This book was really sweet. Our two main leads were relatable, their issues felt real and authentic, and their personalities were quirky enough to be interesting without being overdone. Could definitely work for the entire spectrum of YA ages and even mature middle grade.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC.

Loved this so much! ‘She Gets the Girl’ by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick is one of my top favorite reads of the year so far. It was sweet, romantic, a little angsty, real, heartwarming, a bit heartbreaking, funny, fun, swoony. Alex, Molly, this story totally stole my heart and I can’t recommend it enough. Drop everything and read ‘She Gets the Girl’!

𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙗𝙮 𝙃𝙏𝙋 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 (𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠-𝙮𝙤𝙪!). 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣.

To set the scene…
I want to set the scene for you on how I heard about She Gets The Girl: I was laying in my bed, scrolling through my

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My reaction to seeing She Gets The Girl on my FYP
FYP on TikTok (as any good Gen Z-er would) when a video with the caption “the feminine urge to write a sapphic college-aged romcom with your wife, set at the school & in the city you fell in love in” with pics of Pittsburgh and an adorable lesbian couple popped up on my page. This immediately peaked my interest, as a Sapphic person who met their girlfriend in college in Pittsburgh. It was like the FYP Gods were smiling on me. That was back in November, and She Gets The Girl has been on my mind ever sense. The book is a collaborative effort between real life wives Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick, which is also stuck majorly with me. Let me tell you folks: Lippincott and Derrick did NOT disappoint.

“Well, I guess I got the girl after all.”

Told in dual POV, alternating chapters, the book follows moody and stormy Alex Blackwood making the big move from Philly to Pittsburgh and sweet, poorly-dressed Molly Parker making the, well, less big move from her small suburb in Southern, PA, to the city. Alex arrives fresh off of a breakup, while Molly is looking to find love with Cora, the girl she has been practically in love with since high school…who doesn’t even know she exists. When Alex realizes she can help Molly get the girl, she jumps at the chance, hoping it’ll prove she is more than just a friendless flirt to her ex. Despite the girls dislike and distrust for one another, they develop a relationship far deeper than what either intended.

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This book has EVERYTHING: lesbians (woot,) palachinkas, grumpy food truck owners, surprise boners, enemies to lovers, and a swoon worthy roller-skating (not) date.

Something special…
Something worth noting that this book DOESN’T have: a traumatic coming out story. A common thing in queer stories is the need for characters to have to come out in some big, dramatic way, with generally some gut wrenching fall out. She Gets The Girl avoids that. The book is a celebration of queer joy and queer love!

I loved the back and forth POVs that really highlighted Alex and Molly’s distinct differences. Lippincott and Derrick do a wonderful job of fleshing out their heroines, warts and all.

Possible trigger warnings to be aware of: Alcohol abuse, car accidents, and racism.


Overall, She Gets The Girl, is a queer love story for the ages. However, it is more than just a romance between two women. It is also about the power of friendship and what an important foundation to romance that can be. I would recommend She Gets The Girl for more than just Sapphic or Queer individuals, but lovers of love overall.

This is a cute and fun story with a lot of heart. Alex and Molly both have a lot to offer in different ways, and from different points of view and backgrounds. Never the less, they both want what we all want, to be liked or loved for who we are, and to be able to return that love, whether in a family relationship or a love relationship.

Rainbows and Sunshine book blog
23 April 2022

I loved this book! Sapphic slowburn rom com with roller skating and practice dates at it's perfection! Also dislike at first sight!

Alex and Molly are messy and real and so relatable. Molly is awkward, nerdy and lonely and I think I died from second hand embarrassment at that scene with bananas and condoms. And Alex is outgoing and flirty and confident, the complete opposite to Molly. But together, they are just perfect!

I love that it seamlessly shifts in POV and we get to them both very well. It's hard to read about Alex's struggle with her alcoholic mom or Molly's mom's stuggle about being Korean. But it's also funny, cute, great chemistry between the MCs and overall such a great book.

This was my first book by the authors and it made my day to realize that they are married in real life!!!

