This book didn't do it for me... at 71% the female main character was still someone that I just didn't like. There was some chemistry between the leads, but I just couldn't get past all the awful behaviors of the main character to keep going. It wasn't poorly written, so if you don't mind a book with a lot of drug and alcohol use and no personal growth until the last quarter of the book (possibly, I'm not entirely sure if/when it happens) then by all means... I'm sure there are plenty of people who will love this book, it just isn't me unfortunately.

This was a great book! So sweet and I loved the ending. It was full of drama, love and emotions! Part of it made me want to cry and some of it made me laugh out loud! I loved it! I hope to read more from this author!

I tried reading this but couldn’t get into it. I didn’t like the politics behind the story. I also found the main character to be incredibly annoying.

A second chance at love and turning Texas Blue? A dem political operative romance dream.

Beautiful cover, fun characters, and decent sexual tension. But the dialogue and story development were a bit awkward and rushed. I just couldn’t get through it.

DNF’d at 48%

DNF - Lee seemed super immature & annoying. I couldn't stand the dialogue and how petty she seemed - I also don't love a cheating story - I think it'd be so hard to get trust back after that. I DNF'd at 15%

I was super stoked for this one as i loved in my dreams i hold a knife.

This wasn’t what i expected tho. I felt it was more political than romance? Like over the top so and i couldn’t get into it. It felt a bit pushy to me and i felt the romance was lacking. I think I’ll just be sticking to her thrillers 🫣

Fool Me Once by Ashley Winstead is a romance about Lee Stone, who works as a communications director at a women-run electric car company. When her ex, Ben Laderman, comes back to town five years later, and she's forced to work with him, everything gets very complicated. Can Lee and Ben work together, or will their fighting end up messing up her job? This was a really fun read, and I would definitely recommend it to romance lovers. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

“𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞.”

Diverting from the thriller genre, Winstead’s sophomore novel serves up steamy scenes and scandalous secrets in this politically charged, second-chance romance.

𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐌𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 introduces us to “love-‘em-and-leave-‘em” Lee Stone who (thanks to repeated heartbreaks) has abandoned monogamy for messy, often intoxicated, hookups. And despite the chaos that is her personal life, Lee’s professional identity remains squeaky clean. As the director of communications for a female-led electric car company, Lee has worked tirelessly for months to get a bill on the Senate floor to turn Texas green. But when her first strategy meeting with the governor brings her face-to-face with “the one that got away,” her carefully constructed walls start crumbling down.

As a Texas native, I enjoyed reading a story rooted in the Lone Star State. Set in Austin, this romcom split its time between the capital and campaign events in surrounding cities. And while these outings provided a humorous setting for banter and forced proximity, they also highlighted the infuriating miscommunication between our will-they-won’t-they leads.

Focusing more on plot than passion, this contemporary was much more complex than its cheery cover implied. Confronted by her past, our flawed narrator crashes into conflict after conflict, until she’s basically compelled to grow up. This necessary, but — at times — exhaustive character growth coupled with heaps of infidelity, and some predictable drama, made these characters interesting, but not ideal. Luckily, the book’s messages and a handful of laugh out loud scenes (#SadCrawler) left no shame in my reading game.


Thank you to Graydon House/HarperCollins for providing me with an earc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


Trigger Warnings: Infidelity, drug use, alcohol use, death of a parent, car accident, sexism

DNF......I have heard nothing but great things about this one, so I couldn't wait to check it out. I loved In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, and this sounded right up my alley. Well I gave up on this one. I just wasn't feeling it. I tried till about 20%. Do not let my opinion stop you from reading this one, as I have many reliable friends who LOVED it. This is just a case of it's me, not you. I'm a total mood reader. I will still read The Last Housewife.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own

Ashley Winsteads writing style is one that I find so easy to connect one !

Lee Stone is director of communications for Lise Motors, the first female led electric vehicle company in the world. She has been working hard at her job, working on trying to get the governor to pass a bill embracing electric vehicle for government transportation state wide, something that could get her the promotion she feels she deserves. The only thing in her way, her ex, Ben Laderman. He is the new policy director for the governor. Lee broke his heart years ago, leading to him fleeing town. Lee and Ben will have to work together, as they both have a common goal to get this bill passed. Things turn into a competition between the two of them, forcing them to spend more and more time together. Can you really work with a past partner after all your history ?

