last Christmas, Ellie Oliver is working her dream job in Portland & finds herself in the midst of a romantic holiday meet-cute. this year, she’s barely making ends meet as a barista, and she’s still not over her one-night romance from last Christmas.

desperate to catch a break, she finds herself accepting a bizarre proposal from Andrew, the coffee shop’s landlord: since his grandfather’s will states that he must be married in order to receive his inheritance, Ellie will act as his fiancé & receive part of his inheritance in return.

in order to look the part, Andrew requests that Ellie spend Christmas with his family. upon arriving, she realizes that she’s put herself in an incredibly unfortunate situation, as she begins to fall for his family (specifically his sister). now Ellie must decide what’s worth more to her: love or money?

i always enjoy a fake-proposal trope, & this one had a fun twist that I honestly did not see coming (fyi, I didn’t read the synopsis beforehand, so this part won’t be a surprise to anyone who chooses to). I thought the story itself was entertaining, but the book itself was long, & it felt as such. i think a lot of the reason it took some time for me was due to the holiday chaos, but I also think there was an abundance of character miscommunication throughout that dragged things out a bit.

I liked this book, though I wouldn’t say much of it was believable. there was a lot of great representation throughout, though I’ve seen mixed reviews regarding the accuracy of how certain populations were portrayed in this book. there were also a lot of pop culture & generational references that I thought were a bit excessive & generalized. I enjoyed the overall Christmasey feel, though!

thanks to @netgalley & @atriabooks for my copy of this book!

Kiss Her Once for Me was one of my most anticipated books of 2022 as Alison Cochrun’s debut novel The Charm Offensive was one of my favorite books of 2021. I was so excited to dive into this queer, holiday rom-com.

Kiss Her Once for Me is about Ellie who met someone last Christmas and had the most magical day with them, only to be disappointed the next morning. Since then, nothing seems to have gone right for Ellie. Facing financial troubles, she agrees to fake a relationship for her job’s landlord in exchange for a chunk of change, only to learn that her new fiancé’s sister is her missed connection from last Christmas.

Kiss Her Once for Me has a plot that is a bit more complicated than your average romance novel. While I really liked that the romance was not the only component of the story, I felt that the overall plot was a bit over contrived for my liking. This is totally a personal preference as I like romance novels to be a bit more straightforward with little conflict. The complicated nature of the relationships in this book along with the reliance on the miscommunication trope made for a read that was slightly stressful.

What I loved about Kiss Her Once for Me was the fully-developed characters as well as the mental health and LGBTQIA+ representation. This is where Alison’s writing thrived. I really felt like I was able to get to know so many characters in a short span. I loved seeing so much queer representation, including demisexuality. Ellie, the main character of this book, also has generalized anxiety disorder. I think her experience was very reflective of what living with anxiety is like for many people.

I found the writing to be easy to fall into. So often books are billed as rom-coms but never actually funny. I am happy to say this book has its humorous moments that lighten up the storyline. The only issues I found with the writing was that there were places where it was repetitive.

Taylor Swift fans will surely delight in the love for Taylor this book shows. I, on the other hand, more despise Taylor than like her. Other than one sentence, I did not mind the references and likely missed some of them. But whew! That one sentence will go down as one of the most offensive non-bigoted sentences I have ever read.

Overall, I really enjoyed Kiss Her Once for Me and will continue to read anything Alison Cochrun writes. While this is not my favorite holiday rom-com, I do recommend it, especially to Swifties.

I was not expecting this to have the emotional impact that it did. This is a romance, but it's also so much about family, about confronting failure, about allowing yourself to be seen and loved. The marriage-of-convenience set-up allowed for a lot of drama and tension which I was eating up and I loved the atmosphere of a snowy cabin--I definitely felt festive reading it! I love the queer cast, the drunken grandmas and Jack and Andrew's loving mother, but most of all, I love the relationship dynamic between Ellie and Jack, with scenes that left me internally screaming and/or squealing. This was such a perfect holiday book--I can definitely see myself rereading it for years to come.

🎄 Season’s Readings! 🎄

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚127/100
Kiss Her Once For Me

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read this ARC! I was so excited I ended up buying a physical copy.

The Charm Offensive was one of the first rom-coms I’d loved, so I was EXTRA stoked when I found out that Alison Cochrun was authoring a Christmas book! It had the charm and depth that I hoped for, and it was a great addition to my seasonal lineup. This book stayed full of hope and lightness, while also touching on body positivity, the LGBTQ+ experience, and family dynamic complexities. My only reason that it didn’t hit 5 stars for me was that the plot did get just a tad predictable, and the change in timelines made me have to reread a paragraph every now and then, but it was altogether quite wholesome and enjoyable!

