In the newest volume of The Kiss Bet, Sara Lin is dealing with the fallout of her long-awaited (and very unexpected) first kiss. But she’s also doing what every high school senior must eventually do—figure out who she is and what comes next. In Volume 3, out in February and up for preorder tomorrow, creator Ingrid Ochoa continues to blend heart, humor, and romantic chaos into a coming-of-age story that feels as fresh and emotionally honest as ever.
“I really wanted her to start taking more control of her life,” Ochoa says of Sara’s growth in the latest collection. “She’s still figuring things out, obviously, but now she’s starting to ask, ‘What do I want?’ instead of just getting swept up in crushes and other people’s feelings.”
That shift comes with the built-in urgency of senior year, where the pressure to grow up fast looms large. “There’s this natural pressure of growing up, planning for the future, and realizing some things that felt huge before don’t matter as much anymore… while others matter even more.”
While Sara tries to navigate the post-kiss awkwardness, Ochoa keeps her grounded in an emotional reality many readers will find instantly familiar. “I think first experiences are super relatable,” she says. “Everyone remembers their first kiss, or the awkwardness around it, even if it didn’t go the way they hoped. For Sara, it wasn’t exactly how she pictured it, but that’s kind of the point.”
Rather than wrap everything up with a magical romantic moment, Volume 3 leans into the emotional messiness that follows. “It became more about all the emotions that happen after it; the confusion, the expectations, the regrets. That felt more interesting than just the kiss itself.”
Much of The Kiss Bet’s charm comes from the way it blends lightness with emotional depth. “Honestly, I don’t really think much about that when I’m writing,” Ochoa admits. “It comes pretty naturally. Even when things feel heavy, people still make jokes or get awkward or do something dumb. That’s just how emotions work—we cry and laugh in the same five minutes sometimes.”
That same emotional range comes through in one of Ochoa’s favorite scenes: a quiet but powerful conversation between Sara and her dad. “Her dad talks to Sara about her mom, who passed away when she was just a baby,” she explains. “He gives her some advice about writing as a way to figure things out… and then Sara is instantly inspired and just kind of explodes creatively and covers her room with poetry and thoughts. It’s messy and emotional and really visual.”
Ochoa’s expressive art style continues to elevate these moments. “There are so many scenes in this volume that are my favorite in the whole story,” she says. One standout sequence jumps between multiple characters trying to navigate their own feelings at the same time. “It was just so fun to show all the new characters and make it relatable and funny.” Among them are Oliver’s bandmates, the Starfighters, who Ochoa says were “super fun to create and draw!”
Though the love triangle at the heart of the series is alive and well—possibly now a square—Ochoa is committed to telling a story that values self-discovery as much as romance. “Teen romance isn’t clean, it’s confusing, it’s fast, it’s all new experiences,” she says. “I tried to avoid the idea that romance will magically fix everything or that getting the guy means you’ve ‘won.’ Sara choosing to focus on herself instead of jumping into a relationship felt way more real to me.”
Even Ochoa is sometimes surprised by how the story unfolds. “Oliver totally surprised me,” she says. “He was supposed to be more of a background helper, just the responsible math tutor. But he ended up having such great chemistry with Sara that I had to explore their relationship even further.”
As for what’s next? “I’m excited for readers to see Sara figure out more of who she is, outside of crushes and romance,” Ochoa says. “There’s going to be a lot of growth around confidence, decision-making, and standing up for what she needs emotionally. But of course,” she adds with a smile, “the love triangle (square?) is still very much alive.”
The Kiss Bet Volume Three hits shelves February 24, 2026, collecting episodes 37–56 of the beloved WEBTOON series. Whether you’re here for the laughs, the longing, or just to see what Sara does next, this volume promises all the feels.
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