What a delightful story, that will make you want to run to Rose, Tennessee. What a lovely idea, the kiss lottery is, there are parts that are best glossed over, but overall, the whole story was just divine. Everly and Beckett have a history, and it’s a big deep nasty one, the type that makes you twice shy. But they have the history that makes them fight twice as hard to get back too. There are some great characters in this story, and so many that will make you smile, don’t miss this romantic story to while away your time.

4.5⭐
1🌶️

I had such a joy reading this sweet Valentine themes novella from Ilsa, and when the 'second chance romance' trope is thrown into the mix, I'm all over it!

It's been 10 long years since Everly has set foot in Rose, Tennessee but after receiving a mystery Valentine invitation, her interest is somewhat piqued.
She might also have a bone to pick with Beckett - her childhood friend she once crushed on, but ultimately crushed her feelings in return when he walked away from her - has used her as the inspiration for the villain in his latest novel.

However, Everly didn't account on the intense nostalgia she would be hit with, especially bumping into Beckett at every turn. Everly vows to get the bottom of the invite and it's mystery sender, but Beckett isn't going to let Everly go this time... And certainly without a fight.

Beckett and Everly were just the epitome of true love that only grew stronger with time. Despite the years apart, their feeling never truly wavered. Beckett's discovery on his dad's infidelity made him pull back from Everly, when all he wanted was to confess to her how he really felt. I loved their connection and friendship and how Beckett wanted to make things right between them. The heartfelt confessions, the lingering stares, the palpable tension.... Gahhh I was so made up for them and their long awaited HEA! 💖

Although it's a novella, don't let that fool you as the pacing of the story was on point and definitely makes a perfect read for this coming V-Day!

Thank you Ilsa, Montlake and NetGalley for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏻

A sweet read about first loves and second chances. Everly returns to her hometown of Rose after receiving a mysterious invitation to attend the annual kiss lottery. The kiss lottery didn't feature too heavily in the story to be honest, but it does provide reason for Everlys return.
Beckett you quickly find out sent the invite (no real mystery there) and wants to reconnect with Everly. There's a little side mystery that's fun, several secondary characters which could be developed more, a minute conflict and...happy every after.
Quick and easy read.

This is a fun, swoony novella.

Beckett Whitfield and Everly Davis were best friends growing up until an event their senior year of high school caused a rift between them and ended with him saying he never wanted to see her again. So she left town, but now, ten years later, she has returned to her hometown of Rose, Tennessee. She received an invitation to the town's annual Kiss Lottery.

Beckett has never stopped thinking of her in all these years and it's the same for Everly. But there are some secrets that Beckett has not shared with her.

This is a quick, fun read. A second chance, small town, dual POV, Valentines themed filled with quirky secondary characters and with just a small bit of spice.

Thank you to Montlake Romance and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

<b>I remember every moment with him. Each one is written on my heart.</b>

Super sweet best friends—frenemies—to lovers romance novella. This is Valentine’s Day themed where the heroine returns to her small town to record a podcast about the towns holiday traditions. Rose, Tennessee has its own unique way to celebrate, they hold a kiss lottery with people who sign up and pair up couples to go on a date and then see where it goes by. No pressure. Just to see if magic happens. Everly hadn’t been to her hometown in years and the man who chased her out seems unhappy to see her once she’s back. Seems being the operative. I enjoyed this read because it was just easier than expected. When someone runs from their small town you expect a less than stellar welcome home, but Everly is loved and Beckett made sure their reunion was more than just apologies and confessions. If you’re looking for a sweet semi-second chance romance, then I highly recommend this read.

I enjoy a good small town romance, and I love the Hallmark Channel. This seemed like the perfect combination: a sweet mystery, an entertaining cast of supporting characters, and a mysterious hero. However, this missed the mark. My biggest issue was the pacing of the book. At first, it felt like it could have been a novel. The future conflict was teased, some troubled pasts were hinted at, and various side plots were introduced. However, as the book progressed, it became increasingly rushed. The future conflict that seemed like an enormous deal at the beginning took less than a chapter to resolve. The heroine found out about the secret, rushed off, and they'd made up by the end of the very next chapter. The sex scene had a higher word count. This book just did not appeal to me the way I thought it would, but if you're looking for an easy, super quick brain cleanser, you might consider picking this up.

For as long as I can remember, Ilsa's books has always worked for me! The Kiss Lottery was just the quick read I needed to help me along during this week. And I'm a bit of a sucker for second chance romances and second chances in love. And as someone that seemed to be averse to friends to lovers, this one worked for me. I tend to have an issue when there's several years of silence between friends when something happened in high school. I get that it's the teenage years and emotions are high, but I feel like during such a large gap of time, everyone should get over it. I don't know why I'm complaining, I loved this one!

Whether you're a fan or new to Ilsa, The Kiss Lottery is the perfect book to pick for your February reads!

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for the ARC.

4.25/5

The Kiss Lottery was a cut Valentine's themed novella. I love Ilsa Madden-Mills romances that are on the angsty side and this one was definitely more on the cute-sy side. It was straight forward and to the point, but I didn't get the character development that I wanted. Because it was a novella, I wasn't getting the chemistry between Everly and Beckett even though this was a second chance romance. Overall, it was a cute Valentine's day themed novella - a solid 3 stars.

I really, really wanted to love this one. But It was just okay I am a big fan of this author, but trully this book was short story and not really deep.
I was a little let down 3.5 stars

A very cute, homey feel book. The story of a tragic loss of love at a young age only to find that love again and allow yourself to accept it back into your life. The little things Beckett did to show her he cared was top notch and he is the sweetest man on earth. I just loved Everly’s sass! Fritz was a fav as well. Not spicy (one sence at like 85%) but it was just a feel good vibe of loss and love!

