A bisexual swiftie with anxiety who wears old navy?? Yeah I feel attacked 😂
Normally you'd never find me reading a Christmas book before Thanksgiving (much less in October). But when I had the opportunity to get an ARC of KHOFM, I couldn't pass up the opportunity! I loved Alison's first book (The Charm Offensive) so much last year, I knew I'd love this one too. This is definitely a sad girl Christmas book, but with antics and unlikely friendships and Christmas activities AND a happy ending! The author was inspired by While You Were Sleeping, which made me realize I've never seen it and I need to. Thank you to @netgalley and @ atriabooks for the ARC
PS - THE SCARF😤‼️

"𝘐 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦. 𝘏𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘦. 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵."

Oh my gosh. This book. I don't even know where to begin.

First, know that October was NOT kind to me. There was worry, loss, and a lot of work/life pressures. Learning how to be a working mom and how to let other people help me.

So, reading this - there were so many areas that hit me harder than expected. From childhood where I was forced to grow up quickly, to finding that big family feeling, to learning how to let people love me and just assume I'm going to mess everything up.

And all wrapped up in an unconventional love story with just the right amount of spice ❤

Thank you Alison, @atriabooks and @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for this review!

#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #arcreview #kissheronceforme #alisoncochrun #whatsnikkireading #book32of2022 #advancedreadercopy #netgalley #atriabooks #lgbtq #foundfamily #pubday

As a huge fan of Cochrun's debut, The Charm Offensive, I was really excited to have the opportunity to read her follow-up, Kiss Her Once for Me. I am on the record as not really liking Christmas-themed books or second-chance romances, but it appears I have found the exception to my rules. Just like The Charm Offensive, Kiss Her Once for Me had fun characters, deep topics treated sensitively, a soft and lovely romance, and excellent dialogue.

The premise of this book is absolutely wild and I'm not in sure in the hands of any author whether I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. Ellie begins the book having been fired from another job and at the precipice of being kicked out her apartment. In desperation, she ends up in a fake relationship/marriage of convenience with Andrew, the landlord of the coffee shop she had just been fired from, who needs to get married in order to get his inheritance. Of course once Ellie agrees to the plan and spends the holidays with his family, she finds out this sister is actually her one-night stand from the Christmas prior.

I mostly liked Ellie as a character and although she makes some questionable decisions in this book, ultimately I was really drawn to the relationship she has with failure and how she copes with that throughout the book. Her relationship with Jack was also explored in a really lovely way although I loved most how well she fit in with Andrew's family. The holiday hijinks were fun and I fell in love with the Kim-Prescott family along with Ellie.

I didn't really love the interstitial "webcomics" where we learn about the Christmas past. While I did enjoy seeing what happened previously they were placed in a clunky manner that didn't really add to the overall tension of the present-day story. It was also a little off-putting to be told they were comics but have them unfold like a narrative. That all being said, I really loved the present day storyline and Cochrun really has such a talent for compelling and clever dialogue. I may have a new must-buy author.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you @atriabooks for my ARC of this book, it’s out today!

This is the perfect Christmas romance! There’s just enough holiday feels to get you in the spirit of the season without being forced or cheesy. The flashbacks were done perfectly and revealed enough about the previous Christmas to make sense while still keeping me interested in what happened.

I loved all the characters in this book! Ellie was imperfect enough to make me understand all of her (sometimes poor) choices in life and her constant fear of failure really had me invested in how things would turn out for her. All of the Kim-Prescotts added so much to the story, even the drunk grandmas, I would love to spend 2 weeks in their chalet with a laminated schedule!

This is the perfect book to start off the new season, it’s beautifully written while still being funny and romantic!

Read this if you:
- Have ever found yourself in a love trapezoid
- Know the magic that a snow day can bring
- Are looking for a homey holiday-with-the-family vibe

Ellie Oliver is experiencing a major low point in her life. She has a “one night stand” that leaves her heartbroken, loses her job, and is desperate for money and feels very lost. She makes a deal with Andrew, the coffee shop’s landlord that she is currently working at, to marry him so that he can receive his trust fund. In return, she’ll receive part of the money. She hesitantly accepts, and finds herself spending Christmas with his family, only to realize his sister is her one night stand from the past. This book is full of moments of laughter, characters that are easy to root for, and a great plot. It’s also set during Christmas time, which is my absolute favorite!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital arc

Hallmark*

*But make it gay and TVMA

My best friend and I spent most of last December and January curled up on her couch watching Hallmark Christmas and Hanukkah movies. And while the TV channel has begun to don some gay apparel, it has nothing on Alison Cochrun's Kiss Her Once for Me. 

