I really enjoyed "In My Dreams I Hold A Knife" so I was pumped to see this new rom-com from Ashley Winstead, but had some seriously mixed feelings about this one.

Pros:
- quick-witted dialogue
- great female friendships
- bada$$ girl bosses abound
- an interesting inside look into politics
- steamy chemistry

Cons:
- the main character, Lee "Stoner" Stone, was frustratingly immature and I had a hard time empathizing with her
- her self-destructive nature, hypocrisy, and inability to learn and move on from her mistakes made me want to pull my hair out

What a glorious rom com this was! The characters were so fleshed out and had a wonderful chemistry going between them. I highly recommend this novel to all readers craving a feel good book.

4.5 rounded up. I found this book endearing and culturally relevant. Much different than Winstead’s first book “In My Dreams I Hold a Knife” but very enjoyable as well. I LOVED her debut book. I knew that it would be hard to top, so I’m glad she took a different route.

Lee Stone, aka Stoner, was an infuriating and frustrating character. Took off a 1/2 point because I just wanted to shake her sometimes.

Thanks for the early reader copy!!

The first word that comes to mind when trying to describe FOOL ME ONCE is “masterful.” This book is so well-constructed on every level– plotting, pacing, characterization, chemistry– but most importantly, it is a goddamn DELIGHT. I fell in love with chaos queen Lee Stone from her Disney-princess-walk-of-shame in the first chapter, and Ashley Winstead does a beautiful job of peeling back her tough exterior to examine the wounds that molded her into the complex person she is. Lee’s relationship with Ben is full of simmering tension, and I was captivated by watching her sort through the emotional fallout of being forced to work closely with the person she hurt the most. I was also incredibly impressed with how the plot outside of the romance unfolded in a way that felt both surprising and well-earned.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Described as a fierce and funny battle of the exes, I was drawn into this novel's storytelling from the first pages. Lee and Ben are the epitome of the enemies to lovers slash second chance trope, as as a result they have such banter back-and-forth, which is so engaging and fun to follow. It reads quickly, and it's so fun, cute, authentic and vulnerable that I really didn't want to pause this read. All in all, it's equally fun, witty, romantic and relatable -- balancing the sweet romance with an authentic finding yourself tale all wrapped up in one.

This book had me at Disney themed wedding. The opening scene was hilarious and a testament to the type of character that we would find in Lee. I don’t gravitate toward rom coms often, but was given no choice, when one of my favorite debut authors came out with one! This story is relatable, funny, cringy at times and heartwarming. Sometimes the plot felt like I was in Groundhog Day, a will they / won’t they merry go round that wouldn’t quit. Just get back together already!! I also enjoyed the side story focus on clean energy, in a women led electric vehicle company (yes!), in all places, Texas. This story was written with plenty of sass, sarcasm, wit that I could relate to in Lee’s character (1920s flapper joke had me spitting out my water). She’s the type who I would want to grab a drink with any day.

This book yall. Let me tell you. 🔥
If you haven’t read a book by Ashley, you HAVE to. She has become an auto-buy author for me.

I love how Ashley has made a hot-mess of a character one my favorite female leads. Lee Stone, aka Stoner, is just that. One hot mess! She has so much baggage and emotionally spirals out of control, which makes her so relatable. But, she also has the most will-power in a romcom female lead. She parties and drinks when she wants to feel numb. Honestly, she made me a little sad while reading. I wanted her to get over her demons and move on!
Now, enter Ben Laderman. The Ex-boyfriend turned work partner when after 5 years, they have to work together to pass a bill. Even with all of her faults, Ben still loved Stoner.

This book is full of banter and I found myself rooting for our MCs throughout.
It is also very political heavy, so if you’re like me and aren’t a government gal- you may have to look up some terms like I did. 🤣

Loved this one! Especially the political aspect of it and the relationship/trust issues. Loved it being set in Texas - without being too “cowboy” and I’m so impressed that Winstead wrote one of my fave thrillers and a super fun romcom in the same year!!!

