Star-crossed lovers in a Shakespeare retelling… sign me up!!!! I love when neither character is looking for love… one of my favorite sub tropes.

Sweet, adorable, fun, and no third-act breakup! Slow-burn and had neurodivergent characters which made me feel seen as a neurodivergent woman myself.

This was my favorite in the trilogy by far!!! A great end to the series and I am a fan of Chloe’s for sure.

Thanks to Berkley Romance for a copy of Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Chlose Liese! This is book three in the Wilmont Sisters. In a retelling of Twelfth Night, we see Jules and Will in this slow-burn romance. I love returning to these sisters and their wonderful family!

Comes out on January 14th.

I have been eyeing Chloe Liese books for a year now. . I have been wanting to read them I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. While Once Smitten, Twice Shy is book 3 or the Wilmot sisters I do not feel like I entered the series and have absolutely no idea what is happening. These are interconnected standalone and I loved that I could just dive in and enjoy. Juliet is the eldest sistser and though she is also a hopeless romantic who loves romance novels, she has sworn off love. Will Orisno is a big loveable cinnamon roll MMC. He also has a hard time with love. He is determined to find a marriage that is more of convenience because he doesn’t think love is in the cards for him.
I really like that this was kind of a play on fake dating but wasn’t fake dating. It was two people coming together and practicing dating and it going from there. I found this book especially in the beginning to be very serendipitous and it really made me want to go back and read her entire backlog. I also really enjoy the written style.
The representation that the author gives both the FMC for her chronic illness and the MMC for his neurodivergent and how it is for both their day to day life and their relationships was amazing.
In this book, you’ll find the following:
Cinnamon roll MMC
Neurodivergent autistic representation
Chronic illness representation
Semi fake dating (I really don’t classify it as fake dating)
A book loving FMC
I will definitely be diving into the other books and her other series immediately!

Very cute, with a super sweet cinnamon roll of a MMC and a communicative, kind FMC. This was very low drama, low angst, with the only conflict being internal as the two MCs decide whether they are ready to be dating again. I enjoyed the pacing of it and thought the chemistry was well written. I also enjoyed how the author handled a character with chronic pain and disability, as well as a neurodivergent character. Such a fun, easy read.

For me, this is an easy 5 stars. It has so many things that I love in a romance book; forbidden romance with practice dating, lust, pining, and Chloe Liese’s specialty; a beautiful family/friends dynamic. She will forever be a favorite author of mine.

These characters are so sweet, tender, and so hot!! Juliet and Will feel like the definition of Invisible String!!!!! I loved the vulnerability between the them as they used practice as the excuse for opening up and trying things together. The practice dating is one of my favorite things about the book, it left so much room for tension and pining. I could feel myself wanting to scream for them to get together and i love when a book makes me feel that way. Individually and together they are so sweet and perfectly developed characters for the last in the series.

This is a series that I could read over and over again and find a new reason to love it every time. I have loved their stories and the sisters. I dont want this series to end.

Read this if you like these tropes:
-fake dating
-forbidden love (keeping it a secret)
-found family and friends

Other fun facts if you like bullet points:
-Shakespeare retelling
-Neurodivergent rep
-chronic illness rep
-small town but the town isnt the focus

While I liked Will and Juliet's chemistry at first, this book ended up being a soapbox for Liese to lecture on a variety of topics. Things that could have been revealed slowly, like chronic illness and past trauma, (especially their effects on the lives of the characters) were instead info-dumped in huge blocks of text, first as internal monologues, then again in dialogue. This book, like many recent Berkley titles, desperately needed an editor to tighten up both the internal thoughts of the characters and their very unrealistic conversations.

Juliet had so much backstory and so much potential to be a great, deep character that we've seen throughout this series, but somehow when we got in her head it all flattened out into one dimension- even her grief, previously so palpable, was surface level. Will was no better- the times he was with his family had the most depth and realism, the only time we were shown, not told, how people were feeling by the way they interacted.

The storyline itself also didn't spend pages well- this is 400 pages of them pretending they need anyone else's approval to date for real with no actual conflict or real issues to get over. A disappointing conclusion to a series that should have been so fun, but ended up being an avenue for lectures from the author and diversity checkboxes.

What a wonderful end to the Wilmot Sisters. After reading book two and getting an outsiders perspective of Juliet and her ex boyfriend I knew that her book would be special to me. Juliet conceptualizes a lot of my own fears and I was so incredibly interested to see how Chloe would choose to write Juliet’s story. Will is everything good in a man and quite frankly if I could write a man for myself he would be painstakingly similar to Will. Physical attributes aside (because who wouldn’t love a freckled adorned, fiery red head, with muscles for days?), Will is kind and gentle, true and steady. He cares deeply for his family and putting the happiness of others people he loves above pride is second nature. Will and Juliet were everything the other needed. I think some of the best love stories are when through their actions they love one another from the beginning. How can you hear anything but “I love you” when they take the time to learn how to support the others chronically health issues and challenges with social cues and loud noises without taking away their agency or independence? To help them with the things they struggle with without making it a thing where they have to “deal” with the problem. To love them and change your plans and life to fit their needs. It was just absolutely beautiful, this series is an exemplary lesson in love:,)

Thank you to Berkley for the opportunity to review this ARC<3

Huge Chloe Liese fan here--so absolutely no surprise that this book was a warm hug, cozy, swoony romance!!

For *reasons* Juliet and Will decide to go on some practice dates! She's rusty and recovering from heartbreak, and he is painfully shy and in need of lessons! There's an emotional connection from the start, serendipities left and right, and all the slow burn pining I've come to expect in a Chloe Liese books!

