This was a great, light Christmas read, one of several Holigays novels out this winter! I didn't find it as propulsive as The Charm Offensive, but I still had such a wonderful time watching all these idiots admit to being in love with each other. You can't go wrong with this!

This was the Sapphic holiday book I NEEDED this year.

Get cozy, grab a hot chocolate and dive in.. with maybe a couple tissues?

Ellie has a world wind romance and falls in love in a day, and has her heart crushed in under three minutes... but is it by her fear of failure, or because she actually failed?

Enter Andrew Kim-Prescott, the landlord of the coffee shop she works at, and he has an offer for her that she simply can't refuse... enter the girl from one year previous... it's (not quite) a Christmas miracle?!

If miscommunication, fake dating & (not quite) second chance romance is your thing, then Kiss Her Once For Me will be a pleaser for you, this holiday season.

The representation in this book was brilliant, with an Asian-American family, lesbian, bisexual, demisexual, transgender & non-binary characters and representation throughout.

This is not your typical holiday romance! I loved how this took the marriage for convenience trope and put a surprising spin on it! I also loved the inclusivity and self-reflection throughout. I’ll be honest, I picked up the book because I love Christmas, and I thought the title was adorable. I was pleasantly surprised at the storyline, and enjoyed the plot! I don’t tend to read a lot of LGBTQ books, but I’m glad I picked this one up!

What I Liked: I’ve read a lot of Christmas romances in my life, especially this year. When I found out the trope in this book was marriage of convenience, I was leery as that isn’t my favorite. Cochrun managed to take this trope, which can be unbelievable even in the best of books, and make it feel real. I found myself believing the reasons Ellie and Andrew would agree to this hare-brained scheme and why Ellie would continue to keep the ruse up for so long. I’m a sucker for a story featuring lovable, kooky families and Andrew’s family is one of the best parts of this book. Meemaw and Lovey could have their own book and I’d read it. Andrew’s family was a great foil to Ellie’s; I can understand why she would want to be a part of his family, even after everything goes to hell. Being told that one of the best movies of all time While You Were Sleeping, was the inspiration for this book only added to my love of the family.

In my opinion, where this book shines is the representation. I’ve been pleased to see more and more mainstream Sapphic romances be released, but so many of them feature women with conventionally beautiful bodies. In this book, Jack is described as a butch lesbian and Ellie talks about how much she loves Jack’s body, armpit hair, thick thighs, and stretch marks included. It was incredibly refreshing to read a book featuring a “normal” body and not an idealized one. The theme of finding someone who loves you for you was strong and was written beautifully.

What I Didn’t Like: The reason Ellie and Jack didn’t work out the first time they met seemed to warrant more of a discussion and follow-up between them, but it felt like Ellie was being blamed for something that wasn’t her fault. For a book that spends so much time with Ellie and Jack having deep conversations, I wanted to see them discuss what had happened the previous Christmas more.

Who Should Read It: If you’re looking for a Christmas love story that discusses some serious topics like General Anxiety Disorder and neglectful parents, this is a good choice. And of course, any fan of While You Were Sleeping will have much to enjoy in this story.

Review Wrap Up: I was surprised how much I liked this book and found myself caring for the characters more than I thought I would. Ellie and Jack are great romance heroines, and the supporting cast was a delight. This was a fun read and I recommend it.

Favorite Quote(s): “I like my men like I like my life goals: unattainable.”

“I guess maybe that’s how it works in families who love each other unconditionally: you can fight without fear of losing them and be honest without consequences or repercussions.”

This book is a cute holiday read about discovering who you support, and your true honest self. The book jumps between the present of Ellie as she goes through a fake engagement, and the retelling of what happened to her last Christmas.

Alison Cochrun has put out another sweet, relatable, adorable romance, and even though there were a lot of working-on-yourself reflective, kinda sad bits, it got me a little more in the holiday spirit!

Ellie is floundering after being let go from her supposed dream job in Portland, and has been having a hard time getting over a one-night stand that she thought was more from last Christmas. When the landlord of the coffee shop she now works at proposed a marriage of convenience to the tune of $200,000, Ellie decides to go along with it. What's the worst that could happen? His sister being that one-night stand come back to haunt her? Psh.

Though yes, this is a romance, there is an awful lot of Ellie having to grapple with her own self, her family dynamics, and what her dreams actually are. A lot of romances are hitting this kind of two-for-one lately and I love it.

Especially recommended if you want the song Last Christmas to be stuck in your head for the rest of the year, or if you like books that make you read the, in one or two sittings!

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the e-ARC!

This books is stunning, amazing, and wonderful. I laughed (and highlighted half the book's snark) and cried (both happy and sad/anxious tears) and got that warm cozy hug feeling.

The balance of wit and vulnerability makes this book come alive - and I appreciated the messy-ness of all the characters which made this book (and characters) feel realistic. The characters are all so well written, and we go through so many ups and downs with these characters - I felt like I personally knew them by the end of the book. Even the side characters are messy, full of depth characters (the grandmas are my favorite characters). I liked the interspersed flashback scenes to showcase what happened the last Christmas rather just telling us, and the additional of the love trapezoid brought this romcom to a next level than a typical romcom.

