ROMANCE QUEEN!!! I read "By Any Other Name" last year and really enjoyed it, so being approved for this ARC was too exciting to me. Lauren Kate does not disappoint, writing laugh-out-loud funny love stories, I was giggling and kicking my feet. The concept? Chefs kiss. The chemistry? WHOA. Not to make comparisons, but she serves like Emily Henry and I was eating it up. I will say, I was a little disappointed in the lead-up to the ending, but that's because I could have read about our main couple for another 100 pages and not gotten bored. I love them, 10/10 ship. No notes.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book. The blurb quickly brought to mind Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow (which the book actually mentioned). Jake and Liv had but a moment in high school and things went awry pretty quickly. I'm thinking that Liv, even at 18, was still quite childish at that point and while she had tragic things to deal with in the 10 years since, she may not have grown up much, meaning I still found her quite childish. However, I DID like how she finally grew up in the High Life and truly took stock of what really mattered in her life. While an epilogue is not necessarily needed in most books (my husband doesn't bother reading them lol), this one could have used one, in my opinion. The ending fell very flat for me. All in all, not a bad story...3.5 stars.

Oh how I enjoyed the majority of this book. The enemies to lovers trope is one that I always find myself loving as it really is one of my favorites thanks to the tension, drama, and eventual (hopeful) HEA. I truly enjoyed the writing style in this book, and the characters won me over very quickly. The opening pages/scene were some of my favorites and the relationship between the FMC and her best friend was truly beautiful. The alternative life and the time travel really fell a bit flat - it was rushed at times, dragged at others, and overall left me feeling rather frustrated. At the end of the book I was left with numerous questions, no answers, and no real satisfaction with a few of the answers that were provided. The romance however was top notch and left me swooning more than once.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for the sake of rating.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lauren Kate, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

What's in a Kiss? is a captivating, funny enchanting story about a woman whose future was extremely promising, until it suddenly took a horrible turn. As she prepares to marry off her best friend since childhood and see the handsome crush she almost but did not kiss back in high school, who is now famous, she begins to feel she has nothing to show for her life since her promising high school years. For her, she's never been able to get past the "what-if's" and that kiss that never happened.

Liv is a Lyft driver who lives in the same place she grew up. She lives with the love of her life...her dog, Graham Parsons. Her best friend Masha is still the best friend she had when she was in kindergarten, and her mother is the love of her life. She feels content, well sort of.

The reality is during high school she had a promising future as an actress. She had been accepted to Julliard and was looking forward to the move to New York. Unfortunately, something devastating happened and that ended her dreams and she chose to stay with her mother and her best friend.

So although she is excited that her best friend is getting married and she is the maid of honor, she begins to relive her past as well as the crush she had on one Jake who is the best man in the same wedding, who is a famous podcaster and of course, dating a model. She's not jealous! She always regrets that she had that one chance at prom to kiss him, but for some reason it never happened. But she still carries this with her even in the present.

So, when she picks up a fare and it's Jake, their meeting does not go very well. She's embarrassed and he's just plain obnoxious. How she's going to be able to put up with him in the next few days is beyond her.

But, something happens during the wedding ceremony which changes her life...literally...as Masha and her fiancé are about to say I Do, Liv catches Jake's eye and her head begins to spin, and she thinks she's going to faint. She comes out of this trance in a very different reality!

In this new reality, Liv is a popular actress, living in a mansion, Masha refuses to talk to her, her mother is not in her life and acts as if she hates her and oh, she married to Jake! As for Jake, he adores her and is the opposite of what he was in high school. He is so supportive, handsome and puts her career first. Clearly in this reality that prom kiss did happen...but what happened after that??

Although Liv enjoys being with Jake, she needs to go back. She wants Masha to be her best friend again and of course she wants her mother to love her again. But going back will mean she loses Jake.

What should she do?

What's in a Kiss? is a hilarious, heartwarming and romantic story. Wouldn't we all want a do-over about something from our past if we could?

Thank you #NetGalley #G.P.Putnam'sSons #LaurenKate #What'sinaKiss? for the advanced copy.

After reading the description of this modern love story about Jake and Liv and their second chance at love, I was so excited to receive an ARC of WHAT'S IN A KISS from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publishers!!

WHAT'S IN A KISS is the first book I've read by Lauren Kate and I will likely seek out her other work - I really enjoyed her writing and the world she built for Liv and Jake. I thought this book had a lot of heart and was a fun take on wondering about the path not taken. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Kate's writing, and of those who enjoy romance with a little magic/alternate reality elements!

This one took me a long time to get into. I am not a big fan of the 13 going on 30 trope. Add in the forced proximity and I am bored. But this is a fun easy read. If you like Sliding Doors, you should give this a go.

