not in kansas anymore

Dorothy Valentine is working on the project that will get her that Ph.D. in wildlife biology she’d been working so hard for. She’s photographing meercats when she hears the lion, just about to attack. Dory knows immediately that it’s over for her. She has no escape. But the aliens who chose to abduct her right in that moment have other plans, and before she knows it, she and the lion are both beamed upwards through the sky.

When Dory awakens, she finds that she’s on a spaceship. She manages to escape and get to an escape pod, with her lion (now a friend), and they get away from the spaceship. But they land on an unknown world and immediately find themselves in danger again. Because she was named for Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, Dory names the lion Toto, and they go on an adventure to try to find a way home.

Instead of a scarecrow and a tin man on this new world, though, Dory and Toto find aliens and dinosaurs. The mix of species is fascinating to Dory and she tries to record some of what she’s seeing on her phone. But when she finds out with Toto that she can understand anyone she kisses, life is easier. She can talk to the lion. She can talk to the aliens (who turn out to be surprisingly handsome). She can even talk to the intern for the alien overlords who have set up the entire experiment. And who may have dosed Dory and a couple of her alien friends with a love potion. There may be some probing that occurs next.

But the intern also told Dory who it was that was behind this experimental island, and she is ready to track down his boss and punch him right in the nose. But first, Dory has to deal with jealousy, revenge, disco outfits, a frog the size of a cow, a T-Rex, a lovesick lion, and some mind-blowing extra spicy alien probing.

I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom Com is just as bonkers as the name implies. There is adventure and comedy, AI-generated billboards, and so many surprises. And there is crazy romance that you will not see coming. This is not for rom com beginners. But if you’re up for a really crazy ride through some not-PG-rated alien romance, then this just may be the crazy ride you’ve been waiting for.

I was curious because of the title, and what I found in these pages did not disappoint. This story takes some insane turns, but I never lost interest or stopped believing in this world. Author Kimberly Lemming has gone all-in on this crazy world, and I think readers just need to jump in and let the story take them to outer space with all the crazy corners Lemming could think up. I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom Com is pretty much just what it sounds like, and it is a ride that I won’t soon forget.

Egalleys for I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom Com were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.