Are you a lesbian? Are you in college? Are you upsettingly single? Do you have mommy issues? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider reading “She Gets the Girl.”

When I learned that married couple Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick wrote a YA novel set at the college where they met, I knew I had to find any way I could to read and review it. Lucky for me, I am TikTok mutuals with them. A little bit of nepotism goes a long way.

Anyway, here’s what the book is about.

Alex Blackwood was just dumped and wants to win back her ex. Molly Parker has a crush she doesn’t know how to act on. The two of them are just starting their freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh, and when they meet each other and open up about their romantic struggles, they hatch a plan. Alex will help Molly get with her crush, and hopefully, that’ll show her ex that she’s not self-absorbed and is ready for commitment.

But then, of course, they start to fall for each other.

Effortlessly queer (nobody is closeted!) and delightfully tropey, “She Gets the Girl” is one of those books that you wish your younger self had. Alex and Molly have a hilarious, adorable dynamic, and watching them slowly realize their true feelings was simply wonderful. My roommate can attest that I had very visible and audible reactions to many things happening in this book.

What hit me the hardest was not the love story, though; it was the characters’ relationships with their mothers. Alex’s mother struggles with alcoholism, and Molly’s mother has a rocky relationship with her identity, as a Korean -American adopted by white parents, that she passes on to her kids.

But you feel the love that they have for their mothers, in Molly’s close relationship with her mom (who is pretty much her best friend), but also in Alex’s determination to provide for her mom and prevent her from making poor decisions. I wasn’t expecting any of that going in.

And another thing — you can feel the love that Lippincott and Derrick have for their alma mater. I may be a bit biased, as someone who wrote a book set at a place that rhymes with Schmellesley Schmollege, but college settings just have so much character to them.

I read “She Gets the Girl” knowing that the places they were going were real, knowing I could very well go to the University of Pittsburgh’s library and actually see the place where the main characters have a few of the novel’s pivotal moments. And I love that so much.

At the end of the day, though, I keep going back to the romance. It’s cheesy, it’s fun, it’s everything you could possibly want. More married couples need to write books together.

“She Gets the Girl” comes out on April 5. I received an early copy from the publisher, Simon and Schuster, with persuasion from Rachael herself, in exchange for a review.

She Gets the Girl follows two queer college girls who are trying to help each other in their respective relationships, but of course this leads to maybe something more between the two of them. It's fun, it's wholesome, and also impeccably human, and made me laugh out loud multiple times. The characters are both equally lovable and have their own respective issues at home to deal with that really added an unexpected layer of depth to this story. It was so clear the care both authors put into these characters without it feeling self-insert-y in any way which was fresh and exciting.

I do wish that the journey to the end was explored more. It felt like the first 80% of the book was this one journey and then both characters had "aha" moments in the last 15% that led us to the end. Had maybe one of these happened sooner it would've allowed more time to see how these characters dealt with that reality. However, understanding that this is in someway a true story about the authors, I can understand following the sequence of events based on reality versus what might be most structurally sound.

Overall, I had a really great time with this book, I didn't think that I'd be reaching for other books by this author because I think what drew me to this one was the "based on a true story" aspect, but after reading it I definitely have more of an interest in their other works.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.**

SHE GETS THE GIRL by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick was a one-sitting read. I was first drawn in by the cover (and waited eagerly for the moment it would make sense--loved the skating scene!) I really enjoyed seeing prickly Alex find her softer side, and watching previously passive Molly come into her own. By the end of the book, they were the perfect pair.

This book did not end up being a five star read for me, but it was really close! It didn't leave me with the overwhelming wow feeling I was hoping for... I think that can happen when you build up your expectations a little too hard. That being said, I do feel justified in my lowering the rating a bit, simply because I just didn't highlight the book nearly as much as I do for my five star reads on my Kindle.


