This books was great!
I liked reading about characters in their 20s who are recent college grads since they are in similar life circumstances like me. One of my favourite parts of the books is how Wren knows he is queer and is out to friends and family but does not know everything about himself and his queerness and gets to explore it within the book when he learns about asexuality/aromanticism. I also loved the friendship dynamics in the book, I would die for Alice tbh and the romance was really cute. This book is a perfect light summer time read while still exploring some important topics in a fun way. Would definitely recommend!

Listen, I host a Hallmark movie review podcast, so I love a happy ending. We all know I was rooting for Wren, but I had absolutely no idea where this book would take me. Is it a little reminiscent of To All the Boys I've Loved Before? Sure, but in the best way! From the second chance story for Alice, to Wren's career path (sounds boring - very much isn't!) to the small town drive-in theater, (fun fact I've only ever been to one drive in and it was in Pennsylvania!) to Wren's discovering of his romantic and sexual identity I loved it all. I loved his friends and his boss and his home town and his supporters. I'm thinking Mateo gets a book next? What say you, Timothy Janovsky?

Such a good debut novel, it was truly adorable. I love a good happy ever after search and also the coming of age-esque that this book gave vibes for was really nice to read. I liked the way the story developed and love when there is a sort of forced proximity of working on something together. Overall it was a really sweet book that packed a whole lot more to it than just swoons and heart.

Whether it was the Nora Ephron quote or Goldie Prawn on the first page I knew immediately I would love this book. Never Been Kissed is a wonderful celebration of self-discovery and queer love set in cutest small town.

I loved the characters in this book. The 3BeeGees were so much fun to hang out with and it made me wish I was back in college. The side story involving Alice and saving the drive in was great as well. I could just picture this ferocious older woman sticking her dogs on anyone who gets too close to her house. I only wish Chompin’ At The Bit was a real movie because that sounds fun as hell.

If you loved To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (but make it queer!) then you will love this book.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for a review copy.

This book was just lovely. The story was sweet, the romance was a delightful slow burn, and, most importantly for me, I believed in the couple. The story was a little fantastical—saving a drive-in theater in 2022 seems like an insurmountable ask—but there were quirky supporting characters aplenty to keep us entertained. That the leads two best friends were also gay—not surprising, but delightful none-the-less—just made this a big old gay cupcake of a book.

It was the perfect buttercream confection that I had hoped Queerly Beloved would be.

There was depth to the story as well, though. There were three subplots that stand out in that respect. One, our MC’s burgeoning boyfriend has a complicated, controlling relationship with his father, a mold that he is keen to break out of. Second, there is a prominent secondary character living with decades-old grief who might possibly want a second act. And finally, our MC, Wren, continues to struggle with the finer boundaries of his own queerness. He thought that coming out would be enough…but life is rarely that simple. All of those scenarios are dealt with with kindness and sensitivity, and the demi-sexual rep is heartening.

There is no steam in the story at all. I get that that makes it both more enticing to some and less enticing to others, but for the story that it is, I think it was the right choice.

The only thing that I wanted and didn’t get from the story was a clearer picture of where our MCs are at the end. It’s kind of obvious that they are headed for that HEA, but with no clear epilogue—a cheat that I will admit I’m kind of addicted to—we really have to settle for a HFN with serious overtones of more. And again, for this story, that was surprisingly OK.

Never Been Kissed definitely has the romcom Hallmark vibes down. It's a sweet love letter to the movies and romance that I'm sure many people will love. When will romcom movies make a return? This book would make a great one. 🎬

It was such a sweet, emotional rollercoaster. I adored Wren, in all of his awkwardness, and his friendships with Avery and Mateo. Derick surprised me! I’m not sure what I expected, maybe someone stuck up and full of himself, but he was nothing like that. I enjoyed watching them grow over the course of the book, especially Wren. I also appreciated the discussion regarding sexuality. How it helped open Wren's eyes, learning more about himself.

I’m really glad to have read an early copy of this book and I’m looking forward to seeing what Timothy Janovsky has in store for us in the future.

I found this book cute and entertaining but a little underwhelming for me. The chemistry between the main love story was kind of dull but i did enjoy the subplot with Wren and Alice! I do think stories about folks on the ace spectrum are important though so i will recommend it to people!!

Besides the soft nuances and all the drama, I love that I can finally read a novel about a demi main character. So far I've been a bit confused, and by reading this book i got some things sorted out. Not only did I empathise with Wren, but i related to the all "perfect kiss" part.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It was so sweet and romantic and just perfect. I absolutely loved the interaction and friendship between Wren and Alice. I also loved the representation of a demisexual character. Every character was perfect and I cannot wait to read more books from Timothy Janovsky. This truly was a love letter to movies, drive-ins, and love itself.

