I cannot even with this book.
I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
I simply could not get enough.

I couldn't help but root for Molly the entire time.
I found Alex frustrating at times but that's how you know you've got a good book. A book that makes you feel things.
I can't help but feel like this book would make a fantastic film, please make it happen!

She Gets the Girl is a sapphic page turner that I just didn't want to be over. I highly recommend this book!

This was such a fun romance, I felt myself really connecting with each of the main characters and falling in love with their bond. This was my first time reading from this author duo but I will definitely be seeking out more of their books in the future (and likely rereading this one too!)

It was fine. It wasn't awful, it was just pretty generic. I loved that it was sapphic but that was all it really had going for it. I would still recommend it because it's an easy read but also don't go into it with high expectations

This was such a cute story! I really enjoyed it was super fun. We even read it for our book club where everyone else seemed to react positively to it as well.

I wish that I’d gotten some more insight into Molly and her mums relationship and would love to have explored that more. But overall, Molly and Alex were pretty awesome characters with human flaws and I appreciated that. However, I did find that at some points I wasn’t as invested as I would have hoped. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it though, because I did! Also I really loved when I found out that it was a married couple that had written this book together, how adorable! Would I recommend this? If you’re looking for a cute, fun lil story about two girls falling for each other then yes, definitely!

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for approving me for an ARC of this book. I read and loved Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott last year and have two more of her books sat on my shelf, waiting to be read, so I was very excited to see what this one was like.

The story follows Alex and Molly as they embark on their first year of college. Alex is desperate to prove to her on again off again girlfriend, Natalie, that she is trustworthy and committed to their relationship. She does not want to screw this up because Natalie means the world to her so she is determined to change her ways. Molly on the other hand is desperate for change. Socially awkward and wanting to fit in she is nervous about making friends at college. It doesn’t help that her crush, Cora, is also at the same college. Luckily Alex is on hand to guide Molly through her 5 step plan to ‘get the girl’.

I have to say the banter between these two characters was through the roof. I laughed so many times and loved the back and forth dialogue between them. It was clear from very early on what was going to happen but the journey to that point was incredible! Yes this was a fun read but it had so much emotion to it too, our leading ladies had very interesting backstories that were explored delicately and beautifully.

This was just the sort of book I needed. It was funny, witty, entertaining and had me hooked. I read this in the space of a day and could not put it down. It had everything I would want from a romcom read and is the perfect addition to the beach read stack. I really hope that Rachael and her wife Alyson team up again because this book was perfect, it had all the vibes of my favourite 90’s movies!

I really liked this book. Molly and Alex were such great characters to follow and i think they both had the right balance between believable and fictional with their character development. I liked how all the different types of romance were done in this and felt like the various subplots and dramas were handled well. The side characters were fleshed out enough but there were a couple of points the characters could've been written a bit better.

Two polar opposites, college freshmen Molly and Alex, embark on a plan to help Molly find romance with her highschool crush, Cora, and help Alex prove to her girlfriend she can be a good person and make real friends... what could possibly go wrong?

Ohhh this was a bit of a let-down, I can't lie. It was cute and fun and I did eventually find myself somewhat invested in these characters and their relationship, but it was a struggle for a good 50% of the book.
First of all, the writing style made it difficult to immerse myself in the story. Our main characters didn't really have distinct enough narrative voices for a first person dual POV, it primarily worked because it was consistently every second chapter and each chapter tended to start with some clumsy exposition to make it clear who we were with (this on top of so many chapters ending with leading phrases like "how hard can it be?", or "what could go wrong", consitently took me out of the narrative).
I also think this story would have been better served by use of the past tense (which hurts me to say, I love a good present tense story). This simply did not flow in the present tense, on several occasions it would switch to the past tense as our narrator would recount the events of their day up until where they are 'now', before continuing in the present tense. The narrators would also repeatedly address the reader which doesn't really make sense in the present tense, why would they be talking to an audience in their head in real time? I found this a bit jarring, and once it again, it would just take me out of the story.
I would have liked to have had our supporting characters be a bit more fleshed out. That can be a struggle with first person POV as we get such a narrow focus and only see other charatcters as they drift in and out to serve a particular purpose, and we also only see them as our narrators see them.
Finally, a lot of clunky and unnatural dialogue and pop culture references really made it so I had to persevere through the first half until I was invested enough to ignore the worst of it. It took a good half too because the pacing was a bit meandering, it didn't have much purpose in the first half to two thirds of the book. We seemed to just wander along, until a conversation at one point revealed it only happened over the course of one month I would have assumed at least a semester had passed.

