Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for my e-arc of KISS HER ONCE FOR ME by @alisoncochrun ! This one published last week, November 1!

I loved this book! It was kind of a different take on a holiday romance, and for that, I loved it! It was very refreshing! If you read her first book, The Charm Offensive and loved it, then I think you will love this one!

My rating: 📚📚📚📚.5

One of my most favourite things I loved about this book? All the Taylor Swift refenrces! Every time there was one, I squealed with happiness and made my reading experience that much better 🥰

READ IF YOU LIKE:
💜 fake dating/engagement
💜 found family
💜 strangers to lovers
💜 bi/demisexual rep
💜 only one bed
💜 lots of Christmas activities
💜 the best grandmas
💜Taylor Swift references

While I generally liked all the characters in this book, the parents of the MMC were perhaps my least favourite. The grandmas were literally the best and SO FUNNY! The main characters both went through a lot, and even tho their love stories looked different, it’s not any less important ❤️

The only reason I didn’t give this a full 5 stars, was because of the miscommunication! So much of the drama that happened in this book would have been easily avoided if the people just communicated with each other!

Overall, I really did enjoy this book so much and highly recommend it!

Mkdnights song this book makes me think about: Snow on the Beach 💜

Be still my little gay heart. Absolutely phenomenal with so many great romance tropes. The MC isn't always that likeable but that seems to be by design. Chemistry between the leads was choice and the resolution was appropriate.

I ran into this book with many hopes and it nailed every one of them!

I loved the honesty and the reality that was a huge part of Cochrun's first book, and this book delivered it in spades as well. I found the relationships refreshing and honest, and most important very real feeling. Not always the spiciest, but the most heart warming.

"Kiss Her Once for Me" by Alison Cochrun was one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year, after devouring and loving Cochrun's earlier work "The Charm Offensive." Well, the novel lives up to the hype and is the perfect book with which to cozy up this winter (think Hallmark!)

The story revolves around Ellie, a struggling animator and coffee shop employee with a penchant for doubting and second-guessing herself, thinking the worst, and pining after lost love. Last Christmas she runs into a charming woman, Jack, at a Portland bookstore and has the perfect meet-cute. Life interferes and the two lose touch. Fast forward to the present and financially-strapped Ellie gets an offer she can't refuse from her boss to pose as his fake fiancee to secure an inheritance. As you can guess, Ellie's lost love from last Christmas suddenly re-enters her life and Ellie has to confront her fears and figure out what she wants in life.

Cochrun has a penchant for writing real, lived in characters. The characters are not afraid to confront and deal with mental health issues and anxieties, which is important to represent even more nowadays. It adds an extra layer of depth to them. I loved the queer and non-binary representation as well.

Not a full five stars because the "insta-love" between the Ellie and Jack initially did not feel fully fleshed out for me, but I really enjoyed their scenes in the present. The flashbacks were just not as strong as I wanted them to be.

But, overall, this was a really cheesy, light-hearted, fun rom-com and perfect for a holiday read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I didn't think it was possible to love a book more than I loved The Charm Offensive, but Alison Cochrun has outdone herself! This was absolutely phenomenal and I couldn't put it down! It was cozy, but kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters felt fully developed and I loved them so much! This will be one of my top reads of 2022!!!

Last Christmas Ellie’s life had purpose and direction. Now, Ellie hates Christmas. She has to deal with her narcissistic emotionally abusive mother nagging her to pay back her own existence since she was 18, who she only wants approval from. She was fired from her dream job in animation and is now stuck at a hipster coffee shop and living in one of the smallest apartments possible in Portland. And she wants the perfect girl, but she already had that. Last Christmas Eve she met Jack, who spent she spent an amazing day with, an even more amazing kiss.... and other things, but then never saw her again.

The story goes back and forth between present and last Christmas. When it’s in the past Ellie uses her webcomics to tell the story of what happened between her and Jack last Christmas Eve. Back in the present Andrew and Ellie are fake engaged so he can get his trust from his grandpa. Showing up at his families lodge for Christmas Ellie sees Jack again for the first time in a year realizing that she is Jacks sister. Ensue the madness!

I love how the book discusses joy in your job and loving your work. Which we need to see more of in life and novels! The open dialogue about mental health, therapy, boundaries and healing yourself is so fantastic to see throughout it this book and one of the things I appreciated the most.

This book did lose me for a bit around 3/4 in. Other then a few chapters where I started to lose interest this was one of my top books of 2022. I found the main character extremely relatable. And I can't wait to see what Alison comes out with next.

A sweet, cozy-family, wintery, very gay, wildly silly "love trapezoid" (possibly a rhombus?) romp of a romantic comedy that made me feel a deep need to rewatch While You Were Sleeping. The emotional up and down swings were a little too much (I know every romance needs some miscommunication or something to drive our heroes apart, but this many cycles was a lot!) and honestly, I would have liked way more episodes about the rest of the very fun cast. Leave them wanting more, I guess?

