This was a fun and quick read! I've been getting more into alien/monster romance and this book hit the spot. I loved the characters and the plot.

I really, really wanted to love this, but at 30% I had to DNF. Nothing has really happened besides the MCs and side characters wandering around the convention and listening to panels. The MCs really don’t feel like they have too much chemistry either? Like I get that this is their first in person meeting but the way they’re talking in their inner thoughts is as if they have this bond built prior to meeting in person by chatting online. But all the chats we’re shown are very surface level and I’m just not buying it.

I do think the camouflage technology Taz uses is very unique and cool! The way it almost gives him an uncanny valley vibe in the FMCs POV is super cool and I love that everyone sees him differently based on their own concepts!

Definitely a quirky read, there are aliens among us. A group of nerds (lovingly) go to a convention and get closer than ever. A fun read! Also great representation for the ace spectrum!

Thank you NetGalley, publisher & author, for giving me a chance to review this arc. Unfortunately, I had really high hopes for this book, and it fell a bit flat for me. The romance felt stilted. I've read Ann's other work (Strange Love) and I loved it. However, it didn't have the same appeal to me this time around. I wished the story was a bit more flushed out because the build to the end was too abrupt imo.

interesting romance with an alien. loved the group chats and and that she found love with an alien. Loved that they met up at a con and there were actual aliens in the group.

I loved the story of an alien shipwrecked on Earth and finding a group of friends online and then falling for one. However, some of the friendships didn't feel much beyond surface level when I think the aim was more Found Family. Despite that this was a light and fun read that I eat up and finished really quickly and left it wanting more.

I normally don't like the Miscommunication trope but in this works not only because of how it was written in the story but because logically an alien new to Earth is going to have some issues. It never felt forced or used as a gag just honestly an alien trying to figure out humans and humans not knowing they are talking to an alien.

I really wanted to love this one but it just didn't work for me. too much telling and not enough showing

What better place for an alien to hide in plain sight than at a sci-fi convention? Since going to the convention also means Tam gets to meet the human he feels a connection to, WHAT DOES HE HAVE TO LOSE? Right?

When Tam and Jen meet in real life, the connection they felt online is still there. On one hand, Tam's hiding a pretty big secret and he's endearingly awkward (you know, seeing as he's not native to human mannerisms). On the other hand, Jen has an open mind and she likes the intense focus Tam brings to everything. Heck, she just flat-out likes him. She also likes the others in their little group since she feels like she can actually be herself around them.

That said, it's going to take some serious trust if things are going to progress beyond friendship for these two. And when you throw in some juicy secrets some of the others in their online group are keeping, plus the potential for danger if Tam's alien-hood is ever found out...well, these two have a lot to juggle if they're going to pursue a relationship.

Beyond their relationship, we also get found family that helps people feel a little less alone in this messed up world, a little danger, the realization that being yourself can be enough and finding joy in the things that spark your creativity doesn't have to conform to others' expectations, and that sometimes reaching out can mean the everything to someone.

What can I say? I liked this one. Tam and Jen worked for me!

2.5 stars. Not what I am used to with Ms. Aguirre. Sentences were a little simple at times, with the occasional feeling of repetition if not actual repetition. There were at least 3 places where I found totally misplaced words that ripped me right out of the flow. For example, "Will technology keep me safe? And where is the nearest *exist* if it malfunctions?" I know that's likely a typo that wasn't caught, but...

Also, the ending was too quick and too spare for me... While leaving threads a reader would have liked followed just a little further. Maybe an epilogue with the gang back together from a year later or something.

Even though there is a strong Ice Planet Barbarians feel to the cover, this is not just another alien romance. It's a story about found family, finding yourself against disappointment of loved ones, and acceptance.

Tam is a thrill seeking wanderer trying to find his place in the world before submitting to familial obligations. When he ignores the warnings of his one last adventure, a third-world style planet called by the inhabitants as Earth, he becomes stranded when his pickup doesn't show.

Jen is a alien obsessed outsider with a dream of meeting her own alien and being an astronomer. When she meets 5 other like minded people on an Alien Enthusiasts website, including Tam, she starts a group chat and decides to invite everyone to Space Con. There bonds are forged and memories are made.