All that said, the conept was cute and I enjoyed the coming-of-age love story elements, and the way the two main characters bounced off each other. A quick and easy read, that others would probably easily enjoy more than me without getting hung up on the writing style.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for my e-arc of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.

She Gets the Girl, written by wife-and-wife writing duo Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick, was such an adorable, uplifting read. It leans hard into romance tropes: Molly is a shy half-Korean girl who's terrified to be starting college and has had a secret crush on old classmate Cora for years; Alex is a tough, traditionally beautiful blonde who's scared to open up to people because of her difficult upbringing with an alcoholic mother. When Alex's girlfriend Natalie wants her to prove that she can take life seriously and isn't just going to flit from girl to girl, Alex takes Molly under her wing, deciding that evidence of a solid, platonic friendship with another lesbian will fit Natalie's criteria. Alex thinks that her dating advice will help Molly capture Cora's attention and prove to Natalie that she and Molly are definitely just friends. But... are they?

This is not the sort of book that deals in twists and turns, and it's the better for it: we know where this story is going, and Lippincott and Derrick give themselves plenty of space to develop Molly and Alex as people. Both girls are characterised strongly outside the confines of their relationship; Alex's friendship with food truck boss Jim is heartwarming, while I loved Molly's admission, unusual in fiction, that her mum is her best friend and has helped her get through her tough high school years. Molly's gradual disillusionment with Cora is well-written, too, and managed without chucking the other character under the bus (sadly, Alex and Natalie's relationship wasn't quite as well-handled, with Natalie's U-turn not effectively foreshadowed). The campus setting was also a perfect mix of realistic and escapist.

While I loved the sweetness of this novel, there were hints of a harder edge to its world that I'd like to have seen further developed. Both girls resolve their issues with their mothers too neatly, especially Molly. It emerges throughout the course of the novel that Molly's mother was adopted from South Korea and has internalised a lot of self-hatred about her Korean identity because of the racist bullying she experienced as a child; this makes Molly feel that she can't explore that side of herself. This is potentially really interesting territory, but Lippincott and Derrick ultimately skate over it for the sake of tying the ending up in a tidy bow. However, I can forgive this novel a lot for the sheer joy of its lesbian representation. I'm not a big reader of YA romance, so I'm sure there are lots of others out there like this, but it strikes me that the really big-name queer YA books I've encountered - Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Leah on the Offbeat, Red, White and Royal Blue, Heartstopper - are all primarily about gay boys or bisexual teens. While this is also great representation, and I loved all the aforementioned reads, it was really special to find a book that unapologetically centres lesbians. Will definitely be looking out for more in this vein!

YA hate to love and its sapphic of course i was going to read it. this is a age old story line of the nerd gets the hot player. i love the awkwardness of molly on the the MC as i know i have felt like she had a number of times in my life and so it was nice to read it. its a very 90s rom com but will more a comimg of age and been relaxed in your own skin instead if the whole removing the glasses and suddenly you are hot and not awkward anymore.

its a slow burner and that is what we know we like and so can fault that what so ever

would recommmend this book for anyone who loved the 90s romcom like 10 reason and she is all that but wants a sapphic twist

I received She Gets The Girl by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick for free by Simon & Schuster UK Childrens on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for my advanced copy!

I have been so EXCITED to read this book because I have heard so many good things about it! Plus I have loved seeing the authors promoting it on TikTok!! And I am so happy because I loved, loved, LOVED it!!

