Kate is in her forties and after a drunken new years eve night ends in everyone seeing an embarrassing photo of her, she vows to change. This new year she wants to find someone. Someone to kiss at the end of it.
With the help of her best friend Julie she begins to navigate the world of online dating, telling herself all the dates will be worth it, when she finds that special one.

Although I'm not yet in my forties, I am a single lady still waiting for my Mr Right, so I connected so much to Kate, and her search to find that special someone.
All of the characters in this were written amazingly and I loved them all. I definitely had a crush on the sweet and shy Ben, and I'm so, so happy with how his story played out. Julie's story had a darker tone, but I felt for her throughout the book so much.

If you are a fan of romance novels, or rom-com movies I think you will love this one. I really liked that the characters were in their forties and I think it was refreshing to read a story where love isn't instant or easy.

I found this one hard to put down and like I said it's officially one of my favourite reads of the year, so I hope other readers discover this and love it too.

Trigger warning : brief mention of rape. Just in case that's an issue. Plus some swearing.

I was able to read this book prior to release as an ARC from NetGalley.

It was a sweet, not spicy romcom read; the story follows the FMC journey through dating after she makes a New Year's resolution to kiss someone before the following NYE. The book is a cutesy love story which includes found family and mental health/self care love story too.

I found it hard to relate to the main character- as she was meant to be mid forties; as it read as if she was younger and the author was trying hard to push the "older woman" tripe.

All around easy, cute read. Would recommend to younger YA readers getting into the romance category who aren't (yet) interested in spice.


⚠️Triggering content briefly describes a rape, alcoholism and mental illness. ⚠️

Synopsis: Kate is in her 40's and for the first time ever attempts online dating, with many disasters along the way, in order to find 'someone to kiss'.

The story centres around Kate's friendship with her best friend Julie and Ben and Kate's journey to find love.

Review:

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

This is a great chic lit book. I loved the characters and found I warmed to Kate and her dating experiences. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

I had a hard time liking the main character - Kate. I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't connect with her and how she acted. I also felt like there was a little too much going on. I appreciate the references to mental health, addiction and workplace harassment but I felt like it was a little much at times. It was mentioned that it was out of character for Kate to drink so much and I didn't feel that there was enough explanation to her friends as to why she was doing it. When it comes to Ben... He's a sweetheart. I liked him at first. Part of me understands why he basically ignored Kate and cut her out of my life, but at the same time, NO... She was obviously going through stuff in her life and cutting her out was not something that I expected. With Ben suffering from mental health issues, he would have been the perfect person to help her through her issues. Now Julie, the best friend. She's a functioning alcoholic. That much was obvious right from the beginning and damn did I feel for her. But, I expected a little more from her. Suffering with her illness I would have expected her to help Kate more as well since she knows what it's like and she saw the binge-drinking happening and she could have questioned it a little more. Anyways. I think I just had issues with the story as a whole, but this is just my opinion.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from BooksGoSocial and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Cute, charming characters and you won’t regret canceling plans to finish it.

Have you ever stumbled upon someone’s journal and gotten a peek into their secret thoughts, unfiltered perspective, and the true rawness of how life is viewed from their own eyes? That is exactly how it felt to read Someone to Kiss by Jamie Anderson.

From the very first page, you feel as if you are reading over Kate’s shoulders while she documents the events of her life. From her New Year's Eve rock bottom that leads to a declaration of change by "getting back out there" after a 10 year hiatus, we have a front row seat of what seems like a promising disaster waiting to unfold. Anderson doesn’t hold back as the laughs start right out the gate. Kate’s sarcastic remarks, dry humor, and anthropomorphic cat Mittens will keep a smile on your face. If you ever considered the world of online dating (or have already dabbled), this book is for you!

What I liked about the book: This is NOT your typical romantic comedy. It isn’t full of cute moments, lightheartedness, and Hallmark clichés. Anderson gets real (and a little dark) with Kate, Julie, and Ben’s story. Life is not easy and nothing is as it appears. Sure, we start with the first few chapters of upbeat humor and laughs but we quickly pump the breaks when we get a behind the scenes (and honestly very unexpected) view of what’s happening with Julie. I loved how Anderson did this because, like we constantly see in today’s society, what someone presents to us may simply be a mask hiding how they really feel. From Kate’s perspective, there was absolutely no way to know what Julie was experiencing so to get that brief check-in with Julie and also with Ben, allowed a wide view of the entire story - of what Kate thought was happening and what was actually taking place. When all of their stories can crashing together and Kate was let in on what the readers knew all along, it was an insanely powerful moment.

