Thanks to Netgalley & Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the arc! Loved so much! Cute characters & bookish setting. Also loved the
plus-size rep. Will read more from this author.

The premise of this book was pretty unique and fun; I was definitely intrigued with how it might all play out. And overall I enjoyed it quite a bit. There was a lot Angela ended up dealing with apart from just seeking romance and at times those other situations seemed to overtake the romantic arc. But just as she kept being drawn back to Krystal, I kept being pulled back into their love story. The ending, in regards to Angela's original idea/mission, might not have been completely satisfying but I was happy to see Krystal and Angela figure things out together.

The scream i scrumpt when this dropped in my lap!

I looooved the asexual rep here within the pages of the book. The main character did come off maybe a hair young due to the first kiss gimmick but I didn’t let that ruin a single thing.

The plot was marvelous and I loved the focus on discovering themselves and figuring out who they were and all the explanations plus some. The chemistry between the two main characters was great along with the pacing of the novel leading to a great read with moments of hilarity thrown in.

I already need more, absolutely loved it!

The cover of this book is gorgeous! It really is what made me want to read the book.

I wish I could say that I liked this book, but there were a lot of things about it that weren't my cup of tea. Angela was a twenty-seven year-old woman but maturity wise, she felt like she was a teenager. Alongside that, there were a lot of things that happened in the book that felt more fitting for a YA novel because of the level of maturity of what the characters were doing. YA novels are not my thing.

The first kiss gimmick was a little weird to me. Angela was ok with doing other things but made this big deal out of kissing. Maybe I just didn't understand where she was coming from on that.

The scavenger hunt was a bit anticlimactic. The book was building up to it with Angela preparing for it and putting pressure on herself because of it. And then it happened. And who cares because she knew who she wanted to kiss anyway! *scratches head*

I loved Gabriella Gamez's first book, but this one was not for me.

I picked this one up for the stunning cover and was glad I did! It's great to see more romances with asexual representation (this one was pretty heavy on the explanations and exploration of what that meant to the main character). I felt like I was missing a fair bit by not having read the first in the series, especially at the beginning when the other characters were introduced.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

“Kiss Me, Maybe” by Gabriella Gamez is an engaging and heartwarming romance that offers a refreshing take on love, identity, and self-discovery. Through a delightful mix of humor, emotional depth, and relatable characters, Gamez explores the complexities of attraction, relationships, and finding one's place in the world.
The story follows Angela, a librarian who accidentally becomes TikTok famous when she posts an unintentional thirst trap. She then decides to use her following to start checking off some of her firsts, starting with a big one: Her first kiss. While planning a scavenger hunt to achieve this, she starts spending more and more time with her crush, bartender Krystal Ramirez.
The book offers a nuanced exploration of exploring one’s own identity and, in Angela’s case, her intersectionality with identifying as not only lesbian but also asexual and finding her place in her hispanic family. I really enjoyed the emphasis on this exploration and can identify with trying to find a label that fits.
Gabriella Gamez’s writing is accessible and warm, making it easy for readers to connect with Angela’s journey. The narrative is infused with moments of humor and lightheartedness, but it never shies away from addressing the more serious questions of identity and belonging. The pacing is well-balanced, and the plot moves at a satisfying rhythm, allowing Angela’s self-discovery to unfold naturally throughout the book.
There were some themes and storylines that felt more repetitive and drawn out than necessary, however overall I thoroughly enjoyed Kiss me, Maybe. It was sweet, funny, heartfelt and a very easy read to get into and enjoy.

I have a pile of ARCs to read, but I kept abandoning them in favor of this one because it is such a fun, lovely story!

Angela is an asexual lesbian coming out via TikTok and she decides to host a scavenger hunt where the winner will give Angela her first ever kiss. While the hot bartender Krystal helps Angela set up the hunt, Angela finds out more about herself and her companion.

For the Sapphic readers who enjoy spice, this one has some steam! I loved all the aspects of this - the artistic aspects, the inluencer status, the mixed media style of including "videos" and DMs, and I loved that I got to revisit a city I called home for 7 years in it. The family dynamics were great, and I liked seeing Marcela and Theo again from the first book (which you don't have to read first to enjoy this one). I had a great time and hope we get another book in the series that was maybe teased at the end.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

I love the premise of having a scavenger hunt for a first kiss, I think that’s really cute and such a unique idea for a novel. But I wish the romance had been developed a bit more. At times the romance is kind of pushed to the side. There were also parts in the novel where I felt like I was reading a textbook about being ace, and not reading about how the character experiences it. Overall this book was an ok read.