This is a great clean substitute for IPB with a very slow burn, great communication and acceptance.

This was a full 4 stars until 95% and now I feel like it’s a generous 3.5/5. I’m still going to round up because for literally 95% of this book, I was having a great time. But the last two chapters were so abrupt, I’m really bummed.

I really liked all of the characters, and their friendships. The way the 6 of them interacted together, and when it was just a few of them at a time, just worked so well. Jen’s mother and sister were awful, and I wish she had stood up to them. That storyline felt a bit unfinished, or at least an unsatisfying finish. In general with how rushed the ending was, multiple parts of this story felt unfinished. I feel like there MUST be a sequel / companion novel coming, so the author wanted to leave some things open for that, maybe?

If we forget about the ending for a moment, overall I really did enjoy this. Is it weird? Absolutely. But it’s weird in a way that I would consider great. It’s so fun. Totally up my alley, and I do want to be able to recommend it. But I’d be more open to doing so if I heard there’s going to be another book in this world that will hopefully have more of a resolution.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book! I voluntarily read this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so excited for this one. Have you read Strange Love by this author? It’s the funniest alien-human pairing story and super weird and I could not get enough. So I went in expecting those vibes, but I guess it was pared down for a mass market audience, and this is just a complete snoozefest. Nothing in here was fun, or engaging, or even remotely interesting. Those group chats were so painful to get through and did nothing to further the already thin plot, and it just lacks spark of any kind. I only appreciated those group chats for having less words on the page so I could get through this faster. We’re told these two have a connection, but I never saw it. The conflicts in here… are overly contrived and not even resolved, and there were so many bits that contradicted themselves or were mentioned then just ignored no rhyme or reason and it’s just wholly inconsistent. The pacing never moves past galacial and nothing actualyl happens.
So mostly, this was just dang boring.

I typically love alien romances, although I Think I'm in Love with an Alien was short on the romance and too long in page count. The pacing of the novel changes multiple times and makes it difficult to enjoy. The beginning follows Jen and Seeker in their day-to-day lives at Space-Con, and then we skip over weeks and months so that readers can assume that the characters are growing closer together without seeing it. Then, we go back to the day-to-day events at the novel's end, where events feel rushed and are conveniently wrapped up. I hope the book gets edited before its release to fix the pacing issues, length, and rushed ending.

This book was very enjoyable to read but it felt like it was in the wrong category. This felt like it would've been much better as a best friend's/ found family situation and not as a romance. The romance aspects felt quite forced and their chemistry felt a lot more platonic than romantic. This was also a very wordy book.

I’ve read a lot of books so far in 2025. But I definitely think “I Think I’m in Love with an Alien” will go down as my weirdest read of 2025. I honestly couldn’t tell you if I enjoyed it or if I regret reading it. I think if this book had been pitched as finding yourself/finding your found family I would’ve been more on board. However, this was pitched as a romcom. And yes there is romcom elements in it. However, that’s not the pure focus of the story.

Before I get ahead of myself brief summary synopsis. “I Think I’m in Love with an Alien” follows Jen and Tam. Jen our MF human character is struggling with finding her purpose and people who understand her. Then we have Tam our MM alien character. Tam was only supposed to be visiting Earth for a few days but due to technology failures he found himself stranded on our planet. In order to make the best of the situation and blend in he joins an online Space Chat forum for people who love aliens. Through that forum Jen and Tam meet. The group decides it’s time to take group chat out of the online forum and meet in person at Space Con. And of course like any story chaos ensues from there.

Like I mentioned I loved the pitch premise of this book. However, that’s not the book we were given. Even with that said the story was easy to follow and the characters were all like-able enough to read the story all the way through. I think my favorite character though was Tam. He was definitely the most interesting and I felt for him and his struggles. Jen on the other hand was just fine. She’s a very supportive and loyal person but ultimately I found her at times extremely boring. Some of her chapter’s though I highly considered skimming because I found it that boring and just wanted to get back to Tam.

