Look I get the hype but this book... just wasn't it for me. I can't say I found it sharp or funny. It just wasn't that relatable.

Sometimes a good essay just HITS. This was great and not at all what I was expecting at the same time. I enjoyed it very much! It read like a podcast that you can just vibe with, you know? Thanks for the ARC, I will definitely be checking out more from Jill in the future.

A mix of both personal biography and cultural analysis, this book is a good look at how the LGBTQ community has been review over the past few decades in media and what that means for personal relationships. Jill's writing is sharp and witty, but loses a point for the overly millennial humor which can get in the way of the analysis and dates the book.

It's Queer and it's Chronically Online!

This is for the 90s babies who grew up in a not so ok time to be Queer so there are a lot of trigger warnings, and it is CRASS.

But I love crass and I love people who are constantly online and talk about pop culture because that's what I do too.

I love this collection of essays!

I couldn't get through this title. It ended up not being for me, but I hope it finds a hope with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This gave me serious Samantha Irby essay vibes. I love the title / concept / topics discussed in this. A great essay collection! Thank you for the opportunity to review it.

I really enjoyed this essay collection. I found them funny, relatable, and interspersed with some serious topics and moments. I think this worked for me because I only read an essay or two a day--I think if I had read all in one go they would've seemed too similar in content after a while.

As a queer millenial who loves all things media, I was fully expecting to see a lot of my life reflected back to me in this book. In these essays, Gutowitz examines various lesbian and WLW media, using them as a framing device for her own experiences and narrative regarding life in the late nineties/early aughts. While I found most of them relatable, I agree with some other reviewers that several of the experiences being presented as "universal" didn't resonate with me or felt like an oversimplification for something that the author could have explored more deeply. Overall, I enjoyed this collection and look forward to future writings from Gutowitz!

Thanks to Atria Books & NetGalley for the digital ARC!

This book is fun if you're a queer 90s kid, though there are other queer essay collections I preferred more over this one. It did make for a fun and interesting book club discussion, though.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jill Gutowitz and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Beautiful, funny and memorable! I am in no way the target audience for this book but I adored it and I believe this has a place on any library's shelf. Love the beautiful cover art as well.

I loved this collection! It is full of heart and humor. I appreciated all of the pop culture references and humor.

This book will appeal to all sexualities, especially millennials. I am most certainly not the target audience for this one, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless!

I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s funny and perfect for anyone who was born in the last 80s to early 90s. The pop culture references were amazing. My one frustration was the lack of intersectionality, and the recognition of privilege Only as an afterthought. But I enjoyed it.

This was a funny, sharp, introspective essay collection perfect for anyone who loves pop culture (and women)

This was such a cool essay collection! Jill is spot on, funny, and vulnerable and I really enjoyed this collection.

I absolutely loved this book - it was a perfect combination of pop culture fun and the type of introspection that is both deeply personal and universally relatable. Perfect for someone who: loves Taylor Swift, read fanfic, is gay, has wanted to live in LA, loves Disney Channel, and more

Described as a “queer social media pioneer,” Jill Gutowitz is very familiar with launching some of her most personal thoughts and memories into cyberspace via Twitter and Instagram, as well as various published essays and articles. What’s not so familiar—putting these musings into book form. Girls Can Kiss now is the resulting essay collection by Gutowitz that dives into her opinions on pop culture, queer culture, and her own sexual identity. I recently spoke with Gutowitz along with Marginalia producer, Haley Crowson, about the current state of queer representation in media and what it was like to release into the world some of her raw and deeply personal experiences. Here’s our conversation.

*As is the nature of a book of essays/memoir, many topics are discussed and could be considered trigger warnings for many people.*

Trigger Warnings: Homophobia, internalized homophobia, Catholicism, cursing, outing, coming out, 9/11, porn, drunk driving, death, cheating, sex, cult, drinking, smoking, toxic friend, heteronormativity, religion, Christianity, sexual assault/rape, pandemic, anxiety

Representation: Lesbian, Jewish, Transgender and Gay side characters, therapy/mental health

Girls Can Kiss Now is a memoir style book of essays that depict the author’s life, as well as letters to her younger self. In these essays, Jill examines her experiences as she grew up, how they relate to her love of pop culture, and her different identities. As someone who came out later in life, she writes of the reality of being queer based on media representation, as well as the shift to a more accepting place of lesbian culture.

I really liked this book! I tend to avoid nonfiction, especially books of essays because I love a love story. I was very surprised that this book was so enjoyable and completely relatable! Jill and I grew up in very similar manners, being the same age and coming out later in life. We both also struggled to find positive queer representation and figure out our paths. I loved how funny she is and the ranting that went on was something straight out of my head.

As a millennial, this book recapped all of my childhood and young adult life. The author incorporates many pop culture references that are perfect for someone my age, but may not be understood by someone from a different generation. I do believe that people of any sexual orientation could also enjoy these hilarious stories! A big warning for anyone with any sexual trauma, this may trigger you! Read with care, please.

This is a great book if you’re a queer woman and as a queer woman I found it funny and relatable and an interesting read. Not sure if will appeal to people outside of that demographic but I definitely enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for an advanced reader copy of this book!

Girls Can Kiss Now is a collection of comedic essays reflecting on queer female desire and experiences of author Jill Gutowitz.

This is a 2/5 star read for me.

This book seems to fit in with a recent trend of being advertised as feminist or progressive LGBTQ text, when it is really more of a memoir with lots of pop culture commentary. This book is just a book, by a woman, reflecting on her own queerness. There are no groundbreaking revelations about either. Pushing the book as either of the aforementioned categories just left me waiting for some sort of message, when there was no significant message present. It let me down. I believe this wouldn’t have been the case if I had a better understanding of the content going into it.

Gutowitz isn’t a bad writer, she is just not the writer for me. Her tone feels like talking to a friend who is always incredibly exited about her new hyperfixation. I appreciate the honesty with which she wrote, and the enthusiasm she showed for topics others usually shy away from. Again, her writing isnt the problem, much of the content just didn’t do anything for me.

If you don’t have an interest in the same side of pop culture that the author does, there is a good chance you will not be interested in a majority of this book. If you’re into major studio movies from the early 2000’s, paparazzi pictures of pop stars, and Taylor Swift album releases, you will love this book. I however am not one of these people, and found myself annoyed to be consistently reading about these topics. However, every word in “Step on Me, Julianne Moore” is absolutely true and correct. “Step on me” desire is absolutely queer culture.

Loved this book. The essays are relatable and funny and I enjoyed the connection with pop culture and the authors development through pop culture