CW: underage drinking, internalised racism (parent), alcoholic parent

Rep: lesbian MCs, Korean American MC, sapphic side characters

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

I’ve been looking for a college-age sapphic romance for a while and this was exactly what I wanted! The romance, the friendships, the growth? All to die for. I’m going to buy a physical copy as soon as humanly possible.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cck0EjiAV9_/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= for my review.
This book was given to me for free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read this book.
I am absolutely a sucker for sapphic romance, it makes my bi heart scream.
This book starts a little slow, as a lot of sapphic romances tend to. Like I'm talking not finding out they love each other until literally 90% in. That's really my only complaint.
Molly reminds me a lot of myself, especially with how clumsy she is and sometimes she talks out her butt so to speak. But she's adorable.
The representation is great too--a lot of lesbian stories aren't diverse, and the authors truly applied themselves in that department. I also think it's super cool that two wives wrote this. Their dedication to each other too in the acknowledgements. 😭😭😭


I will likely buy the physical copy upon release.

Too few young adult books choose to spend time in the confusing melting pot that is college. Sure, high school is fun with its homecoming queens and promposals, but learning to navigate life on your own for the first time comes with its own set of problems and bigger stakes. She Gets The Girl is the rare YA novel targeting post-high school life, and it does so brilliantly. Written by real-life partners Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick, She Gets The Girl is a queer romance centered on the girl with all the right moves and the gawky wallflower she takes under her wing.

Alex Blackwood is effortlessly cool. She’s great at flirting and has no problem with confidence, but her commitment issues keep her on-again, off-again girlfriend Natalie from taking her seriously. Molly Walker is a sheltered teenager who nursed a secret crush on popular girl Cora for all four years of high school. When Molly winds up at the same college as Cora, she decides this is her chance to be bold and go after the girl of her dreams … if only her social awkwardness wasn’t holding her back. To prove to Natalie that she can be a selfless friend (not just a flirt looking for an easy hook up), Alex volunteers to help Molly in her quest to win Cora’s heart after Molly’s initial efforts go awry. The two don’t mix well at first, though their mutual dislike soon turns to genuine friendship. But could their newfound relationship become something more?


Anyone who’s seen even one 90s romcom knows how this story ends. But the journey to get there is entertaining and a unique spin on the genre. Both Alex and Molly have hidden depths that are gradually revealed over the course of the story. Molly struggles with memories of racist bullying for her Korean heritage while Alex hides her dysfunctional home life with her mother, who struggles with alcoholism. The authors aren’t afraid to make both girls a bit unlikeable to start, and it only makes their growth arcs stronger. The romance between them is a true slow burn in a way that many young adult romances are afraid to tackle. Alex and Molly don’t have one scene of vague dislike followed by an immediate connection; their feelings develop organically over the course of the narrative and take a while to resolve. She Gets The Girl is written in dual POV, which also strengthens the romance for the reader and is a fun storytelling choice.

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But while the romance of She Gets The Girl is the clear focus of the story, I found the novel’s depiction of college life to be incredibly accurate and surprisingly moving. Living away from home for the first time brings with it a host of complicated feelings that are fully explored for Alex, Molly, and their friends. There’s also plenty of hilarity involved, but I appreciated that the authors did not downplay the struggles that come with going away to school and trying on new versions of yourself.

It was also a bold decision to write and market this book as YA when it likely would have sold well as a New Adult novel with a few spicier scenes added. That choice makes She Gets The Girl a perfect choice for teens looking for a book that discusses more adult topics without an increased focus on sex scenes. While plenty of college age readers are looking for sexier reads, there are also many who don’t find them appealing but still want to read a fun romance. She Gets The Girl is perfect for those readers.


She Gets The Girl is an excellent addition to the LGBTQIA+ enemies-to-lovers canon (with a dash of an old school makeover romcom to boot). It is available now wherever books are sold.

Gah my little heart is so full! I feel like my heart is overflowing with how much I loved this book. It just brought me so much joy. I know none of this is new as there are so many reviews about how adorable this book is. I just want to add to those reviews with my own gushing review.
This books is not only a great romance but it tackles some serious subjects as well. This book handles its subjects delicately while still giving it the time it deserved. My only wish is that there was more of this amazing book to read.