This book is queer AF. Not just in the ooo-more-than-half-the-cast-is-a-member-of-the-fam way but also in the bittersweetness of it all. Alison Cochrun doesn't shy away from complex mental health issues -- especially how the holidays can exacerbate them. 

Sure, Kiss Her Once for Me is steamy, and you'll swoon, but it's also not sugar plum fairies (ahem) and marshmallow fluff. 

All the colors of the rainbow

Speaking of the alphabet mafia, Alison Cochrun has the rainbow covered. There is some excellent ace-spectrum representation in Kiss Her Once for Me. And we can add this book to the growing list of books with enby love interests. 

Equally importantly, but more noteworthy to me, was the fact that, unlike way too much of the media, a butch woman was portrayed as desirable. Not only that, an Asian butch woman was described as hawt without being overly sexualized.

And what else? Holy cow, this book features an Asian man everyone and their sibling lusts over. This is so important. 

That's not to say that these depictions and every minority representation were all perfectly handled all the time. I certainly cringed here and there. So there's that -- some (unintentional?) stereotyping sprinkled throughout Kiss Her Once for Me. To be fair, per her author's note, Alison Cochrun did utilize sensitivity readers, so she did put in effort.

Should you read it?

For all that its positive elements outweighed the negatives, Kiss Her Once for Me, for whatever reason, never completely gelled for me. That said, it's worth a read, especially once you've exhausted the short list of cheesy queer holiday movies on streaming and basic cable. And who knows, it may speak to you more than it did to me.

Kiss Her Once for Me is available now. Pick up a copy at your local indie bookstore or library. 📚🎄🏳️‍🌈 

Please note: This book may be healing or triggering for those who've had a tough go of it during the holidays.

So sweet that it hurts 😩 I flew through this book in less than 24 hours; ironically when it was almost 100 degrees in Portland. This book is an adorable Christmas romance that following Ellie, a walking bisexual disaster and Jack, a human tornado who is incredibly soft and sweet.

Ellie and Jack have a one night stand on Christmas and a year later Ellie shows up to family Christmas with her fake fiancé who *gasp* is Jack’s older brother.

Honestly, this is one of the best books I’ve read in 2022 and when I say it hurt, I mean like literally I could feel my heart clenching at how emotional this book made me. I haven’t ready The Charm Offensive (I know, I know. I’m sorry) but after this book, there’s no doubt that I’ll read anything Cochrun releases without even knowing what it’s about.

I adored this novel. Cochrun made such a wonderful, well developed romance. Ellie made so much sense to me. Her feelings of not being good enough if you attain a dream and slowly come to terms with it not feeling right. Her need to have some semblance of control and then letting it get out of hand. The mishaps and questions about being good enough for people. I adored her, and felt so akin to her in so many ways. And Jack! The lumberjack baker! I wanted to be Jack. I loved this woman (who reminded me so much of a Lorelei Gilmore, but make her lesbian). It was wonderful. Every page I felt it, I couldn't handle the cuteness. Honestly, one of my favorite romances that I've read!!

Last year I had the pleasure of reading an early copy of The Charm Offensive and when it instantly became one of my all-time favorite romances, I knew I needed more from Alison Cochrun. I searched rights reports hoping to see an announcement for another book and found out she was writing a sapphic Christmas rom-com??? To say I was excited about this release would be a massive understatement. Even then, I was not ready for how this book would surpass my incredibly high expectations.

The scenes in this novel were vivid, cozy, and memorable—basically, everything I want in a romance novel. The characters literally pop off the page. The writing immediately sucked me in and transported me to their wonderfully awkward exchanges.

Without going into spoilers, this book is perfect for the sapphic swifties who are suckers for a winter backdrop. I cannot wait for this to be out in the world and be able to discuss it and share it with anyone who will listen to me gush about it.

I think it is safe to say Alison Cochrun has joined my list of favorite authors. I will be eagerly anticipating whatever she writes next. For now, I am going to go listen to Its All Coming Back To Me Now on repeat.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC!

Started reading for the Christmas vibes, stayed for the soul searching!

THIS BOOK YALL. Add this to your Christmas TBR immediately. Ellie is an artist with her masters in animation. She’s got a big heart and lots of love for snow- until one Christmas Eve. Flash to a year in the future and she’s given up on love. When a rich guy needs someone to fake marry in order to get 2 million dollars inheritance, she thinks “Why not?” Well just you wait……..

