I absolutely adored this one! This is the perfect holiday read. It was cozy, sweet, funny, and touching. I couldn't believe how often I chuckled while reading it.

I loved the character development of such a diverse group of characters. All of the characters were interesting with great development. The characters' behavior and reactions made sense considering their pasts as well.

A sapphic holiday romance filled with Christmas magic and all the best tropes.
I’ve been reading a lot of webtoons lately and this book really brought that vibe. Ellie even writes her own webtoon and it is creatively used for flashbacks and world building.
The characters were all so relatable and engaging. I really loved watching the main and side romances progress.
Bookstores, bakeries and snowed in cabins set the tone for a sweet cozy romance perfect for Christmas.
Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for the e-arc.

My busy schedule this time of year prevented me from reading this quicker than I was hoping to, but after a week and a half I'm finally finished Kiss Her Once For Me! Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for a review copy of this LQBTQ+ romance novel.

The Charm Offensive remains my favorite of Allison's so far, but Kiss Her Once For Me was a perfect romance novel for this time of year! I love knowing that the author has no shame displaying her love of Taylor Swift through the course of the story... she made me see evermore as a holiday album for the first time ever. This had a fun spin on romance "second chance tropes" with the main character pretending to marry a guy only to find out his sister was the one person she fell in love with last Christmas after spending one day with her. This led to a fun holiday vacation at the family cabin filled with crazy grandmas, adventurous skiing, and being trapped in a strong snowstorm. I also really liked the webcomics sprinkled throughout the book, I think that allowed for a good break within the overall plot and I wished the author could have included one more of those for the very end. Overall though this was a very cute story and I cannot wait to see what Allison writes next.

I'm a sucker for anything romance + coffee shop. I'm honestly not sure why, but the cover hooked me immediately. A great Christmas romance that was a quick read and quirky characters.

Swoon. I adored this Christmas rom com. After loving The Charm Offensive, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Alison’s second book and it didn’t disappoint! This was the perfect blend of very funny, sweet, serious and Christmasy with allllll of the mental health and LGBTQ+ rep. I truly laughed out loud so much. It also had so many good tropes - some that I always love, like fake dating (WHY IS THIS IS THE BEST TROPE?!), and some that I typically hate but somehow worked perfectly here, like insta-love (well, because it’s more than that and makes sense for once!). I loved the MC, Ellie, so much. Fear of failure is such a powerful, relatable theme throughout and I loved seeing Ellie’s growth. Jack was also great and their romance was just the best. LOVED IT!

Fun Christmas romance with an interesting cast of characters, messy relationship drama, and Taylor Swift references! It was a quick read that kept my interest and I enjoyed the way it ended.

While you were sleeping s my family's Christmas movie, so when I saw this, and saw the description, and knew it was the author of The Charm Offensive, which I also really enjoyed - I was so in.

This is a super fun Christmas romance, and while you can feel the influence of While You Were Sleeping, it very much isn't just a regurgitation of it ether. This book is its own thing. The fake engagement is different, the way the MC falls for the sibling is different, but the warmth of the family and falling in love? That is all here.

It is exactly the book you want to curl up under the Christmas tree with this holiday season.

3.5 stars --- I loved the Charm Offensive and I love the idea of an insta-connection made in the aisle of Powell's Books so I was really excited to read this one. While this book was a sweet holiday tale, it didn't hold my attention. I continually was putting it down to do something else because the characters didn't grab me in the way I hoped.

The author knocked this novel out of the lRk. A brilliant second novel. Steamy, romantic, fun amd endearing. Not to be missed.

Kiss Her Once For Me - Allison Cochrun

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Another cutie holiday romcom review for ya!!! I absolutely loved this one. It’s a sapphic second chance romance with a dash of marriage of convenience and all the sweet, snowy PNW vibes you could hope for!

What I loved:
* This was not your typical marriage of convenience trope and I was HERE for it. Like helloooo she is faking an engagement with the landlord of her job but is in love with his sister!!!
* Pretty much the only time I can think of that I loved insta love- it was so well done and just made complete sense for Ellie & Jack’s relationship.
* Such great LGBTQIA+ and mental health rep!
* A wonderful cast of characters. Loved Andrew & Jack’s family and Dylan so much!
* This was so much more than just a romcom- it explores familial and mental health issues too.

Allison Cochrun is so good at writing romcoms with incredible representation and with people that are just so relatable and HUMAN. If you haven’t read this or The Charm Offensive, you need to pick them up asap!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Oh, I really enjoyed this. ☺️ It was funny, heartwarming, and had just the right amount of Christmas.
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Ellie and Jacqueline (Jack) meet one snowy Christmas Eve and spend the night together. A misunderstanding leads to their parting, until a chance fake fiancé arrangement brings them back together the next year—Ellie is fake engaged to Jack’s brother Andrew (to help him get his inheritance.)
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This book has it all. Tons of humor and swoon worthy moments. Tons of LGBTQ+ representation. Anxiety representation. AAPI representation. Found family. 🥹 There were a few lines that I literally had a physical reaction to. I’m talking my heart swooped and I got goosebumps. 😭
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I felt really attached to these characters and was rooting for them so hard. Ellie grew so much it makes me want to cry. Jack was so steady in chasing her dreams. Andrew found the courage to be himself. Dylan. Ari. The boozy grandmas. The whole gang really 🥹🫶🥹
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Also I’m not being dramatic but this might be my favorite grand gesture moment ever. It felt so real and authentic to me. I’m obsessed with the idea of your partner being a “witness” for your life. 🥹😭 I gave this five stars and enthusiastically recommend it!
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Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher fro my early e-copy!

