Kiss Her Once for Me: A Novel
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- Create Date：2022-09-22 11:21:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alison Cochrun
- ISBN：1797150030
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Summary
One year ago， recent Portland transplant Ellie Oliver had her dream job in animation and a Christmas Eve meet-cute with a woman at a bookstore that led her to fall in love over the course of a single night。 But after a betrayal the next morning and the loss of her job soon after， she finds herself adrift， alone， and desperate for money。
Finding work at a local coffee shop， she’s just getting through the days—until Andrew， the shop’s landlord， proposes a shocking， drunken plan: a marriage of convenience that will give him his recent inheritance and alleviate Ellie’s financial woes and isolation。 They make a plan to spend the holidays together at his family cabin to keep up the ruse。 But when Andrew introduces his new fiancée to his sister， Ellie is shocked to discover it’s Jack—the mysterious woman she fell for over the course of one magical Christmas Eve the year before。 Now， Ellie must choose between the safety of a fake relationship and the risk of something real。
Finding work at a local coffee shop， she’s just getting through the days—until Andrew， the shop’s landlord， proposes a shocking， drunken plan: a marriage of convenience that will give him his recent inheritance and alleviate Ellie’s financial woes and isolation。 They make a plan to spend the holidays together at his family cabin to keep up the ruse。 But when Andrew introduces his new fiancée to his sister， Ellie is shocked to discover it’s Jack—the mysterious woman she fell for over the course of one magical Christmas Eve the year before。 Now， Ellie must choose between the safety of a fake relationship and the risk of something real。
Reviews
Susan
，
This was the Christmas book I needed in September！ Loved how messy these characters are。 It’s so relatable。 It also made me want snow。I was provided an advanced copy of this book which has not affected my review。
Cortney
，
“On a snow day in Portland， you could fall in love。”This book left me longing for the Christmas season and snow， for Hallmark movies -but make them queer with a great meet cute。 This in itself is amazing， seeing as how I personally hate the snow。 It also made me want to give Portland another chance （no offence Portland， I did not enjoy you）。 Honestly， this is one of the best Christmas themed books I’ve ever read， and was made even better by the amazing queer representation。 By no means did this “On a snow day in Portland， you could fall in love。”This book left me longing for the Christmas season and snow， for Hallmark movies -but make them queer with a great meet cute。 This in itself is amazing， seeing as how I personally hate the snow。 It also made me want to give Portland another chance （no offence Portland， I did not enjoy you）。 Honestly， this is one of the best Christmas themed books I’ve ever read， and was made even better by the amazing queer representation。 By no means did this book leave me cringing at all。 It was well done， beautifully and eloquently written。This book does have some trigger warnings （kudos to the writer for including those at the beginning）: mental health - specifically GAD and Depression， family trauma - estrangement and neglect， encounters of biphobia and transphobia， adulteryThere are also some spicy scenes and some mild drug use。 However， this is one of the coziest queer RomComs I have read and I devoured it in a day。 Thank you to NetGalley， Simon & Schuster Canada and Atria Books for the ARC eBook in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Catherine Baker
，
I am so grateful to have received an ARC for this one。 Sapphic？ romcom？ Christmas？ yes， yes and yes。 And absolutely amazing read and a stunning follow up to Alison Cochrun's debut novel The Charm Offensive。 I am so grateful to have received an ARC for this one。 Sapphic？ romcom？ Christmas？ yes， yes and yes。 And absolutely amazing read and a stunning follow up to Alison Cochrun's debut novel The Charm Offensive。 。。。more
Sacha
，
4 stars Cochrun's sophomore submission - another fun contribution to the queer love canon - is filled with great characters， holiday cheer， and one angsty protagonist who needs to think about Ru's favorite question: 'If you can't love yourself， how。。。 ？' You know the rest。 Ellie， the m。c。， is a challenging protagonist for anyone who's been in her shoes。 She's at a rough point in her life: a perceived career failure， impending financial ruin， and lacking support from family and friends。 Most of a 4 stars Cochrun's sophomore submission - another fun contribution to the queer love canon - is filled with great characters， holiday cheer， and one angsty protagonist who needs to think about Ru's favorite question: 'If you can't love yourself， how。。。 ？' You know the rest。 Ellie， the m。c。， is a challenging protagonist for anyone who's been in her shoes。 She's at a rough point in her life: a perceived career failure， impending financial ruin， and lacking support from family and friends。 Most of all， she's hampered by her own doubts and fears。 This is why she often returns to a particularly magical past Christmas （P。S。， you BETTER love "Last Christmas" because it *will* be stuck in your head during the first part of this novel！） with a special surprise stranger。 The whirlwind concludes abruptly， but it never really ends in Ellie's mind （or heart - aaaaaw）。 A year later， Ellie finds herself edging up on another Christmas alone and with the memories of last year making her feel somehow even worse。 So， it's no surprise that she agrees to a truly wild drunken contract。 This changes the course of not only her next few weeks but really her whole life and sense of self。 