I have a love the relationship with Beckett. He is FINE but he was telling her he never hated her after literally naming the villain in his novel after her.

The Kiss Lottery was a sweet Valentine's Day themed novella from Ilsa Madden-Mills with a cute set up and story.

Everly is back in her hometown and not so happy to see Beckett. The two of them have history that includes a falling out and him naming latest book after her. Despite it all they still have a connection and undeniable chemistry. Ilsa did a nice job building their relationship back up and making the reader excited to see their HEA.

As a novella this is on the shorter side, but the story doesn't feel rushed or lacking. I really enjoyed this and can't wait to read whatever Ilsa writes next.

I really enjoyed this delightful second chance romance. Everly Davis and Beckett Whitfield have been best friends since they were kids. Beckett was always there for her when times were bad. After Beckett discovers a secret, he pushes her away, into his buddies arms. When something happens during senior year, he turns his back on her for good, making her leave her small town, looking for a place to belong. Now ten years later, a mysterious invitation brings her home to the towns annual Valentine event, The Kiss Lottery. Beckett stayed in town, becoming a famous author. When he included a character similar to Everly she is hurt but mostly angry, and she wants to let him know. But when they finally see each other, old hurts fall away, and they slowly reconnect. Everly is receiving more anonymous gifts and notes, making her feel things she never expected. Now she is reconnecting with her old friends, having fun, and trying to help a quirky resident solve a mystery for her. To top it off, she and Beckett are matched for the Kiss Lottery! Beckett has regretted how he treated Everly. Now that she is home, he will do whatever it takes to make her fall back in love with him and stay forever. But when she learns his secret, will she stay or run again breaking both their hearts? I really adored this enchanting, and sizzling story. Beckett is so swoony as he pursues Everly, and she is funny and adventurous keeping him on his toes. I also loved small town coziness, and all the quirky friends, family, and residents who are so hilarious, supportive, and a bit meddlesome, helping them make the Kiss Lottery even more entertaining, and the story even more heartwarming. You don't want to miss this hilarious, and hopeful romance about letting go of the past, and finding where you belong with family, friendships, and that forever love.

Sara Ney delivered in this new romance book. She is a comfort author, who provided exactly what I expect of her books in the best of ways. I loved this book and highlight recommend everyone to pick it up.

3.75 🌟
Spice: open door

I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. The audio is great, the characters are cute and funny. I loved the second chance aspect and the small town. The part that threw me was towards the end when this seemingly 'random' secret was revealed. It seemed out of place.
Overall, it was a very cute, quick read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super cute, small town, friends to enemies to lovers story!

I loved the history between Everly and Beckett! I felt like having little bits of their backstory throughout the book helped with the pacing!

The friend group had me cracking up and I couldn't wait to see what antics they would get up to next!

While things were a little predictable, it was overall a very fun read! I can't wait to see more from the town of Rose

4.5 ⭐⁣
1.5 🌶️⁣
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Everly hasn't been home for the last 10 years because of a heartbreak. She's now a successful podcaster. She received an anonymous mail for her to join the famous Kiss Lottery in her hometown. She had no choice but decided to join. There's a certain someone she doesn't want to see especially since she was the villain in his bestseller book. Beckett is now an author and the one who broke Everly's heart. They were childhood friends. They both got paired up for the Kiss Lottery. How are they going to overcome this tension? Will it be awkward? Or chemistry with lots of tension? 😏 You'll have to read to find out. ⁣
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I listened to the audiobook from Netgalley. It was by Sebastian York and Savannah Peachwood! Immediately Yesss!!!⁣
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TROPES:⁣
Small town⁣
Second chance⁣
Banter⁣
Childhood friends turned enemies to lovers⁣
Ex-boyfriend's friend

Fun, quick read. This novella about a second chance for Everly and Beckett is a lot romantic and a little funny. They were inseparable when they were younger, despite her dating his best friend, but they haven't spoken in 10 years. A Valentine's Kiss Lottery is the perfect way to get her back to town. Add in some interesting friends, some people who never moved past high school, and a small town. Good story for Valentine's Day but not so focused on that that it wouldn't be good to read at any time.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! It was such a fun experience!
I had a great time reading this story. Both characters are just adorable. They seemed so real to me! The banter, the witty dialogs, the CHEMISTRY. OMG SO MUCH CHEMISTRY! It’s a light reading novella with great secondary characters, small town mysteries, meddling neighbors and a lot of kissing.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Kiss Lottery by Ilsa Madden-Mills 💌💋

What to expect:
▪️small town
▫️second chance
▪️friends to enemies to lovers
▫️cute banter
▪️Valentines day novella

This was such a cute, fun small town Hallmark-esque rom-com romance, and perfect, faced paced book for Valentines day!

Everly and Beckett were best friends, she had a crush on him, but when an incident occurred some feelings got hurt and years later Everly ended up as a villan in Becketts book.