If you like romance novels, are a fan of second chance love stories, and enjoy reading about a main character that is flawed, I strongly urge you to add this book to your TBR and pre-order it immediately. Fool Me Once follows the incredibly real Lee Stone (Stoner to her closest friends and family) on her professional journey to get a progressive green energy bill passed in the red state of Texas. And her personal journey to never let herself fall in love again. After experiencing what she refers to as “the four major heartbreaks” throughout her life, Stoner is convinced that true love dosent exist, and anyone that falls love will inevitably end up heartbroken. But when she ends up working with her ex boyfriend, who she hasn’t seen in years, since he left town after their disastrous breakup, she is forced to revaluate the way she views love, and own up to the part she played in the demise of their relationship.

Stoner isn’t perfect, she is the definition of flawed. She is messy, real, authentic, and honestly quite relatable. I loved reading about her journey, and seeing all of her character growth through out the book. I truly feel like by the end of the book she was well on the way to letting some of her walls down, and finding out who she really is as a person underneath all of her protective layers. Ben, oh where do I even begin with Ben? I truly loved him, and was seriously rooting for him the whole time. He is kind, and caring, and he has such a big heart. He also truly values communication, which is something that I love to see in a male love interest. I think it’s safe to say that Ben is my newest book boyfriend, and he probably will be yours too once you read this book.

I also really appreciated all of the girl power in this book, Stoner and her two female bosses are working in a male dominated field, and because of that they aren’t always taken seriously by the males in the industry. But this dosent deter them from continuing to work hard. They are truly a kick ass group of women, fighting to make the world a better, and greener place, and I loved the representation of strong females in the tech industry.

Okay, wow! How Winstead is able to write such an incredible thriller and now an incredible romance, but here we are. So so good.

Real, sassy, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. I loved the writing style of this. I laughed on multiple occasions and found myself thinking, “same girl,” so many times. I was gripped early on and although I had my suspicions on how it would end up, I was kept guessing and questioning all the way to the end. The main character was relatable and intriguing to figure out as the novel went on. I found myself wanting to shake her silly but was rooting for her the entire time. And the main guy MC... swoon worthy. We love a supportive, driven man who isn't flawless. The side characters were great and made for an overall cozy, loved vibe for the entire book.

The amount of politics took me a little by surprise, but it did not bog down the story. You could feel the MC's passion and drive. Terms were described well where needed.

Such a good book that will live in my head for a long long time!

I loved this book about 2nd chance love and trying to work together on a campaign for green cars in Texas. I loved her friends and her romance. I enjoyed that she was trying to find herself and find love. I did enjoy the challenges that they both did. Great romance.

Five stars! Fool Me Once is a smart and steamy love story filled with emotional depth and flawed yet relatable characters. It’s a clever battle of the ex trope, with captivating females at the center! Lee and her mentor, Dakota, are running the show at Dakota’s female owned and run company, and are on a mission to put their big environmentally friendly dreams into action in a man-dominated field. However to accomplish this life-changing goal, Lee is forced to team up with her ex, Ben, who by the way will also be your next book boyfriend obsession. I loved that in this book, that while females run the world it’s also about the men like Ben who are worth fighting for and that it’s never too late for a second chance at love! I can’t wait for this book’s release and will absolutely be buying a physical copy to add to my own library!

This book releases in April of next year and following that, her next thriller, which I am SO excited about! Whether you read this book early or are waiting for release, I highly recommend it!

Ashley does it AGAIN. Wow, I can't believe this amazing author can just switch genre like that and still absolutely crush it.

I can't recount the number of times I laughed out loud in this book. talk about opening the story with a BANG. The first scene at Disney had me dying laughing and Ashley has a way with words I felt like I was there with Lee and Mac. Cackling I tell you.

I myself work in politics so I loved the work place environment and felt really familiar with what was happening and absolutely loved it. I'm passionate by my job and we don't have a lot of romance novel around politics. Loved it!

Lee & Ben's relationship was the sweetest. I was swooning HARD over Ben. What a stand up guy. The sexual tension between the two was really off the charts. I got annoyed with Lee at the thrid time she said "I matured so that's why I don"t believe in love" and I was like: how did you mature girl???? But I ended up forgiving Ashley because the whole book was such a big hug and made me laugh and swoon so much. Would absolutely recommend!

From the first page, this had me laughing out loud constantly, inciting strange looks from my family. Lee Stone (Stoner, as those who know & love her refer to her) is the main character and she is just a gem. She is quippy & insightful & stubborn and so relatable. She’s let four major heartbreaks take over the way she sees the world, and sometimes you want to shake her and push her through it. But watching her transform is a beautiful thing. Her on-off-colleague-“friend” relationship with Ben is cute & frustrating & might break your heart a little.

