This was ADORABLE!!! I know it’s October so it’s technically spooky season BUT I LOVE Christmas!! So a cute sapphic, Christmas, second chance romance with a fake dating/marriage of convenience trope is not something I can refuse!! This was SO freaking cute and loved every single second of this.
Also, I just love when there’s Asian characters in the book. And, they weren’t just Asian. THEY WERE KOREAN (and half Korean) LIKE ME!!!! The fact that I can find more books with characters I know would look like me is the best feeling ever and I adored this. This was ADORABLE!!! I know it’s October so it’s technically spooky season BUT I LOVE Christmas!! So a cute sapphic, Christmas, second chance romance with a fake dating/marriage of convenience trope is not something I can refuse!! This was SO freaking cute and loved every single second of this.
Also, I just love when there’s Asian characters in the book. And, they weren’t just Asian. THEY WERE KOREAN (and half Korean) LIKE ME!!!! The fact that I can find more books with characters I know would look like me is the best feeling ever and I adored this.

What a perfect addition to anyone's holiday reading line-up, especially if you're at all conscious about reading inclusive titles.

Things this title has going for it: a STELLAR cast of characters; a beautiful but not stealing the show backdrop of the Pacific NorthWest (is it just me or are more and more titles being set here?); perfect balance of prose and pop culture references; a foodie angle (Jack is a baker extraordinaire); pronouns!

I thought I knew the premise before starting to read this fake-dating (marriage of convenience/second chance romance) novel by the author of the Charm Offensive (!!!), but there was so much more to it than that (which is why I don't always like to choose books based on the trope) in SO SO SO many ways.

Spoiler worthy characters who show up at the wrong moments, more than the one secret romance, neuro divergent inclusivity; did I mention the food?

Alison Cochrun serves up another stellar LGBTQ2 romance, this time right in time for holiday reading!

Also, Celine makes not one but two musical appearances, plus Canada gets a few bad-joke mentions that got me smiling ;)

This is a holiday themed, second chance romance that leaves you with all the feels. Last year Ellie Oliver had a dream job, and a Christmas Eve meet-cute. She met a woman at the bookstore and fell in love over the course of one night. After a rough morning after, her life slowly began to fall apart. This December, she finds herself working at a coffee shop, and barely scrapping by. The coffee shops landlord, Andrew, goes out on a date with her, they both get drunk and he proposes a marriage of convenience to allow him to get his inheritance. As part of the "engagement" Ellie agrees to spend Christmas with his family at the cabin. When Andrew introduces Ellie to his sister, she finds out that her meet-cute from last year is her! Ellie now needs to decide between the safety of a fake relationship or the potential heartbreak of a real one.

Alison Cochrun wrote a beautiful queer rom-com and I was there for it. The story goes back and forth between this Christmas and Ellie meeting the love of her life last Christmas and how it all fell apart. This book had so much emotion and it really hit me in many spot. It spoke so much about family, toxic parental relationships and found family.

Ellie was so relatable. She wasn't necessarily a character I could fully love, but she was someone I related to. Her feelings of inadequacy and failure were so spot on, and she felt so real and realistic to me. As usual, Alison writes side characters that are funny, real and left me laughing at moments and crying at others.

I think the part of the book that frustrated me was the whole miscommunication, break-up mess that happened. I would have preferred it to happen in a less messy way. In the end, it worked out, because it allowed both Ellie and Jack to look at the messy parts of themselves and become better for themselves, to be better for each other.

I loved the representation in this book. Alison writes mental health issues with such care and honesty that it gives insight into what it is like to be living with mental health problems. She is so open in her writing and I can tell that she truly cares about writing this representation in a positive way, while looking at both the good and bad. She further normalizes the use of therapy for all people and how it can be beneficial.

I am not usually one for insta-love, and the insta-love was strong in this book, but I adored it all the same. If you love a queer, Christmas book, this is one to check out this season! Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was recently approved for Kiss Her Once For Me and I can say it was a solid Christmas read. It had some fun and playful moments and some depth. This story is written in the past and present. The past is shared through Ellies webcomics to tell the story between her and Jack last Christmas Eve. In the present we get the fake dating trope as Andrew and Ellie are fake engaged so he can get his trust from his grandpa and she can get paid to move out of her apartment. Flashforward to Christmas at the family cabin and the madness commences. Also I loved Memaw!!