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Ellie’s life is a series of ups and downs- she’s landed her dream job, but her absentee mother has once again left her to be alone for Christmas. To escape the loneliness, she finds herself in Powell’s books, where she encounters Jack. The two fall for each other over the events of a night, until the morning comes and it all ends in heartbreak and confusion.

Fast forward to next Christmas: Ellie lost her animation job, and is now working to make ends meet in a coffee shop. One day, the building owner, Andrew, comes in, and by that evening, he and Ellie have contracted a marriage of convenience. Ellie agrees with hopes that it will solve her financial issues, and holds up part of the agreement that finds her in a cabin for Christmas with his family. Her worlds collide when Andrew introduces his sister, Jacqueline, who just happens to be Jack from last Christmas.

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Alison Cochrun writes the most adorable rom-coms! I loved the characters in this book even though the premise was a bit weird for me, and thought that the setting and complications that arose in the plot were handled really well because they had a purpose. I loved how much of a chance of circumstance Ellie meeting Jack again was, and how cute Dylan and Andrew were together — I want more of their characters! This book was a very cozy read and perfect for long winter nights. I can’t wait to read what she writes next!

I loved everything about this book and I want more sapphic christmas book.

One of the best things about this was the anxiety rep, I’ve never read a book that’s described how anxiety truly feels. And I can’t wait to read the next book by Allison Cochrun.

This story in my hometown is EVERYTHING!! The best bookstore, magical Portland snow (IYKYK) and some holiday love! The characters captured my heart and I need more of them! Go buy it and go read it. That’s all 🥳

As y’all know I had a family member in the hospital and I’ve been trying to keep myself in a good mood by reading some romance books that are set in the holidays. I don’t care what type of holiday, as long as it’s a winter holiday and has an HEA. Someone suggested this to me and let me tell you, it fit the bull EXACTLY. I LOVED this and I am so happy I was able to read it!

Ok so last year I heard that The Charmed Offensive was being talked about all over the place and everyone was head over heels for it. I don’t think I got my hands on it until way too late, so I missed the uproar. So when this one was announced, I said I am DEFINITELY NOT missing this one. Usually I wait because I think it might be like a little spoilery for the author’s previous work. (Y’all know how companion novels are) But with this one I didn’t care. I got my hands on it and read it because everyone was talking about it and I knew I didn’t want to be left out again.

So, the number one thing about this that I loved was the plot. Y’all I’m not usually a fanatic of mess and drama, but this was too good to pass up. The one person you fell in love with is the sister to your new fake fiancee?! Y’all, I had these damn headphones glued to my ears. I don’t know how I didn’t see this coming (I REALLY need to start reading the synopsis lol) but I didn’t, and i think i liked it more because of that. All the shenanigans that come from this had me laughing, biting my nails from anxiety of what was to come, and just being sad that they might not be able to get their ish together. I really liked Allison’s writing style and I put The Charmed Offensive on hold immediately. I needed more of the mess filled funny drama that squeezed a romance out of it too.

Now the reason I couldn’t give this 5 stars. I didn’t really like the rep for demisexuality. Now I’m not demi, but my cousin IS and her definition of what being demi is didn’t match up to this. It didn’t even match up to what the definition was in the book? Like she described that she needed a “deep connection with someone before anything happened between them. but there was this one person who she fell in love with in a day. And I get it, everyone is different, no one is a monolith, but the one person in my life that is demi didn’t agree with this. Now I am not demi so I can only go off what she said, but I trust my cousin.

The actual romance was ok tho. It was like so intense. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to see the person you love being in the same room hugged up with your sibling! And when they finally let something happen, it was like hot and heavy. Every kiss and every detail was intense. I don’t know any other way to explain it. They were like a hurricane; the warm ocean air and some humid air clashing together. Watching them was like a whirlwind. I had so many emotions about this romance, I can’t imagine what they felt. Like the pining for your sibling’s finace’?! Or knowing that you’re the fake finance and seeing the person you actually want right there in the flesh and knowing you can’t say anything less you want to blow up your spot? Lordt, this was crazy lol But then came the freakin third act break up. It was stupid because it was over something I knew she shouldn’t have done from the beginning. I didn’t know how it was going to come back and bite her, but I knew it would. And sure enough……… And y’all know how I feel about the miscommunication trope. The only reason I wasn’t so annoyed about this was because I also have anxiety and I know had I been in the same situation I would have also felt like she did.

