Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez
as an ace-spec lesbian, this was one of my most anticipated books of the year and reading it made me so happy and…soothed? to read a character i related to so much. angela (she/her) is a 27-year-old ace-spec lesbian and has not kissed or dated anyone, and after a couple of her videos talking about this go viral she decides to set up a scavenger hunt with the winner earning the privilege of being her first kiss. her favorite bartender, krystal (she/her), offers to help her. angela’s had a crush on krystal for years and tries to navigate their blooming friendship, her romantic feelings for krystal, and her increased visibility online. she also has to deal with some terrible extended family and ends up closer to her parents, two cousins, and a found family she’s created while also learning how to stand up for herself.
angela’s confusion and worries about her asexuality and insecurity about not knowing exactly what she wants is something i’ve dealt with as well and it was so refreshing to read about it. not all ace folks will relate to this one, but i really did. my asexuality was more difficult to navigate than my lesbianism, and angela feeling lost in her identity was relatable.
thank you forever publishing for an e-arc! kiss me, maybe is out now.
cws: acephobia; biphobia; bullying; lesbophobia; vomit
official book description:
When a late bloomer goes viral for coming out, she decides to use her newfound fame to get her first kiss—with the help of a sexy bartender.
Librarian Angela Gutierrez has never been kissed. But after posting a video about her late bloomer status and ace identity, she’s finally ready to get some firsts out of the way. Using her new influencer status to come up with a scavenger hunt idea in which the winner earns her first kiss, Angela realizes she may need some help to pull off the event. Enter Krystal Ramirez, hot bartender and Angela’s unrequited crush of five years. Despite vowing that romantic love isn’t for her, Krystal seems awfully determined to help Angela pull off the scavenger hunt and find true love.
There’s just one problem: the connection between Angela and Krystal is getting stronger and stronger the more they hang out, until Angela isn’t sure she wants to go through with the scavenger hunt after all. But Krystal is convinced that she isn’t capable of love and before long, Angela realizes she’s falling head over heels for a woman who may never love her back.