When I saw this was a sapphic enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, I jumped at the chance to read this book. And, even better, it’s set in Pittsburgh! And even more better, this is actually written by a married writing team, which is pretty darn cute.

Starting college is the perfect chance to reinvent yourself, or at least that’s what Molly and Alex hope. After a bad start at a party, Alex realizes Molly is exactly what she needs. She’ll create a five step plan for Molly to get out of her head and talk to her crush – and she’ll prove to her ex that she’s more than the selfish flirt she accused her of being. But between pretend dates and other exercises, Alex and Molly slowly become friends and then, just maybe, something else. Will reaching their goals be everything they wanted?

“Hey, it’s not my fault you didn’t make a move.”
“Kinda hard to do that when you get called out for being a virgin,” she says, her dark eyebrows jutting angrily down.
“Kinda hard to when you’re making excuses before you even try,” I fire back.


While this takes place as the characters are starting college, this definitely feels young adult to me, as one of the main focuses is each of them figuring out who they are and who they want to be. Both characters start the book pretty flawed. Alex is used to caring for her alcoholic mom (and hiding it), and the only person she’s ever told is her rockband girlfriend Natalie, who accuses her of flirting too much and generally never opening up. They get in a huge fight the night before Alex leaves for college about the fact that she can’t say “I love you” back. Molly’s only friend is her mom. She’s determined to change that in college and even more determined to finally shoot her shot with her longtime crush, Cora. First she has to actually, you know, talk to her. While they’re initially dismissive of the other, they slowly realize that the other has qualities they admire. Alex can’t understand how Molly is able to be vulnerable about her issues, while Alex has never been able to open up to her long-time girlfriend. And Molly is frankly envious that Alex is able to flirt so shamelessly with anyone at anytime. But Molly’s social anxiety is absent when talking with Alex – which she cluelessly believes is because Alex doesn’t matter to her – and maybe this whole “love guru” thing will work out. As the “steps” – which Alex basically makes up on the spot – progress, Alex starts being able to open up and be vulnerable.

It’s very slow-burn. Most of the book is Alex putting Molly through her five step “plan” to get Cora, so while there’s a lot of time with them interacting, there’s not a lot of time with them as a couple. But the way their friendship builds is absolutely amazing, as they learn to lean on each other and be vulnerable. Watching the two of them fall in love while being mostly clueless about it is absolutely adorable. Plus, there’s several amusing references to Twelfth Night which I loved.

“Some things have to fall apart because they don’t belong together, but some things belong so much they could never break.”


Overall, a very sweet but hard-hitting, extremely slowburn sapphic romance that hit all the right notes! I definitely hope the authors team up again and I’ll be keeping an eye out for their next book!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Alex Blackwood hasn't had an easy life, her mom is less than reliable and her dad took off years ago. But she thinks her girlfriend is the one and the best thing that ever happened to her so she will do anything to keep her. Even if that means helping poor sheltered Molly finally get with the girl of a dreams.
Molly Parker has never had a proper friend. And she's been into Cora for as long as she remembers, so when the two of them start talking and hanging out, she can't say no to Alex's offer to show her how to make Cora truly fall for her. It's not like Molly could ever fall for someone like Alex...

I loved this so much. It had layered and captivating characters who were sometimes infuriating. But the two MCs both grew so much and I loved seeing it. The plot took me to unexpected places and I loved every single second of it.
I read this in two days, I just could not stop reading. I also liked getting to know the side characters and found the family dynamics really interesting.
The romance was so on point and I was rooting for them the entire time, I felt everything they felt and loved every second of it. I honestly just wish they were as codependent and that we had more roller skating! That's my only two drawbacks.
I truly hope Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick write more books together.

