I think that The Charm Offensive is still one of my top books, not just of the year, but of all time - it was just incredible. Alison Cochrun is a knock it out of the park debut author. She has done a stunning job on her sophomore novel, with Kiss Her Once For Me, too! This one has so many great nuances, twists and a truly unexpected love triangle (rhombus?) in this beautiful LGBTQ+ romance with a fake engagement of convenience to fulfill a Will requirement for an inheritance.

Ellie is struggling to get by in life as a barista in a dead-end job, after losing her dream job as a graphic designer. Her boss sucks, her living situation sucks, she doesn't get the promotion she expects, might actually lose the lame job and is about to get evicted from the crummy closet apartment. She had moved across the country for the dream job that she lost. She has no family to speak of, and very few friends or people she knows in Portland - no support system to fall back on. She has a best friend back home, but no one around here. Her coworker at the coffee shop is her self-appointed new best friend.

When the building landlord presents her with an offer she can't refuse, she goes along with it - because what else can she do but agree to marry Andrew to help him get the inheritance his grandfather leaves behind only if he gets married (and he'll give her a great percentage for going along with it - enough to take care of all of her worries). They have no ties to each other, and it'll be no problem to get divorced in a year. But, Ellie can't stop thinking about the girl she spent a day with last Christmas - Jack - but will never see again after how things ended... or, maybe she will when things go very strangely this Christmas, when she meets Andrew's family, his sister and her non-binary best friend Dylan - and everything starts going sideways and all sorts of geometric shapes - not just triangles. This isn't just a gay, lesbian, bi, or non-binary story, but also demisexual, and very anxiety-ridden as well.

This one is so brilliant in the way Cochrun has written it and brought in drama with just the right amount of angst, really brings a beautiful spotlight to the LGBTQ+ community (of which she is a part - this is an #ownvoices novel), including a rare non-binary character - we need more in romance novels! - and produces a storyline that is intriguing and one you cannot put down because you need to know everything that is coming and what is going to happen next, and exactly how the characters are going to resolve the conflicts, and where the relationships are all going to go!

I completely, totally, and wholeheartedly recommend this beautiful, sapphic (and all aspects of the LGTBQ+ spectrum) romance to everyone! It's absolute perfection. So many inclusions, and so beautifully written

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Atria Books, and this is my honest feedback.

This book was exactly what I needed it to be. It was every single ounce of cinnamon roll characters who have been traumatized/hurt by people in their lives (both present and past). I really loved the light this story brought to mental health and therapy. It was a very inclusive book and I was definitely invested in the storyline. I love a good fake dating storyline, but a fake engagement storyline will ALWAYS take the cake!

We follow alongside Ellie, a very broke, very sad ex-animator. She met a woman on Christmas last year, spent one day with her and hasn’t been able to shake her heart/mind since then. Then, just as she thinks her luck couldn’t possibly get any worse, the coffeehouse she works at’s landlord offers her a deal that she can’t resist. She will pretend to marry him for a year so he can get his inheritance of 2 million dollars. Oh and did I mention, she will get $200,000 for helping him out with this favor? Then she is whisked away to the family “cabin” for Christmas. And low and behold, the mystery Snow Girl is the sister of her new fiance… What could possibly go wrong?

This story had me absolutely rooting for Ellie. I loved all of the growth that she went through in the book. Meredith was 110% my favorite character. She was such an amazing friend and I wish that we could have had more of her in this book because she was the BEST! All of the Taylor Swift references also just made me grin as I read them. I also really loved the holiday vibes that this book gave off. It made me want to curl up with a fuzzy blanket and a mug of hot chocolate!

⚠️TW: panic attacks/disorders, toxic relationships, biphobia, transphobia, homophobia, infidelity, alcoholism, drug use

Thank you @atriabooks for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I'm a huge fan of Alison. I've read and loved The Charm Offensive, so when I found out she was writing a SAPPHIC CHRISTMAS ROMANCE, I SCREAMED. And y'all, I was not disappointed.