If you love:
• shakespeare re-imaginings
• dating lessons/practice dating
• introverted, quiet, neurodivergent, cinnamon roll hero who blushes 😊
• romantic, heart on her sleeve, histrom reader heroine (one of us! one of us!)
• no third act break up! (sometimes I really need this!!)

The game of Guess Who made me so happy! There's so much to love about this book, but that was a seriously highlight for me. Also, the steam scenes that fit the characters so well! Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this last installment of Chloe Liese's series. Juliet and Will have a unique relationship and their bond was precious. Chloe Liese is always a good choice when it comes to reading diversely. I'll miss the Wilmot sisters!

Chloe Liese I’ve missed you!!🥲🫶 what a heartwarming story this one was!🫂

✨romance lessons
✨Twelfth Night retelling
✨friends to lovers
✨neurodivergent MMC 🤝 chronically ill FMC
✨swoonworthy moments / mutual pining / flirting / a FIREMAN’S CARRY moment👏🤤
✨dual POV (+ narration on audio!)
✨a few spicy scenes🌶️

I knew I was going to love this one the second Will expressed his fear of game nights as a socially anxious introvert (hi, it’s me👋) but Liese just continued to deliver with moments that made me literally make this face >> 🥹🥹!! It was sweet, heartwarming, uplifting, and also hoooot🙂‍↕️ what more could you want?!

Things I enjoyed about this book:
- all of the Shakespeare nods! This series I have enjoyed because they are stretched across all three books
- the representation, I think this is important to have everyone being able to enjoy a happily ever after
- the series as a whole was enjoyable and I was really looking forward to Juliet's story

Things that were a struggle for me in this book:
- the plot...it wasn't really there? I mean there was a bit of the plot but there were really no stakes? It was nice and cozy and fluffy, but the passion and tension of the previous books were not here
- I love Chloe Liese and I adore her as a human and an author, but this book was a little preachy to me in the therapy talk. I know that it is amazing that characters work through things, but there were a lot of monologues about things that didn't really need to be there
As a whole, I was a little disappointed that this was the end of the series. I personally adored book 2, but book 3 fell really flat for me.

It was a cute read but that was it. I don't really felt there was a plot to follow, yes, we had to characters that found themselves wanting to overcome some past issues, but I didn't find their development across the book.

Some things about their relationship felt rushed and I didn't connect with it at the end.

The other characters (mainly their friend's group) weren't my cup of tea, I found them very annoying to be honest, they didn't felt real to me.

Overall is a cute read if you want something light and fluffy, but don't expect too much about it.

Chloe Liese has such a knack for writing realistic autistic characters and Once Smitten, Twice Shy is no exception.

I always love Chloe Liese book - and this one was no different! I will admit, Once Smitten, Twice Shy started out a little slow for me, but once it picked up.... it really picked up! Will and Jules are such a sweet couple - but Will is the real star of the show. I love him! His earnestness is so endearing. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

<b>3 ⭐</b>

i don't know how i feel about this book. i think i'm in a romance slump because i felt nothing for this book. i didn't actively think it was bad but i didn't think it was good either. it was just ✨meh✨. i don't think one of the tropes in this book was for me as i didn't care for the way they were “romance buddies” and BOTH acknowledged they felt something for each other but didn't do anything about it for 70% of the book 😭

<i>thank you to netgalley for providing me with this arc! <3 </i>

My understanding is that this author tries to represent the diversity of the human experience. A main character is neurodivergent, and another has some chronic health problems and is gluten-free. This representation is nice.

I hadn’t read anything else by this author before, and it was very clear this book was part of a series of stand alone books. Reading the other books first may have been helpful because the other characters were frequently around.

There wasn’t that much conflict in the book and all side characters were extremely kind. I cannot think of any character drama. There also was not a strong reason why the two main characters should not be together. This isn’t a problem—it’s nice sometimes to read books with minimal drama. If you’re looking for a calm, happy read, consider picking up this series.

I didn't love this book but will definitely stock a few copies in my store.

Once Smitten, Twice Shy is the third book in the Wilmot Sisters series, and unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Having not read the first two books, I felt a lack of connection to the characters, which might be different for readers familiar with the series. While the characters are in their 20s, they often felt much younger—almost like high school students—which made it harder for me to fully engage with the story.
I did appreciate the inclusion of a neurodivergent character, and I found Will to be cute, charming, and nearly believable as a romantic lead. However, Juliet’s immaturity detracted from my enjoyment of the book, as her character didn’t feel as grounded or developed as I’d hoped.
While this wasn’t my favorite read, I think it could appeal to younger readers looking for a sweet and lighthearted story. It just didn’t resonate with me as much as I’d hoped.

Chloe Liese can genuinely do no wrong. I absolutely loved this book! The Wilmont sisters series is so good, and the conclusion was no exception. Will and Juliet are great together. Will might be my favorite love interest Chloe has written. The representation in this book is also immaculate, as always!

Another sweet, neuro-spicy, retelling from Liese providing all the things we've come to love and expect from the Wilmot family. We have a variety of chronic health and mental health representation across the friends, a variety of gender-expression and sexual identities within the group. A perfect send off to the sisters and their partners.

A bittersweet end to a truly lovely series.

Juliet Wilmot, the oldest Wilmot sister, has been mending her heart since the events of book one, finding her new normal amidst a degenerative tissue disease diagnosis. Will Orsino is a shy and swoonworthy cinnamon roll hero who runs his family's whiskey distillery and truthfully just wants someone to love. It should come as no surprise, then, that these two have one of the most gentle, tender love stories I've read all year. Watching them "practice" romance with each other, all the while genuinely falling head over heels, was a delight.

Liese offers us yet another triumph of a romcom, proving that representation and diversity aren't buzzwords, but the integral ingredient to what makes her love stories so authentic, heartfelt, and magical. Having read every word she's ever published, I remain eager for anything and everything she'll bring us next.