I loved Molly & Alex so much! They were so different to each other but worked so well together! Molly is organised and painfully awkward at times - to be honest she reminded myself so much of me! Whereas Alex is basically the Jeff Winger of women and wants to prove that she can have something real.
(Also high five for anyone else who watches community!)

I loved seeing Molly become more confident and seeing Alex let herself be more vulnerable! The friendship that they form is so sweet and special and they truly do make each other better. The chemistry between them was so electric, you could practically see the sparks fly off the page!

This story made my sapphic little heart so happy. It was the cutest and just what I needed after watching Heartstopper! (Plus if you want a sapphic version of the rugby in Heartstopper then you NEED to read this!) I can’t stop thinking about this book and it has become an instant favourite of mine!

She Gets The Girl will make you swoon, squeal and fall in love! An absolutely brilliant read!

Thank you so much to the publishers for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for my honest review!!

"If you spend your life focusing on the never, then you'll never actually do anything."

This book was the feel-good book that I needed to read. I never wanted to put it down!

The characters were all so well written and made it really easy to absorb myself into the story. I love Molly and Alex so much, from their banter to Alex helping Molly get the girl. I was so happy to see a book that was set during college too!

I would definitely recommend it!

Okay, so I LOVE anything that is written by Rachael Lippincott and when I found out that she was writing this book with her wonderful wife Alyson Derrick I knew I had to read it ASAP! And I did… and I was NOT disappointed. What a stunner of a book!

‘Alex Blackwood is a little bit headstrong, with a dash of chaos and a whole lot of flirt. She knows how to get the girl. Keeping her on the other hand… not so much. Molly Parker has everything in her life totally in control, except for her complete awkwardness with just about anyone beside her mom. She knows she’s in love with the impossibly cool Cora Myers. She just… hasn’t actually talked to her yet
Alex and Molly don’t belong on the same planet, let alone the same college campus. But when Alex, fresh off a bad (but hopefully not permanent) breakup, discovers Molly’s hidden crush as their paths cross the night before classes start, they realise they might have a common interested after all’
As the two embark on their five-step plans to get their girls to fall for them, though, they both begin to wonder if maybe they’re the ones falling… for each other’

I honestly fell in love with both Alex and Molly, both are polar opposites who shouldn’t work as friends, never mind anything else but they both just work together so well! The chemistry between the two of them is written so well! I believed everything between them. Both characters have major flaws at the beginning but seeing them work through their problems together to help each other is so sweet.

This book was INSTANT love for me! So much humor, slow burning romance, some dark times, some laugh out loud moments. I did not want it to end! I cannot recommend this book enough!

She Gets the Girl is an endearingly relatable story about young love and self-discovery. I would have loved this book as a Queer Teenager - all the fun of a classic romcom with my favourite tropes but taking time to address serious issues in an authentic and honest way.

The characters were painfully real and beautiful in all their confused teenage glory,

The authors of this story are married irl, and you can tell how in sync they must be by the way their writing complements each other perfectly and the romance is so clear on the page - this is a must-read and not just for teenagers!

She gets the girl follows our two main characters - Alex and Molly - through their first year of college as they both team up together to get the girls of their dreams. Molly, who is extremely awkward and incredibly relatable, is in love with Cora. Alex, who is very bold and extremely flirty, is having trouble with her girlfriend Natalie. Seeing how they can help each other with their respective plans to start/save a relationship, the girls work together using a ‘five step plan to get the girl’, unbeknown to them that the result may not be what they expect… ;) ;)

Put simply this was one of the cutest romcoms I have read so far this year. I loved ‘she gets the girl’ so much, I don’t think I will ever stop singing its praises, I need everyone to go read it IMMEDIATELY.

Everything was so well developed from the plot to the characters, and I was filled with feels all throughout the book (particularly in a certain roller skating scene). Molly and Alex were written so well respectively, I feel like they had a lot of depth to their characters, especially with their individual struggles and backstories - and it really made this book something more than just your average romcom. There were some difficult themes such as alcoholism, internalized racism and emotionally abusive relationships, but these were all handled greatly as serious issues and were executed well. I really loved the writing in general with this book, it was totally bingeworthy and the slow build of the romance between Alex and Molly made the ending even more satisfying when everything came together. This will definitely be a book I reread in the future <3

This book was amazing. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did but my god, was I wrong. It's just so cute and ahh, I really hope Lippincott and Derrick write more books together!

