Can you tell from just one kiss whether the person you are meant to be with is ‘the one’ for you?
Gavin and Penny signed up to participate in a psych test, and had to kiss while blindfolded and without knowing anything about each other.
Sparks flew and it seemed like they would be the perfect pairing… only-
Things happened, Penny had so much going on with her school life and being a ballet dancer, she believed she didn’t have time for a relationship as well. She held herself apart from Gavin, asking for him to wait until she was available, even though she wanted to be with him.
Gavin tried to make things work, but one rejection too many and he started to pull away from her and turned his attention to other women. But, he swore he’d always be there for her.
Until the night he wasn’t.
This set in motion a series of events that would take years to unravel.
Fourteen years later, Penny is married with a young son soon to be leaving for college and she’s not happy. Not with her life or her marriage. Gavin is in and out of her life, never leaving long enough for her to be able to let go of what might have been.
This story was convoluted, frustrating and heartbreakingly good. I wanted so much for these two characters. I needed to see them together, but it was a long haul getting there. I wanted to shake both of them at times, and hug them at others. They made so many stupid decisions and mistakes. They hurt each other needlessly at times and when they should have called it a day, then just went and made things ten times worse.
This book is filled with angst, with heartbreak, it’s a veritable rollercoaster that will rip you apart before gentle picking you up and brushing away your tears. If this is what you love in a story, then grab Blind Kiss today but har those tissues handy.

Every single time I read a Renee Carlino book I always ask myself why I put myself through the torture. The stories are like an arrow through the heart, tearing you apart before glueing the pieces back together in a different way. I feel as if the characters haunt me even after the last page, they are the type of narratives that stay with you - and as such gives the reason for the continued self-inflicted torture, lol.

Blind Kiss is a poignant look at finding your soul-mate at the wrong time in your life and how a single incident can alter the course of your future. 

I adored Gavin from the beginning, although he was a little quick to react to situations which lead to further complications. Gavin also flounders quite a bit; while he is outwardly self-confident his inner vulnerability shines through especially in regards to his self-worth and chosen career path. He has a heart of gold and isn't afraid to release his emotions; however, he can be self-absorbed which adds to the angst in the narrative.

I struggled with Penny at the start, finding her quite judgemental and closed-off. However, seeing her family relationships and how her world got turned inside out made me soften toward her and understand her choices a little better. I did feel as if the scenario was a little like 'wanting your cake and eating it' but did accept the way in which events played out.

The characters are flawed and the resulting emotional damage they inflict on each other throughout the years (unintentionally) makes your heart hurt for them both. Yet, Gavin and Penny have a special connection that is obvious to everyone around them; they are each one half of a whole 💔 unfortunately, they have to break before being put back together. 

My heart hurts at all the lost time between them but a love like theirs endures 💞

Swear on This Life, Wish You Were Here, And now this? God, no one makes my heart ache quite like Renee does. And I mean that in the best way ever. Her words seep into my soul and pull on each tiny little heart string one by one till they allllllmost break and then she sews them back up in the most heartwarming, angst filled package.

Up, down, up, down. The emotions of this book are one heck of a rollercoaster ride.

Love, mistakes, the bond of a friendship strong enough to outlast it all?

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to let you go after this.”

This is prob my fave Renee book. It’s angsty, it’s triangle-y. There’s a baby and such deep, deep love. There’s also fine lines crossed, cheating and fighting and all the ugly moments too. But I loved every minute of all of it as I bit my fingernails off at three am rooting for them to get their crap together.

I wish I was reading it again for the first time so I could experience it all over again.

Holy Crap. The angst level in Blind Kiss is red-zone high. The story that unfolds between Gavin and Penny -- going back and forth between their one and only blindfolded kiss back in college 14 years ago to present day -- is amazeballs.

I can't recall the last time I felt such anguish for a couple and so badly wanted them to work out their issues! But a 21 year old Penny is too scared to admit her feelings toward Gavin. They are clearly both so in love with one another, but feelings get hurt, miscommunication tears them apart, and a stupid decision on Penny's part changes any chance that these two have of becoming more than "just the best of friends."