3.5 ⭐️

Maybe I just had my expectations a little too high, but even though I was slightly let down at certain points, there were still a lot of amazing moments in this book, ESPECIALLY the third act conflict.

Wren was so damn precious and awkward, and his friendship with Avery was adorable. Mateo, however, was an ass. He was not, in any way, a good friend, let alone worthy of being a part of Wren’s found family. I was really hoping he’d get his shit together and actually SEE his behavior for what it was, i.e., childish and disrespectful, but oh well.

Even though I get that this was more Wren’s story than a love story, I do wish I could have seen more about what was going through Derick’s head; his behavior got a little confusing though at least not in a way that was annoying.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

3.5/5 stars, rounded up

This book gave me "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" vibes, but make it queer and give it some extra flair! If you love second chance romance, this book is absolutely for you. It was incredibly sweet, and I love that it was about so much more then just Wren getting his first kiss.

Every character in this book felt so real, even the side characters. I went in knowing there would be an HEA, but what I didn't expect was that Alice would also get her HEA! My heart! Alice was actually my favourite side characters, I absolutely adored her. I loved her relationship with Wren and Derick, and how she was the 'fairy grouch mother" character to them both.

Well.... my movie lover heart completly melted over this story. I freekin loved this! Really.. yes it is a rom com, and i can tell ya allot of how i so love those. But is is also so much more. It is a story about getting to not know who you really are, and that being completly okay. It is about embracing the things that you love and love what you do no matter what, because that love has the power to guide your life. Its about opening yourself to chance of being loved. And letting that love be the thing that ads just a little bit more shine to your life, not the thing that defines you.

I absolutly loved Wren. Also is this how really how "To all the boys I've loved before" should have been? Because i really do think that. His intire story and develop made my heart sing more times that i could count, and seeing him let himself go, to yes, not settle for anything but grabbing his destiny by the metaphorical horns and not letting anything at chance... brilliance. And how he and Derick go from ex-friends, to friends to lovers... oh how my heart warmed it self. These are part of the reason that i'm getting to love more and more the friends to lovers vibe.

And these two are so so real, that it kinda hurts. And i loved them.even more for it

Also, can i be a part of this gang?

ENGLISH

Someone get me a time machine because the level of nostalgia I have on me is going to kill me 😭😭

AAAAAAA It was such a cute read! I had honestly entered here for the drama, when I read that it was like To all the boys I've loved before but make it gay I WAS HERE FOR ALL OF IT! But despite the fact that that piece of the plot happened super fast, the truth is that I can't complain because I loved the protagonists.

Wren and Derrick are adorable 😭💗.
They both have that kind of relationship that, although it does have its dramatic moments, makes you feel mostly at peace. I don't know how to explain it, they have like that something that feels very natural, very solid, it's the kind of relationship that DOES feel like a friends to lovers.
You feel their desire to connect, the confidence of being able to tell the other what you think and feel, that peace you feel when you are next to someone who truly makes you feel comfortable.

Oh no, I loved the kids and I think their moments together were really adorable and precious~.

However, while I would have loved to give the book 5 stars, there are some things I just couldn't ignore 😭.
One of them was the fact that the plot (which is basically Wren e-mailing every boy he almost had his first kiss with and dealing with the aftermath) goes by SO fast. I don't really think that's the plot of the book, it feels more like the excuse they give so Derrick and Wren can talk before they meet again. I think the plot should be explained as Wren's mission to keep his new manager position at the Drive-In and try to release a movie never seen before, I think that explains the plot of the book better.

The truth is, although the plot is similar to To all the boys I've loved before (and everyone know i loved that plot), I prefer the Drive-In and the premiere plot much better: thanks to that adventure the book touch on very beautiful themes such as nostalgia, the classics in terms of movies , the mourning of a person, discovering your own sexual orientation and knowing yourself. The truth is, I loved the arc of the premiere too much, the way they talked about the director, about the movie they wanted to release, I would have loved to see it!

I think the book is written in a way that you can perfectly visualize the movie adaptation and I think that's pretty amazing. That truly evoke Wren's passion for movies and when you read his story you can't help but get excited with him, feel nostalgic about the way movies were released before, about the cinematographic classics, etc. It's so nice to feel that kind of passion that almost came out of the book~.

However, I also think that this way of visualizing the story as a movie can be counterproductive in the sense that in a movie sometimes there is not enough depth in certain themes and I think that is one of the biggest problems with Never Been Kissed.