I found this book to be both hilarious and stressful (in a good way). There were moments that made me laugh A LOT and moments that made me really frustrated! I loved Ellie and all the other characters, and I found myself deeply worried about anything that happened in their lives. I love how connected I felt to all the characters, and that's something Alison accomplish in such a natural way. There are some characters we know more than others, but at the end of the story you really connect with most of them. I wish we could have had some more insights from Jack's POV too.

This book approaches mental health topics (Ellie suffers from anxiety) and dysfunctional families, both being very serious topics, with a lot of respect and insights about the situations that really made me love this book even more. That's something the author did in her previous book too, and I admire how she combines the romance with the fact that the characters might not be in the best moments of their lives, and never uses the romance as a "solution" but as one part of many.

The writing style is beautiful, being both entertaining and fast, and serious when it wants it to be. I couldn't put the book down at some point of the story! I totally recommend this book, and reading during the Christmas season MUST BE AMAZING. Totally recommend it!

I loved all the queer and mental health representation! I loved the storyline! I loved the smart dialogue and banter! I loved the family dynamics and want my own Lovey and Meemaw! I loved all the music references and found myself having similar taste to Jack!! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found myself dancing in my living room to Celine Dion like Jack and Ellie! And best of all, I swooned over the ending!

This is the perfect queer holiday rom-com to add to your TBR this season! It covers SO MANY of everyone’s favorite romance tropes! It makes me want to plan an immediate trip to Portland. Make sure you snag it when it comes out Nov 1!!

This was an absolutely wonderful book! Ellie is in dire need of some money and ends up in a marriage of convenience agreement with her coffee shop job's landlord as he needs to be married in order to get his inheritance and in return she will get a cut of it to help her with her money woes. The only wrinkle is when they arrive at Andrew's family cabin for the Christmas holiday Ellie discovers that Andrew's sister, Jack, is the woman Ellie fell head over heels for over the course of one snowy day a year prior and hasn't seen since. But definitely has thought of constantly since then.

I loved the marriage of convenience set up and the author did a great job of making it clear pretty immediately that Ellie and Andrew weren't into each other so as to side step the possibility of a love triangle right at the jump which I really liked. The story of how Jack and Ellie met originally was wonderfully weaved throughout the story as pseudo flashbacks in the form of a webcomic and Cochrun did a great job making me totally buy that these really did totally fall for each other over the course of one day. I loved them together and every interaction they had in the present day storyline had me on the edge of my seat waiting for them to finally get back together. Andrew had his own B plot romance that I also loved seeing pop up here and there through the story.

In addition to the romance, we see Ellie go on her own little journey of self improvement that I found to be wonderfully well done and thought it went hand in hand with the romance that in the end enhanced the romance for me.

Ellie and Jack had one perfect 24 hour period on Christmas Eve last year just as Ellie was embarking on her new life: new city, new job, and maybe new love. But the following morning brought the relationship crashing down and the dream job soon followed. Now, it’s one year later and Ellie is a mess. She’s working at a dead-end job she hates with an awful boss and her rent on her crappy apartment is about to go up. When Andrew, the owner of the coffee shop’s building, takes her for drinks and makes a drunken proposition for a fake marriage in exchange for 10% of the trust he can only access through marriage, she’s got nothing to lose. That is, until she gets to the family cabin (read: insanely beautiful mansion in the mountains) and realizes that Andrew’s sister, Jacqueline, is Jack and Ellie is as drawn to Jack as she was last year and what the hell is she going to do?

Alison Cochrun’s forward speaks of her love for While You Were Sleeping and it shows. This is definitely not a retelling, but the bones are there, specifically in Ellie’s longing for the family she’s never had. I loved this book! If you read The Charm Offensive, you know that Cochrun writes emotional and mental health issues gorgeously. In this book, there really aren’t mental health issues, but Ellie’s emotional development was so stunted as a child (the product of being raised by supremely selfish parents), that she’s still struggling as an adult. I loved all of the relationships in this book, both romantic and otherwise. It’s a wonderful read all around but especially great for the holiday season. And damn but I want to have a drink (or five) with the grandmas! Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the eARC. Available 11/01/22.

I loved this book! Perfect for the holidays. Now I need to pick up more by this author!

