This book is a queer christmassy romance that follows Ellie and Jack. It starts off with Ellie reminiscing on the perfect snow day she spent with a stranger from a book store, and how they went their separate ways after. Fast forward to a year later where Ellie has lost her dream job as an animator, and is working in a coffee shop. Her manager is awful, she’s broke as a joke, landlord has raised her rent, and her toxic mother is calling for money.

Enter millionaire, Andrew Kim-Prescott, who offers her a cut of his 2 million dollar inheritance…if she pretends to be his fiancée, because it turns out that in order for Andrew to inherit, he must be married.

What follows next is spending Christmas with Adam’s family, and fooling everyone. Except..someone from Ellie’s past comes back, and Ellie just can’t seem to stop thinking about her.
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The Charm Offensive was one of my favorite books of last year, so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it! This was sooo good. I loved the representation, the found family aspect, and Ellie’s huge character development throughout the book. Ellie and Jack were perfection. ♥️💚

4.5⭐️

TW: emotional abuse, parental neglect and abandonment, panic attacks, divorce, death of grandparent, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, infidelity

The Charm Offensive was one of my favorite reads of last year. As such, I was very excited to read Kiss Her Once For Me. It started off really strong and I felt emotionally invested in the story; however, by the end of the book, I felt it was not as great as TCO, especially in terms of mental health representation, but still a solid sophomore, cozy sapphic holiday romance novel by Alison Cochrun that portrayed an interracial relationship between a white bi-sexual and biracial Korean-American butch lesbian.

Tropes:
- marriage of convenience/ fake fiancé
- forced proximity
- one bed
- insta love
- miscommunication
- found family
- dual timeline
- single POV

What I liked:

- I appreciated the bisexual, Demi sexual and non-binary representation and the representation of anxiety caused by a paralyzing fear of failure.

- I loved that Ellie was an animator and used her comic strips as a way to escape reality and developed a knack for perfectionism as a coping mechanism of her parental neglect and abandonment issues. I haven’t read a romance novel before with this choice of profession, which made it unique for me.

- I also admired Ellie’s character growth, where she learned to develop boundaries with her awful mother, become more vulnerable, and work towards overcoming her fear of failure.

- I loved the Portland setting and the banter between Andrew and Ellie was fun.

- The meet cute between Ellie and Jack was at a bookstore, which is a book lover’s dream!

- The celebration of the Christmas traditions of Andrew and Jack’s family was enjoyable to read and gave the story the perfect cozy holiday vibes.

What I wished for (these are not flaws, rather personal preferences):

- I wish there had been redemption for Ellie’s toxic parents especially her mother but maybe there are some relationships that are irreparable.

- I would have liked to see a more in-depth exploration of therapy.

- While I think the cover is beautiful, it would have been so cool if it portrayed Ellie and Jack standing outside an Airstream with a dog!
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**SPOILERS AHEAD**

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Ellie and Andrew slept with other people while they were in a fake fiancé arrangement. I’m not sure if this would be considered infidelity given they were fake dating; however, some readers may feel conflicted about this or may not like it.

The book also uses the miscommunication and insta love tropes, which may bother some readers as these tropes seem to widely unpopular.


Edit Review

This was a very sweet sapphic romance set during 2021 and 2022 Christmas. We have a lot of flashbacks in the form of Ellie's web comic about how she met Jack. So we get to see through Ellie's eyes what happened last year and where she is in her life this year. The entire book is told from Ellie's POV. This is a re-telling of While You Were Sleeping. Like I said, this was very sweet. I thought all the main plot points were cute and a lot of creative foils and forced proximity situations caused our heroines to be alone together.

Favorite part of the book: Andrew and Jack's family, specifically their mom and grandmas, Meemaw & Lovey. Their dad can go away, he's the worst.

Okay, the not so glowing thoughts... I thought it was very repetitive. The verbiage, the descriptions, the mental circles Ellie keeps going in. The characters keep circling the same emotional circles too often and I don't feel like we actually make progress until the end of the story.

Also, I worried about Andrew a lot and I know he was just there to be a plot device that delivers Ellie into Jack's life again, but I was weirdly invested in what was going on with him. I kept thinking "Where did Andrew go?" "How is Andrew doing?" "What is going on with Andrew and Dylan?" it made the scenes with Jack felt weirdly like cheating, and I knew it shouldn't but it all felt deceptive. I guess I was hoping for some more Ellie and Andrew interaction and more communication between those 2 characters.

I absolutely loved Alison's first novel The Charm Offensive and maybe I used that too strongly as a measuring stick for this book. It just felt like it was missing some of the deep character exploration that we got from her debut novel.

Four Holly Jolly Stars!

