This book was mediocre. It tells a sweet, slow-burn love story about two individuals in their sixties who were married for four years forty years prior.

The characters were likable and well-developed, particularly the male protagonist. However, I found myself anticipating significant events that never materialized, or if they did, they lacked importance. Major occurrences felt like minor bumps in the narrative and were resolved within a single chapter. You'll see what I mean when you read it.

I appreciated the premise of rekindled love and second chances, as well as the unique theme of love among older adults. As someone who has faced challenges with alcohol, I connected with the theme of alcoholism.

What I found frustrating was the author's decision to forgo quotation marks for dialogue, which complicates the reading experience. Authors should avoid this practice.

I appreciate NetGalley for providing this ARC.

A Forty Year Kiss by Nickolas Butler is my first novel by this author, but it is absolutely not going to be my last. I have his backlist ready to be purchased.

Telling the story of Charlie who travels back to Wisconsin and his ex=wife of four years, forty years later. They've each lived full and not always happy lives in that forty years, but Charlie wants to - needs to reconnect with Vivian to see if maybe that love they had can be rekindled and recognized as still being there.

They rediscover each other and share heartache, anger, secrets and oh, my, goodness. Mr. Butler has a way with words that just made me weep for these characters.

I've been married for my entire adult life to the same person, but that doesn't even matter, that love is still there and I remember those early days when we were young and so full of optimism about everythiing. I felt those memories the main characters had.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book. I cannot wait for this to be published so my book club can read this. So very good!

I really tried to get into this book, the premise seemed interesting and sweet and something I don't see a lot of. I could not get over the lack of quotation marks, I really struggled to read the dialog and ended up not finishing.

The Forty Year Kiss focuses on the lost love of Charlie and Vivian.

Charlie is quite desparate to win back the love of his life after years apart, and Vivian, understandably so, is a tad apprehensive but intrigued. Their lives grew from one another, her having a family, complete with grandchildren. This juxtaposes his solitude and a life spent working. We find them first in a bar where they meet for the first time to rekindle what was once lost.

Vivian's life is occupied by taking care of her family, mostly her two granddaughters. Charlie is retired, bored, and lonely. After their first night together and subsequent lunch, Charlie and his second ex-wife Mona talk on the phone. Mona basically chastises him for going back to his ex-wife and potentially ruining her life. Stating that he is doing so selfishly because he is both lonely and alone.

They sleep together after Charlie admits he does have a drinking problem. What I found interesting is how much he fought internally before he admitted so aloud. His internal dialogue basically begging him to be better and do better in that moment. What I found even more intriguing is Melissa, Vivian's daughter, also having a problem and their strange bonding moment in his wine cellar.

From there it's clear that the bond between Melissa and Charlie grows, especially with her abortion and stay at his place, lying to Vivian. Soon the pair discuss her future and she moves to St. Paul with the girls, leaving Vivian to move in with Charlie.

Soon after Charlie meets Jessie, his 40 year old daughter with down syndrome that lives in a group home. Vivian tells him her story of having her right after the divorce, and how the family helped her raise her, thus becoming Jessie's "aunt." Charlie and Jessie meet, introduced as her uncle, he begins to dote on her. Soon, there is a scare that leaves them all changed, whether for the worse or the better, I'm not sure.

The book wraps up at a Chicago Cubs game as a family, it was heartfelt and sweet.

My biggest gripe is that the author doesn't use quotation marks at all, which made following dialogue tough at some points. Also, this was a very slow burn between and I didn't mind it, just sometimes I was curious if anything was actually going to come to be from it.

Random thoughts I had throughout:

I feel like we are alluding to some health issue with Vivian's headache and the hospital visit for Charlie. There is no way this is a book that ends with a HEA.

Edge of my seat waiting for one of them to die honestly.

Random drunk man in Chicago to make Charlie think about his drinking choices even though he is so clearly working on it?

Ketchup in Chicago...?

Cute ending but it felt like we were really building up to something..

Why do we hate quotation marks?

Two sixty-somethings, with a past. Their four year marriage, forty years ago. Throw in other marriages for each of them, family obligations, a drinking problem, economic differences and you have the makings of a memorable romance. Nickolas Butler didn’t quite deliver (for me) in this every-wish-fulfilled romance, A FORTY YEAR KISS, but I enjoyed the Wisconsin setting and the raw sincerity of Charlie. I especially enjoyed when finally Vivian’s secret was revealed and they could begin to heal, in earnest.