3.5 stars

I’m not quite sure why this story didn’t completely grab me. It’s got a lot to offer: a main character (Ellie) who has anxiety and is working to overcome the disadvantages life has thrown at her; a meet-cute; a fake engagement trope; a diverse cast of characters who aren’t cardboard stereotypes; and lots of Portland, Oregon flavor. (I loved all the local color, since I know the Portland area pretty well.)

But somehow it didn’t fully engage me. It could be because I didn’t realize it was a Christmas-heavy story when I picked it up (and Christmas books aren’t my thing). Or it could be that I’d just finished another romance book with a wonderful main character who is dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. Or it could be that the timeline in this book was a bit confusing, going back and forth between last Christmas” (2021) to “this Christmas” (2022), along with excerpts from Ellie’s web comic, which was based on her experiences. Things kind of blurred for me.

So YMMV (your mileage may vary).

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book had the vibes. I’m so glad I picked it up during the holiday season. I loved the Charm Offensive and this is just as good. Alison Cochrun writes characters so well that they just work their way into your heart.
It wasn’t even until reflecting on this book that I realized it had a few things I don’t normally like, such as instalove and not being a dual POV. It was written so thoughtfully and with such heart, I still enjoyed it immensely. The found family aspect of this story (another Grandma fan over here!) was hilarious and I loved the cabin setting.
Thank you Atria Books for the digital copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoying, messy, beautiful, rom-com is how I’d describe this book. Im a sucker for fake dating and second chances so that pulled me right in. An overall cozy holiday lgbtq+ read.

I LOVED this book! I had not read anything by this author before, but had heard how wildly popular her last book was so I was excited to pick up this holiday read.

Jack and Ellie have such a cute story, I was rooting for them the entire time. I liked the dual time lines when we were able to revisit the one day Jack and Ellie spent together before being thrust back into each other's lives in the most unexpected and unideal way.

This was a cute holiday read that had the perfect amount of Christmas magic, some fun family traditions, and an over-all message of second chances.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy - I loved this book 5/5 stars! Would definitely recommend!

Thank you to the author and publisher for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! Such a fun holiday read. While You Were Sleeping is my favorite movie and this book matched it perfectly. Absolutely recommend!

The best holiday book of the year! Cochrun weaves LGBTQ idetnities and pronouns into her stories so seamlessly that it is always feels so natural, but beyond her ability to master this; she created such lovely characters here and SUCH a fun twist on her story. I mean, fake dating only to fall for his brother?! HELLO!! It was so great. I really loved Ellie and Jack so much and Andrew was just so endearing. All the yes. All the good things. This one wins for holiday romances.

This was a super cute rom-com with a side of Christmas. After being let go from her dream job, Elena’s ten year plan is all but stopped. Stuck at a job she despises and in an apartment she can’t afford, she still thinks back to Christmas last year when she managed to meet someone and have her heart broken in less than 24 hours. When an opportunity presents itself for Elena to earn enough money to solve at least some of her problems, she takes the opportunity, even if it means she has to pretend to be engaged to her job’s landlord, Andrew Kim-Prescott, and attend Christmas with his family. This was the perfect little story to get in the Christmas spirit.

This was a fun and cute holiday read!! Funny, romantic, really likable side characters. This one didn't feel as long as the Charm Offensive (which otherwise was a perfect book for me) but it lacked a bit of the spark that her first novel had.

Overall, a fun read and I would recommend it. 3.5 stars!

I absolutely loved this book! I thought the fake dating would be my favourite part but I was so wrong!

I've decided Cochrun is a bit of a wizard - this book contains so many tropes and yet it works! The setting is atmospheric and a touch whimsical, the banter is fun, the rep is *chef's kiss* and I felt every emotion reading this book. I enjoyed Ellie's character, her struggles are relatable and heart breaking and I absolutely bonded with her, especially with her anxiety, her love of art and her use of it as an escape/outlet. I also like the fact two very different yet still toxic family situations are introduced in this book and appreciated the discussion included about the topic. Ellie's character development throughout the book was great and her finally standing up to her mother was so empowering, there is no way one could not root for her.

As for the romance, it was also pretty great even though the fake dating part was brief and mildly ridiculous given what is revealed about Andrew later on haha. The flashbacks to last Christmas when Ellie met Jack were a lovely addition and shed so much insight on their characters and relationship. My favourite part was probably the truth game. Them meeting again in this crazy twist felt like fate and I was here for it! I don't really care for miscommunication trope but given everything going on, it was inevitable in this one haha. So many characters in this book grow into themselves and learn to love themselves and to let themselves be loved, it was amazing to witness.

Another fave was Jack's grandmas... Can I get adopted? They were awesome!

All in all, a lovely holiday read especially if you like the kind that start off bittersweet and end up heartwarming with a great HEA.

Content warnings include: anxiety/panic attacks, toxic family relationships, mentions of homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, infidelity, alcohol consumption.

A huge thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the arc of this books. All opinions are my own.