Reviews Posted
Goodreads: May 31, 2021
TikTok @meghanlew_: May 31, 2021

This was such a fun, cute, and quick read. I was also pleasantly surprised with the audiobook narrator, usually I have to speed up my audiobooks so I don’t have to fall asleep. And I didn’t have to this time around which is always nice. There were times though that I wish the narrator put a little more feeling into the main character.

The plot was definitely fast pace, but parts of it felt dropped only to be randomly picked back up later with no explanation. My main issue was defiantly with the weird love triangle of this book. The author focusing on two different girls throughout the book, made it hard to connect with the main characters final decision.

The main character was by far my favorite part of this book. Seeing high school, love, and family felt realistic and awkward, which is what being in high tends to be like. Nothing about the characters emotions or struggles were sugar coated or down played.

I love YA and I do a lot of reading. This book seemed just mediocre for me. I enjoyed that it was a new topic to diversify into with Tourette’s. I think that probably many of us need a read into neurodiversity to see the brain function in a different way. However, I think this books synopsis didn’t really match my expectations of the book. The “experiment” felt so brief. I felt many of the characters weren’t developed like I would usually like. It was just a short book and I was hoping for a bigger punch.

Such a cute teen first love book, following Stephen as navigates first kisses and crushes as someone who has Tourettes Syndrome. Stephen thought that he would never find love because of his tics, but something happens when he kisses a girl a party, every thing goes still. With this new found knowledge, Stephen and his best friend start up a kissing experiment. Stephen will try kissing as many girls as he can, to see if the tics go away with any girl or just the one from the party.

I enjoyed "Kiss and Repeat" because I have never read anything from the point of view of someone who has Tourettes Syndrome. Unfortunately, other than that not much else was new. I found myself predicting what would happened. The kissing experiment was one of the reasons why I picked up the book, but it didn't last long has Stephan wanted to explore his feeling for the girl he kissed at the party. There was a sort of love triangle, but once again it was predictable. However, I am glad with the person the Stephen ended up with.

Stephen has Tourettes and believes that its the reason he can't seem to get girls to like him. He goes to a party where they play Spin the Bottle and discovers that his tics seem to go away when he is kissing someone. He decides to begin a kissing experiment to see if kissing will cause them to really stop. As he starts with the experiment one new girl starts to like him and you find out about a girl who maybe is more than he thought she was. As this story goes on he realizes the tics he has isn't the only problem and is it more in his head?


This was a fast read for me but overall the story was just in the middle of the road for me read in my opinion. The plot had a good idea to it but the main idea wasn't followed through and out of the 2 love interests I found them both not like able one more so then the other. Stephen to me doesn't always do the best thing and when the end came it was just so neat and easy and that just didnt feel right. This would be a good book for younger YA readers. It just wasn't a hit for me sadly.
I listen to the audio and as I said fast easy listen the narration was very nice.


Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for allowing me to listen with request for honest review

Received an advance reader audiobook from Netgalley.

Stephen Luckie is anything but when it comes to love and girls, which he attributes to his Tourette's Syndrome. While playing a game of "spin the bottle", app edition, Stephen stumbles on a possible solution to his...kissing. He decides to embark on a science experiment to prove his hypothesis. After falling for two girls, he finds himself in trouble and questioning if it was him all along that kept him unlucky in love.

The extent of my knowledge on Tourette's Syndrome comes from an episode of MTv's True Life, which ironically is referenced in this book, so I can't speak to how it's represented.

Overall, the story was a fun one. It was a pretty quick listen (just over 5hrs) and I enjoyed the narrator. You get to experience growth from Stephen and the people around him. The cast of characters is pretty diverse and fleshed out considering the book isn't terribly long. Highly recommend. Excited to see what future books Heather Truett releases.

