This was such a new refreshing twist on the traditional fake dating trope. I feel like I've been waiting for a story like this.

i wish this story gave me a little bit more than what i got :( i mean i still give it like 3.5/4 stars cos i enjoyed most of the book but i didn’t melt into it like i wanted to, sadly.

let’s start off with the things that i loved:
- how FUNNY it was
- butch rep! gimme all the hot butch folks pls cos there isn’t enough 😍😍😍
- ari & meredith, pls be my bffs
- the great ‘while you were sleeping’ vibes!!!
- cochrun always adds these great conversations re: mental health in her books which is so important
- the flashback snow day scenes
- how majorly invested in the last quarter of the book despite trudging through the first bit
- the pop culture references galore!
- bringing the term ‘manic pixie dream butch’ into my vocabulary
- and how certain aspects of ellie remind me of the protagonist from my own book 🥰

now onto the things that i didn’t like and kind of took me out of the story a bit:
- how the ‘fake dating’ couple scenes between her and andrew were barely in it, leaving no ‘risk’ or tension to the book and therefore, kind of pointless?
- how the plot was a little whiplashy tbh, mainly bc of the aforementioned lack of tension
- and lastly, the Too Close To Home/#relatable/this u? conversations between ellie and her mum cos like i didn’t need to be read like this.

overall, i enjoyed the read and especially the great conversations about mental health and the friends/family that ellie is surrounded by but idk if this one is being added to the faves shelf u kno?

I absolutely loved The Charm Offensive, so I was really looking forward to this one. This was a very slow moving story, and I wasn’t super invested in the characters and story. It just seemed to drag and was way too long.

I did really enjoy the representation in the story and the conversations about mental health and anxiety. My favorite characters were the two grandmas!!

Thank you so much Atria for my gifted copy in exchange for a honest review.

Oh, my heart! I adored this queer romcom. Not only does it have a swoony love story, I really appreciated how more serious issues around anxiety and emotional abuse were integrated into the story. With it's holiday setting and "When We Were Sleeping"-vibe, Cochrun's follow up to "The Charm Offensive" is a delight.

Thanks to Atria Books for the copy to review.

Kiss Her Once for Me
By: Alison Cochrun

"A festive romantic comedy about a woman who fakes an engagement with her landlord.. only to fall for his sister."

Read if you like:
✨️ LGBTQ+
✨️ Fake Dating
✨️ Festive romcom
✨️ Marriage of convenience
✨️ Forced proximity
✨️ Mental health representation
✨️ Effective communication

Kiss Her Once for Me was the cozy holiday romcom I needed this winter season! Featuring many of my favorite tropes, this fake dating forced proximity romance was an absolute delight. I adored Ellie and Jack's love story, the humor, the representation, the romance, and the true found family and friendship between Ellie and the Kim-Prescott family. The writing was clever, I enjoyed the dual timelines, and the open communication in this book was fantastic. 👏👏

Definitely pick up this holiday romcom if you haven't already. It has easily become one of my all time favorite holiday romances. 🤍

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

Alison Cochrun can do no wrong. Absolutely loved it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

After devouring The Charm Offensive last year, I quickly added Kiss Her Once for Me to my anticipated reads list. This book was perfect to read around the holidays and had just the right amount of romance and holiday-ness to it! Overall I really enjoyed it. The characters felt flawed and authentic and loved the plot line. I did have a few issues with this book though - first being the 2 million dollar/200,000 "deal." I feel like the money needed to be higher than that to make this relationship enticing. I mean, don't get me wrong that's a lot of money, but it's not necessarily life changing money in your 30s when you have the rest of your life ahead of you haha! I also really didn't like Dylan as a character. I really appreciate the LGBTQIA+ representation but the constant reference of Dylan at them/their was a LOT. Oftentimes the word "them" would be in a paragraph 4, 5, or 6 times. I almost wanted to scream JUST SAY DYLAN. It was a little off-putting when reading because it happened SO frequently. Otherwise, this book wa great and I love a good fake dating trope and this one felt unique!

