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.

I found this book a little difficult to rate. I love love love a good holiday romance and this book is perfect for a hallmark movie with LGBT representation. I loved the banter and dysfunctional family. Jack and Meemaw are some of my absolute favorite characters and they brought so much kindness and light to the story. The tension between Jack and Ellie was to die for and I was constantly on edge waiting for them to give in to each other. That being said, I liked some parts of the book more than others. I've never enjoyed the miscommunication trope and this book had a lot of it. I personally found the main character, Ellie, a little annoying and wish I'd seen a lot more character development with her. Lastly, I didn't care for the flashbacks/webcomics. I didn't really feel a connection or care about it. I think I would have enjoyed it a little more if it would have been in a "before and after" format rather than webcomics at the end of the chapters. I really did enjoy the book for the most part. I do recommend reading it this Christmas!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and author Alison Cochrun for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Ellie had a magical snowy Christmas Eve with Jack after a meet-cute at the famous Powells Books in Portland. But then it's over - one day. Fast forward to the next Christmas season, and she's fake engaged to Andrew, with the promise of spending Christmas with his family. Imagine her surprise when Andrew introduces her to his sister... Jack.

In what Ellie describes as a "love trapezoid," this story keeps you entertained at every turn. The Christmas theme pulls out the best cheesy holiday moments while also making fun of it, bringing in the banter, and mentioning lots of songs that would make a fiery playlist.

Also... if you don't get to the halfway point in this book and think, "Meemaw is my favorite" in that specific moment, then you're a liar.

There is conflict, as there is in every romance novel, but you can see it coming, so it isn't that frustrating "conflict for the sake of it" that some authors do. It's worth it for the ending.

This book releases on November 1st and you're going to want a copy for your Christmas reads!

CW: strained parental relationships, gaslighting, homophobic comments (also bi- and nb- related comments)

I really enjoyed this book, actually more than I enjoyed The Charm Offensive (which was a three-star read for me). This reminded me of a Hallmark movie, in a good way! Thanks for the ARC.

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

Genre: Holiday Romance
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

This was sooo cute and I loved Ellie and Jack.
So many tropes I loved in this book too - a meet cute, love trapezoid, fake dating, holiday/queer romance... What more could you ask for?!?! It is the perfect holiday romance novel.
Alison Cochrun has done it again! I loved the Charm Offensive, and this is an excellent sophomore novel.
This book is hilarious, heartfelt, and ends w/ a perfect HEA. <3

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for this arc!

This sapphic Christmas rom-com was everything I could’ve asked for in a book. From the Taylor Swift references to the main character being an anxious, bisexual perfectionist — I found everything to be extremely relatable and oozing with cozy vibes.
It also took me way too long to realize Alison Cochrun is a Portland local and freaked out every time I recognized a location throughout the book.

4.25 rounded down

I wouldn’t say either of the MC’s were sweet but this is such a sweet sweet story even so! I loved Charm Offensive and as broody, sassy, and filled with drama as that was, this was well, sweet. And snowy. I loved the snow setting and Christmas supplements but that it wasn’t a “Christmas” story. I really enjoyed the love “trapezoid” bit of a twist on the love triangle trope, and it was just the right length with buildup and representation in the characters.

I agree, people who like the Written in the Stars series will most definitely enjoy this one too!

Thank you for the eARC!

4.5/5 Stars!

Tropes:
- One bed
- Fake dating
- Forbidden love
- Miscommunication that is immediately addressed because "miscommunication is for the straights."

Be still my beating heart.

The Charm Offensive is one of my favorite romcoms of all time and when I got approved for Kiss Her Once for Me, I was over the moon. Then I let it sit on my kindle for a couple months to save it for a day when I really needed a good comfort read. (Today was that day.)

In her second novel, Cochrun covers many of the same topics we saw in The Charm Offensive, including battling mental illness, toxic relationships with the concept of success, and representation of demisexuality. She approaches each of these topics, as well as her character development as a whole, with the same raw honestly and emotion that made me fall in love with Dev & Charlie. Throughout this novel, I couldn't help but feel connected to each character in a deeply personal way. Certain scenes with Elle's anxiety felt like they could have been exact situations that I personally have experienced before and likely will again.