I am bananas - still - for _The Charm Offensive_， and many of the same great qualities exist here: charm， romance， great characters， and solid representation。 For me， the pacing was way too slow throughout the whole first half of the novel。 It did ramp way up， but I think if I hadn't had such a love for Cochrun's first book （and resulting belief about the potential in this one）， I might have bailed too soon。 I'm glad I didn't。 This is an enjoyable， if slow-to-start queer romance with characters whom I either immediately grew to love or ultimately accepted。 Cochrun has a great voice and style， and I can't wait to read much more of her work in the future。 She remains on my instant request list。 Folks looking for a thoughtful queer romance - especially with some holiday flair - will enjoy this one with a heavy blanket， mulled wine， and a roaring fire （I say from a 90+-degree September）！ *Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc， which I received in exchange for an honest review。 The opinions expressed here are my own。 。。。more
Julia | Romance Book Expert
，
She has done it again folks！！ Alison Cochrun has filled my heart with joy and made me emotional with another delightful Queer Rom Com。 She has also done the impossible made me appreciate a book being in single POV。 This book is perfection and everyone should read it。 Also I hope that Hollywood is listening because this would make a fantastic movie。 I feel the same way about the charm offensive but this one especially reads like a movie。I’m hosting a virtual Q&A with the author on November 20th。 She has done it again folks！！ Alison Cochrun has filled my heart with joy and made me emotional with another delightful Queer Rom Com。 She has also done the impossible made me appreciate a book being in single POV。 This book is perfection and everyone should read it。 Also I hope that Hollywood is listening because this would make a fantastic movie。 I feel the same way about the charm offensive but this one especially reads like a movie。I’m hosting a virtual Q&A with the author on November 20th。 Sign up to join us here: https://forms。gle/TAXa8Ko79N8D6BQR9 。。。more
Ness （Vynexa）
，
Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review！More。 More Sapphic contemporary romances， please！ This novel left me craving more than I was before I read it！I was going to wait closer to release date to publish my review， but I need for everyone to know about this book！！Cochrun wrote such a magnificent story between not only two people， but with many other people who gave so much hope and love to our main character Ellie。 The relationship between El Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review！More。 More Sapphic contemporary romances， please！ This novel left me craving more than I was before I read it！I was going to wait closer to release date to publish my review， but I need for everyone to know about this book！！Cochrun wrote such a magnificent story between not only two people， but with many other people who gave so much hope and love to our main character Ellie。 The relationship between Ellie and Jack made me feel all types of things。 Not only did I feel every single emotion Ellie felt， but I felt the burning from Jack’s side， too。 Like nothing I have ever felt before while reading。 And boy， have I read a good amount of romances。It was so easy to fall into Ellie’s life as I connected with her in so many different ways， which means this story also kicked my ass by reminding myself that I am letting myself fail before I even get the chance to because I am so scared of failing。 As I mentioned at the top， there are people apart from the MC’s love interest in this novel that loved Ellie， that were a safe space for her when she needed it most。 Jack’s and Andrew’s family made me smile grossly any time we spent time with them， including Dylan， Jack’s best friend。 Meredith and Ari， Ellie’s best friends Meredith and Ari （even though she didn’t want to amidst Ari was definitely her bestie） held her up when she was close to falling on her knees， even when she did。I also loved the inclusion of art and baking。 As a Queer， I enjoy both things， though one I love seeing people do and one I enjoy participating in and no， I will not tell you which is which。 There’s nothing I adore more than seeing people find their home。 Whether it’s in an activity or a person/people。 This novel has both。While I have not read Cochrun’s debut， I have a mighty need to pick it up right now， but I want to make sure I don’t over consume on sweetness， as I am pre-diabetic。 You know？Anyway， yeah， this is one of my favorite reads of the year and I wish I had read it during winter time。 Who knows， I may just reread it in December。⭐️5 STARS⭐️ 。。。more
Peri Pendragon
，
At the start I was questioning if Ellie and Andrew were going to be paired together which I wasn’t looking forward to but I’m glad I was wrong。 Jack and Ellie’s relationship shows how opposites do attract and it’s not a picture perfect relationship at any point in the story。 The constant “will they won’t they” was the only reason I rated it 4 stars。 Yes that is the point of the book so I understand why it was there but I wanted them to have more moments together。 More “will they” instead of “won At the start I was questioning if Ellie and Andrew were going to be paired together which I wasn’t looking forward to but I’m glad I was wrong。 Jack and Ellie’s relationship shows how opposites do attract and it’s not a picture perfect relationship at any point in the story。 The constant “will they won’t they” was the only reason I rated it 4 stars。 Yes that is the point of the book so I understand why it was there but I wanted them to have more moments together。 More “will they” instead of “won’t they”I also loved the dynamic of the Kim-Prescott’s acting as a family for Ellie。 It wasn’t just a story about falling in love and those difficulties which I enjoyed。 Overall this book was a good read and I would recommend it to people in the future。 I received a free e-ARC from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Karen