2.5 stars.

This is probably the hardest review I've ever written, or close to it. I genuinely thought Kiss Her Once for Me would be a favorite. The Charm Offensive was my favorite book of 2021 — hands down — so to think that now Alison Cochrun's sophomore novel is in the running for one of my least favorite books?? Not a happy thought.

I have a whole bunch of problems with this book, but the biggest one was the ace-spec rep. I, as someone who is ace-spec (something close to demisexual), really felt like this was one of the worst ways I've seen the asexuality spectrum addressed. The main character, Ellie, is demisexual. She says it explicitly, in dialogue and narration, multiple times, often in reference to her relationship with Jack, the love interest. And yet... she has almost immediate sexual attraction to Jack. And by that I mean a few hours, which she then holds onto for a year. And while I understand that not every ace-spec experience is the same — believe me, I know — this "representation" felt like a slap to the face.

On top of that, there's a really horrible scene, which I find honestly incredibly repulsive, where Jack is lashing out at Ellie... and invalidates her demisexuality to her face?? Here's the quote: "You know, the fucked-up irony is... that you need trust in order to have physical intimacy in a relationship, yet you violated my trust in every imaginable way." It's one thing for a character's depictions of her sexuality to not line up with the representation. It's a whole other problem when the love interest invalidates the character's identity, on page, and we are still supposed to root for them to be together. I just — can't.

I hated how every character was reduced down to Ellie's stereotypes of them. Like Jack: butch lesbian. Or her friends: just there to help her and make her happy. She did not treat those around her well, and she only kind of recognized that by the ending. She had a lot of self-growth to work on, for sure, but part of that growth has to be in the way you treat others.

Also, speaking as a Jew here: I understand that this is a Christmas-centered book, but did there have to be so many references to Christmas songs? It was repetitive and annoying, and didn't add anything to the story besides one scene that gave the book its name. It took me out of the story, just because there would be some random lyric pasted onto the page that vaguely connected to the story.

The ending also... kinda sucked? (no spoilers, but!) I finished it in kind of a mixture of shock that it happened that way and relief that it was finally over.

It's a cool concept, don't get me wrong! That's why I thought this book would be a favorite: Who doesn't love some fake dating a millionaire and falling in love with his sister?? Plus, some wintery snow magic, a love-trapezoid, and kinda a second-chance romance? Sounds great! I would be all in if the representation and execution hadn't thrown me for a loop!

So, if you enjoyed this, no hate, but I encourage you to take a look at the ace-spec representation a little closer and take that into account. I'm pretty sure Alison is ace-spec, but I still felt like the representation was dealt with incredibly insensitively. I wish I loved this! And I don't take my rating lightly, but it would feel dishonest to recommend this book to other readers.

Trigger Warnings: alcohol consumption and inebriation, sex, drug use, depression and generalized anxiety disorder, ableism (in reference to ADHD), negligent parents and familial estrangement, emotionally abusive parents, biphobia and transphobia, cheating/adultery (with a side character in addition to within the context of fake dating)

I'll start off by saying that this was one of my most antcipated reads. The authors previous book, The Charm Offensive was one of my favourite books, and I am happy to report that I think I loved this one even more!

I love a book with found family and this one delivers. My heart was with Ellie the entire time she spoke to her mother and I couldnt help but root for her to stand up for herself.

Jack and Andrew's family captured my heart and the Nana's were one of my favourite side characters!

I thought this book was sweet, tender, and emotional. I wept for Ellie at the end of the book and could feel the emotion through the pages.

Pick up this book! It will capture your heart!

I adored this one--Ellie is a flawed and interesting artistic character, who has a habit of centering her experiences and painting herself as the victim. Her recollections of her past relationship the previous Christmas clash into her present fake-fiance situation over the current Christmas. Jack I don't typically enjoy a flashback-heavy book but I enjoyed the way this one worked them into Ellie's artistic outpouring. The chemistry between Ellie and Jack was *chef's kiss* fantastic and I really enjoyed reading this f-f (with bi representation!) romance over Christmas!