I'm sure you've seen a ton of reviews for this already because this book has been circulating like crazy the past month or so ! Although this didn't quite hit the mark I expected it to, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Ashley's writing style is very captivating to me. It doesn't feel too overdone, but also not too casual, which I love. I did really like the concept of going green and pushing the electric vehicles, but the political side just went a bit too much into detail for me. I'm not into politics at all, so I didn't mind a bit of it since that is what our MC's job entails, but it just dove into that side a bit more than i would have liked to read about. Cheating in books is not something that bothers me. I do not support cheating, but this is just a book. I felt Lee's focus on cheating made her extremely relatable. Not just about cheating itself but how people self sabotage so that they ruin something before they get hurt. The topic did start to feel a little repetitive though. This book had multiple moments that made me laugh out loud, right from the very first chapter. I really loved Lee's relationship with her family and friends. When you can feel how tight knit a group is, I feel like it adds another element that connects you to the book, almost feeling like you're part of it. And then that ending ... it tied things up exactly the way I would have wanted without being too overdone.

Another amazing book from Ashley Winstead ! I loved her debut In My Dreams I Hold A Knife, and can't wait for her next book.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Canada for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

i really wanted to like this book, but alas i did not. it's really bad and i don't really want to read this book ever again because it's garbage and everyone is despised. thank you.

5 stars!

Thank you to Ashley Winstead for this ARC! I can not describe how much I love Ashley Winstead and her writing. After In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, I was a little surprised when she said that she was writing a romance book but as I trust her with my life, I read this book. Although I think some people will not be interested in the political aspect of this book, I ate it up. Lee is one of my favorite FMCs I've read this year and she's simply so cool. Even though I found some aspects of the book predictable I was so compelled by these two characters and their relationship. Ashley Winsted remains an auto buy author I'm so excited for The Last Housewife!

After reading and absolutely loving In My Dreams I Hold A Knife last year, Winstead proved to me that she was an author to watch out for and this one certainly cemented that! The way that Ashley can write so beautifully and engaging in multiple genres is a true testament to how great of an author she is!

This one was raw and real, yet fun and endearing! I found it clever and extremely well written and I truly relished in all the witty banter.

I was hooked immediately by Stoner as the messy and flawed protagonist and was totally captivated by her history and the enemies to lovers trope and second chance romance with Ben! I enjoyed how multilayered the characters and story was and that it was so much more than your typical romance novel.

Crossing my fingers real tight for The Last Housewife as I CANNOT wait to continue reading more from her!

#FoolMeOnce:⁣
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“..nothing but a fading memory. Just like you were the moment I drove across the California state line. “⁣
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Ashley Winstead you can LITERALLY do no wrong. I loved In My Dreams, so I was so ready to read a romcom from the same author. Can she give me the same feels? Yes yes and yes. Holy yes. ⁣
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First and foremost, Ole Stoner really grew on me. I couldn’t stand her at first with her sabotaging self, but the more we got to know her, the more I enjoyed her. The more she grew up as a person and dealt with her demons, the more I found myself rooting for her. ⁣
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This is my two favorite tropes in one. We have an enemies to lovers with a second chance lover trope. Also, we get into some major topics of discussion with a side of banter. This gave me the same feels alongside Abby Jimenez as she is able to tackle tough topics in an amazing romance. ⁣
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Would you believe me if I said I did an audio/book combo? 😂 It’s seriously the best way to go so you never have to stop reading! Ann Marie Gideon (Malice) hit the banter the right way at the right time. The dinner scene had me crying, as did 70% of this book.⁣
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Overall, another solid hit from Ashley Winstead. Abby Jimenez fans, grab this one ASAP! Thank you so much @kayepublicity @graydonhousebooks @ashleywinsteadbooks and @harperaudio for the gifted copy. Fool Me Once is out now. ⁣
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Predict text: Fool me once and ….

Riddle me this…should an avid thriller reader read a rom-com book written by a thriller writer? YES!!! This book 1000% worked for me!

What I loved:
✨Lee Stoner - her life is messy! She’s crass, unabashedly afraid to make mistakes, and flawed in every possible way. Her personal growth throughout the book had me rooting for a kick-ass HEA. (You’ll have to read it to see if it happens 🙃)
✨Ben Laderman - he is a dream book boyfriend in every possible way!
✨Lee & Ben - their friendly (or sometimes unfriendly) competition led to witty banter and hilarious scenes on the fundraising trail.
✨Side Characters - from Mac (and the rest of Lee’s friend crew) in the opening scene at the Disney-themed wedding to her co-workers Wendy & Dakota to her sister & mom. All the characters added depth, humor, and sometimes sympathy to Lee’s overall story.
✨Storyline - I’ve never read a book with a storyline of public policy for environmental reform involving electric cars. This felt fresh, modern, and relevant. As a self-proclaimed political junkie, I loved all of it.

I LOVED In My Dreams I Hold a Knife so I would read anything that @ashleywinsteadbooks writes even a rom com! I was so excited to see what else she came up with.

