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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
So damn cute
I loved everything about this book. The story was adorable, I LOVE Lilah and Noa, I felt like I was reading about people I know. So much good representation!!
I loved everything about this book. The story was adorable, I LOVE Lilah and Noa, I felt like I was reading about people I know. So much good representation!!
Lilah Silver has been cast as the final girl actress in an upcoming horror film. Noa is the make-up artist that has been assigned to Lilah. It just so happens that Noa has had a crush on Lilah since her first movie. Will the love blossom in this high-stress environment?
Three words to describe this book: Messy. Confusing. Underwhelming.
Cover: I love this cover and the Hollywood lights in the background. It definitely sets the stage for the book.
Tropes: Shared bed, long-time crush, secret love
Character Development: While we spend a lot of time with the characters, I never got a sense of who they were outside of their roles as an actor and make-up artist. I know they are both a bit confused as they are young and figuring things out. Due to the lack of character development, I was not invested in their relationship.
World-Building: Going into this book, I was super excited for the world of a horror movie. I just don’t feel like the setting was explored much beyond a couple of parts such as kissing the co-lead and shooting on location. I wanted so much more from this world. Listening to audio, I had a tough time differentiating between the two characters' point-of-view at times because of the lack of character development.
Plot & Pacing: I thought the pacing in the first part of the book was great and got me invested. But then it lagged from about 30% to 70% or so. The book could not settle what romance trope it was going to be – secret love? Long-time crush? Shared bed? It toys with all of them. There is also a subplot about a stalker that was underdeveloped.
Narrator: The narration of this audiobook was fantastic! I love Natalie Naudus and her voice fits perfectly here.
Verdict: I am not a fan of this book. It pains me not to rave about a queer romance especially one as promising as this one.
ARC was provided to me by Sourcebooks Casablanca (e-book) & Dreamscape Media (audio). in exchange for an honest review.
Three words to describe this book: Messy. Confusing. Underwhelming.
Cover: I love this cover and the Hollywood lights in the background. It definitely sets the stage for the book.
Tropes: Shared bed, long-time crush, secret love
Character Development: While we spend a lot of time with the characters, I never got a sense of who they were outside of their roles as an actor and make-up artist. I know they are both a bit confused as they are young and figuring things out. Due to the lack of character development, I was not invested in their relationship.
World-Building: Going into this book, I was super excited for the world of a horror movie. I just don’t feel like the setting was explored much beyond a couple of parts such as kissing the co-lead and shooting on location. I wanted so much more from this world. Listening to audio, I had a tough time differentiating between the two characters' point-of-view at times because of the lack of character development.
Plot & Pacing: I thought the pacing in the first part of the book was great and got me invested. But then it lagged from about 30% to 70% or so. The book could not settle what romance trope it was going to be – secret love? Long-time crush? Shared bed? It toys with all of them. There is also a subplot about a stalker that was underdeveloped.
Narrator: The narration of this audiobook was fantastic! I love Natalie Naudus and her voice fits perfectly here.
Verdict: I am not a fan of this book. It pains me not to rave about a queer romance especially one as promising as this one.
ARC was provided to me by Sourcebooks Casablanca (e-book) & Dreamscape Media (audio). in exchange for an honest review.
I did not finish this book so to be fair my review is probably not as fully fleshed out. But I simply was not invested in the characters at all!! I didn’t care for the stalker plot or their relationship. I also couldn’t get past the cover/title. Maybe there is an explanation later in the book but “I kissed a girl” is a dumb title. I also didn’t feel comfortable bringing it to school which is where I do most of my reading.
2.5/5 stars
This was a very sweet romance, but had quite a few execution flaws, which made it difficult for me to love it. There was definitely many aspects that drew me to the book. I love the dedication to horror films (low budget, cult favourites and everything in between). As someone who loves reading Hollywood romances and has for a long time, this book's focus on SFX makeup and acting in horror flics felt refreshingly new and was a very fun atmosphere for the book. I liked both of our main characters as well, I think they were quite endearing in there own ways. Altogether, the romance was sweet and heartwarming, which is always important for me.
