Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Kiss Her Once For Me

I didn't know almost anything about this book going in, and wow was I pleasantly surprised by the whole thing. I read almost the entire book in one sitting, because I couldn't put it down. The romance was perfect, and also it was weirdly and unintentionally relevant for me, as someone who just moved to Portland less than two months ago. I loved the bi rep, the anxiety rep, the demi rep, the nonbinary rep, the way they try (and fail) to not fall victim to unnecessary miscommunication as horribly as the straights always do in romances. (Also is it just me or is Ellie also autistic??? I both have anxiety and am autistic so sometimes it's hard for me to tell what social anxiety things are related to which haha. But idk she felt extremely autistic to me and I'm gonna say I also loved the (maybe unintentional) autistic rep as well.) This was a perfect book to start the year with, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a lovely queer holiday romance.

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.

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

Premise: Ellie spent the day with a mysterious woman Jack one year ago and has been pining over her ever since. When Andrew comes to her with a fake marriage of convenience scheme to gain access to his $2 million inheritance, she agrees because she needs the money. When she meets his family to celebrate Christmas with them, she realizes she already knows his sister. It turns out to be a messy week for this group and it was stressful but hilarious to watch it unfold.

Characters: Besides Elle’s toxic mom and Andrew’s garbage dad, I didn’t dislike any of the characters. Alison Cochran wrote both amazingly detailed, funny, and authentic main characters and side characters. I need to hang out with those grandmas because they are an absolute blast in a glass. Even though there’s a miscommunication trope, I wasn’t mad at the love interests at all — I found their situations relatable and understandable. The snowed in and “there’s only one bed” trope makes up for it too hehehehe. This group of people becomes such a lovely little found family and I’m here for it.

Plot: the majority of the book takes place over the week of Christmas 2022. You read chapters of Elle’s webcomics (she published them earlier in the year) about her magical snow day with Jack sprinkled throughout the book too. The pacing felt consistent & I loved how Alison took us through each day that Ellie spent with the Kim-Prescotts. Katherine’s laminated schedule of holiday events was too precious.

Representation: trans, non-binary, demisexual, anxiety, bisexual, estranged parents (I think this is representation because it shows the diversity of family dynamics😭)

Overall: The steam is probably a 1/5 but this is truly more about the inner work that our leads had to confront and the romance. This is a book I’d love to see on screen!

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