，
I thoroughly enjoyed Cochrun's debut novel， The Charm Offensive， and so was looking forward to this second novel， and it did not disappoint。 It helps that I loved the rom-com While You Were Sleeping， because this novel is directly inspired by that 90s film。 I did have the same challenge that I usually do with characters with serious anxiety， which is that I overly identify with their distress and weep myself ill with empathy。 There is a happy ending -- not really a spoiler， since it's essentiall I thoroughly enjoyed Cochrun's debut novel， The Charm Offensive， and so was looking forward to this second novel， and it did not disappoint。 It helps that I loved the rom-com While You Were Sleeping， because this novel is directly inspired by that 90s film。 I did have the same challenge that I usually do with characters with serious anxiety， which is that I overly identify with their distress and weep myself ill with empathy。 There is a happy ending -- not really a spoiler， since it's essentially guaranteed by the genre -- but I thought that Ellie moved toward healing a little too quickly; I would have believed the ending more if there had been another 6 months in the timeline， although I know that such realism is not the way of most romance novels。 I appreciated that only one person in the novel was drop-dead gorgeous and that everyone else was much more ordinary looking， and yet it was still a sexy novel -- I'm all for more averagely-attractive representation in the genre！My thanks to NetGalley， which gave me access to an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Julia
，
While I do really enjoy Alison Cochrun， this one missed the mark for me。 I love the pitch， but the book ended up being kind of a bummer， which is not what I want from a Christmas romance。 Ellie is sad the whole time （understandably） and even happy moments feel sad underneath。 The whole book is one giant miscommunication trope， no matter how much it protests。 The Christmas-y elements in this are good and the setting is wonderful。 But it never focused on the things that mattered。 There's a whole m While I do really enjoy Alison Cochrun， this one missed the mark for me。 I love the pitch， but the book ended up being kind of a bummer， which is not what I want from a Christmas romance。 Ellie is sad the whole time （understandably） and even happy moments feel sad underneath。 The whole book is one giant miscommunication trope， no matter how much it protests。 The Christmas-y elements in this are good and the setting is wonderful。 But it never focused on the things that mattered。 There's a whole montage at the end that I would have loved to see on page。（view spoiler）[I also needed the couple to be happy and together， just for a minute。 They finally get together at the last minute， but it's hard to root for them because all we've seen is angst and not really a relationship。 （hide spoiler）]While this book didn't work for me， I still love Cochrun's writing and especially her side characters。 I'll be sure to pick up whatever's next。 。。。more
Jeimy
，
Let me paint you a picture: I'd had Covid for 6 days。 In that time my eyes could barely stay open to read books and I would drift into sleep as I tried to listen to my audiobooks。 At midnight on day 6 I tool my last dose of Paxlovid and since I wasn't sleepy I decided to read this one because I feared that picking up a thriller would keep me up too late。 Little did I know what Cochran had in store for me， that I would spend the next seven hours immersed in this book， or that I would end up getti Let me paint you a picture: I'd had Covid for 6 days。 In that time my eyes could barely stay open to read books and I would drift into sleep as I tried to listen to my audiobooks。 At midnight on day 6 I tool my last dose of Paxlovid and since I wasn't sleepy I decided to read this one because I feared that picking up a thriller would keep me up too late。 Little did I know what Cochran had in store for me， that I would spend the next seven hours immersed in this book， or that I would end up getting a tattoo based on this novel less than 12 hours after finishing it！The story is told in 2 parts: One is supposed to be a web comic written by Elle which chronicles the magical Christmas day she spent with Jack last year。 We get these chapters rather piecemeal as most of the narrative is spent on the current Christmas season。When she met Jack Eve was struggling at her dream job and thought she was exactly where she needed to be in life。 Fast forward a year and she was "fired" from said dream job， was miserable working at a coffee shop where the owner was belittling and took her for granted， and was facing being out on the street as a rent hike made her apartment unaffordable。 （view spoiler）[Perhaps Eve could afford her apartment if she didn't continually bail out her grifter mother， but that's another story。 （hide spoiler）]Enter Andrew， a handsome coffee shop regular who just happens to own the building the coffee shop is located in。 After witnessing how Eve was treated at her job， he takes Eve out on a "date" and proposes the arrangement we all read from the book's plot summary: a marriage of convenience for both of them。 Though Andrew knows that Eve had fallen in love last year， it was a complete shock to Eve when she was introduced to Jacqueline， Andrew's sister。 You see， Jacqueline is the mysterious Jack who stole Eve's heart last Christmas。Things get even more complicated when it becomes evident that Jack may also have feelings for someone who is also at the family's Christmas cabin。 Incidentally， Eve refers to their situation as a love parallelogram and--as I mentioned earlier--less than twelve hours after finishing the book I walked out of a tattoo parlor with a love parallelogram tattoo inspired by this book！ （Here's a link to the TikTok I made after getting the tattoo in case you are curious to see it: https://www。tiktok。com/@msjeimy/video。。。 ）The reason I stayed up until 7:00am reading is because I wanted to know how Eve and Andrew's ruse would implode and how Cochran would create sexual tension between Eve and Jack in an environment where it was hard to have a private moment。 Though I am a fast reader， I also stopped periodically to add any song mentioned on the book--and there are plenty--to a playlist created。 Needless to say， I was completely satisfied with my reading experience。 。。。more
