Oh, how I enjoyed this - the whole book and storyline and the characters! I’ve rushed over to kindle and the audio stores and picked up a couple more of Steel’s works because I need more! More of her incredible words and writing and stories!

Right from the very first couple of sentences I was completely hooked - actually, it was the blurb, and the way the whole thing was written from the start I didn’t want to put it down (had to, to go to work, but I still read it in a day). Duke and Nora have a meet-cute about their armrest while she’s on a date with a really awful guy she met on a dating app … her bestie made her go out with someone because she never went out or dated or had fun. She’s leaving town in a couple days to care for her grandma so she figures what’s the harm.

Nora and Duke wind up being harassed by the Kiss Cam multiple times until they give in and do it (she’s shocked by how good and natural it feels), when her bad date has gone to get more disgusting food and drinks, and then when he finally ticks her off enough, she’s ready to leave and Duke and his buddies escort her out. They have a brilliant evening after the Kiss Cam incident doing some bucket list items and she’ll never see him again… so she goes with it, but winds up in the ER until she’s got to go write an exam. Mega-level crush achieved…

Fast forward a few years to after grandma has passed and she’s back in town, post dropping out of school and needing to pay back all the bills so she’s taking on yet another job with her aunt. She runs into Duke in the elevator of her aunt’s building! Trying to avoid Duke turns out to be the hardest thing to do, especially since she’s never let go of those feelings, and even though he’s had a girlfriend since she left, she doesn’t think he has either. He does all the right things to win her over but he’s suddenly become her boss, who is taken, and even more off limits - why does he have to keep doing the most incredible things like bringing her Dr. Pepper!

I loved the interaction between Nora and Duke, the super amazing banter, and even though it’s a clean (kissing only) RomCom, I barely noticed the lack of steam because it was plenty slow burn intensity building in the storytelling! I most definitely recommend this to all - with it being clean there’s a wider audience that can enjoy it, and OH, will you all enjoy! 4.5 most glorious stars (rounded up to 5)! But do yourselves a favor and get the audio version - narrated by Justis Bolding, she does an absolutely beautiful job!

I received an advance listen copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, and this is my honest feedback.

I love a good romcom! i HATE time jumps but this one was so good!
This is NOT a sports romance at all, It's more of a Boss/Intern situation.
Super sweet & funny, i loved the narrator, she really does snarky well!

Publisher's summary
It was just one date. My friend told me I needed more fun in my life, so I reluctantly said yes.
Fun wasn’t exactly in my wheelhouse. After watching my own mother’s love life implode time and time again, it’s only natural that I have a few rules to protect myself.
Actually, it’s just one rule: avoid relationships with men so I don’t get attached.
I wasn’t worried. Getting attached has never been a problem for me.
This guy was just a warm body in a chair. I was here for the basketball game. I was absolutely NOT here for my date. Or the kiss cam. Or the kiss. Or the impromptu evening with the one man who seems bent on throwing my tidy world off of its axis.
But when my life takes a nose dive, he’s also the man who seems bent on proving to me that good men do exist, dreams can come true, and sometimes throwing out the rule book is when the magic really starts to happen.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ARC of the audiobook!

The One with the Kiss Cam
By: Cindy Steel
Narrated by: Justis Bolding
Series: The One, Book 1
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Release date: 03-12-24

Oh my goodness! This books was absolutely adorable! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the early access of this audio book!

I truly enjoyed listening to this is cute little rom com!

This book has a great little meet cute and a Utah Jazz basketball game! While Nora is on a first date with a not so great match, she finds herself on the Kiss Cam with her seat neighbor while her date is off getting snacks! This kiss turns into a night to remember!

Fast forward a few laters and Nora runs into Duke again! I love the banter and chemistry with this two and love how amazing Duke is! This is the first book of a series and I am super excited to reach any books that follow!

This book releases March 12th!

And this is why I love Cindy Steel’s books - even when it’s a story we all more or less heard before, it still engages me, it still makes me smile and I end up enjoying it a lot.

In many ways, The One with the Kiss Cam is your typical cozy romance with likable protagonists and an intriguing plot. But unlike so many other books of the same genre, this one is well-written and genuinely fun and enjoyable.

I probably wouldn’t recommend it to many people who don’t already love the genre - you know what you like and go and enjoy your own thing. But if you like sweet contemporary romances and/or you are in the mood for something like that, this one is a great choice.

A huge thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing me with an early audiobook copy of The One With The Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel!

this was such a fun story and I really enjoyed the narrators! such an easy read and really good time. I loved the writing style and the pacing. Their connection was fantastic and I loved how real their relationship was, they had real problems that they worked through together to get past. I loved their story so much!