This book was extremely character-driven, so let's take a look at our two main characters. The first of the pair that we meet is Alex. Alex is a chronic flirt from Philly. The book starts off in Manayunk, which I previously stated is my hometown. Technically I'm from Roxborough but... close enough. When we first see Alex, she's at the bar she works at, watching her girlfriend, Natalie's, band on stage. However, when they go back to Natalie's apartment, things fall apart. Alex leaves the next morning for college in Pittsburgh, determined to prove to Natalie that she can be a committed girlfriend. Meanwhile, Natalie is leaving for a tour with her band that she simply... expected Alex to give up on college to go on with her.

Then, we meet Molly, who is a Pitt native. Molly is very much the opposite of Alex. Where Alex is tall, blonde, and exuding confidence... Molly is smaller, Asian, and quite introverted. Molly is not going far from her hometown or family to attend college. Throughout high school, Molly did not have friends. Her best friend is honestly her mom. College though is supposed to change that for her. She'll have a roommate and make friends and convince her crush of four years to fall for her. This, of course, hits a snag.

The two girls meet at a party, ironically through Cora herself. Cora is the girl that Molly has been pining for all these years. They've hardly ever interacted. Cora is the type of girl that draws everyone to her. This party kicks off a wild adventure in which Alex hopes to help Molly get the girl... while she proves to Natalie that yes, she can make friends that she doesn't flirt with.

This is where I'd like to put my major content warnings.

Firstly, this book deals heavily with alcoholism. Alex's mom is an alcoholic. It also deals with parental abuse. For years, Alex has been the moneymaker of her two-person family. She has been responsible for keeping her mom alive.

This book also deals with a toxic relationship. While Alex is certainly not perfect, the way Natalie talks to/about her is downright abusive. I could see it from the very first interaction they had and I urge the readers to view Natalie with a critical eye.

I'm pleasantly surprised to not have to trigger warn this book for homophobia. That was certainly a breath of fresh air! Beyond my major content warnings, I would like to add some for minor depictions of racism, as well as a prior abusive relationship.

I did really enjoy this story. I'm impressed by Rachael and Alyson's dedication to creating content with one another! I'll be recommending it to many people once it is released for sure. I wish it had punched me in the gut as hard as I'd expected but it is still an incredible read. For people who have dealt more with situations similar to Alex or Molly, this book might give you that gut feeling.

It's worth celebrating the rise of the rom-com novels in LGBTQIAP+ YA novels and the shift away from stories solely focused on trauma; this shows room for a wider variety stories of teens. However, in many of the recent rom-com books, the characters often lack depth and so I hesitate to use them as examples in my writing workshops. SHE GETS THE GIRL by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick is a smart romantic comedy with two characters who are richly written. Both Alex and Molly have flaws and room to grow--and their progress is not simple or easy. They both make mistakes, sliding into old behaviors more than once. I especially appreciated the depiction of class through Alex's story. Alex has regarded college as her escape from her alcoholic mother--and ending up like her mother--but now that she's starting her first year, what now? She's still struggling to pay her way while covering expenses for her mother and life isn't easy for Alex. One standout scene is when Alex's friends tell her she shouldn't pursue pre-med, that she should "do what she loves," but this feels impossible to Alex. She needs to make money with her degree; "doing what she loves" is not affordable to her.

Even though it becomes quite clear how the book will end, the characters are so engrossing, they manage to make the reading journey enjoyable. I also appreciated that the authors circumvented some cliches and avoided the expected "big moments" of most rom-coms.

I don't know how I feel about this new trend in setting "YA" novels in college -- I mean, the characters are now exploring their adulthood so it should at the very least be new adult, if not adult to begin with. When books like this are marketed to a YA crowd, I think they lost a bit of the audience they could have otherwise reached for a variety of reasons.

But I digress. If you like sapphic rom-coms, "enemies" to lovers (and I use this term lightly because is it really *enemies* to lovers if they don't live in opposing kingdoms in the middle of a war? They're negative acquaintances to lovers), and a good time, this is the book for you.

3/5 stars - or, a good book.