Like I mentioned the Romcom elements is where this book struggled. Which is why I ultimately gave it a 2 star rating. The romance never felt believable and even though the two make great friends I would never “ship” them together. Instead we were given a lot of telling but not much showing if that makes sense.

Overall, I don’t think I can recommend this book. Especially if you’re looking for a romcom. If you’re looking for a cozy fantasy found family journey then maybe. Ultimately this one just wasn’t for me. Lastly big thank you to NetGalley & Sourcebooks for providing an arc for me to read and review!

I Think I’m in Love with an Alien features Jen, human and Tam, alien. Jen and Tam meet online, in a chat room for nerdy people who love aliens. They, along with other online friends, decide to meet up for a SpaceCon.

I loved the premise of this book, with an alien being stranded on Earth and just trying his best to fit in. Tam was a really interesting character. He felt so alone being stranded so far from home and needing to hide who he was. Jen was fine. She was very supportive and was a fast friend to everyone.

I think where this fell apart for me was the love/romance aspect. If felt less like a romance and more like making great friends. I liked the representation of Jen being a gray Ace character, but even without spice, I didn’t get love from either character expect declarations with no feelings.

The wordiness of this book was unmatched. So much telling and not a lot of showing. And, although there was a minor conflict (kind of) nothing seemed high stakes enough for it to be anything other than a cozy slice of life novel with aliens.

Overall, kind of disappointing for such a great blurb/premise.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

you are a young woman obsessed with aliens, where would you meet any? hiding in plain sigh at a space con convention of course!! quirky and sweet read. I quite enjojed it.

I Think I'm in Love With an Alien was a fun read, but not... great.

I feel like the characters and story had a lot of potential, but there were world details and plotline issues that need to be resolved before this is published. The plot, at times, felt more floaty and random than grounded. I didn't quite feel the stakes in this read. But, again, there's so much potential.

I love the whole idea of this book and there were genuinely some nice scenes. Like the scene when Tamzir tells Jen that he's an alien and when he sends her his birth song. Sucha. cute idea. And I did like the added group chat scenes. I love when books play with form like that and these scenes made the book a quicker read.

I Think I’m In Love With an Alien had so much potential, and I wanted to love it but in the end, it just didn’t deliver. It started off strong, with an intriguing premise and a quirky sci fi rom com setup, but the momentum fizzled out quickly. The pacing was uneven, and the book desperately needed a tighter edit, which is something that constantly pulled me out of the story.

One of my biggest struggles was connecting with the characters. Jennette and Tamzir’s romance felt more like a friendship than an actual love story, and when the one spicy scene finally showed up at literally the 99% mark, it felt way too little, way too late. The build up just wasn’t there, making the relationship feel flat and like a wasted effort.

Plot wise, I kept waiting for something to really happen, but it never did. Even outside of the romance, things seemed to be leading somewhere, only for nothing to really happen. Some elements, like the Space Con scenes and the creepy actor subplot, felt unnecessary and didn’t add much to the story. And the group chat? Way overused. A few key moments would have been fine, but the sheer amount of it watered down its impact.

That said, I am intrigued about where Poppy and Ravik might go from here. The hints were there, and honestly, that dynamic felt more compelling than the main romance.

At the end of the day, this was a fine book. Not terrible, but not great either. It had the bones of a fantastic story but didn’t quite live up to them. I wanted more depth, more chemistry, and a stronger sense of purpose. Here’s hoping for a stronger follow up!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ann Aguirre, and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC of this book.

Thank you for the ARC! What kept me reading was the quirky nature of the book, as well as the creative point "are there aliens among your friend group?". I kept reading to see what would happen and how the story would play out, and I did finish the book. But it could use some editing work before release - the story feels aimless at times with no overarching plot that binds the book together. For the majority, it feels like a series of little events that come up and get resolved almost immediately. The main struggle that carries to the end of the book is only introduced at about 60% of the book and felt like an afterthought. The book has potential in terms of the characters' development, but it did feel a bit repetitive at times! 2/5 stars because the plot was engaging enough that I was able to finish it