This was an interesting romance story that was certainly unique with the representation of Tourette's Syndrome. The story is told entirely from the main male character's perspective as he discovers that his involuntary tics, which are prevalent constantly throughout the day, end up calming for the duration of his first kiss. From there, his best friend suggests trying to kiss more girls to see if the calming of his tics can be continued and perhaps he can eventually maintain some control over his tics. This was an original premise and wasn't like anything I had seen before. I really appreciated the representation in the story. The main character is 16 so this is a YA romance that is a bit of a slow burn, while the main character flounders in his attempts to interact with peers and especially girls he's interested in. Because of the discussions about physicality in the story, there are mentions of physical intimacy during the story. I would consider this a closed door romance, where the main characters are not ever seen being intimate but there is discussions of intimate moments and the desire to be more intimate with a partner. I had to suspend my belief a bit to think a socially awkward high school student could manage to progress so quickly in social settings over a short amount of time, but it worked for the story and I really enjoyed the representation. This was a unique story and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to learn more about what it's like to go through the world with Tourette's Syndrome. I really enjoy learning about others' experiences while reading a fictional story. Glad I got to give this book a try, thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

For about 80% of this book, reading through Stephen's story is like knowing what someone's about to do is going to end badly, then watching it end badly. The last 20% of the book was probably when I started to soften to Stephen. I do love the book for the fact that it's a glimpse into what it's like to live with Tourette Syndrome. I also like the fact that it calls out judgemental Christianity. The audiobook itself was clear, and the narrator had enough range of voice and tone to make it understandable. The narrator was also animated in places where it would be most effective.

Heather Truetts book Kiss and Repeat is a story about learning what really matters in life and not letting others decide who you are. I though that this book sounded interesting because I have never read a book with the main character having Tourette’s before. I loved the representation in it. It was a little slow for me in the beginning but overall it was a simple and fairly enjoyable read. My favorite thing about the book was how religion was incorporated into it. As someone who has grown up in the church and is still a Christian, I appreciate that it didn’t just show the nice side to faith, but the judgment and sometimes strict habits. This is something dear to my heart as it is very common in church’s to do this. So I loved that it showed that but also that our main character was not a part of that group, he wasn’t judgmental. I would recommend this book to teens in the age category 14-18 but it definitely can be read by all with each age group finding something to enjoy.

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was given an opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. Thank you to Heather Truette and Dreamscape Media!

Kiss and Repeat was a very enjoyable and quick YA read. The book contained a truly impressive and wonderful amount of diversity in its characters. Stephen Luckie is a high school student with Tourette's Syndrome trying to navigate High School and dating. I really appreciated the focus in this book on neurodiversity and mental health. It would have been very easy to write a simple YA love story but the author did a great job building these characters and their environment.

While I liked the story and the characters, I could have done with more development for Joan and Stephen’s parents. I wanted to know more about Joan and her life and why she liked Stephen so much. I also didn’t feel like I understood anything about Stephen’s parents and their motivations. His dad just seemed like an all-around bad guy if I’m being honest.

Overall, this was a very solid story and I look forward to learning more about Heather Truett’s other books.

This review has also been poste on my Goodreads at the link below:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4023609721?book_show_action=false

Audiobook provided by NetGalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review.

Well this was a damn delight! If you enjoy YA romance books, you'll definitely want to read this one! And for those wondering about the content for their teen readers... this is PG-13 (there is kissing, swearing, and talking about sex - but no sex happens on the page).

BUT this is a YA romance with a male protagonist!!!! AAAAANNNNNDDDD he's neurodivergent! There is some diversity in the side characters as well.

Stephen has Tourette's and Heather Truett gives readers a snapshot of how this impacted Stephen's school experience (tweens and teens can be brutal to anyone who doesn't blend). While at a party, Stephen ends up participating in a kissing game... and he realized that his tics stopped when he was kissing someone. Now Stephen and his friend are conducting a kissing experiment to see if kissing girls can real quiet Stephen's bodily tics. It's for science.

But things get messy and Stephen starts to feel guilty. Will Stephen get the girl of his dreams, or will he lose everything? Stephen's Dad is a scientist and his Mom is a Methodist Minister, while there is talk of religion throughout the book, it's more about Stephen figuring out his path of being both a member of faith but also a teenager (and also reconciling that there could be both a higher power and neurodivergent people).

While this is a romance, the main message is about accepting yourself and being true to yourself. The kissing experiment may have been the setup, but it wasn't the focus of KISS AND REPEAT.

I am not neurodivergent myself, but it feels like Stephen's tics were handled with respect. His Tourette's isn't gratuitous to check the diverse representation box, it's an important part of the plot and I think that representation is huge. It matters. One of Stephen's biggest fears is that his tics will scare girls away and he'll never be able to find one that sees him for who he is and not for his Tourette's.