Erica Shoults
，
If this isn't the top holiday romcom this season， I will riot。 Okay， maybe not， but I do think that this is my favorite Christmas romance I've ever read。Last Christmas， Ellie had a once in a lifetime type of connection with a woman she'd just met。 Spoiler alert: that lasted a single day。 This year， not only is she still heartbroken， but Ellie is broke。 Not "character in a book broke"， but realistically flat broke。 After losing her dream job， she's working as a barista and trying but failing to m If this isn't the top holiday romcom this season， I will riot。 Okay， maybe not， but I do think that this is my favorite Christmas romance I've ever read。Last Christmas， Ellie had a once in a lifetime type of connection with a woman she'd just met。 Spoiler alert: that lasted a single day。 This year， not only is she still heartbroken， but Ellie is broke。 Not "character in a book broke"， but realistically flat broke。 After losing her dream job， she's working as a barista and trying but failing to make ends meet。 Enter Andrew Kim-Prescott， who owns the building Ellie works in and needs a fake bride in order to receive his inheritance。 In exchange for a temporary blessed union and her presence at the Kim-Prescott family cabin for Christmas， Ellie stands to receive a remarkable amount of cash。What Ellie wasn't expecting was to arrive at the cabin with her "fiance" to find that his sister is the baker who broke her heart just last Christmas， Jack。 Add on that Jack's best friend Dylan has had an entanglement with Andrew， and you've got yourself one heck of a love trapezoid。I have too many good things to say。 The fact that Jack （oh how I loved Jack！） was a pretty great communicator really set the book apart for me。 Kiss Her Once For Me has impeccable Hallmark movie level cozy little Christmas vibes and has the added bonus of adding in realistic and well done queer/demisexual representation。 I will be re-reading this by the Christmas tree this year for sure。Thanks so much to Atria books as well as NetGalley for an advanced galley in exchange for my honest thoughts。 。。。more
Bea
，
RTCIm obsessed！！ I’m in love with this book。 This is one of the best things I’ve read all year！ I’ll have a real review later but for now I’m busy humming Celine Dion’s “It’s all coming back to me now”
Jade
，
This book was simultaneously one of my highly anticipated reads of the year and a book that I was slightly dreading reading in case it didn't live up to Cochrun's debut The Charm Offensive which is one of my all time favorite books。 That fear was completely unfounded， this book is wonderful。 Kiss Her Once for Me has a silly and frankly convoluted set up but don't let that scare you off cause just under that thin surface is a book about love， anxiety， failure， growth， family， found family， queer This book was simultaneously one of my highly anticipated reads of the year and a book that I was slightly dreading reading in case it didn't live up to Cochrun's debut The Charm Offensive which is one of my all time favorite books。 That fear was completely unfounded， this book is wonderful。 Kiss Her Once for Me has a silly and frankly convoluted set up but don't let that scare you off cause just under that thin surface is a book about love， anxiety， failure， growth， family， found family， queer joy， Christmas， and falling in love in the snow。 This book hits all the rom-com beats， had me laughing out loud and reading passages outload to my （mostly willing） roommate as well as made me NOT OKAY in the best way possible。 I loved all of the characters in this book and now with a sample of two I can confidently say that one of Cochrun's strengths is that she writes wonderful characters both as the stars of the love story but also to create a full life and support network for her mains。 The community of Queer friends/family/confidants that both Jack and Ellie have for themselves by the end of this book is powerful and wonderful。 Additionally， I love just how much queerness is in this book and as someone on the Asexual spectrum again LOVE the ace rep in this book。 I will also say this book felt quite a bit spicier then The Charm Offensive and I was not mad at it at all。This book gave me the warm fuzzy holiday feelings even on a hot summer day and I cant wait to read it again in front of my Christmas tree （probably over and over for the next several years） Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a free E-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Leslie at SheReadsRomanceBooks。com
，
