Okay, so I felt very meh about this one. I think the strongest part of this book was the setting. The B-movie horror setting was really fun, and I found Noa's FX job to be super interesting to read about. I thought the jewish Rep was really nice, and I liked that it was a bonding moment for the characters, and the stalker subplot was also pretty engaging, but it is a bad sign when the subplot is more interesting than the plot-plot. I just found the romance to be kind of boring. It was insta-love which I don't necessarily think is unrealistic in this case. I also immediately fall in love with any hot person that is nice to me... but the problem with it is that it's just not really engaging. There isn't much tension, or build-up, so I found it hard to actually care about the relationship. There wasn't really much palpable chemistry; I just found myself zoning out during the kissing parts which are usually my favorite.

As for the audiobook, I found Natalie Nadus to be an enjoyable narrator. She had good, distinct voices are each of the characters which I think is hard to nail with same-sex couples. I don't think she is a new fave but she had good narration regardless!

This book was written for queer readers! I Kissed a Girl is the story of two aspiring artists- an actress and an effects artist who work together on the set of a horror movie. The book explores the character's romantic interests in each other, the queer community and the turbulence of starting a career. This story stood out because it explored multiple facets of attraction between women and hit close to home with its portrayal of living authentically as a queer woman.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an alc of this book!

Lilah is cast as the "final girl" in a low budget horror movie, and Noa is getting her big break doing makeup and special affects for that movie. They immediately hit it off, but there are a lot of things conspiring to keep them apart--Lilah isn't out as bi yet, Noa's boss doesn't allow dating on sets, and something more sinister happening around the filming.

This was a great, cute and quick audiobook! I really enjoyed Lilah and Noa as characters and dual pov's. The voice actor's did a great job of distinguishing them! I liked the setting of this and seeing how behind the scenes on the horror movie was portrayed. I loved the budding romance and the adventure! Such a cute book.

Pub date: August 3, 2021

Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Sexual content

This story follows Noa, a makeup artist and special effects, and Lilah, an actress. Noa and Lilah are both working on the same movie and end up building an attraction to one another. This book has a bit of a forbidden love aspect as they are not allowed to date while working together. There are also a few subplots such as Lilah’s stalker.

Overall, I was a bit underwhelmed with the love story and build-up in this book. I couldn’t help but feel there was something missing to get me really invested in the love story of these two characters. The writing was well done, and the story moved along at a pretty good pace. I just had a hard time rooting for the two characters to get together.

By the end, I felt that this story was pretty forgettable, and it is not something that I would honestly recommend for lovers of the romance genre.

Thank you to Net Galley for the free audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I liked the end, overall I found this book to be underwhelming.

I did enjoy the topic and how the two characters were shown to have their own ways of dealing with stress and fear of rejection. It was a good depiction of how you can internalize outside criticism to a point of them becoming your inner voices, or how you can veer towards avoidance to deal with heavier or more emotional issues.

The first third of the book I was repeatedly having to focus - the characters didn’t seem too interesting and the dialogue in the beginning felt flat.

The book picked up towards the middle, and by the end there was enough going on to keep your attention. However it still overall felt underwhelming, and for how long the book was I didn’t feel as connected or emotionally invested to the characters as I typically would be.

One of the main characters had a stalker, and it seemed very obvious from an early enough point of the book who it was. There were repeated “gut feelings” “tingles” and overall bad vibes that were emphasized but the character ignored. And for the amount of buildup I felt like the climax of that part of the storyline was also not as dramatic so much as a bit over the top. The characters’ relationship also felt a bit flat. It was almost like proceeding from point A to B to Conflict to Resolution. Again, given the length of the book I expected to be much more invested in their relationship.

Overall once you get into it, it was a pleasant storyline and an easy read, but I wouldn’t go into it expecting a romance or characters that will stay with you long after you’re done reading the book.

This book had some fantastic rep and a lot of potential, but it was just all over the place in terms of execution.

One thing that I just didn't understand is that from the beginning, make up artist Noa is completely obsessed with actress Lilah, but Noa goes out of her way to make of every single thing that Lilah enjoys. Noa hates the fact that Lilah is an ex-beauty queen and is completely shut off from the whole idea because it's "girly". Noa also judges Lilah's intelligence because she reads smutty romance novels. Noa is just a grumpy ass main character who is just elitist, and I was sick of her BS about half way through the book.

