Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Kiss Her Once For Me

”We’re suspended in a perfect snow globe built for two. On a snow day in Portland, you could fall in love.”
- Kiss Her Once for Me

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria, for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tropes: Holiday Romance, Second Chance Romance, Marriage of Convenience, Fake Dating, Miscommunication, Love Triangle, Non-Linear Flashbacks
Representation: LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Bisexual, Demisexual), POC, Neurodivergent (ADHD)
Spice Scale: 🌶🌶🌶
CW: Ableism, Biphobia, Anxiety Disorder, Parental Abandonment, Toxic Family

Since The Charm Offensive was my favorite book of last year, I expected that I would adore Cochrun’s second book. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this book before. Kiss Her Once for Me was a refreshing take on so many classic tropes. I tend not to like love triangles in general, but the love trapezoid was perfection. I loved the friendship that developed between Andrew and Ellie over the course of their fake engagement, and the absolute chaos of their pining over different people was hilarious—especially when you add in the Boozy Grandmas’ antics.
This was the first book I’ve read with female ADHD rep. I always appreciate seeing ADHD rep, but it can present so differently in women as compared to men (which is why it often goes undiagnosed), so it was nice seeing the nuances of my experience portrayed in that way. The anxiety rep was also well done, but that wasn’t a surprise, seeing as it was also well done in The Charm Offensive.
Kiss Her Once for Me was wonderfully Christmassy and heartwarming. It had all the vibes of a Hallmark Christmas movie, except delightfully gay and with more in-depth character development.

Content Warnings

readingqueerly's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

3.75

A fun holiday romcom on that involves fake dating (but not between who you think), two second chance romances, and learning to love both yourself and other people.
All in all, Alison Cochrun showed again that she can write deeply flawed characters who are in desperate need of help and growth, and who eventually find that.
The MC faces quite a few issues that I've had to confront myself with all the pain and hardship that has come with that. It's not easy to admit that you're biggest obstacle in life is you yourself.
This book did take a little bit to get going for me, but once it did, I really enjoyed the reading experience. The characters were fun and loveable, the plot moved well, and the representation of both queerness and disability made for a fun festive read.

Content Warnings

midnightmoon_dreamer's review

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emotional funny medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I really liked this book but a couple of things bugged me.

For example, the fact that Ellie is getting blamed for over reacting about Jack hiding her wife from her. Like it’s a pretty valid thing to over react about.

Content Warnings

notsobinaryart's review

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emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

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

Content Warnings

katrinarose's review

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.0

This was a really cute queer Christmas romance. It did have a few tropes I do not like (insta-love and miscommunication), and some of the characters acted very unrealistically at times, but the cheesy Hallmark-movie vibe of it allowed me to overlook it because I enjoyed the overall vibes so much. I felt like Ellie and Jack were very well-developed individually as well, which is a non-negotiable for a good romance in my opinion. I liked this better than The Charm Offensive and would recommend if you’re looking for a pretty lighthearted, cute, gay romance for the holidays!

Content Warnings

chasingpages1's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

3.25

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happyblkhippie's review against another edition

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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.

Content Warnings

imstephtacular's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

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