Adorable. There's no better word to describe this book. It is so full of hilarious & cute moments that it is bursting at the seams.

Molly and Alex are gorgeous. When they come together to help each other with their love lives, something unexpected happens, and a new relationship begins to blossom. I think this is my favourite slow-burn romance. Although it is fiction, it’s easy to see this happening in real life. It is a human thing to miss what is right before your very eyes. Please can this be made into a film? It screams ROMCOM CLASSIC.

And then there’s Jim. I seem to have a thing for side characters, don't get me wrong (cue The Pretenders. Lol), I adore Molly and Alex, but Jim stole my heart. He is your typical loveable grump with a heart of gold.
For me, Jim and his food truck equal perfection.
In all seriousness, Jim is a fantastic character and a figure in Alex’s life that she has been missing.

Like I said, an adorable story full of heart, angst, tender moments, real issues, some sadness, but all in all a beautiful feel-good read that makes your heart smile as much as your face.

Thank you so much, NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for the gift of the ebook arc.

4.5⭐️

Ahhh I was so excited to read it and read it in one day! I could barely put it down.

I really felt bad for Alex and the amount of pressure she was put under and had to grow up way too early. And I absolutely loved Molly! I could really relate to her overthinking and her anxieties and it really felt like she was speaking on my experiences!

I knew pretty straight up that Natalie was not a great character and was so toxic, and was so annoyed every time she was talking or even mentioned.

I feel like this book could have been a little bit more longer and the characters had more page time with the other side characters like Jordan. They wasn’t really mentioned again.

I loved this book and will definitely be rereading it and recommend it! It was wholesome, sweet, sad and funny, which was the perfect mix for my type of book. It had my fave tropes in, forced proximity, (sort of) enemies to friends, to lovers, grumpy/sunshine and even had a fake date situation which I am a sucker for!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this pre-publishing date!

I didn’t enjoy it; very slow, and I felt like I had read it before. It was very similar to the last stop. I preferred it when the author wrote about medical themes.

I liked this a lot, but somehow it took me six weeks to give feedback -- apologies! This college-set YA utilises some classic tropes: one character endeavours to set two people up, only to realise they've fallen for one of them themselves. When I say classic, I mean we've all been loving stories like this since Twelfth Night, and I liked that there were a few Shakespeare nods here and there, to the point where I almost wondered if it was meant to be a retelling. (I don't think so? But I appreciated the resonances anyway.)

The main thing I loved about this one is that the emotional beats of the story felt earned: we saw the characters grow, we saw their feelings develop, and I actually believed in their emotional journeys, rather than feeling like they were being dragged around to reach a plot point.

Alex is messed up. Her dad left, her mum is an alcoholic, and she’s going to college to become a doctor just so she can have a good income and stable future. Her girlfriend, Natalie, is sick of her closed-off nature and makes them take a month break. Alex meets Molly - a very socially anxious, sweet girl who just wants cool girl Cora to notice her. Together, they hatch a plan to get Cora & Molly together, and to prove to Natalie that Alex can be kind and thoughtful.

I absolutely loved this. It’s a slow-burner, and definitely takes a little while to get kicking, but once you get there, it’s so brilliant. Alex and Molly’s friendship is heartwarming - it’s so clear they truly care about one another - and is so much more than just teaching Molly to be more confident. They bring out the best in each other and are so perfectly fit as friends, I just can’t stop thinking about them. It’s so adorable.

Such a sweet queer world, that also deals with some intense teen issues. Parental alcoholism, social anxiety, self-esteem issues, toxic relationships. If you’re looking for a queer romance with heavy themes of friendship, please pick this up!! It will not disappoint.

(Thanks to the publisher for this review copy)