I really enjoyed Kiss her once for me. It was the perfect holiday read. With some of my fave tropes and family drama. I could help but fall in love with Ellie thru her struggles and coming into her own by the end.

The holidays are over, but it’s so cold where I live that I still feel like cozying up with a good winter read. And Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun is the perfect choice in that regard.

I am a sucker for second-chance romances. They just provide the perfect opportunity for all sorts of juicy feelings and emotional tension, and Kiss Her Once for Me takes full advantage of the history between Ellie and Jack to craft a very heartfelt holiday romance. Their love story was so well written that I didn’t mind the fact that their original meeting was instant love-y, even though that is my least favorite trope.

I think the reason it worked so well here despite that was because their instant love connection was only the beginning for Ellie and Jack. Since this is a second-chance romance – and throw in the additional challenge of Ellie being fake engaged to Jack’s brother, Andrew – there was a lot of opportunity for tension and feelings to build between Ellie and Jack.

Or maybe it was simply because Kiss Her Once for Me was just such an entertaining book. It was hard to find fault when I was having so much fun reading about Ellie, Jack, Andrew, and the rest of the cast. All the characters felt so well realized that it made it hard not to root for them and their happy endings. 💕

Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada/Atria Books, for sending me an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

You absolutely cant go wrong with Alison Cochrun's books. Kiss Her Once For Me is a beautiful romance with characters full of heart and warmth that I really enjoyed rooting for. This was a fast read for me and I didnt want it to end

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this book in advance, I wish I liked this one! The problem is I am not a fan of insta-love, and I am REALLY not a fan of people saying things like "I NEVER do this!" and "This isn't ME!" Like... YES IT IS?! And then the third act break up was just... a mess. A messy messy mess. I couldn't recommend this book to someone like me.

Loved this book! I have always been a fan of the "fake relationship" trope, and this one took it over the top. Humorous in a subtle, well-played manner, the author handles the realities of anxiety and messy families beautifully. I look forward to seeing where Cochrun goes next with her writing.

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada, and NetGalley, for providing me with an advanced reading copy in exchange for my thoughts.

Brief Thoughts: I really really swooned over this adorable book that takes place over the holidays
I wasn't quite ready for holiday reads yet but I began this one without realizing it was a holiday book and fell for it completely This sweet slight second chance love story crossed with fake dating and a bit of a  love triangle ish?! Situation was so fun and emotional and funny and heartwarming. The audiobook narration by Natalie Naudus was excellent.

This one's for you if you like LGBT representation (F/F) in your romance reading life, if you believe in serendipity even at a fictional level, if you like reading about families who go over the top at Christmas, if you want to read about character growth in the midst of mental health struggles, if you love great sibling relationships, or if you just enjoy smiling while you're reading and wishing you could be friends with the characters. There is also a fair amount of baking and cooking mentioned so don't go into this book too hungry recommended for fans of her first book and fans of the Written in the Stars series by Alexandria Bellefleur.

Five huge well deserved stars for Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun. After reading and loving The Charm Offensive, I knew I needed to check this one out. It was perfection! A very solid queer romance story with some fine holiday fun added in. I cannot recommend this one enough!

I adored everything about this book. The humour was subtle and well placed. The pop culture references were spot on. The secondary characters were great, especially Lovey and Meemaw who were so feisty and fun! I loved the LGBTQIA+ "love trapezoid" as it was lovingly referred to. I loved the forced proximity trope as well as the fake engagement. It all worked so well. The main characters were genuine, well thought out and easy to root for!

Seriously, just trust me and add this one to your holiday reading. Or read it at any point throughout the year, because it's just that good. Honest, romantic and charming - you need to pick this one up!

This was a fun read that definitely has gotten me into the Christmas spirit. I really thought the love trapezoid was a fun situation for Ellie to be stuck in. The love trapezoid mixed with fake dating mixed with second chance romance was just a romance book trope triangle that works great. I enjoyed Ellie, Jack, and Andrew's characters but they all annoyed me a little bit but good to kind of show relatableness and realness.

This was a cute holiday romance! Lots of fun and a bunch of quirky characters, though some of these quirks lead to alot of miscommunication! We follow are main character, Ellie, who has been going through she fell in love the prior Christmas and lost it in one day and she lost her dream job. So when presented with a fake marriage proposal she jumps (ish) at the opportunity. Little does she know that her whirlwind Christmas romance is related to her fake-fiance! High jinks ensue but with a dash of Christmas magic everything works out!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

i absolutely loved this book. i love a good love triangle and this was such a good holiday read. i will read anythign alison cochrun has to write. I feklt the story was fully planned out and well written i wanted even more

this love story is messy, it’s chaos and it’s hurt. but more than that it’s so sweet and tender and so full of a love that flows off the pages as you read

both main characters are so complex but so loveable at times you want to scream and every side character (with the exception of couple distinct nasties) are the same. there is so much love in this story and y’all KNOW i love a found family 🥹🥹

i don’t think i can stop gushing about this book. the portrayal of GAD, the panic attacks and the tender sweet reassurance made me feel so seen and warm. i’ve said this before but it’s so hard finding books that make me feel seen as an Indigenous woman when reading romance, it seems as though we aren’t often included in these stories of light and love and i know so many BIPOC folks who feel this same. getting to read about non-white families who are filled with so much chaos and love is truly beautiful

