The Kissing Booth Series in Order

About the Kissing Booth series

Series Premise

The core premise revolves around Elle Evans, a fun-loving, loyal, and somewhat impulsive high school girl whose life is upended when she and her best friend Lee Flynn decide to run a kissing booth at their school’s spring carnival as a fundraiser. The simple idea spirals into complicated romantic entanglements when Elle shares a passionate kiss with Lee’s older brother, Noah Flynn — the school’s bad-boy heartthrob whom she has secretly crushed on for years. What begins as a forbidden attraction quickly develops into a secret relationship filled with stolen moments, intense chemistry, and the constant fear of discovery. As Elle navigates the challenges of dating her best friend’s brother, she must balance her long-standing friendship with Lee, family expectations, peer pressure, and her own insecurities while trying to figure out what she truly wants for her future.

Main Characters

Elle Evans serves as the relatable first-person narrator and central protagonist: a cheerful, loyal, and occasionally impulsive girl who finds herself caught between her lifelong friendship with Lee and her growing feelings for his brother. Her internal conflict and desire to please everyone while discovering her own path drive much of the emotional tension. Noah Flynn is the brooding, popular older brother — handsome, athletic, and known for his bad-boy reputation and quick temper. His relationship with Elle forces him to confront his own emotional walls and commitment issues. Lee Flynn, Elle’s best friend since childhood, is outgoing, protective, and fun-loving; his close bond with Elle creates the central conflict when she begins dating his brother. The trio’s dynamic forms the heart of the series, with their friendship tested repeatedly by jealousy, secrets, and changing priorities. Supporting and recurring characters include Elle’s and the Flynns’ parents, who provide guidance and occasional comic relief; classmates and friends who add social pressure and gossip; and new romantic interests or rivals who appear as the story progresses into later stages of the characters’ lives.

Setting

The setting is primarily the sunny, affluent beach town of Los Angeles, specifically centered around the fictional high school and the comfortable suburban homes of the main characters. The school carnival, beach parties, house parties, and casual hangouts provide natural backdrops for romantic tension and social drama. The California lifestyle — with its emphasis on surfing, parties, and laid-back yet competitive social scene — adds to the vibrant, youthful atmosphere. Later books expand slightly to include college environments as the characters transition beyond high school, but the emotional core remains rooted in the familiar spaces of home, school, and the local community where everyone knows everyone else’s business.

Tone & Themes

The tone is light, breezy, and emotionally candid, written in a conversational first-person style that feels like chatting with a close friend. Reekles captures the highs and lows of teenage romance with honesty, humor, and occasional melodrama. The mood shifts between giddy excitement, heart-fluttering romance, and the sting of jealousy or misunderstanding. Themes focus on the complexities of first love and forbidden attraction; the delicate balance between friendship and romance; personal identity and the pressure to conform during high school; the challenges of long-distance relationships and future planning; and learning to prioritize one’s own happiness without hurting the people you love. The series explores how young people navigate desire, loyalty, and self-discovery while confronting the reality that growing up often means making difficult choices.

In the end, the Kissing Booth series captures the exhilarating rush and painful complications of young love with an honesty that feels both nostalgic and immediate. Beth Reekles writes with the authentic voice of someone who remembers exactly how it feels to be a teenager caught between friendship and romance, creating characters who stumble, hurt each other, and ultimately grow through their mistakes. For readers who enjoy heartfelt contemporary YA romance with plenty of butterflies, tension, and emotional honesty, the saga offers a compelling exploration of what happens when the lines between best friends and first loves begin to blur. It lingers like the memory of a first kiss at a crowded carnival — sweet, messy, and impossible to forget — reminding us that the most important relationships in our lives are often the ones that challenge us to become better versions of ourselves, even when the path forward feels uncertain. The books celebrate the beautiful chaos of growing up, where loyalty, desire, and self-discovery collide in ways that shape who we ultimately become.