The One with the Kiss Cam by @authorcindysteel gave me all the feelings! I swooned, I stuttered, I had to hit pause on this audiobook and process, I’m telling you— I felt it all. One of my favorite tropes is he falls first, and this is just such a sweet exploration of that. In my own life, I am swooned by my husband’s small gestures that mean the world to me but would go unnoticed by anyone else. The way Duke quietly wins Nora over and over just melted me. I’m literally a sucker for quirky grandparents, as we well know, so that entire section of the story sent me into emotionally blissed out orbit.

There are mentions of manipulation, grief, and loss of a loved one so that should be mentioned. They are dealt with very briefly, and done so with care.

This romance is sweet, swoony, and does not escalate beyond kisses. 0/5 on the FOTMS scale!

5/5 stars. 👏🏻

The narrator did an amazing job bringing this story to life! I read this the first time in December and quickly fell in love with the characters and jumped on the chance to review the audiobook! I loved it just as much the second time and could easily see this becoming one of my go to rereads! I would definitely recommend the book and audiobook! They are both so good

What an adorable book this was! The audiobook was really well done and I loved hearing about Nora and Duke's meet cute, having to kiss when they're pictured on a kiss cam. Fast forward a few years later and the two meet again. This book was really cute. Perfect for the month of love!

Characters: 3
Connection to the book/Enjoyment: 3
Setting: 4
Plot/Overall Story: 3
Writing: 3

Every point= 0.25 stars, max per category 4 points

Cute, fun story with a unique storyline. I wasn’t sold on the story until about 25% in and I’m glad I pushed through. What I expected and I would recommend!

This is the perfect closed door romantic comedy. I don’t remember the last time I read a book and had a smile on my face for the entire time. It’s perfect. I finished in a day and now that it’s done I wish I could go back and reread it again for the first time. The narrator, Justus Bolding was amazing narrating the humor in this hilarious book. I can’t wait for more books in this series.
•Opposites attract
•Meet cute
•Second chances
•Right person, wrong time

Thank you to Cindy Steel, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Very cute story, great banter and chemistry between the characters. Audiobook narrator was very upbeat and engaging.

4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Cindy Steel for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
-
Honestly, this book was such a breath of fresh air, it was so cute and really well written. I can sometimes be super picky with romance / rom-com books but this one i genuinely enjoyed so much. Duke and Nora, our main characters genuinely felt like real people, dealing with their own struggles as they navigate adulthood after meeting one night at a basketball game and end up meeting again after a few years.
-
I found myself genuinely rooting for them and loving all their interactions together.
-
The One With The Kiss Cam is a super light hearted, easy to read romance book that I will definitely be recommending to my friends <3

The One With The Kiss Cam
By Cindy Steel, narrated by Justis Bolding

I read some really hard hitting fiction/non fiction so getting to enjoy a story like this one is always welcome. It's not even like Nora's life has been a easy one but once she and a stranger named Duke end up on the Kiss Cam at a basketball game, we can see that Nora has a fun, snarky side to her that fits so well with the easygoing, fun to be around, Duke.

Nora's mom has always been a mess. Having Nora at the age of seventeen and then having two more daughters by two more husbands, not to mention all the live in boyfriends mixed between husbands, nothing is very stable about Nora's childhood and early twenties. Nora has been the adult in the household, working under the table since she was thirteen, to make sure the rent got paid and her sisters got to have as stable a life as possible. Never was there enough money and Nora's mom soaked up everything Nora tried to save. Not only did Nora's mom sponge off of her, her mom also allowed the men in her life to make things financially and emotionally worse.

No way was Nora ever going to be like her mom. But she couldn't let her youngest sister down, the one still living with her mom. So she allowed her mom's lousy lifestyle to keep Nora on very shaky financial ground, barely able to make the rent or keep other parts of her life running well. Student loans were impossible to keep under control when any money Nora wanted to put against them was siphoned off by her mother. Try as she might, Nora could not stop enabling her sponge of a mother.

Enter Duke, a very handsome, hunky, funny, nice guy. After a really long spontaneous date after the basketball game, it's obvious that the two of them are a great match. But when that night is over, Nora moves away and years go by with Nora still enabling mom and her financial and school situation getting so much worse. When Nora accidently runs into Duke three years later, she's embarrassed to be worse off than she was the first time she met him. She had been sure she was going to get her life straightened out and she'd failed dismally.

But "somehow" Nora finds herself an intern at Duke's company and now the two of them have to keep their attraction under wraps. Not that Duke tries hard at all. He's a super big flirt with no one but Nora and she cannot help flirting on the sly. Sparks fly but they can't ignite, not with Duke having a girlfriend of three years and a jealous co-worker waiting to pounce on any mistake that Nora makes. Still, there are a lot of funny, friendly characters here, from Nora's roommate, a helpful co-worker, and senior citizens needing a company website. This is my favorite of the three books I've read/heard by this author and I look forward to the other standalones in this series.

Since I'm very happy with closed door romances this one worked so very well for me. I also thought the narrator does a great job with the narration of the male main character. He sounds like a guy to me and I kept thinking it was a guy talking. She make all the voices distinctive and some of the wacky, goofy guys sound wacky and goofy but they are wacky goofy side characters so serves them right. But with a main romantic but funny character, I want him to sound like someone I'd want to romance and that's the case here.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was such a good and cute story, i absolutely love reading this. The characters were amazing and interesting too, the author has penned down each one so beautifully that they made the reading experience so amazing.
The plotline was an unique one as I had never read any Romance like this, so i absolutely love this.

This is an arc review from NetGalley.