The holiday portrayal was great as well. Y’all know I get a little salty when there’s not really any holiday fun in a holiday themed book, but this one fit the bill. There’s even a time when they’re making Christmas cookies and y’all know I love a good cookie weekend! We have one every year with my own family. There’s other events they have too, (a full itinerary lol) and I enjoyed that they were enjoying their family for the holiday. And of course the shenanigans that happened that first Christmas and what ended up happening in the present too. It was a lot, but it was entertaining lol

The narration goes without saying tho, y’all know that Natalie Naudus is one of my faves. I didn’t realize how many books she’d actually done, I didn’t know she had done this book, but when I realized it, I knew it was going to make it even better. And it did. Natalie is amazing and I really hope to finish her back list at some point.

This is probably going to be the only time you hear me say this is a slow burn that I actually liked. Why? Because I was into the drama to actually care lol But I felt like this had a good balance of things with what I did like and what I didn’t. It really made me wonder what I missed out on in the author’s debut. I’m going to have to fix that immediately.

As a big fan of Alison Cochrun's first novel, The Charm Offensive, I was so excited to learn she was writing a sapphic story for her second book! Kiss Her Once For Me absolutely does not disappoint. It's charming as twinkling lights in the snow, warm and cozy as a steaming mug of cocoa, and completely jampacked with Taylor Swift references and Easter eggs (thank u Alison Cochrun). Some of the plot elements don't entirely land, but I love the characters - Ellie and Jack, both as individuals and as a couple, but also the supporting cast, including Ari, Ellie's effusive barista self-declared bestie, and Andrew, Jack's himbo-y brother whom I think I love more than maybe I'm supposed to?? Whatever, he's great, they're all great, and so is this book, which got All Too Well (10 Minute Version) stuck in my head and had me dancing around to Christmas Tree Farm the whole time. It's just a big-hearted, cinnamon roll hug of a book, made for sugar cookies and oversized sweaters and mistletoe kisses.

Thank you to Atria Books for the advance review copy!

Super sweet twist on While You Were Sleeping! I was pleasantly surprised by the thoughtful take on failure presented here. My only wish is that we'd been able to see some of Ellie's webcomics!

A meet cute in a bookstore leads to a one-night stand on Christmas in Kiss Her Once for Me, the new romance novel by Alison Cochrun. When I was done reading this novel I couldn't stop hearing Last Christmas by Wham! in my head and replaying scenes of the graphic novel Ellie wrote in my head. Alison, can we please get a real copy of the graphic novel? Pretty please! Much like the song by Wham!, not everything went smoothly after Jack and Ellie's meet cute one-night stand last Christmas. In fact, after last Christmas they haven't seen each other again. That's why when Ellie is given the chance to pretend to be her employer's fake fiance for Christmas to help with her financial woes she reluctantly says yes. Christmas is a magical season though and sometimes what the heart really wants yearns for happens at Christmas...

This queer novel was everything I needed in a Christmas novel. If you love While You Were Sleeping Give this romance novel a shot as there are some references to the movie made in this novel. Alison is a big fan of the movie, as she says in the acknowledgements. I adored Ellie, Jack, the grandmas, really everyone in the novel, except Jack's father. He can get a lump of coal and go far away. I was a big fan of Alison's debut novel, The Charm Offensive, and her second novel did not disappoint. Thank you to Atria Books for allowing me an e-book via Netgalley for review in exchange for my honest review. I loved it so much I had to go get my own physical copy for my home library.

Kiss Her Once for Me was pure magic! The plot switches back and forth between the present day and flashbacks from the day Ellie and Jack met and fell in love. There are misunderstandings and an unexpected snow storm and lots of holiday traditions and kisses under the mistletoe. The characters were developed so well and I immediately adored Ellie. Her struggles with anxiety were so relatable and I really liked the demi-bisexuality rep. Kiss Her Once for Me is the perfect romance to curl up with on a wintery day and I can‘t wait to read Alison’s next novel.

I am a huge fan of the movie While You Were Sleeping, and my favorite part of that movie is the incredible family (particularly the hilarious grandparents). This book has all of these best parts, and in addition to that has a sweet and vulnerable queer love story at its heart. The romance in this book is lovely, but the family is a love story all its own. I highly recommend this for some holiday joy this season!

This was ridiculously good. One of the cutest, most fun Christmas stories I have read in years with a great cast of characters. I absolutely loved Jack and Ellie and their chemistry together.