For this reason, please keep all this in mind when you decide to pick up Kiss Her Once for Me. While it is a happy, light holiday romance, it's also very much not light. This novel covers some heavy topics, such as anxiety, depression, fear of failure, fear of abandonment, absent parents, toxic parents, poverty and more. Please look up trigger warnings and take care before you chose to read this novel.

If you don't already have Kiss Her One For Me on your holiday TBR, add it now.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

“I don’t think I could stop drawing you if I tried. You . . . you’re the best parts of every character I create.”

Synopsis:
Ellie fell in love with Jack over the course of a snow day last Christmas in Portland. However, as quickly as things came together, they fell apart. Ellie has had a rough year; she is still hung up on Jack, she lost her dream job as an animator, and she is at risk of losing her dilapidated but affordable apartment.

Despite her hesitations, she enters a fake engagement with Andrew Kim- Prescott. Andrew is Portland royalty and the landlord of the coffee shop were Ellie currently works. He is a desperate for a fake fiancé to collect his grandfather’s 2-million-dollar inheritance and Ellie is desperate for money to keep her apartment.

Together, they set off to spend Christmas at his family’s cabin…. But things become even more complicated when Ellie discovers that Jack is Andrew’s sister. And so begins, a “weirdly incestuous love triangle, but it’s actually some kind of dysfunctional love trapezoid.” Andrew and Ellie are fake engaged. Ellie loves Jack. Andrew loves Dylan, Jack’s best friend. And everything is a massive cluster.

Will Ellie give up her share of the inheritance for a real chance with Jack?

My thoughts:
This book is full of those teeny, tiny moments that make your heart flutter.

I adored Jack. She is the perfect contradiction; tender but loud, gentle but clumsy. Through her openness, Jack teaches Ellie to be emotionally vulnerable and that deviating from plans can lead to unexpected joy.

I felt connected to Ellie’s character as she struggles with anxiety and her fear of taking risks. However, I don’t feel that I know much more about her than that. The book is from her POV and I expected to know her better by the end of it. However, I know Jack better than Ellie. I know that Jack likes praline mochas, her music preferences, about her freckles and the scar she has above her lip, but I don’t have as clear of an understanding of Ellie’s preferences.

This book is a romance but also has strong found family and fighting for your HEA themes. After being disappointed her whole life by terrible parents, Ellie must learn to lean on her community of friends and accept help. Additionally, Ellie learns that to have the life she wants, she needs to take risks and fight for her happiness.

I was a little disappointed we didn’t get an epilogue. I really wanted life updates on Ellie, Jack, Andrew, and Dylan.

Overall, I really enjoyed this witty, sapphic, holiday rom com full of hope, tender moments, and Christmas magic. Cochrun has a way with words and the writing in this book was wonderful; so many beautiful quotes to highlight when my physical copy arrives in November.

Thank you so much to Atria Books and Net Galley for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Highlights:
• Set in Portland
• An adorable meet cute
• Snow day magic
• Bi & Demi rep
• Mental health representation
• Found family

Trigger warnings: homophobia,. Parent abandonment, cheating (side character), generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks

The humor in this book is top tier. Within the first few chapters I was hi lighting laugh out loud moments on my kindle constantly. I love romcoms that are actually at least a bit comedic

I could not get into this book. The premise seemed enticing at first but then in actuality I found the fake dating boring.

I had a hard time finishing this book. It was a little boring and I felt like the pacing was off. The flashbacks dragged and threw off the momentum of the book, in my opinion.

I thought that Ellie and Jack’s relationship was missing the za za zing that I need in my romance books. It was a lot of them claiming their deep connection to one another after one day together but I didn’t feel it. The Honesty Game made it feel contrived and forced. The two of them bonded over their crappy parents which was nice but I wanted their love to be grounded in more.

Miscommunication is my least favorite trope and the major conflicts in this book are based on miscommunication.

A lot of people are loving this book and so I think maybe I wasn’t in the right mood for this one? I loved Cochran’s first book and this one disappointed me.

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: homophobia, biphobia,transphobia, anxiety, infidelity, mention of cancer.

Thank you Alison Cochrun, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for this eARC. I read this book as part of the HoliGays22 team.

