"Just as joyful, tear-jerking, and unabashedly gay as I expected, possibly even more so."
— Callie Hanna, FandomWire
"The lead performances are solid, especially Da Costa, who wears her emotions on her face."
— Steven Prokopy, Third Coast Review
"'Girls Like Girls' wins us over with a singular type of first-film assuredness: a familiar story presented as the most personal reveal ever."
— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
"Kiyoko's directorial debut is a tender coming-out drama about a young woman who falls in love for the first time after a heartbreaking loss."
— Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media
"[Girls Like Girls is] nostalgia wrapped in Kiyoko’s memories, but also hopes and dreams, delivered to a modern audience that needs this kind of queer joy."
— Lyra Hale, Fangirlish
"Kiyoko beautifully captures the looseness of teens hanging out, the vague endlessness of summer when you’re young and the shimmery, shivery feeling of first love."
— Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
"From the intimate, dreamy direction of Kiyoko to the committed performances of the lead actors, Girls Like Girls is a welcome entry into the queer coming-of-age canon."
— Alejandra Martinez, Austin Chronicle
"It's a grounded love story that isn't afraid to make characters messy or deal with trickier subjects, largely executing a painfully realistic story with a good sense of craft."
— Brandon Zachary, Screen Rant
"Girls Like Girls is an emotional, poignant, and honest story with a talented cast that brings out those warm, fuzzy feelings of a time when things felt genuine and simple – youth."
— Laura Sirikul, Forbes
"The heartrending directorial debut guides us through a rainbow of emotions complemented by two compelling lead performances and achingly gorgeous cinematography."
— Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
"Hayley Kiyoko makes an emotionally impactful feature debut, fully immersing you in the world of her characters, played with emotional acuity by Maya da Costa and Myra Molloy."
— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture
"Adapting her song, music video, and book of the same name, Haley Kiyoko’s personal connection to the material and the emotional rawness on display from the small ensemble elevate familiar plotting"
— Robert Kojder, Flickering Myth
"Moving and rewarding, illuminated throughout by da Costa’s wonderful performance, which conveys Coley’s depth and seriousness of feeling while also permitting the character spells of silliness and petulance."
— Guy Lodge, Variety
"Girls Like Girls sings a story of transformation, understanding, heartbreak, and love worth singing along to. Not secretly sitting in the car. Not in the shower. But openly, loudly, proudly, and, most of all, in front of everyone."
— Sara Michelle Fetters, MovieFreak.com
"Hayley Kiyoko's heartfelt coming-of-age drama makes the leap to the big screen, with terrific performances by Maya da Costa and Myra Molloy as the two young girls who learn to navigate insecurity and awkwardness on the path to self-acceptance."
— Joe Friar, Fort Worth Report