The characters were relatable and real. The plot moved along nicely. And I’m just really enjoying sapphic romances right now. There’s just something about wlw that hits differently than heterosexual relationships right now. I still love them, but the sapphic ones are just up my alley and this did not disappoint.

This is a charming story. When Ellie first moved to Portland, everything was going her way. She had a dream job, and she met a woman at a bookstore that she felt a strong connection with. But then, she experiences a betrayal the very morning after the meeting and, not long after, she loses her job. With money or a support system, she takes a job at a local coffee shop. Entering the holiday season, Andrew, the coffee shop's landlord from a wealthy family, makes a proposal out of left field -- the two should enter a marriage of convenience so he can gain access to his inheritance. In exchange, Andrew will give Ellie a part of the inheritance. Ellie accepts the proposal, and agrees to spend the holidays with his family to convince them their relationship is real.

When Andrew introduces Ellie to his sister Jack, she is beyond shocked to discover she is the same woman that Ellie spent that magical day with a year ago before Jack broke her heart. As Ellie and Jack spend more time together, Ellie feels the old feelings returning, but the risk, of hurting Andrew and trusting again the person who broke her heart, seems too great.

This is a fun and creative premise, full of strong main and supporting characters (especially Ellie's best friends and Andrew's grandmothers) and a touching story -- the perfect modern holiday romcom.

Highly recommended!

Kiss Her Once for Me is a wlw holiday romance by author Alison Cochrun. A fake relationship plan that goes side was when both participants are in love with other people.

Ellie fell in love on with Jack on Christmas Eve, just to have it shattered the next day. One year later, she's barely making ends meet and still nursing a broken heart. When the landlord, Andrew, from her job asks her for a marriage of convenience she hesitates, but she really needs that money to keep a roof over her head. Her plans go down the drain when they show up at his families cabin and his sister is the woman from last Christmas. While Ellie tries to ignore her chemistry with Jack, Andrew is trying to ignore his own chemistry with Jacks best friend, Dylan. It's a bit of a mess but when their lies get uncovered before they come clean will it destroy a future for her and Jack.

This is packed full of great characters! I'll start with the side characters because they all deserve a mention. Ellie's best friend Meredith, Andrew's mother and his grandmother's, and Dylan of course. Each one of them added to my enjoyment of the story in some way. I have to spotlight Andrew, who is not the main love interest, but I fell in love with him. I thought he was charming in his own way, and it was so obvious he had layers and such a big heart. Give me a novella focusing on what happened off page between him and Dylan and I would eat it up!

Now onto our leading ladies, Ellie and Jack. Ellie's anxiety was very relatable to me and I loved the Bi and demiace representation she encompassed. However, the insta love aspect of her situation with Jack. Jack, was a fine character, but I felt like it was hard to see the real her with only Ellie's POV. At the same time I'm not sure how the story would have flowed with both point of views so 🤷‍♀️ The romance between them has mild steam with flashbacks of their night together and a present day open door intimate scene.

I'll be honest this one took me a bit to get into the grove of the actual story, but I think that was a "me" problem because by the end I was quite enjoying myself and couldn't remember why I struggled in the beginning so I'm not going to take points away for that lol It alternates between present day and last Christmas Eve, in the form of Ellie's webcomic for those flashbacks.

Overall, Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun is a queer holiday romance filled with a fake relationship, a love trapezoid, second chances, book co parenting, snowball fights, cookie baking, snowed in,


Rep: bi demi MC, lesbian MC, enby SC, queer SC

It’s easy to see why Alison Cochrun is quickly making a name for herself as a captivating romance writer. Her first novel The Charm Offensive was a runaway hit amongst readers and critics alike, even earning an editor’s best pick for romance from Amazon. I’m sure Kiss Her Once for Me will have much the same appeal. Early reviews are labeling it “dizzyingly adorable” and “whip-smart,” which I wholeheartedly agree. This fake-engagement rom-com might just be one of the most creatively crafted, holiday-themed novels I’ve read to date. It’s clear Cochrun has a real knack for storytelling and should be on every lgbtq romance reader’s watch list.