Kiss Her Once for Me is a cute, holiday, second-chance, WLW romance. Ellie is lamenting that her life seems to have fallen apart in the last year. She lost the job she moved cross country for, her mother is a constant negative presence, and she has been mourning a one-night-stand from last Christmas Eve. In walks a fake fiance trope, only the guy ends up being the sister of Ellie's one-night-stand last year!.

The writing is fun, engaging, and rife with great side characters. I particularly loved the family members (pot-smoking grandmas!).

I adored The Charm Offensive, Alison Cochrun's first book, but this is a sweet romance too. I recommend for those who like Delilah Green Doesn't Care and Written in the Stars. The audio book is read by Natalie Naudus, which is another factor in this book's favor!

Many thanks to @atriabooks for the #gifted copy.

YES. I know the holidays are over. I also know this review is long overdue. But the flu completely messed up my December. And with this book deserving all the praise, I figured you’d allow one last dip into the yuletide cheer.

Full of longing and completely swoon-worthy. This sapphic romance with a fake engagement and boozy grandmas was the perfect holiday read for me.

I remember watching While You Were Sleeping years ago. There was something about that movie that resonated so deeply within me. It tapped into the utter loneliness I felt as a young person, not quite independent but also not quite included in (crazy, messy) family situations. The hope and fulfillment of seeing Lucy (Sandra Bulloch) welcomed and adored absolutely filled my heart (and gave me hope).

Years removed from that situation. Years after watching that movie on repeat ad nauseum.
Somehow, completely unexpectedly, Cocrun managed to tap into that deep connection and return me to that same place… a heart full of longing yet filled to overflowing in the end.

An absolutely perfect 24 hours… full of chemistry and connection. But just like the dream job that didn’t last, that blip of love didn’t either. Now broke, Ellie agrees to spend Christmas with her new, fake fiancé and his family. The agreement that would get her out of debt was palatable, right up until Ellie realized that her fake fiancé’s sister was also the woman of her dreams from last Christmas.

Things I loved:
*The boozy grandmas
*The obligatory, scheduled festivity
*Perfect rom-com references
*The truly horrible playlists
*An ugly Christmas tree
*Adept usage of Dolly Parton lyrics

While Kiss Her Once for Me is perfectly humorous and full of yuletide cheer, Cocrun doesn’t shy away from the fact that the holidays can be quite difficult. From messy family dynamics to a fear of failure and lack of self-worth, we see Ellie’s profound inner struggle. And it’s deeply resonant. But even more fulfilling is seeing her growth. Support (even at the hands of boozy grandmas) gives her a platform through which to believe in herself and gain confidence.

And that ending! Oh my. Don’t take my word for it. Grab your own copy. You’ll thank me.

Have I gushed to you about this book yet? I swear, these holiday romances keep getting better and better as I go. Kiss Her Once For Me has been my favorite so far--and is in the running for my Top 5 books of the year. You are seriously missing out if you haven't read this one yet. It's not too late to binge wintery romances! If you're burnt out on holiday romance since I took so long to post this, PLEASE make sure you add it to your list for next year.

I started listening to this book on the way to meet some friends I hadn't seen in a while, and when I arrived a little early I sat in the car listening because I couldn't bring myself to pause it. Everything about these characters just made me smile so hard!



I usually write longer reviews, but I'm slammed with work deadlines because everyone wants their projects finished before the Christmas-to-New-Year break that everyone in my industry seems to take off. I'll hopefully be back to writing full-length reviews in the new year!

Following Cochrun's smashing debut comes Kiss Her Once for Me, a fantastic follow-up to The Charm Offensive. Quick-witted dialogue and a few fabulously steamy scenes, this book is an absolute delight.

