't want to put down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I Kissed a Girl by Jennet Alexander is a fun sapphic rom-com that's set during the filming of a horror movie as the possibility of a relationship between the lead star and her makeup artists develops. I have to say that reading the book I was truly transported to the film set, the descriptions were where the writing shined and I'd be surprised if the author has never worked in a setting like this. However, the dialogue often fell flat and the characters didn't really seem to have distinct voices, the conversations between characters often took me out of the book due to the fact that they didn't seem organic at all. This lack of pacing carried from the dialogue to the whole book, at times it seemed like nothing was happening and then all of the sudden I felt like I was being info dumped for the sake of moving the plot along.

As for the characters, I felt like I could understand our two mc's—Noah, the makeup artist, and Lilah, the actress—individually, however, I had a lot of trouble understanding their relationship since it lacked chemistry and its only real problem was a lack of communication. There is a stalking sub-plot that actually kept me going back to the book, it was well written and definitely kept me guessing and involved in the story.

To be clear, the book was enjoyable—if a little too long for what it tried to convey. The horror film atmosphere was a refreshing background for a YA novel and, although I cannot personally speak for it, the Jewish representation seemed genuine and not rooted in stereotypes and the mystery element was certainly well crafted. I believe this is Alexander's debut, which is impressive since elements of this book seemed to be masterfully written. I will definitely be on the lookout for their next novel—especially if it leans toward mystery, a subject that the author excels in.