I have never read anything by Lauren Kate but was interested in giving it a try.
Liked the concept of alternate realities, was a unique twist on a rom-com which can typically seem similar.

This was a fun and unexpected read! I enjoyed the alternate reality take on your typical rom-com.
I found the beginning to be a little slow, however it definitely picked up through the middle and into the end. I loved the love and "fove" between Olivia and High-Life Jake and was truly enamored by how genuine their relationship was in her other reality, but how it really carried through to her real life as well. It rings true of how sometimes the choice we make lead us on unexpected paths, and it's refreshing to see the real time struggle that we often go through when we're trying to choose happiness.
I found the whole Rabi Dan and weed part to be a little bit much for me, but I saw how it added an eccentric twist to the "alternate reality" portion of the story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Second chance romance? Alternative Universes? This had so much promise but I wanted SO MUCH MORE info about "The High Life" storylines. I also found the FMC to be slightly annoying (sorry!). I loved the parallels between the two universes - especially Gram Parsons and the journals. No epilogue is criminal. What happens after the kiss?!

In this 'what-if' romance, Olivia gets a magical second chance to rewrite her past with the boy who broke her heart. Ten years after being humiliated by her high school rival, Jake, who is now an annoyingly charming TV personality, Olivia is suddenly thrust into an alternate reality where one prom kiss sets them on a path to love. In this new version of her life, she discovers Jake might just be the love of her life—but at the cost of losing her best friend and her mom’s love. Faced with an impossible choice, Olivia must decide if the dreamy life she never had is worth everything she might lose.

Thanks to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and Lauren Kate for allowing me access to this book. All opinions are my own.

“In love with you. Here. There. Everywhere. All the wheres in all the worlds. Always.”

3.75 Rounded Up!

This was a really fun and cute contemporary romance. It honestly read like a 90's/2000's romcom movie and almost had *slight* 13 Going on 30 vibes. It was cute, quick, and charming. The pacing felt a teeny bit off for my personal preference but it was a fun read! The FMC honestly handled interdimensional life swaps pretty well lol.

The pacing occasionally felt a bit off but I couldn't really pinpoint why...certain things just felt so jumbled, a smidge rushed/underdeveloped and that's mostly why my rating had tapered off a bit. Otherwise this really was an enjoyable read and was a really interesting take on the age old "what if" question.

Thank you so much to netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this e-arc!

[⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️]

This book is for all the “What If?” girlies out there!!!! Hoo boy I was not prepared for the feelings this story would give me. As a chronic “what if” daydreamer, this story sucker punched me straight in the feelings and left no crumbs. Truly my daydreams come to life of imagining what could’ve been, but in the sappiest lil romance I’ve read this year.

The characters were lovable and quirky, and the plot was fun and silly and overall a good time.

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for this ARC! 📚

What’s in a Kiss is a true RomCom, something I could see being put out as a movie. It was giving total 13 going on 30 vibes! While I am usually not a huge fan of the alternate reality trope, I feel like this book was really well done. I did however dislike the fact that a lot of aspects of Olivia’s life in the new reality weren’t well explained - like how her relationships changed so much from one reality to the other with Masha and her Mom… (how did both relationships get to such a bad place)… I also really disliked how the book ended. I feel like we got to a place we were hoping the book would go and then it abruptly ended. I would have loved an epilogue or something - maybe citing any relationship similarities in the real reality to really close the story on a great note. Even with the negatives, I would recommend this book to all romance readers! 3.75⭐️ rounding up to 4!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book, in exchange for honest feedback.

I loved this book. I not only loved this book, I had to read the ending four times because I could not get enough of it the first time.

Olivia “Liv,”our MC, Is put through the wringer in this book and I’m kind of OK with it. It’s not that I like to see her struggle, in fact she is a fabulous person and not at all a character you would root against. However, when it comes to love, you can tell her walls are up in a very hard and fast way, and you just want to shake her a little. I loved watching her grow, loved seeing what she is willing to give up, and where she is not willing to compromise.

I would absolutely recommend this book!

Okay, this concept has been done so many times, but I'm not mad about it. I really enjoyed this book and how the author delivered the "what if" for us. Like what if I *insert action here* and it drastically changed my life? I love those kinds of thoughts because I am a glutton for punishment and a chronic overthinker.

This was such a cute story about enemies-to-lovers who are destined to be together and how lovely it is to know you have a person out there. I really enjoyed the main character and how it clicks for her that the life she wished for is actually the one she already has. She can choose how she responds and feels about her life and decides to be positive and make better the one she has. A blip in the timelines will do that to you!