Cochrun sets this novel up nicely. Readers are quickly sucked into Ellie Oliver’s financial crisis and dating woes. Cochrun’s inspiration for this story was born from her love of While You Were Sleeping, but she admits that once the writing of this novel got underway, a lesbian Bill Pullman was not meant to be. She says it became clear fairly early in the drafting process that fear was at the core of Ellie’s story and it pushed her to craft a narrative themed in that. Readers will be thankful she let the composition unfold organically because Kiss Her Once for Me is something that’s fresh, original and highly entertaining.

Fear, as mentioned earlier, is threaded neatly and purposefully in the fabric of this heartwarming story. It’s designed to drive the characters and in turn the story. Cochrun does a masterful job of applying it in this story, creating something that evokes relatable emotion and connectivity. Readers understand Ellie and Jack and they relate to them. They understand the urge to protect the heart, even when it skips a beat under the lure of desire. Ellie and Jack’s fear of love is beautifully scripted; it pushes internal conflicts and vulnerabilities excruciatingly well. And when love does happen, readers stand up and cheer for it, making this rom-com swoon worthy.

Final remarks…

I enjoyed so many things about this book. The character development is fantastic; Ellie and Jack just jump off the page. The secondary characters are immensely entertaining and wonderfully drawn; they could have a sit-com of their own! Best of all is the will they/won’t they moment; it’s more heart-tugging than Sandra Bullock’s confession/wedding scene in While You Were Sleeping—and that’s saying something! Ellie’s declaration squeezes the heart in all the ways a good romance should.

Strengths…

Creatively designed
Engaging storyline
Fantastic characters
Heartwarming
Entertaining
Well-worth the read

Ellie Oliver lost her dream job in animation and now works at a coffee shop, just passing the mindless days and going home to her closet-sized apartment. She keeps flashing back to the magical Christmas Eve a year ago, when she met an amazing woman on a snowy morning and fell in love over the course of the day, but lost her. Then the coffee store's landlord comes up with a shocking proposition: he needs to get married to earn his inheritance, and she needs money. They'll have a (short) marriage of convenience, which includes spending the holidays at his family's winter cabin. But when Andrew and Ellie arrive to meet the fam, she cannot believe that his sister Jacqueline is actually "Jack," the woman she fell in love with last Christmas Eve. Now Ellie has to decide between keeping up the ruse with Andrew for financial security or risking everything for love.

KISS HER ONCE FOR ME is so charming! Christmas! Fake romance! Lesbians! It felt a little more serious than CHARM OFFENSIVE despite the holiday theme, but it's still such a great story. Cochrun said she was inspired by the movie "While You Were Sleeping," which is one of my absolute favorite films, and I could totally see it. (We even have a Jack!)

Much like CHARM, KISS covers anxiety in such a thoughtful way. Ellie is an anxious soul, afraid to to trust or take chances. Her fear of failure hit me in the gut. As for Jack, after you read this, no real lesbian may ever match up again. She's a lesbian ideal, a flannel-laden, pastry baking hottie. Andrew's family is a trip too, especially his grandmas, who are totally amusing (and very "While You Were Sleeping)."

I loved how the theme of art and web comics ran across the book (Ellie wrote a web comic about her day with Jack, and we learn about their encounter through excerpts from it). It's pretty hard not to enjoy a book about love, snow, and finding yourself. It has serious parts, but embraces its tropes, such as dating a friend's brother and the good 'ol fake fiance. It also really made me want to visit Portland!

Overall, this is such a lovely, touching, and fun read. Hallmark, Lifetime, please come and make this into a holiday movie! 4.5 stars.

I loved this! What a joyful, emotional ride of a novel. I was really excited to dive into this after absolutely adoring Cochrun's debut, The Charm Offensive, and this absolutely delivered. One of my favorite things about this book was the found family Ellie discovers through her relationship with Jack. Will definitely be returning to this one in December!

This was just ultimately not for me. The story felt forced and insta love is not for me. I did love that this was inspired by the movie, While You Were Sleeping. and the wide cast of characters.

This book also took me months to complete....so that says a lot for my engagement with these characters.

