She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott Summary

She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick follows two college freshmen at the University of Pittsburgh who make an unlikely deal. Alex Blackwood, a confident flirt recovering from a breakup, agrees to coach shy, awkward Molly Parker in winning over her longtime crush Cora. As they work through Alex's five-step plan to get the girl, both discover they're actually falling for each other in this sapphic rom-com about friendship, self-acceptance, and unexpected love.

She Gets the Girl was co-written by married authors Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick. Rachael Lippincott is a New York Times bestselling author best known for Five Feet Apart, while Alyson Derrick is also an acclaimed YA writer. The story was loosely inspired by their own love story, bringing authentic queer representation to this college romance. Both authors hold degrees in English writing and currently reside in Pennsylvania.

She Gets the Girl is perfect for readers who love sapphic romance, college coming-of-age stories, and friends-to-lovers narratives. Young adults and new adult readers seeking authentic LGBTQ+ representation will appreciate the dual-POV storytelling between confident Alex and socially anxious Molly. Fans of heartwarming rom-coms with emotional depth, family dynamics, and characters navigating identity and vulnerability will find this book particularly engaging. It's ideal for anyone who enjoyed books like Red, White & Royal Blue or Heartstopper.

She Gets the Girl is worth reading for anyone seeking a charming, emotionally layered sapphic romance. This New York Times bestseller combines laugh-out-loud moments with genuine emotional depth, tackling serious issues like alcoholism, family expectations, and cultural identity alongside the romance. The chemistry between Alex and Molly develops naturally through their five-step plan, creating an authentic slow-burn that readers find both entertaining and moving. The dual-POV narrative provides rich character development that makes the journey satisfying.

The five-step plan in She Gets the Girl is Alex's coaching strategy to help Molly win over Cora. It begins with confidence-building exercises like asking strangers for their numbers, progresses through wardrobe makeovers and social situations like rugby tryouts, and includes mock dates to practice romantic scenarios. Alex uses these steps to push Molly out of her comfort zone while proving to her ex-girlfriend Natalie that she can commit to helping someone. The final step, "getting the girl," unexpectedly leads both Alex and Molly to realize their true feelings for each other.

Alex and Molly do end up together in She Gets the Girl. After a painful fight following Natalie's concert drives them apart, both girls realize their feelings for each other run deeper than friendship. Molly recognizes her crush on Cora was more fantasy than reality and ends things with her. In the library, Alex and Molly confess their love and share their first real kiss, with Alex finally able to say "I love you" without fear. Their story concludes with them choosing each other authentically, flaws and all.

She Gets the Girl explores self-acceptance, vulnerability, and authentic connection as central themes. Both Alex and Molly struggle with family trauma—Alex with her mother's alcoholism and her parents' broken marriage, while Molly navigates cultural expectations and overbearing maternal love. The book examines how past wounds affect our ability to trust and love, the difference between fantasy and genuine connection, and finding your identity beyond others' expectations. Additional themes include:

• Chosen family
• The courage to break destructive patterns
• Learning that real love requires seeing and accepting someone's complete self

She Gets the Girl portrays complex family dynamics through both protagonists. Alex deals with her mother's escalating alcoholism, which culminates in an arrest for drunk driving that forces Alex to insist on rehabilitation. Her relationship is marked by financial struggles and the burden of caretaking at a young age. Molly's family represents cultural tensions, with her Korean-American mother being both her best friend and overbearingly protective. The story shows generational divides, the challenge of establishing boundaries with loving but controlling parents, and how family trauma shapes romantic relationships.

Alex Blackwood's arc centers on moving from surface-level connections to genuine vulnerability. She begins as a confident flirt unable to say "I love you," haunted by her parents' failed marriage and her mother's addiction. Through coaching Molly, Alex confronts her pattern of emotional avoidance and her tendency to prove worth through helping others rather than authentic connection. Her journey includes facing her mother's crisis, accepting support from her boss Jim (a recovering alcoholic), and ultimately learning that commitment doesn't mean losing herself. Alex's growth culminates in choosing real love over proving herself to her ex.

Molly Parker learns to distinguish between fantasy and authentic connection throughout She Gets the Girl. Starting as socially anxious and fixated on an idealized crush, Molly discovers confidence through Alex's coaching while confronting her people-pleasing tendencies. She realizes her feelings for Cora were based on projection rather than genuine compatibility, especially during the art gala where she feels completely out of place. Molly's growth includes establishing boundaries with her mother, embracing her identity beyond cultural expectations, and recognizing that real attraction involves being comfortable as your authentic self rather than performing who you think someone wants.

She Gets the Girl is loosely inspired by the real-life love story of co-authors Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick, who are married. While the specific plot details are fictionalized, the authors drew from their own experiences as a queer couple to create authentic representation and emotional resonance. The University of Pittsburgh setting reflects Rachael Lippincott's own college experience, where she studied English writing before becoming a bestselling author. This personal connection adds depth and authenticity to the sapphic romance and coming-of-age elements throughout the novel.

She Gets the Girl offers authentic sapphic representation with both main characters being openly lesbian from the start, eliminating coming-out narratives in favor of exploring romance and personal growth. The book normalizes queer relationships in a college setting, showing diverse experiences within the LGBTQ+ community—from Alex's casual dating history to Molly's first serious romantic interest. Written by married authors Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick, the representation feels genuine and avoids stereotypes. The story celebrates queer joy while also addressing real challenges like finding community, navigating identity alongside cultural heritage, and learning healthy relationship patterns.