This was so sweet, and with the back drop of the small town,Rose, all of the silliness and high school drama just fit. The fact this was a novella too was perfect. Nothing was dragged out, we got right to the point and it made me so happy.


Thank you so much to NetGalley for and eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 ❤️‍🔥

This was a sweet Valentine's day novella. Perfect for those who love a nice and well done second chance romance with lovely friends to lovers and a nice twist of kiss lottery.
It's heart warming and angsty and can be read in one sitting. I highly recommend it

"The Kiss Lottery" by Ilsa Madden-Mills is a beautiful novella about second chances.
Everly returns to her hometown, Rose, Tennessee, after a decade away, drawn by a mysterious invitation to the annual Kiss Lottery. There, she reunites with Beckett, her high school friend and first love. Their past misunderstandings and secrets resurface, but the chemistry between them is undeniable.
The small-town setting is charming, and the supporting characters add warmth to the story. Despite its brevity, the novella offers a satisfying plot and well-developed characters. The tradition of the Kiss Lottery adds a whimsical touch. You can never go wrong with these two narrators honestly , they brought to life the characters to a t and made the whole experience even better in my opinion.
This is a heartwarming read about love, forgiveness, and the magic of Valentine's Day.
Very grateful to the publisher and @brilliancepublishing for my arc and alc through NetGalley, opinions are my own

Everly Jean Davis left Rose, Tennessee after high school and never looked back. But when she is sent a mysterious invitation to the town's annual Valentine’s Day kiss lottery, her curiosity might just get the best of her...

Beckett Whitfield may have treated Everly badly before she left town, but he has deeply regretted the choices that he made back then. So when she returns unexpectedly, it might be easier for them both to just ignore each other, but Beckett never stopped caring for the woman who used to be his best friend, and ignoring her just isn't an option...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Kiss Lottery was a sexy and fun, enemies to lovers, second chance romance read! With this engaging story set in a small town celebrating Valentine's Day, Everly and Beckett will find avoiding each other impossible, a good amount of small town meddling, and a sexy reconnection they never saw coming...

Everly never planned on returning to the town where she experienced so much heartbreak, but while she is at a crossroads in her life, she decides to do the unthinkable. She not only plans an extended stay in Rose, Tennessee, but she joins the town's annual "Kiss Lottery"...

Beckett is happy to have Everly back in town, and although he enjoys reconnecting with her, the reason they had a falling out to begin with is still festering below the surface. Can he let go of the past, or will Beckett send Everly fleeing from her hometown, for good this time...

I loved this book! It was a fast, sexy read with a highly entertaining antagonistic relationship between Everly and Beckett. I enjoyed the small town hijinks, and the great friends that Everly never lost from her move. This book is a great read for Valentine's Day or whenever you need a fantastic read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

En bref, s'il n'y a pas de grosse surprise du côté de l'intrigue, j'ai adoré passer du temps avec Everly et Beckett, ils sont tous les deux touchants et attachants et j'ai beaucoup ri. Cette romance est arrivée à un moment où j'avais besoin justement de légèreté et d'un bonbon de bonheur et j'ai adoré me plonger avec eux dans leur histoire. Certes, ça reste simple et déjà vu mais ça a parfaitement fonctionné avec moi et j'ai adoré les voir se rapprocher et s'avouer enfin leurs sentiments. Une très belle histoire servie par deux personnages attachants !

Beckett is a mass of contradictions.

He truly does not know what or who he wants. He has a complicated relationship with Everly, his former next door neighbor who he crushed on but pushed away because he resented her and her mother (due to his father). He NEVER chooses Everly, made her the villain in his book and then blows hot and cold. He wants her but doesn't want anyone else to have her, ie, his best friend Carson, who he choose, instead of Everly then told her he never wanted to see her again. Which Everly respected and did not see him for ten years. Which Beckett hold against her. See? This guy does not know who he wants and causes endless misery for both he and Everly. Run, Everly, its not a good match, cuz all the unnecessary drama has been created by Beckett. Just choose the girl. Oh, and they are both in the Kiss Lottery,

Everly and Beckett

Small town, heartbreak, lasting friendships, secrets, second chances, enemies, and bullies that never grow up
Everly left town and didn't look back. That is until a mysterious person sent her an invitation to the Kiss Lottery. A long tradition in the town she grew up in.
This story shows that love endures through time and trials. There is a fine line between love and hate. It was a quick read and has an HEA. I would recommend this book!

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was the perfect second chance romance leading into Valentine's Day. It is a complete standalone, and to my knowledge doesn't connect with any of the author's other works. In the town of Rose, the Kiss Lottery pairs strangers and those well acquainted in the hopes the couple finds true love. Everly and Beckett had that already, but their friendship and feelings for one another were shattered in high school. Her true feelings for him were put on display for the whole town to see, and he was given a choice and he didn't choose her.