She Gets the Girl, by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick, follows two girls who are just starting their freshman year of college. Molly Parker has never really had a real friend except for her mother, and is hoping for a fresh start in college. She's been nursing a crush on Cora, a girl from her high school, for years, and wants the fact that they are going to the same college to be an opening for her to finally ask her out. Meanwhile, Alex Blackwood has spent the past several years taking care of her alcoholic mother, and has just been broken up with by her girlfriend for constantly fliritng with other girls and not taking the relationship seriously enough. She decides that helping Molly get together with Cora could simultaneously prove to her ex-girlfriend that she can take things seriously and can form connections with people without flirting with them, so that her ex might consider getting back together with her. As the two spend more time together, they begin to have doubts as to whether the girls that they're pursuing are really the ones that they want to be with, or whether they might be better suited for each other instead.

I definitely liked Molly more than Alex, which is unsurprising considering that I tend to like characters that I can relate to personality-wise. I will say that I spent the entire book wishing that they would just say that Molly has anxiety; her issues definitely far surpassed being "shy." I also think she needs therapy, but that's a seperate issue. I really enjoyed her relationship with her mother; she had relied on her throughout high school, but now doesn't know how to navigate that relationship as she shifts to her college lifestyle, which felt like one of the most interesting plots in the book. Their relationship is further complicated by the way in which Molly's mother, who had been adopted from Korea by white parents, rejects her heiritage, which in turn makes Molly feel confused about that portion of her own identity. I really wish that aspect of the book had been explored in greater detail. Overall, Molly is very promising, but there are lots of aspects of her character that could have been explored in much greater depth, rather than relying on her chapters to simply be plot development in terms of her trying to get together with Cora with

Alex is complicated and much better-developed than Molly. She has a job to pay for college and for her mother's expenses, and her mother's alcoholism is an unexpectedly=explored sideplot. Alex definitely feels much more complex and rounded-out than Molly; Molly's personality basically reduces to "shy and studious," but Alex feels like a human. I think that Molly has the potential to match Alex's in that sense, but just was not given the same amount of development that the authors gave the latter.

The side characters vary drastically in quality. Cora and Natalie, the protagonists' original love interests, just have nothing appealing about them; I genuinely could not understand what Alex and Molly saw in them. Their mothers were much more interesting, and I also enjoyed Molly's brother and Alex's boss.

The plot is cute, even if a bit predictable. It's clear from reading the description exactly how the plot will be structured; there is no added complexity, no surprising turns, nothing. However, it is a very light, rom-com-type read, so that isn't necessarily what readers are looking for in this book. Do I think that the authors could have added a little more interest to the plot structure? Absolutely. Was I necessarily looking for a deep book or an extremely well-developed relationship? Nope. I wanted a fluffy queer girl romance and that's what I got, so I'm really not too disappointed with that aspect of the book.

My main issue with the book is that the character development feels too sudden for both characters. It's not really gradual; it just jumps a bit from extreme anxiety to mild shyness for Molly and lots of commitment issues to no commitment issues for Alex. There was definitely space to have a more gradual transition, but that just didn't really happen.

Overall, I did really enjoy She Gets the Girl. If you're looking for a cute, rom-com-esque romance, then this is absolutely something that you should pick up. It is fluffy and adorable and has a very shippable slow-burn romance, which helps to excuse the relatively predictable plot, and makes the hastily-done character development easier to bear. I'm giving this book 4/5 stars; I really enjoyed it and would happily read it again, but there were unfortunately a few hard-to-overlook issues with it that prevent me from rating it higher.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alex wants to prove to the girl of her dreams that she doesn’t just care about herself. Molly wants to recreate herself during her first semester at college, so that she’ll be noticed by the girl of her dreams. Their paths cross, and Alex convinces Molly that she can help her get her girl…

This book is as much about starting college and finding your way as it is about romance. It’s about changing relationships within families and setting boundaries. It’s even about racial identity and how parents and kids deal with it.

Are the characters a bit self-centered? Sure, but most teenagers are. Does she “get the girl”? Maybe…but on the journey to getting the girl, there’s also a bit of redemption and a lot of self-discovery. No huge surprises, but I was happy with how everything turned out.

I hope there will be more books forthcoming by this pair!

