The idea of a book that expands on the Girls Like Girls music video is a genius one. This book satisfies that curiosity.

After the death of her mother, Coley moves to small town Oregon where she runs into Sonya and her friends. The attraction is immediate and the girls spend the summer navigating their friendship-turned romance.

If I'm being honest, the most compelling part of the story was Coley's relationship with her father and how she processed her grief. I wasn't a fan of Sonya and how she treated Coley, so it was hard for me to root for them. Coley deserved better.

Overall, it was a quick read but I think the best parts of the story were put on the back burner for the romance. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review!

Girls Like Girls is the debut novel from pop star Hayley Kiyoko based on her 2015 song/music video of the same name.
The book follows Coley, the summer before her senior year, as she moves to a new town following her mother's death. Coley falls for her new friend Sonya and messiness ensues. In the vain of the Sarah Dessen books of our youth, this isn't a light YA romance. Coley is dealing with grief and guilt from her mother's death, meeting her estranged father, falling for her best friend, bullies in her new town, and coming out as queer.
I really enjoyed this angsty book, like I said earlier, it reminded me of a queer Sarah Dessen book from the early 2000s. I only wish the ending had been a little less rushed!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have been waiting for this book since I first saw the Girls Like Girls music video in 2015. I became an immediate fan of Hayley’s then and have been lucky enough to see her in concert over the years, and Girls Like Girls is always my favorite part of the night. There is nothing quite like the feeling of safety, community, and love that emits when the whole audience is waving pride flags and singing “girls like girls like boys do, nothing new.”

Inspired by the hit song and dreamy music video by Hayley Kiyoko, Girls Like Girls follows the story of 17-year-old Coley. After losing her mother, Coley is forced to move to Oregon the summer before her senior year to live with her estranged father. Coley is dealing with the aftermath of her world being turned upside down when she meets Sonya, and the spark is instant.

Coley and Sonya quickly begin to blur the lines between friendship and something more. Coley believes she’s undeserving of love, while Sonya struggles to accept her feelings for another girl. There are so many moments of pure queer joy, longing, and love that had my heart clenching and my eyes welling up. I also loved the little Kiyokian easter eggs scattered throughout the story (Cliff’s Edge fans keep your eyes peeled)!

Hayley Kiyoko brought her hit song "Girls Like Girls" to life with her debut novel.

17 year-old Coley recently lost her mother and needs to live with her absent father. Not knowing what is going on with her life and attractions, she meets Sonya and life is forever changed.

Sonya hasn't had a legit relationship before with a female. With her attending dance camp, she worries she won't be enough for Coley. What happens when she isn't there for emotional outbursts? Is she willing to put her heart on the lin?

It's not until they accept who they both truly are that suddenly, life becomes a lightbulb moment.

While this is a debut novel, I couldn't stop reading Kiyoko's Girls Like Girls and rooting for Coley. I admire the ways that Kiyoko approached grief and the different feelings that teens feel when they are trying to branch out of society. Still on the fence if this is truly a Young Adult read, I know Kiyoko fans will adore.

*I don't identify as LGBTQ+ so I don't feel that it is my role to speak to the feelings addressed throughout this novel relating to coming out. I look forward to reading reviews of those who identify and how they felt reading.*

3.5 So, I have to admit, I was actually pleasantly surprised by this!

I was super excited to get an arc of this book, but it was more because of what it represented and how iconic the idea of it was. Once I actually started reading it, it immediately dawned on me that, as talented of a singer-songwriter Kiyoko may be, this is not an author who has been honing their writing craft for years.

The beginning did feel quite slow and I wasn't expecting a whole lot, plot-wise. But at about the 25% mark, we started to discover more about our MC, and I became actually quite wrapped up in her story. I will say that, in fact, I far and above preferred reading about the MC's relationship with her parents and her emotional journey towards accepting that she is loved, rather than the main romance plot.

Maybe not the deepest, most complex novel I've ever picked up, but I will admit that I shed a couple of tears, the book itself is a fast and easy read, and had fun with it! It was nice to remember parts of the music video that were directly referenced or copied in the book, so I think it accomplished what it set out to do.

That being said, the writing does need work. There were definitely some moments that I kind of sped through because the writing wasn't at the caliber necessary to get me to feel the full weight of emotions that I was supposed to be feeling. There were some big climaxes and confessions that fell kind of flat for me.

The quality of the writing also fluctuated a lot, which threw me off. There were some scenes or passages that I thought were actually really well written, and the very next chapter, it would fall back into awkward, clunky narration and dialogue. The ending also felt very rushed, and the rest of the novel wasn't good enough to make up for a too-quick conclusion, so the whole thing felt quite anticlimactic.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to just anyone, but if you go into it specifically expecting a book-version of the Girls Like Girls music video and that's want you want, I think you'd enjoy yourself and have fun with it!

