Thank you, Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, for a copy of this book! 

I would rate this book 4 stars (a 3.8 star rating)! I love the angst of each character, like you can actually see their strengths, potential, and the like. As a college student, I can feel Alex and Molly's fears and worries, and I deeply understand the complications they face. 

There are plenty of entries for humor, but there are painful parts that will put a dagger in your heart, especially when race, social anxiety, drug addiction, alcoholism, and toxic relationships (romantic or not) are mentioned. Moreover, I reflected that there will always be a large gap between our fantasy and reality--but we must choose the truest one no matter what.

This is my second read by Rachael Lippincott, and today, written with Alyson Derrick, her wife. I loved every bit of it. Such an enjoyable story.

I thought this book was pretty fun, though I was left wanting a bit more!! I think both characters on their own were huge standouts--the authors created nuanced and complicated characters with tough backstories and issues well! I loved reading about Alex's struggles with her mom, who is an alcoholic, and Molly's struggle with social anxiety felt SO authentic to my own experience. I'm absolutely in love with the fact that this book takes place in college, as I don't think we get many of those.

The one place where I wished for more was the budding romance between Alex and Molly. As they get to know each other, I feel like we don't see much romantic development beyond a couple scenes showing some physical attraction. I wish we got some more scenes convincing us why they're good for each other, and like each other romantically.

I also wished for a bit nuance with Alex's relationship with Natalie, as Natalie's characterization felt a bit out of left field to me, as if the authors were just looking for a reason to get rid of their relationship. On the other hand, I did enjoy how Cora and Molly's relationship was dealt with, though I wish their final scene was a bit longer!

This one started a teeny bit rough for me. I don’t know if it was the writing or the fact that I’d just read two other books in which a parent was an alcoholic, so I was kind of worn out on that idea? It didn’t feel quite authentic in those opening chapters, but maybe that’s because at that point, Alex was her most inauthentic self.

At any rate, once I was three or so chapters into the book, I felt like things smoothed out and I started to really like both Molly and Alex a lot. I loved watching their friendship develop and watching Molly find her confidence and Alex find the ability to open up and let herself genuinely care about someone.

One of the things I think SHE GETS THE GIRL does really well is deliver complicated relationships. Natalie isn’t the perfect girlfriend, so Alex’s goal of reuniting with her isn’t as simple as it looks, and I found I had a lot of feelings about that, in a good way. I also thought the relationship between Alex and her mom was well done. At first I thought it would be kind of one-dimensional, but I liked that Alex began to unpack her feelings about her relationship with her mom and how she was responding to her mom’s behavior.

Molly also had a complex relationship with her mom. I felt like there was a good balance there, too, of giving enough time and space in the story to bring up some of those issues without it dominating or taking over the whole book.

On the whole, I can say this wife-wife duo delivered exactly the sweet romance I was looking for. I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it.

Shy and socially awkward Molly is starting her first year at college, worried about making friends, and vows to be more social and try to get close to her high school crush who is at the same college. Tall, gorgeous, and outgoing Alex befriends Molly and says she’ll help her get the girl of her dreams, but Molly thinks she’s shallow and obnoxious. Emotionally closed-off Alex has had to leave her alcoholic mother behind to start college and is trying to prove to her girlfriend that she can trust her while they are apart. She thinks helping Molly will be the good deed that shows she can be a better person. As they spend more time together with Alex coaching Molly on how to put herself out there, the two become closer than either of them expected.

This book is told in dual first person POV and reads like a double coming-of-age more than anything. Most of the book focuses on their individual journeys as much as their friendship. Molly and Alex have so much to work through to get to a better place emotionally. It was so lovely to see these young women slowly open up to each other and make a best friend for the first time in their lives. The romance element is extremely slow burn, mostly taking place after they have a solid base of friendship, only starting about ¾ of the way into the book! If I were to judge this book solely as a romance, that would not work for me at all. Way too slow! But!!! Reading about their personal journeys to become the women they were meant to be and become such close friends was really satisfying in and of itself. So if you think of it as a parallel coming-of-age book with a romance element at the end, it’s more satisfying. It was also a bit slow to get going, I think the first half of the book could have been reduced by about 80 pages and I would have liked a little more attraction between Molly and Alex earlier on to heighten the tension between them, even if they weren’t totally aware of their feelings. I still really enjoyed and absolutely recommend this book, just be aware it's not a fast-paced or super romantic read.