I saw so much of myself in Ellie. Cochrun perfectly captured that feeling of having an artistic expression but giving up the dream because of other people’s opinions/possibility of failure/being perceived by others. The Christmas vibes were off the charts, and I loved the flashback chapters. The way heartbreak, love, and fear of failure were weaved into this novel took it beyond a cheesy rom-com and turned it into a reflective reading experience. i’m now thinking about how I can change based on the growth the characters experienced. The ace representation was so refreshing to see. Definitely a must read ❤️

Also, the grannies are who I aspire to be.

I love fake dating/engagement stories and this one was definitely a "love trapezoid"

This book comes out tomorrow and please add this to your holiday list! 

I loved the author's note that it started as a Bill Pullman While you Were Sleeping Vibe and turned into focusing a little more towards a fear of failure. I definitely related to Ellie in this fear as everything I tried to do in my 20's scared the shit out of me and when you fail you feel like everything is over. But getting past your fear and yourself to see that you learned a lesson and to move in a different frame of mind takes losing something important or something snapping into place.

In my 40's I just throw stuff at the wall to see if they stick (slime does) or cross my fingers while maniacally smiling.

OMG I have read a lot of books lately with toxic parents that feel that you owe them something for all the time and money that you spent on them and it always makes my heart hurt. Makes me think of that trend when you insult yourself then you show a picture or your younger baby self and say you are saying it to them. You will always feel like a little one with your parents as your memories compound and bounce off each other. You're never more vulnerable than with a parent or sibling and to have them abuse that is despicable. I am talking to you Linds.

I would always ask my Dad,  how will I ever pay you back for all of this, and he would say Pay it Forward to your kids and their friends. As he would treat my friends to movies and theme parks, etc. Wish we all had a Larry and a Janet.

I loved Ellie and Jack's chemistry and of course the crazy circumstance that would see them in a cabin with her fake fiance is stuff that happened to me in my 20's. Oh the stories I could tell living in SF. And Andrew - Jack's brother had some things he was trying to deny as well. Loved that twist! Don't know if I saw it coming but I was hoping.

Thank you atriabooks and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun
Rating: 5 stars
Steam: 2 chilis
Pub date: 11/1

Ellie is having a tough time. A year ago she met a girl, Jack, on Christmas and they spent a romantic snow day together. Unfortunately, it all fell apart soon after along with the rest of Ellie’s life. She lost her job and is about to lose her apartment when a lucrative, fake dating opportunity pops up. Andrew needs to get married in order to gain access to his inheritance and he’s offering Ellie a nice big chunk of it if she agrees. One of the stipulations is that she has to spend Christmas with his family at their cabin, where she sees Jack again for the first time since last Christmas, and things get a little complicated.

I fell in love with this delightful, queer rom-com pretty much from the start. It had all the holiday vibes I was looking for, along with the fake dating, close proximity, one night stand that eventually turns into more, tropes that I love to see in a romance. The chemistry between Ellie and Jack jumped off the page with just the right amount of tension and steam. I loved everything about this and I can’t wait to read it again closer to the holiday season.

The story is told in a single POV and an alternating timeline, showing us from Ellie’s perspective how she met Jack and why everything fell apart. I usually prefer a dual POV but in this instance I think it’s important that we don’t know Jack’s side of things. There’s a pretty big miscommunication that could have been cleared up with one conversation, which isn’t usually my favorite, but it worked well here and helped to tell the story of Ellie’s mental health struggles.

Ellie’s character felt so real and relatable to me that I was able to connect with her right away. Her fear of failure holds her back from all the things she wants in life, like a relationship and a career, and the complicated situation with her mother doesn’t help matters. She had a lot of growth throughout the story and by the end I think she made great strides in getting her anxiety under control and surrounding herself with people who love and understand her.

I love Ellie’s found family, the Portland setting at Christmas, the Grandmas (who almost stole the show) and the scorching hot romance. There are some heavier topics, like wealth disparity and mental health, that are discussed, but at its core Kiss Her Once For Me is a delightful holiday romance about learning to accept failure as a part of life and to go after the things you really want. I am so grateful to NetGalley and Atria Books for the early copy to read and review. This fun holiday read comes out on 11/1!