QOTD: What’s your favorite christmas song?

Kiss Her Once For Me is a delightful sapphic holiday romcom whose events are most definitely inspired by Last Christmas by WHAM! Was I expecting to love this? Honestly, no. I’m not a big fan of Christmas and books centered around the holiday. However, Alison Cochran just has a way. Her characters are people you feel as though they’re real like you can call them on the phone and ask to hang out. I particularly fell for Ellie and her down on her luck antics. There’s an inclusion of her webcomic throughout the story that adds so much. I think that Cochrun is a budding talent in the romance world, and I will continue to pick up her releases as they come out!

This book can be summarized as a piping hot cup of coffee and cinnamon buns in the oven on Christmas morning. Please get your hands on this one when it publishes on November 1st 2022.

Huge thank you to @atriabooks, @netgalley, and @alisoncochrun for the opportunity and privilege of reading this book early!

3.5 ⭐️ Kiss Her Once for Me is a sapphic rom-com set around Christmas time. The inspiration behind this book was to make this a queer retelling of the movie While You Were Sleeping, and this absolutely plays out like a movie. There were references to romantic comedies, instant-love, and fake dating, and there were also predictable moments and family drama centered around the holidays. Something I appreciated about this book was that it had an entire cast of characters with a wide range of sexual and personal identities. Cochrun also very clearly put her own voice into this book. That said, it was a tall order to meet the high bar set by The Charm Offensive, and this didn't quite hit the mark.

Oh. My. God.

I can't even begin to express just how absolutely obsessed I am with this book. It took me a day and a half to get through it, at a time in my life where I'm so busy with other stuff, I can't even understand how I got through it this fast. I missed my metro stop on my way to class yesterday because I was so engrossed in this story I forgot about reality for a moment. I've cried so much in the last 24h of reading this book and I now owe Alison Cochrun my heart, my soul, and my life.

Everything about this book is perfection. And I know it's all about failure and how not everything works out exactly the way you want it to, but this book is the epitome of perfect sapphic romance novels. It is one of my favourite books this year, hands down, and I'm so thankful to have gotten an ARC for it so I could read it at exactly the right time.

This is now the second holiday romance I've read this year, in August, and I am so insanely excited for Christmas it's not even funny how much time there is left until December. This was cozy, and fluffy, and heartwarming, and heart wrenching, and everything in between. It had me squealing in my pillow, giggling on public transport, sobbing over my morning cup of coffee. I haven't been able to focus on much else, this book has taken over my life, and I am so grateful for it.

I am IN. LOVE. with Jack. This is actually the second butch lesbian named Jack in a rom-com that I've read this year that I've fallen madly in love with (maybe I have a type). Everything about her is just... perfection. And her dynamic with Ellie is, I think, every person's dream. I love them both so much, it actually makes me incredibly sad that they're just fictional characters in a book that will never really come to life.

The characters were great, the relationships were so raw and real, the writing was stellar: it just is a perfect book, I literally don't think I could ask for more.

I genuinely don't know how else to explain how amazing this book is. I'm at a bit of a loss for words, and I kind of just want to read it all over again to experience it a second (third, fourth, …) time. I need everyone to pick this book up when it comes out in November because I can guarantee that it will flip your whole world upside down. This has officially become my number 1 sapphic romance recommendation and I will not shut up about it for the next... millennia at least. Thank you Alison Cochrun, for putting this book out into the world and giving me the chance to cry over two characters that resemble me in ways that are too personal for me to admit. Perfection from the very first page all the way to the very last sentence.

This is a beautiful book that is about so much more than romance. It is a story that explores what failure means, and teaches you that failing is just another way of growing. The characters in this book are extremely lovable. Ellie is lovable and messy, just like the rest of us. Her journey with anxiety feels like a very accurate portrayal, and will hopefully help others gain insight into themselves and those around them. Allison Cochrun captured the magic of a snow day in this book.

A sapphic romance? With Taylor Swift references? And characters who believe that Lover and evermore are her best albums (respectively)? And a fake relationship? That was relevant to my life????

Alison Cochrun wrote a PERFECT book wow.

The Charm Offensive was one of my favorite novels of last year so I had super high expectations for Chochrun's sophomore novel, and I'm happy to report I absolutely loved it! I think the beginning half was great, but what really struck me was how well-written the second half was. A common trend I've noticed within romance is that the first halves of books are usually stronger than the second halves, when I start to drop interest, but this wasn't the case at all! Such strong characters and such a strong ending--I'll definitely be recommending this to my audience over the next few months.

This was very sweet but ultimately a little forgettable and like, very predictable. I liked the two main characters and the side characters and it was funny and piney and delightfully christmassy. But also it was just ok.

