It's been awhile since I've read Ilsa Madden-Mills and I forgot how flowing her writing is. I read this in one sitting (literally lol) and enjoyed the story quite a bit. Everly and Bennett are long time childhood friends who had a bit of a falling out. Fast forward 10 years and now all the chickens must come home to roost. It's time to put all the cards on the table and let the truth fall where it might. I love the small town idea of the Kiss Lottery and there were some great supporting characters. I wouldn't mind reading other stories in this world. I do think that one should have made the other work harder though because it all seemed too easy. (And what did Everly say to Abigail anyway lol).

This was really cute, especially at first - I was really into it and then it somehow lost me along the way. Being a novella, I felt like it should hold my attention all the way through!

Everly and Beckett had an adorable story, being childhood friends & experiencing many firsts together - first kiss, learning to drive, and more.

Beckett is holding on a to secret that had him pushing Everly away as teens, and resisting getting together in the present.

I really enjoyed it for a while, but then it just got TOO cheesy for me 😅 some bits just went too far for me, trying to be romantic but they missed the mark

🎧 audiobook thoughts:
Honestly the audio bumped up my rating, it probably would have been a 3-3.5 for the story, but Savannah Peachwood + Sebastian York are just so fantastic it got me to a 4.

⭐️: 4/5
🌶️: open door, one scene

read if you love:
💜 Valentine novella
⏳ second chance (ish)
🏡 childhood best friends/first loves + neighbors
🧑🏻‍💻 thriller writer mmc
🎙 travel podcaster
🌳 return to (small) hometown
💞 dual 1st person pov

Thank you to Montlake, Brilliance Publishing, & NetGalley for advanced copies. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

This novella was so cute! Perfect in time for Valentine's Day! Everly is returning to her hometown of Rose, Tennessee because she has received an invitation to the kiss lottery. It's been ten long years when she ran away from her best friend and the worst heartbreak imaginable. Beckett has been pining for his best friend, Everly, since forever but things didn't end so well ten years ago. Now Everly's back and entering in the Kiss Lottery. As fate would have it, they end up getting paired up. They have to face old feelings and finally say those things they've been holding back since high school.

This was a really quick read. It has the perfect small town meddling feel. There's not a lot of time to develop the characters because of it's a novella but I didn't feel like I was just thrown into it either. I love an Ilsa Madden-Mills book mainly because of the way she writes her heroes. They always have great banter and chemistry.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ilsa Madden-Mills, and Montlake for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own. #netgalley #ilsamaddenmills #thekisslottery #montlake

A cute story about Everly, who moved away to escape small town life, returns to her hometown upon invitation to the "Kiss Lottery". Using her podcast as an excuse to figure out who sent her the invite, she reconnects with her childhood best friend Beckett and they end up reconnecting in all the best ways. Adorable from start to finish.

I could never be that chill with the people who shut me off the moment I needed them more, but you do you, girl.


Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Fun and quirky story, second chance, small town, old lovers reuniting.
Loved the idea of a kiss lottery and that the town didn't take it too seriously (unless someone REALLY fancied the one the 'won').
A lot of back and forth, misunderstandings, lack of communication,
Good story for cosying up with in the warmth!

[updated with correct text and links, sorry]

I like the second chance story in this book. I like the little mystery type sub plot. The affair sub plot is a bit out of left field but it gives a reasonable explanation for the break between Everly and Beckett. The writing is very detailed. The writing is good. The town is interesting and the side characters are also interesting and they add depth to the story. Some parts including the booth are a bit immature but doesn't distract from the story. The main characters are good but I don't feel a lot of chemistry from them. 3.5 stars

What a cute, original book!
I’ve read very few novellas, but I don’t think I’ve ever been as pleasantly surprised as I was with this one. The idea of the kiss lottery was original, I haven’t read any other book with a similar plot. The quirkiness of the characters in her small hometown were all enjoyable, the banter was good, and I feel like it had the perfect amount of back story worked in to explain their current day situation without making it confusing. Definitely recommend this novella, it was a fun, easy read!

That was an amazing second chance romance novella, the spice was hot and at the end of the book, but the story was so amazingly adorable.

I loved it.

This was super cute. It’s not as engaging as the first in this series, but the couple is dynamic and the story flowed really nicely. Definitely recommend.

I enjoyed this novella but didn't really feel the romance, especially from the FMCs pov, I definitely felt it from the MMCs pov and could tell that he liked her but personally wasn't really feeling it from her side

There's a small mystery sub plot which I really enjoyed

- childhood friends (who had crushes on each other) to dislike to lovers
- small town romance
- valentine's day themed novella
- dual pov

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC - all opinions are my own

The Kiss Lottery is a sweet second-chance small town novella that hits the sweet spot for a Valentine's romance. Everly returns to her home in Rose, TN, after 10 years away for college and career. When she left, she left her best friend/crush/enemy Beckett behind. When she receives an anonymous invitation to Rose's Valentine's traditional Kiss Lottery, she decides to go home.

Ilsa Madden-Mills knocked it out of the park with this one. A great friend group, small town shenanigans, a kitten and a couple you want a happy ending for equals a novella that will bring a smile to your face.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for an eARC. Opinions are my own.

This book wasn’t for me. I felt like the supporting characters were a bit cheesy & took away from the main story like. It was hard for me to get through this novella. This is not a reflection of the author. I have read other books by her & enjoyed. This was just a miss for me.

This was a fun little valentines novella! Did the story have its issues - for sure, but overall it was a fun, quick read.

