Jill Gutowitz’s essay collection, Girls Can Kiss Now, is part memoir, part social commentary, and partly a lens into pop culture. As a heterosexual Gen Xer, I was not the intended audience for this book. So many of the references to Millennial pop culture (I have never seen the movie Bring it On!) were foreign to me and found myself skimming those sections.

However, as a memoir-writing wannabe, I thoroughly enjoyed the passages that were about Gutowitz’s life. The stories were interesting and enlightening. She opened my eyes to a new way of seeing, illuminating the challenges of growing up in the shadow of a pop culture that either ignored homosexuality or portrayed it as something to avoid, like an illness. Gutowitz writes with humor and candor, revealing her trauma and subsequent growth. I love her writing style, and I often felt as though we were two friends chatting in a coffee shop.

After reading her book, I would definitely follow Gutowitz on Twitter – if I used Twitter!

My thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in any way.

I have been following Jill Gutowitz on Twitter for a couple of years now. She has always been such a positive and insightful individual. When I saw that she was releasing a book, I just knew that I would need to read it. The stories she tells in this novel are funny and honest. Many times I found myself laughing out loud and applauding in agreement.

I am definitely the wrong demographic for this book, despite there being plenty of surface overlap on the topics covered. However, the execution of these essays I can only describe as manic puppy who just learned--and now loves--the word "fuck". It took a very long time for me to figure what this book was even about, as the first half-plus chapters is a flittering of one topic to the next with a quasi-history of lesbian representation in the media to the author's childhood lesbian repression. By maybe the last third, more of a trajectory of a story came out, something that held together the "essays" in a theme, but by this point I had lost all interest. These aren't observational humor essays, they feel more like someone's personal blog ramblings. Honestly, this just reads to me as someone's Covid project more than anything.

I think this book came out at the right time as far as generations of people go. We as a society should have more books like this. Very well written. The cover really grabs your eye then reading the title makes you think, that's how books get picked up and ready kudos to the author! Will pick up more of their work.

The following published to GoodReads: I have rarely felt so truly SEEN by a book. I laughed, I cried, it was gay. Flawless.

3 stars

Being gay, this one reached out to me, and I was lucky enough to receive an advanced review copy from Net Galley. I would like to thank Net Galley, Atria Books, and Jill Gutowitz for granting me my copy.

This series of essays by Ms. Gutowitz reflects the crossroads between millennialism, lesbianism, pop culture, and the search for identity as Ms. Gutowitz attempts to define herself in this crazy world. The narrative extends from the time Ms. Gutowitz was a young girl to the end of 2020 with most of the time probably spent in the 1990s and the aughts. The writing is very good and overall quite humorous. The tone of the book varies from fear, confusion, frustration, and hopelessness, to heartfelt, to joyfulness, not necessarily in that order.

Though I found the essays to be enlightening, entertaining, and informative, I would have appreciated them even more if I were a millennial rather than a boomer and had had a better sense of pop culture and its icons during the time frame referenced by the writings. I did however enjoy Ms. Gutowitz’s journey to finding herself and wanted to both hug her and high-five her at the end.

I believe Ms. Gutowitz deserves congratulations for putting her story out there for all of us to learn from. I wish her the very best and all the happiness in the world.

*check book for trigger warnings*

Part memoir/ part deep dive into the media of the early aughts that shaped millennials. This was a really fun look at pop culture and how it influences us, how we remember certain cultural events, and how we mark and link important moments in our own lives with the media we consume. It was so much fun to read about so many cultural moments that felt so important to me as a kid or teen growing up! It was just such an interesting and entertaining read.

This book heavily relies on visual material/ references and the reader's need for media literacy. For the most part, the descriptions of important pop culture moments were well explained, and a quick google image search cleared up confusion I had about an image. For the most part I found that i was able to get through this book that way; googling anything I didn't recognize and moving on from there. However, at times the references and the language used were hard to understand if you weren’t online and witnessing live the pop culture moments Gutowitz describes. The language used would be more familiar in online spaces like Twitter , and didn’t always transfer over to a book format clearly, which at times left me confused . Specifically, the terminology and the style used would fit well in casual conversation or twitter threads where people already know the context. The language used was also repetitive, with the same jokes or references coming up multiple times in the space of a few pages.

Finally, I would definitely recommend this book but not without a content/ trigger warning. The chapter titled “I know this now” is structured as a letter to the authors younger self, and describes in detail her repeated assault at the hands of a partner. Nothing in the title hinted at this content, and I think this chapter specifically should have come with a trigger warning for sexual assault. It was difficult to read and many people might want a warning for this kind of content especially since the themes of the book and topics of other chapters don’t hint that this kind of heavy / triggering topic is going to come up.