This is a fun quick read and I really enjoyed it. Nick Mondelli does a great job with the audiobook narration as well.

I was really hopeful and excited that I would like this book. It started out strong but I feel that it phased out after the “experiment,” which didn’t even seem that it was that far into the book. Stephen does learn what makes his Tics stop (kissing) whereas medication only suppressed some, but never fully went away. After kissing girls he ends up having to choose between two. He’s never fallen in love before or kissed a girl until the experiment. While I did enjoy the storyline that shows how much Stephen has struggled to fit into a dating scene in high school, it really lacked connection with many characters. I felt like it just went from one character to the next in Stephen’s point of view as he struggled to pick which girl to be in a relationship with.

Unspoilery Blurb
Stephen has always been anxious about how his Tourette’s Syndrome will influence his ability to kiss and do other things with girls. When he gets stuck playing a kissing game at his best friend’s party, Stephen gets his first kiss and realizes that it calmed down the tics and spasms that feel like a constant in his body. The experience causes Stephen’s friend to encourage him to use the scientific method to decide whether kissing helps his body or makes everything worse. To gather more “data,” Stephen sets out on a quest to kiss more girls which leads to confusing relationships, lying, and uncertain situations that Stephen was never prepared for.

Unspoilery Review
This was an entertaining, real book. The characters were flawed and raw, but that added to the charm of the story. The book definitely felt like a true young adult book because the characters felt young, and high school drama was a big deal. That being said, there was a level of truth and honesty in this book that made it a more challenging read than other similar stories.

Stephen was an engaging main character. His experience with living with Tourette’s Syndrome was interesting to read about, and I loved seeing him embrace his difficulties and struggles throughout this book. Through his kissing trials and experiences with girls, Stephen begins to see how his challenges are unique and important, but everyone has some challenge in their life. This book follows Stephen as he makes mistakes and has to live up to what he has done. Such a flawed and honest main character made this book amazing to read, and I am proud of everything that Stephen has learned throughout this story.

The concept of using the scientific method to determine if kissing helps calm Stephen’s tics and spasms was interesting. There were definitely flaws in the “experiment” from the get-go, but the question also made some sort of sense from a certain standpoint. Although it was hard to see Stephen struggling with kissing different girls and not being honest with anyone, he did eventually learn from everything falling apart. I believe that many readers can relate to his experiences, and it is an important story to tell- even though the cheating aspects did bother me.

Overall, I thought this was an entertaining book that tells an important story about being honest with oneself, acknowledging people’s struggles and differences, and going for what you want. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a short, fun book about the pressures of being a high school student who feels like an outsider and longs for a chance at normalcy, only to learn that everyone is unique and special in their own way.

Kiss and Repeat is about a teenage boy named Stephen with Tourettes syndrome. He is worried he will never have a girlfriend because of his ticks. He finally kisses a girl and his muscles relaxed and he had no ticks. So his friend gets him to try an experiment to kiss as many girls as possible to see if kissing helps ease his muscle twitches.

This was a cute YA romcom, but I felt like the plot was lacking and it needed a little more character development. I did like how the main character had disabilities and character flaws he was trying to overcome. #NetGalley

Kiss and Repeat by Heather Truett is a great YA book that high schoolers will be able to relate to their life. It also touches on how people are different and that we need to be kind to all. Awesome book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an entertaining YA romance book with neurodiversity. While I personally cannot speak for the actual representation, I did like the perspective and struggles of a teen during high school who happens to have Tourette’s.

Stephen was your typical teen guy who doesn’t always make the best decisions especially regarding girls. He did get bit annoying a few times just with how he was going about certain situations. But overall, a well written teen character. The whole kissing experiment wasn’t really a big part of the storyline, which I was expecting based on the summary. So I was slightly disappointed. Unfortunately, I also didn’t feel the connection between Stephen and his love interest, Joan. Would have liked that there had been more development or growth between them.

I did really enjoy the the narrator, Nick Mondelli. He did a fantastic job and conveyed all the characters emotions incredibly.

While this book did have a good premise and there were some enjoyable moments it just didn’t really hit the mark for me. Overall, it was an entertaining read with representation I would love to see and read more of.

