I loved this book!! I devoured The Charm Offensive, so I was thrilled to see that Alison Cochran was releasing a new book. The characters were lovable, the storyline was charming, and it was set in Portland, so it’s a win in my book! Definitely a must-read!

I will admit that it took me a minute to open up to this book. But much like the main character’s journey here, once I let this one in, it sat me down, shook my shoulders and said we are gonna Confront Some Stuff! The fear of failure holds us all in its wicked fingers and trying to get out of that grip is hard and painful. And it all the best ways, this book is also hard and painful. I feel like I am going to turn back to it when I need a little written therapy. The idea of chosen family is so inherently queer and it is such a big aspect of this book and such a big part of many of the main characters healing processes. The romance in it is also hard won and it makes the ending so satisfying. What a ride this one took me on!

This is Alison Cochrun’s second book (debut was the Charm Offensive - queer take on The Bachelor) and it was as strong as her first. A quirky holiday rom-com with two neurodiverse leads. A major theme in the book is overcoming fear, but to me the central message was that the truth will set you free. Very timely. I liked how Cochrun stuck to the genre with this one, which is packed with different tropes- meet-cute, fake dating, only one bed, instalove and slow burn; while also playing with stereotypes and gendered expectations. There were parts that felt a little expository, especially when it came to sexuality and the asexual spectrum..but it’s not bad to have more education on that front. On the whole, I really enjoyed this one- it had me yearning and burning, and feeling ready for the holidays, though it’s still only June. Look for it November

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Short summary: Ellie is basically at rock bottom, so when her handsome landlord offers her a stupid amount of money to get fake married, she can’t say no. But when she learns his sister is the mystery woman she had a one-night stand with a year ago and has been pining for ever since, she must choose between a life-altering amount of money and the chance at true love.

This was incredible! A great follow up to The Charm Offensive - which I loved, but I think this is even better. I adored Ellie and Jack's growth and found it very relatable. Especially Ellie. The Kim-Prescott family really made this book shine.

The issues I had with the Charm Offensive - mainly a lack of a sense of grounding in setting - were absent from this. I have no critiques. I adored this.

Ellie recently moved to Portland, Oregon to pursue her dream of being an animator. Now, having lost her animation job, Ellie finds herself nearly broke and longing for the girl she met last Christmas Eve. When the opportunity arises to marry her employer’s extremely attractive landlord in exchange for a large sum of money, Ellie accepts his offer with the encouragement of her best friend. Little does Ellie know the sister of her new fiancée is the same woman she fell in love with after one magical day last year. Ellie must continue to fake her relationship with Andrew while navigating her real feelings for Jack.

If you’re a fan of tropes, this one has it all! Marriage of convenience, fake dating, and one bed. There’s also a bit of sunshine/grump with some side characters.

After reading The Charm Offensive this was an instant must-read for me. A sapphic Christmas rom-com? Sign me up! What I was not prepared for was how closely I would identify with Ellie. Thank you Angela for writing books that make me feel seen!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable read. One of the best books I've read this year. The storytelling was amazing and I couldn't stop reading it. It was funny, romantic, real, hot... I don't like love at first sight trope that much because I find it silly but the romance did not make itself not believable in this book so I read it without getting annoyed at unconvincing parts.
Loved this author's work and can't wait to check their next project!

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me a copy of this novel.

I don’t have words for how much I LOVED this book. Every character in this book felt like a real person, it was refreshing to read a book about a messy, failure phobic, bisexual who is so much like me that I literally thought that Alison Cochrun went into my little brain and stole parts of my personality to put into this book. I just absolutely loved Ellie and Jack and how messy they were and yet how pure their love felt. The supporting characters of Andrew and Dylan were amazing and I hope that we one day get to get back to them and see how they are both doing. I love Meredith so much and her friendship with Ellie reminded me so much of me and my best friend. This book is diversity done well with accurate portrayals of bisexuality, polyamory, and being non-binary. I have literally never seen a better portrayal of diversity. This song is for the swifties whose favorite album is Evermore and the Harries who may relate to Matilda a little too much. GO PREORDER/BUY THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Elle stumbles upon an arrangement to fake date the landlord at her work - in order to help him come into his inheritance. His one condition is that she spends Christmas with his family and she'll get 10% of his inheritance. Upon arriving at his family's log cabin  Elle quickly realizes that his sister, Jack, is the girl she spent one night with last Christmas!