Overall, as a fan of anything pop culture related, I did love this book. it was a huge dose of nostalgia and reminded me of so many pop culture moments that seemed so important in my youth that I’ve since forgotten about.

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

This book was exhausting to read - I mean that in the best way possible. I was running to keep up with Jill, the author the entire time. I wanted to read this book as fast as possible but I also wanted to slow down and savor every minute of it. There's so much in this book that's relatable (to any female millennial). I found myself screaming inside so many times "I'M NOT ALONEEEEE. SOMEBODY GETS ME." Jill did a wonderful job of weaving her personal stories with pop-culture references. Since this is an essay collection there were some repetitive parts but I didn't care because I loved the book so much. I was given a free ARC of this but will be buying the book as soon as it comes out.


I received a free copy of this ebook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All expressed opinions are my own and do not reflect any stance or position held by the author or publisher.

I thought this collection was just okay. I understand that Jill‘s a Twitter personality, and to be fair, I definitely went into this book assuming it would be pretty mediocre. I think that you’ll find some fresh takes on lesbian pop-culture, adulting, etc. But overall, I wasn’t exactly wowed. I just think this comes with the Twitter-personality-turned-author territory — a book isn’t always necessary to get your point across. Sometimes a Twitter account is all you need. My favorite essay in the collection was probably I Know This Now. My least favorite essay was by far The Current Lesbian Canon, As It Stands.

This was a really fun exploration of lesbian pop culture, growing up in the beginning of the internet, and the growth of queer representation in media. It made me laugh out loud at times. I probably recognized about half of the references (Nicole Kidman’s divorce photo, gay Taylor Swift theories, etc) but I had fun looking into the other ones as I read. I’d definitely recommend this to readers of Samantha Irby, Jen Winston, and any Taylor Swift fans. It’s a great, mostly lighthearted, read for people my age on the internet who are trying to get into more nonfiction.

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book from Atria Publishing, in exchange for an honest review.

Compared to the works of Samantha Irby, as well as the collection 'Trick Mirror,' I knew I wanted to pick this up! This collection of essays brings together pop-culture, queerness, self-discovery, etc. The stories range from funny, to heart-warming, to heart-breaking, and informative.

Some of the essays that will stick with me included: Memeing the FBI, I Know This Now, Kiss Me and Murder Me in the Words.

As I was not as internet savvy as Gutowitz during this time period, and as I am not as educated in pop-culture, there were definitely essays and instances I couldn't relate to. I am not sure I was the correct audience for this book, though the marketing drew me in. I enjoyed it, but did not connect in a way that I hope other readers can. Though I learned a surprising amount about Perez Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan?

I received this ARC from Netgalley right before a big snow storm hit massachusetts, so *chefs kiss*, absolutely perfect timing.

I’ve followed Jill Gutowitz on Twitter for a long time and have laughed at many of her tweets. While she self-identifies as the Overlord of Lesbian Twitter, to me she is just my Favorite Twitter Person™.

Jill & I were born in the same year and both fall somewhere in the LGBTQIA+ rainbow (I’m bisexual? pansexual? I love men, women, and everyone in between). I was out fairly early in high school, while Jill was not. Regardless of these small differences, we both experienced the same pop culture phenomenons, which were… a lot. This memoir is an ode to that era, zoning in on any semblance of queer pop culture. The good, the bad, the funny, the offensive; Jill analyzes it all!

Most of this book was funny, in a “wow I can’t believe this is the shit we’ve experienced” funny, which is a very specific type of humor I enjoy. However, I want to note that there is a chapter on sexual trauma/abuse/rape.

If you love pop culture, are in your late 20s/early 30s, like to laugh, and are not homophobic, you will immensely enjoy this book! Truly the 90s/2000s lesbian pop-culture reference guide we all needed but didn’t know we needed.

I review this book on my Instagram account. I will post a review on goodreads once it gets closer to pub day!

I really wanted to like "Girls Can Kiss Now", but I was confused more than anything. This book is all over the place. It's written in a fun but very messy, disorganized way. Jilly Gutowitz is an interesting writer, but she just needs to learn to rein in her over-stimulated thoughts. Her ideas are intriguing, but her delivery gave me emotional whiplash. You can tell she has a bubbly personality, but I couldn't really follow what the overall point she was trying to make. The idea of this book was good, but I didn't really find myself enjoying it much. After 50% in, this book was just too chaotic. I ended up skimming the rest of it. I'm sure there's better books about the importance of lesbian culture, but this one isn't it. Sometimes I really enjoy essay collections, and sometimes they leave me feeling meh. The cover is so stinkin' cute though!

Thank you, Netgalley and Atria for the digital ARC.

I really enjoyed this!! A series of essays by a Twitter comedian, the writing is accessible, funny, harsh, heartfelt, vast, and specific. It's so queer and so current and so eminently readable. Really validating!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.