2。5 starsI really wanted to love this considering how much I loved The Charm Offensive but this one was a bit too depressing for my tastes。 There’s only so much repetition about the fear of failure that I can take when there wasn’t more to balance it out and make me fall for these characters。 At least give me some good holiday feels but this is not a holiday romcom despite one attempt to make holiday cookies and they got a tree…。I love how Cochrun’s adding more queer romances to the world but th 2。5 starsI really wanted to love this considering how much I loved The Charm Offensive but this one was a bit too depressing for my tastes。 There’s only so much repetition about the fear of failure that I can take when there wasn’t more to balance it out and make me fall for these characters。 At least give me some good holiday feels but this is not a holiday romcom despite one attempt to make holiday cookies and they got a tree…。I love how Cochrun’s adding more queer romances to the world but this one missed the mark for me （it’s probably a me not you thing）*I received an advanced reader copy。 All opinions are mine。 FRTC 。。。more
Veronica
，
ARC via Netgalley。 I loved The Charm Offensive so I was excited to get this advance copy but I really struggled to get through Kiss Her Once for Me。 Several things made it not for me， but it may still be for you！ First and foremost， it's written in the first person。 I just。。。 do not like that， and I hate this new trend of authors starting out writing in third and then swapping to first in later books （e。g。 The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang， Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood）。 I trusted you to ARC via Netgalley。 I loved The Charm Offensive so I was excited to get this advance copy but I really struggled to get through Kiss Her Once for Me。 Several things made it not for me， but it may still be for you！ First and foremost， it's written in the first person。 I just。。。 do not like that， and I hate this new trend of authors starting out writing in third and then swapping to first in later books （e。g。 The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang， Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood）。 I trusted you to be writing in the POV I like！！！ I also just do not believe in love at first sight / 24 hour love， so the foundation of the story （that Jack and Elle fell for each other over the course of a single day and have stayed in love while wretchedly pining for The One Who Got Away for an entire year） doesn't work for me。 Like， do I believe that Elle has fixated on the story about Jack that she made up in her own head as part of her personal depression spiral narrative？ Yes。 Do I believe that's love or a stable basis for a happy ending？ No。 And finally， （view spoiler）[the way Jack treats Elle about the money is。。。 weird。 Why should Elle have to grovel and publicly humiliate herself to apologize for accepting an offer for a LIFE-CHANGING amount of money？ Why is this such a big deal？ Oh noooooooooo you felt betrayyyyyyyyed that someone living in grinding poverty with none of the privilege and familial support that you take for granted was willing to lie to you for TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS。 Go touch grass。 I believed in the happy ending of Elle setting a boundary with her horrible mother and her friends rallying around her and her finding her community and starting to claw her way out of the hole with their support。 Jack didn't belong in it and I hated that grovel scene SO MUCH。 （hide spoiler）]So， unfortunately， not the cute sapphic Christmas romance I was hoping for！ For the folks who are in it for the demisexual and anxiety rep， I hope that this is good for you even though it wasn't good for me。 。。。more
Aubrey
，
Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC。 I loved all of this book。 The cast of characters is wonderful， and their interactions make the book so delightful。 It reminds me of my weird， wonderful friendships and I love the reality of it。 Ellie’s anxiety is also very relatable。 Overall， I really appreciate this book for being a cozy queer romance read while also tackling really big emotions。
Kalyn✨
，
If you’re looking for a charming holiday-themed second-chance romance with sapphic characters， you’ll adore Kiss Her Once for Me。Ellie’s marriage of convenience gets a lot more complicated when her fiancé’s sister turns out to be the one-night-stand she fell in love with last year。 Does she stay with her fake fiancé for the money， or does she take a risk with a girl she’s already had bad luck with？I thought this was a great twist on the classic fake dating trope and I'm obsessed with it。 The atm If you’re looking for a charming holiday-themed second-chance romance with sapphic characters， you’ll adore Kiss Her Once for Me。Ellie’s marriage of convenience gets a lot more complicated when her fiancé’s sister turns out to be the one-night-stand she fell in love with last year。 Does she stay with her fake fiancé for the money， or does she take a risk with a girl she’s already had bad luck with？I thought this was a great twist on the classic fake dating trope and I'm obsessed with it。 The atmosphere felt so warm and cozy， the side-characters were loveable， and the romance was swoon-worthy。 I usually hate insta-love， but this is the exception as I would’ve instantly fallen in love with Jack too。I wanted to give this book 5 stars but the way Ellie was blamed for things that weren't her fault and never stood up for herself bothered me。 Jack’s refusal to accept she was mostly to blame for their first chance failing was particularly irritating since I loved her character so much otherwise。Overall， I loved this book so much and I highly recommend picking it up。 You can get a copy of Kiss Her Once for Me when it comes out on November 1。Thank you to Atria Books/Simon & Schuster Canada for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Eva Leaden
，
