✨ Fake Dating
✨ Friends to lovers
✨ Disability Rep
✨ Big Families
✨ "Brothers" best friend

This was SO DAMN CUTE! I read this one in just a few hours and when I say I devoured it, I consumed it in one bite. This is a standalone in a series, I haven't read the other two and didn't feel lost with the supporting characters. I adored the fake dating trope, with a little spin, and I think this played out perfectly. The tension, the openness, the slow burn, it was all just so good. Pulled me out of my reading slump for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley Romance for letting me read this one early!

[Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for a #gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.]

Fresh out of a toxic relationship, Juliet Wilmot (the oldest of the three sisters) has sworn off love - though it's a struggle for this hopeless romantic. While healing, she prioritizes her health and discovers she has celiac disease and a connective tissue disorder.

Juliet has bumped into Will Orsino two times: once at a pub in Scotland and the second in her mother’s greenhouse. When they finally get to talking, Will shares that he’ll need to marry soon for the sake of his family’s business. But as every romantic endeavour has ended in disaster, he has little faith that love is in the cards for him. As her surrogate brother’s best friend, Will is totally off-limits. Neither expects to find love but they agree to practice romance together, hoping it will prepare them for future relationships.

Jules and Will are complex and empathetic. They don't diminish each other's struggles - instead they communicate, support, and respect each other's boundaries. Their love grows in such an authentic way and thanks to their ability to be vulnerable with each other, you can't help but root for them. You’ll find a way to relate to these characters, whether you're a hopeless romantic, someone navigating a chronic illness, or are neurodivergent.

This book absolutely stole my heart (and is easily my favorite of the series, and possibly of all of Liese’s stories). Though Jules and Will have given up on love in different ways, they are open and honest with each other. They begin as strangers but as they spend time together, they learn how fated their meeting was. That *they* are inevitable. It features the kind of love story where things are just easy. Not because love is easy but because when you find the right person, everything clicks into place.

I first was introduced to Chloe Liese via her Bergman Brothers / Siblings series. Some staples I came to appreciate and expect from her along the way are strong family relationships, representation (of mental, physical +/or chronic health conditions), and romance.

I really loved her first series, so I was very excited when her newest series The Wilmot Sisters was conceived. Another family oriented series, following three sisters as they navigate life and love with a Shakespearean twist. This newest offering being the final book in that series, following the final sister Juliet.

While I’ve enjoyed the Wilmot series, it has not had the same pull or hold on me that the Bergman’s stories did. The first book was a solid offering. While book 2 and now 3, have failed to connect with me in the same way.

I think the mains in this one, Juliet and Will, had some great potential. The story started off stronger, I liked the two and their dynamic together. I loved that we got some good representation of chronic / invisible illness and autism from the mains.

However, the story did start to drag a bit for me - the pretend / practice dating dynamic felt stale and repetitive after a bit. I didn’t feel any real reason existed for them not to date. Things got very monologue-ish and the book started to feel like it had some pacing issues, I found I started having to take breaks.

Overall, I finished it and I think any fan of the author will likely find it worth a read. Was not my perfect fit but I look forward to seeing what she writes next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy!

🪻Once Smitten, Twice Shy ARC Review🪻

Highlights:
🪻Learning to love again
🪻Recovering from a toxic, emotionally abusive relationship (referenced but off-page)
🪻Practice dating
🪻Twelfth Night reimagining
🪻Green flag boyfriend
🪻Neurodivergent rep (autism)
🪻Chronic illness rep (Celiacs, connective tissue disorder)
🪻Adapting to limitations and slower living
🪻Bisexual rep
🪻 Cane user
🪻 Overprotective family

Thanks to @berkleypub and @netgalley for the eARC. Once Smitten, Twice Shy is the third in the Wilmot Sisters series, and I relished getting to see Juliet front and center in her own love story after the pain she went through in Book One. I definitely recommend reading the preceding books, Two Wrongs Make a Right and Better Hate Than Never, first, as they’ll help center you in the Wilmont universe. As someone who has also had to adjust to slower living and making accommodations for a later-in-life diagnosis, I found Juliet relatable as she strives to find the balance between accepting and adapting to her diagnosis while also not wanting it to define her or having others treat her with kid gloves. I also adored Will. He was a walking green flag, and I appreciated his growth and self-confidence during his journey to finding love.

I love Chloe Liese, I love "practice romance", I love scottish highlanders, this book has it all. As always, I really appreciate the representation in Liese's books, this time with a MMC with autism and a FMC with chronic pain from a connective tissue disorder. Her characters are always so open, earnest, and sweet which sometimes can take me a bit to get used to when reading her books because it feels so unlike other books or even real life. If everyone communicated like Liese's characters, the world would be a better place.

In terms of plot, I did think the reason that they were "off limits" from each other was a bit weak, but other than that I had a really fun time reading this. I liked the appearances from the Wilmot sisters and the rest of their friend group, and I would overall rate this 4 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

Chloe Liese has done it again!!! Once Smitten, Twice Shy is the Twelfth Night retelling we need in our lives right now. Jules and Will are swoony and romantic together, and the returning cast of characters from the previous two in this series are sassy and fun and simply a delight to revisit!
This is some of Liese's best work and I cannot wait to see what she writes next!
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this eArc.

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.