I gave this a 5 stars, I loved this so much! I can't wait to buy this book for my collection! I loved the marriage of convince and I loved the sapphic relationship. This is totally one of my favorite books. I loved the family in this story. I felt for the main character for what she was dealing with her own mom.

Once again I ended the year with an incredible book by Alison Cochrun! One of the last books I read in 2021 was The Charm Offensive, and I closed out 2022 with Kiss Her Once for Me.

This book has such a fantastic setup: Down-on-her-luck animator Ellie Oliver agrees to pose as the wealthy Andrew Kim-Prescott's fiancée in exchange for a tidy sum of cash. But when they arrive at his family's home, Ellie is greeted by Andrew's sister Jack, the woman she fell in love with last Christmas Eve. While struggling to keep the charade going, Ellie realizes that Andrew has feelings for Jack's best friend—making it all so deliciously messy.

Cochrun writes characters who feel so deeply human to me. Ellie is complicated, hilarious, and wildly relatable as she struggles to find her place in the world while feeling as though she's barely keeping her head above water. Though this isn't inspired directly by a holiday movie, it reminded me a lot of While You Were Sleeping, particularly the way that a lonely Ellie was so openly embraced by the Kim-Prescott clan and how much she comes to love them as she falls for Jack.

Speaking of Jack–my darling pastry chef! Though this is a single-POV romance, Cochrun does a fantastic job of letting us in on Jack's thoughts and feelings to the point where I felt like I knew her just as well as I did Ellie. I loved reading along as she shared her dream of opening The Butch Oven. Plus the flashbacks to the night they met so wonderfully connected the initial spark between Ellie and Jack as it lead up to the undeniable chemistry they have once they're together again.

If you have the chance to read this, it's a real treat! I also loved Andrew and Dylan, so here's hoping this isn't the last we see of them.

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun is absolutely fantastic. I cannot explain how much joy this book brought and I think it's even better than her previous work. I will never stop recommending this book, especially during the holidays.

This was the first Alison Cochrun book I've ever read--though it isn't a must-read from me, I did sincerely enjoy it and look forward to reading more Cochrun in the future. It was easy to fall in love with the writing, though I think I maybe didn't fall in love with any of the characters. While it was clear who would end up together, I wasn't really cheering anyone on.

Genre: LGBTQIA Holiday Romance

4.5🌟 - I really liked it!

Thank you @atriabooks for the #gifted copy and @netgalley for the EARC!

This was so cute! It had impeccable holiday vibes, so much diverse and mental health representation, and faking dating trope (which is one of my favs)!

So many of the side characters were so fun, and I especially love the grandmothers but really their whole family! I loved the forced proximity, the second chance, bookish Powell’s meet-cute, pop culture references, and the snowy cabin moment.

This is one you can curl up by the Christmas tree with with a cup of cocoa, such a fun and cozy holiday read!

This gave me major vibes of the movie The Proposal which is one of my all time favorite movies! I am excited to read The Charm Offensive after really enjoying this one!

Loved being about to chat about this one with my #lowmaintenancebookclub gals!

After reading, and LOVING, The Charm Offensive, I was thrilled to receive an early copy of Kiss Her Once For Me. This sapphic holiday RomCom was wonderful and an impressive sophomore novel!

Ellie and Jack had a perfect, magical Christmas together as strangers turned lovers. Due to a major miscommunication they are driven apart, never seeing each other again… until Ellie arrives at her fake finance Andrew’s Christmas family getaway. Jack is, shockingly, Andrew’s sister.

There was so much to love about this book. The neurodivergent representation was spot on and validating. This queer romance shows love in so many different forms and was so refreshing. Every character was unique while feeling memorable and realistic.

I don’t have any major critiques. The story seemed to lose its pacing midway through which took away some of the joy. But I appreciate the emotion of dealing with family dynamics and boundaries during the holidays and all throughout the year for that matter.

Any minor reservations aside, I highly recommend Kiss Her Once For Me!