• Girls Can Kiss Now

  • Essays
  • By: Jill Gutowitz
  • Narrated by: Jill Gutowitz
  • Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (165 ratings)

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Girls Can Kiss Now  By  cover art

Girls Can Kiss Now

By: Jill Gutowitz
Narrated by: Jill Gutowitz
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Publisher's summary

“Wickedly funny and heartstoppingly vulnerable…every page twinkles with brilliance.” —Refinery29

Perfect for fans of Samantha Irby and
Trick Mirror, a hilarious, whip-smart collection of personal essays exploring the intersection of queerness, pop culture, the internet, and identity, introducing one of the most undeniably original new voices today.

Jill Gutowitz’s life—for better and worse—has always been on a collision course with pop culture. There’s the time the FBI showed up at her door because of something she tweeted about Game of Thrones. The pop songs that have been the soundtrack to the worst moments of her life. And of course, the pivotal day when Orange Is the New Black hit the airwaves and broke down the door to Jill’s own sexuality. In these honest examinations of identity, desire, and self-worth, Jill explores perhaps the most monumental cultural shift of our lifetimes: the mainstreaming of lesbian culture. Dusting off her own personal traumas and artifacts of her not-so-distant youth she examines how pop culture acts as a fun house mirror reflecting and refracting our values—always teaching, distracting, disappointing, and revealing us.

Girls Can Kiss Now is a fresh and intoxicating blend of personal stories, sharp observations, and laugh-out-loud humor. This timely collection of essays helps us make sense of our collective pop-culture past even as it points the way toward a joyous, uproarious, near—and very queer—future.

©2022 Jill Gutowitz. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

Critic reviews

"Author/narrator Jill Gutowitz’s collection of reflective essays is funny, insightful, and very queer—in a good way. Her memories of her younger years in the ‘90s and ‘00s bring some sadness and, one imagines, healing for her and others. Her storytelling is engaging and often self-deprecating. Reminiscences about the importance of the television show “Orange Is the New Black” and the acceptance of Sapphic fashion—and how they and other iconic moments in pop culture over the last 30 years have transformed the public view of lesbianism—will resonate even with straight folks. No one else could convey her personal vulnerability with the finesse she does. Listeners will find themselves thinking of Gutowitz as a dear friend they need to invite over again." (AudioFile Magazine)

What listeners say about Girls Can Kiss Now

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Heartfelt Humor

Great read/listen for media and entertainment fans into celebrity blogs, tabloids and paparazzi who remember the days when it was almost impossible to find lesbian icons that went beyond butch stereotypes. Relatable humor and commentary throughout with just the right performance.

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Bi baby perfection

I’m newly out as bi with my first girlfriend (!) so this book was recommended to me by another friend. I was instantly hooked with Jill’s humor and rawness that weaves throughout every one of her stories which reads as a progression of age and coming out. As someone who loves pop culture I really relished in all her references, many of which I didn’t know of, and how that’s affected our societal norms and individual patterns. I will be coming back to this for a laugh when I need it.

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Very relatable and funny

If you're a woman who loves women this is the book for you. Growing up I craved books about wlw relationships and experiences. Jill did a fantastic job and I highly recommend this book of essays.

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Must read for lesbians and queer women

Absolutely my favorite book I’ve read in so long!!I’ve never felt so personally spoken to by an author. The cultural references gave me a catalog of everything that matters to me that I haven’t written down myself. Bless you Jill!!

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Finally a book I can relate to

I completely and fully related chapter 10, I know this now. The part about when she finally felt something when a girl skin touched hers. That’s not exactly how it was worded but wow. I had an experience like this and that was when I finally decided to come out as a lesbian. I can out in June of 2022. I made out with this girl outside my apartments building and it was like nothing else I’ve ever felt. It was like a warm, yet cool magical breeze came through and permanently wrapped itself around me. I remember saying, that’s what that is supposed to feel like. I only remembered her friends were standing there until some dude shouted, can I get a kiss like that. Gross. Of course later that evening, other things came about that were mind blowing but leading up to it we just talked. We talked about everything —things we were passionate about, things that scared us and so many other things.

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Enjoyable, personal story of coming out and excepting one’s self

Sweet, poignant, sometimes gut, wrenching look at coming to grips with one’s own sexuality and obsession with pop culture. If you are looking for a deep dive into queer theory, this book is not for you, but jill’s voice provides an entertaining look into the experience of one millennial lesbian. To use my best, friends, favorite expression, I laughed, I cried, it was better than cats. Thank you for writing this.

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Accurate & Hilarious Synthesis of a WLW

Being seven years older than the author, I have been curious about how and in what ways queer celebrity culture and media affected LGBTQIA kids younger than me. This book, through a very personal and hilarious framing, does a perfect job of explaining it to me. Thanks, Jill for sharing your story.

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Loved it

Felt every moment of this so hard it chewed me up and spit me out as the gay little blob I am and wrapped in a giant hug of knowing.

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GOOD AND GAY

I’ve been a fan of jealous for a long time and have been eagerly awaiting the release of this book. I just finished it and already want to read it again. As someone who recently came out, I cannot thank Jill enough for sharing her story and helping me unpack all of the hidden queerness in the TV I watched growing up. I love being a lesbian!

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So unbelievably comforting

I laughed and scoffed and cringed and hurt right along side you while listening to this. I too was a teen in the early 2000’s! Thank you for this book it was a phenomenal ride!

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