I guess this book fell short for me in terms of plot and other execution points. I wasn't expecting anything outstanding, but the book seemed overall too predictable and a bit immature. It read more like a YA than an adult romance, which is both what I am used to and what I was expecting with our adult characters. I also think there were too many elements - a stalker plot, a lot of side characters on set, a kind of coming of age storyline and career aspirations. I think it all felt a bit too much by the end as the author couldn't really spend enough time on any of them, so it ended up feeling rushed and underdeveloped by the end.
I think this was an enjoyable read for the cute romance and overall heartwarming story, but the finer details of the book needed a bit more development I think.
This was a very sweet romance, but had quite a few execution flaws, which made it difficult for me to love it. There was definitely many aspects that drew me to the book. I love the dedication to horror films (low budget, cult favourites and everything in between). As someone who loves reading Hollywood romances and has for a long time, this book's focus on SFX makeup and acting in horror flics felt refreshingly new and was a very fun atmosphere for the book. I liked both of our main characters as well, I think they were quite endearing in there own ways. Altogether, the romance was sweet and heartwarming, which is always important for me.
I guess this book fell short for me in terms of plot and other execution points. I wasn't expecting anything outstanding, but the book seemed overall too predictable and a bit immature. It read more like a YA than an adult romance, which is both what I am used to and what I was expecting with our adult characters. I also think there were too many elements - a stalker plot, a lot of side characters on set, a kind of coming of age storyline and career aspirations. I think it all felt a bit too much by the end as the author couldn't really spend enough time on any of them, so it ended up feeling rushed and underdeveloped by the end.
I think this was an enjoyable read for the cute romance and overall heartwarming story, but the finer details of the book needed a bit more development I think.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I Kissed a Girl is about Noa, a makeup artist trying to start her career and Liah Silvers, an actress in a horror movie. Noa is more of a background makeup artist just helping around but gets her positioned moved up to be the main MUA for Lilah. Lot’s of stolen glances and yearning, and thinking the other doesn't like them this is a super cute romcom.
The writing style was a bit choppy. Sometimes I found myself going back to read passages a couple times and about halfway through I contemplated DNF’ing the book just because I had other things I would rather be reading but did end up finishing it. I think that the characters lacked some personality. But if you are looking for a quick sapphic romcom with Jewish rep and LOVE movies this book may be for you.
I Kissed a Girl is about Noa, a makeup artist trying to start her career and Liah Silvers, an actress in a horror movie. Noa is more of a background makeup artist just helping around but gets her positioned moved up to be the main MUA for Lilah. Lot’s of stolen glances and yearning, and thinking the other doesn't like them this is a super cute romcom.
The writing style was a bit choppy. Sometimes I found myself going back to read passages a couple times and about halfway through I contemplated DNF’ing the book just because I had other things I would rather be reading but did end up finishing it. I think that the characters lacked some personality. But if you are looking for a quick sapphic romcom with Jewish rep and LOVE movies this book may be for you.
DNF. I listened to 70% of the audiobook on a long journey but a) this book is WAY longer than necessary, this should be no longer than 8 hours on audio but it's like 10 and b) I'm not invested in the characters. it switches too much between noa and Lilah so I'm not always sure what's going on a d there's no chemistry + poorly done instalovs
I think the pacing was really off?? I wanted more of them being cute together more so than them being awkward, and the whole LILAH HAS A STALKER THATS TRYING TO KILL HER thing was underplayed and could’ve been a LOT more exciting
DNF. This is reading like someone's self-insert fan fiction. It's so repetitive and not really interesting.
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed the representation in this book and the references were cute. I went in to it expecting a cute romance so the slight mystery was interesting, although it threw me off a little. Overall, it was cute and the relationship was nice, but not one of my favorite romances of all time