Girls Like Girls is a perfect companion to the music video of the same name by Hayley Kiyoko. I enjoyed learning more about the background of the story that brought this book to life. It was an easy read that brought back some great nostalgic memories. The story deals with some heavy elements but does a good job of balancing it out with healing. I loved seeing queer representation in a YA novel. For a debut, it really hit the mark for me. I highly recommend reading Girls Like Girls! Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Girls Like Girls is a novel that parallels a music video by Hayley Kiyoko of the same title. While watching the music video before reading the novel was a perfect precursor for me, it's not necessary to understand the novel. I will say to be mindful of the trigger warnings as you read (an abusive relationship, suicide and death of a parent, homophobia, etc), since the book can get pretty intense at times. Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I had a great time reading, and it brought me back to my younger self when this music video first came out and it broke my heart and put it back together.

First of all, thank you NetGalley and publishers for letting me get a copy of the arc for a review.

I loved the concept of the book Girls Like Girls being an extension or background story for Hayley Kiyoko's music video. I thought the setting of the early 2000s and having LJ and AIM being some of the format for the book was a nice way to break up the story and get to see a little of Sonya's thoughts. I do think that a lot was trying to be covered in a short amount of time to where some of the story fell a little flat for me. The ending, especially, felt a little rushed.

I would still say this is a great coming of age story that I think young readers would enjoy.

3.75 rounded up to 4

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023. Hayley Kiyoko's iconic "Girls Like Girls" music video came out when I was about 15, and I have been a massive fan of hers ever since. I've been excited to get my hands on this book since she announced it, and it did not disappoint. Reading the book delivered such a feeling of nostalgia for me, giving me the same queer angst that made me love the music video so much. The story was heartwrenching with a lot of focus on grief and healing. I do wish that the book spent more time wrapping things up at the end as the conclusion felt quite rushed, and a few of the character arcs seemed somewhat incomplete. Even so, I would highly recommend this to any Hayley Kiyoko fans, or fans of queer YA romances in general!

Girls Like Girls was off to a very slow start. At first I had difficulty getting into it. And just when I was about to put it down it got better. It's the story of Coley and Sonya. Coley was gay and sure of herself. Sonya had never been with a girl before. Trent was her ex-boyfriend and he continued to try to draw her back in.

Coley's mother had committed suicide and she was living with her father, with whom she had no relationship previously. But as time went on, they developed a relationship and got close.

Coley fell hard for Sonya. They spend a great deal of time together. One day they found themselves making out on Sonya's bed But afterwards Sonya wouldn't talk about it. This broke Coley's heart. And then Sonya went away to dance camp. While she was gone, Coley figured out how to live without her.

Coley got a job in a restaurant and one day Sonya and her family showed up. Coley tried to ignore her but Sonya was having none of that. She talked to her and told her that while she was at camp she missed her. That was not something Coley wanted to hear. She turned away from her but Sonya asked to see her after work. When they got together Sonya kept telling her how much she missed her and how badly she wanted to be with her but that she couldn't. Coley got angry with her and left.

The next day Coley decided to go to the lake. She went early in hopes she wouldn't see Sonya and her friends. But just as she was leaving they showed up. SJ, one of Sonia's friends ran after Coley. Coley had shared with Sonya that her mother had committed suicide and Brooke, one of Sonia's friends, heard Sonia sharing this with SJ and she spread the rumor. So anyway, SJ caught up with Coley. First, she told Coley that Sonya had only shared with her about her mother because she wanted to know how to be a good friend to her. She told her how Sonya had been so depressed and she invited her to a party at her house. At first, Coley decided she wasn't going to go to the party because she knew Sonya would be there. But after some consideration she decided to go because she really wanted to talk to Sonya.

So Coley goes to the party and Sonya comes to sit next to her in the living room. Coley knows she can't talk to her there, because there's so much noise. Before she knows it, Trent comes and drags Sonya onto the dance floor. That proved to be too much for Coley so she gets up and leaves. As she is outside she glances back to the pool and she sees Sonya sitting by the pool by herself. So she goes back through the house out to the pool and sits next to Sonia. Sonia leans her head on to Coley's shoulder. Trent goes outside to the pool and sees the two of them sitting there and hits Coley in the back of the head and draws blood. He's screaming at Sonya, " How can you do this to me?" He dragged Sonya away and is basically manhandling her. This doesn't go over too well with Coley and she jumps up and starts beating on Trent. He's drunk and she's pounding him on the ground. Their friend Alex pulse her off of him. In the midst of the melee Coley decides to leave.