The Next Best Fling was one of my favorite of 2024 therefore I had to ask for an arc of this beauty 💞

I wasn’t disappointed at all!
The LGBTQA+ rep was very well represented and the idea of a scavenger hunt for wining Angela’s first kiss was the funniest.

I’m so happy I’ve pre-ordered a physical copy of it because I have so many scenes to annotate 💞

I fell in love with Gabriella's writing when I read The Next Best Fling. Her writing is seamless and she writes emotion so well. I feel for these characters and I laugh with them. I hurt with them and I fall in love with them.

I took my time reading this arc because I wanted to make sure I absorbed it all and truly I didn't want it to end. It's like a warm blanket on a cold night.

This was amazing!

Thank you very much to Gabriella and her team for the ARC!

The book jumps pretty quickly into the story - our main protagonist, Angela, goes viral on social media after coming out as ace and confessing that although she is 27 years old, she has never dated or kissed anyone. The solution to that? Date the internet. Hold a scavenger hunt and the winner gets to be Angela's first kiss. The problem? Angela has been pining after Krystal - a woman that bartends at a local place her and her best friend Marcela frequent - for the past FIVE years! After seeing Angela's viral videos, Krystal decides to help Angela on her journey to get her first kiss. Cue all of the yearning, tension, self-reflection, and drama!

I absolutely loved getting to read Angela's self discovery journey. One thing I really appreciate about the story is that Gabriella really fleshes out a lot of the LGBTQIA+ terms used in the book. Although I understand the definition of what it means to be ace or aro, I am not an expert by any means so I love that the reader gets to learn alongside Angela. In addition, there's family tension and drama in this book. In a way, I was happy to see that by the end, not everything is truly sunshine and rainbows. That felt very real to me.

I would definitely label this book as more of a slow burn. Angela takes time to figure herself out, which is completely okay and very legit! The way the story unfolded seemed very authentic to me. The scavenger hunt aspect of the book didn't completely sell me, but I see how it weaves the whole plot together.

There's a lot of self exploring and reflection in this book. If you're not a fan of that, this is not the romance for you.

I will preface this review by acknowledging that I am not a member of the community represented in this story, and as such my perspective may be limited.

What this book does well: expresses and acknowledges the range sexualities and preferences that people identify with in romantic settings/relationships. For some this is an introduction to the asexual spectrum and other terms within the queer community.

Where it lost me: This book took way too long to "start". I understand Gamez was trying to carefully craft a world and identity for her character, as Angela goes through the story she's learning more about herself, but this took forever to get where it needed to go.

What I did like about the book was the family dynamics (good and bad) because it’s very representative of the toxic environment in the Latinx community. I liked the FMC trying to find who she is and what she wants. I like how it shows her journey through different ages and her pushing back on people regardless of blood relationship.

Beyond that, I felt very detached. I was a little bored to be honest and I just could not connect much more beyond that. I’m really disappointed because I was very excited about this book.

Title: Kiss Me Maybe
By: Gabriella Gamez
Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Pub May 6th, 2025

“…I’m so used to breaking my own heart before anyone else gets a chance to. To believing there’s something wrong with me. That I’ll never be enough.”

📚 Angela is a librarian who goes viral on TikTok when she comes out as an Asexual Lesbian and admits to never being kissed. The newfound fame and her urge for a “perfect” first kiss leads her on an exciting journey. Angela further explores her identity, stands up to those who criticize and finds new friends. Maybe she even finds the love she was worried she’d never get!

📚 I thought this story was very cute. The inner monologue of Angela felt real. How ace identity was broken down and explained was very interesting and helpful. Loved seeing Angela develop and stand up for herself! I related to Angela’s views of when she was stuck in comphet to then coming out as a lesbian. This book made me laugh and got me in my feelings a few times.

📚 You should read this if you’re looking for ace and/or lesbian rep. Looking for some well done lesbian spice. Looking for a story with found family.

This was the sapphic romance I needed to kick off 2025. Gabriella Gamez's books are some of my absolute faves and so I JUMPED at the opportunity to read Kiss Me, Maybe. And let me tell you, I am SO glad I need.
This was such a cute diverse romance that has the characters show so much growth. I am obsessed with Angela and Krystal and the slow burn that was just perfection. It is an art to write a slow burn and do it well, Gabriella aces that.
Add in a sense of found family and you have a recipe for a book that I know I'm going to love, and I did.