Yeah, as I'm writing this, I am knocking down a star from 3 to 2 because this book is just not great, and I have no positive feelings about it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 ⭐️s

This was a fun book to listen to while I was traveling! I enjoyed that the story took place around the filming of a horror movie. It was a unique take on a well-worn romantic plot.

Lila and Noah were each interesting characters, and I appreciated they both had their flaws. I didn’t think they had a lot of chemistry, but that didn’t take away too much from reading their interactions.

I was worried the stalker plot line wasn’t going to be done well, but the climax of that plot was framed so well in elements often see in campy horror films; I found myself really enjoying it.

Overall, this was pure fun. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a light read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks and Dreamscape for the ALC 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).

While the story was amazing, it was hard to follow the audio at times because there was no difference in the voice the narrator gave to the characters. So when the perspective shifted from one character to the other, it wasn't easy to tell who was speaking until it was mentioned in the narrative.

However, the quality of the story made the extra focus necessary to figure out who was talking worth it. The author did a fantastic job telling the story of Noa and Lilah and their budding romance.

I would absolutely read another book written by this author, but I may not listen to another shifting perspective book narrated by this narrator.

Super, super cute! I loved both of the main characters as love interests and thought they worked well as a couple. I also really liked the stalker subplot and although it was pretty obvious what was happening from the beginning, I found it entertaining. Not my favorite book, but definitely a fun read, especially for teens or new adults.

This was so good! I adored everything about this book. It had so much going for it and I just couldn't put it down. Its no secret by now that I adore lesbian/saphic fiction so this was obviously going to be something I enjoyed but this had so much more going for it at well.
The film set and exploration of film makeup and the acknowledgment of it were just two things I loved. As a major film nerd I loved reading a book that took place on a film set it added another layer to an already great story. Then the acknowledgment of film makeup as not only part of the film but a major part or what makes it work just warms my heart. Its so rare to see those behind the cameras getting recognized so to see it in a fictional setting was a nice change.
On top of the amazing romance this book also had a fabulous little mystery holding the story together and that was a great bonus. The book didn't feel so obvious or like it followed that same basic formula so many romance do because it did have that mystery. It wasn't a huge twist but it was still fun follow along and solve.
This was honestly just a great book all around. I had a blast reading. I loved the characters and the romance just made my lesbian heart swell with love and pride. This book has so much going for it and its a bummer its not getting as much hype as it deserves so please get this book. If you love it even a fraction as much as I did you will not be disappointed!

I really wanted to like this book but it just kind of meandered and talked about nothing and had characters that I couldn't get invested in. The description and the concept were awesome but the actual book didn't deliver.

It could've been great.

Let's talk about what I liked:

- The narrator. I felt the narrator's voice. Natalie Naudus does a great job. Her voice is soothing while still adding to the awkwardness of both characters. I liked the voices she picked for both leads, and although her reading the male characters was a bit off I quickly got used to it.

-Lila! I loved Lila and her journey. She was a great choice of protagonist. I found myself relating to a lot of her struggles, especially with her feelings of being left out of certain spaces and experiences.

- There was a lot I liked about the writing. Janet Alexander writes character's voices really well. I knew who's pov I was in just based on their thought process.

Now the negative...

- Insta-love. I hate it. And it doesn't work with this story. I didn't feel any chemistry between the two leads other than attraction. I couldn't understand why they kept saying they liked each other but the interactions we saw were so dry. Especially during the beginning. Other than thinking she's cute why does Lila lose sleep over Noa on the first day? I tried hard but couldn't believe it.

- Noa. Noa, Noa, NOAH! Okay, I'll chill. But wow. I did not like Noa at all. (view spoiler) So she likes pink. Sue her. I think the story would've been vastly improved without her pov entirely because it's mostly her thoughts that ruin her character.

- The writing was kinda... eh. Not bad by any means. Like I said before, Janet Alexander isn't a bad writer by any means. With that being said the writing was very much telling and not showing. It was entirely too long for what it was. The "does she like me?" got old very quickly. I hate any type of miscommunication. Can anyone just say how they feel?

