Name: ena's review of I Kissed Alice by Anna Birch
Item: I Kissed Alice
Rating: 2
Author: ena

Anna Birch

"Rivals-to-lovers, mistaken identity, and slow, slow burn... A loving homage to fandom and queer girls." —Victoria Lee, author of The Fever King For fans of Leah on the Offbeat and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, Anna Birch's I Kissed Alice is a romantic comedy about enemies, lovers, and everything in between. Rhodes and Iliana couldn't be more different, but that's not why they hate each other. Rhodes, a gifted artist, has always excelled at Alabama’s Conservatory of the Arts (until she’s hit with a secret bout of creator’s block), while Iliana, a transfer student, tries to outshine everyone with her intense, competitive work ethic. Since only one of them can get the coveted Capstone scholarship, the competition between them is fierce. They both escape the pressure on a fanfic site where they are unknowingly collaborating on a webcomic. And despite being worst enemies in real life, their anonymous online identities I-Kissed-Alice and Curious-in-Cheshire are starting to like each other... a lot. When the truth comes out, will they destroy each other's future? An Imprint Book "The swoony queer romcom of my heart... Pitch-perfect." —Rachel Hawkins, New York Times-bestselling author of Prince Charming and Her Royal Highness

I Kissed Alice

Kayla

the both of them are kinda hhhh hard to relate to? like... grow up idk. but it's a real enemies to lovers, which is cool. the last part is interesting

Mackenzie Treloar

** spoiler alert **
           This book was disappointing. When i picked it up it sounded right up my alley But the novel was confusing and felt generally unfocused. Characters felt extremely 1 dimensional and plot points made me confused. I kept having to re read portions to try and understand what was actually happening. The shift between enemies to lovers felt completely abrupt and nonsensical. Not my favourite.

Ouarda 

Franchement pas fou fou, j’ai galéré à rentrer dedans et y’a que vers la fin que c’était un peu intéressant mais pendant plus de la moitié du livre la narration était pas incroyable alors que l’histoire en soit avait du potentiel

There were some technical aspects to the book that I liked. I love books that focus on fandom and the ways that reinterpreting a canon can have so much meaning, so that part of the plot was great. I absolutely adored seeing panels from Iliana and Rhodes's comic included in the novel and just wish we could have seen even more of it. 

Unfortunately, however, my biggest takeaway from the book is that I'm not in any way convinced that anyone in this book actually liked each other. Every single relationship was toxic and messed up and I couldn't find it in myself to root for any of them to straighten themselves out. Everyone was awful to everyone else the. entire. damn. book. and it was just kind of exhausting to read. And you kind of expect some of that from an enemies to lovers story - it just comes with the territory. But Iliana and Sarah's relationship was crap; Rhodes and Sarah's relationship was crap; Rhodes and her therapist's relationship was crap; all of their relationship with the teachers seemed pretty crap; Rhodes and her mother's relationship was crap; hell I-Kissed-Alice and Curious-in-Chesire's relationship was occasionally pretty crap as well. And I mostly just found myself thinking "why are any of you people choosing to spend time together in the first place?" Which doesn't make for the best reading experience in the world.

Terra

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: I Kissed Alice

Author: Anna Birch and Victoria Ying (illustrator)

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Lesbian/bi main characters (not sure exactly how they define themselves). f/f romance

Recommended For...: romance, contemporary, mixed media, LGBT, f/f romance

Publication Date: July 28, 2020

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 15+ (slight sexual content, language)

Publisher: Macmillan/Imprint

Pages: 320

Synopsis: Rhodes and Iliana couldn't be more different, but that's not why they hate each other.

Hyper-gifted artist Rhodes has always excelled at Alabama’s Conservatory of the Arts despite a secret bout of creator's block, while transfer student Iliana tries to outshine everyone with her intense, competitive work ethic. Since only one of them can get the coveted Capstone scholarship, the competition between them is fierce.

They both escape the pressure on a fanfic site where they are unknowingly collaborating on a graphic novel. And despite being worst enemies in real life, their anonymous online identities I-Kissed-Alice and Curious-in-Cheshire are starting to like each other...a lot. When the truth comes out, will they destroy each other's future?

Review: Oh. My. Bi. Heart. I loved this book so much! I immediately fell in love with the story and I loved the duel POVs. It was both exciting and cringy as the girls stumbled through their love story. The voices were very distinct and the writing well done. The book also mentioned periods… which WIN FOR PERIOD NORMALCY! The book is also in a mixed media format, showing the girls text messages and their comic they write and illustrate.

The only complaint I had was the confusing beginning. The book kind of throws you into the girls feud and you have to wade through it, kinda like their stuck-in-the-middle best friend.

Verdict: Definitely recommend!

Jessica 

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Tik Tok | You can find my review here.


  As always, a copy of this book was provided by the author or publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.


Came for the romantic comedy; stayed for the swoon-worthy story and illustrations. Dang! I Kissed Alice was so much fun, I'm feeling like I might be smiling from it for the rest of the year. It goes without saying that I positively adored this book and the tropes and relationships at the center of it.

Give me all the romantic comedies that showcase a competitive, enemies to lovers relationship. No, seriously. I'm making grabby hands here and if I had any shame I'd, well, feel shame. But I don't. So, here we are. This is what this story has reduced me to: I want more, more, more and I'm making weird hand gestures at my laptop.

It's nearly midnight, Jessica, go to bed.

I Kissed Alice is a breath of fresh air amongst the angsty books of late and honestly I'm here for it. I mean, all coming of age stories have a bit of angst and I Kissed Alice isn't all that different in that regard, but this book takes it and runs with it in a way that is entertaining and humorous. I genuinely loved so much about this book--the setting, the characters, the sprinkles of art school and so much more.

(Not spoiling it is so freaking hard. Quick, someone read this and gush about it with me!)

That being said, the comparisons to Fangirl aren't all that far off and in so many ways, I definitely think fans of that modern day classic will appreciate the vibes that I Kissed Alice possess. It runs with the same energy and humor. Ultimately, of course, I Kissed Alice is entirely its own delightful story. It is beautifully written, smartly woven, and utterly swoon-worthy.

Kayla &
I Kissed Alice by Anna Birch

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