It has many topics that could be explored in depth, such as the mourning of a person in the face of the loss of a loved one, such as family pressure, the identity of a person, etc. Those are topics that seemed very important to me, but sometimes the book does not go into depth, it misses its opportunity by giving us few details or touching on those topics superficially.

On the other hand I HATED Mateo, one of Wren's best friends. You have no idea of ​​the anxiety and stress that character caused me, sometimes I felt the same anxiety as Wren and that stressed me a lot 😭.

But despite all that I think the story of Wren and Derrick is very cute and very beautiful! I think it's the kind of book you can read in the summer, it has all the vibes of a summer love and the truth is that sometimes the scenes in the book relax you a lot, but like all summer love it's not perfect and it stays in your heart with a familiar, beautiful and fleeting feeling, like a nice memory.

I think that's my definition of the book: it's a beautiful summer love 💗. And I'll probably reread it then too! 💗

The ARC of this work was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review: THANK YOU SO MUCH!

ESPAÑOL

Alguien que me consiga una maquina del tiempo porque el nivel de nostalgia que tengo encima me va a matar 😭😭

AAAAAAA Fue una lectura tan bonita! Honestamente había entrado aquí por el drama, cuando leí que era como A todos los chicos de los que me enamoré pero gay dice DE AQUÍ SOY! Pero pese al hecho de que ese pedazo del plot pasó ultra rápido la verdad es que no puedo quejarme porque me encantaron los protagonistas.

Wren y Derrick son adorables 😭💗.
Ambos tienen ese tipo de relación que, aunque sí tiene sus momentos dramáticos, te hacen sentir mayormente en paz. No sé cómo explicarlo bien, tienen como ese algo que se siente muy natural, muy sólido, es el tipo de relación que SÍ se siente como si fuera un friends to lovers.
Se siente su deseo de conectar, la confianza de poder contarle al otro lo que piensas y sientes, esa paz que te da cuando estás al lado de alguien que verdaderamente te hace sentir cómodo.

Ay no, los nenes me encantaron y creo que sus momentos a solas fueron realmente adorables y muy preciosos~.

Sin embargo, aunque me habría encantado darle 5 estrellas al libro hay algunas cosas que simplemente no pude ignorar 😭.
Una de ellas fue el hecho de que el plot (que básicamente es Wren mandando un e-mail a cada chico con el que casi tiene su primer beso y manejando las consecuencias después) pasa MUY rápido. En realidad no creo que ese sea el plot del libro, se siente más como la excusa que dan para que Derrick y Wren puedan hablar antes de reencontrarse. Creo que el plot debería ser explicado como la misión de Wren de mantener su nuevo puesto de gerente en el Drive-In e intentar estrenar una película nunca antes vista, creo que eso explica mejor el plot del libro.

La verdad, aunque el plot similar a A todos los chicos de los que me enamoré me atrapó, prefiero el plot del Drive In y la premiere muchísimo mejor: gracias a esa aventura tocan temas muy bonitos como la nostalgia, los clasicos en cuanto a películas, el duelo de una persona, el descubrir tu propia orientación sexual y conocerte a ti mismo. La verdad, me encantó demasiado el arco de la premiere, la forma en que hablaron de la directora, de la película que querían estrenar, me hubiera encantado verla!

Creo que el libro está escrito de una forma en que puedes visualizar perfectamente la adaptación a pelicula y creo que eso es muy increíble. La verdad sí evoca la pasión de Wren por las películas y cuando lees su historia no puedes más que emocionarte por él, sentir nostalgia pornla forma en que se estrenaban películas antes, sobre los clásicos cinematográficos, etc. Es muy bonito sentir ese tipo de pasión que casi sale del libro~.

Sin embargo también creo que esa forma de visualizar la historia como una película puede ser contraproducente en el sentido de que en una película a veces no hay la suficiente profundidad en ciertos temas y creo que ese es uno de los mayores problemas de Never Been Kissed.

Tiene muchísimos temas que podrían explorar a profundidad como el duelo de una persona ante la perdida de un ser querido, como la presión familiar, la identidad de una persona, etc. Esos son temas que me parecieron muy bonitos y muy importantes pero el libro en ocasiones no profundiza, pierde su oportunidad al darnos pocos detalles o tocar esos temas superficialmente.

Por otro lado ODIÉ a Mateo, uno de los mejores amigos de Wren. No tienen idea de la ansiedad y estrés que me generó ese personaje, en ocasiones sentía la misma ansiedad de Wren y eso me estresaba mucho 😭.