Years apart have not healed all wounds, so when Everly receives an anonymous invitation to participate in this year's Kiss Lottery, she returns home to cover it for her podcast and to see if she can mend her broken heart. Beckett never left, and he never forgot his first love and the one that got away. With the help of their friends, a meddling Aunt, and a bit of an unsolved mystery Everly and Beckett are able to clear the air and open up about how they really feel.

This is a novella but I could have spent several novels worth of time in Rose with the characters, I really connected with them and the town and didn't want to leave when it was over. I really enjoyed the main and side characters and the town of Rose. Everly and Beckett were fun as they danced around each other before really confronting their feelings, given the novella length some of the scenes felt a bit under developed, but I think the author did a good job given the overall length of the book. I think had this been a full length novel, we would have seen the full development of those conversations and confrontations as we typically do in the author's work.

Rating: 1.5 Stars (rounded up for NetGalley rating)

CW: Bullying; car accident; cheating (not main couple); death of a parent

Wow. I did not like this. I have liked other full-length contemporary romances from Ilsa Madden-Mills, so I thought a cute little Valentine’s Day novella would be fun! But that was not the case.

Madden-Mills tried to cram a lot of plot into a pretty short novella, which meant everything felt rushed and underbaked. For context, these were just some of the plotlines that were in this novella:
- A mystery involving a ghost looking for information on her long-lost love from the Kiss Lottery over a century ago
- A high-school scandal involving a diary that is still causing issues today
- The mystery of who invited Everly to her hometown for the Kiss Lottery
- Beckett’s big secret involving his dad (who is the WORST)
- The love-hate, second-chance romance between Everly and Beckett
That would be a lot for any full-length novel, let alone something that clocks in at under 150 pages! There was so much going on that it was hard to know where to even focus your attention. I also was truly not expecting a message from a psychic on a ghost who participated in the Kiss Lottery looking for information on their long-lost love to play such a big part in the story, but it did, and I honestly found the storyline a bit weird in a contemporary romance. It just felt so out of place.

The romance also really did not work for me. It felt like Everly and Beckett were positioned as enemies at the beginning of this, but that animosity quickly went away after one meeting in a way that felt like it was just a forgotten aspect of their relationship. I liked hearing about and seeing their relationship as teenagers, as I felt like that was where you could see the genuine love and affection between them. But the current-day stuff was underwhelming. There was no chemistry between them and no real romantic development. I found some of Beckett’s actions even a little creepy and, dare I say, a bit stalkerish? His big romantic gesture gave me serious red flag vibes, but that might just be me.

I also felt like these characters were much younger than they were. Both Beckett and Everly are supposed to be in their late 20s (around 27, to be exact), but how they acted felt very teenager. In the snippets where they were teenagers, they didn’t even feel as juvenile as they did as adults! I think a lot of that may be because both Everly and Beckett are CLINGING to this scandal from high school involving her diary, a scandal I might add that was Everly’s own doing, so I felt little sympathy for her once I learned that. Everly and Beckett also felt just so…bland. I feel like Madden-Mills tried to give them both an interesting backstory, but it felt half-baked into how that affected them as people. The secondary characters also felt really underwhelming and very stereotypical, including a gay best friend, a quirky best friend, and a token high school mean girl.

I was also left a bit disappointed by the writing in this. I don’t usually notice the tense of a book, but I did notice that this was first-person present, which is a tense I always find a tad awkward. There were also little inconsistencies, such as the gender of Everly’s cat, that kept changing, sometimes in the same paragraph, that I couldn’t help but notice.

I’m honestly so disappointed that this novella did not work for me, as I thought the description sounded so cute! I’ve loved how Madden-Mills has written romances in the past, as she usually does a good job with the sexual tension, but that was missing from The Kiss Lottery. I would recommend you skip this novella. Grab one of her full-length novels instead, such as Beauty and the Baller or My Darling Bride, two books I absolutely loved by Madden-Mills and highly recommend!

Thank you to Montlake/NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts, ideas, and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

When Everly receives an anonymous invitation to return to her home town to celebrate their Valentine’s Day traditions she accepts the invitation as an opportunity for her podcast and heads over. However, it’s been 10 years since she left her home and since she last saw her first love.

This was such a cute Valentine’s Day second chance novella and I absolutely devoured it. I loved the little “anonymous” gifts that Everly received and how she just knew exactly who they were from. Beckett was always very attentive and knew that Everly needed the time to discover herself when she left all those years ago. Even though it’s been 10 years since the two of them had seen each other, let alone spoken to each other, the feelings these two had for each other never faltered. As a sucker for romance, I swooned at their “it’s always been you” kind of love.

As it is a novella, it’s going to be fast-paced which isn’t usually my favourite but I loved every second of it and it had me itching for more. There was minimal conflict in this novella and, even then, it had resolved quickly so if you’re just looking for a quick, feel-good romance novella I would recommend this one!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ilsa Madden-Mills took us through a quick and entertaining read. At times, it was lighthearted and fun. All in all, it was an enjoyable read.