I really loved the depiction of loneliness in your mid twenties. None of these characters have a lot of friends and the main character starts off with only one long distance friend, which I found to be extremely relatable. It can get intense, feeling like your wasting your twenties if you don’t have a robust social life and your career goals have fallen through or changed and now you’re starting again at zero. And the depression that causes. All of that was A+.

I wish I tooted for the romance more though. It was nice, but it was pretty insta love. Also the characters communicated pretty well which was nice but also could have been more angsty.

A mixed reading experience, some excellent things, some slightly disappointing things.

4.5

Alison Cochrun has done it again with her sophomore novel, Kiss Her Once for Me! Ellie Oliver thought she had it all last Christmas Eve - her dream job working in an animation studio, and a picture perfect day with a woman she meets by chance at a bookstore. By Christmas morning, things have already fallen apart with the girl, and by the following year, Ellie has also lost her job and is barely making ends meet. Enter Andrew, an acquaintance who comes to Ellie with a proposition - marry him so that he can cash in on a recent inheritance, and he'll give Ellie a share of the profits. To convince his family of the ruse, Ellie agrees to spend the holidays with Andrew's family, only to find out his sister is of course the woman she spent that magical Christmas Eve with last year.

As with The Charm Offensive, Kiss Her Once for Me deftly touches on broader issues beyond the romance, namely via Ellie and her generalized anxiety disorder. I was so impressed with how Ellie's familial trauma along with her anxiety was explored in this book, and how it all wrapped up had me a bit misty-eyed. I also really loved the extended cast of characters here, particularly Andrew's grandmas, Meemaw and Lovey. There is also a fabulous secondary romance here that I wish we would have gotten even more of. Of course the main romance between Ellie and Jack was the focus here and I really felt the chemistry between these two. I particularly loved their every interaction in the back 1/3 of the book, including the swoon-worthy ending. The way the story of their perfect Christmas Eve together was doled out (via flashbacks of a sort) didn't really work for me in terms of feeling invested in the strength of their feelings from that one day alone, but everything in the present timeline did work for me, so ultimately this issue doesn't really matter.

Thank you so much to the publisher for an e-ARC! All opinions are my own.

Ellie and Jack have to go through a lot to get together. After meeting a year ago they meet up again but Ellie is engaged to Andrew, Jack's brother. I need more of the Kim-Prescott family! Especially Meemaw and Lovey! But ughhh I love Andrew and Dylan too! This book was just excellent.

This is a slow burn with characters that you can't help but root for. Cochrun is a must-read author for me.

If you're looking for a sapphic, holiday rom-com - this is IT!

I have to admit that I requested to read this title with cautious optimism, because I'm not always a big fan of insta-love, BUT I fell instantly in love with this book! I'm big on representation and this book represented so much all throughout including (but not limited to) sexuality/LGBTQIA+/Generalized Anxiety Disorder/Gender.

Ellie & Jack's love story began of Christmas Eve when they meet cute in a bookstore only to see it implode less than 24 hours later. Fast forward to current day Ellie right in the middle of a catastrophe of epic proportions when she finds herself fake engaged to Jack's brother.

Their story unfolds through a series of flashbacks to last Christmas along with present day Christmas experiences. They teach each other life lessons without meaning to and truly bring out the best in one another. There were some SPICY scenes (ahem, the cabin), but this was definitely a plot focused, emotionally charged story with the fun of a rom com throughout. I winced when their cotton candy cloud burst, but I love how the author navigated them through it and the growth that they both experienced (especially Ellie) because of it. I love the premise of loving yourself before you can truly give your all in loving someone else and it just made the happy ending that much happier for me.

P.S. Memaw and Lovey are the stars of the show and I'd drink sangria with them anytime, anywhere!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

As a huge fan of The Charm Offensive, I was very excited to receive an early copy of Alison Cochrun's sophomore novel, Kiss Her Once for Me. Reading a Christmas romance in the summer heat felt a little incongruous, but this book made me long for the depths of winter, for sweater weather, trips to the snow, and warm cups of hot chocolate.

While it doesn't hit the highs of The Charm Offensive, Kiss Her Once for Me is an admirable follow up from a new writer. It nails the cozy winter vibes, and makes you want to dance with all the musical references throughout (get your TSwift playlist ready!). The plot hinges in large part on a miscommunication trope, which will certainly put off some readers, but the wintery vibes and the relatable characters meant this one still worked for me. Perfect reading for snuggling under a blanket on Boxing Day.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Christmas romances are some of my favourite, and I was so excited to see that Alison Cochrun was writing a sapphic one! My high expectations were met! Both the main character and the love interest were so loveable. This was the best love triangle/trapeziod that I have ever read, it was messy but also so loveable and you were rooting for all of them. I would highly recommend this for the winter cozy reading season!

