It’s really rare that a YA read really pulls me in these days but this one definitely did. I absolutely loved it. The characters were fantastic and the storyline was so fun. I was emerged in their world and was rooting for the right girl. Highly recommend checking this one out!

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very light but nice read. Maybe a bit clichéd but lots of interesting themes were talked about, like Molly's mom's difficulty with the fact that she's Asian and the culture that comes with it or how Alex deals with an alcoholic mom. Both very nice characters, although for a romance that made it obvious since the start who was going to end up with who, it took a long time to get to the point. But overall a good read.

She Gets the Girl by Rachel Lippincott & Alyson Derrick ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Out Apr 5/22)

Alex is leaving her city, her alcoholic mom, and the soon to be touring singer and recent ex-girlfriend to go to college. The breakup is so recent, in fact, that Alex spends her last night alone reeling over the fact that she apparently isn't trustworthy and flirts too much. At a start if the year party she meets Molly, the only one who couldn't really play Never Have I Ever, and they strike up an unexpected friendship. Alex decides to help Molly learn how to get the girl she's been crushing on all throughout high school. Molly is somewhat in awe of Alex's ability to be herself and be bold to go after what she wants. They plan in one month to get Molly the girl and show Alex's ex that she can be nice and helpful without flirting with a girl. They become best friends but also realize they may have developed feelings that complicate both of their goals.

I really enjoyed the book but, as is my issue with many YA books, it wrapped up too quickly at the end for my taste. That said, it was a lovely story and I appreciated the relationship progression of the two gals.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy! This book was released earlier this week so you can get your copy now.

#BookReview #Books #Reading #SheGetsTheGirl #NetGalley #SimonAndSchuster #NowReading

When I first found out about this book, it automatically became one of my most anticipated books of the year. Lesbians, friends to lovers, slow burn? sign me up!! So lets get into the pros and cons of it.

PROS:
-Alex and Molly are great characters. Both of them were very individual and separate from each other, fully realized characters with different motives and flaws. Sometimes in dual perspective novels, the two characters end up blending together, but that is not the case here. Both characters had very different narrative voices too.
-THIS BOOK SAYS LESBIANS. So many book like to either pretend that lesbians don't exist, or will use literally any other word, phrase or metaphor to say lesbian without saying lesbian. News flash, lesbian isn't a dirty word! It's a beautiful word, one full of history and meaning. I will forever appreciate She Gets the Girl for specifically saying lesbian, and showing lesbian joy.
-The romance is sooooo good. It's very slow burn, and every chapter you could see them getting closer and closer and closer....ugh I love a good slow burn romance.
-This book isn't all sunshine and rainbows though. Both Alex and Molly have strained relationships(to put it lightly) with their moms. I loved seeing those conflicts resolved, and seeing them both stand up to their moms was very healing for me.
-The writing is so good? Props to this amazing wives-authors duo for having phenomenal writing skills.

CONS:
-IT ENDED TO FAST. I was racing towards the end and getting more and more nervous because there were so few pages left and nothing had been resolved yet. And then it just....ended. I needed an epilogue, SOMETHING!! Some kind of closure, maybe something to show them a few years in the future? It just felt like a very abrupt ending. The romance was building and building the whole book, just for a few pages of pay off(wonderful pay off, but hey, I wanted more, can you blame me?)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It's definitely going to be a lesbian classic at some point, and it would make the cutest movie(someone please make it a movie) I rated it 4.5/5 stars, because the ending was just to abrupt for me personally. Otherwise, I loved it!

Really enjoyed the slow burn romance. Super cute story and had me laughing, crying and rooting for Molly and Alex the whole way through.

Very sweet story of friendship and young love, a search for who people truly are. Loved this read a lot

This was such a charming New Adult, coming of age story between two queer college freshman. Molly is Korean American and socially awkward. She was hoping college would be a new start where she could meet new people and finally get up the courage to ask out Cora, the girl she's had a crush on in high school. Alex on the other hand is a suave, aloof kind of playgirl (think Shane ala The L Word) who gets dumped by her musician girl friend because she doesn't think Alex can commit.

When Alex and Molly meet at a party, Alex sort of takes pity on Molly and agrees to help her get up the courage to ask Cora out on a date. What follows is a kind of Cyrano de Bergerac set up as the two girls go on a series of hang outs and practice dates that see Molly and Alex bonding as friends who turn into something more.