The One With The Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel is one of the swooniest books I've ever read! Hello open flirting, witty banter and that Dirty Dancing reenactment scene, I see you! And don't even get me started on that kiss cam meet cute!

Nora is an analytical planner and is very much a type-A person, and I loved that this was shown in every aspect of her personality and with every decision she made! Although Duke grew up in a affluent neighbourhood, he was very much a realist and wasn't one to take advantage of situations or others; he was also a genuinely down to earth good guy! There was depth and backstories to both of these characters, and that's really needed in a lighthearted romance!

The audiobook narrator, Justis Bolding, was perfect for this romantic book! There was ample personality to her voice including humour, tenderness, wanting, and hardship. (Or decidely spoilt/bro-y/annoying when narrating required!)

One more thought: Dr. Pepper!

This was just one of those books that had me smiling the whole time I read!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the complimentary copy to read and review.

I loved it! This was so much fun! I fell in love with both Nora and Duke and enjoyed following along with them as they rekindled the chemistry they felt at their first meeting. There was some great banter and some hilarious moments. There were also ones that made you shake your head and wonder how people can treat each other this way. I loved everything about this book and think it’s the perfect book to lift your mood and make you smile.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Cindy Steel for this Audio ALC.

I loved the narrator, Justice. She did such a good job embodying all the different characters. I had no trouble distinguishing the different characters as they talked and that is quite the feat for a single narrator. She had clear and concise speech which made it easy to speed up and listen to at 1.75x speed. A very well done audiobook!

After letting her best friend and roommate talk her into one date to get out of her routine, Nora finds herself miserable sitting next to the world's worst date. Even being at a Utah Jazz game can't save this date. Except maybe the handsome stranger sitting next to her. At the very least he smells much better than her date. When her date goes on the hunt for a hot dog, Nora and her seat mate find themselves on the kiss cam. Repeatedly.

When her date ultimately ends in disaster, handsome stranger ends up offering her a night of spontaneous fun before she moves away. It was only supposed to be one night. Until three years later when they come gave to face again and he gives her an offer that could change her life.

Okay, this one was seriously so good.

It has the funniest meet-cute. It has workplace romance and falling in love in one night. It has the one that got away, and mutual support of one another. It has supportive best friends. I absolutely loved this story, and would not be surprised if it made its way into the big screen someday.

I loved the narration for this. It was so well done. The emotion was perfect, inflection was great, and understandable at various speeds (1x, 2x, and 3x).

This book is another winner for me as Cindy Steel completely delivered! I loved Nora and Duke SO much. I listened to the audiobook version of this story and I could not stop grinning the whole time I was listening. The narrator did a fantastic job bringing Nora's character to life. I also liked how she did the dialogue and male voices.
Duke is the definition of charming and I loved so much how he got Nora outside of her head and helped her break down her walls. Not only did she learn to trust him, but she allowed herself to rely on someone worthy of her trust.
The banter was top notch, no one can flirt like Duke does. I was hooked by the bucket list items, the secret notes and exchanging of soda. For real, this was a full five stars for me and I cannot wait for more by this author. I also recommend the narrator of the audiobook version.
I received an ALC from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Nora is on a date from hell and during halftime he steps away. Nora finds herself on a kiss cam with the stranger next to her, who after multiple kiss camera go rounds, finally kisses her. The two have an impulsive night filled with fun and it changes the trajectory for the two of them but they part ways as Nora is about to head to Fargo, ND.

Three years later, Nora is back, broke and dejected. She takes a second job helping her aunt and on her first day, she sees Duke, the man from the kiss cam. She thought about him and their night frequently over the years. Duke is now running a successful company and has an over Nora can’t refuse … but the company has a strict policy that would prohibit the two from any romance.

This book has every feel of a classic romcom. I felt like I was living every moment of the story, laughing, feeling the despair that comes with financial issues (like Nora), the excitement that came with getting the Dr. Peppers/little notes. The writing in this was phenomenal.

The narration for this was perfect! Zero complaints on my end. The story itself was 4 stars, overall 5 with narration.

This book felt like a hug from a friend, a warm spring day with iced tea, a warm beverage on a cold day … just all the comfortable, cozy things.

I already own the printed copy of this book and my fourteen-year-old daughter has read and reread this several times in the past two months of owning our copy. I wanted to see if the audiobook was just as good, but am pleasantly surprised because it is even better! I loved the narrators!

This was so cute, and honestly so much more than I was expecting (maybe because I didn't really read much into it). I love me some "he falls first" and this one was just delightful for that. I did not love the male narrators choice for how to perform the MMC, but not so much that I would let it stop me from enjoying this audio.