This is not your typical holiday rom-com! While still being completely fun and fluffy, Elle's fear of failure adds a level of depth to the character I absolutely adored, all while not expecting it.

This was honestly everything I could have possibly asked for and then some! Fake-Dating, Second chance romance and OF COURSE there was only one bed..  What you expect to be an interesting love triangle quickly turns into a dysfunctional love trapezoid. I loved absolutely everything about Kiss her once for me, and while it was a slow burn it honestly didn't feel like it until I realized I was almost at the end and hadn't got anything more than a kiss!

Alison does an incredible job creating dynamic characters and I felt connected with each of them as they struggled to find their spot in a confusing world!

Thank you Atria books and NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 stars, and I have some opinions.

To start, oh, I love the magic of a sapphic holiday rom com! It just felt sparkly, and like I needed to be sipping on hot chocolate (even though I read it when it was 90 degrees outside). The main characters were both so tender, and I wanted to wrap them in hugs. It was also deeply, deeply queer, and captured the essence of why Portland is queer community catnip.

The plot itself felt a bit too outlandish for me, and throughout the story I thought a few times that if this was being told from Jack's perspective I would not be rooting for the couple. Which is not what you want to be thinking while reading a romance. She was just put through so much by the protagonist, and while I loved the idea of them together, it felt like a disservice to Jack. All the elements of the plot combined felt very over the top, and the self-actualizing that the protagonist manages at the end felt wonky to me. While I was proud of her for doing the work that she needed on herself, the speed at which she did so felt unrealistic.

But! I liked it! This was cute, this was lovely, this had yearning and fun pop culture references and some great sapphic smut. It just wasn't something I loved. I still look forward to reading the author's future works, and am glad that I read this book.

Kiss Her Once for Me is the first book I've read by Alison Cochrun and it was amazing. As a demisexual lesbian, I loved seeing demisexual rep and how it played into Ellie and Jack's relationship. Ellie and Jack were both such interesting characters and seeing the influence of their families and previous relationships on their current relationship was done super well.
One of my favorite scenes was the lumberjack scene, I thought it was hilarious and fun. The whole Christmas story was well done and the family dynamics were great. I would die for MeeMaw and Lovey thank you very much. All the side characters were great and added so much to the story. I loved Dylan and Andrew, even if I feel like I would actually hate Andrew if I met him.
My one issue with the book is that it would've been cool to see the graphic novel that Ellie writes in graphic novel form. I wish the author would've collaborated with an artist to add this additional media style into the book. I just felt like it was weird to read a graphic novel in traditional book style, when it could've been an actual graphic novel implanted in the book.
Overall, this was a fun sapphic Christmastime rom-com that's a tolerable amount of millennial, with amazingly diverse characters and a decent plot.

Kiss Her Once for Me is Alison Cochrun's second book. I loved The Charm Offensive so much and have been so looking forward to this book.

Christmas in July for this reader and I enjoyed it.

Beware of spoilers ahead!

It does not disappoint. Cochran captures awkward romance, pining, and emotional development so well.
This book centers on Ellie, a midwesterner transplanted to Portland, OR. for her dream job. She meets a stranger at a bookstore and has a one day magical, romantic Christmas adventure that unfortunately comes to an end too soon,. Jack is out of her life, out of her grasp but definitely not out of her thoughts. She pines after this lost love at first sight and crumbles as her dreams and hopes slowly fall apart in this new environment. She loses her job, her confidence, her hope.

She makes do with a job in a coffee shop and a kind co-worker who is determined to be her friend.
Until things go from bad to worse and failure is all she can see ahead of her.