The journey that these two characters take is a rollercoaster. And Renee Carlino does a fabulous job of making the reader understand why Penny's husband feels so threatened, and how Gavin's made the bed he now has to lie in. But the story ends with such a sweet HEA, I couldn't have been happier with the outcome for these characters that I absolutely fell in love with.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Fantastic story, very unique and had me hooked from the beginning.


I loved the story of Penny being a dancer and her first interaction with Gavin. I loved the back and forth of the timelines and how it all ended in the end.

I would wait a lifetime for that kind of love...

Oh Renee, how you love to torture me. Every time I read one of her books she puts me through the ringer. It's the kind of pain I keep coming back to again and again, her books are just that amazing.

Gavin. What can I say? I both loved him and wanted to yell at him. Don't get me started on Penny. I get that she was young and all that but man she frustrated me. I get where she was coming from though. I had one of those "friends" in high school. Everyone thought we were together or should be together, but I never wanted to cross that line and lose him. It took one night of too much drinking and that line was crossed, we're now married with 2 kids and 15 years together. I don't know if anything would have happened if it wasn't for that night. It's why I can't be to hard on Penny, I was here once. 

This book is amazing and the writing is a prime example of Renee's amazing talent. She really is able to capture a full range of emotion and consume every thought in your head. This story is one that you will never forget long after you put it down.

3.5 Own Worst Enemy Stars
* * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
Think About it...You are blindfolded, standing in front of a man or woman and you will be kissing them without seeing what they look like. There will be a quick hello, your senses will take in the scents around you, the intensity of what you hear and when the hands of this person touches your body at your waist...how will you respond...

Will lips be soft and coaxing...
Or will they be demanding...
Will you want more instinctively...
Or will you shut down and push away, thrilled to get it over...

This is the hook and start of Blind Kiss by Renee Carlino.

SIDE BAR
On March 10, 2014 a filmmaker, Tatia PIlieva, published her YouTube video called First Kiss. She took twenty people, some where actors-some not, had them meet on camera and then do a First Kiss. They were at first shy, embarrassed, curious and then enthusiastic in their talking with each other before "doing the deed". We watched how some had immediate chemistry and others eh...There was one couple that looked like they were ready to take it to the next level.

When I first saw this book and the blurb, I immediately remember this video and that couple. I hoped they were the inspiration. Here is the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpbDH...

Renee Carlino is a favorite author of mine. This time she wrote a book which will put you through the ringer. She presents a love between two people which spans decades and confusion they have about acting on it. One participant is too scared to risk giving her love freely and will cloak it as a best friendship she desperately needs.. The other does love freely, wants this relationship to be what it should... but is willing to be placed in this best friend roll in order to stay close.

Both have a weakness for the other and dance this very difficult emotional tightrope of clinging to this critical relationship through all of the ups and downs in their lives. This relationship withstands the marriage of one and the other intimate relationships of the other, resulting in a bond that will be tested time and time again.

The writing is as strong as Carlino has done but be prepared the angst level is extreme and is for those who are willing to go through an emotional roller coaster and run the gamut of all their feelings to receive the satisfying end. If that is your jam, then is up your alley.

A gifted copy was provided by Atria Books via NetGalley for an honest review.

I went into this book knowing nothing about it, like I do with most books I read. There was no prologue and the first chapter, the way it started off the book, it was a little weird because you don't understand what's going on. You finally understand the first chapter towards the end of the book.



But holy damn! This is the first book in a while that had my emotions all jacked up! I cried pretty much the whole last 25% of the book. Gavin and Penny were perfect together and even though you wanted to scream at them for making really stupidly bad decisions, you still couldn't help but love them. They have everything anyone would want in a friendship/relationship. But they go through so much, it breaks your heart at times.



I am not usually a big crier, but this one really got to me. It was an emotional roller coaster, that's for sure. These two characters, you can feel the connection between them. The love, the hate, the sadness, the silliness, the connection they have with each others families! But most importantly, the love, from the moment they met, to nearly twenty years down the road.



Don't let the emotional side fool you, there were some laugh out loud moments. I love Gavin! He was perfect for Penny and vise versa, it just killed me it took them so long to fall into their emotions for each other. It is an amazing book, so deep and heartfelt, you can feel the emotions bleeding through the pages, even though it made me a blubbery mess, all the best books do. I loved Penny and Gavin and their amazing story, even though it had me ugly crying at the end.