This was a fun holiday romance! I was really excited for this one, as I loved The Charm Offensive by Alison, but even though this was fun to read, I had a hard time keeping hooked throughout it for some reason. It was just a little bit slow moving for awhile.

I love the topics of mental health, diversity and vulnerability however, it was great to see that scattered throughout the novel!

Overall, it was still a cute read if you're looking for something light and quick!

What a fantastic heart warming holiday novel! This brought together romance, found family, mental health, and full vulnerability in such a great story. I loved Ellie and her character growth as the story progressed and I really identified with her struggles to accept the fear of failure. The steam level was on point! Oftentimes, I find these holiday reads very similar however, this one is very memorable!

3.5 of 5 stars

This book took me a long time to read, I found it slow moving at times and my brain just needed the story to move faster. I really enjoyed the last third of the book as the story picked up speed and we got to the good part. I liked the ending of this book because it wasn't all sunshine and roses for every character.

I will definitely read more of Alison's books in the future because I freaking loved The Charm Offensive and Kiss Her Once For Me finished strongly.

This was absolutely adorable. I loved every second and'll be receommending this book everyone I know. It's a wonderful story and I think everybody should read it.

Alison Cochrun has done it again! The romance was so sweet and dreamy. The perfect holiday romance for the sapphics (and everyone else), but especially us.

The writing was so fun and bright, the relationship so engaging that I finished this in one sitting.

Sorry for the double review, for some reason this is on my netgalley twice

After a mystical, magical meet-cute at a bookstore and a whirlwind romantic day with a stranger, Ellie fell in love and had her heart broken in a single night. She muddles through the days at her dead-end coffee shop job until her landlord Andrew makes a shocking offer: if Ellie agrees to fake a marriage to him, Andrew will give her enough of his subsequent inheritance to turn Ellie’s life around. The only problem? When introduced to Andrew’s family, it includes his sister Jack—the woman who broke Ellie’s heart last Christmas.

Even though The Charm Offensive was most definitely not the book for me, the premise of Kiss Her Once for Me sounded so intriguing that I had to give it a try. I’m so glad I did! This book struck a much better balance for me between the serious issues of family drama, self-sabotage, and anxiety and the ridiculous, funny, over-the-top premise and setup.

As a bi/pan anxious demisexual person with perfectionism issues, it’s safe to say Ellie’s character was deeply relatable to me, although of course it stands on its own as great work. Jack, Andrew, Dylan, and the rest of the family are also wonderful and full of personality; the dynamic between all of them had me smiling, laughing, and grimacing as appropriate. I finished it in a single sitting and can absolutely picture this being a wonderful December read for romance fans.

One element I struggled with was the miscommunication plot device. This novel indulged in one of my least favourite setups, the one where a single conversation would eliminate and resolve 90% of the conflict. It was clear the lack of communication was dragged out to serve the plot beats and pacing of the novel and didn’t feel quite organic to me. I also felt at times the narrative was unfair to Ellie; many characters dogpile her at points without acknowledging their own shortcomings.

That aside, this was a tender, warm, and heartfelt romance novel. Ellie and Jack’s journeys to heal their individual hurts was well done, and the chemistry between them was palpable and real. Kiss Her Once for Me left me with the glowy fuzzies when I finished reading it and will be a novel I recommend freely to those looking for a holiday romance this season.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

I am new to this author (but now really need to read The Charm Offensive), because I really enjoyed Kiss Her Once for Me! It was adorable, very queer, quirky, and chaotic (in a good way). One of my favourite parts was the family dynamic and the cozy Christmas feel. I found myself laughing throughout and it was like a warm hug.

The only reason it is a 4 star read for me is a few elements, especially around the insta-love and them seemingly knowing everything about each other after one day. But overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute, cozy, queer Christmas romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital advanced reader copy!

Super cute twist on the classic "While You Were Sleeping". Loved the family dynamics and the ups-and-downs along the way. Highly recommend.

Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun is a sapphric holiday themed rom-com gem.

This novel is cute and funny and is by far my favorite holiday book yet this year (yes i know its not the holidays yet but this needs to be on your holiday TBR list).

PS I absolutely love the Grandmas