Into that despair comes Andrew--the businessman who has the lease on the coffee shop where she currently works. He's smart, effortlessly charming, handsome and desperately in need of a wife to fulfil his grandfather's will stipulations.

Ellie is out of money, out of time, and desperate to find something to go her way. A night of drinks ends up with an agreement to marry for money and salvage Andrew's situation and her own. A platonic partnership with an enticing psycheck at the end.

But it ends up being more than that. Christmas with Andrew's family is lovely–Andrew is pleasant to be around, his family is everything that Ellie's own turbulent home life was not, Christmas spirit is all around,
Until she meets Andrew’s sister Jaqueline, and realises this is her Christmas one-night stand from the year before. Awkwardness abounds as Jack and Ellie decide to keep their acquaintance a secret from the family but there is no denying the attraction between them remains intense.

The secret comes out, misunderstanding and recrimination abounds and Ellie finds herself alone again, without a job and without a plan.

Friends make the difference and Ellie finds her footing, finds a job, finds creative inspiration, finds a small group of people she can count on as friends and her life slowly gets back on track, the trauma of now two disastrous Christmases behind her.

But there's a twist and things work out with the best of romantic reunions and Ellie and Jack get their HEA.

This book gives us a wonderfully tropey romance--love at first sight, holiday romance, miscommunication, mutual pining, one bed and so much more. It also delicately handles both generalised anxiety and ADHD in a deft and compassionate way.

There are dark moments--Ellie's family is toxic in every possible way and her interactions with her mom cause her so much distress. There are parallels with Jack's seemingly perfect family and the need to prove herself and be accepted for who she is, not who they want her to be. The way these parallels work themselves out seem true to the story line and the characters.

This is a book that does not flinch from the difficulty of self-acceptance, the harshness of the inner critic, the overwhelming fear of failure that can be so detrimental to one's life. This is all handled with care and nuance.

Even though miscommunication is a theme, the two main love interests actually spend time talking to each other about the issues that come up and that is refreshing in every way.

There is consistent queer representation and it is handled in a respectful and inclusive way–characters are organically part of the story and their queerness is celebrated and respected and woven into the narrative seamlessly–from pronoun preferences to actually using the words bisexual, non-binary, deimsexual–its all there but it never pulls you out of the story. It feel natural and true.

Overall KHOFM is a lovely read–warm, romantic, complex and engaging. I cared about the main characters and became so invested in the side characters–all of them! I would read stories about Ari, Meemaw and Lovey, Andrew, Dylan--all of them have presence and are so three dimensional. They have weight in the story.

The love at first sight/one day might be my own quibble but it’s a minor one.

Overall a wonderful Christmas romance.

4 stars

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This title releases November 1, 2022.

This is the perfect Christmas romcom book.

We follow Ellie who is demisexual and has anxiety. She starts the book working as a barista. She feels hopeless having just been fired from her job as an animator and needing money so she doesn’t get evicted from her apartment. Meanwhile she is also feeling heartbroken over a woman she hooked up with on the previous Christmas.

She starts a fake engagement with a rich guy for the money, and agrees to spend the week of Christmas at the fake fiance's family cabin. It turns out the fake fiancee’s sister is the woman she hooked up with from last Christmas, and the plot takes off from there.

This book was a perfect combination of fun winter scenes while also discussing mental health throughout.

Just like in Cochrun’s previous release, The Charm Offensive, this book had the same emotional vulnerability and mental health representation at the center of its relationship. Some elements explored include navigating anxiety, navigating fractured relationships with a parent, navigating the fear of failure in both personal and professional endeavors, and overall just focusing on bettering themselves mentally.

Observations worth noting:
-The romcom Christmas stuff was present for many scenes but it didn’t take away too much focus from Ellie and Jack
-Flashback scenes interrupted the pacing but it was necessary to make us root for the main couple
-Might be considered a slow burn due to how long it took for them to get together
-Not a lot of spice
-Could be considered insta love since they really didn’t spend that long together

Despite this relationship being slightly insta love, they accepted each other for who they are despite their flaws, were accepting of each other’s needs, and wanted to work towards being the best individual versions of themselves.

