I Kissed Alice delivers all the enemies to lovers vibes meets comic books. It’s a delightful and emotional book that talks about second chances and forgiveness. Keep reading my book review of I Kissed Alice to read my thoughts on one of my new favorite contemporaries!
Summary
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
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I Kissed Alice is delightfully queer, featuring complex characters who are flawed and make mistakes, and celebrates a story of teens united by art. This dual POV romcom features one of my favorite tropes – enemies to lovers – combined with a love of tarot cards, difficult friendships, and fanfiction. But I Kissed Alice is about more than the romance, it’s also about Rhodes and Iliana’s journey’s of self-discovery. Figuring out who we want to be outside of people’s expectations. Taking a critical look at the relationships in our life.
Here’s a list of things I I adored in :
- how it celebrates fanfiction and art
- features a friendship triangle
- looks at gaps in privilege and opportunities
- has an art competition
- a character’s experience in therapy
- features comic book drawings by Victoria Ying
Even more so, I loved the exploration of friendship in I Kissed Alice. I came for the romcom vibes and ended for the thoughtful examination of friendship. Does there come to a point when we out-grow our childhood friends? Are we truly remembering everything the way it happened or do we just see what we wanted to in those moments? All the characters in I Kissed Alice are allowed to be messy and complex.
Overall,
In I Kissed Alice there’s a spark of attraction as we peer into the ashes of what could have been. Rivalries that leave ashes and burned bridges in their wakes. Feuds that could cost us everything and change our entire world. At the heart of the book, is that sometimes the things we cannot stand about each other, often remind us too keenly of ourselves and our desires. The passion we feel is missing. I Kissed Alice is a story about realizing our own mistakes, standing up for ourselves, and trying to become the person we want to be.
Find I Kissed Alice on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.