Alison Cochrun could write literally anything and I would adore it。 This holiday themed sapphic romance was everything I needed/wanted/expected and more。 I couldn’t love the Kim-Prescott family more if I tried （except for Alan。 F U Alan）Andrew， needing to get married to access his trust， and Ellie， broke as can be and needing a cut of the cash， make a deal to get married for a year so they each get what they want。 This all goes to shit though when celebrating Christmas at his family’s cabin wher Alison Cochrun could write literally anything and I would adore it。 This holiday themed sapphic romance was everything I needed/wanted/expected and more。 I couldn’t love the Kim-Prescott family more if I tried （except for Alan。 F U Alan）Andrew， needing to get married to access his trust， and Ellie， broke as can be and needing a cut of the cash， make a deal to get married for a year so they each get what they want。 This all goes to shit though when celebrating Christmas at his family’s cabin where his ex Dylan and Ellie’s fling Jack are there。 Oh and Jack… Andrew’s sister。 Dylan？ Jack’s best friend。 It’s all a very messy love trapezoid as Ellie calls it。The Charm Offensive was one of my absolute favorites this year and I knew when I saw the arcs for this one I was determined to get it！！ It took me a bit to finally finish it （these days， if there’s no audio to help me read the book it simply will take me months） HIGHLY recommend for all holiday reads， sapphic romance lovers， The Charm Offensive fans， and any romance lovers。 It was phenomenal。 。。。more
Meghan
，
i-this book broke my heart and then mended it back in little pieces i’m absolutely obsessed。 heart eyes。
Julia
，
ARC review！I was so excited when I received this ARC as The Charm Offensive was my Favorite book of 2021。 Unfortunately， this book does not have the same “charm”。 I deeply appreciated that it leaned into and acknowledged the tropes that it pulled from but unfortunately it did so in the most predictable of ways。 There was nothing overly likeable about any of the characters in this book and the situations felt somewhat contrived。 Overall， it is definitely not an unenjoyable read it is simply “meh” ARC review！I was so excited when I received this ARC as The Charm Offensive was my Favorite book of 2021。 Unfortunately， this book does not have the same “charm”。 I deeply appreciated that it leaned into and acknowledged the tropes that it pulled from but unfortunately it did so in the most predictable of ways。 There was nothing overly likeable about any of the characters in this book and the situations felt somewhat contrived。 Overall， it is definitely not an unenjoyable read it is simply “meh”。 。。。more
Dannie Lynn Fountain
，
Alison knocks it out of the park yet again with this one。 Ellie’s story is one you can’t help but tumble into - and to get out you have to work through a bit of your own shit too。 Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy！
Annie
，
This one hurts。 Y'all I simply adore Alison on a personal level and loved Charm。 I think she definitely has a future in the industry， but KHOFM fell very flat for me and I hate to even say those words。 After days of thinking about how reading this left me feeling， overall I've determined that it was just very put-down-able。 Look。 I did not HATE this book by any means， and there were parts that I really enjoyed （Meemaw and Lovey were absolute perfection; the Butch Oven had me cracking up; and I r This one hurts。 Y'all I simply adore Alison on a personal level and loved Charm。 I think she definitely has a future in the industry， but KHOFM fell very flat for me and I hate to even say those words。 After days of thinking about how reading this left me feeling， overall I've determined that it was just very put-down-able。 Look。 I did not HATE this book by any means， and there were parts that I really enjoyed （Meemaw and Lovey were absolute perfection; the Butch Oven had me cracking up; and I related hardcore to the failure-to-launch plot）， but there was just a lot trying to happen that ultimately left a number of plot points lacking （Alan's story-line added nothing; Ellie and Andrew's relationship needed more; the demisexual rep felt forced and unnecessary）。 Then the ones that weren't lacking， were so repetitive that it felt exhausting because you were just beat over the head with them so much， and nothing had changed， so it was just the same issue complained about over and over again （Ellie getting "fired"; Ellie's family dynamics）。It just did not all work together。 I will absolutely be looking towards Cochran's next release but I cannot say that this is a recommended read from me。 。。。more
Amanda
，
This was a very sweet sapphic romance set during 2021 and 2022 Christmas。 We have a lot of flashbacks in the form of Ellie's web comic about how she met Jack。 So we get to see through Ellie's eyes what happened last year and where she is in her life this year。 The entire book is told from Ellie's POV。 This is a re-telling of While You Were Sleeping。 Like I said， this was very sweet。 I thought all the main plot points were cute and a lot of creative foils and forced proximity situations caused ou This was a very sweet sapphic romance set during 2021 and 2022 Christmas。 We have a lot of flashbacks in the form of Ellie's web comic about how she met Jack。 So we get to see through Ellie's eyes what happened last year and where she is in her life this year。 The entire book is told from Ellie's POV。 This is a re-telling of While You Were Sleeping。 Like I said， this was very sweet。 I thought all the main plot points were cute and a lot of creative foils and forced proximity situations caused our heroines to be alone together。 Favorite part of the book: Andrew and Jack's family， specifically their mom and grandmas， Meemaw & Lovey。 Their dad can go away， he's the worst。 Okay， the not so glowing thoughts。。。 I thought it was very repetitive。 The verbiage， the descriptions， the mental circles Ellie keeps going in。 The characters keep circling the same emotional circles too often and I don't feel like we actually make progress until the end of the story。 Also， I worried about Andrew a lot and I know he was just there to be a plot device that delivers Ellie into Jack's life again， but I was weirdly invested in what was going on with him。 I kept thinking "Where did Andrew go？" "How is Andrew doing？" "What is going on with Andrew and Dylan？" it made the scenes with Jack felt weirdly like cheating， and I knew it shouldn't but it all felt deceptive。 I guess I was hoping for some more Ellie and Andrew interaction and more communication between those 2 characters。 I absolutely loved Alison's first novel The Charm Offensive and maybe I used that too strongly as a measuring stick for this book。 It just felt like it was missing some of the deep character exploration that we got from her debut novel。 。。。more