Let’s get the most important thing out of the way – Dr. Pepper is life and my girl Nora knows this, so I already love her.

As for the actual story – it’s cute, fun, and flirty with some hidden depths (effects of parentification is done really well here).

Pros:
- Good banter
- Uncommon location (Utah)
- Adorable meet cute
- Relatable characters
- Parentification representation done very well

Cons:
- Duke dates a woman for the entire three years they are apart and then just dumps her when Nora is back. They never really discuss it other than a very short dialogue. It does not make me like him.
- Other than being fun and handsome, I'm not sure what qualities Duke has that makes him the guy for her.

Overall, it's cute and enjoyable but I would have liked more information on and depth from Duke.

I loved this book! The flirty banter between the two main character had me giggling the entire time. I loved the glimpses into Duke family with Nora working on the marketing campaign for grandparents. Duke was so sweet and just wanted to help and take care of Nora, but I do think at some times he crossed the line. I really enjoyed this entire story!

4.5/5!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book.

I absolutely adored this book. I love the flirting and the banter. I loved the flaws and realness to the characters. This one is perfect for fans of light-hearted rom-com and cheesy rom-com movies.

The One With the Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel was an easy listen and a fun story to listen to.

Nora is on a not so great first date at a hockey game and while her date is getting food, the Kiss Cam focuses on her and the guy in the next seat. They try to let them know they aren't together, but the Kiss Cam wants, what the Kiss Cam wants and they kiss each other and sparks fly.

Nora ditched the date and spent the evening with Duke, the guy on the Kiss Cam with her, doing things on her bucket list, but only until 2:00 am because she had a test to study for. Cut to years later, Nora is back in town and doing nothing that she wanted to - cleaning buildings for her aunt's cleaning service.

She runs into Duke - who happens to be the owner of one of the offices she's cleaning and she ends up getting an internship for his company.

They try to resist each other, but the heart wants what it wants and they very much want each other.

They have great chemistry and the dialogue is great between them.

I enjoyed every part of this audiobook. The narrator captured the characters and I just fell into listening to the story and listened to the whole thing in almost one sitting. It was incredibly enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Cindy Steel for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall: 3.75/5 Stars round up to 4 Stars

This book was a beautiful mix between wanting to survive on our own, and taking the help. It’s a love story of second chances, and what happens when we live in the moment of our stressful lives.
Nora is a strong person who has the worst luck, and is constantly skimming by with hard work. She meets Duke unexpectedly at a basketball game and their meeting starts a friendship. It’s a workplace friends to lovers chance encounter romance.
Overall the story is very sweet. There’s no spice but it works for the story it is.

My only critique is the side character of Duke’s girlfriend when she meets him again. I felt like the character was unnecessary and hurt the full love I could have for Duke since he clearly had feelings for Nora the whole time. That just felt unnecessarily cruel to a side character.

4.5 stars. I absolutely ADORED this book!

"The One with the Kiss Cam" delivered a perfect feel-good romcom experience. The narrative was light, fluffy, and brimming with fun and flirty moments, consistently making me smile and laugh. The chemistry and witty banter between characters made for such a compelling story I didn't even find myself missing the spice.

The characters are flawed yet their growth made them so endearing. Navigating insecurities and providing mutual support in unexpected ways. Witnessing their transformations, even in indirect or brief encounters, created those magical romcom moments. The FMC has had to work so hard for absolutely everything in her life, while still feeling like she is getting no further ahead. She is bound and determined to be independently successful. But when the man she hasn't been able to stop thinking about for 3 years walks back into her life and hands her her dream on a platter, she finds herself in the position of learning to accept help and not having to carry everything on her own.

I sincerely appreciated that the relationship development was rooted in friendship. The palpable connection between the characters made them exceptionally lovable, enhancing the overall charm of the story.

Justis Bolding narrated this book perfectly. She truly captured the essence of our FMCs character. Her narration was easy and enjoyable to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing an advanced copy of the audiobook.

The One with the Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel is a sweet laugh out loud read. I enjoyed this book from the beginning to the end. I was smiling through most of it. I related to the female main character and I loved Duke. He was so sweet and wholesome and just a great guy. His grandparents made my heart happy! I enjoyed the narration but would have loved a POV from Duke. I loved the concept of this book and it was executed so well. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced listeners copy. I voluntarily read it and gave an honest review.

My review has boon posted my book instagram account as well as Goodreads. Links to both have been attached to my NetGalley review.

This story is really cute and made me laugh out loud I don't know how many times. There was some really fun banter, a lot of flirting, a lot of kissing, (more than I personally like in books but others will love), and tender, sweet moments. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator was really good. She did a good job of enhancing the story.

This was an enjoyable read/listen.

No sex or violence
A little language

I had the best time listening to this story! It had everything I loved about an early 2000s romcom movie. It was just pure fun. The narrator did a great job inserting emotion and humor without overacting. I definitely will be looking for more reads from both the author and narrator.

This book was sweet with the most unique meet cute!

I love the little inside jokes and the general push & pull between MMC Duke & FMC Nora.

Duke was so caring and sweet in his affections for Nora… even when her defenses and walls were built high, he didn’t shy away.

I love the best friends featured in the book, as well as the other side characters. They added a lot of depth & emotion to the story.. as well as some great levity.

If you enjoy closed door romance, workplace romance, romcom movies, inside jokes… I recommend this be on your list!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an ALC. Great narration from Justis Bolding.

Swoonworthy beginning that continues throughout the book! I loved the connection they had, so cute!!! That first date was amazing!!! I loved the reality of her situation and the strength of character those problems have to her. Such a fun and beautiful story!!