5 Owls!

I love Renee Carlino's books, but I'm not gonna lie that this book frustrated me. Well, more like Penny frustrated me, sometimes Gavin, but mostly Penny. This isn't a classic boy meets girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after type of story. It's a boy and girl kiss for a psych study, flirt with possibility of a relationship, then become BFFs story. You will experience all emotions reading this story; it's told in dual POV and we get the history of Penny and Gavin from the time they met through the current timeline of the story. It's so easy to know how you want the story to go for these two, but apparently they didn't want to follow the script and decided to improvise. It's clear to everyone that they are each other's forever, and I was held spellbound reading this to see if they would indeed end up together. Let's just say that by the time I was within 5 chapters of the end of the book, my heart was beating triple time and I couldn't read fast enough. I wanted to scream, but I was at work so that was even more difficult, trying to keep quiet while flying through the rest of the book. It went in a direction I wasn't expecting, but the last chapter and epilogue sort of made up for the stress I felt at the end.

I was so intrigued by the blurb for Blind Kiss by Renee Carlino. Imagine taking part in a psych study to learn if you could have sexual chemistry without knowing what the other person looks like. Now imagine having a kiss that totally blows you away. Now imagine this person was your soulmate, but choices lead you down different paths. What would you do?

For Gavin and Penny, the timing was just never seemed right. There was and has always been something there since that earth-shattering kiss, but life led them down different paths. They have remained the best of friends, but is that all they will ever be? These characters broke my heart. Penny was once a strong and confident woman, but some things got away from her and seems to be drifting now. And Gavin, he just broke my heart. Such a beautiful, broken man.

Blind Kiss is full of angst, major angst! I can’t even tell you how many times I had to put the eReader down, and yet I loved every minute of it. We get all the history, the good, the bad and the ugly. Including the past and the present, with dual point-of-views, which I loved and hated (in a good way, maybe). What an emotional story and one that will leave you with a major hangover!

Happy reading!

Blind Kiss is a book I can't compare anything to. I fell in love with these characters, was extremely frustrated with them, cried for them and loved them again in the end. If that isn't an emotional rollercoaster, I don't know what it. This author wrote all of their emotions so well, you can't help but feel them too.

We meet Penny when she's a senior in college. Dancing is her passion and she works as hard as she can. Nothing is going to stop her dream, not even a man. No relationships for her. Things get complicated when she meets Gavin during a Blind Kiss experiment. Is it possible to connect with someone after a kiss when blindfolded?

Gavin is a very charismatic man and you can't help but smile as you read about him. They have an instant connection and my hopes were high for them to be together. Penny sticks to her word though. The are only friends.

This is where Blind Kiss gets frustrating and angsty at times! It's a back and forth of them being close and ultimately hurting each other, because their timing sucks, haha. Timing really is everything. Things happen in both their lives that change them and bring them on different paths. Blind Kiss is told in different times, 14 years ago and then so many months before the first chapter.

I loved having a mix of past and almost present. This made it possible to really understand their relationship. All their highs and lows really influenced their relationship. At a certain point Penny was disappointing to me. I get why she did certain things in her situation, but she kind of just gave up in my eyes. While I do understand her, I just wanted to scream at her to go to Gavin.

In the end it all comes down to, do they get their happily ever after? I'd say you have to read and find out! I do have to say I struggled on how to rate this book. I was so frustrated with the characters at time, but it's such a beautiful book! This author knows how to write a story!

I went into this blind and didn't even read the blurb. Well, I got the full effect of this emotional second chance romance. I'll be honest, I struggled with how to rate this book because I didn't know how I felt about the sequence of events. I still don't even know if I like the main characters. At the end of the day, I decided that any book that had me in such an emotional turmoil deserves a high rating.

Penny and Gavin have the best kind of relationship! The chemistry was there from the start. From that first blind kiss, it was obvious to both of them and everyone around them that they had that spark. They also fall into an easy camaraderie and become best friends. Gavin pursues Penny but she fights their romantic connection and puts him in the friend zone. Her reasons seem very silly to me and years later her older self acknowledges that.

