The premise of this book was great, sapphic romance, one girl, Katie, is super famous and comes back to the other, Wil, who stayed back in Wisconsin. I had trouble connecting with the characters, I tried to stick it out and finally DNFd.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book started a bit slow, but around the 30% point, I started kicking my feet and squealing over the adorable estranged friends to rekindled friends to lovers plot of this book. Wil and Katie were adorable, incredibly compatible, and had chemistry that sizzled OFFFFFFFF the page. I know for a fact that I would be helpless in the face of Wil Greene, the new love of my life.

I think the few drawbacks I could find for this story was that there seemed to be a great mystery and hushed silence around Katie’s past relationship, but even in the moment at the end when everything is meant to be revealed, it felt oblique. We never see a direct hit aimed at the perpetrator of her trauma, we never see them get justice, we never truly feel like she has let go of the past and truly healed. Yes, those are all things that make the story more realistic and an apt portrayal of how trauma works in the real world. But this is a novel and I wanted the fairytale payoff of a bad guy getting karma for his many many wrongdoings. I also found that the run-up to the actual relationship between Wil and Katie was drawn out slightly too long. I love a slow burn and suspense in my romance but this felt needlessly long, and I just kept murmuring “KISS ALREADY” over and over (yes, I am insane).

I do think the novel does an immaculate job of portraying the myriad forms of female relationships, and the tethers between women and how our communities prop us up. I think there is some fantastic humor, some very sexy romance that felt so tasteful in how it was done, and I loved how many cats were in the book. On the whole, a real enjoyable summer read; I give this book 4⭐

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous is a charming, witty sapphic romance. I thoroughly enjoyed my first Mae Marvel story and am looking forward to whatever comes next!

Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous is a childhood friends to lovers romance. Katie and Wil grew up with their moms as best friends, and in their senior year of high school were best friends. Then Katie got famous and left. Wil stayed behind and started a TikTok kissing strangers.

Knowing each other so well the romance moves fast and there is a lot of spice! Through alternating POVs the chemistry is palpable and the reason the relationship moves more slowly than the physical relationship adds to the sexy tension.

Sometimes characters spoke how Tumblr feels, and although I agree with the sentiments it felt a little didactic for a romance book. I also thought transcribing every 'conversation' Katie had with her cats was unnecessary.

Overall a fun read! Something to pick up if you're looking for a sapphic romance book, especially close to the holidays.

"Everyone I’ve Kissed Since You Got Famous" focuses on the challenges fame, finding career success, and personal relationships can have on life. While many of the topics were heavy and relatable, humor was also thrown in.

Wil has a huge TikTok following on her “wilyouorwontyoy” channel where she kisses people for the first time for a full 60 seconds, posting twice a week.

Katie is a well known actress who has suffered trauma and seeking to find success on her own.

Wil and Katie were best friends in high school but haven’t seen each other in 13 years. Katie is taking a much needed break and decides to spend the holidays at home allowing her and Wil to reunite. They pick up where they left off as if no time has passed.

Both discuss the feelings they had for one another in high school and their lives now. They share their fears and dreams together.

This is a sapphic romance that falls under the friends to lovers trope. While I’m sure this will be some readers favorite read for the summer (or year) it was a three star read for me. The beginning engaged me but I felt the middle slowed down, at times feeling repetitive. I found my attention drifting before picking back up at the end.

I look forward however to other books from the authors!

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors and publisher for the opportunity to both read and listen to this!

Thank you to St Martin’s for an advanced copy
Of this book in exchange for a review. Unfortunately, this fell a little flat for me. I liked the setup of a celebrity/non celebrity sapphic second chance romance. And I genuinely enjoyed both the two main characters. However, there is something off with the pacing of this book. The romance moves too fast even for a second chance without a ton of talk of the very real consequences or the hurt that one has caused in the others life. The ending also felt unrealistic with how cleanly all of Katie’s business dealings ended up. I know it was about taking back her agency but I think the author failed to set it up to end as powerfully as it could have.

Its unfortunate that this is a St Martins Press book and there is still a boycott on providing reviews for them because of their lack of response to requests to diversify their online program and include more voices of people of color.