Okay, this was super cute. I love when characters just make me want to shake them. Molly and Alex were no different, but in the best possible. Read this book if you want lots of pining and two idiots who don't realize just how much they like each other. This story isn't entirely a love story to me. Sure, that's one piece of it, but it's very much a story about finding yourself and growing up into someone you want to be. The journeys for Alex and Molly are very different in this, but also similar in many ways and the two girls are actually more similar than they realize also. Molly and Alex are, of course, the stars of this book. They felt incredibly realistic and I empathized with both of them at times. Even in the beginning, when they were so frustrating at times with their decision-making, I appreciated them and how genuine they felt. I didn't care as much for any of the side characters except Alex's boss and Molly's brother. They were fantastic, but the others, I honestly wasn't mad when we finally said bye to them (especially the toxic characters).

I loved Molly and Alex's' journeys together and how they brought out the best in one another. I don't think the romance was intended to be the focus here, but rather the relationship (friendship, romantic, etc.) between the two main characters as a whole and how they help each other.. Their friendship was gorgeous and blossomed in a stunning fashion. This book definitely stole my heart!

4.5 stars rounded up. I've been somewhat in a rut lately when it comes to wlw romances, both ya and adult and lately it's felt like they all range from mediocre to bad. This was a great palate cleanser and a reminder of how sweet and fun the subgenre can be. Alex and Molly were so lovable and this book is truly hard to put down, even if it is predictable.

I would seriously die for Molly and Alex.

I'll be honest that I was expecting the quintessential fluffy, predictable, enemies-to-lovers rom-com, where well... she gets the girl and everything goes to plan. I got that but so much more and it was one of the greatest and most heartwarming stories that I've read.

She Gets the Girl is a story about love, yes, but it's also a story about self-discovery, well closer to rediscovery. It's about two queer girls, but their queerness isn't at the center stage which I appreciated, it's there, it's a part of them, and there's no big discourse about it. The normalization of queer culture in this book is something I adored about it.

She Gets the Girl is more a story about what happens after we leave the systems and the environments that we're used to and then trying to figure out or be the person who we've always wanted to be. But part of that is also realizing that that sort of ideal is often not what we think it is, and perhaps the girl we found along the way is much more important.

The book was also just frankly adorable, and I found myself falling in love with Alex and Molly on every page.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

CW: alcoholic parent, car accident, toxic relationship, internalized racism, brief mention of racist bullying (past), parental neglect

What a sweet read! I'm pretty picky with my contemporary romances, but this one certainly hit the spot. I found myself loving both POVs and getting invested in each characters' story so quickly, and I absolutely adored the Twelfth Night vibes. I do wish this was marketed more as NA rather than YA (which is why I'm shelving it as such), but overall, I had a lovely time with this light-hearted rom-com.

Molly Parker is an anxious introvert who has had a crush on Cora Myers for years and thinks that college is the fresh start she needs to get the girl. Alex Blackwood is rough around the edges, used to shouldering the world on her own and taking care of herself and her mother, and college is the chance to prove to her sort-of girlfriend and herself that she's more than a commitment-phobic daughter of a drunk.

Their worlds probably shouldn't have collided, but hey. Where's the fun in that?

I loved the premise of this: two girls from different lives who have trouble forming attachments strike up an unlikely friendship. And, if this had been a story about unlikely friendship, I think I would have enjoyed it more.

I recognize what the authors were getting at, and I'm actually glad that neither Molly or Alex ended up with Cora or Natalie. While I liked Cora in the beginning, it almost felt like the authors wanted to make her slightly unlikeable in order to justify Molly and Alex at the end, which, I think cheapens things. Prior to them actually tentatively dating, Cora was nice. She was supportive and considerate. I think that there could have been another way to show the incompatibility between Molly and Cora to harken back to Alex's assertion early on that Molly was in love with a fantasy version of Cora.

With Alex, I cheered. Natalie was a bitch and I'm glad she got kicked to the curb.

The individual character arcs, however, were handled amazingly. I loved how both of their individual stories resolved. Which brings me back to my main qualm: I really, really wish this had been a story of friendship. I loved that they both pushed each other out of their comfort zones, that they bonded. They had amazing friend chemistry, and I just think that it would be more impactful.