- If you're going to use a stalker plot please make it good. Or at least scare me.

All in all, I was very excited about this book. The plot grabbed me immediately but in the end, I was very underwhelmed. What could've been a great romantic thriller read more like diary entries from a high schooler... That might be good actually. I wouldn't dismiss Janet Alexander completely. There are a lot of good elements to this story. This one just isn't for me.

2/5

I received a audio copy of this through NetGalley and when I first looked at other reviews on Goodreads I am shocked to see so many negative reviews. I didn't actually read any of the reviews until I had finished the book, because I didn't want to be swayed, but even the average rating was so low. Now that I finished I don't quite understand.

While this book isn't my favorite, it's a perfectly good sapphic rom com.

It reminded me a lot of a less developed Plain Bad Heroines but as a romantic comedy.

It's about Lilah who is an up-and-coming actress. She is closeted but comes out during the book as bisexual. She is currently working on a horror film and she took the part as a stepping stone instead of being a huge fan of horror. She's a pageant princess and it's just trying to make a name for herself. Lilah's character arc was my favorite of the two MCs, just because she had a lot of growth. She had a career subplot, romantic subplot and a thriller-esque sub plot involving a stalker.

The other MC is Noa and Noa is an out and proud lesbian who is a die-hard horror fan and a special effects makeup artist. Noa quit school to work on this film as a makeup artist and struggles kind of, throughout the book about her career path. Noa has also had a crush on Lilah for years, and when she figures out that she's going to be working with Lilah, Noa wants to impress her and befriend her but nothing seems to be going her way. Noa has a big case of "foot in mouth" syndrome and f**** up quite a bit at the beginning. Some of the things that Noa says are extremely off-putting and I was glad to see her character ark redeem some of those bad moments and also to see how Lilah dealt with it.

This is very much a instant attraction/insta-love story. There is a lot of depth to the characters relationship and instead realize heavily on physical attraction. This is part of the reason why this book just fell a little bit flat for me. It wasn't bad by any means, but it could have been better.

As a whole, if you're looking for a low key sapphic rom com, this is your book. There is a CW for stalking. This is a adult fiction book and while the two MCs have a romantic and sexual relationship, there are no on-page sex scenes. It's always refreshing for me to find adult romance books without on page sex. So that's just something to know if you are sexual post but still want to get your romance fixed, this one is safe for you.

As a petty comment, I am annoyed at the spelling of their names. The fact that Lilah has an unnecessary H and Noa has no H is silly to me. But whatever.

Rep: white Jewish bisexual MC, white Jewish lesbian MC, trans secondary character, gay secondary character, multiple queer tertiary characters.

4.5 stars

This one was fun and sweet. As romcoms with good, diverse representation go, this one seemed to do pretty well, and I was invested in the MCs’ romance. It was mostly light-hearted but still had enough angst/tension to drive the plot, and honestly, I think it was just what I needed right now. I wasn’t entirely sure about the audio narrator at the beginning of the story, but she had really grown on me by the end and was, I think, a good fit for this narrative. I’ll be looking for more books by Jennet Alexander in the future.

I Kissed a Girl is about 2 girls in the showbusiness one a up and coming makeup artist trying to break into the industry Noa with a love for Horror and special effect makeup. And about Liah Silvers, an actress best know for her horror movies with hopes into bigger roles.
Noa has a crush on Liah and Vise Versa and its insta love with the most awkward encounters. They are mean and then also jealous who each other.

I'm not a fan of insta love and this style was really strange. Then you throw in a stalker and everything just kinda goes all over the place. I had a hard time rooting for them and thought Liah always acting and putting on a show instead of being her true self was to much for me and Noa being really judgmental and mean was a turn off.

I wanted a little more from the story the writing style wasn't my favorite either. and with the whole stalker bit once it came to who is it it was rushed and then it was all about snakes and I just wanted it not to be oh crap run away.

This just wasn't a cute romcom that I hoped for.


Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for providing me with an Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy of the audiobook!