Alex Blackwood, reeling from a volatile break-up desperately needs to come up with a way to prove to her now-ex that she is capable of being loyal. Molly Parker has (basically) followed her crush out to college, where she has high hopes of finally getting noticed by her. Helping Molly get the girl may be just the thing Alex needs to get her ex back, but the thing is, they hadn't exactly gotten off on the right foot...

This book was honestly highly enjoyable, which is why it is a 4.5/5.

The characters were quite easy to care for and their struggles apart from relationship things were well written and easy to understand. While I cannot, for the life of me, understand why Molly would follow a crush (who she has never spoken to!) out to college, the book does give explanation for it. The side characters, while not really appearing that often were still distinct and likeable.

Both of the characters' quests for independence were interesting. I think everyone will be able to relate to some aspect of this part of the story, whether from Alex or Molly's side. It was nice to see varied and complex family dynamics.

Alex and Molly were really cute together -- their relationship was brilliantly written and well developed. I really wouldn't say that this was hate to love, it's more of ... dislike/annoyance to love, which is honestly also good. I really enjoyed seeing the girls grow together and come to understand each other better,

The book was well written and well paced -- when the conflict came, I have to admit, it did make my heart twist. I really enjoyed each step of Alex's plan, and they were all distinct from each other.

Overall, this book was great fun! Although I would get frustrated at times whenever a character would be a little too idealistic, that was only a teeny-tiny deterrence to my overall enjoyment of the book.

What a cutie book! This book follows two college freshmen helping each other get the girls they both (think they) love.

This book was such an easy and fun read, the story was cute and had a lot of emotional depth. But, my favorite thing about this book was that it was simply a story celebrating WLW, where the main characters' sexual orientations were never questioned and never treated like anything abnormal. It was very refreshing to read a story without homophobia, and instead focused on absolutely normal sapphic love. 💖

This is a funny, cute, touching read that I found to be quite relatable at times. I love that this book was co-authored by a married couple that actually met at the university the main characters are attending. That just makes it all the more adorable!

As a University of Pittsburgh alum, I had extremely high hopes for this book given its Pitt setting and WOW did it not disappoint.

She Gets the Girl is a deeply charming coming of age and love story. Alex and Molly were such well rounded characters, easy to root for both in their own personal development and coming together as a couple. I loved the college setting both because the authors allow Pitt to become almost a character of its own in the story (again, I’m biased!) and that it gave our characters freedom to discover how they wanted to become independent adults (Molly in building her own confidence and Alex in learning to trust others). I don’t usually enjoy friends to lovers as a trope, but it’s used so perfectly here that you can truly FEEL the friendship flourish and then the moment when things begin to deepen and change. The book is compulsively readable, I only put it down when I literally had to do something else.

Truly I can’t rave about this book enough. Lippincott & Derrick are a wonderful writing team and I look forward to so many more books from them!

She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick, a married couple who have excelled with this endeavor. It's a romance as well as a coming of age story. The coming of age far overshadows the romance. Molly is a half-Korean girl who is beyond shy. She has just arrived at university and is determined to change her life. Alex is an uber-responsible girl that come from a broken home, which has left her with an alcoholic mother, whom she takes care of. She is off to college, too, despite drunken pleas from her mother. She spends her last night in Philly with her girlfriend, who proclaims her love. Alex can respond, instead running, exactly as her father had done when he left her. Natalie thinks she's immature and just in it for the fun. She knows many of Alex's secrets but can't put them all together to really know Alex and what makes her tick. At the first party of the years Alex and Molly run into each other. Molly has a crush on a girl at the party but is too shy to make a move. Alex decides to take her under her wing and get her up to snuff, proving to Natalie that she is not totally self-centered, but can be a good friend.