All in all, I enjoyed this, but I wished the ending was different.

She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick is an adorable YA romance. Shy Molly leaves for college with the goal of breaking out of her shell and going after Cora, the girl she's crushed on through all of high school. Alex, the constant flirt, wants to leave her reputation behind and prove to her girlfriend Natalie that she can be serious and committed. When Alex takes it upon herself to help Molly win Cora's affections, they're both surprised by how things turn out.
This book is so sweet and so fun to read. You can't help but root for Molly and Alex as they learn to love themselves while also trying to grow as people. It's so nice to read a queer romance where no one is closeted and homophobia isn't a plot point. Plus, one of the best things about this heartwarming book...it's written by wives! Truly the cutest.

This is a really well done coming of age story that I wish was around when I was younger. It was entertaining and kept me wanting to know what happens to the characters. If I was still working in a high school library I would certainly purchase this book for my students.

A sweet romance about two young women, becoming friends, learning about themselve, standing up for themselves andlearning what they really want and need and maybe it's not what they thought

Everything about this book was a solidly written college-aged f/f romance. Wonderful and witty banter, slow-burn tension, a roller skating rink scene, and much more. I guess my only complaint is that we do not see the two of them together until right at the very end and I wish that we could've had an epilogue or one more chapter where they're making out in a library or going roller skating with friends or just something else. Also, this technically tiered towards young adults, and technically you can categorize college-aged books either way. As someone in college, I almost wish it was new adult, so we could get more older adult themes or even one spicy scene. Again, very cute for young adult, it's just a personal preference. Thank you so much for the ARC! It made my heart warm and happy.

It is only February, and this book is going to be my favorite book of the year. Reading this book felt like falling in love. I couldn't stop talking about it. The gimmick of wives writing together, I'm sold. It was obvious that these two people were in love writing about falling in love, and it was magical. Molly and Alex were both incredible, and the way their friendship blossomed into feelings was so organic and lovely. Here's to hoping somebody makes this into a movie, because I can't wait to see that final scene on screen.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

She Gets the Girl by Rachel Lippincott is not my usual read.I do pick up YA contemporaries from time to time, but they've been scarce as of late.

She Gets the Girl is so sweet. If you're looking for something light that addresses some social issues, but without going too deep, this is for you. It tells the story of two very different girls who end up at the same college. Both of them looking to change their lives for the better.

Alex is a serial flirt with something to prove. Her girlfriend doesn't believe that Alex could stay faithful until they see each other again, and Alex is going to prove her wrong. Molly is a super anxious and introverted girl who is looking forward to coming out of her shell in a new environment - and it doesn't hurt that her high school crush is going to the same school. This is her chance to step out of her comfort zone and ask Cora out... if she can get the courage to speak to her first.

Alex and Molly are total opposites, but soon realise that they might be able to help each other in their own goals. Alex could teach Molly to get the girl, and Molly could help Alex prove to her girlfriend that she can be trusted and that she is helping others. But things are rarely as straightforward, and a really sweet friendship is born. The question is: are their goals really what's best for the,?

I honestly enjoyed this book so much. It was the sweet, fluffy, pick me up I needed! I would happily recommend this to any YA reader.The topics it deals with feel organic and it doesn't force any subject, which is already a great attribute in any book.

I'm sure this will be a great summer read for anyone looking for contemporary YA, especially those looking for a sapphic read!

I am an absolute sucker for romances between characters who become each others person and best friend. It's just ten times better because it focuses on queer women in college who are dealing with so much separately. The authors illustrate two polar opposite but realistic college experiences for their two characters but make them fit the narrative perfectly.

This book was absolutely fantastic. It was an easy read that made me happy cry. It was one that I am excited to be able to recommend to students who want more queer books without being too adult. It doesn't focus on coming out or dealing with sexuality, which is always a positive for me.

A very sweet and quick book with engaging characters and plot. It was definitely a delightful read and I look forward to reading more from these authors.