Alison has created another wonderful LGBTQ+ romance. I also really liked how different her two novels are. Elle’s story was different from Charlie’s in Charm and that worked for me. I was a little worried as I really liked Charm. Ellie is confident in her demi-bisexuality which is postive. I really enjoyed her character and Jack. It was even better with the flashbacks.

Beyond that this book highlighted some big topics. The openness about mental health, getting help, loving your work, and self healing was fantastic.

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

“On a snow day in Portland, you could fall in love.”

This book left me longing for the Christmas season and snow, for Hallmark movies but make them queer with a great meet cute.
This in itself is amazing seeing as how I personally hate the snow.
It also made me want to give Portland another chance (no offence Portland, I did not enjoy you).

Honestly, this is one of the best Christmas themed books I’ve ever read, and was made even better by the amazing queer representation.
By no means did this book leave me cringing at all. It was well done, beautifully and eloquently written.

This book does have some trigger warnings (kudos to the writer for including those at the beginning): mental health - specifically GAD and Depression, family trauma - estrangement and neglect, encounters of biphobia and transphobia, adultery

There are also some spicy scenes and some mild drug use.

However, this is one of the coziest queer RomComs I have read and I devoured it in a day.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Atria Books for the ARC eBook in exchange for my honest review.

While I do really enjoy Alison Cochrun, this one missed the mark for me. I love the pitch, but the book ended up being kind of a bummer, which is not what I want from a Christmas romance.
Ellie is sad the whole time (understandably) and even happy moments feel sad underneath. The whole book is one giant miscommunication trope, no matter how much it protests.
The Christmas-y elements in this are good and the setting is wonderful. But it never focused on the things that mattered. There's a whole montage at the end that I would have loved to see on page.
While this book didn't work for me, I still love Cochrun's writing and especially her side characters. I'll be sure to pick up whatever's next.

If you’re looking for a charming holiday-themed second-chance romance with sapphic characters, you’ll adore Kiss Her Once for Me.

Ellie’s marriage of convenience gets a lot more complicated when her fiancé’s sister turns out to be the one-night-stand she fell in love with last year. Does she stay with her fake fiancé for the money, or does she take a risk with a girl she’s already had bad luck with?

I thought this was a great twist on the classic fake dating trope and I'm obsessed with it. The atmosphere felt so warm and cozy, the side-characters were loveable, and the romance was swoon-worthy. I usually hate insta-love, but this is the exception as I would’ve instantly fallen in love with Jack too.

I wanted to give this book 5 stars but the way Ellie was blamed for things that weren't her fault and never stood up for herself bothered me. Jack’s refusal to accept she was mostly to blame for their first chance failing was particularly irritating since I loved her character so much otherwise.

Overall, I loved this book so much and I highly recommend picking it up.

Absolutely obsessed with Allison Cochrun’s sapphic Christmas romcom! I’ve been so excited for this book ever since I read the Charm Offensive last year and found out the author of was coming out with a wlw romance and it did not disappoint in the slightest!

Last year Ellie Oliver met a stranger on Christmas Eve and fell in love over the course of a crazy snow day together. Fast forward to this Christmas and Ellie’s broke and unsure of her future when she gets roped into a fake engagement scheme with Andrew, the landlord of the coffee shop she works at to help him get his inheritance. But when she gets to Andrew’s family’s cabin for Christmas, she finds out that his sister, Jack, is the woman she fell in love with last year.

This book had everything I could want in a romance. Cochrun spins the fake dating and marriage of convenience tropes on their heads by having our heroine be in love with her fake fiancé’s sister rather than Andrew himself. It adds an element of yearning and forbidden romance to Ellie and Jack’s relationship that’s so fun to watch build.

A million thank yous to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the arc in exchange for honest review

🔊Song Pairing: Back to December - Taylor Swift (Jack has some of the greatest and unexpected music taste in this book but I knew I wanted this to be the song)

💭What I thought would happen:

Looove a purple cover and enjoyed The Charm Offensive

📖What actually happens:

Ellie is at a low. Her dream to become an award winning animator are at a halt she works for a sexist asshat creating foam art & she cannot get over her one night stand last Christmas. In walks friggin Andrew Prescott Kim, the finance fuck boy of Portland. He offers Ellie a deal, they get married so he can get his inheritance in which he will gift her 10%.