This main character is one of the most relatable characters I've read in an adult romance.
I bookmarked a lot of passages in my NetGalley app. I can’t wait to reread a physical copy of this in the winter.

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. I love baking cookies, watching cheesy Christmas rom coms with my family, seeing the Christmas lights, really everything about the holiday. So when I heard that Alison Cochrun was releasing a queer Christmasy rom com I just knew I had to read it.

This book lived up to every expectation I had. It’s this perfect little meet-cute that threw me into the holiday spirit (even though it’s the middle of June and 95 degrees). All of the characters are super lovable, especially Meemaw and Lovey. I would love to spend a holiday with those two. I also really loved how realistic Ellie felt. The way the author described Ellie’s anxiety and fear of failure made her so much more relatable and really made her feel like a real person.

I thought the web series was the perfect way to introduce the story of what happened last Christmas and how it ties into the present story. The story itself has so many surprises woven into it and I loved seeing them all come to the surface.

This book kept me engaged from page one and I am definitely going to purchase a physical copy for my collection once it’s released.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

just finished! honestly was pretty disappointed with this one, and i had such high hopes as i found the charm offensive (same author) absolutely incredible. i HATED the main character in this book, i found her to be insufferable and despite all of the trauma the author piled onto her i could not connect with her or have much sympathy for her STUPID actions 🫠🫠 it sucks when you’re so excited for something and it lets you down!! best part of this book was the romance interest’s family dynamic. hoping the final copy of this book incorporates graphic novel design as that is the MC’s career and there are meant to be artistic chapters? if u liked this ARC plz don’t come for me we all have opinions and i hope u loved it lol

NOTE: I WILL NOT BE POSTING THIS REVIEW UNTIL - OCTOBER 30, 2022 - I can post earlier if requested.

- - - - - - Review I will be posting is written below (will be posted on GoodReads, Instagram, Barnes and Noble, clevelandbookgirl.com, and Books-A-Million - - - - - - -


Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun
Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Last Christmas, Ellie Oliver met a woman who took her breathe away. Although they only spent one day together, Ellie has not stopped thinking about this woman. Last Christmas was also the last time Ellie's life wasn't falling apart. Presently, Ellie has lost her dream job, works at a coffee shop with an awful boss, has a toxic mother who always hounds her for money, and has no love life to speak of. When Ellie thinks she has hit rock bottom, the handsome man who owns the coffee shop that Ellie works at offers her a deal. For $200,000.00 Ellie must fake an engagement with this man, spend Christmas with his family, and get married to him. What could go wrong? Oh, this man's sister is the woman Ellie fell for last Christmas.

I am absolutely in love with all the characters in this book. Alison Cochrun did an amazing job making her characters interesting and diverse. I laughed out loud, I hugged my book, I had ALL THE FEELINGS. If you are looking for the perfect sapphic romance, go buy this book immediately! I do not want to give too much of this book away but I will say there is romance, spicy scenes, family drama, and lots of holiday spirit. You will definitely want to cuddle up with your favorite warm drink by the fireplace to read this novel.

What I liked: Diverse characters, LGBTQIA+ rep, accurately portrayed what it's like to live with anxiety, loveable characters, and this book had some of my favorite tropes. I read this book in June and it made me crave the holiday season!

What I disliked: NOTHING, I LOVED EVERYTHING!

Perfect for: Readers looking for sapphic romance novels, readers with anxiety (personally I felt seen!), and readers who want to get into the Christmas spirit.

--- CONTENT WARNINGS ARE LISTED BELOW------

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Content warnings (from Alison Cochrun's website): Kiss Her Once for me contains:
- Swearing, on-page sex, alcohol consumption and light drug use (weed)
- Explorations of living with anxiety (specifically Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and depression
- Some ableism in response to a character with ADHD (challenged on-page by characters)
- Negligent parents and familial estrangement, with some allusions to emotionally abusive parenting
- A few encounters with biphobia and transphobia (all challenged)
- References to cheating and adultry

*Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

I highly recommend this book to anyone who thinks 'sexy oak tree' is a romantic compliment.