The rest is the end of the book which I refuse to divulge. What started out to be a really boring book ended up being quite good. I gave it four stars.

I was so excited to have seen that Hayley Kiyoko was releasing a YA book and jumped at the chance to read this! But unfortunately this one missed so many marks for me, I actually DNF’d about halfway through. The story idea was amazing, especially since this is based off the ‘girls like girls’ music video, but the execution of it was a bit off. I think Hayley Kiyoko is still such an amazing artist and person, I’m always looking forward to anything she puts out!

When I first heard about Girls Like Girls, I was so excited for it. I mean a coming of age based on her video of the same name? Count me in. Yet, it ultimately fell short.

The writing felt really basic and by moments, immature. It just didn't flow in a way that made me want to keep on reading, and for a book that was on the shorter side, it still took me a while to get through it.

It's not a bad book, let me be clear. I just think that it had such potential, and it just didn't manage to meet it. It felt like the book attempted to touch on so many things without any depth. To get to know more about the other characters around Sonya and Coley, so that we can get a better understanding of who they are. To understand more about Sonya's struggle. I almost wish it had been a dual POV instead of just Sonya's Livejournal's post.

Overall, it was okay. It wasn't a bad book, I just wish it was more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, and apologies for taking so long to read it.

This book was super cute. Very easy to read, I instantly vibed with the protagonist, and really enjoyed the first person narrative (which at times definitely hurt my lil queer heart).

My main issue with this novel is the pacing. The first 60% of the book was kind of all over the place, and the last 40% happened very very quickly. Some chapters picked right up where the previous left off, others started an indeterminate amount of time later. Because of this, I felt the main relationship in the book wasn't as developed, and therefore as convincing, as it could have been.

The side characters could've used more "screen time". I wanted more from Blake and Alex especially. Of course, debut novels tend to have this issue of solely focusing on the protagonist, and in this case it wasn't too off-putting. But upon reading other reviews I did notice myself wanting to know more about the other characters, wanting them to be fully formed and well-rounded.

Speaking of characters, I hated Sonya. I did not want them to end up together but, alas, they did. Her redemption arc didn't feel justified or deserved. Coley deserved better.

Seventeen-year-old Coley is forced to move to rural Oregon to live with her father after the loss of her mother. Coley feels alone and does not want to be in Oregon at all. One day, Sonya is riding her bike and is almost hit by a car, driven by one of Sonya’s friends. Sonya and Coley immediately become friends. Soon they are hanging out daily. Their friendship turns into something more, something Sonya is not ready to face, and it leaves Coley feeling more alone than ever.

I liked many parts of this book, including the LiveJournal entries and conversations through AIM. I also really liked Curtis, Coley’s dad. He tried really hard to form a bond with his daughter and I enjoyed the father/daughter relationship. Unfortunately, I just really didn’t like the character of Sonya. There were many aspects of her character that I didn’t like, and I didn’t think Coley should be with her. That said, I did still enjoy the book. I enjoyed the different portrayals of how the girls come to terms with their sexualities. For that reason, I rate the book 3/5 stars.

Read if you like:
♥️ YA Romance
🏳️‍🌈 Diverse Love Stories
🎶 Girls Like Girls Song
⏳ Self Discovery

Okay, why do I feel like this story is inspired by Hayley and Becca’s love story?!

This was such a heartwarming, cute, and emotional romance that covers so many important topics in such a great way through the YA perspective.

I truly love the inclusion of so many challenging topics for this book as I feel like it’s exactly what young people trying to figure out themselves need- to see their struggles normalized and give them courage to find themselves.

Thank you so much Wednesday Books for my ARC of this one in exchange for my thoughts!

This was a fabulous debut novel! Such great queer representation and dealt with hard topics really well

This was a ride for sure, but a (mostly) enjoyable one.

I’m going to get the bad out of the way: While the author is not unknown by any means, this is a debut and you can tell. It reads like fan fiction written in a lot of spots, and there’s a lot of unbelievable dialogue. While it was great for me personally, the dated aspects of placing this in 2006 might be a miss for some readers, especially Gen Z. Finally, the ending left me … unsatisfied. I just wanted a bit more resolution.

The good: About 30% though something clicked in the writing and I was instantly engrossed. It took a month to read the first 70 pages and an afternoon to read the next 200ish. I thought the portrayal of grieving and the resulting family dynamics was done very well. I loved the 2006 references personally, and the LiveJournal bits made me feel so nostalgic. Seeing one of my favorite music videos of all time come to life on page is also probably the biggest selling point for this book for me, as well as getting to know Coley and Sonya’s chemistry and history.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot. While Hayley’s writing style leaves a little to be desired, that’s something that can easily be evolved as she writes more. The story itself was really sweet and sentimental, the characters are flawed and frustrating and endearing, and this made for a great summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Girls Like Girls takes place in 2006 and I really felt like I was transported back in time. The LiveJournal, the clothing, the music selections; it really brought me back.