This is a book of regret and 'what ifs'. If both Gavin and Penny made different choices, their lives would have taken different paths. It hurt to see them both unhappy when you know they could have had it all. I think this is where I struggled with this book but ultimately this is their love story. It's messy and full of mistakes but if they are brave enough, maybe they could get their second chance.

This book spans over years and I think this made it even more painful because I just kept thinking, LOOK HOW MUCH TIME YOU LOST! Like I said, my feelings were all over the place with this one. You may like it or hate it but you WILL FEEL! This I can promise you. Not every love story is simple and straightforward. Some are confusing and painful with flawed characters that will frustrate you and this one falls exactly in that category.

If you want to experience a myriad of emotions, try this friends to lovers, second chance romance.

4 Stars
Contemporary Romance
Heat Level: Mild
POV: Dual
HEA

I am an avid reader of all things Renee Carlino! She did not disappoint! I wouldn't really call this book a second chance romance, but more of a bad decision and bad timing romance.
Gavin and Penny meet for the first time in a college psychology study. Their first meeting is a blind kiss, one in which fireworks explode for each of them. Penny is a dancer who is struggling with her craft, trying to perfect it with all the aches and pains of being a dancer. She has no time in her life for a romantic relationship. Gavin wants more from her after that explosive kiss but he accepts her decision for only a friendship.
The book goes back and forth from the present to 14 years ago after that first blind kiss. I enjoyed the time hop telling of their story, piecing together what happened, how life's unexpected curveballs changed their decisions.
I was frustrated with Penny throughout most of the book. But I could also understand her not wanting to stay in a comfortable and secure relationship. I would've enjoyed more points of view from Gavin but overall the book is a rollercoaster that will keep you turning pages to see what happens next.

5 Brilliant Stars

Blind Kiss is the all new stunning romance novel by Renée Carlino. This story was so beautifully written, so full of angst and love. There really aren’t enough words to express every single emotion I felt while reading. My heart literally ached at some parts where I had to put it down and regroup for a minute but at the same time I still needed to know what was going to happen. Ms. Carlino is truly a gifted writer weaving her magic as she creates these tales that capture your heart and Blind Kiss was no different.

Penny and Gavin meet in college in an unusual way-a psych experiment to see the reaction to a blindfolded kiss. And their chemistry is through the roof! They have chemistry that some people go their whole lives without feeling what they have. But Penny is so focused on her dancing she knows she cannot offer Gavin anything more than friendship. Even though she knows that her and Gavin’s connection is that once in a lifetime type of love.

This book spans 14 years of knowing the love of your life is only a friend. Of knowing that each decision has led you to where you are now. At times I was so frustrated while reading. Yes their friendship was so special and so rare but even knowing that I still wanted to scream GET YOUR LIFE TOGETHER!!!!! It’s been weeks that I finished this book and I still can’t stop thinking about it. I know that Penny and Gavin will remain etched in my heart for a long time to come!

It's been several days since I finished Blind Kiss and I'm still all mixed up in my feelings.  I was held hostage by own emotions, this book really had me wound up.  One minute I would be smiling, the next all angry and defiant.  I wanted to throat punch the main characters (and some side characters too) way too many times.  But I equally wanted to hug them and tell it was going to be okay.  EVEN THOUGH I HAD NO IDEA IF IT WOULD BE OKAY!

This story is...ugh I'm still struggling with the words I need.  It was nothing like I expected.  I guess part of me was thinking it would be sweet, maybe funny, a little heartwarming.  Instead it was a punch in the gut.  It was real, and raw, and so beautiful, cause that's what Renee Carlino does to you.  She makes you work for it, makes you feel e v e r y t h i n g till it hurts so much you think you can take anymore.

I can't remember the last time I've felt so conflicted over a friends to lovers romance.  I usually fall in love with one or both main characters and I start to formulate what I think will happen.  Usually I feel all giddy and happy, sure there's always some angst, but it's okay they will overcome.  LOVE is worth the fight, it's worth the hard work, the tears.  Then Renee Carlino walks in and shoves all that off the table and says "nope, this is how we're going to let this play out!" WAIT...WHAT?  I know I probably sound off kilter and my thoughts are a bit frazzled.  But that's exactly how I felt reading Blind Kiss and I still feel that way a week later.