Steam level: Zero. It’s YA, 14+, and there’s no sex on or off page
Rep: Biracial Korean/white lesbian MC, white lesbian MC, various queer side characters
CW: Alcoholic parent, toxic relationships (not between MCs), internalized racism (side character), underage drinking

Molly and Alex are literally everything. I love them this friends to lovers book is so cute. It’s college romance and coming of age and being authentic all in one. Such a great easy read.

I am obsessed with this story. This has just become my go to recommendation for people wanting Sapphic YA books.

Molly and Alex are such loveable characters. Molly overcoming her shyness and learning to embrace the world, Alex learning how to be less flirty and outgoing in an attempt to open up more and embrace herself is just a gorgeous parallel. The dual POV is done so well, I really loved seeing each of their perspectives of their relationship and the world around them. The friends to pining to lovers trope can be irritating, but this was done so well I can't imagine people not loving it as much as I did.

Romance, plans, college antics, and realizing that what you need is right under your nose. Honestly, what could be bad about any of that? Nothing. If I can convince you to read one book this year, it should absolutely be this one.

Thank you so much to Simon Teen and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is by far one of the cutest and most heartwarming sapphic books I've ever read. I absolutely adored this book. Lippincott and Derrick truly knocked it out of the park. From the first page to the last I was completed sucked into the story and never wanted to get out. I could read so many books about Alex and Molly. Well done! This was phenomenal!

4.25 Stars. This was a lovely read. This book reminded me of all the teenage rom-com movies I watched as a teenager, in the late 90’s, except for that the mains in this book are queer. I would have killed for a movie like this growing up in that time period. Anyway, the blurb mentions how this had the feel of She’s All That, and it just happens that it was one of the first movies I compared this book too so I completely agree with that statement. The story here is really nothing new, and there are a few “authors writing together for the first time” bumps, but overall this book just works and it is a read I would easily recommend.

This was a super sweet, best friends to lovers romance. If done well, this trope is really enjoyable to read and makes for a good romance which was the case here. This is very slow burn, and I do wish it was a little less slow because the characters could have used more “couple time” but this book excelled in the ‘building feelings’ part. My favorite part of a romance is the ‘getting to know you’, the dating, when you see things starting to get more serious, and watching a connection build in front of our eyes. This was what this book really was about and it was exactly what I want in a romance.

While there was a lot of sweetness, and lightly funny moments, I was surprised that this book had me close to tears more than once. There are some very emotional parts, and even just feeling badly for a character that is embarrassed or hurt -because it’s like you take a bit of the hit with them-. There were some parts of this book that were really well written, including close psychic distance, which means you actually feel what the main characters are going through and I love that as a reader.

While there were some really well written parts, there were some debut bumps too. (This is a debut for one author and a debut for them as a writing team.) I’m hoping a lot of this was only due to me having an early review copy, but I did find some inconsistency issues and what seemed like head-hopping a few times. There was also some writing that felt a bit choppy which was odd to me. We would go from such a lovely written part, to something that didn’t feel right which was a shame since it jogged me out of my reading zone at times. When this book is on, you fly right through it so in comparison the few bumpy stops were disappointing. Again, hopefully at least some of this will be cleared up and if not, most of these really are newbie writing bumps so that the more these authors write together, the more I expect these issues will go away.

TLDR: This was a really well done YA/NA romance. I’m not sure if I call this YA or New Adult, but that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme since this romance just works. This book brought back some memories of the movies I grew up with, except this was how I wish they were actually written. While this book had some writing bumps, some part were wonderfully written not just for a debut but for any book. I’m excited to read more from this duo and I would absolutely recommend this to best friend to lovers romance fans and rom-com fans. This is one you will not want to miss.

4.75 Stars. This New Adult college lesbian romance is amazing. I came into this with the expectation of a sort of "She's All That" trope, but with lesbians and less the "OMG, she's actually pretty under those glasses!" makeover. Instead you have a gradual coming out of an awkward character, and the more confident of the pair shows her vulnerabilities more.

The story centers around the flirty, chaotic Alex Blackwood, and the more reserved awkward Molly Parker. They both are freshmen at The University of Pittsburgh (or Pitt), and both have goals for their college life. For Alex, it is about becoming financially secure for the first time in her life, and repairing her 6 month long relationship with her girlfriend. Molly just wants to gain the courage to talk to her high school crush and build a life away from her hovering mother. When they meet at a party before the start of the semester, neither is impressed with the other. But there's a deal to be made, and both young women look to gain from this surprising new friendship.