Second books can be so tricky, but Alison Cochrun really landed this one! The tension between Ellie and Jack was just perfect. The dynamic with Andrew was also wonderful- I loved that the fake dating/proposed marriage of convenience didn't go the standard route.

It took me a little while to get into the flashbacks, but once I did- I was super invested. If you liked The Charm Offensive, you'll definitely enjoy this book!

This is actually my first sapphic romance! And it was amazing. I laughed, cried, and gasped many time throughout this book. I feel like I would become friends with Jack the same way she and Dylan became friends for sure. Dylans characters was amazing as well, I would’ve wanted them as my teacher. And lets not forget Meredith!! She’s a real one. I would love to be friends with the grandmas!! The author wrote this amazingly!

Ellie and Jack meet on Christmas Eve when they both reach for the same book at Powell’s. They wander from place to place in Portland, having a great time. Jack shares her dreams of owning her own bakery, Ellie talks about her plan to make it in animation. All told, it seems like the most perfect day two people can have in the midst of a snow storm. Until it ends with Ellie running out of Jack’s airstream at the end of it.

Fast forward a year and Ellie is Going Through Some Shit - laid off from the career she moved cross country for, passed over for a promotion at the barista job she settled for, rent for her terrible apartment about to jump, and a deadbeat absent mother constantly hitting her up for money she can’t afford to keep giving. Fear of failure and anxiety dialed to eleven. And socially? Since that perfect day last year ended in heartbreak, it’s safe to say there is so social life.

So when Andrew, a customer who also owns the property her work runs out of, offers an obscene amount of money to fake marry him so he can get his inheritance, what does she have to lose?
After all, it’s a no feelings involved temporary arrangement. What could possibly go wrong?
Well one thing (or two…or more…) but not the obvious!

The first step in selling this engagement is a trip to spend Christmas with his family. Things start to really get interesting when Ellie meets Andrew’s sister Jacqueline. Aka Jack.

I don’t want to give away anything more, because you need to read it for yourself (you will not regret it!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

Such a good book! After reading this and the Charm Offensive, Alison Cochrun is now a must read author for me! Similiar to The Charm Offensive, Kiss Her Once for Me was an adorable novel with lovable characters. Highly recommend!

KISS HER ONCE FOR ME is a queer holiday romance that addresses mental health and brings on the laughs. I could see the inspiration from While You Were Sleeping, but instead of a coma, down-on-her-luck, failure-fearing Ellie agrees to a marriage of convenience with rich Andrew for a cut of his inheritance. However, Ellie is still pining for the woman she met last Christmas who she only knew as Jack. When Ellie finds out that Jack is Andrew's sister during a week-long family get together during Christmas, she's conflicted to say the least. I thought the family was instantly hilarious and lovable, which is such a draw for Ellie who has a difficult relationship with her own parents. Jack also jumped off the page as a perfect foil to Ellie, making this fake engagement difficult to carry on. I thought this was a fun read and perfect for holiday romance lovers.

Thanks Netgalley and Atria for the ARC!

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦.”

𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖: ellie fakes an engagement so she can get two hundred thousand dollars. turns out - she’s in love with the sister of the man she’s supposed to marry.

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒: unfortunately i don’t think this was the right book for me. while i liked some aspects of it, i think there were more things that didn’t work for me than did work. i will say that i liked the underlying message of fear of failure and liked ellie’s development in this area in the end of the book. i also adored the family characters - andrew, meemaw, lovey, katherine, dylan - they were all so much fun. i think where this book didn’t work for me was the CONSTANT miscommunication and the insta love. i really struggled to get through it because of that. if you love alison cochrun, i would still give this one a try around christmas time because she does write SO well and has SO much representation in her books.

𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: it was just okay!

special thank you to netgalley, atria books & alison cochrun for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cochrun has managed to recreate the warm hearted insecurity that made The Charm Offensive such relatable magic in this entirely new story. The story is at it's base a romance but there are side plots of equal importance. Ellie learns the value of found family, making new friends, trusting in friends who love her, setting boundaries with family who does not, and believing in herself.

Ellie could be a little frustrating with the mistakes she made that seemed obvious but that is why the story is about her growth. She is the main character, the world was so complete I felt it easily could have been told by Andrew, Dylan, or jack and been just as brilliant, but Ellie's journey is why it's her.