Thank you Forever publishing and NetGalley for gifting me this arc for an honest review.

Thank you Forever and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book as an e-ARC!

I loved the premise of an ace, lesbian librarian going viral for never being kissed, only to hold a scavenger hunt for said first kiss. I felt like I went into this blind as to how asexuality works and how diverse it could be, and could relate to this on some levels myself.

I have been really enjoying Sapphic romances and I enjoyed this one as well! There is tension, romance and spice! Krystal and Angel's journey was cute and the characters are so relatable!

Enjoy this book for:
Sapphic vibes
Latina representation
Ace representation
Slow burn

I love a book with great representation. I am often even able to learn things from them and grow to appreciate a character’s journey even more with fresh understanding. This book however borders on educational material territory. I get that Angela is trying to learn about herself but to started to feel less like a romance and more like crash course on the many differentiations of ace identity. All of that focus meant not enough time was left to develop the romance to the point that the love interest is so poorly fleshed out the only things I know about her are negative. I didn’t care about her at all. So feeling tepid about the romance didn’t leave me with much. The scavenger hunt idea was silly and never came to much. What I did really like was Angela and her cousin navigating their family relationships after coming out as queer. Of course I also love that gorgeous cover. This book was only ok for me but Gamez is still an author I will be watching.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have so many thoughts but not enough experience in writing to lay them all out properly.

As someone who considers herself on the asexual spectrum, I absolutely adore Angela and have since she appeared in Gabriella's first book, The Next Best Fling. I was so excited to read her story that I binge-read it in one sitting, and I loved following Angela's journey into figuring out just exactly who she is and what really matters to her in this crazy world we call life.

After going viral from an accidental thirst trap video, Angela ends up making a video talking about her asexuality and her late bloomer status, which gains her an online following. Deciding to take her situation into her own hands, she attempts to set up a scavenger hunt where the winner will get to claim her first kiss, which is where Krystal Ramirez, the hot and flirty bartender that Angela has been crushing on for years, comes into play. Krystal agrees to help Angela plan her scavenger hunt and let her use the bar she works in as the place to kick it all off, except as the two work together, their friendship takes a turn into will they, won't they territory.

I'll admit I was hesitant about the romance between Krystal and Angela, especially since Angela also has chemistry with another potential love interest throughout the story, but Krystal eventually won me over, and I enjoyed watching her character grow as well as her friendship turned relationship with Angela. Also, there's one specific spicy scene that I just loved 🥵

Not only do we get to see Marcella and Theo return, but we also get a new cast of characters to love/hate. I love Angela's parents and how supportive they are towards not only Angela but also her cousin Julian as well. I loved this story and all the characters with all their flaws, all minus the one character I despised, and I absolutely can't wait to see what Gabriella writes next.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.

This was super cute!

The characters felt realistic, had good growth and were interesting. The romance is a sweet slow burn. These two were adorable.
I also thought the Hispanic and sexuality representation was done well.

A great read for summer!

✨ARC REVIEW✨

Hear me out: a late bloomer goes viral on TikTok for admitting she’s never been kissed, and decides the solution is a scavenger hunt with the prize being her first kiss! The only problem? The woman who’s helping her organize the hunt may be the only one she wants at the final location.

This book was my first sapphic romance and it set the bar incredibly high. To balance humor, cultural sensitivity, and queer representation as it’s interwoven into the most endearing love story -and do it well as a sequel- is a feat.

This book had me audibly gasping over plot twists as much as it had me giggling and kicking my feet over flirty banter. Plenty of spice - but no kissing allowed?? *chefs kiss*

What I loved the most was how real these characters felt. Angela’s journey of self exploration while trying to balance the reactions of those around her embodied the quintessential millennial coming of age story. Krystal’s reluctance to fall given her previous attempts at relationships felt so relatable and delicate.

Gamez’s writing just keeps getting better!! I will be happily waiting for book 3 so it can become the deliciously messy and endearing story I’m confident it’ll be!

Give Kiss Me, Maybe a read if you like:

🩷 sapphic romance
📖 late bloomer fmc
🩷 set in San Antonio
📖 ace spec, lesbian & bi rep
🩷 librarian x bartender
📖 telenovela energy
🩷 Mexican American fmc’s
📖 open door romance
🩷 viral fiesta scavenger hunt