What makes this so good for me is the sneaky way they do the "make over" aspect of Molly's story, and combine it with Alex's outward charisma and her own inner turmoil. Alex projects confidence like it is her job, and Molly needs a shot of that. Molly an introvert who was insolated as a high schooler, but she really wants be involved with college live. When she and Alex get together to work on getting Molly's crush, Alex is surprisingly good about handling Molly's insecurities. Alex is a good coach, even when she is more abrasive. Like when she helps Molly pick out clothes for her "dress to impress" stage, instead of saying Molly's clothes are bad fashion, Alex almost immediately clocks that Molly isn't comfortable wearing the clothes she has. So they go out to find clothes that Molly feels confident in. And it works - Molly looks and feels better about herself and they even get to have a moment where they become more aware of each other.

There are some other really good things in here, like Molly confronting her mother on her rejecting her Korean heritage and hovering, Alex dealing with her alcoholic mother, and just the way college life is presented. Alex's mother hit me particularly hard, and it surprised me how well it was presented. Alex is a smart, capable person, and once it's revealed how badly her parents' mishandling of her mother's alcoholic mother, I just felt for her. While it does lean a little too heavily into "beautiful people are misjudged, too" trope with Alex at times, it didn't bother me as much. We are shown -not told- how Alex's issues with her mother and her not present father affects her decisions in her everyday life. It's just so well and thoughtfully done.

I adore this book, and I believe this will surprise a lot of people. Both Alex and Molly are relatable in their own ways, and I found myself just wanting them to be happy - preferably with each other, as the book went on. If anything, my one complaint was the ending. It felt like it just ended, but I can understand why it was ended like that. But overall, this is probably the best Young Adult/ New Adult title this year.

*I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this story that follows Alex and Molly in the first year at University of Pittsburgh. I identified most with Molly who lacks confidence and is a little socially inept. She secretly pines after Cora for years in high school. Now in the same college, she hopes to get close to her but doesn't know how.

Alex is the ying to Molly's yang. She is charismatic, flirty and confident. Alex offers to help Molly get Cora's attention in an attempt to prove to her long distance GF that she is caring and faithful.

Fun ensues as Alex presents her 5 steps to get the girl to Molly. Pushing her out of her comfort zone and into some pretty funny situations. The two become closer as each character grows into their own and realize what they want out of love.

This heartwarming YA novel will give you all the warm and fuzzy feelings with humor and depth.

I hate to say it but this was kinda fell flat for me. I loved The Lucky List and had the same expectations going into this one and I didn’t enjoy it. Molly was frustrating and Alex deserved better.

What a refreshing and fun read.
An lgbtq rom-com that took me back to my college days. I loved the story line and the characters. The roller skating scene was THE best!
Thank you NetGalley!

This was a beautiful YA/New Adult title. The two main characters--Alex and Molly--were extremely believably young women with realistic concerns, traumas, and expectations. It was beautiful to see them grow as individuals and then together. I loved their two authors writing as a pair. I hope to see more from them. 5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the eARC!

I can’t lie gang, I had incredibly high hopes for this one. The authors (who are wives!! And expecting a baby!!!) have done a great job promoting their book on BookTok, and I nearly cried when I saw I was approved for an ARC. With She’s All That pitched as inspiration and my favorite trope - enemies to lovers - playing a main component in the plot, it’s like this book was practically written for me.

I am happy to report that those high hopes were absolutely met. I really, really loved this book.

In She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott (author of Five Feet Apart) and Alyson Derrick (in her debut!) college freshmen Alex Blackwood and Molly Parker become reluctant allies after a rough introduction when Alex (known flirt and in the doghouse with her ex Natalie) offers to help Molly (lovable nerd with exactly none dating history) get the attention of her too cool crush, Cora. Alex wants to get a break from her stressful home life and prove to her ex that she can make real connections, while Molly is determined to leave her four friendless years of high school behind and really find herself in college. The girls do not stay enemies for long, and as they continue to get to know each other, their friendship reaches new and exciting (and terrifying) places.

God, I loved this book.

First, let's talk mechanics. The novel is written in a dual POV, alternating between Alex and Molly’s first person perspective of what’s happening. Personally, I do not often enjoy reading first person works. I avoid them if I can, and have DNF’d books - or not even picked them up even if I was excited about the plot - because it’s in first person. I did not have that problem reading this book. I found the character voices to be distinctly unique and perfect for the story that was being told. Each chapter was labeled with what character’s POV it was, but by the time I was about a quarter in, I didn’t need them anymore.

Which is a good segue into talking about the pacing of the book. About a quarter in was when that promised “hot girl helps the nerd get the other girl” plot really got started, after all the characters and background information was set in place. It felt natural as opposed to a big lore drop, and it made me more excited to get into the main plot because I felt connected to the characters.