Peeero pese a todo eso creo que la historia de Wren y Derrick es muy tierna y muy bonita! Creo que es el tipo de libro que puedes leer en verano, tiene toooodos los vibes de un amor de verano y la verdad es que en ocasiones las escenas del libro te relajan mucho, pero como todo amor de verano no es perfecto y se queda en tu corazón con una sensación familiar, bonita y pasajera, como un bonito recuerdo.

Creo que esa es mi definición del libro: es un bonito amor de verano 💗. Y probablemente lo relea entonces también! 💗

El ARC de esta obra fue proporcionado por la editorial a través de NetGalley a cambio de una reseña honesta: MUCHÍSIMAS GRACIAS!

This was hard to rate. It took me a really long time to get into this book. The relationship is sweet and the context is kind of fun but it just wasn't clicking for half of the book. It wasn't until Wren's demi reveletion that I started to be more on board. The demi stuff really hit home for me and felt very realistic. Especially the over romanticisation of romance. The plot also improved from this point, it really ramped up and I became more invested. I liked all the characters especially Alice . Mateo was driving me insane though, he was fun but also omg how are you this immature, he grew on me though.
Its a cute, fun and clean romance with good demi rep, so if you are into that have at it. It does feel more 50/50 personal growth and romance, not just purely romance.

This grand-plans-to-save-the-drive-in-theater book was a big ol’ bucket of movie theater popcorn—a fluffy queer romance, a salty old lady, and buttery metaphors applied with a liberal hand.

I adored Never Been Kissed. This was a love letter to the magic of movies. I found the characters really endearing and I did not want to leave the story. I loved Alice and I want more! Give us an Alice prequel. Give us a sequel where we see Wren and Derrick after the epilogue. This will be a perfect summer read. It’s light yet heartfelt. I loved the Demisexual representation. At times the pacing was a bit slow but overall I enjoyed the storyline. This will be a great book to add to your summer reading list.

I was so lucky to get an Advanced Reader Copy of Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky in exchange for an honest review. Thanks #NetGalley and #sourcebookscasablanca! Never Been Kissed is Wren Roland’s story. Wren is a 22-year old recent graduate with a degree in film studies (is this where I’m supposed to make a Gen Z joke?) in search of the perfect cinematic first kiss. On the first page we find out this has 3 elements: perfect place, perfect person, and perfect moment. In a decidedly To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before fashion (plus alcohol), Wren sends emails to 4 of his past almost kisses. One of these recipients, Derick (surprise!), will be working with Wren all summer at Wiley’s Drive-In, next door to the house Wren grew up in. I think you can guess where this is going. Wren spends a lot of the rest of the book trying to get his perfect first kiss, and trying to put on a premiere of an old zombie movie by a local female director. I loved a ton of things about this book, including the close group of friends with conflict of their own, whose relationships are treated as equally important as the romantic relationship. I loved the figuring out early careers aspect, and how there can be real love and affection in family relationships even if there is also unhealthy pressure, and how part of becoming an adult is figuring out how to manage that (or at least starting to, not sure if anyone ever has that fully locked). There is also a moment of self awareness for Wren that I don’t want to spoil but the line where he has this moment and answers a question based on his new self-awareness felt so important and striking to me I was kind of stunned. It’s a message that felt important for me, as a “late bloomer” to hear, even though I’m now middle-aged, and it’s a message that I hope all our children hear and internalize and accept. I feel like there are a wealth of options for LGBT YA romance readers this spring, and I really hope this one doesn’t get overlooked, because it’s wonderful.

Never Been Kissed is like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, but slightly older and queer, and I loved every second of it. In this book, Wren is back at home for the summer between college and adult life, working at the local drive in movie theater he’s worked at for years. He’s never been kissed and in a moment of drunken bravery, sends emails that had been sitting in his drafts folder to all the boys he had almost kissed before. One of those guys, Derick, it turns out is also working at the drive in for the summer.

Like I said earlier, I loved this book! The characters were all fantastic and lovable in their own ways. This book was the perfect mix of funny, inspiring, and emotional. I enjoyed watching Wren really understand and discover his identity. I loved the way Wren’s personal experience with learning who he is highlights the very full and wide spectrum of identities within the queer community. The romance between Derick and Wren was so sweet and I was rooting for them from the beginning. Overall, this was a fantastic debut novel and I look forward to reading more from Timothy Janovsky!

I flipped between audio and ebook and I adored the audiobook in particular. Mark Sanderlin was the perfect narrator to bring Wren to life!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca, Dreamscape Media, and Netgalley for the advanced copies!

This was such a fun story. Derick and Wren are well constructed and likeable leads. I enjoyed Alice’s journey with them and their path to working together it grow. I loved Wren and Derick finding their way back to each other and how sweet their romance is. Such a fun read!