CW: pornography, abusive relationship, sexual assault

Witty and honest essays about a queer coming-of-age. The whole book is relatable, at least to me as a close in age millennial queer. Some essays are stronger than others, one or two veer off the rails, but the collection as a whole is going to stick with me.

“Girls Can Kiss Now” is the first non-fiction book I’ve read in AGES, and it was wonderful. Jill Gutowitz does an amazing job making these short essays hilarious, entertaining, informative, and relatable. These essays made me feel like I was hearing stories from a friend I grew up with; they feel familiar and intimate, and the style of humor is age inclusive but peppered with early 2000’s anecdotes that made me actually laugh out loud numerous times. These essays feel like a queer coming of age movie straight out of the 2000’s, MySpace drama and Lisa Frank folders included. I am not normally a fan of reading essays or non-fiction, and maybe I just haven’t branched out enough, but “Girls Can Kiss Now” definitely changed that. The way these essays are written are more memoir style than anything; they kept my interest and made me laugh, and I think that’s probably exactly what Gutowitz was going for while telling her story.
Lots of pop culture references, well written, engaging, funny, and just good overall story telling-“Girls Can Kiss Now” has a lot going for it.

I flew through this book. And yet, as I reached the end, I couldn’t help but feel confused. On the one hand this book made me feel seen. Jill writes about pop culture in a way I relate too, I too was a teen obsessing over pop culture and anything potentially gay in pop culture. And yet, there felt like there was something miss. It was funny and relatable and very raw and real, but for some reason I find myself unable to decipher my feelings about this book, it feels like the kind of book that has such a big personality it’s almost impossible to review, to boil down to a few lines. Which is why I am giving it a 3.5 stars, a rating right in the middle.

Absolutely loved this! The author is also very funny on Twitter. Probably would have enjoyed this as an audiobook, but I was too interested and jumped at the chance to grab an ARC.
For fans of Jen Winston's Greedy: Notes from a Bisexual Who Wants Too Much and Grace Perry's The 2000s Made Me Gay: Essays on Pop Culture. You definitely will get a lot more out of this if you are Very Online and/or into pop culture.

I gotta say it’s weird reading books that start to talk about COVID and the pandemic right now, considering we’re still in it, but that doesn’t affect how I feel about this book

I quite enjoyed this one. I thought it was a fairly quick read, as I think most books filled with essays are. I have read some of Jill’s previous work on Vulture so I am familiar with her writing style, and I have always liked it.

I will preface this review by saying while I am not a lesbian, I am queer, so there was some of this book that didn’t quite resonate with me. However, the vast majority of it did. There were some parts where I audibly laughed and the person I am sharing.a home with right now kept asking what was so funny. However, there are some darker parts where Jill discusses sexual assault and having to grow up in the times-post 9/11 that hit a little too close to home for me, so I was met with a lot of those emotions that I didn’t expect.

I truly enjoyed this book.

thank you to NetGalley, Jill Guowitz and Atria Books for the ARC

I have been following Jill Gutowitz on Twitter for awhile now, and she always brings the hilarious pop culture commentary. Her first book is a major achievement in humor and pop culture analysis and reading it brought an almost constant smile of recognition and joy to my face.

Our funny and charming friend Jill (I say “friend” because her book communicates a sense of warmth and intimacy that really makes you feel like she’s your friend) started out in a childhood where she wondered “can girls kiss eachother?” while watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Britney videos. Her experience with popular culture contributed greatly to her sexual awakening as a lesbian, and really had a lot to do with Britney and Taylor Swift. Here Gutowitz provides hilarious analysis of key lesbian/bi moments in popular culture, like paparazzi pics of Lindsay Lohan with her girlfriend Samantha Ronson (I had almost forgotten about her!) and of course detailed analysis of the Karlie Kloss/Taylor Swift “friendship” - an issue which obsessed many of us Swifties for years.

Probably my favorite part of the book makes explicit the difference between people “outing” gay celebs (mostly straight folks but also people like Perez Hilton back in the day) — and then those people like Jill , especially when she was young, whose obsession over lesbian themes, couplings and conspiracies (a la Taylor Swift) in pop culture adds to an overall sense of belonging and feeling understood and seen for girls who are gay, bi, or questioning.

This is a sensitive, intimate, laugh-out-loud funny book. You don’t need to be gay, bi, questioning or non-binary to love it — Jill’s charm, humor and explanations of her coming out will resonate with anyone ready to join her in her journey through her teenage years. But if you do have a deep visceral understanding of the sexual appeal of Taylor/Karlie, Xena Warrior Princess, Buddy the Vampire Slayer, and other key female touchstones of the 90s? This book is DEFINITELY for you.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster, NetGalley and the author for this sweet laugh-out-loud funny book. Count me in for all of Jill Gutowitz’s books from here on out.