This is a wonderful queer romcom and a great holiday read.

I enjoyed this book so much! It was such a great take on the marriage of convenience trope, instead Ellie falls in love with his sister!! The writing was so beautiful throughout this book, I wouldn’t expect that out of a romcom but it was written in a way where I really understood their connection and love for each other. I felt emotional at the end because Ellie and Jack had been through so many ups and downs, and seeing them get their happy ending was amazing. I also loved the setting of course! It was a perfect read for Christmas time!!

Thank you to NetGalley and _____ for providing me with a copy of the eARC of Kiss Her Once For Me. All opinions are my own

I absolutely devoured The Charm Offensive, so when I saw that Allison Cochran was writing a second book (and set at Christmastime to boot), I jumped on the eARC as quickly as I could! And Cochran did not disappoint. She gives us a new narrative style (first person POV from our dynamic narrator Elle, who is, quite frankly, a hot mess), some sapphic romance, and, as everyone keeps calling her, Jack, the "butch of our dreams." (But seriously—this woman can bake something for me any day.) Cochran explains that she was influenced by some of the great rom-coms of the 90's, including While You Were Sleeping, where a fake dating/engagement situation flips instantly on its head and two people who were absolutely not supposed to accidentally fall in love. Kiss Her Once For Me is a delightful adjacent of the classic. While it doesn't follow the plot line with fidelity or simply turn itself into a "gay version" of a successful 90's rom-com, it does have all the charm of one. We fall in love with its messy characters, the even messier families we meet, and root for everyone to find some version of happiness in the end—whether that comes in the form of new love, old flames, or self-love. This book is truly like if the queer Hallmark movie of your dreams existed, but in book form, but with probably way more serious subject matter: Homophobic family members! Toxic parents! Queer-platonic relationships! Gen Z burnout! Family expectations gone awry! Pick up this book and enjoy alongside a cinnamon bun, a latte, and a crackling fire on a snowy day.

Last Christmas, Ellie and Jack had a magical snow day together, but the very next day they fell apart, never to see each other again. This year, Ellie is supporting herself by working in a coffee shop after losing her dream job, when Andrew proposes a marriage of convenience to get his inheritance. When they get up to his family's cabin he introduces his sister...and it's Jack, the woman from last year...

The Charm Offensive was my favourite book last year, and Alison Cochrun absolutely brought it with this amazing book! Another 5 star read.

Freaking perfection of love interests and the tension between them throughout the week, with immaculate Christmas vibes. I found the family and side characters lovely and sweet, the friendship support was also really cute. I really enjoyed how the conflicts throughout the book weren't easy to get out of with just communication - Jack starting these emotional conversations was really sweet. All the wrongs throughout could be explained and justified, so I was really rooting for the couple.

The book is advertised as one for fans of Written in the Stars and One Day in December, which is absolutely accurate. I really enjoyed both of those books! I strongly recommend reading this one when you're ready for Christmas romances!

TW: abandonment by/abusive parents, representation of anxiety

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun. Pub Date: November 1, 2022. Rating: 4 stars. Set around Christmas time, this novel packs a punch with humor, vulnerability, real life scenarios, family disorganization and lost and found again love. I loved the main character's honesty and vulnerability about her struggles in life, personally and professionally because I felt she was so relatable. The crazy family dynamics and how she finds her love again is hilarious and heartfelt. This story is about accepting your life where it is, dreaming for what it could be and chasing that dream to become reality. It takes courage, honesty, vulnerability and a little bit of grit. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley

The Charm Offensive was one of my favorite books I read earlier this year so when I heard Alison Cochrun was releasing a Christmas romance I was already totally onboard! The main character of Ellie is really great and I loved the romantic storyline.

I'm not usually a fan of Christmas-y reads but I enjoyed this one. It was incredibly sweet and funny. One of my favorite things to read is witty banter and this book is full of it!

There’s something about Alison Cochrun’s books that are just delightful. I don’t like romance much but this is an author I will be auto-reading!

I won’t lie there is one thing I didn’t love but that would give spoilers but other than that I will say this is a perfect holiday read! It wraps up cutely and is overall a very sweet story. I liked the other topics it hit on such as failure and parental neglect. Can’t wait for Cochrun’s next book!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

thank you so much to netgalley and atria books for this arc of kiss her once for me. i absolutely adored this one!

what do you do when you are currently working as a barista (and hating it) and the cafes landlord offers you money to marry him so that he can receive his inheritance? and what do you do if you say yes, only to find out that your fiancés sister is the woman that you had a 24 hour whirlwind romance with last christmas? well welcome to the life of ellie!

i thought that this romance was super heartfelt, messy, and even if some aspects were not really relatable, moments like ellie’s anxiety and jack’s fears of being the family mess up were super relatable and i can see many readers connecting to these characters. the representation present in this book, seen in gender, sexuality, and mental illness, was in my opinion super well done. i giggled, i gasped, and i overall really loved this book. highly suggest kiss her once for me for anyone looking for a holiday romance, especially a sapphic one :) 4.5!