4/5

This was super cute! I loved the way these two met. Sharing the arm rest and then being targeted by the kiss cam made for such a great beginning. 
Nora and Duke had instant chemistry for me and were destined to be together. 
It did make me super thirsty for a dr. Pepper. The kind that falls, obviously. Their little notes passed with the drinks were delightful. 
The only thing that could have made this better for me would be to have it a dual pov. It's not 100% a turn-off, but seeing that male pov always makes me swoon a bit more.

This book was so much more than I had expected!! It’s such a cute romcom, but the tension and closed-door romance made it even better. It kept me hooked and every time I was so excited to pick it back up.

Duke and Nora are literally the cutest and I think they’re such lovable characters.

I feel like this romcom is way too underrated and I will def recommend it to my friends <3

The One With the Kiss Cam, by Cindy Steel, is the first book in her new series The One, which plans to be a collection of standalone novels centered around an unusual meet cute which begins a well penned story. The first book in the series does not disappoint!

Nora has spent her life working to help out her mother while vowing to dig her way out from low paid jobs and avoid relationships at all costs. Her mother is in love with love and seems to be forever duped by men. With divorce and three daughters with three different long gone dads, Nora has decided to forego all but her studies and her waitress job. At the insistence of her best friend, Nora does go on a date that results in seats at the Jazz basketball game with someone she will not be seeing again.

However, the man sitting in the seat on the other side is a gentleman offering her a plan to share the armrest. When the Kiss Cam falls on Nora and the armrest sharer, Duke, the first time they wave it off, but after several camera stops and a cheering crowd they decide to cooperate with the fans so they will be left alone. And after the game, as her date begins hassling her, Nora ends up accepting a ride with Duke and his two buddies back to her car.

When Nora reveals she will be leaving in just a few days, moving to South Dakota to care for her ailing paternal grandmother, Duke convinces her to make it a fun night complete with checking off crazy bucket list items; crashing a wedding and acting as though they belong, attempting a Dirty Dancing scene, and spending the rest of the night in the emergency room with what is luckily a sprain.

Three years later, Nora has returned to Salt Lake City without the degree she had hoped to complete while taking care of her grandmother. It seems all she accomplished was adding to her student loans. Now Nora is working a waitress job during the day and has taken on a second job working for her aunt’s janitorial service for a particular office building.

Expecting long hours while anticipating paying off her debt so that she could complete her degree, Nora did not expect to be cleaning the offices for Duke’s company. Nor did she expect any of the things that came next.

This is a very good story with the most unusual meet cute I’ve ever read. The characters are well drawn and the plot takes unexpected turns. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

I love a story that makes me laugh out loud and bonus points if my husband thinks there is something wrong with me because of it. This story did just that! The flirtation between Nora and Duke was so friggin cute! I never wanted this story to end, so I guess I’ll have to reread it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫(3.75)

Nora’s rule against relationships gets tested when a basketball game date turns into an unexpected encounter with a charming man. As their impromptu evening unfolds, she discovers the magic of stepping outside her comfort zone and reevaluating her rules.

So many flirty moments mixed with personal growth. Cindy Steel really knows how to create sizzle and tension while remaining closed-door. I’m a sucker for any guy who falls first, so I enjoyed Duke’s winsome personality right away. I only wish we could have also experienced his POV. While the meet-cute was absolutely adorable, the second third of the book seemed to wonder and I got a little anxious just wanting that characters to be together again. IYKYK: Not gonna lie, totally went to an NHL game last week and wondered if the guy beside me was going to give up the armrest. He didn’t 🙄🙃😂

Thank you @Dreamscape_Media @NetGalley for the ALC 🥰 I’m still swooning

Perfect for you if you like:
Witty banter and chemistry
Instant connection + slow burn
Relatable personal growth

Similar to:
My Lucky Charm by Courtney Walsh (meet-cute)
Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter (YA)
On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe (open-door)

⛔️closed door romance
⚠️mild language (infrequent), brief mention of death of loved one, toxic relationship with parents

It was really sweet and maybe a little TOO sweet for my liking at that moment. I think if you need loads of fluff and cuteness, this will be the perfect pick for you. If you just want a contemporary romance, maybe pick another one because that might not be what you're looking for. 3.5 stars

What a delightful romcom!
I absolutely adored everything about this story. And the audio was top notch! She nailed everything about the characters and made the “reading” experience very enjoyable.

Duke and Nora’s story was unique and fun and everything you want in a sweet romance.

**There is mild language at the beginning of the story, which I don’t typically see in a clean romcom but it made sense to have it where it was but didn’t pull me out of the story.