This book was everything I hoped for and more. One of the things Cochrun does best is create flawed but sympathetic characters. They’re often chaotic and messy but so, so real. She has this way of getting in their heads that I’ve rarely seen elsewhere. I felt such a sense of connection to these characters, especially the protagonist Ellie. She’s messy and gets in her own way a lot, but she has so much love to give to those who deserve it… if only she could stop being too scared to risk it.

As a small aside, I also love Cochrun’s character descriptions. They’re not all lithe, delicate beings. She romanticizes stocky thighs and square knuckles and I’m here for all of it.

Another thing Cochrun does best is create relationships with so much care and comfort in them. Even though there’s sometimes miscommunication, her main couplings always have a wonderful level of understanding and mutual caretaking between them. It’s really lovely to read.

To sum it up, this is fake dating, marriage of convenience, one bed, cozy, wintery, queer deliciousness. Please do yourself a favor and read it as soon as it comes out.

Kiss Her Once for Me is a sapphic Christmas romcom which is perfect for the winter season! I liked all the characters but I found the MC annoying at times. Also I’m not a big fan of the miscommunication trope and the whole book revolved around it. But besides that I really enjoyed reading this book!

Last Christmas, Ellie Oliver spent a memorable snowy Christmas Eve with Jack, a beautiful stranger who saw Ellie in all her messiness and gave her laughter and affection and an amazing night. Yet once Christmas Day arrived, everything fell apart.

This Christmas, Ellie is floundering. After being fired from her dream job, she struggles to make ends meet as a barista, she fails to get the assistant manager position she'd hoped for, her rent is going way up, and her feckless mother has called up asking for money yet again. So when the cafe building's owner, Andrew Kim-Prescott, takes Ellie out for drinks and explains that his recently deceased grandfather left him $2 million that he can only receive if he marries, she drunkenly agrees to marry him as a short-term contract with a payout that will help get her back on her feet.

Part of Andrew and Ellie's deal is spending the holidays with Andrew's family at their cabin in the mountains. Since Ellie has never been able to rely on her own family for anything, let alone a holiday celebration, she agrees and hopes for a pleasant getaway -- until she discovers that Andrew's sister Jacqueline is her very own Jack from last Christmas.

With a setup like this, you know you're in for a train wreck of emotions, secrets, and not-so-neatly-hidden lust. Ellie is a relatable hot mess of a character: dealing with indifferent and neglectful parents has led her to aim for perfection, and that combines with a fear of failure that leaves her stuck blocking her own path to happiness. She really needs the book's third-act breakup to take a hard look at herself and make the changes she needs to move forward, and she manages to do it, even if her growth is still messy. Jack comes across as "perfect" in Ellie's eyes, but her messiness comes from not believing she's any more than the family "fuck-up" (and also from not communicating honestly with Ellie at times).

The side characters really give the book its color and joy, though. Ellie's best friend Meredith and barista friend Ari offer advice (even when, as in Meredith's case, the advice zigzags constantly) and total support. Andrew appears first as a suave rich guy who will probably get everything he wants in life, but he turns out to be messy and complicated and unwilling to admit what he really wants. And look out for Meemaw and Lovey, the most bonkers grandmothers on the planet!

The story is interspersed with flashbacks to last Christmas, as seen through the narratives of Ellie's web comics, and they reveal the idealism that often gets Ellie stuck in her day-to-day life. Those scenes offer pauses in the main narrative to fill in some background information, but they also serve eventually as a reminder that Ellie's reckoning for her charade as Andrew's fiancee is coming sooner than later.

Overall, a strong second outing for author Cochrun and a wild and wacky queer rom-com for the holidays.

CW: small amounts of homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia; mentions of adultery and cheating; generalized anxiety disorder; stigma around neurodiversity; parental neglect and abuse.

Thank you, Atria Books and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

“There is no eleventh-hour Judy Greer pep talk coming your way.” But ya know what??! Maybe a pep talk from good ole, Romcom omnipresent Judy is exactly what this book needed. Cuz sheesh! This stuff was boring. Are we just gonna keep writing about sad white girls? There are only so many ways to describe crying on a toilet. Ooof. Elena is unfunny, unlikeable, and you do not even wanna root for her. This book does indeed have characters who are strong & entertaining (see: the Meemaws, Ari, Meredith) they are quirky and good folks. They are the only saving grace. The main character needs to drive a story more…and idk perhaps have a personality. And not only talk about her lover’s thighs! But, hey, the playlist songs throughout the book were a great touch.