As a feel-good tale of redemption and true love, however fantastical, Butler hit every note. The book is a romance, pure and simple. But it is categorized also as literary fiction, which it is clearly not. Should a book’s description be held against it? No, but it does make reviewing it more difficult.

With thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

ND- 15% in
Couldn't keep my interest due to the way it was writing.
I'm sorry for the inconvience,

In “A Forty Year Kiss,” after retiring from the railroad at 64, Charlie returns to his small town in Wisconsin to reconnect with Vivian, who he was married to from 1980 to 1984. His immaturity and drinking led to their divorce, and despite the years since he’s last seen her, he can’t forget about her. He hopes to rekindle their love but will settle for friendship. The book opens with him sitting in a bar, waiting for her to meet him there. The rest of the novel details their burgeoning romance, which is rekindled very quickly.

I usually like a book about redemption and second chances; however, I never could enjoy this one. In particular, it was hard to get used to the writing style with its short, sometimes incomplete sentences and dialog without quotation marks, which made it hard to tell when someone was speaking. In addition, the first 25% of the book was long and drawn out, filled with detailed descriptions of the minutia of the characters every day lives and inner most thoughts. A reader without my aversion to short sentences and lack of quotation marks might enjoy this slow paced romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just OK. This is a sweet and (very) slow burn love story between two 60 something’s who were once married for 4 years 40 years earlier.

I appreciated that the characters were very well developed and likable. Especially the MMC. However, I kept waiting for something big to happen but it never did. Or it did but it wasn’t treated as something big. These big events were merely hiccups to the plot and resolved in a single chapter. When you read the book you’ll understand.

I loved the premise of this book. Long lost loves and second chances. I enjoyed the uncommon theme of older adult love. As someone who has had my own struggles with alcohol, I related to and understood the theme of alcoholism.

What I absolutely did not like about the book was the author’s decision to not use quotation marks for dialogue. There’s literally no reason to make it more difficult for the reader. So please, authors, don’t do this.

I am a Nickolas Butler fan. I have read Shotgun Love Songs over and over. His writing touches me. #FortyYearKiss has affected me as well. Vivian and Charlie are lovely characters. As in, I love them. I feel them. I live near where they live. I have lived the life they live. Rural Wisconsin, small town, just getting by. This love story, too. Charlie and Vivian have made mistakes. Nothing comes easy for them. But this is a love story that feels real. I tried to read slowly so I would not ever finish this book.
Thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this beautiful novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of A Forty Year Kiss in return for a review.

I downloaded this book when I saw the wonderful reader reviews it had received- and they were NOT wrong.

Vivian and Charlie were married a lifetime ago, and Charlie’s life choices led to a divorce 2 years in. Now they are in their 60s with a life already lived. They’re adults now and know what had gone wrong 40 years ago.

Small and big things, forgotten and forgiven. An overall heartwarming story.

honestly truly enjoyed reading this book and will be posting a review on my social media platforms. the writing style was impeccable and the character development *chefs kiss*. brainstorming content as i am typing this because i am obsessed.

Butler's The Forty Year Kiss is a poignant exploration of rekindled love later in life. Set in a quaint Midwestern town, the novel follows Charlie and Vivian, who reconnect after forty years apart. Once married and separated by Charlie's alcoholism, they now navigate their sixties with a deepened understanding of themselves and each other.

The novel stands out for its portrayal of mature romance, avoiding melodrama in favor of a more authentic narrative. Butler integrates themes of addiction and financial difficulties seamlessly into the love story, enriching the characters' journey. The slow-burn nature of Charlie’s return and his efforts to win back Vivian is depicted with a blend of nostalgia and wisdom, making their reunion feel both genuine and relatable.

Though some might find the pacing slow and the lack of traditional dialogue punctuation unconventional, these elements do not detract from the story’s heartwarming impact. The Forty Year Kiss is a refreshing and emotionally resonant read, ideal for those who appreciate a realistic and mature take on love. Scheduled for a February 2025 release, it promises to be a compelling addition to the romance genre.

Butler explores the possibility of going back home, picking up the pieces and building something new. I love his writing. His characters are people I want to get to know and as the story unfolds they become people I care about and root for. I loved this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. My review can be found on Litsy and on Instagram.

Thanks to NetGalley and SourceBooks Landmark for this advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Forty Year Kiss opens with Charlie and Vivian, who are meeting again for the first time in 40 years. They were married for four years previously and hadn’t seen each other since but, Charlie is determined that now is the time to reconnect/rekindle his relationship with Vivian.