I tried for months to finish it but despite having loved these writers in the past, I had the most difficult time getting into this story. The pacing was off and I always felt vaguely confused. I got my review copy months and months ago so there may have been some updates, but sadly I am leaving this as a DNF.

This was a cute romance story. I like how the relationship went from the teen years that many of us struggle with, to how each young woman develops into who they currently are. Sometimes we just don't realize what is directly in front of us or we do but don't act on pur feelings. Thanks #NetGalley #StMartins

i’m submitting the reviews for books by you that I already have, but I will never request another one. In October one of your employees made a horribly racist statement and you have chosen to do nothing about it. People have continuously asked you to say that you don’t stand with what the employee said, and you refuse to. This is not someone who I want to promote ever because you are sending the wrong message. These reviews will not be posted on social media because you don’t deserve the promotion. By not speaking out you are also not preventing your followers from stalking and harassing people who are participating in the boycott. Your silence speaks volumes. I hope that all of your authors move to other publishers because you are standing with a genocide. You are also currently saying that you support black women in black history month but you have ignored their concerns for months and shown them no support.

Watch this video for more information https://www.tiktok.com/@vivafalastinleen/video/7288407369313307947?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7211704101519296042

At times a bit jumbled, but mostly sweet! I thought Wil’s relationship with her mother was lovely. It was a quick read and I appreciate the attempt it made to tackle abuse and power in Hollywood, even if it never quite succeeded.

3.5 rounded down

A slow-burn romance between two high school friends reuniting after years of distance.
-
Summary:
Katie Price and Wil Greene have both come a long way since high school. Katie Price is now a household name in America through her acting and directorial success, and Wil Greene has over a million followers on her TikTok channel, watching her kiss strangers. But the moment they reunite, senior year of high school comes rushing back, and the 13-year old sparks between them come flooding back like an inferno.
-
This book would be great for fans of slow burn friends-to-lovers stories! The tension between Wil and Katie is powerful from the moment they reconnect, and it only grows as the story progresses!

I'm not quite sure what I think of this book personally, however. This book read like kink-fiction... except the kinks are emotional venerability, open communication, and delayed gratification. Which is something that didn't work for me, but is definitely something a lot of readers would enjoy!

What I liked:
- Well written narrative, and an enjoyable cast of characters.
- I do enjoy a friends-to-lovers plotline!
- I really liked Wil!

What I didn't like:
- The dialogue between the characters felt like the conversations someone would have with a therapist... but they got super horny off of it, which was off putting for me, personally.
- While sweet, a lot of the Hollywood aspects just felt really unrealistic, and I kept getting pulled out of the story by certain moments.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to any readers looking for a focal relationship where the characters prioritize communication, empathy, and understanding each other and are happy to enjoy a idealized version of the world!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4!
While I enjoyed the majority of this book, it did feel like it drug on at some points which made it hard to continue to pick up.

Katie and Wil's chemistry is instant right from the beginning and their attraction is undeniable. I loved watching them reconnect in what seemed to be a very authentic way!
Their mutual pining was so so good. However, at some points I just felt like nothing was actually happening. I liked their side quest to figure out what was going on with their former teacher. I thought that was a fun tidbit in the story, but overall didn't really add anything to plot.

Overall, a fun sapphic romance that I did enjoy but it didn't blow me away.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read and review. I really read this book over the span of months, and my review's pretty late because eventually I picked up a library copy to finish my reading. This is partly because I lingered over the story, and partly because certain parts of the book moved soooo slowly that I had to pause. I do think the pacing was off, maybe because the plot takes place over a winter holiday but packs in 13 years of longing and distance between the main characters. The pace wasn't all bad, but it did highlight for me a lot of repetition that ultimately didn't go anywhere/very far -- the same points kept being brought up and mulled over (like Katie's relationship with Ben and subsequent tabloid gossip drama, and references to how cool Wil was in school etc.) I liked the idea of an A-list Hollywood celeb and her hometown best friend and crush who now has this mega-famous TikTok, but they didn't feel like those statuses. I can't imagine Wil having that massive of a following but not leveraging it to either a career or have an agent/management etc. I also couldn't imagine Katie as an elite actress (we're talking Oscars crowd -- and I was trying to think of her as an Emma Stone or Jennifer Lawrence) with all of the tabloidy obsession with her - with all of the paparazzi or gossip interest, it felt more like what would happen to a reality TV starlet or a big pop star whose every move was traced rather than the type of actress she was made out to be.