When I started Fool Me Once it didn’t immediately grab me, I think it’s because I didn’t really care for the main character, but throughout the book she really grew on me and I found myself rooting for her in the end!

I really ended up enjoying this one and I felt like it played like a movie. I hope this definitely gets picked up and made into a movie too because it needs to be one. Some of these scenes are way too funny to be contained to a book and definitely would translate well to film.

This rom com ended up winning over my dark thriller loving heart, and if it can win me over I know it will win you over as well!

There is nothing that makes me appreciate an author more then seeing a wide range of books from an author and @ashleywinsteadbooks has definitely done that. I been lucky enough to read her newest one coming out in August as well and they are all very good and unique.

If you are a fan of @ashleywinsteadbooks or rom coms I know you will enjoy!

Thank you to @kayepublicity @htpbooks for my copy!

"That was the problem with Ben five years ago, and it was the problem with him now: something about him kept slipping past my defenses, like a thief in the night. I kept waking up to find him already in the heart of my kingdom, kneeling over me, sword at my throat."

oh my god! I did not expect to fall so in love with this book and to be sobbing reading it. I am officially an Ashley Winstead forever fan.

TW: Cheating

Lee Stone, "Stoner", is one of the most emotionally complex characters I've ever read, and I love her so much, faults and all. Stoner is pushing to get an energy bill through, when she finds out she has to work with Ben.
Ben is heart break #4 in Lee's life, and the one that pushed her to swear off love and relationships. After cheating on him in college, assuming he was doing the same, they split ways and haven't spoke since. Now they're back in the same city, trying to pass the bill together that they both believe in.

So much to say about this book, and how much I connected with Lee. Winstead did a beautiful job of writing Lee & Ben's feelings and relationship that your heart was right there with them. Both of them have daddy issues, and it tore them apart last time. This book wasn't only about them finding their way back to each other, but working through this layers of emotional damage they each have, especially Lee.

I would highly recommend this to anyone that loves a good second chance romance with a big emotional element. The political element and large cheating backstory is not typical in a romance, but Winstead executed it perfectly.

Thank you so much Netgalley, Ashley Winstead , and Graydon House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

↠ 5 stars

Lee Stone (aka Stoner) is working as the communications director for a woman-owned electric car company. She’s facing the most important moment in her career - working to pass a clean energy bill in Texas - when her grad school ex-boyfriend, Ben, turns up and they are forced to work together and things get complicated (and hot).

•-•-•-•

This book was really funny, and the opening chapter with the Disney Princess wedding and the teapot costume was especially hilarious. I loved Lee and Ben’s banter throughout the book and really liked Lee’s relationships with her friends and family . My only issue was that I had a hard time understanding Lee’s reluctance to just go ahead and date Ben. I get that she had been betrayed in the past, but it felt forced and she started to get on my last nerve. I really liked the political and social commentary Winstead included, and overall thought this was a really smart, fun, funny book that is going to be wildly popular — I can’t wait to spot it in the wild this summer at the pool!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I was supposed to be a part of the blog tour team, but I dropped the ball with this review.
Fool Me Once follows Lee, also called “Stoner.” She has been working toward getting a clean energy bill ready to be promoted and hopefully passed. But her ex shows up at the office that’s working with Lee. An ex that she treated pretty poorly.
I really enjoyed this one. I felt like I could really relate to Lee. She was almost two different people when she was working versus the rest of the time. She also had some serious trust issues when it came to cheating and she let those issues guide her actions which led to hurting her ex, Ben. But it had been 5 years since all of that happened, so, Lee and Ben have agreed to be friends.
The progression of their relationship was well done, in my opinion. I really like the second chance romance trope. This one had the potential to go wrong, but I was happy with how the author handled their past and made amends for things both of the main characters had done. Their falling back in love with one another was believable and enjoyable.
I genuinely laughed out loud while I was reading this. I absolutely will be recommending this in the future and buying a finished copy for myself.

after reading "in my dreams I hold a knife," I knew I wanted to pick up Winstead's first romance novel. I absolutely loved every second I spent reading it! this was a slow-burn second chance romance but it definitely makes you curious as to how it will play out by the end.

I found Lee Stone to be a relatable character — focusing on her career, afraid of letting love into her life because of past heartbreaks and trauma, and ultimately having to confront those fears with herself. it was great seeing the support system she had in her life; helping her to grow as a person.

Ben was also such a loveable character. I understood the walls he put up for himself — also afraid of having to experience the same hurt again.

Besides the romance plot, I loved that politics and climate change were major plots in this book as well. it was very refreshing to have it as the backdrop of a book. and while those topics may seem boring to most to read about, I found that Winstead did an amazing job in keeping it interesting with the chemistry and banter between Lee and Ben.

4.5 stars