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cats33's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexism, Infidelity, Biphobia, Grief, Homophobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Racism and Vomit
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
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."
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Homophobia, Gaslighting, Transphobia, Biphobia, Child abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexism, Infidelity, Fatphobia, Ableism, Cursing, Drug use, Classism, Bullying, Racism, Body shaming, Death, and Misogyny
generalized anxiety, divorceuranaishi's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Fatphobia, Body shaming, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Vomit, Biphobia, Ableism, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death of parent, Homophobia, Outing, and Racism
taynicole2698's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
Minor: Biphobia, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Sexism, Ableism, Bullying, and Racism
readandfindout's review against another edition
3.5
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 2.5 stars
Graphic: Classism, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Abandonment, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Child abuse
Minor: Ableism, Gaslighting, Racism, Misogyny, Transphobia, Death, and Body shaming
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Grief, Infidelity, Abandonment, Biphobia, Child abuse, Classism, Drug use, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, and Ableism
itsheyfay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Classism, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
Moderate: Homophobia, Ableism, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Biphobia, and Child abuse
Minor: Racism, Transphobia, and Drug use
imstephtacular's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Biphobia, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, and Mental illness
Minor: Bullying, Medical content, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Death, Cancer, Vomit, Sexism, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Racism, and Grief
madanxiety's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
skudiklier's review against another edition
- 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
Edit to add: I actually kind of forgot what The Charm Offensive was about, and now that I went back to look at my (5 star) review for that book, I'm even more convinced that Alison Cochrun is one of my new favorite romance authors. In both books, I was super sucked in and read them basically in one sitting. But even better, in both books I felt like even the parts of romances that I don't like (e.g., when they have a fight and break up near the end, usually over some miscommunication) were handled much better in these books than in most romance novels. Like, Cochrun clearly puts a lot of effort into making sure the relationships are as healthy and realistic as possible, while still giving us all the normal pieces of a romance and keeping the drama amped up. I'm just so impressed! And I can't wait for Cochrun's next book.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Sexual content, Child abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, and Mental illness
Moderate: Cursing, Biphobia, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Cancer, Stalking, Outing, Vomit, Acephobia/Arophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Murder, Grief, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Death, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Toxic parents, cutting off family members