To complete the illusion, Andrew brings Ellie to his family “cabin” for Christmas. The Prescott Kim’s are eccentric. You have 2 lush grandmothers who were married to the same man, a mother who is loving but has an excel spreadsheet printed out with Christmas activities, Dylan - the family friend with the knife neck tattoo and Jacqueline…Jack…Ellie’s one night stand that got away.

🗯Thoughts:

This book was a mess (in the best possible way, pure chaos)! The authors note in the beginning expressed how this story was written with serious While You Were Sleeping vibes. Yes please! I knew this was going to hit me hard.

My favourite quote (there were many): “Miscommunications is for the straights”

Jack is 10/10 my new female crush or maybe just crush in general. My cis ass is feeling all kinds of confused 😂

I want mulled wine by the fire with Folklore playing on vinyl in the background. I didn’t intend to read a book that would put me in the fall/Christmas spirit but damn it that is exactly what it did. People are going to love this book for the holidays! The more I think about this book, the more I love it!

Alison Cochrun out did herself in this beautifully written queer Christmas romance. Ellie and Jack met on Christmas Eve, and fell in love over the span of unexpected snow day, but haven't seen each other since. One year later, Ellie has lost her path in life, feeling like she is failing at everything, she agrees to a crazy scheme to marry her landlord in return for money she desperately needs. In the light of Christmas miracles, she meets Jack again, unfortunately Jack is her landlords sister, and let the drama ensue.
Ellie spends Christmas with Jack and her family, pretending to be in an arranged marriage with Andrew while trying to downplay her feelings for Jack. This book includes my new favourite book trope; a love trapezoid. If you hate love triangles as much as I do, the love trapezoid is the trope for you.
This book includes amazing representation, just like her previous book The Charm Offensive. I absolutely loved the side characters in this book. They were unique, funny, but also came with their own backgrounds and attitudes. The friendship shown in this book is beautiful, and like Ellie, I officially need a Meredith in my life.
This book includes the tropes; second chance romance, forced proximity, fake/arranged marriage, one bed, and found family.
I haven't wanted to both laugh and cry at a book in so long, this is the perfect queer Christmas romance to pick up on a snow day.
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC.

thank you to simon and schuster canada for providing me with an arc! ♥️

every book lover wants to meet their soulmate by reaching for the same book at the same time they do (or at least we’ve all had that thought at some point while imagining meet cute scenarios and creating our own romance book without having to ACTUALLY leave the house and attempt to talk to living human beings). but imagine meeting said person while you were sobbing your eyes out and talking to a stool - that seems so much more realistic if you ask me!

ellie is quite possibly one of the most relatable characters i’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about. she’s an introvert who has social anxiety and one friend (AND TALL LIKE ME) and has generalized anxiety disorder with gut issues who’s also so terrified of failure that she believes she fails before she does which proceeds to stop her from taking risks (good or bad) AND ruins the possibility of the love she deserves to get from others. and top of that - she has mommy and daddy issues (but who doesn’t because again same here girly).

honestly i had SO MUCH fun reading this book. kiss her once for me has so many amazing tropes including: fake dating, forced proximity, one bed trope, found family, mistletoe trope (which i just made up if that’s not an actual trope that already exists), and cooking together OH ANDD teaching trope (i have no name for this but it’s when character a teaches character b how to do something and there’s so much delicious tension 🤤). i found myself wanting every character in my life. the friendships that ellie made with andrew, dylan, ari, meemaw, lovey, and katherine and the beautiful family she got afterwards on top of having meredith (who i love so much)?? how can you NOT love that?

and just the pure love and connection she had with jack? i think everybody wants that - that once in a lifetime you literally make my heart beat so hard it’s flying out of my chest just to come and slam right back in type of love? ugh the DREAM 😩

one of my favourite quotes from kiss her once for me:

“it feels good to both need and be needed”. i think that hit a little too close to home for me but in an amazing way

ALSO SAPPHIC CHRISTMAS ROMANCE?? LIKE YES PLEASE.

anyway this is just me rambling rather than a review?? i think?? either way i fucking loved this and if you don’t read it when it comes out what’s wrong with you??