Alison Cochrun can do no wrong! After totally adoring The Charm Offensive, I was so excited to read this next novel and I was not disappointed! Excellent banter, great side characters, so many laughs and just a really cute holiday love story. Highly recommend!! Read it for the Boozy Grandma bits alone. :)

I absolutely loved this book so much! Ellie is such an anxious little flower, her growth throughout the book was such a pleasure to read. I adored Jack - she stomped her way right into my heart with her too loud voice and her dough kneading injury.

I loved every single thing about this book, it is the perfect holiday read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

While I was initially a bit taken aback to see that Alison Cochrun was releasing another stand-alone, as I was intrigued by the possibilities the ending her debut opened up, I was still eager for anything she would write. And upon reading, I ended up liking Kiss Her Once for Me for all its messiness.

Ellie is a woman after my own heart, and I couldn’t help but relate to her. She deals with anxiety, and I couldn’t help but relate to how she allowed her sense of self-doubt to rule her life and, as a result, hold her back from truly thriving. Her demisexuality is also drawn with a lot of nuance, and I appreciated an exploration of sexuality in that context, demonstrating how deep her instantaneous connection with Jack is.

I liked getting a feel for both Ellie and Jack’s past and present relationships. Their bond is truly electric at both points in time (and chock-full of Taylor Swift references!), and while I did feel like the burden of what went wrong the first time around was often shifted too much toward Ellie’s side, I did mostly like them together.

I also liked the intricate family and friendship dynamics that inform the messy love polygon drama. Andrew is motivated to fake-marry Ellie to get access to his inheritance out of misguided brotherly protectiveness of Jack, and while he remains unaware of Ellie’s…acquaintance…with Jack, he also has his own secret queer love in Jack’s friend Dylan. Each of these revelations brought drama and tension, but ultimately I appreciate how it was all resolved.

The one element I found a bit odd was the way Ellie’s webcomics were incorporated. I appreciate it as an aspect of her character, and it plays a role in her developing confidence in herself as she does get a promising job opportunity. However, the “Last Christmas” chapters, while described as a webcomic, were presented not only as prose, but without much distinction from the “present” arc, such as with no names changed, despite discussing real events. Another webcomic Ellie is working on about her current situation is discussed, and when everything is revealed, it’s implied Jack has read that one and knows about her online identity, and put two and two together regarding the fake dating scheme. Without clarifying information as to how much was fictionalized in the versions of the webcomics the characters see in-universe, I can’t help but wonder if there’s some kind of ethical violation at play, even if this is never addressed.

With that caveat, I enjoyed this book for the most part. If you’re looking for a heartfelt queer holiday romance with a great balance of familial and romantic relationships, I recommend checking this one out!

(3.5 Stars)

You had me at Paul Hollywood the dog! A festive, sapphic romance with boozy grandmas, fake dating, and a love story that feels reminiscent of Red, White, and Royal Blue and While You Were Sleeping!

I LOVED The Charm Offensive, so Cochrun has become an auto read author for me and I couldn't wait to dig into Kiss Her Once for Me.
Although I don't usually love holiday centered books, I found this one easy to read and enjoy!

What I Enjoyed:
-LGBTQ+ Rep!!
-Ellie is truly a relatable MC. She deals with tough familial relationships, a fear of failure, deteriorating mental health, and relays all of that to the reader in a genuine way.
-The side characters. The Kim-Prescott family is a HOOT. The grandmas steal the show and I could read an entire book of just their shenanigans! And Meredith and Ari are the best friend we may not deserve but WE ALL NEED!
-This book puts the traditional marriage of convenience trope on its head in a fun, inclusive way that I loved! The book feels very original!
- The line "miscommunication is for the straights". I DIED LAUGHING. Happy to have a self aware author/MC who can make fun of the miscommunication trope in most romcoms.