I really loved the depth to these characters. Alex comes from a broke home and has an alcoholic mother. She projects this gruff exterior to the world in order to protect herself. While Molly just wants to be loved but doesn't have the confidence to put herself out there. She's also had a hard time reconciling her Asian identity, having grown up with a Korean mother who completely rejected that side of her heritage because of the racism she experienced as a young girl adopted by white parents.

This book will put a smile on your face as you fall in love with Alex and Molly and their super sweet coming of age story! Perfect for fans of Rachel Lynn Solomon and I utterly adored this cover! Much thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for my advance review copy!

Hi, friends! Can I interest you in a slow burn, opposites attract, strangers-to-best friends-to lovers clean romantic comedy—with just a kiss of fake dating? AND it’s written by a wife-wife author team!!!

The Good
– SLOW BURN
– Molly and Alex have a fun dynamic
– Good character development
– Fun, light read
– Realistic depiction of romantic ""rivals""
– Casual, readable prose
– Juuust a touch of angst

The Bad
– Set-up might feel slow to some: girls don't meet until ~20%
– Molly tends to state the obvious a bit often
– Molly and Alex's narrative voices can sound a bit same-y

Story—★★★★☆
Characters—★★★★☆
Writing Style—★★★★☆ (3.5 Stars)
Themes and Representation—★★★★☆ (3.75 Stars)
Enjoyment—★★★★☆

Alex is great at socializing, but terrible at opening up: so bad, her girlfriend has—conditionally—ended things. Molly is desperate for a connection, especially with long-time crush, Cora, but struggles with social anxiety. When they meet, Alex has an idea: she’ll help Molly win Cora over. They both win: Molly dates Cora and Alex proves to her sort of ex that she’s capable of opening up to other people.

She Gets the Girl is cute and fun and Alex and Molly have SUCH a great dynamic together! The premise is so simple and so perfect: these two are such opposites, and the ensuing hi-jinks are SUCH a delight to read as they unfold. Alex’s combination of chaos and determination is perfect for bringing Molly out of her shell. Molly is genuinely emotionally honest and knows enough about healthy dynamics to call Alex out on any bullshit. The result works SO well and it feels so natural as both girls grow as characters.

I really appreciated the realistic approach to the “other” romantic parties. You see a lot of shortcuts where the romantic rival’s personality switches and they’re Evil™. She Gets the Girl’s approach felt real, like these were real ways relationships don’t work.

She Gets the Girl is written in first person, present tense, and alternates between Alex and Molly's points of view. The overall writing style is very casual and easy to read—it certainly helped it making She Gets the Girl hard to put down! I only had some mild issues with the prose: Alex and Molly’s voices could sound similar at times, and Molly tended to restate the obvious a bit, which could bog sections down.

Both Alex and Molly are sapphic—as well as secondary characters/romantic rivals Natalie and Cora—with both girls confirming on page they are specifically lesbians. Molly is Korean and deals with some internalized racism throughout, something she learned from her mother, who was adopted by white parents. She Gets the Girl also deals with with alcoholism and parental neglect —Alex's mother is an alcoholic, as well as toxic relationships in general involving gaslighting and emotional abuse. If you are worried and don't mind spoilers: both girls eventually work things out with their mothers and those subplots end in promising places.

So the four stars: nothing is perfect. There’s some set-up establishing the girls’ situations, so they don’t meet until ~20% in. I appreciate a good set-up, but I know some readers are impatient. It’s also a clean, slow-burn romance, which won’t be to everyone’s taste.

Overall She Gets the Girl is a DELIGHTFUL book, and I recommend it to anyone who wants a light, cute sapphic romcom—with just a touch of angst!

Overall—★★★★☆

Recommended For...
Readers looking for fun or light sapphic young adult romances; readers interested in opposites-attract young adult romances; readers interested in slow burn young adult romances; readers interested in great character dynamics.

This book was the feel good, cute, sapphic romance I didn't know I needed. I couldn't stop smiling throughout the book.

I loved the characters Alex and Molly. They were both complex, both dealing with their own issues, but so loveable you can't help but cheer for them. This book also dealt with some heavy themes like alcoholism, which only brought more depth and empathy for the characters.