I’ve got a special place in my heart for queer, midwestern romances that I didn’t realize until reading this book.

I loved getting to know Wil and Katie through this book. I am a sucker for books where a character falls so hard for another character, only known through their internal monologues and thankfully this book gives you that in two characters! I also really enjoyed the sexual identity development of Katie that we get to see forming both from her high school memories and current adult life.

I don’t typically like dual POV type books but the narration changes throughout were subtle enough that it wasn’t bothersome like some are to me.

I did feel like the pacing in some parts was a bit fast — moving over what felt like big moments in the book very quickly, but I did like the overall storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan, and Mae Marvel for this ARC copy to review!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC! Thank you to St.Martin’s Press for the eARC!

This was such a sweet, sultry, and satisfying sapphic romance! I absolutely loved the second chance/friends to lovers trope here, particularly that both characters were “famous” in their own right, without it being over the top.

The TikTok channel Wil created - brilliant! This added SO much to the story and her character. I loved both FMCs and their moms! This book was a slow burn with great payoff, emotional growth for the characters and so so Dorothea and ‘Tis The Damn Season coded. I couldn’t get enough! I hope there is more from this writing duo! 💚

Marvel's "Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous" is one of the better WLW romances I've read recently, featuring the popular queer trope of second chances/lost love.

Wilifred Greene and Katie Price were once inseparable best friends, but their lives that began in Wisconsin forked significantly post-graduation: Katie became a famous Hollywood actress while Wil gained her own fame as a TikToker with a quirky kissing project. When Katie returns to Green Bay after thirteen years, she and Katie find themselves reconciling with the unresolved feelings and challenges that kept them apart the first time around.

Katie and Wil's romance unfolds with a mix of tenderness and passion that's enriched by their shared history and the support of their families. I particularly appreciated the portrayal of their mothers, who were aware of their feelings as teens and allowed their relationship to develop naturally over time (even if Katie's mom seemed a bit too invested). The inclusion of elements like the cat buttons added charm and humor to the narrative, grounding the story in a sweet midwestern setting.

One of the strengths of the novel lies in its handling of communication and consent within relationships, especially given the characters' personal traumas and complexities. The author navigates these themes sensitively, ensuring that even intimate scenes are respectful and consensual, which I found refreshing and important. However, Marvel struggled a bit with pacing and length: the plot felt overly drawn out at times, with some pieces of characterization (such as Wil's TikTok project) provided interesting backdrops while also feeling unclear in their purpose.

Despite these pacing challenges, the novel shines in its portrayal of second chances and the power of reconnecting with a lost love.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars
Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous feels like a future classic queer novel! The story follows two ex-best friends as they reunite and come to terms with new and old revelations. The romance feels so true to life. It's the classic gay love story of realizing your friendship with someone was more than that a minute too late. Except these characters get their second chance, and make the most of it. Additionally, this novel balances a really endearing and tension-filled romance with bittersweet, grounded themes quite well. While this novel can be sad at times, the characters and themes are always growing in a very authentic and moving way. Overall, I'm so glad I picked this up. I've read a lot of rom-coms lately, and I think I needed something with a little more depth like this. I highly recommend this novel, especially to LGBTQ+ readers who will find inevitably find something in it to relate to. (And on a more lighthearted note, I loved the gay cat mom rep, lol)

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I love a good sapphic romance and this one was a perfect read for Pride Month!

I would have loved to be able to provide a full review of this book, however, I am boycotting Saint Martin’s Press, along with over 75,000 other readers until they are held accountable for their racist actions. I was approved for this book prior to the boycott which is why I did not DNF the book. I made a commitment to read it.

I read the book and have a review ready for when/if the publisher decides to finally take action after over 260 days of this boycott. This is not fair to authors who deserve to have their work promoted and loved.