What I Struggled With:
- The other main characters. I didn't feel connected to Andrew, Jack, or Dylan. Dylan felt like all snark. And Andrew and Jack came off privileged and aloof. There was good banter, but I just never felt like any of them truly came out of their shell so to speak. Even in the final scene, Jack felt too mellow in contrast to Ellie and her feelings.
- The pacing. Some parts of this felt quick whereas some parts dragged. This could be do to the fact that the book had many flashbacks despite the reader already knowing where the flashbacks end, the fact that the majority of the book takes place over a very detailed week, or the secrets among characters were just too drawn out. Regardless, this book felt like it could've been shorter/wrapped sooner.

Overall, this a great sophomore novel from Cochrun! Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced reader e-copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book is such a god damned delight. I loved The Charm Offensive so desperately when I read it, so I had incredibly high expectations going into this. Also I have a tendency to hate the second book by an author -- idk if the sophomore slump is on their end or mine but I was NERVOUS. But there was zero reason to have any doubts because Alison Cochrun absolutely slayed me with this one.

Kiss Her Once for Me follows Ellie, an artist and animator turned barely employed barista, as she meets Jack, a woman she falls in love with over the course of one magical Christmas Eve snowstorm that goes tragically wrong after a miscommunication for the ages. Fast forward a year and Ellie, desperately broke and on the verge of eviction, agrees to fake marry her boss's landlord and at his family's Christmas vacation discovers that his sister and best friend is no other than Jack, the woman from the magical one night stand.

This book is zany. There's no other word for it. It is chockfull of all the best tropes. Fake marriage of convenience! There's only one bed! Forced proximity! Being stranded thanks to weather (multiple times)! Endless Taylor Swift eggs! It is silly and fun in the best way. Some of the stuff that happens in the book borders on the absurd but its so CHARMING it never veers off the track into actual absurdity. Similar to The Charm Offensive, the secondary characters in this book really steal the show at times. My favorite is Andrew, because he goes on such a journey and my feelings went on that journey wit him: I loved him then I hated him and then I loved him so so much.

This review is no substance, just vibes but please go read this book!!

• Fake Engagement
• Anxiety Rep
• Christmas In The Mountains

Ellie moves to Portland and on Christmas she meets Jack, only to be betrayed the next morning. After her life starts to fall apart, her landlord offers her a marriage of convenience to solve her money issues. After drunkenly accepting, the two go to his family vacation home for Christmas and meet his sister... Jacqueline or Jack! Does Ellie pick the safe route of money and fake relationship or something too risky with Jack?

This book has so much more to it than just the falling in love in romance novels. There’s family drama, mental health representation, and twists that I did not see coming! I read this so fast! A romance novel with depth is hard to find at times, and this is definitely fitting that description perfectly. This is a favorite of mine now!

<i>Thank you to Alison Cochrun and Atria Books for the digital ARC of Kiss Her Once For Me through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.<i>

#KissHerOnceForMe #AlisonCochrun #AtriaBooks #NetGalley #ARC #eARC

“I can’t stay here! Andrew has a weird thing with his sisters best friend, and I slept with his sister, and it is a whole love trapezoid thing, situation, that’s going to end disastrously for everyone involved.” - I feel this quote really wraps up the summary for this book.

Ellie has had the worst year, let go from her “dream” job, on the verge of eviction, unable to find her place in her new city due to her anxiety disorder, and an inability to let go of a one night stand with the first woman she has felt a connection with in a long time. She is on the verge of a meltdown until Andrew, the landlord at her work, makes a proposal. (Both literally and figuratively.)

Ellie and Andrew come to an agreement he gets the fake fiancee he needs to inherit his trust fund and she gets 10%. It sounds like a great plan until Ellie feels guilty for lying to his wonderful family, his ex shows up to Christmas, and she sets her eyes on Jack, Andrew’s sister and the woman she has been dreaming about for the last year.

Kiss Her Once for Me, manages to take one our favorite romcom tropes, faking dating, and turns it upside down. Jack and Ellie's conversations are so deep, and it really sets up the reader to believe this relationship could be real so quickly. Particularly around the way they dig into their families and anxieties. I loved how the subject of Ellie’s anxiety is handled, as someone with anxiety I can relate to the full body freeze when under pressure and a desire to hide under a weighted blanket.

All of the characters are vibrant and distinct, and I would totally go on vacation with them.