There is a lot going on considering the length of this book and it felt like there were a few plot holes and devices that weren't necessary, but overall it was a fun quick read. I loved the side characters that were the FMCs friends and their neighbouring resident medium. The wild goose chase to discover what happened to this random ghost's long lost love was a fun little side quest.

I liked the FMC, but the choices she made in high school that led to her staying away for a decade had me scratching my head. Not to mention how much of her life is rooted in scandal. I liked the MMC, especially once we got to know him a bit better. I just found his character lacked some consistency.

Also, the actual Kiss Lottery was a bit of a joke? People who entered were randomly matched, but then didn't have to do anything about it. They could just decide, ew - no. I don't like that person, so I'm not going to talk to them. And it honestly had nothing to do with kissing at all. So I feel like the story could have had a few more points fleshed out.

*spoilery part of the review*

I was very much confused about how in the the first few chapters, it very much felt like the MMC was not a fan of the FMC. While I can understand having that perception when reading from the FMCs POV, I also felt it from the MMCs POV in the beginning. This was confusing to me, because he came across as put off by the fact she had returned to town, when in the end we find out he's the one who invited her back. His gifts to her as a "secret admirer" came across as stalker/serial killery to me, and it was a little disappointing when it turned out to be from him all along because she suspected it was him pretty early on making the reveal anti-climactic.

While I really enjoyed the ghost story component of this book, if you took that entire plot line out completely, it would have changed absolutely nothing about the story. I understand the intention of her discovering the dead man the ghost had been looking for was her ancestor was to establish she belongs in this small town, but it was weak. She grew up in this town and likely would have already known her family had been there for generations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC.

3.5 stars, rounded up. After a decade of barely setting foot in her tiny hometown, Everly feels adrift—like she no longer belongs there, or anywhere at all. But two things pull her back: (1) she discovers that Beckett, her former best friend from childhood and high school—the one she once dreamed of something more with before an unfortunate fallout—has cast her as the villain in his newest book, and (2) she receives an anonymous invitation to the town’s quirky Valentine’s Day tradition, the ‘kiss lottery,’ which randomly pairs up single participants. She figures it’s a great topic for her podcast while also giving her a mystery to solve—who sent the invite?

Throw in a lively cast of old friends, a town queen bee, some sleuthing, and unexpected revelations from the past, and you’ve got a fast-paced (maybe even slightly overstuffed) novella.

This second-chance romance is told through a dual perspective, which is particularly effective in revealing how the once-tight bond between the main characters unraveled.

While the shorter length meant I didn’t get to know the protagonists as deeply as I’d have liked, and at times it felt like the story was juggling a few too many elements, the writing was engaging, the dialogue sharp, and the emotional beats heartfelt. Plus, there’s a little spice! I enjoyed it and found the characters compelling—so much so that I’d love to see them in a full-length novel.

Many thanks to Grey’s Promotions and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

An extremely cute second chance short novella where Everly comes back home ten years after she left, when she receives a kiss lottery ticket, a famous even in her hometown. As soon as she arrives she runs into the boy she has always loved and who told her he didn't want to see her again.

Their banter, the chemistry, the kiss lottery set up was quite nice. Everthing in this book was reallt reallt nice.

I would have loved to see Becket to grovel a bit more than he did, but it was a nice read indeed.

Thank you for the arc opportunity. All opinions are my own

#arc #arcreader #arcreview #rcreviewer #thekisslottery #beckettandeverly #ilsamaddenmils #romcom #shortstory #hefallsfirst #childhoodcrush #closeproximity #contemporaryromance #doublepov #fiction #secretlove #spicy #smalltown#secondchance #newadult #netgalley2025 #readingchallenge2025

3 ⭐ 2 🌶️

This was a cute novella that at times made me wanna chuck my kindle across the room... The premise was so fun, but there were just a few moments that had me cringing and made dislike the characters a bit. That being said, it was a very quick read and if miscommunication and characters making dumb dumb decisions don't bother you, you may love this one.

I had three major head scratchers with this one, 2 being spoilers I won't discuss here... But possibly the biggest one was Troy going from annoying dude that hits on Everly to one of the gang without a transition. He's just suddenly solving ghost mysteries with them and I'm still unsure if I missed something or if it really happens that way.

I wonder if this was fleshed out into a full story of I would have enjoyed it more... But overall I just felt a little indifferent, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.

I thought this novella was such a delight. I really liked the characters, not only the heroine and hero, but the side characters as well. And there was a lightness to this story that I found so enjoyable - I think the playfulness of the premise is really what contributed to that feeling. Overall it was easy to root for Everly and Beckett and their semi-second chance romance.

This was very cute.

Everly gets a mysterious Valentine's invitation that leads her back to her hometown, and back to her old childhood best friend (and crush). Past drama is dug up, emotions are all over the place, and there's a cute lil mystery on the side as a treat.

Leave it to an author (Beckett) to be so diabolically romantic

The Kiss Lottery is such a fun read. I loved this so much. Everly and Beckett are everything. Childhood best friends, old neighbors Everly and Beckett have a past. Both have held back and wasted time. Beckett is ready to move forward and knows what he wants. Everly is back in her hometown to face the past and drawn into town traditions. You will love the banter as Beckett and Everly grow closer and rekindle their friendship. A little pushing brings everyone closer and secrets that were hidden come out. I love the antics Everly and her friends get into. I love how Beckett does not waiver when it comes to showing Everly how he feels. I fell hard for Beckett and Everly. You really need to meet them today. Go one click this now.