I would recommend this to anyone who likes:
-he falls first
-enemies-to-lovers
-timeline changes
-will they or won't they
-super happy ending

This is a "what if" book. Liv is a living a life that isn't what she'd envisioned for herself. She'd had dreams of Julliard but chose her mom over school. These days she's a drama teacher without a position and her love life isn't great.
Things change when she's the maid of honor at her friend Masha's wedding. Her old flame Jake is the grooms best man. Things between the two ended on prom night and Liv wonders what if they'd had that kiss at prom? Well with a blink and a wish she finds out!
This book blends romance with how the choices we make shape our lives. This book is emotional and funny. A must read if you enjoy a bit of depth to your romance!

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher; the review is my own.*

Somehow when I requested this book, I didn't realize that this Lauren Kate is the same Lauren Kate that wrote the Fallen and Teardrop series. Honestly, I wasn't the biggest fan of those books, so I likely wouldn't have been interested in this one if I had known. That could have been good or bad, depending on what information you take from this review.

On the one hand, I really enjoyed the story, the characters, and how everything came together. Solid 4 stars, maybe even 4.5. But I can't in good conscience give it such a high rating because it felt so much like the author was trying to distance herself from her YA work--in the extreme--by the content she included (see Notes). And that's why this book, which had so many things in it that worked (and worked well!) is stuck with my 3-star rating.

Olivia (28) and Jake (28) were like two halves of a whole, despite Olivia's inability to see it for so long. Don't get me wrong--I can completely understand how she formed her opinions and drew certain conclusions about Jake. But man, she was stubborn! In the alternate reality, Olivia had the opportunity to reevaluate her life and her relationships, to see everything from a different angle. And I must say that I absolutely loved the relationship she discovered Jake had with other-Olivia. One thing in particular that I appreciated was that even when they were at odds with each other, it was still very clear that there was love and that their disagreements didn't change that. Not only that, but as Olivia navigated her alternate reality, she had to decide what was most important, not only to her but in general, and it helped her become less selfish.

In the end, although I found the story to be cute, thoughtful, and well written, I ultimately can't and won't recommend it to anybody I know. Will there be other readers who aren't bothered by the content and who absolutely love it? Absolutely. But to me, it prevented this book from reaching its potential. (And although I tagged it as movie material, it's not one I would ever watch unless it was modified to earn a PG-13 rating.)

Note: Swearing, including more f words than I could keep track of. Descriptive open-door sex. The use of some vulgar terms for male and female anatomy.

I had so much fun reading this one!!

The banter between Liv and Jake is hilarious and will keep you entertained throughout the story. I've read a few "what if" books this year and I've found that I really enjoy this type of story especially when it's a romance. What's in a Kiss? is a contemporary romance but with a bit of magic when Liv gets sucked into an alternate reality during her best friend's wedding. In the new reality, she's married to her nemesis and seems happily in love but her best friend hates her and she has no relationship with her mom which were her two main connections in her real life.

If you liked 13 Going On 30, you'll probably love this book. While it doesn't jump forward in terms of age, Liv's entire life has taken a different path than her current one so the vibes are very similar. I think about the what ifs in life all the time, especially since one decision could drastically change your day to day life so I was very invested in this book. I really felt for Liv's situation because neither reality is perfect (much appreciated since it wasn't like an idealized life vs one full of missed opportunities -- it made me feel more invested in which reality she'd want to stay in) and both had aspects that made that reality worth staying in. I loved Jake in both realities, he's just a really good MMC regardless of when he's Liv's husband or her "enemy." And I really enjoyed the way the reality jump happens, which I won't spoil, but it was pretty funny.

If you find yourself ruminating on the what ifs in life or are just look for a fun story about romance, friendship, family, and self discovery, then this is a great option. Especially if you like: enemies to lovers, second chance romance, celebrity romance, allllll the emotions, a little bit of magic, he falls first, and a love that spans realities/distance/timelines/everwhere.

Thank you so much PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the digital ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a cute "what if" book. I always enjoy these stroylines and was interested to see how it would play out. 3.5 stars

What's in a Kiss? by Lauren Kate is a cute story that I enjoyed. It's the story of Liv and Jake and 'what if that prom date wasn't a disaster'. These two are enemies, yet Liv ends up married to Jake in a crazy twist of fate when their best friends say "I do". In this reality, her best friend and mom now hate her. This is one part I didn't understand and don't recall it ever being explained. There are some funny and touching parts to the story, I simply didn't connect with the characters as much as would have liked.

This book gave me 13 Going on to 30 vibes. It was sweet and enjoyable. It has romance, friendships, and self discovery.