My only complaint is that I felt that the ending was a bit rushed and abrupt. Otherwise, I thought the pacing of the book was great, I didn't get bored waiting for the next big thing to happen.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute teen romance that will make them laugh and feel good.

4.5/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the digital ARC.

This is exactly the sapphic love story I've been waiting for! All the tropes I love: from enemies to wingwomen to friends to lovers. Alex and Molly's banter and teasing dynamic was so natural and fun to read. I really enjoyed the dual POV, seeing their character growth and slow realization of their feelings for each other. Alex's struggles with vulnerability and her difficult past were very realistically written. Molly's journey in accepting herself, overcoming her social anxiety and gaining confidence was a joy for me to read. Her identity struggles with her half-Korean heritage were also particularly hard-hitting for me as a mixed-race Asian woman. So many moments in this book touched me really deeply! I loved this book so much and recommend highly!!!

This is the type of sapphic book that I have been waiting for! She Gets the Girl was absolutely adorable, and made me so happy to read! I absolutely loved both Molly and Alex! Their character growth was written extremely well, and their journeys in accepting themselves was realistic and did not sugarcoat the hard realizations that they had to make. I think that the entire book was planned really well, from the initial set up of having Alex helping Molly go out with her crush to having them go on a fake “practice” date; I wanted a bit more time with them together at the end as it seemed a bit abrupt to end it just when they confessed their feelings for each other. Even though I wanted some more time with them, all the small moments we got throughout the story were very satisfying. Thank you so much for giving me the chance to read this book early — I enjoyed all of the fluffy moments, thoughtful moments and everything in between!

Super cute YA Book. This is my second YA book and I really enjoyed it. Loved Molly and Alex and how they met and became to be friends. Just a feel good book overall.

Thanks to Netgalley for my free advance reader copy in exchange for my review.

Publish date: April 5, 2022

I received an eARC from Netgalley and the publisher for a review of this book.

I enjoyed it. An enemies to lovers YA lesbian romance. It did have some serious parts such as Alex's alcoholic mother and how that impacted her relationships. But lots of sweet and funny parts as they got to know each other while Alex tried to help Molly win her high school crush.

A really nice book.

4.5 Wow wow wow! I'll start off this review by saying that this book had me crying, screaming and giggling in very public places and I think that in and of itself is the sign of a great novel. I had extremely high expectations for it as I've been hearing about this book for months now, and I'm so glad that it lived up to the hype. I absolutely loved it!

The MCs relationship is one of my favorite character dynamics, and I found that it was really well executed. It's sort of an "enemies-to-lovers" trope, although enemies may be too strong of a word here. They do definitely start off on the wrong foot though and I gobbled up the "not-at-all-flirtatious" teasing, I couldn't get enough of it. It made me want to scream at the characters and throw the book against the wall, in the absolute best way possible—the way a book should make you feel.

I also thought that the relationships each of the MCs has with their mother added a level of depth that not only made the story even more believable, but that also made it that much easier to relate to the characters. It was definitely a heavy topic, and it reminded me of my own complex feelings towards certain personal relationships, which I think is another sign of a really great novel.

Regarding what I didn't like about the book: I found that the switch between the MCs pining for other women to realizing that they're not all that great was done a little too fast. We spend the entire book only hearing about how beautiful and kind and amazing they are only for this perspective to switch almost instantly within a few of chapters. It felt a little forced, and kind of took me out of the story since it didn't feel as believable or realistic as so many other elements of the novel.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a classic romcom trope done amazingly—and featuring some really great lesbian characters!

Source: NetGalley

This was such a great book!

Alex and Molly are two characters who are basically total opposites. Alex appears confident and always getting what she wants. Molly is self-conscious and anxious and has little to no relationship experience. Alex takes Molly under her wing to help Molly try and get with her long-admired crush, Cora. Alex needs to prove to her girlfriend she can be anything but self-centred. As the story progresses new realizations are made.

The character development was so amazing. I loved that Alex's character was so flawed and was written so raw. I liked that the author didn't shy away from tough subjects and didn't try to soften the roughness that is Alex's life. Molly was also very relatable with her anxiety and intense self-doubt. These two were a very unlikely pair and I loved watching their story unfold.