In all seriousness, KHOFM was incredibly profound and enjoyable. It balances lighthearted holiday romcom with important messages about honesty and failure and family. Made me tear up once or twice...but ITS FINE IM FINE EVERYTHING'S FINE.

Alison Cochrun is now 2/2 on books that I have absolutely adored! Homegirl just DOES NOT let me down.

This story has all the good tropes if that's what you're looking for. Marriage of convenience? check. fake dating? included with the former. One bed? you bet. Grumpy x Sunshine? secondary ship has got you covered. Gay? SO GAY.

If you excuse me, I am going to go reread this book that's literally not being released for months and force everyone in my immediate vicinity to read it too.

Rep: demisexual + bisexual mc, lesbian li, Korean-American li, ADHD, nonbinary msc, unlabeled msc, trans mtf sc
Trigger Warnings: toxic parent/child relationships, infidelity (not between main romantic pairings), divorc

I really enjoyed The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun so when I got approved for the ARC for her queer holiday romance, I dropped everything I was planning on reading and dove in. I loved it even more than The Charm Offensive. I’m a sucker for a good holiday romance because it’s my favorite time of year and this is one of my new favorites. Also, can we please take a moment for this absolutely PERFECT COVER?! Obsessed.

Jack and Ellie are instantly lovable. They have amazing chemistry from the beginning and I loved their banter. I sometimes find instalove to be unbelievable but they took their time and really got to know each other on a deeper level than people normally would and definitely developed a friendship first. It’s so nice to see your own thoughts and feelings reflected in a character in a book and I could relate to Ellie’s social anxiety and people pleasing so much. I just wanted to hug her. I am a big fan of personal growth in books and I think every character had their moment. Jack’s family is so funny and Andrew, Dylan, and the grandmas made me laugh out loud many times. There are also multiple Taylor Swift references in this book (evermore IS the best Christmas album btw) which makes it that much more enjoyable. I can’t wait to buy this one on November 1 and read it again during the holidays.

Read if you love:
-fake dating/marriage
-holiday romance
-mental health representation
-found family
-LGBTQ+ representation

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cochrun does it again! This was such an enjoyable read- I loved Ellie and Jack as a couple and individuals. Their chemistry is undeniable, but they also take the time and space to TALK ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS! Who knew... Cochrun treats such issues as anxiety, stereotypes of queer women, class inequity, and familial trauma with great care. Trigger warnings at the beginning of the book are appropriate, but overall this was a lighthearted novel. At some points, the characters' motivations are a little unbelievable and discordant with everything else we know about them/their personality but otherwise, the book is cohesive and well thought out.

I loved The Charm Offensive! So of course it's only right I read another wonderful Cochrun story! Which of course it didn't disappoint either.

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun is her second novel and its just as phenomenal as her debut.

An incredibly fun romance novel which I was completely blown away by.
I really loved the characters. They each have their own flaws and it made me appreciate them even more. They felt believable and their growth throughout the book felt real. 
The characterization was wonderful. The pacing was perfectly executed.
The romance was delightful, they had incredible chemistry, and the banter was enjoyable.
There were times while reading this book that it felt almost like I was just sitting back and watching a movie and that is some of the highest praise I can give a book.
I wouldn't change a thing! This book was perfection in my eyes!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Atria Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

When I saw the Alison Cochran was releasing a sapphic Christmas romance, I RAN to see if I could get an arc and boy am I so so grateful that I did! Kiss Her Once for Me had so much to love, and I could not put this book down until the very end.

Watching Ellie and Jack interact throughout this book, I could not help but root for them from the very beginning, although their attraction was very much instalove. But, spending time with them and Kim-Prescott family made me wish Christmas would come sooner so I can force my family engage in Christmas traditions of our own. Overall, this story had such a great cast of queer characters and great family dynamics that I could not get enough of. I can't wait to reread this one once the holidays come around.