Reviews with content warning for Body shaming - Kiss Her Once for Me

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Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

15 reviews

bloomed's review

funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

the good: this is a really easy read with a pretty heart-warming story and some funny moments. the cast of characters is extremely diverse (in race, gender, neurodivergence, and sexuality) and, overall, with a few exceptions, respectfully written. i’d love to see more books with this level of inclusion, especially ones this lighthearted! even during the more fraught parts, there was a fair bit of queer joy to be found here.

the so-so: some of the queer themes felt a little… introductory, like the characters were sometimes mouthpieces that were meant to explain certain identities to the reader, rather than believing the (ostensibly queer) target audience will inherently understand or have the wherewithal to educate themselves on things like, for example, demisexuality; it cropped up more often in the beginning, when the story’s foundation was being laid, but it really struck me and pulled me out of the moment every time it happened, because the characters would suddenly stop talking like actual, human people, and instead start to sound like they were speaking in clunky definitions, just to make absolutely sure that i knew what they were talking about. there were similar blips in the actual writing, where it would take a brief nosedive in (what i assume was) the author’s attempt to ensure that the reader understands what she was trying to communicate. see: the main character, ellie, often thinks of her love interest, a woman named jack, as… well, “the woman named jack”. it felt like she continually used that turn of phrase so as to avoid any confusion about jack’s gender identity, given the ambiguity of her name—but maybe it was just a stylistic quirk? either way, it bounced off of me every time it happened.

the ugly: while the first fifty to seventy-five percent of this was a fun, cute, queer, christmas-y romp, the meat of the conflict that arose in the back half of the story was frustrating, to say the least. the sheer amount of miscommunication (and there is a lot of it!) just didn’t work for me, and neither did the way the characters started to behave as a result of said miscommunication. usually, it’s a trope that doesn’t bother me (in fact, #hottake, i kind of enjoy it when executed properly!), but it just didn’t land for me here. it wasn’t enough to turn me off of the story completely, but i did find myself confused at why certain characters were being nailed for their perceived bad behavior, while others were given “get out of jail free” cards, especially toward the last handful of chapters. so many things would’ve been resolved immediately if the characters sat down and talked for a few minutes, and it felt like the only reason they didn’t was to draw the story out. at a few points, i had to put the book down and remind myself that it’s not, in fact, that serious, and that i shouldn’t be getting annoyed at fictional characters being weird, irrational assholes at each other.

still, this is a pretty solid 3/5 stars for me—but it would’ve been even better if it felt like the author trusted the reader to understand what she was putting down, and if the amount of miscommunication was scaled back, if only by a little bit.

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lizziaha's review

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Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Now I’m not normally a miscommunication hater, but it felt unnecessary and played up in this book, and that’s truly the thing that’s holding me back from giving this book a higher rating. One tiny little conversation should have been had way earlier in the book. I guess that’s just part of accepting the premise, but it was distracting. Otherwise, i loved this! The relationships formed, the found family, the Christmas, the second (third) chance romance, the fake dating, the queerness, the characters (all pretty unique and fleshed out) were all fantastic!

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Title: Kiss Her Once for Me
Author: Alison Cochrun
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: November 1, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Thoughtful • Nostalgic • Messy

📖 S Y N O P S I S

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.

💭 T H O U G H T S

The Charm Offensive was an absolute hit for me, so of course, I was keeping an eye on new books from Alison Cochrun. It just may have taken me over a year to finally pick up Kiss Her Once For Me. Unfortunately, this one didn't have the same experience as her debut.

Honestly, the premise sounded kind of ridiculous, so I knew going in, I'd have to suspend belief in order to appreciate this big hearted romcom. Marriage-of-convivence is a trope I often struggle to become fully invested in and it was no different with this one, especially when you add in the love triangle and lack of communication elements. Additionally, I wouldn't necessarily classify this as a holiday read, rather it just has strong winter vibes.

This book delivers an incredibly diverse cast of characters with representation spanning ADHD, anxiety disorders, bisexuality, demisexuality, and nonbinary. It was just all very well done. I also found myself appreciating the growth of the main character, the self-discovery theme, and the quirky family more than the actual romance aspect.

Overall, Kiss Her Once for Me didn't live up to my expectations, yet I don't know if it was really the book itself or rather just it containing elements that I don't love. I am curious and looking forward to see where Here We Go Again, Alison Cochrun's upcoming 2024 release will land for me.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• cozy romance
• queer romcoms (demisexual rep)
• love triangles

⚠️ CW: toxic parental relationship, emotional abuse, child abuse, biphobia, transphobia, lesbophobia, homophobia, mental illness, generalized anxiety, panic attacks/disorders, alcoholism, infidelity, sexual content, alcohol, abandonment, cursing, drug use, classism, bullying, gaslighting, ableism, racism, body shaming, fatphobia, death, misogyny, sexism, divorce

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Your trauma is something that happened to you; it’s not who you are."

"We all have seasons of needing and seasons of giving."

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uranaishi's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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dojipengin's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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readandfindout's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.5

Style/writing: 3.5 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 2.5 stars

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haileyhardcover's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Very recently, in a review for a book I was massively disappointed by, I wrote that I hate first person point of view and it never reads well. I take it back. It sometimes reads very, very well. Case in point, Kiss Her Once for Me.

I loved this book. It was everything I wanted in a sapphic Christmas romcom. Ellie and Jack were both delightful and seemed to be fully fleshed out characters. Even when Ellie was thinking completely illogically, I still fully understood her thought process and how she could feel and respond the way she did. The characters made SENSE, even when they weren’t making sense. Fully developed characters are my favorite. Also, Meemaw and Lovey? Iconic. I’m obsessed.

Though the premise of this story isn’t unique (why are there SO MANY sapphic holiday books that involve fake-dating the brother of the girl the MC ends up falling for??), this was well executed. The characters were all so easy to love, the pace was perfect, the spice (though brief) was good, and it made me both laugh and cry. The one thing I would’ve loved was for the bits of Ellie’s webcomic “Snow Day” to have actually included the art. It was very cool to read Ellie & Jack’s origin story through her eyes in that way, woven throughout the rest of the story, but it would’ve been so cool for the book to be part graphic novel in that way. I would love to see a special edition come out that included the webcomic as Ellie would’ve published it.

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kbairbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ugh my heart. I really enjoyed this read. The anxiety rep was so good (in my opinion), the therapy aspects at the end I enjoyed, the familial relationships of the Kim-Prescotts I enjoyed, the details, the story snippets, the air stream, and the bakery. I think my biggest meh thing about this book is that I didn’t necessarily vibe with the two main characters at times? And I didn’t feel their connection as well as I have for other romance books. But overall I liked the story, the growth, and the delicious christmassy queerness of it all.

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reading_rebellion's review

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emotional lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

It's okay. Not an easy fun read! I almost didn't finish this book tbh. The pace was too slow for me.

The dialogue was hard to get through for me. I do appreciate the not so perfect relationship dynamics and mental health representation, but the MC was a bit whiney and insufferable at times. Didn't love the "half moon smile" and Swiftie references every other chapter. Overall okay. Wouldn't read again.

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therainbowshelf's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Extremely adorable and fun to read! After trying and bailing on several Christmas romances this year, I finally found one that was a keeper. Romance can be really hit or miss with me, and I was worried that this one, which combines tropes like crazy, wouldn't fly and I'm super glad I gave it a chance!

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