I don't even know how to make any sense over what I'm thinking and feeling.  Renee's writing is always magical.  I'm always left feeling some deep emotional connection to the story and the characters.  I guess Blind Kiss is no different, I just felt everything at full capacity and it wasn't always warm and fuzzy.  I know this story will resonate with many and I can't wait for you to experience it.  This is definitely one of my favorites for 2018.

* I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader’s Copy of this book *

I loved this story! Renee Carlino's writing is wonderful and captivating!

This book is something else alright... frustrating, angsty but so worth reading! What a beautiful story!

Everything is about choices, sometimes when you think you're having the right one, think again.
True love exists. It might be just around the corner or found in a blind kiss. Sometimes that kiss can bring you to your knees and change your whole life.

Penny and Gavin are true soul mates, taking friendship to another level.

Sometimes I wish I could slap Penny for her actions! She frustrated me a lot! But if you put yourself in her shoes, you know she was right! On the other hand, how could she not take the opportunity of her life??
Frustrating, I tell you! But so worthy.
Gavin is so sweet! His love for Penny is huge! That man gets the prize for the most patient and respectful character I've ever read.

I loved the way we are taken into their lives, between the past and the present, giving us exactly their background, in a way you never get confused. As I said before, the writing is flawless.

This was my first book from this author and I'm sure I found another favorite!

Blind Kiss is an emotional story that starts with a kiss, a kiss that promises more. The kiss exposed a connection stronger and more powerful than two strangers could have ever expected.

“Well, didn’t you feel it? You said you liked me, I think.”
“Did I feel what?”
“Like, stars exploding? That kind of thing?”

Penny was afraid of the power of that kiss. She feared it would burn them up, leave her with a broken heart and that she would lose this person she desperately wanted to keep in her life. So she fought the connection and kept Gavin firmly in the friend zone.

“Yeah, but I had no idea you’d be so uniquely beautiful. You’re transcendent. You really are.”

Fourteen years later and the one thing that remains the same is the connection between the two friends. Now that circumstances are changed, their relationship has to somehow withstand that change.
I absolutely loved this beautiful story!
-5 Stars!-

Penny Piper wasn’t going to let anything stand in the way of becoming a dancer. Not even the green-eyed boy she’d just shared the most explosive moment of her life with during a Blind Kiss study.

For years, she tried to resist the pull that always brought her back into his orbit. It never mattered how much time had passed or how their lives had changed, Gavin was always there when she needed him the most. And now even that was going to come to an end.

“I didn’t think what I was doing to him was fair, but I was scared we would become exploding stars if we gave in to each other. Our energy would be exhausted too soon and we’d have to float through space like lifeless rocks, bumping into each other, drifting through our own stardust.”

Gavin Berninger has spent most of his life longing for someone he could never have – Penny. She owned him body and soul from the moment that their lips met and he’s built his life around the precious moments they’ve spent together. But life has a way of stealing happiness away right when it’s within your grasp. And a there’s only so much pain that one man can take before he has to let go.

"He started the engine as I stood there, waiting for him to leave.
“We’ll talk on the phone or email or something, okay?”
“Okay,” I told him.
He swallowed nervously. Looking up at me from the car window, he said, “I wish it were you, Penny.”
That was my bow. He knew I needed it, good or bad—no matter what feelings it shook loose from our long and complicated history together."

With Blind Kiss, Renée held my heart captive with her gorgeous tale of undying love and she never let it go for an instant! It’s her most angst-filled story to date and it’s painted with sweeping stokes of such longing that I literally lost my breath – several times.

The road to find each other for Gavin and Penny is nothing short of arduous but in the end, that is what made their prize the sweetest of all…

I went into Blind Kiss blind--reading nothing but the blurb. I was dying to read an angsty, deep read. Or so I thought.

Blind Kiss is a well written, extremely angsty read. But it wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with Penny. My heart broke for Gavin. And I just had to stop.

Many others absolutely love this book. So while it's not for me, it may be just perfect for you!

I love Renee’s writing and it pains me to give this book a low rating. I can get behind strong females but I can’t get behind a female who are users. And that’s exactly what Penny was. I loved Gavin but I didn’t understand why Penny wasn’t in it for him. But then she has the audacity to be upset when he moves on with his life. I was frustrated with how she used and pushed him around. I just can’t. I can’t stand heroines like that.