This is a lesbian romance, not so much different than a heterosexual romance. The hard part for me is that it's about 18-year-olds. There is so much angst and drama. I left that all years ago and am not anxious to go back. Alex and Molly, especially are well-drawn characters who are perfect for their age. Alex makes another friend, her boss at the food truck she has been working at. He helps her when she needs it (with her mom) and kind of takes care of her. Natalie never even found out about him. It was a moving story, one repeated in some form by most kids this age, gay or not. It's all about growing up. Never easy.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of She Gets the Girl by Simon and Schuster through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #siomnandschuster #rachaellippincott #alysonderrick #shegetsthegirl

She Gets The Girl follows an old school formula and it results in a wonderful gem of a storyline. The old school formula in this case was "extrovert flirt tries to teach introverted new lesbian how to get the girl." Of course along the way some feelings emerge forcing each character to reevaluate what they were actually looking for. Even though it was an old school set up, it did not feel old at all. The journey that these characters go on is just so good.

Alex is known for flirting and turning heads both male and female. In the past, she has had no problem using this to her advantage and doesn't get attached. Now, she has found a girl who she can see herself being with for a while but, the girl doesn't believe Alex is ready to fully commit. Alex is determine to prove her wrong and when she meets the awkward Molly at a college part, she sees a way to finally prove herself. Molly is the opposite of Alex but wants to reinvent herself while she is in college. She also wants to finally tell the girl from high school that she has crush on her. Although they have almost nothing in common Alex and Molly agree to help each other reach their personal goals

From the moment Alex and Molly meet, there is banter. There is also an awkward game of Never Have I Ever. The dialogue between them is just so crisp. It jumps off the page as the chapters alternate between each characters point of view. I really enjoyed each characters voice and how they evolved throughout the story. The more time Alex spend with Molly the more she wants to open herself up more like Molly does. Molly equally wants to be more daring like Alex. They bring out the best in each other and allow themselves to be vulnerable.

As both Alex and Molly are freshman in college, I really enjoyed the descriptions of the dorms and college campus. Even though I didn't wind up moving into a dorm room until I transferred in my junior year. I related to Molly as she tried to adapt to her surroundings. Alex lives off campus in an apartment and had to find a job in order to support herself. This all felt very realistic to the college experience. There was also moments of roommate issues and new friendships all of which provided good background for what was going on between Alex and Molly.

I wasn't aware when I first picked up She Gets The Girl that it was written by a real life married couple. Rachael Lippincot and Alyson Derrick write so well together Everything flows together so well and they sure know how to write a slow burn. I can not say enough about their writing style and how it felt balanced but casual as if you were right there with Alex and Molly. I also enjoyed the fact that the authors were not afraid to delve into the more serious topics of the mother/daughter relationship, alcoholism, and personal heritage. It did not feel over done or like it was just a plot point. The characters evolved into more independent and strong individuals.

She Gets The Girl is a cute romantic comedy that kept me engaged from beginning to end. I fell hard for these characters, their bantering, and their vulnerability. Everything was just so realistic and pulled on my heart strings. I'm sad to say goodbye to these characters and their ever evolving relationship. If given the chance I would visit them time and time again to see what they are up to. They are just that good, and I highly recommend others to give it a chance.

Alex Blackwood has always been able to get the girl, but keeping the girl is another story. Molly Parker is incredibly shy, and having relied on her mother as her best friend throughout high school, she’s hoping for a fresh start in college. When the two meet at Pitt, their polar opposite personalities clash, but Alex soon realizes that Molly may be the answer to her problems. Alex figures if she can help Molly get the girl of her dreams, Cora, then that will show her ex-girlfriend that she’s more than just an unreliable flirt.

I have absolutely loved Rachael Lippincott’s previous three novels, and this one, co-written with her wife, Alyson Derrick, was another winner! The story delivers nostalgic late 90s/early 2000s rom-com movie vibes with the addition of LGBTQ+ representation, and is an unputdownable, quick read. As a lifelong Pennsylvania resident, I’m all about books set in PA, and I love that Lippincott and Derrick set this novel at their alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, and pulled from their own college experiences and love story. While overall this is a light-hearted, feel-good story, it also touches on deeper topics, such as alcoholism, mental health, and racism, and the character development is beyond outstanding. In addition to the lead characters, Alex and Molly, the supporting characters of their very different mothers, and food truck Jim, add so much additional depth. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to all readers!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for my gifted e-ARC!