What I loved: SUCH GOOD REPRESENTATION! F/F Jewish workplace/forbidden romance with characters of color, trans characters, and poly side characters.
The setting of a B-horror movie set with the main characters being a closeted bisexual former-beauty-queen-now-actress and a lesbian makeup artist and fangirl were fun set ups. I liked all the stunts and special effects talk, and the workplace romance aspect was enjoyable enough.

The writing style wasn't really for me. It was overly flowery and descriptive in a way that slowed the progress down a lot. I also didn't really think the stalker angle added anything other than more length to the story.

Content warning: stalking

I wanted to love this book. It has great bisexual, lesbian, and Jewish representation when it came to the main characters, and great Black, Indian American, Trans, rep when it comes to side characters.

*This review contains spoilers*

I’ll start with the things that I liked:
The premise ; make up artist falls for Hollywood’s favourite horror movie final girl.
Relatable job struggles, and the hard decisions involved in following your dreams while risking security, or defying expectations.
I loved Lilah - she was an interesting and well rounded character; she didn’t follow any rules or expectations about what a bi woman should or shouldn’t look or act like. She was great

However, so much of this story seemed great in theory, but fell flat in execution.

I found the second main character, Noa, to be extremely unlikeable, despite attempts at redemption. She was extremely judgemental of Lilah for being “too girly”; liking the colour pink and enjoying romcoms. She treated Lilah’s “traditional femininity” as a defect. She eventually comes around and is convinced that she was too harsh/ judgemental of Lilah (but only after spending hours together and lilah proves to her that she is interesting and complex despite all the pink).

The banter between the two characters was really cute, but there were just so many misunderstandings and miscommunications that I left the book wondering if they were even well matched for one another ! Opposites may attract but neither trusted or respected the other for Most of the book. It seemed like Noa only liked Lilah because of her celebrity crush, and Lilah just latched onto the first gay girl she met.

I also completely forgot about the secondary plot of the stalker until the end; it almost felt like an after thought. It was a really interesting addition and I felt could have served more in the story If given a little more attention.

Overall I liked this book- it was a light, fun read and pretty fast paced. I loved Lilah and all of the side characters, but wasn’t invested in her romance with Noa.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape media for this ARC

I Kissed a Girl by Jennet Alexander is a sapphic rom-com about Lilah, a Hollywood actress, and Noa, a special effects make up artist. The novel takes place on the set of a horror film where Noa spends long hours getting Lilah ready for the camera. These two characters feel an instant attraction, but they experience some uncertainty and misunterstandings throughout the course of the novel.

I listened to the audiobook of this title which was narrated by Natalie Naudus. The audio came in at 10 hours and 22 minutes, but it felt like an easy, quick listening experience. The narration was enjoyable and Natalie Naudus did a nice job bringing life to the characters. I loved the bisexual representation in this story. I particularly enjoyed Lilah's character and appreciated her growth throughout the book. I would recommend listening to this one if you're a fan of sapphic rom-coms, insta-love/attraction, and characters in different stages of the coming out process!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape for the ALC of this title, which did not affect the contents of my voluntary review. All opinions are honest and my own.

This was…fine, I guess.

The book features a lesbian and a bisexual who are both Jewish, and those aspects I really enjoyed.

But a minor personal epiphany for me was the realization that the “celebrity with a stalker” trope just does nothing for me. Like, at all. In addition to that, it kind of contributed to a feeling that the book couldn’t really decide what it wanted to be — millennial coming of age in a harsh and insecure work environment, romance, thriller, something…else I’m not even sure what.

I also didn’t really buy into the mc’s as into each other. They both had better chemistry with a piece of cheesecake than each other. I’m also a little frustrated with the sapphic dynamics I’m seeing in a lot of contemporary romances where there’s this endless song and dance of “oh is she into girls? But oh is she into ME? But oh I don’t want to presume or take any action whatsoever that can be construed as moving this relationship forward” and I’m just tired of it. I also have a lot of trouble when the main characters of a romance are suspicious of each other over comparatively low stakes stuff and do stupid things because of it.

I can see this being really enjoyable for people who like theater themed romance, celebrity/non celebrity romance, and romantic suspense, but this really wasn’t the book for me.