Thanks to NetGalley, author Alison Cochrun, and Atria Books for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

The world needs more lesbian Christmas rom-coms, and Kiss Her Once for Me just solidifies this fact!! This was SUCH a fun read, and I immediately need more of these vibes over the next couple of months. I adored Ellie and Jack's relationship, and I loved how the story was told in both flashbacks and present day. Although the plot of fake-dating and how Ellie and Jack find each other again was a little unrealistic, I appreciated the very real representation of anxiety through Ellie. I found that I was able to relate a lot to her character, especially thinking about my own relationships. In terms of the fake-dating, this is one of my favorite tropes, and it's done SO well in this book set against a perfect Christmas background!! I found myself laughing several times and rooting for Ellie and Jack throughout, so I was thrilled to get a happy ending. My one complaint is that the ending feels a bit rushed in parts, especially given how well the characters' stories are developed. I felt there were a few major plot points that ended up kind of skimmed over and could have benefitted the story more by being better explained. However, as a lesbian romance, this was everything I wanted and more, and I already see myself rereading this before Christmas!

2.5 Stars

Last Christmas, Ellie had a meet-cute with a masc woman called Jack in a bookstore. The two of them spent a snow-filled day together, but the magic was ruined come morning.

This Christmas, Ellie is still not over said woman. She was also fired from her dream job and is about to be evicted from her apartment because her barista job is not enough to keep up with rent. So when the coffee shop's rich landlord proposes a marriage of convenience Ellie is just desperate and drunk enough to say yes. Andrew’s grandfather recently passed and the only way to receive the inheritance is to get married. A fake marriage will mean Andrew gains access to his inheritance and Ellie gets 10% of said inheritance - a life changing amount. To sell their engagement, Ellie spends Christmas with Andrew’s family, only to learn his sister is Jack, the woman from a Christmas ago.

This synopsis intrigued the eff out of me, but I hate to report that it fell short. I was expecting more drama between the siblings, but Andrew disappears from the story and doesn’t show back up in it till the end. I didn’t believe this friendship that Ellie and Andrew developed from their fake engagement. I think a lot of funny/embarrassing antics were missed out because of this and it was a let down for me.

Another issue I had was with the big gesture moment at the end. To avoid spoilers, the gesture doesn’t necessarily go to plan but then everything works out in the end and it just felt out of the blue and made no sense to me. Like, why couldn’t the gesture just go right if everything would work out a page later anyway? It just came across as a cheap shock factor moment.

Lastly, this book felt a little too try hard for me at times. The characters had to remind everyone of their sexual orientation multiple times throughout and I wish the author trusted the reader to know the terms after one explanation because these moments would take me out of the story. I’ve read and enjoyed plenty of LGBT+ books and never felt it was forcing something, so it was weird to me that I felt that with this novel. To be very clear, my problem is not with the representation but with how scripted it feels.

There were other weird quirks about this book, too, like when Ellie complains about playing Christmas music in a coffee shop when this is a Christmas novel. Overall, my enjoyment was a bit shattered for the above reasons, but to end on a positive note I adored the family dynamic, the drunk grandmas, and the Christmas feelings this book gave me.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A year ago, Ellie Oliver had everything, her dream job, an okay apartment in Portland and on Christmas Eve, she met the woman of her dreams. But the woman was there and gone, the job didn't work out and she's about to get evicted... So when the landlord of the coffeeshop where she now works, Andrew, a literal millionaire, asks her if they can get married so he can get his inheritance she has to say yes. After all, he did promise her that she'd get 10% of said inheritance and she's truly broke. The problem is, this deal starts with them celebrating Christmas for over a week in a cabin with his entire family... And that's not even the craziest part...

I loved loved loved loved this. I loved the characters, the plot, the misunderstanding, the relationships between the characters, the friendships, everything.
I loved the romance but I also loved the way it talked about failure, like that was a big theme and it was captivating. I love the structure of the book, with the flashbacks, and how they weren't chronological. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, this was truly a perfect holiday romance. I could see myself in the "cabin" with them and on the ski grounds and in the snow, all of it. I loved that the main character was demi, that was also very good. honestly, I love the Queer rep all around.
Basically, I loved everything about this. (yes I said it before and I will say it again probably)
I will definitely be rereading this over and over. Loved loved it so much, everything about it!!!
Cannot wait for more from Alison Cochrun.

4 ⭐️’s

After the charm offensive I knew I would read anything the author wrote, and I still stand by that. Per usual we have fantastic representation not only in sexuality but mental health as well. Ellie is so relatable and hilarious. Easy recommend.

Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun

The readers note at the beginning mentioned how While You Were Sleeping was an inspiration for this book. I just knew I was going to love Kiss Her Once For Me after that. I also grew up watching this movie on VHS. I watch it every year during the holidays.

What a way to start off the holiday season reads! I adored this book so much. Mental health representation, LGBTQ+, Asian representation, chosen family, fake dating. I loved all of the characters and really enjoyed the character development. Watching Ellie work through her issues and making efforts for a better future was so beautiful and inspiring. Ellie is very relatable.

Last year, The Charm Offensive was one of my favorite reads. I can’t wait to read all of Alison’s work in the future!

After loving Cochrun’s debut novel, The Charm Offensive, I was nervous that her sophomore novel, Kiss Her Once for Me. This story follows Ellie Oliver, who currently works at a dead-end job in Portland at a coffee shop after her dream animation job went awry. She meets Andrew and the two of them make an agreement that Andrew will help Ellie financially if she acts as his fake fiancé, so he can get his inheritance. Everything seems on track until Andrew takes Ellie to meet his family and his sister turns out to be Jack, the girl Ellie fell for a year ago.

The story is told in two timelines, the present day and one year ago, which means the reader learns more about each character and their relationships over time. I love the way that Cochrun writes her intimate scenes. These are not limited to sexual encounters between the characters as it expands to any of these moments, even tiny interactions. They are written in a realistic way where the characters do not have to be stereotypically perfect. They could have some hair in places, softer features, etc. With the rest of the romance, though, I think I needed a little more to understand the relationship. Ellie is written as demisexual yet seems to love Jack in a very short amount of time. While I cannot confirm or deny that this is possible, it does not align with my understanding of the subject, and I wish there was more explanation for this situation.

Even though Andrew was not the endgame, given the whole premise of the story, I loved him as a character and found myself invested in him getting any type of satisfying ending. He interacted well with both Jack and Ellie, and I loved their side of the family. It was a nice contrast to Ellie’s relationship with her abusive mom. These elements were all very well done and a great illustration of Cochrun’s writing where there is a nice balance between the deeper topics and the lighter humorous ones. Despite all the great writing, I did have difficulty getting over Jack and Ellie as their relationship rekindles as Ellie is in a fake relationship with Andrew, so it was difficult to connect in it. Due to this the story was not my favorite, but I absolutely love Cochrun’s writing, so I have conflicting feelings. I would still recommend this to others and hope they give it a try themselves. As I continue to love Alison’s work and I cannot believe I will have to wait until 2024 to read her next novel, Here We Go Again!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Atria Books, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

This one really did it for me. My heart is so full and I cried like a baby but in the best way. Def will be recommending this.

4.5 stars Warm fuzzies. Those are the two words that describe the overall feeling of Alison Cochrun’s sophomore release and she is definitely in her sweet spot writing about Ellie and Jack. Snow is a magical entity in Kiss Her Once for Me, ushering in two very important moments for Ellie Oliver. A year ago, on an unforgettably snowpocalypse in Portland, Ellie meets Jack during a time when her life feels completely upside down and at her lowest possible point. Never expecting to fall so quickly for someone she doesn’t even really know, the day (and night) seem magical and almost miraculous to Ellie’s defeated heart. But Ellie’s encounter with Jack dissolves as quickly as the snow and we are fast-forwarded to a year later when Ellie has more circumstantial moments that lead her to accepting a fake (napkin) marriage proposal to one of the hottest and wealthiest bachelors in Portland, Andrew Kim-Prescott. In this deal of a lifetime, Andrew will pay Ellie ten percent of his inheritance if she will enter a marriage of convenience for at least a year. Badly needing the money and in a career as a barista that seems to be going nowhere, Ellie accepts the proposal and agreeing to meet Andrew’s family for Christmas. But nothing can prepare Ellie for whom she meets at Andrew’s family ski-chalet of a cabin, as the snow ushers in more magic and questions.

I loved the dynamic between the so-called love trapezoid (IYKYK) and the Honesty Game. Cochran has a way of forcing her characters to talk and deal with their issues and is the queen of writing messy characters with hearts of gold. The alternating timelines between this Christmas and last Christmas kept this story fresh, and also kept me reading to find out more of Jack and Ellie’s story. These are imperfect characters and anxiety, insecurity, and manipulative parenting are all crucial to the storytelling, but the growth that takes place as the result of these hardships is beautifully rectified. If Ellie was feeling something, I felt it. That is the power of good writing. Although this story is undeniably queer, as a straight woman, I could totally relate to the emotional aspects of this book and appreciated such a fresh point of view. There are so many personal moments tying Jack and Ellie together (calling her Elle, musical references, SNOW, etc.) and the tension is palpable. Not only emotional but Kiss Her Once for Me is funny too! I loved the grandmas, best-friend Meredith, the family gathering scenes (tacky sweaters and all), and of course Paul Hollywood. This was a perfect holiday read encapsulating everything both difficult and wonderful about family and Christmas. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.