This novel is pretty much everything we want in a holiday book with fake dating, friendships, coziness, tension and more. The queer and mental health representation is wonderful, family and found family in our side characters, and Jack is 🥵. This book also felt so real in the situations our FMCs face especially when it comes to failure, honesty, and support. I adored how song lyrics were woven throughout and added a beautiful touch. Definitely make sure to read this one this holiday season!

I was so excited to read this since I absolutely loved The Charm Offensive, but I had to admit I didn't love this one as much. This story is definitely more cozy, which I loved, but the cuteness felt a bit over the top for me. I liked Ellie and Jack, but I'm not sure I was completely rooting for their relationship.

I'll start with what I liked—the cozy, holiday setting was so lovely and added a warm glow to the entire story. I also loved the supporting characters (and I kind of wish their stories weren't wrapped up so we could get some full-length novels about them). Dylan's superb sense of humor always brought the edge to a scene, and Jack's two grandmas were absolute hoots. I wouldn't mind teleporting into their Christmas celebrations if I could.. but maybe without a fake fiancé.

But I found the webcomic chapters to be really frustrating. They were basically flashback chapters poorly disguised as a webcomic in a chapter header, but with no actual webcomic-ness in the chapters themselves. I wish they had either gone all out on the webcomic idea with full art and maybe fewer chapters, or just pulled back and branded these chapters as flashbacks. There just wasn't enough to sell the concept to me—it felt underdone.

I also wish there had been chapters with Jack's point of view. Ellie's voice got more and more annoying as I read, especially with the superfluous descriptions, and certain descriptive phrases repeated at length. I think if Jack's POV had been included, it would be effective in making Ellie's voice more enjoyable, and add some depth to Jack's character that was a bit lacking.

Even so, this romance is still super cute, and a great read for the holiday season! The fake dating trope was really fun, and the story is full of funny, sweet moments. It'll make any holiday grinch love the season again.

Five huge well deserved stars for Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun. After reading and loving The Charm Offensive, I knew I needed to check this one out. It was perfection! A very solid queer romance story with some fine holiday fun added in. I cannot recommend this one enough!

I adored everything about this book. The humour was subtle and well placed. The pop culture references were spot on. The secondary characters were great, especially Lovey and Meemaw who were so feisty and fun! I loved the LGBTQIA+ "love trapezoid" as it was lovingly referred to. I loved the forced proximity trope as well as the fake engagement. It all worked so well. The main characters were genuine, well thought out and easy to root for!

Seriously, just trust me and add this one to your holiday reading. Or read it at any point throughout the year, because it's just that good. Honest, romantic and charming - you need to pick this one up!

ALL THE STARS!! I need an option for more than 5 stars to only be used very occasionally - and Kiss Her Once For Me is that occasion. Do you love the movie While You Were Sleeping? Do you love the book The Charm Offensive? If the answer to either question is yes - immediately stop reading this review and go get your hands on this book to start reading it!!! I started reading without knowing anything other than the same author as The Charm Offensive - and I think that’s the perfect way to go in. Don’t read the synopsis!

If you need a little more - I’ll tell you the author’s note shared that it was inspired by While You Were Sleeping and I could see that through this book in all the best ways - particularly the overwhelming in the best ways introduction to the family. The grandmothers are absolute stars!

Alison Cochrun has become an absolute must buy author for me and I can’t wait to read anything else she writes! Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the free advance reading copy. I also immediately bought a copy for my shelves before I even finished because I knew this was a new favorite!

Not going to lie I was not the biggest fan of the charm offensive. It was one of those books that while I appreciated the book when really dissecting it, as a whole it just did not work for me as well as it worked for others. With that being said I am not one to just write off authors so I decided to give her another shot and I am so glad that I did. This was such a feel good Christmassy sapphic romance. I actually loved it so much that I ended up getting myself a physical copy. Something about Alison that I really appreciate is she makes characters that feel real. It is not one of those unattainable stories that leave you feeling like it is implausible or kind of leave you feeling a little bad about yourself, but rather real characters that feel flawed. Come to think of it I think that might have been my biggest issue with Charm Offensive as it just hit a little too close to home. But back to Kiss her once for me, I gained a whole new appreciation for her writing style and it just felt like a nice holiday read, and one that I kept wanting to pick back up again. I definitely am a fan and will be reading anything else Alison Cochrun comes out with.

Loved this story! It was a cozy read filled with so much heart! The anxiety rep was spot on! I related so freaking much to Ellie! The drama and romance was EVERYTHING! Even the side characters romance was great! I was also reading it during the same exact time of the book's setting which was so cool lol. Overall, such a fun read with so many lovable characters! Thanks NetGalley & Atria Books! This was a wonderful story.!