4 star plot
1 star spice

I had so much fun with this book. I loved how when Ev came back to town Beckette was accepting of it but we learn he has ulterior motives! Ev and her friends had me cracking up at their antics and situations they got in. I was smitten with this small town. Beckette got himself together and finally told his side to Everly and why he treated her the way he did all those years ago. I was glad that she realized that she was apart of the town and everyone welcomed her back. Beckette and Everly got their closure and their long overdue HEA!

The Kiss Lottery by Ilsa Madden-Mills was a quick, easy and enjoyable read.

Everly Davis is a podcaster who left her hometown of Rose many years ago. She didn't leave under the best circumstances, so coming back to town is a big deal. She received an invitation to the annual Kiss Lottery, so she is intrigued by that and decides to cover it for her podcast.

Beckett Whitfield is a best-selling author who never left Rose. He's also never forgotten Everly, who he was pretty close with in high school, and named the villain in his latest novel after her.

As Everly and Beckett spend time together it's clear that the feelings of the past are not in the past. Will they be able to connect where they are now or will past issues continue to creep back in?

The secondary characters in this story was really entertaining and their relationships with Everly and Beckett were great. While this was stated to be a novella, I felt like it was longer than a typical novella, which allowed the story to be developed and it didn't feel like the story was shorted at all. I enjoyed this second-chance romance!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Fun and cute novella! Loved it! Liked the chemistry and dialog between characters. Satisfying ending. Will keep am eye out for this author in the future.

4 stars.

This was a sweet second chance story. Easy and quick to read, a great palate cleanser!

WHAT I LIKED: the main characters, the setting.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I'm not sure the courthouse B&E (and the subplot of why they did it) was very necessary, it felt a bit unconnected somehow. The miscommunication in the past.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Pov: dual, 1st person
Heat: open doors
Pacing: slowburn
Communication: miscommunication, especially in the past
Third act: hiccups
Ending: HEA

Main characters:
* Childhood friends to enemies to lovers

What?
* Forced proximity
* Second chance

Where?
* Return to hometown
* Small town

Drama?
* Dark secret
* Difficult past
* Family drama
* Love triangle (in the past mostly)
* Secret identity (who send the invitation?)

Other vibes:
* The one that got away

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I loved a short and sweet novella and this one filled that void. Was it the best love story I've ever read? No. But was it fun? Sure!
Evelyn Davis has been away from her hometown for 10 years, running away from her mistakes. When she's called back for their annual Kiss Lottery, she answers that call figuring the content will be good for her social media platform. But she secretly hopes to reconnect with her BFF, Beckett Whitfield who made her the villain in his most recent book, and find out just why he did it. Despite the time and distance, neither has forgotten the other, and their connection brings them closer the more time they spend together in their home town. Will the connection lead to a second chance for their love?
Evelyn was a likeable enough character. I could see where people would connect with her. She was a bit whiny for my taste. I did feel badly she really didn't have any family to speak of and how hard that would be to come back home and not have anyone on her side. There was a lot of her telling us about her past, though we did get a few flashbacks, as well. But I needed more showing of her story. Beckett was not as developed, in my opinion. I needed a bit more from his character. It's been 10 years and he's still pining? and she never knew? I just don't feel that being a real thing. I needed more about him and who he is. Plus their age didn't really vibe with their persona on the page. They felt much younger than almost 30 year olds. Overall, the character development was lacking for me. As was the chemistry. They kind of fall back into each other but I never really felt the build I needed to have it happen. And the sex scene was just not my cup of tea.
This story was great for a quick, romantic Valentine's day read. Very predictable and just a bit cheesey. The author did a nice enough job building the world and wrapping up the story in the short span of the story. It could have used a bit more character development as I didn't feel much connection or empathy for either main character. I could definitely see this as a full length novel and think the development would have been better had it been such. If you're a lover of Hallmark stories, this one will definitely fill that slot. This is my first time reading this author and I can see she has great bones for romance books. I would definitely pick up her other books and give them a try.

The kiss lottery is about Everly who is returning to her hometown after leaving town years ago. Everly gets anonymous invite to come back to town to film her podcast. In town, everly runs into her ex-best friend Beckett. Everly and Beckett were very close when they were younger and had a bad falling out. Everly and Beckett are both entered in the town's Kissing lottery. Everly and Beckett start to reconnect and finally sort out their past issues. The ending seemed a little rushed. I did enjoy Everly and beckett.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me, I felt the relationships between characters too unrealistic and I was not able to engage with the setting or the premise of a lottery. It was easy to follow though.

This book was addictive— the way the plot unravelled made me want to keep reading. The characters were well-structured, had dimension, and shared amazing chemistry.
The book presents us with a small mystery that we feel compelled to solve, though deep in our hearts we already knew the answer. Everly portrays herself as tough but turns out to be a softie, which made me relate to her. Beckett is a softie through and through— he can't fool me. Their long-lasting romance perfectly complements the plot, and their sweet history melts my heart. The spicy scenes were well-written and made me swoon.
I'm giving this 4.5 stars because something felt missing, though I can't quite put my finger on what. The fact that the plot wasn't solely focused on their love story helped push this rating above 3 stars.

This story is funny and lovely. I read it in two days and, at the end, I feel like I'll miss Rose people.
Beckett is such a cinnamon roll...

This is a quick read but it is a feel good story. It is dual POV between Everly and Beckett which I felt tells the story nicely. I feel like there could have been more detail with Everly and her family back story but all in all it was a cute story with a second chance that turned out well.