If “Are you an Alex or a Molly?” was a personality quiz, I would absolutely be a Molly. Her love of organization and occasionally crippling self doubt really resonated with me. At one point, Alex says to her “You’ve got a real kink for being in control, don’t you, Molly?” and it felt like a direct callout.

I’m flashing heart eyes at my computer screen over these girls, they were such strong characters with goals independent of each other, which was so refreshing to see. I also loved that they were in college, it was cool to have a YA set outside of high school while still firmly being in the YA genre. These girls read like freshly out into the world college students, and while I’m still much older than them (which, gulp, when did that happen?) it was easier to connect with them and compare my personal experiences with undergrad to theirs.

On top of having independent goals, the girls each felt like solid, well-rounded characters. I don’t read a lot of YA anymore, mostly because I personally struggle to relate to the characters or even see them as fully ‘people’, because a lot of the time I find that the story and the world get more attention than the characters. I don’t know this for sure, but I would absolutely believe it if someone told me that Alex and Molly were based off of the authors’ lives; that’s how real they felt and how believable they were as fully realized creations.

And the love story, y’all. I really am a sucker for enemies to lovers, and while the ending was of course so sweet and wonderful, my favorite part of the book was the two of them becoming friends. For very different reasons, Alex and Molly are both starting college almost entirely alone, and it’s by chance more than anything else that they even meet. It’s their individual stubbornness that keeps them in each others’ lives, and it's the genuine, realistic pace of their developing friendship that makes the “to lovers” part of the enemies to lovers trope feel really rewarding here.

I know I’ve said it so many times already, but I really loved this book. I was grinning the whole time, laughed out loud at multiple moments, and swooned at the ending. She Gets the Girl comes out tomorrow, Tuesday, April 5th, and I can’t encourage you enough times to please please please read this book. You will only be doing yourself a favor.

This book squeezed my heart. It is described as a romcom and it definitely had cute and humorous parts. There is, however, a depth and complexity to the characters that just makes it all that much better. Alex and Molly both have challenges. Alex has an alcoholic mother and acts as her mother's caretaker - a mother to her mother. She doesn't know how to form a healthy relationship, because she's never had a good model. She is, however, a cool girl and knows how to "get the girl." Molly, on the other hand, is socially awkward and has no confidence in herself. Her mom is her best friend. To see these two characters grow is a real joy. The meet cute is absolutely that - a meet cute. Molly and Alex definitely get off on the wrong foot. It was fun to see their relationship build as they banter and open themselves up to each other.

Having two authors worked really well. The dual POV felt authentic. I absolutely enjoyed every part of this book. There’s the perfect amount of humor, angst, slow-burn romance, and real life challenges.

*Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the ebook to review*

This is super voice-y and ends up being really sweet. I loved the characterization of both the main characters. Also, I loved the cover! Four stars.

I really like this book and the storyline. It's happy, it's gay, it's adorable for the most part.

The only thing I didn't vibe with was the age group. Normally YA books and I mesh well, but these fresh out of high school kids were acting every bit the just-graduated bunch. But then you have Alex acting much older than everyone else and it doesn't fit quite right. Granted Alex has her share of trauma but that doesn't necessarily make you an 18 year old Delilah Green.

Overall it's still a 5 star book. The vibes being off are definitely a me problem.

She Gets the Girl was a slow read, it took a bit for the story to grab me, but then the characters grew on me. The growth of Molly and Alex was fun to read. I loved the different POVs. Getting to see the thoughts of both Molly and Alex made the book. A delightful coming-of-age read.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.
#shegetsthegirl #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced review copy!

I absolutely loved the relationship between Alex and Molly. They were witty and funny and had so much great chemistry. As for the book overall, it took me a while to get into it, but once I was able to, I fell right into the story. It was a fast paced read but didn’t go so fast that it skipped over anything major.

“She Gets the Girl” tackled some heavier topics including toxic relationships, alcoholism, internalized racism, among other things. It addressed them with care and while it was left open ended as to what happened next within certain situations, it leaned on the positive side.

This is a great book to anyone who wants a cute, sapphic, slow burn romance but who doesn’t shy away from reading about heavy topics. 4.5/5 stars

Full review to come at: www.maeflowerreads.Wordpress.com

This was such a cute, fun, slow-burn romance. I really enjoyed the character's incredibly distinct voices and how their stories wound together. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon Schuster for an eArc an exchange for an honest review.

TW: alcohol consumption, parental abandonment (past), alcoholic parent, emotional manipulation (parent), racism (internalized), mention of racist bullying (past)