<i>Kiss Her Once for Me</i> is a Christmas romcom full of quirky characters getting into quirky hijinks that also tries to go deeper as it delves into themes of sexuality, toxic parents, and mental health. As a fan of Alison Cochrun's debut novel, <i>The Charm Offensive</i>, I was very excited for her sapphic sophomore showing. However, I struggled with its reliance on standard romcom tropes to the detriment of its characters. In a lot of ways, it felt like it told me how different it was without really having much to show for it.

The novel centers on a whirlwind romance that has stayed with both our protagonists for nearly a year despite the encounter lasting less than 24 hours. Cochrun herself mentions When You Were Sleeping as an influence and the romcom vibes are definitely strong! While I found myself doubting Ellie and Jack's ability to fall so deeply for one another after such a short stint together, I think what dampened my ability to buy in was that Ellie herself constantly mentioned how implausible her own romance was. Miscommunication is a constant throughout this novel in a classic romcom sort of way, however, I found myself questioning the motivations of characters. I enjoy myself a flawed cast of characters but the novel almost willfully insists they are all acing in others' best interests when it really feels like they aren't? I was just left feeling underwhelmed by the end of things (and that ending didn't help honestly!) If you're down to read a gay Hallmark romance, this will be for you! Admittedly, it just wasn't for me.

4.5 Stars. This was the most adorable Sapphic rom com with non binary, asexual, and disability (generalized anxiety & ADHD) rep.
A twist on the fake marriage/taking thefake fiancee home to meet the family over Christmas trope.

The book is both funny and emotional and shows true character growth that many people will be able to relate to.

The half star doc was that I didn't feel there was enough interaction between Ellie and Andrew throughout the stay and I'd have liked to see more of how they coped together with everything.

I hate to say it, but Kiss Her Once For Me was a pretty average and forgettable romance for me. Nothing about it was ever egregiously bad, but it never really managed to impress in any way.

My fundamental problem with this novel is, I think, the setup of its romance. Our two main characters are Ellie and Jack, who meet as strangers on Christmas day and proceed to have a whirlwind sort-of romance in that one day. Something happens to split them up, though, and then a year later Ellie finds herself once again meeting Jack under very chaotic circumstances (Ellie is pretending to be fake-engaged to Jack's brother to help him sort out a thing with his will). The basic issue here is that the romance that this entire book is predicated on has the bulk of its development happen in the course of a single day--and I just didn't buy it. Listen, I've read some great romances that happen over the course of only a couple of weeks--Act Your Age, Eve Brown, A Marvellous Light--but one day? No matter how expertly done, one day is just never going to be enough to make me feel invested in your romance. And I wasn't: Kiss Her Once For Me was the kind of romance that I read and then immediately forgot about the second I finished it. I was never that invested in the romance because the romance doesn't give us that much to be invested in. And sure, Ellie and Jack get to know each other a bit more once they meet again a year later, but that also takes place over a very short time frame--about a week--and most of it takes for granted the fact that they already like and want to be with each other, based on that one day that they spent together a year earlier.

Aside from that, I also had some issues with the writing. Interspersed throughout the novel are these short sections written by Ellie, presented to us as excerpts from a web comic she's written about that Christmas day that she spent with Jack. I didn't particularly like these sections--again, the whole not-buying-the-romance-based-on-one-day thing--but the first one in particular I found extremely saccharine; it almost put me off reading the whole novel because it was literally the first chapter of the book and it was so twee. There were some writing things here and there, too, that I found annoying, mostly because they were repeated over and over again (Jack smells like freshly baked bread, WE GET IT). Also, the last section of the novel is very clumsy and almost rote in its execution: after the inevitable but no less frustrating third-act breakup, Cochrun tries to get Ellie to come to terms with the ways in which she's failed herself and others, but it ends up feeling like a really cheesy and tired afterschool special.

Overall, this was fine, but it lacked finesse, and at no point while reading it was I really that invested in or moved by anything in it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an eARC of this via NetGalley!