Coley has moved to a new town after her mother’s suicide. Her father hasn’t been present in her life and frankly, she doesn’t know how to have a relationship with him. But she becomes attached to the first friend she makes, Sonya, pretty hard. Kind of like a barnacle.

I enjoyed how Girls Like Girls went into so many deeper themes: suicide, homophobia, internalized homophobia, and becoming your true self. But the romance felt forced. Coley and Sonya were a bit insta-lovey, but also very whiplashy. I loved Coley’s growth and watching her accept herself, but Sonya never showed much character progression. And sadly, the storyline was a bit predictable.

But hey, I’m in for this nostalgic feeling and thought Girls Like Girls was a good debut.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the review copy!

Based on the music video, Girls Like Girls follows the budding relationship between Coley and Sonya after Coley's mom dies and she has to move to rural Oregon to live with her previously absent father.

I love queer love stories. I love that queer love stories are being published more and more, because that wasn't the case when I was in high school, and it's the sort of thing that makes you wonder what might have changed if you'd had access to materials like that. In my opinion, I think we're very much in a moment where we need to be amplifying these kinds of stories.

One thing I struggled with in this book is the audience/tone. It definitely reads like a younger YA - maybe more of an early high school audience - which isn't a problem, but at the same time, the setting of 2006 and the inclusion of details like LiveJournal and AIM definitely were meant to provoke some nostalgia, which it would really only do in older readers. Obviously, young adult novels are written for young adults - but I think the setting and culture make it a little harder to relate to for current younger readers, while the writing style makes it harder for older readers (those of us who lived through LJ and AIM!) to relate.

Coley was a prickly little cactus and my heart absolutely ached for her. I found her character to be well developed and interesting. The side characters weren't quite as well developed/nuanced. However, a standout character (and relationship) was Curtis, the dad. I loved how Curtis and Coley's relationship developed and thought it was realistic and endearing. There's a scene towards the beginning of the third act between the two of them that had me genuinely crying.

I found the depiction of grief and trauma to be compelling and accurate - Coley is so hurt, and this story really follows her coming to terms with that, not just her sexuality.

The book hits all the same major plot points as the music video, but I thought the ending actually worked better in the video than it did in the book - I needed a little bit more closure to make it feel authentic.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and am glad that stories like these are being told. 3.5 stars from me!

In 2016 all our little queer hearts were palpitating over an our lesbian artist making a music video where girls kissed. Now, though, that’s not as wild of a concept. However, these book feels very stuck in such a time.

I’m not sure who this book is for exactly. It’s set in 2006, a year when many millennials were in high school. There are flip phones, AIM, and Livejournal, nostalgia bait for the same group. However, this is a YA book in the cringiest way, and I don’t really think it appeals to people in their 30s. However, I don’t think gen Z would necessarily like it either, as we’ve moved on to a lot more complex representation in media.

There are a few things done outside of the plot of the original music video, mostly to do with the main character Coley. She’s a decent kid who’s just lost her mother to suicide and has to go live with the father she doesn’t remember. I found the discussion of grief to be decently done and the father daughter relationship development was good too; he is really trying and Coley does grow and change her opinion about him. She also gets a job at a restaurant later on that gives her queer found family and nurturing attention from another adult, but she still runs back to the shitty people who hurt her and the two groups don’t interact at all. It is also the section where we get I believe the second reference in the whole book to Coley being biracial? I understand that is the author’s heritage but she really did nothing in the book to show us this part of Coley’s character.

The love interest is Sonya, a closeted girl with an abusive boyfriend and some immature friends who fuck around in Coley’s life for most of the book. The only description we get of Coley’s attraction to Sonya is physical, and the flowery metaphors and silly imagery are kind of over the top for a girl she doesn’t know. Sonya is a mean girl. I don’t have any reason to believe they’ll be a good couple. Any development she goes through is away at dance camp and just told through a few Livejournal entries. Sonya and her friends also get Coley in trouble with various situations like almost getting busted at a party where minors are drinking, and taking her shoplifting for alcohol, smoking weed, getting home done piercings, etc. The character responsible for the latter two is less a part of the friend group, and I just don’t find her necessary to the story.

The book ends exactly as the music video does, so it’s not really a spoiler. We get no additional development or information, which is pretty unsatisfying because these characters are definitely not really in a good place to ride a bicycle off into the sunset.