Saadia
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4。5⭐️TW: emotional abuse， parental neglect and abandonment， panic attacks， divorce， death of grandparent， homophobia， biphobia， transphobia， generalized anxiety disorder， infidelity The Charm Offensive was one of my favorite reads of last year。 As such， I was very excited to read Kiss Her Once For Me。 It started off really strong and I felt emotionally invested in the story; however， by the end of the book， I felt it was not as great as TCO， especially in terms of mental health representation， b 4。5⭐️TW: emotional abuse， parental neglect and abandonment， panic attacks， divorce， death of grandparent， homophobia， biphobia， transphobia， generalized anxiety disorder， infidelity The Charm Offensive was one of my favorite reads of last year。 As such， I was very excited to read Kiss Her Once For Me。 It started off really strong and I felt emotionally invested in the story; however， by the end of the book， I felt it was not as great as TCO， especially in terms of mental health representation， but still a solid sophomore， cozy sapphic holiday romance novel by Alison Cochrun that portrayed an interracial relationship between a white bi-sexual and biracial Korean-American butch lesbian。 Tropes: - marriage of convenience/ fake fiancé - forced proximity- one bed - insta love - miscommunication - found family - dual timeline - single POV What I liked: - I appreciated the bisexual， Demi sexual and non-binary representation and the representation of anxiety caused by a paralyzing fear of failure。 - I loved that Ellie was an animator and used her comic strips as a way to escape reality and developed a knack for perfectionism as a coping mechanism of her parental neglect and abandonment issues。 I haven’t read a romance novel before with this choice of profession， which made it unique for me。 - I also admired Ellie’s character growth， where she learned to develop boundaries with her awful mother， become more vulnerable， and work towards overcoming her fear of failure。 - I loved the Portland setting and the banter between Andrew and Ellie was fun。 - The meet cute between Ellie and Jack was at a bookstore， which is a book lover’s dream！ - The celebration of the Christmas traditions of Andrew and Jack’s family was enjoyable to read and gave the story the perfect cozy holiday vibes。 What I wished for （these are not flaws， rather personal preferences）: - I wish there had been redemption for Ellie’s toxic parents especially her mother but maybe there are some relationships that are irreparable。 - I would have liked to see a more in-depth exploration of therapy。 - While I think the cover is beautiful， it would have been so cool if it portrayed Ellie and Jack standing outside an Airstream with a dog！ ————————————————————————**SPOILERS AHEAD**————————————————————————Ellie and Andrew slept with other people while they were in a fake fiancé arrangement。 I’m not sure if this would be considered infidelity given they were fake dating; however， some readers may feel conflicted about this or may not like it。The book also uses the miscommunication and insta love tropes， which may bother some readers as these tropes seem to widely unpopular。Thank you to the publisher and Net galley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Laurel
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Oh。 My。 God。 I can't even begin to express just how absolutely obsessed I am with this book。 It took me a day and a half to get through it， at a time in my life where I'm so busy with other stuff， I can't even understand how I got through it this fast。 I missed my metro stop on my way to class yesterday because I was so engrossed in this story I forgot about reality for a moment。 I've cried so much in the last 24h of reading this book and I now owe Alison Cochrun my heart， my soul， and my life。 Oh。 My。 God。 I can't even begin to express just how absolutely obsessed I am with this book。 It took me a day and a half to get through it， at a time in my life where I'm so busy with other stuff， I can't even understand how I got through it this fast。 I missed my metro stop on my way to class yesterday because I was so engrossed in this story I forgot about reality for a moment。 I've cried so much in the last 24h of reading this book and I now owe Alison Cochrun my heart， my soul， and my life。 Everything about this book is perfection。 And I know it's all about failure and how not everything works out exactly the way you want it to， but this book is the epitome of perfect sapphic romance novels。 It is one of my favourite books this year， hands down， and I'm so thankful to have gotten an ARC for it so I could read it at exactly the right time。 This is now the second holiday romance I've read this year， in August， and I am so insanely excited for Christmas it's not even funny how much time there is left until December。 This was cozy， and fluffy， and heartwarming， and heart wrenching， and everything in between。 It had me squealing in my pillow， giggling on public transport， sobbing over my morning cup of coffee。 I haven't been able to focus on much else， this book has taken over my life， and I am so grateful for it。 I am IN。 LOVE。 with Jack。 