This is an absolutely adorable (and steamy) sapphic holiday romance!! The main character has a lot of anxiety and parental issues so consider checking content warnings on The StoryGraph before reading. I really enjoyed the fake dating and marriage of convenience tropes and the “love trapezoid” of it all. These characters are messy just like people are in real life. Highly recommend!

Thanks so much to Atria for the copy via NetGalley! This book came out November 1 so you can read it now!

I am not sure if I can put into words how GOOD this book is. KISS HER ONCE FOR ME has been on my radar since I read Alison's debut novel THE CHARM OFFENSIVE and I knew it was going to be amazing going in but KHOFM exceeded ALL of my expectations. This book is tender, charming, somber, kind, steamy, profound, SWEET, etc. etc. etc. all while set with a Christmas story backdrop.

Also, the TAYLOR SWIFT REFERENCES ARE IMMACULATE.

Thank you SO MUCH to Atria Books and for the advanced copy. KHOFM is OUT NOW and is THE Christmas book of the season so trust me when I say you need it.

I was excited when I saw Alison Cochrun had a holiday romcom and I requested it ASAP. So happy I did because this was also really good!! Not overly Christmasy, but just the right amount of holiday vibes and a fun cabin setting in the PNW.

Ellie had met Jack the year before and she really fell for her. But after losing her the next day, and then losing her job, she's just trying to make it. She's working at a coffee shop now, and the landlord, Andrew, offers her money to pretend to be his fiance so he can get his inheritance from the family. She agrees. They spend a week at his family's cabin, and come to find out, Jack is there, and is Andrew's sister. They still feel the connection they had from last year.

Andrew's family was a hoot! I loved his grandma's…they're hilarious! Also, this book deals with some mental health issues. Ellie deals with some real anxiety and panic attacks. I definitely thought the author handled it really well. I felt bad for Ellie, that her family wasn't a very supportive family. I actually liked the discussions of mental health in this one. Makes it feel very real. I do feel that the ending was just a little rushed, and I wanted to feel more love, but I still can't even complain because I still loved reading this, and I def recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

For most of this book I was having a good time. I really liked the family dynamics going on. I really liked the different Christmas activities going on. It was a Christmas romance without it feeling too Christmas-y (which was perfect for me considering it's only the beginning of November). I also really liked how the mental health stuff was dealt with in this book. The only thing I wasn't liking was how the fake engagement was handled. I just felt like the author kind of forgot about it as we didn't see Andrew and Ellie interact a whole lot. However, then the third act conflict happened and that just was a massive dealbreaker for me. The way Ellie and Jack reacted to the situation just made me not really like them anymore and definitely made me not root for them to get together anymore. It seemed to me like they were just better off apart, but that wasn't the message this book was conveying. So yeah, that didn't really work for me. I am really dissapointed in that though because I was really hoping I would like this because I adored "The Charm Offensive" by this same author and I was having a good time at the start but the ending just ruined things a little for me.

Kiss Her Once For Me took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. I wanted to yell at Oliver for her actions, roll my eyes at Andrew, sing Brittany Spears with Jack and hangout with the grandmas. While these characters were memorable and the plot was interesting, I had to switch my earc to an audio once this was published. Natalie Nadus's voice brought the story to life and shone a bright light on a book that was lacking some sort of spark that I needed thirty percent in.

Thank you Atria books and netgalley for my earc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Thank you Atria Books for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

Synopsis:

“One year ago, recent Portland transplant Ellie Oliver had her dream job in animation and a Christmas Eve meet-cute with a woman at a bookstore that led her to fall in love over the course of a single night. But after a betrayal the next morning and the loss of her job soon after, she finds herself adrift, alone, and desperate for money.Finding work at a local coffee shop, she’s just getting through the days—until Andrew, the shop’s landlord, proposes a shocking, drunken plan: a marriage of convenience that will give him his recent inheritance and alleviate Ellie’s financial woes and isolation. They make a plan to spend the holidays together at his family cabin to keep up the ruse. But when Andrew introduces his new fiancée to his sister, Ellie is shocked to discover it’s Jack—the mysterious woman she fell for over the course of one magical Christmas Eve the year before. Now, Ellie must choose between the safety of a fake relationship and the risk of something real.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Setting—I have never been to the Pacific Northwest or Portland, but I imagine it is a place I will feel quite at home there and this book proved it to me again. Between the scenes in Seattle and at Powell’s Books (a dream destination for me) and the cabin in the mountains, i was feeling the vibes.

The Holiday Vibes—One of my favorite holiday books for the pure vibes is Christina Lauren’s In a Holidaze and I think this book achieves it similarly! A dreamy setting and a family that makes you want to be a part of their traditions!

The Twist on the Tropes—I love fake dating and I love second chance. I loved how the tropes were combined in an unexpected way!

What Didn’t Work:

Act II Pacing—My biggest issue with The Charm Offensive, another of Cochrun’s books, was how long the chapters were. It’s nitpicky and not something I’d take stars off for! That was solved in this one but I felt like the pacing of act II got a little muddy and the ending was rushed.