I LOVED how Anderson tackled difficult to discuss struggles (mental health, emotional/psychological abuse, depression, anxiety, victim's perspective, and life changing traumatic situations) and didn’t sugar coat them for the reader. She showcased how they impacted the person, those around them, and the strength of a support system (as well as the resistance to allow yourself to seek support, especially if you don't believe you deserve to heal). Her message throughout the book was putting your mental health first. She paired this important theme with the true to heart aphorisms: you shouldn't lose/sacrifice yourself for the sake of others and you can't truly and fully love someone else until you love (and accept) yourself.

What I am indifferent about but feel I should mention: Keeping up with dates was a little bit cumbersome with the book. When Ben decided to take his leave and time moved forward, I had to go back through the book to see when he finally said enough was enough to truly feel the impact of his absence.

What I appreciated about the book: I honestly appreciated how Anderson didn't just allude to Kate's dating past. The way Kate hinted at it and then to actually go back 10 and 15 years to see what happened first hand was like night and day! I remember reading her first relationship and just saying "Wow!" because it in no way matched how she casually remembered/described it.

What I didn’t like about the book: I thought Ben was a little too accepting of Kate being with Jesse one minute and him the next. I understand he had been in love with her for thirty years but to just gloss over the fact that she had called him that morning to tell him she had found someone and then was kissing him later the same day was a little off-putting.

I didn’t know what to expect when I started Someone to Kiss but I am still reeling from the emotional rollercoaster it took me on. Yes, you will laugh but you will also gasp, tear up, get angry, (like wanting to cause bodily harm type of anger), feel your heart strings be pulled, and just about every feeling in between.

This book was such a ride. This book opens with kate attending a new years eve wedding, feeling desperately lonely kate drunkenly makes a promise to have someone to kiss next New Year. I loved Kate as a character and found her to be so much fun and very entertaining. She was also very vulnerable in showing the struggles she is going through particularly as she is dipping into the concept of online dating. overall a quick and easy read with cute characters.

A big thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Wow what a book, it was funny, sad, and I think that most people can see part of themselves in one of the characters. That makes the book relatable to a huge crowd. Kate is in her 40's and still single. Her bestie Julie has kept a secret for years, the sharing of this changes their lives. Then there is shy Ben. What a fun read. 3.5 stars

This book really wasn't my cup of tea. I expected a 40 year old woman would have a little more pride and dignity to get drunk in a wedding. The character made bad choices, and to be honest I didn't even finished this book.

I was immediately attracted to this book when I discovered the FMC was a 40+ woman looking for love on a deadline. By the next New Years Eve she wanted someone (of her own) to kiss and after taking the advice of her best friend she chooses to find that someone via online dating. I added one star for the premise because it's a good one. I added one star because I liked the cover. I added the third star for giving Tragically Hip a mention! That said, I struggled with the opening scene of a 40 something woman so drunk she is lying under a table at somebody's wedding with her undies exposed. The rampant use and abuse of alcohol and references to a past of all night drunken bashes kind of explained why this woman had accomplished nothing at all in her life by age 43, unless you count keeping a cat alive. That was just plain sad - and not in a good way.
I am not much of a fan of the best friend's brother carrying the torch for the heroine and making up reasons for why he has to stand back. Teens to twenties might work, but standing back until the FMC is 40-something?? I won't bother trying to explain that whole trope because for me it simply didn't work. There were so many diversions into the pasts and problems of the three main characters that the unrequited love got a bit lost in the mix. I felt as if the author wanted to cram all of her story ideas into one book.

I thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Kate wakes up from a drunken NYE wedding to find pictures of herself on the floor, looking trashed and flashing her underwear, all over Facebook. She also finds a napkin on which she has written a pledge to find someone to kiss by next New Year’s Eve! So she calls her best friend, Julie, to help her navigate her way through the world of online dating in her 40s.
But whilst Kate wants to find someone she can have a relationship with online, Julie is just looking for a quick hook-up, so although she can help her with some advice, their experiences are very different! Add to the mix that she starts to question every previous relationship she has had, as well as her current guy friendships, including Julie’s brother, Ben, and her favourite barista, Jesse, and she ends up more despairing than before!
Meanwhile, Kate hates her job at the PR company, and in particular her toxic boss. When he reveals that his latest idea is to help people write their online dating profiles and asks her to create a workout plan for him, she steps up her job hunt. But is she brave enough to take a leap of faith, both in her career and in her love life?
I enjoyed this story a lot, particularly the way that Kate’s character was (mostly) honest and not trying to change herself for a man. In fact, the theme for all three characters was around learning to love yourself first and foremost, and it felt like a refreshing change from the norm.
I enjoyed the different narratives of Kate, Julie and Ben, although wish we could have heard more from Julie and Ben throughout rather than it being predominantly Kate. I also liked the jumping back in time to previous dates/relationships as it gave some good background information on current fears around dating and committing.
I did find myself getting a bit frustrated with Kate, especially when, even after realising her soul mate had probably been right there in front of her the whole time, she still wasn’t brave enough to do something about it. However, that also served to make her character more realistic! It was also sad when we learn the full extent of what Julie has been through and wish we could spend more time with her processing that.

Overall, it was a great, quick read

What a delightful story! This is a story about Kate who makes a promise to herself to find Mr. Right after an embarrassing episode at a New Year’s Eve wedding. She then spends the subsequent months trying online dating and learning a lot about herself along the way.

This was really well written and is a refreshing take on the story of finding Mr. Right. It was great to see characters in their 40s who were still trying to figure out what made them happy; I really connected with them. I also loved that I sometimes got Julie’s and Ben’s points of view as the story progressed. The author did a excellent job of portraying the ups and downs of finding love and I really felt like I was on the journey with Kate experiencing all her high and low moments.

Overall this was a really fun read and I can’t wait to read Julie’s story next because I am so invested in seeing how she progresses following all her life changes.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for this ARC - this review is my own.

Loved it ! Characters and story are very touching. Reminds me of my life and what a hope can look like. It is funny and characters are really likeable.

Even though Kate embarrased me several times in the story- I LOVED this book! The realness of the determination to find “the one” hit home for me.

Ben’s character reminded me of Calum Scotts “Dancing on my Own song:
I'm right over here, why can't you see me? Oh
And I'm giving it my all
I'm not the guy you're taking home, ooh
I keep dancing on my own.”

Julie’s role played a big part in the story. Sharing her secret to Kate ended up changing her life for the good.

Shout out to Netgalley for the read and review.I will be buying this book, and mentioning it in Book Club this week.

Someone to Kiss by Jamie Anderson

A huge thank you to the author, publishers and netgalley for allowing me a review copy of what is now one of my favourite books of the year!

Kate is in her forties and after a drunken new years eve night ends in everyone seeing an embarrassing photo of her, she vows to change. This new year she wants to find someone. Someone to kiss at the end of it.
With the help of her best friend Julie she begins to navigate the world of online dating, telling herself all the dates will be worth it, when she finds that special one.

Although I'm not yet in my forties, I am a single lady still waiting for my Mr Right, so I connected so much to Kate, and her search to find that special someone.
All of the characters in this were written amazingly and I loved them all. I definitely had a crush on the sweet and shy Ben, and I'm so, so happy with how his story played out. Julie's story had a darker tone, but I felt for her throughout the book so much.

If you are a fan of romance novels, or rom-com movies I think you will love this one. I really liked that the characters were in their forties and I think it was refreshing to read a story where love isn't instant or easy.

I found this one hard to put down and like I said it's officially one of my favourite reads of the year, so I hope other readers discover this and love it too.

Trigger warning : brief mention of rape. Just in case that's an issue. Plus some swearing.

Effortless reading with a satisfactory end.

From early childhood, Kate, Julie and Julie’s brother Ben have remained close friends. Now in their mid forties and still single, each has personal problems.

The book opens with Kate attending a New Year's Eve wedding. At the reception and feeling desperately lonely, she drunkenly writes a promise to find someone special to kiss by the next New Year's Eve. At Josie's suggestion Kate signs up for internet dating. What follows is a year of disastrous dates for Kate, even nightmare speed dating, as she meets the self absorbed, liars and cheats in her attempt to find Mr Right.

A good choice for when you just want to be entertained.

ARC generously supplied by BookGoSocial and NetGalley, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

Great book. The characters were lifelike even though it was fiction. I would love to read a book about what happens next for Julie.