I enjoyed this long look at a relationship and all the strains that can attend it when you're factoring in complex family structures, parenting, careers, and tumultuous politics. This did require some level of interest in the minutiae of British politics, which might be a turn-off for some readers, but I found it was nicely tied into the lives of the main characters.

This engaging love story takes place over a recent ten year period of contemporary London -- lots of political goings-on, plus the pandemic, so things are eventful. As is the romance between Coralee and Adam, who meet and fall in love and seem so perfectly compatible as they build their lives together. But is this enough for Coralee? This is a truly heartfelt romance that doesn't necessarily follow the typical rules of the romantic genre, which will make it an inspiring, somewhat serious book for readers who enjoy a love story without the cliches.

This story started out pretty intriguing, but then it turned into boring everyday life. I kept reading thinking it was going to really turn into something, but it never did. There were a lot of cuss words and a lot of references to words not used in the US. There were a lot of references to political things that only someone from England would know about. I couldn't wait to finish the book just to get it done. It was not good enough to motivate me to pick it up and read, so I had a real difficult time finishing it on time.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Coralie moves from Australia to London in a career transfer and begins life anew. In.a short while, she meets a single dad and begins a life with him. They add to their family and she struggles with the demands of career, family, and relationships.

Excellent characters. Very relatable.

I would have been really into this 10 or 15 years ago.

It starts out charmingly. Coralie, a young Australian woman, meets Adam, a divorced dad in London, and I really loved their connection. But all too quickly, she's moved in with him, and while his career as a journalist and author takes off, she never writes the book she wanted to write, and instead just manages his daughter, his house, and then she has kids of her own with him. He's not a dick- he really loves her, and he's a nice guy- but he can "help" with childcare when he's available, and she never has a minute to herself.

I had a party once a few years ago when my two kids were in high school and college. There were two moms at this party who were right in the thick of having young kids. I like little kids. I sat down with them, expecting to enjoy their conversation, but after 5 minutes, or maybe even less, I was so, so bored, and I got up and found other people to talk to, realizing that that time in my life was gone. And that's how I feel about this book. The points she was making were valid, but I just wasn't that interested in them anymore.

I kept reading the book because this author did a great job with characters. I liked Coralie's stepdaughter, Zora, and her brother and his weird boyfriend, and I liked Adam's on-the-spectrum mother and her partner. Their lives were enjoyably full of people, which is rare in novels. Too often they focus just on the main characters and maybe a best friend or two.

There is a LOT of material in this book about what was happening in British politics in the lead-up to Brexit and through the pandemic- maybe more than I wanted? But that just makes me an ugly American. All over the world people pay attention to politics in the United States, and we're mostly ignorant of what's going on in other countries. Certainly I would have been more into the inclusion of American politics in the last 10 or 12 years.

This is a good novel, just maybe not for me. Also not for me: investing thousands of dollars and lots of energy in the house of my boyfriend, to whom I am not married, which gives me no legal rights over the house. I was angry at how crazy Coralie was to do that.

CYK to end a text was the humor Coralee and Adam injected into their quirky romance ten years ago. Fast forward to the past five Tory PMs, COVID, BREXIT, pregnancy, deeply felt loss, and a novel unfolds in an unstoppable read.

I felt sad and anxious for Coralee in each of the stages of her life before Adam (in Australia) and alongside him, as they struggled to put together a life and a family. I especially loved Adam's daughter Zora, who helped Coralee become a fantastic mother.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

“Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley” was a pleasant read, but it may not appeal to everyone. It’s more relatable to women with families or kids.

The characters were fairly likable, and I enjoyed the story line when it was just about the family and their life. But it was just too political for me. Not being British, I could not follow the different political parties and titles. It distracted me from the book too much. I had to have google pulled up while I read just so I could find out what each title meant.

This book is not one I'd normally pick up to read, but I am so glad I did! Jessica Stanley has done a wonderful job in this piece of work.  The book centers around Coralie and the past 10 years of her life.  Going through major life and world events.  The writing style is made for the reader to really grasp what experiences Coralie had.  This book will get you to think about your own life and reflect on past events.  This was a great piece and it belongs in everyone's library!

This book follows Coralie and her ten year romance with Adam. How can life compete your love life? This book follows their story and all the ups and downs that life brings. Bittersweet is the best way to describe this book and highly recommend!

This is written more for UK readers rather than US.. The story was interesting, but I think that the majority of my patrons would find the very British terminology off-putting.. As a result, most would not finish it.

I really enjoyed this sweet, realistic, and witty read. The book follows Coralie, a 20 something Australian expat who has recently arrived in London, and her relationship with single dad Adam. All the characters, main and secondary, are well rounded and the dialogue was both realistic and witty.

I went into this expecting something light and fluffy, and was pleasantly surprised that while this was such an enjoyable read, it also had a lot of depth. The author accurately and poignantly depicted the struggles of a changing relationship and transition into motherhood. I think this is a book a lot of women will be able to see themselves in.

The only issue I had was that as an American, a lot of the British political drama was lost on me. I skimmed over parts I didn’t understand and didn’t find this to detract from the pleasure of reading it!

4 big stars!

'Consider Yourself Kissed' gives an intimate look at the inner life of two working parents raising children and dealing with their parents, siblings, exes, home renovations, childcare, and all that everyday life throws at us all against a backdrop of a strife political climate plus a pandemic. Needless to say, all this puts a strain on the relationship of the main characters, Coralie and Adam. Much of the story focuses on how Coralie feels like she’s losing herself while trying to juggle everything. Sound too serious? Not at all. The book is also full of wit and humor - I laughed out loud in many places.

The author, Jessica Stanley, gives us a front-row seat to what a long-term relationship really looks like - the good, the bad, the resentment, the passion, the lack of sleep, unfulfilled dreams, sacrifices, etc. The novel is raw and true - you feel like you’re in the room with the characters. Stanley writes vivid descriptions of the people, places, sights, sounds etc. This makes the story so rich in detail. My only gripe with this book is its major focus on the political climate in Great Britain. After a while, I found myself skimming some of these passages.

The title of the book ‘Consider Yourself Kissed’ or ‘CYK’ shows up throughout the story as Coralie and Adam use this acronym to sign off on all of their texts and emails to each other. It’s a beautiful thread that reminds us of the unwavering bond between them. What a great read!

Big thanks to Penguin Group Riverhead Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

Book about an Australian woman who moves to London and gets involved with a divorced father and his daughter. It touches on the difficulties of having family abroad, the work life balance, divorces, biological clocks, politics (& Brexit) and living in London. The story started well and I really enjoyed the first 40% of it but then it felt a little depressing and I was getting bored with all the politics. The couple's struggles are well described and the book is well written, I just couldn't really connect with any of the characters.

I hate finished this book. I got so annoyed with the main character Coralie and her absolutely useless husband/not husband. The blurb is right that it’s set against some of the weirdest times in recent years and this book just emphasized how truly terrible the recent years have been.

Pleasant romantic stuff, with some delightfully witty dialogue. But beyond that, utterly unconvincing. Our heroine complains a lot for real but unexceptional reasons (unpleasant boss, too much child care, a partner who forgets about her needs in favor of his own). She has a bit of a breakdown after her unpleasant father’s visit, never dreaming she could confront him. After a break in her brother’s convenient spare flat, she makes it up and goes home.
Yeah, as I say, read it for the banter.