This is actually the second butch lesbian named Jack in a rom-com that I've read this year that I've fallen madly in love with （maybe I have a type）。 Everything about her is just。。。 perfection。 And her dynamic with Ellie is， I think， every person's dream。 I love them both so much， it actually makes me incredibly sad that they're just fictional characters in a book that will never really come to life。 The characters were great， the relationships were so raw and real， the writing was stellar: it just is a perfect book， I literally don't think I could ask for more。 I genuinely don't know how else to explain how amazing this book is。 I'm at a bit of a loss for words， and I kind of just want to read it all over again to experience it a second （third， fourth， …） time。 I need everyone to pick this book up when it comes out in November because I can guarantee that it will flip your whole world upside down。 This has officially become my number 1 sapphic romance recommendation and I will not shut up about it for the next。。。 millennia at least。 Thank you Alison Cochrun， for putting this book out into the world and giving me the chance to cry over two characters that resemble me in ways that are too personal for me to admit。 Perfection from the very first page all the way to the very last sentence。Source: NetGalley 。。。more
Paige Darville-O'Quinn
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Absolutely obsessed with Allison Cochrun’s sapphic Christmas romcom！ I’ve been so excited for this book ever since I read the Charm Offensive last year and found out the author of was coming out with a wlw romance and it did not disappoint in the slightest！Last year Ellie Oliver met a stranger on Christmas Eve and fell in love over the course of a crazy snow day together。 Fast forward to this Christmas and Ellie’s broke and unsure of her future when she gets roped into a fake engagement scheme w Absolutely obsessed with Allison Cochrun’s sapphic Christmas romcom！ I’ve been so excited for this book ever since I read the Charm Offensive last year and found out the author of was coming out with a wlw romance and it did not disappoint in the slightest！Last year Ellie Oliver met a stranger on Christmas Eve and fell in love over the course of a crazy snow day together。 Fast forward to this Christmas and Ellie’s broke and unsure of her future when she gets roped into a fake engagement scheme with Andrew， the landlord of the coffee shop she works at to help him get his inheritance。 But when she gets to Andrew’s family’s cabin for Christmas， she finds out that his sister， Jack， is the woman she fell in love with last year。This book had everything I could want in a romance。 Cochrun spins the fake dating and marriage of convenience tropes on their heads by having our heroine be in love with her fake fiancé’s sister rather than Andrew himself。 It adds an element of yearning and forbidden romance to Ellie and Jack’s relationship that’s so fun to watch build。A million thank yous to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the arc in exchange for honest review 。。。more
Kayla
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4。5 rounded down！ ALISON HAS DONE IT AGAIN！！！ I was so excited to read this but also nervous at the same time because I LOVED The Charm Offensive so much but this did not disappoint！！ Ellie and Jack are both wonderful characters， they feel so real and fleshed out and I genuinely adore them both。 This book is obviously a romance BUT it’s so much more than that。 It’s also about breaking negative cycles that don’t serve you， learning how to communicate better， and learning to not set yourself up fo 4。5 rounded down！ ALISON HAS DONE IT AGAIN！！！ I was so excited to read this but also nervous at the same time because I LOVED The Charm Offensive so much but this did not disappoint！！ Ellie and Jack are both wonderful characters， they feel so real and fleshed out and I genuinely adore them both。 This book is obviously a romance BUT it’s so much more than that。 It’s also about breaking negative cycles that don’t serve you， learning how to communicate better， and learning to not set yourself up for failure/being okay when things don’t go as planned。 Ellie really struggles throughout the book with certain patterns she has and I loved seeing her journey and her finally work through some of these patterns and understanding why she acts this way and how she can better herself。 I also think the way these more serious issues were balanced with lighthearted fun moments was PERFECT。 The pacing was amazing and I was feeling all the feelings and literally stayed up til 4am so I could finish reading it。 This book is also very much for the Swifties！！！ So many Taylor Swift references （so if you don’t like her， you might get annoyed because they do pop up frequently） and so many situations within the book clearly relate to her songs （all too well 👀） and I really liked that aspect of it。 I also think that the anxiety rep was extremely well done， just like it was in The Charm Offensive。 I really loved this book and the only reason I’m taking off 。5 from the rating is because I had some issues with how the third act played out but ultimately， all the positives outshine and outweigh the few negatives in the last 20%。 Thank you so much to Atria and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC！ 。。。more
Katie
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A sapphic romance？ With Taylor Swift references？ And characters who believe that Lover and evermore are her best albums （respectively）？ And a fake relationship？ That was relevant to my life？？？？ Alison Cochrun wrote a PERFECT book wow。
booksandzoe
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the first half was great but THE SECOND HALF。 EXCELLENT。 that’s how you write a strong second half like omg。
Corinne
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