3.5⭐️ I feel torn on this review because there were many parts about the story that I really loved and then things I just couldn't stand. I give Ashley Winstead so much credit for her versatility as a writer and overall found this book to be well-written, smart and easy to read.

What I loved: I loved the second-chance romance, humor the character development, the feminist nature of the book, the interesting take on politics, Stoner's self-discovery, and the stress on the importance of friendship.

What I did not like: I found Stoner's immaturity and self-deprecating behavior annoying and hard to get past. I thought the chapters transitioned too quickly from one scene to the next. For instance, a MAJOR event would happen at the end of a chapter, and then there was no closure when the next chapter began a few days later. I also found the first 25% a bit slow.

There are so many romance tropes that I love so much and second chance is one of my favorites. There’s something about reading when two characters see each other for the first time in years that gives me the warm & fuzzies inside. Throw in a hilarious MC and some self sabotage and you, in my opinion, have a really great book.

From the very beginning, this book had me cracking up. Lee’s inner dialogue and one-liners were hilarious, not to mention her party history. I’m usually not one to enjoy books that focus on politics, but this one was so good. It really was the perfect mix of romance, hilarious OMG moments, politics, & heartfelt moments. There were times where I found myself wanting to roll my eyes and shake Lee because of her self sabotage, but her one-liners made up for it. I felt the tension and passion between Ben & Lee coming from the pages. And I’m DEFINITELY adding Ben to the top of my book boyfriends list. I loved this one and I can’t wait for you all to read it! 4.5 ⭐️ (Rounded to 5)

A HUGE, HUGE thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade, Graydon House, and Ashley Winstead for this early copy. Check out Fool Me Once on its pub date 4/5/22!

I was impressed that this was the same author of the suspenseful book I just read of hers! I'm one of those that really hates cheating in a book and it affects how I see the character. Other than that aspect I enjoyed the read and was very entertained.

It was good and the premise is fun. The characters weren't compelling me to follow them on their journey. Humor was great.

Just a quick synopsis.. Lee, the protagonist, is a successful, intelligent, witty woman who is such a mess! She is driven at work, pushing for a bill to help Texas go green, when her ex-boyfriend, Ben, is assigned to partner with her to get the bill to pass. She hasn’t seen Ben in five years, since she cheated on him and he ran away to California. There are definitely lingering feelings between the two and as they work closely, tension begins to build.

You guys!!! Is there anything Ashley Winstead cannot do? My adoration started after devouring and loving In My Dreams I Hold A Knife, I had to get my hands on her next book! When I realized Fool Me Once was a romance, I wasn’t AS excited, but I still had to read it. I am so happy I did! This book. Bare with me, as I was so excited to get this review out, but I am still experiencing the worst book hangover. First I just want to hit on the talent of this amazing woman!! How can she go from coming out with her debut, a top thriller this year and then so effortlessly switch to writing romance, like she has written it all along? It’s seriously mind blowing that these books are from the same author! I just want to say, I will forever read everything that she puts out! She is an auto buy author for me!

This book had me rolling from the first chapter! It has such fast paced, quick-witted dialogue, I absolutely loved it! Lee, or known to friends as Stoner, is such a disaster and gets herself into some comical situations! She is just so relatable and likable and you can’t help but root for her! Ben is the boy next door, thoughtful, driven and you feel bad that Stoner broke his heart! I just loved the two of them! Their banter and snarky comments were so entertaining! Annnnnd the open door, steamy, tension filled sex scenes!!! That’s all I will say about that! Just do yourself a favor, add this to your wishlist, your TBR, preorder, because when this comes out in April, you NEED it! Also, the cover 😍 I have to get a copy just for the gorgeous cover so I can stare at it on my bookshelf!

After reading “In My Dreams I Hold A knife,” I was thrilled to get a copy of this book. Even though it is a totally different genre of book, I throughly enjoyed it. Light and entertaining, this book is an excellent romantic comedy. Lee Stone is an extremely successful and intelligent woman who is faced with working with the man she throughly betrayed years earlier. As Lee and Ben try to work together for the good of her job and the state of Texas (Ben’s a politician,) the sparks fly. Fun lighthearted story.