The book was a little slow to start but once it took off, I couldn't put it down. There are so many heart-warming parts and this is just an overall great and cute story! I hadn't really ever read a book like this before and really enjoyed it. I can't wait to recommend this to customers!

*ARC generously provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for access to this e-ARC. This complimentary copy was provided to me in exchange for my honest review. This book will be coming out April 5.

I have long been a Rachael Lippincott fan (Five Feet Apart and All This Time both completely wrecked me) so when I saw her new book available on NetGalley, I knew I wanted to get access to it and it did not disappoint one bit. Co-author Alyson Derrick is her wife. I mean, how cool is that, for this couple to put out a fantastic sapphic love story that I truly believe you're going to love!

She Gets the Girl uses one of my favorite tropes, the one where one character is helping the other to make their move on a third character, not realizing that their love story is the one being written. Alex and Molly are both freshmen in college but couldn't possibly have come from more different backgrounds. Alex's mom has debilitating alcoholism and this is the first time Alex has put herself first to get away and go to school to better herself. Molly is a half-Korean girl who comes from a very supportive family. She had a crush on Cora all through high school and is hoping now that they're both away from the familiar, she'll have a chance.

As I said earlier in the review, this book was incredibly touching. One of my favorite scenes is when Alex brings Molly to the library, telling her how pivotal in her life the library has been, how it was always her safe place.

If you haven't read any Rachael Lippincott, I think this will definitely lead you to wanting to read more of her work. If you have, you already know how talented she is and this one won't let you down! I can't wait to watch Alyson's career develop. Can only imagine having Rachael in her corner sure won't be a detriment!

A resounding 5 stars!

Thank you to netgalley, Simon and schuster, Rachael and Alyson for the chance to review this book and get early access. When I first heard about the premise of the book I was on board and immediately ordered myself a copy. Shortly after I was approved for an ARC copy and was delighted that I would get the book even earlier. I absolutely adored this story and it took me on an emotional journey. I love the alternate points of view and it made the book really enjoyable to read. It was refreshing having a book take place with college aged characters and I loved reading a queer book since it made me feel more connected to the characters. I loved Molly and Alex and really enjoyed the journey they went on throughout the book. Overall really liked it and can’t wait to read it again once my physical copy arrives!

Lippincott is the successful American YA author of books such as "Five Feet Apart" and "The Lucky List". Derrick is her wife and this new release is her first novel. "She Gets the Girl" is a YA LGBTQ+ romantic comedy. It is set in the world of freshmen at college in Pittsburgh. Alex has never had trouble hooking up with other girls, but keeping them is a whole other thing. Molly is shy around other people and has never dated. She has a huge crush on Cora, who she went to high school with and who is now at the same college. When Alex finds out about Molly's crush, she agrees to help her, hoping that by doing so she can prove to her ex that she is worth taking back. This is a fun read with great characters, that would be a great recommendation for even the youngest teens. I really enjoyed it.

i received an eARC from Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. thank you S&S Canada ! thank you NetGalley !

- how u get the girl by taylor swift would play in my head everytime i thought of the title lol
- this was cute ! it took a min for me to get into it but once i did i just didn't wanna put it down.
- this book made me wanna go rollerskating sooo baddd
- loved that wives co-wrote this like that's so sweet

CW: alcoholism, toxic relationships & internalized racism

She Gets the Girl tells the story of Alex and Molly. Alex is not the best when it comes to opening up and relationships. On the last night with her girlfriend, things go wrong and end up on a break. Alex heads to college with a plan to win Natalie, her girlfriend, back. Then she meets Molly, a socially awkward girl. A plan forms to help Molly get the girl of her dreams. Nothing could go wrong when you have a plan, right?

This book was adorable! Alex was a tough character to love but she grows on you and you can't help but love her. Molly, is someone I can relate to. She was the kind of character that you understand, (ex. not being able to talk to your crush ;) and the anxiety). These two made me laugh and cheer for them to get together!

I loved how they both opened up and realized how easy it was to be with one another. At times, I just wanted to scream at them to realize they're with the wrong people. But it turns out for the best!!

Super cute story if you're looking for a sapphic romance and a strangers-to friends-to lovers, vibe!

4/5 stars!!


Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!