We love a neurodivergent main character. That is what gave this my stars for me. I thought the plot was good but not groundbreaking.

That said, it was really nice to see more representation in a romance novel. The main character has Tourette’s and thinks his ticks will keep him from experiencing a normal romance.

This story is about accepting yourself. Growing. And not dating the first person who ever looks twice at you even though it feels nice to be wanted.

Thanks NetGalley for this advanced copy of the audiobook! Fantastic narration.

3.5 stars
I am all about this fun romance from a guy's perspective! It is a great example of how different people experience and (for some quickly) define relationships. Not only is the main character, Stephen, a male, but he is also neurodivergent since he has Tourettes Syndrome. Stephen's voice is authentic as a teen male and I laughed out loud at several spots in the reading of this story--just because of the accuracy of a teen's perspective of "romance." The pacing is fast and will appeal to a broad YA audience, however, it is a bit forgettable.
And, while the author is also neurodivergent (autistic), I wouldn't necessarily classify this as an OwnVoice novel. At one point in the book when Stephen is asked if his physical tics (shoulder shrugs) are painful, he says that they are not; the repetition of physical tics can be quite exhausting and painful to a body so this statement bothered me.

Stephen, a senior in high school, is convinced by his friend to engage in an experiment: does kissing girls calm his Tourette’s? Stephen means well, but things quickly sour due to his inexperience with girls and dating. Suddenly, Stephen has new girl problems, and his tics are getting worse. Will he be able to get his life back under control? And get the girl of his dreams?

This YA romance is unique in that it is told entirely from the male protagonist’s POV. I worry that the teens at my library won’t read it, then, since my male teens don’t want romance and my female teens who like romance don’t want male protagonists. I wonder why Truett decided to make her protagonist male and not female? I know neurodivergence is more often diagnosed in males, but that doesn’t mean females aren’t neurodivergent.

If you have a teen specifically looking for a book with an MC who has Tourette’s, get it. Otherwise, pass.

Ability diverse:
- Stephen has Tourette’s. It goes into detail on what having a 504 plan means for Stephen.

The narrator did a good job.

✍️ One Sentence Synopsis: Hypothesis— kissing cures tics; Experiment— kiss as many girls as possible.

💭 Overall Thoughts:
SPOILER:
I was glad the above plot kind of gets abandoned about a third of the way in because I found it a bit cringeworthy— a romanticized or stereotypical representation of Tourette’s. However, with that abandoned I appreciated the neurodivergent representation and some of the struggles associated with feeling inadequate, fitting in, and trouble with meds.

I also appreciated the fact that this is a YA romance told from a male perspective as there aren’t many there. It included themes of realizing when you are treating someone poorly by your actions knocking down a bit of toxic masculinity.

The book is about a pastor’s son but is still accessible and enjoyable by someone who is not religious from that aspect.

Overall it is mostly a light, witty, YA coming of age story with a few issues. I liked the enemies to lovers romance piece of it, and the internal struggle of first love.

What I Liked:
👍 Neurodivergent and male perspective representation as mentioned above.
👍 Overall light and witty
👍Puppy love enemies to lovers and love triangle


What I Didn’t Like:
👎 There’s some slut shaming here that is somewhat questioned (?) but dropped in without much exploration or opposition.
👎 Romanticism of Tourette’s as described above.
👎 Most of the characters seemed a bit flat.


⚠️ Content Warnings: Slut shaming, religious discussion, ableism.

🎧 Enjoyed this narrator— he was captivating and his voice was enjoyable to listen to.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for allowing me to listen with request for honest review.

“Kiss and Repeat” by Heather Truett
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 5/25
Audiobook 🎧

This is a Netgalley audiobook arc! YA genre. I thought this was fun and cute! Even though it’s YA I feel like anyone can enjoy it especially because it’s a fast read!
Stephen Luckie is a high school students with Tourette’s. His whole life everything has been defined by his disorder. He just wants to be noticed for something other than the guy with Tourette’s. When he went to a kissing party and realizes he didn’t have ticks while kissing his friend comes up with the kissing experiment. The goal is to kiss as many girls as he can and see if he ever has ticks. The problem is Stephen has more morals then to kiss anyone and everyone. He also has had a long term crush. Can he get noticed by the girl of his dreams?