Character Authenticity: 4.5/5

Steam Rating: 1/5

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Content Warnings:

panic attacks/disorder; biphobia, toxic relationship; emotional abuse; homophobia, infidelity;

4.5 Staci McIntyre write this review for her podcast/blog Lit Shit. This book was super cute and deeply emotional. Ellie meets Jack on a snow day and falls in love only to lose her the next day. Next year she’s broke when wealthy business man Andrew offers her a deal: $200K to marry him so he can claim his inheritance. She says yes and a couple weeks later when she nets his family there’s a true surprise because it turns out Jack is his sister and their sparks are still there.

I loved Andrew’s family. Those drunk, high grandmas were the absolute best! They added such comedic relief to the heavier feelings. I loved how this author incorporated fear and not feeling enough into this book. It was truly felt by the characters in different aspects and beautifully written. I did not like Ellie’s mom and really it would have been a better book without her in it. Also why can’t these characters have a conversation when it’s needed; they wait and wait and then have it once everything explodes. Ellie and Jack‘s chemistry is amazing and you can feel the love and tension the whole book. I also really appreciated how the author has the characters work on themselves before the commit to a relationship.

Absolutely loved this book and will be excitedly anticipating the next book!

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First, thank you so much to the author and Atria for gifting me this book early. This is such an easy five star review! I absolutely LOVED everything about the story and it was perfect for the season.

The author does an incredible job navigating through topics like anxiety disorder, childhood trauma, and terrible parents while also so effortlessly including amazing representation of the LGBTIA community. I actually learned a lot through the story and I’m so thankful for that opportunity.

If you’re looking for a heartwarming romantic comedy that absolutely pulls at the heart strings, you need to pick this up TODAY.

Where do I begin when it comes to Jack and Ellie’s story? Just like with THE CHARM OFFENSIVE, KHOFM managed to heal my soul and absolutely tear my heart to shreds. I LOVED this book so freaking much. ⁣
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Alison’s writing is incredibly moving and honest, and they really know how to write a story that is emotional and packs a punch. Jack and Ellie are now two of my favorite people in the world - I saw so much of myself in each of them. Jack’s desperate need to showcase her independence; Ellie’s anxiety, and immense fear of failure. Their characters are so well thought out, and they each stand out on their own. But when they come together, sparks fly. I mean, damn. I was sweating every time Ellie and Jack made eye contact.
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Their story is just so beautifully told, and I absolutely loved all the music references throughout! I wish I had my own Lovey and MeeMaw. Every part of this story really resonated with me, and I just loved every second of it.

Emotional. Kiss Her Once For Me has me feeling EVERYTHING and it is one of few books that has truly touched my heart. This book is home; it’s comfort and belonging and love and nostalgia and all of the other good things about being human. There’s also heartbreak (that bakery scene at the end ripped my heart out), Ellie’s very real experiences with anxiety, and truly messed up/unsupportive family members. All of these amazing and gut wrenching parts of the book seamlessly brought us a story that I can’t describe as anything other than a perfect ride through the human experience. Ellie, Jack, and all of their family and friends will stick with me for a very long time 💜

Now for the little details. Read this if you love:

💜 Instalove (but the characters are a little clueless)
💜 Demisexual rep (the emotional trust in this book leads to some insane chemistry!)
💜 While You Were Sleeping and other classic Christmas Rom Coms
💜 A week full of all of the Christmas activities your heart desires
💜 Wild, boozy, and oh so loving Grandmas (who, by the way, were previously married to the same person and now BFFs)
💜 Pop culture references- think Pretty Woman, Miss Trunchbull, Celine Dion
💜 Conflicts where characters actually TALK IT OUT

Thank you to Atria Books, Simon and Schuster, and Netgalley for the gifted book in exchange for my honest review!

I don't have enough words to properly begin to express how much I loved absolutely everything about this book!! Ellie reminds me of myself and I was rooting for her to be happy and snap out of her fear the entire time. The Kim-Prescott family (minus that dick Alan) is just absolutely precious and warm and caring and perfect. Man this book gave me all the warm fuzzies and left me alternately smiling and despairing at times. I will be recommending this book to everyone forever because these characters and their flaws and triumphs are everything

Kiss Her Once for Me is the dreaded second chance trope, but with a twist. Last Christmas Ellie spent the most wonderful day with a stranger, and fell in love in less than 24 hours. But the next morning it all fell apart and her life since then has been stagnating.

When her sort-of boss has a business proposition that includes a fake marriage, Ellie goes out of her anxiety-filled comfort zone and agrees. But surprise! Andrew’s sister is her maybe one true love!

I loved the interactions between Ellie and Jack. Their connection felt real (despite the short time frame!) and I enjoyed the flashbacks to their original meet-cute. The concept of a found family is very prominent here, and Andrew/Jack’s family members are amazing and I want them to be my family.

Big warning that there is a third act breakup and it was a painful one. I understand why it happened (because we lack communication!!!) but the resolution felt lengthy and I needed more happiness after their reunion.

Overall Kiss Her Once for Me was a wonderful Christmas-themed story and I look forward to more from Alison Cochrun.

Thank you to Atria Books for the review copy!