Title: Kiss the Girl (Meant to Be #2)

Author: Zoraida Córdova

Publisher: Hyperion Avenue 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series; Romanceopoly - Crystal Lake (Fairytale retelling)

Spice Meter: 3

A modern tale of unexpectedly falling in love, and finding your voice—the highly anticipated third installment of in the acclaimed and best-selling Meant to Be collection. Ariel del Mar is one of the most famous singers in the world. She and her sisters—together, known as the band Siren Seven—have been a pop culture phenomenon since they were kids. On stage, wearing her iconic red wig and sequined costumes, staring out at a sea of fans, is where she shines. Anyone would think she's the girl who has everything. But lately, she wants more. Siren Seven is wrapping up their farewell tour, and Ariel can't wait to spend the summer just living a normal life—part of a world she's only ever seen from the outside. But her father, the head of Atlantica Records, has other plans: begin her breakout solo career immediately, starting with a splashy announcement on a morning talk show. The night before, Ariel and her sisters sneak out of their Manhattan penthouse for a night of incognito fun at a rock concert in Brooklyn. It's there that Ariel crosses paths with Eric Reyes, dreamy lead singer of an up-and-coming band. Unaware of her true identity, Eric spontaneously invites her on the road for the summer. And for the first time in her life, Ariel disobeys her father—and goes with him. Caught between the world she longs for and the one she's left behind, can Ariel follow her dreams, fall in love, and, somehow, find her own voice?

I finally got around this Little Mermaid retelling. I was going to read it last fall, but of course, I had too many library books checked out and had to make some tough choices. I got it back and sped through this very lite retelling. I found that I really dig the rock star trope in my romance. In this one, we get a Disney-esque pop star going undercover to rediscover herself and find her path in music and a up-and-coming lead singer out to get a record deal. I’m not a super fan of intentional lying in romances, but I will forgive Ariel as she is trying to escape her controlling father. We breeze through this book with some very cute encounters and lite sexual tension. Overall, it was a good romance even if it was very closed door. Cute retelling.

Meant to Be: