The Charm Offensive was one of my top favorite reads last year. So I was super excited to read this! It didn’t disappoint! I really enjoyed this story and loved all the characters. A great blend of funny romcom but also emotional and in your feelings. Definitely would recommend adding this to your TBR!

Maybe 2.5 stars? I loved The Charm Offensive and really wanted to love this too, but the romance just didn't work for me. You can just see the vague outline of how everything will eventually implode from close to the beginning, and having that hanging so heavily over my head didn't make for a great reading experience. There were explorations of perfectionism and what it means to fail that really resonated with me, but these were (very understandably for a romance book) secondary.

CW: anxiety and panic attacks, infidelity, negligent parents, ableism, marijuana use, biphobia, transphobia

Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun is a holiday rom com about a woman who fakes an engagement with her landlord…only to fall for his sister.

I absolutely loved The Charm Offensive, so I was looking forward to Kiss Her Once For Me. It has my favorite trope - fake dating/marriage of convenience, but unfortunately, I didn't love this book. I liked the idea of a While You Were Sleeping with a twist.

The whole insta-love that sets up this book from last Christmas was a little too much and I didn't like the going back to Last Christmas, as it made the book feel more disjointed. I loved Andrew's family - the two grandma's were hilarious! I was also surprised to see the letter from the author wasn't in the beginning of the physical book, but it was on the @netgalley version. I liked seeing her why.

This book does have some great themes of family, acceptance, mental health and a lot of Taylor Swift references.

The following review was posted on my blog today, Sunday, October 30th, 2 days before publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram between today and the day of publication, and has already been posted on Goodreads. The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.





“Honesty game: I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

Genre: Romance, LGBTQIA+
Actual Rating: 5+ star emojis
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: As given by the author—there are moments of homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. Deals with generalized anxiety disorders and stigmas around neurodiversity. Mentions adultery and cheating.

“Kiss Her Once for Me” follows Ellie Oliver, an animator and demisexual hopeless romantic, through two very impactful moments of her life—both revolving around the winter holidays. Bring on December 2021, where Ellie has just moved to Portland and is working at an animation studio, when she unexpectedly has a meet-cute and calamitous one night stand with Jack, only to never see her again. Then flash-forward to December 2022, where she’s working as a barista after losing her dream job in animation and she somehow agrees to fake-marry the coffee shop’s cute landlord, Andrew, so he can get his inheritance. But before they get married, Ellie has to endure a few days at his family’s cabin, celebrating Christmas… only to find out Andrew’s sister who he’s referred to as Jacqueline is actually Jack. The same Jack who broke Ellie’s heart last Christmas. -Queue in “Last Christmas” by Taylor Swift (2007 cover)-

First things first: get this book as a Christmas/holiday gift for all your lesbian, bisexual, queer, and sapphic-loving reader friends. Now. Go order them so they’ll be there for the holidays. I cannot begin to explain how much I loved this book.

“Kiss Her Once for Me” will be hands down my favorite holiday book this season—I have no proofs but also no doubts. This book had it all. Fake dating? Check. Marriage of convenience? Check. Miscommunication? Check. Close proximity? Check. Diverse characters? Check. Character growth? Check. Epic sapphic couple? Check check check.

I would not change a single thing about this book. Alison Chochrun is a swiftie, alright? The amount of times Taylor Swift is mentioned cannot be a coincidence, and I was there for it. I, too, have devoted countless hours to listening to Taylor Swift. I, too, believe evermore is an ode to Christmas. I, too, believe Lover is the superior album.

It isn’t the most explicit read, but there are some steamy scenes—and although this usually knocks down some stars while rating, I didn’t mind it too much through this read. The kissed were sweet and the conversation and intimacy achieved through communication was stellar. I did not feel like something was missing when I finished this read.

I would highly recommend “Kiss Her Once for Me” if you’re looking for a sapphic romance full of wintery feels. If you enjoy books by authors like Casey McQuiston, Rachael Lippincott, and Alexis Hall, then Alison Cochrun’s writing is right up your alley. This was such a fluid, lovely read. Oh, how I wish I could start reading it for the first time all over again.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by Atria Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: November 01, 2022

This is the cutest book!!! I am fully obsessed with Alison and everything they write. I am such a sucker for a holiday romance that feels true to life.

This meet cute is adorable. Imagine this…a snowstorm on Christmas Eve that makes everything magical, including Ellie having a perfect night with the woman she met at a bookstore. However, in the morning her dreams are shattered. Soon after she loses her job and is just feeling lost.
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She takes a job at a local coffee shop and after a drunken night with the shop’s landlord she somehow agrees to a marriage of convenience for a substantial sum of money. They agree to spend the holidays together and when Andrew introduces Ellie to his sister she is shocked to find out it’s the woman she fell for the previous Christmas Eve. It’s no surprise that the Grandmas are the total mvps of this story!
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This is a fun take on a holiday story and I was all in! Thank you #Atria and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

This book managed to melt my cold, cold heart! I was sucked in from the very first page, so much so that I was shocked when I finished it 6 hours later and looked outside to find it is in fact still October, and I very much am not in Portland. I went from kicking my feet and giggling, to processing my own mommy issues (rude), to crying, to dragging my Christmas decorations out of the basement early. While I think there were some definite pacing issues with the last 10% of the book, this was exactly the fun, cute, and cozy sapphic Christmas romance that I've always wanted!

❄️ E-ARC Review ❄️

Book: Kiss Her Once For Me

By: @alisoncochrun 💙

Release Date: November 1, 2022

GOOD THINGS CHECKLIST:

✔️ another amazing, beautiful, representative romance (if you loved Charm Offensive, you'll love this one too)

✔️ WINTER, SNOWY, CHRISTMAS MAGIC 🥺❄️

✔️ so-called "Love Trapezoid"

✔️ FAKE DATING 😈 but it's with the love interest's brother HAHAH just wait it gets so interesting

✔️ stranded in a snowy cabin together & guess how many beds there are... ☝️

✔️ imperfect characters but SO relatable and real - honestly one of my fav things about Cochrun's books

✔️ mental health in the spotlight, along with LOVE (duh)

ALISON, YOU DID IT AGAIN!! you wrote a book that simultaneously made me feel so seen while creating an incredible, fun, unique love story.

This book is out THIS TUESDAY & it's honestly the perfect holiday read, so slap this baby onto your wishlists because you're gonna LOVE IT!!! 💙💙

thank you to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the advanced e-book copy!!

Despite being an avid reader, rarely do I feel truly seen by a book. I’m queer and read quite a few LGBTQ+ books but Alison Cochrun’s books hold a special place in my heart. Last year I absolutely ADORED the charm offensive and had been anxiously awaiting Kiss Her Once for Me. I was NOT disappointed.

This sapphic Christmas story is so cozy and cute, I can’t get over it. Our story takes place in a dual timeline, this Christmas and last. Last year, Ellie had one perfect snowy day with a girl that just didn’t last. This year nothing seems to be going right for Ellie. She’s down on her luck, behind on rent, and feeling destitute. When Ellie agrees to a fake dating scheme to make ends meet, her past and present collide in the most chaotic way possible - Cue “It’s All Coming Back To Me” by Celine Dion.

Jack and Ellie are perfectly awkward and adorable. This sweet romcom is all that I needed to get me out of a reading slump. And having Demisexual rep is just the icing on the cake. I’ve never pre ordered anything so fast and I’m dying to get my hands on whatever Alison Cochrun writes next. I am IN LOVE with this book.

Cochrun has done it agin with excellent Ace-spectrum and mental health representation! This magical love story was sweet and heartwarming, and the characters were all so charming and loveable. I love the holiday backdrop and the tropes are done perfectly.

4.5

“We all have seasons of needing and seasons of giving.”

I absolutely adored The Charm Offensive, so I knew going in that I would really love this book. It delivers with fake dating and second chance romances, with not shortage of character growth and reflection.

Ellie is at a strange crossroads in her life where she has been let go from what she always thought was her dream job and trying to stay afloat. When Andrew offers a way out that benefits them both, she reluctantly takes it. When she spends the holidays with his family as his fake fiancée, she’s shocked to discover that his sister, Jack, is the mysterious woman she fell for over one night the previous Christmas.

Ellie is a compelling, complicated character who has always had a plan and doesn’t really know how to function once those plans go awry. She’s stuck between what she thinks she needs to do and what she really wants to do. Jack pulls Ellie into her orbit and it shakes Ellie’s foundation. So much so that Ellie creates a web comic based on the interaction. Jack and Ellie are alike and different in so many ways, but deep down it’s clear that they balance each other out. Ellie spends too much time in her head about what she believes should happen instead of focusing on what she wants. Jack is the family outcast, according to her father, and has a hard time believing in herself. Ellie and Jack become each other’s biggest supporters, almost unknowingly.

The chemistry between Ellie and Jack is so palpable from the moment the see each other again, and it simmers to a book over the course of the book. They clearly felt the same way the previous Christmas, but miscommunication proved to push them apart. I was able to figure out how the book would end early one, so the ending wasn’t surprising as it felt like it was pretty obvious all along.

I highly recommend adding this to your Christmas romance TBR! It’s so beautiful and heartwarming, and it will not disappoint.

5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me access to an eARC!

This was such a cozy sapphic Christmas romcom and I literally sobbed at so many parts of it--from the casualness of the (perfect) representation of both sexuality and gender identity, to the sheer and deep connection I felt to the main character, Ellie. The romance was messy and all over the place, but it felt realistic and I loved the emphasis on healthy communication despite the premise of the novel (fake relationships/marriage of convenience).

The author being a Swifite was such a bonus, too--the cute little debate that Ellie and Jack have about Evermore vs Lover was so cute and was one of my favourite scenes.

Overall, I thought the characters and the whole relationship felt real and I really enjoyed it. I ate it up in a day! Thanks to the author for writing this--it's perfect and makes this sapphic reviewer happy. <3

Thank you @netgalley for a copy of this book. Overall, this was an enjoyable romance. You will like this if you are a fan of forced proximity and forbidden romance. Ellie decides to marry Andrew to gain a large sum to help with her dire financial situation only to find out that Andrew's sister is Jack who she spent 1 day with. Jack and Ellie's one day is monumental for both of them and how they can't have each other and is forced to spend a week together.

I thought there was a lot going on with the story with flashback of the day between Jack and Ellie to Andrew's love and Ellie's situation. I didn't buy Ellie and Jack's connection - it seems way over the top to feel that much after one day.

I would definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a holiday romance, some forced proximity, and a queer second chance romance. Second chance romances usually toe the line for me, but the author crafted the story amazingly.

Jack and Elle have an instant connection, and I practically swooned during their first kiss. There’s a lot of baggage that gets unpacked in this book, and has mental health representation in multiple characters.

I didn’t love the the secret portion of this book, and the pressure they put on trust. And the ending felt a little to far with embarrassment of one of the main characters. That felt overly hurtful.

He side characters in this book were fantastic, and I hope we might get a bonus scene between Dylan and Andrew!

Delightful romance set in Portland, Oregon. Meet cutes, chance encounters and fate bringing people together. One warning- if the song Last Christmas gets stuck in your head, wait until December to read this one!

In Kiss Her Once For Me, Ellie is a recent Portland transplant who is struggling at her low-paid coffee shop job after being fired from her dream job. She feels like her life has plateaued: bad job, shitty apartment, alone in a city she doesn’t know.

So when her boss proposes a marriage of convience where he gets his inheritance and she gets a large payout, she’s not exactly in a position to say no. But things get complicated when she finds out that her husband-to-be’s sister is jack, a butch lesbian she fell in love with last year over the course of one magical Portland snow day.

So Ellie has to figure out what to do: get her life back on track by marrying a nice rich man, or risk it all for his sister.

This book is so fun. I've been anxiously anticipating it since I read The Charm Offensive this summer and fell in love with Alison’s writing.

Ellie is an anxious, depressed, bi demisexual character and I related to her a lot. Social anxiety? Yes. Catastrophizing that her life will be ruined by one small thing? Absolutely. I really enjoyed seeing Ellie grow as she lets people in and makes more friends.

Which brings me to: the characters! Jack is the butch baker love interest and a character that I think everyone will love. Andrew is such a softie and a really sweet person and he is totally not what i was expected. Dylan makes me laugh because they’re just so intense and kind of rude but actually nice inside. Also the fact that it’s an all queer friend group :’) The found family in this book is really sweet.

Also, this book is just really funny. There’s so much humor and good jokes packed in, like “I'm not outdoorsy enough to date the women in Portland” and “miscommunication is for the straights”.

And Alison Cochrun does what she did with charm too: add a whole lot of depth so it’s not just a romance. and damn. In this book you don’t really see it coming until you’re sucker punched by it. Because Kiss Her Once For Me, above all, is about fear of failure. Ellie lets fear of failure control her whole life, without even realizing it. So Kiss Her Once For Me teaches us that 1) what we count as “failure” often isn’t even really failure and 2) failure is a normal part of life. Ellie learns to not let this fear of failure affect her life anymore. She decides to take risks and put herself out there.

And finally, one concept that was explored in Kiss Her Once For Me that I really love is the concept of having seasons of needing and seasons of giving. I love this metaphor for relationships because it shows that they fluctuate. Sometimes we’re in a place where we can support others and sometimes we’re in a position where we need the support. It’s a give and take, and it’s natural. This is what all relationships should look like: we need different things at different times and it all evens out eventually.

This is a super sweet adult queer romance that will make you, laugh, smile, and possibly cry as well :)

I will start this review by saying I was super nervous going into this book because of how much I loved The Charm Offensive last year. It was one of my top reads of 2021. In fact, the ARC of Kiss Her Once For Me sat on my device for MONTHS because of it. But then I decided to read this one during October where I was reading mostly thrillers and darker reads. This did not fit with my "theme"and actually took me a couple of chapters to find my groove. But once I got into it, I fell in love with this story and the whole cast of characters, but especially the setting being in Portland, Or.

Ellie is an awkward Portland transplant that is currently working as a Barista at a local coffee joint and has been down on her luck for the last year. She originally moved to Oregon for a job, but also because she thought it was such a progressive, artistic city that fit her lifestyle. But when she "fails" at her job and ends up being let go, she finds herself amongst the stacks of books at Powells book store before a snow storm begins. There she meets Jack and they have this instant connection that builds up over the course of hours and ends with them really connecting on all the levels. But it's only for that one night, then everything just ends. After the night with Jack, her life just never seemed to be fulfilled and she found herself working at a coffeehouse, one year later, still thinking of that one night with Jack and if she is just a failure.

But then circumstances lead her into a fake engagement and spending a week with her fake fiance's family at their "cabin". And can you guess who her fiancé's sister happens to be? Yes....it's Jack. And the tension between them is automatic and palpable right from the beginning of the stay.

This story goes back and forth with the timelines so we get to see what transpired between Ellie and jack the previous Christmas. But we also get to understand Ellie, her relationship with herself and her mother and see how anxiety has fueled her life in a not so healthy way. I love when authors give us relatable backgrounds for our characters so we can see a bit of ourselves in them. One of Alison Cochrun's many gifts has been to give us LGBTQ love stories, but also balancing that with mental health, which is so very relevant.

While we are at the cabin, we get to see Jack and Ellie fighting their attraction to one another, even though it's been a year since they've seen one another. All of this is going on while we get to see the whole family dynamic along with family traditions play out. Ellie and Jack's families could not be more different. There's one family that actually for the most part likes each other and likes to spend time with one another and then there's one that feels more obligated. Jack has only wanted to be accepted and seen as a success to her family and Ellie has only wanted a family that loves her and supports her in every capacity. To belong.

So while this was definitely a fun and cozy Christmas romcom between Ellie and Jack, it was also about family, the traditions we have and making your own family from loved ones. I absolutely LOVED the whole clan at Jack's family's cabin. The grandmothers were a hoot and made all the activities that much more fun and tolerable. Were they a little outrageous? Of course, but that was half the fun.

Since this book comes out November 1st, it is the perfect time to grab a warm beverage and imagine yourself in the snowy Pacific Northwest finding your own happiness with your loved ones that become family. It is a feel good story that also hits on some subject matter that may get a little uncomfortable. Alison Cochrun knows how to craft a story with great characters that represent different aspects of the LGBTQ community and do it in a very fluid manner. This story was like a toasty, gooey smore. A little crunchy and broken on the outside but once we got to the middle of it all, it melted together into a magical, tasty delight.

If you like twists on romance stories that include:
second chances
forced proximity
fake relationship
LGBTQ representation
mental health rep
Holiday romance
family supporting characters
fun, outrageous and sage older characters
a "love trapezoid"

....then definitely check out Alison Cochran's latest book that will be a perfect story for your holiday reads.

KISS HER ONCE FOR ME by Alison Cochrun is a sapphic Christmas romcom that cleverly uses the fake dating trope as a backdrop for a second chance romance. It has lots of classic Christmas moments, like a snowball fight, baking, skiing, and getting snowed in, which will give readers the vibes their seeking. We also meet several quirky but lovable characters and get references to at least a dozen Christmas songs as well as pop music from the aughts. Go into this book expecting a full, unironic embrace of millennial culture, including music, slang and phrases, and even what the characters refer to as a "normcore" lifestyle.

In the author's introduction she talks about the film While You Were Sleeping as one of her all time favorite romcoms and it's so evident while reading 'Kiss Her Once for Me' in the best of ways! This was such an enjoyable read, my favorite of the queer holiday themed romcoms I've read lately, and possibly just a favorite in general. It has everything you want in a holiday romcom--family drama, fake relationships, falling for your fake relationship's sibling, character growth and so much more. Ellie and Jack's romance is perfectly tropey and romantic, Andrew the fake fiancé/Jack's brother is perfect in his role and very sweet. The side characters of Jack and Andrew's family and Ellie's best friends are so loveable. The perfect holiday romcom!

I look forward to reading Alison Cochrun's other work and anyhting else she comes out with.

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

Thank you to Alison Cochran, the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC copy.

I actually haven’t read The Charm Offensive yet, but everyone seemed to love that one, so when I saw this one come up on Netgalley I thought I’d try.

It was cute, I really liked the idea for the plot, the setting, and most of the characters- especially the grandmas and Andrew. However, the main problem of this story didn’t work for me. This book relies heavily on the miscommunication trope and honestly it just didn’t work. It hung on Ellie being in the wrong, and that just didn’t make sense to me, I don’t think she was in the wrong at all in either situation (at the beginning and end of the novel with Jack).

Other than that huge glaring detail, this book was cute, and a fun holiday read. This book comes out Nov 1, just in time for holiday season!