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A review by so_many_books
Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
This book is like a breath of fresh air for me. Christmas rom-coms are my weakness. If it involves some kind of fake relationship, count me in. If it's queer AF, you bet I'm going to love it.
Kiss Her Once for Me managed to knead together all of these things and enchant me with its wonderfulness.
After reading The Charm Offensive by Allison and loving it with all my heart, the baseline was pretty high for this book. Kiss Her Once for Me is different and yet has the same feels as The Charm Offensive. It definitely fulfilled my expectations.
Ellie and Jack's story starts at one wonderful Christmas Eve, evaporates the next morning and rekindles a year later when Ellie goes home for the holidays with his fake fiancè, Andrew, just to realize, his sister is actually the woman she longed for since last Christmas. Oh, and there's Jack's best friend, Dylan, who is somehow romantically involved (but not really) with Andrew. It's messy, it's funny, it's full of emotions.
The Christmas preparations with this messy family are the perfect place for rom-com moments. Snow ball fights, cookie baking, skiing, getting lost in the snow. All of it is there.
Ellie is one messy main character. She's a little lost after her plans went out the window as an artist. She's a bit lonely, and desperate. Her relationship with her mother is less than optimal. She has anxiety and She's short on cash. Is it really a surprise she goes along with Andrew's plan of fake marriage to get his inheritance? No.
I love how messy she was. She felt real with all her doubts and worries and fear of failure. I could very much relate to not having the right therapist to help.
Jack is the sweetest butch love interest. She is funny and quirky and restless and caring.
Andrew is this big softie who hides behind his playboy ways.
And the rest of the family? The grandma's who like to get high? The grumpy best friend? The kind-hearted mom? They are all perfect and heartwarming.
It was so sweet to see Ellie experience the warmth of family love. It was captivating to see her rediscover her feelings for Jack. The whole story was this heartwarming hug. The end was a bit angstier than I liked, but it all turned out okay.
I loved the storytelling. The jumps back and forth between last year and this kept me on my toes. I would've loved to see the graphic novel pages that were such a big part of the story.
As always, the representation was on point. Lots of queer identites are represented beautifully. But the best thing is definitely the mental health and neurodivergent rep. We have a main character with sever anxiety, and a love interest with ADHD. And it's the most normal thing ever. They are there but they aren't the main focus of the story. They are there to show it's perfectly fine to have anxiety. It's okay to be visible fidgety and restless because of ADHD. It doesn't make you weird, it makes you normal. And I love that. You can live your life just as normally as anyone even if you're neurodivergent.
Overall, this book made me smile and warmed my heart. I definitely need more queer rom-coms by the author.
Kiss Her Once for Me managed to knead together all of these things and enchant me with its wonderfulness.
After reading The Charm Offensive by Allison and loving it with all my heart, the baseline was pretty high for this book. Kiss Her Once for Me is different and yet has the same feels as The Charm Offensive. It definitely fulfilled my expectations.
Ellie and Jack's story starts at one wonderful Christmas Eve, evaporates the next morning and rekindles a year later when Ellie goes home for the holidays with his fake fiancè, Andrew, just to realize, his sister is actually the woman she longed for since last Christmas. Oh, and there's Jack's best friend, Dylan, who is somehow romantically involved (but not really) with Andrew. It's messy, it's funny, it's full of emotions.
The Christmas preparations with this messy family are the perfect place for rom-com moments. Snow ball fights, cookie baking, skiing, getting lost in the snow. All of it is there.
Ellie is one messy main character. She's a little lost after her plans went out the window as an artist. She's a bit lonely, and desperate. Her relationship with her mother is less than optimal. She has anxiety and She's short on cash. Is it really a surprise she goes along with Andrew's plan of fake marriage to get his inheritance? No.
I love how messy she was. She felt real with all her doubts and worries and fear of failure. I could very much relate to not having the right therapist to help.
Jack is the sweetest butch love interest. She is funny and quirky and restless and caring.
Andrew is this big softie who hides behind his playboy ways.
And the rest of the family? The grandma's who like to get high? The grumpy best friend? The kind-hearted mom? They are all perfect and heartwarming.
It was so sweet to see Ellie experience the warmth of family love. It was captivating to see her rediscover her feelings for Jack. The whole story was this heartwarming hug. The end was a bit angstier than I liked, but it all turned out okay.
I loved the storytelling. The jumps back and forth between last year and this kept me on my toes. I would've loved to see the graphic novel pages that were such a big part of the story.
As always, the representation was on point. Lots of queer identites are represented beautifully. But the best thing is definitely the mental health and neurodivergent rep. We have a main character with sever anxiety, and a love interest with ADHD. And it's the most normal thing ever. They are there but they aren't the main focus of the story. They are there to show it's perfectly fine to have anxiety. It's okay to be visible fidgety and restless because of ADHD. It doesn't make you weird, it makes you normal. And I love that. You can live your life just as normally as anyone even if you're neurodivergent.
Overall, this book made me smile and warmed my heart. I definitely need more queer rom-coms by the author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Biphobia and Panic attacks/disorders