A sweet holiday romance with some fake dating with a twist thrown in. I really liked the premise of this one and overall it was a pretty enjoyable read. I loved all the messy relationship dynamics at play and the snowy setting, which made this such a cozy read. Ellie as the main character also had a really great character arc with some great personal growth. I think I really wanted to like this more than I ended up doing, which isn't to say that it wasn't good, but it just wasn't my favorite. Even though the characters are all fleshed out really complexly, I just personally didn't really care about any of the characters. But that's just me! I'm sure many people will find a lot to love in Jack and Ellie and Andrew and Dylan and the whole rest of this crew. And I did enjoy reading it!
That said, if you want a cozy, queer holiday romance, maybe pick up Kiss Her Once for Me.

**Many thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so freaking cute!!! I loved the relationship between Ellie and Jack. I also really enjoyed that the characters addressed their feelings and talked about things, instead of spending too much time in their own heads. The different family dynamics also added so much more depth to the characters. Also - drunk grandmas are the best.

My favorite line: “Miscommunication is for the straights. We are going to talk this out.”

If you love queer holiday romance, you’ll love this!

thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this arc in exchange for an honest review :)

Ok folks I’ve started my Holiday Reading early so you can know what books to pick up on your next book store trip!

Kiss Her Once for Me is the story of Ellie Oliver who moves to Portland for a dream job in animation. On Christmas Eve she has a meet-cute with a woman at a bookstore that led her to fall in love over the course of a single night. But after a betrayal the next morning and the loss of her job soon after, she finds herself adrift, alone, and desperate for money.

When acquaintance Andrew proposes a a marriage of convenience that will give him his recent inheritance and alleviate Ellie’s financial woes. They make a plan to spend the holidays together but little does she know Andrew’s sister is her Christmas meet cute!

Y’all I loved this holiday story full of quirky family members including Grandma who is high the whole time. I just loved how all of the family interacted and their traditions were too notch. This one has all the Christmas Vibes and reminded me a bit of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Highly recommend this one for your holiday TBR!

I was looking for a fun holiday rom-com and when I read the synopsis for Alison Cochrun’s new novel, Kiss Her Once for Me, I immediately knew it was exactly what I was looking for. The story follows Ellie Oliver, a young woman who, a year ago, was on top of the world. She had just moved to Portland, Oregon for her dream job and on Christmas Eve, she has the most magical meet-cute in a bookstore with a woman named Jack. Ellie is convinced she’s in love, but things abruptly change the next morning, and Ellie and Jack part ways.

Things start to spiral and by the following Christmas, Ellie has lost her dream job and, desperate to make ends meet, is now working as a barista at a local coffee shop, hating her mean boss and just trying to get through each day. When Andrew, the landlord of the coffee shop, proposes a wild plan – pose as his wife for a year in order to help him secure his recent inheritance in exchange for 10% of the inheritance — Ellie thinks he’s crazy but is just desperate enough to go along with it. Imagine Ellie’s shock when Andrew takes her to spend the holidays with his family and introduces her to his sister, Jack. Yep, the same Jack from the magical meet-cute the previous year. And guess what? Those sparks are still there!

I’m such a sucker for a good second chance romance and for a great fake dating story, so this book felt tailor made for me. All the characters are so well drawn, complex and have these messy and very relatable issues that they’re dealing with. I adored Ellie, Andrew, and Jack and found myself rooting for all three of them to somehow end up with happy endings. I also loved that even though there were three parties involved, it wasn’t really a love triangle. This story was more about Ellie having to make the hard choice between sticking it out in a fake relationship with Andrew for some much needed financial security, or following her heart’s desire and trying to make things work with Jack.

I also very much enjoyed the balance between hilarious and cute moments such as Jack trying to teach a terrified Ellie how to ski and other more intense moments such as when Ellie has to contend with her horrible, unsupportive mother and again when Ellie and Jack have to have some serious discussions about what happened between them a year ago.

All in all, I really enjoyed this one and would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun and festive holiday romance that also has a side of drama to spice things up a bit.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an arc of this one.

Ellie's life didn't begin when she moved to Portland, it spiraled down the drain. She thought she was moving their for a great animation job and thought maybe she'd fall in love when she met Jack on a snowy Christmas Eve, but then Jack didn't last more than a night and she got laid off her job. A year later, she's working at a coffee shop for a horrible boss and is no longer interested in love. Enter Andrew, who proposes a marriage of convenience with Ellie so he can get his inheritance and she can get some much needed cash. When she goes to see his family for Christmas, who might Andrew's sister be? Surprise!

Ellie and Jack--loves of my life. The perfect holiday romcom does exist and it is Sapphic and set in Portland with events happening a year apart. It has a fake engagement and surprise exes and misunderstandings and a demisexual MC and a butch love interest and a snowed-in trope. Honestly it is perfectly lovely. I didn't want it to end. And the audio is so so good! Definitely recommend you read the audio version.

If you are looking for some Hallmark Happiness this winter you NEED to pick up this book. I am serious. It is so good. And Sapphic Christmas...*Chef's Kiss*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Toxic relationship, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Infidelity, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Transphobia