In short, this book was a sweet delight! It is not often that you read a romance where the main characters are a bit older and where there is a significant lack of drama, for the better in this case. However, this book still touches on heavy topics, such as alcoholism and financial problems, and they feel more realistic to real life struggles instead of a far fetched, fantastical romance. While I can definitely appreciate both, I think this story was unique compared to other current popular romances and I really enjoyed it. Both of the main characters were very endearing and grew on me over the course of the book. The author also brought the setting to life in this book and it truly set the background so well for this story. All of the elements combined so well to make this an enjoyable, very readable story. Finally, I found this book very propulsive because I wanted to see if Vivian and Charlie would make it— I couldn’t wait to see how the author would wrap this up.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this and I think it’ll be a wonderful Valentine’s romance when it comes out in Feb 2025. I know others will enjoy this and can’t wait to discuss with other readers!

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for access to this arc.

I am not sure what to make of this as I type it out. The writing is absolutely fantastic but it didn't quite hit it for me. It felt long in some places and one of my biggest pet peeves is when an author refuses to use quotation marks. Drives me nuts. The plot itself is fantastic, loved reading about a couple who are past their prime but navigating the relationship scene. The characters are fully developed. But it felt stale at some points and slow in others to the point that I feel this could have been shortened. Do I give this 3 stars? No, that feels too low. But does 4 seem fair? Not really. So in reality I probably would give this a 3.75.

Triggers: alcoholism, abortion

wholly intrigued by this one from the title alone, it definitely surprised me. i was expecting a very women’s fictiony feel, and while it was definitely that the romance was also achingly beautiful and i loved the writing. absolutely swoon worthy and gorgeous story

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of A Forty Year Kiss by Nickolas Butler. This is my second read by Butler and I really enjoyed it. This is the story of a Charlie and Vivian who were married for a short period when they were younger. Now they are in their sixties and they meet up again in a bar one evening. Both have stories of the lives they’ve lived. I thought Butler did an excellent job of writing from each of their perspectives over the years as well as currently. Do they have a future, another shot to make it work? Such a good story, I’m so glad I read this and I highly recommend this as well as Godspeed by him. After reading A Forty Year Kiss I looked up more of his books.

Nickolas Butler’s “A Forty Year Kiss” is a touching exploration of love, regret, and the passage of time. This novel weaves a rich tapestry of characters and emotions, inviting readers to reflect on their own lives and relationships.

The story revolves around Jack and Sarah, high school sweethearts whose lives take divergent paths after graduation. Despite the years and distance, their connection remains a lingering presence in their minds and hearts. When a class reunion brings them back together forty years later, they are forced to confront the choices they've made and the feelings they've harbored.

What I found most compelling about this novel is Butler’s nuanced portrayal of Jack and Sarah. They are not idealized versions of themselves but rather deeply flawed and human. Jack’s life has been marked by a series of unfulfilled dreams and lingering what-ifs, while Sarah has built a life filled with both joy and compromise. Their reunion is fraught with tension and unspoken words, but also a deep, abiding affection that has stood the test of time.

Butler’s writing shines in his ability to capture the small, intimate moments that define relationships. His prose is both evocative and precise, painting vivid pictures of the characters’ internal landscapes. The dialogue is natural and heartfelt, carrying the weight of decades of longing and missed opportunities.

The themes of the novel resonate deeply—how our past shapes our present, the enduring nature of first love, and the bittersweet reality of what might have been. Butler doesn’t offer easy answers or neatly tied-up endings. Instead, he presents a realistic, sometimes painful, but ultimately hopeful look at the complexities of life and love.

“A Forty Year Kiss” is a beautifully written, emotionally resonant novel that stayed with me long after I finished reading. Nickolas Butler has crafted a story that is both specific in its details and universal in its themes. It’s a reminder that while we can’t change the past, we can find meaning and connection in the present. This book is a testament to the enduring power of love and the courage it takes to face our true selves.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read the arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I truly did not know what to expect with this book. It's my first Nicholas Butler book. His writing style speaks to me. He wrote a heartwarming story about second chance romance.

Forty Year Kiss tells us that it's never too late for love, especially if it never really went away. This book grabbed me from the start and I enjoyed it very much (you will too).

Firstly, thank you for allowing me to read this story. I throughly enjoyed the novel and fell more in love with the characters every chapter. I feel like it was a great balance of sharing the real struggle of marriage and addiction with the lighthearted moments and joys of family. Additionally, as someone who works with youth with special needs the way that Jessie was portrayed was done beautifully.

I don't often root for couples to get back together when addiction and neglect is involved but the way Charlie's character was developed had me really cheering for me. At some point I even thought to myself "come on Vivian you're being too harsh". Great story!