This is the most realistic romance story I've ever read. Does it feel slow sometimes? Yes, but falling back in love with someone who wrecked your heart SHOULD take time.
Hash things out. Have the hard conversations. Tell each other what you did love that hurt so badly to lose.
I did have some questions that didn't flesh out in the story, but they didn't matter in the end.
This is a melodic, late-in-life, redemption love story.

I expected to love this book based on the synopsis but it fell flat in so many areas that it was a chore to finish. I don’t recommend it.

📚BOOK REVIEW

📖: A Forty Year Kiss 💋
✍️: Nickolas Butler @wiscobutler
📚: Sourcebooks Landmark @sourcebooks
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pub Date: Feb 4, 2025
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Pages: 352

same author as: Shotgun Lovesongs
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"You live long enough, you understand the value of second chance. A new beginning.”
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💭 A FORTY YEAR KISS is a beautifully written, sweet yet realistic love story with second chance romance, but later in life. This is the first book I read by Nickolas Butler, and his writing is captivating!

We follow Charlie and Vivian, a 60 year old couple, who were married for four years, forty years ago. After their divorce, they each went their own way and disconnected completely. Forty years later, Charlie had a sudden desire to reconnect with Vivian, and he decides to return to Wisconsin. After meeting one night at a bar, they continue to spend time together. Yet that bring back memories of their divorce as well as a few secrets and some regrets.

The author does such a great job at describing topics like addiction, motherhood, marriage, divorce, and economic difficulties. I loved that he brings out the fact that not everyone at that age has necessarily reached their dream love story or has their financial life figured out. One big thing that stands out to me is that there isn't much drama or a big turning point in the story. Perhaps it's the fact that this is a romance late in life as opposed to younger and inexperienced days.

This book ended up being such a nice story to read. It was something different and quieter. It's definitely a perfect Valentine's Day gift as this publishes on February 4th! I received the paperback arc but the hardcover version that is coming out is beautiful with ombre sprayed edges.

Thank you @bookmarked for the #gifted ARC!

First, I did not finish this book by choice. I could hear the violins playing right from the first page and it kept getting louder to the point where I couldn't take it.
Picture a man who has now been divorced three times, who finds himself not able to stop thinking of wife number one. He inherits his uncle's nearby-ish farm, moves out of state to get back there, fixes up the needed repairs at the farm and drinks a lot. Then he reaches out to her on FB, then text messages, a couple of phone calls until finally an in person meeting. At this first in person meeting, where he arrives an hour early to have some drinks ahead of time, he tells her how much he wants her back.
Now picture her. It's been 40 very hard years for her raising children, working hard, having little money. She now lives with her daughter and watches her grandkids so her daughter can work as a bartender. She has not dated and probably has not thought of him except in anger for abandoning her and for his drinking. Picture what it must be like to hear this out of the blue. Hear the violins?
His drinking problem has not gone away and while he actually does stop to think a few times, he really hasn't changed all that much,. Then enter her jealousy over his past wife and wonder, huh? It's been 40 years and you are angry that he had a photo of an ex in his house? Seriously? We don't know for sure what her secret is that she is keeping from him, but who is she to be angry over relationships not mentioned?
That is when I said enough. This is a train wreck waiting to happen, especially when her daughter, knowing his problem with alcohol, bullies him into drinking.
Thanks NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

Amazing story, so beautifully written and emotionnal.

I was hooked from the first pages.

If you need something that will absorbed you this is it.

This was my first novel by this author and I enjoyed it. There were parts that were unexpected, some that were romantic, others that were hard to read, and some parts I just couldn't get on board with what happened. Nickolas Butlers writing and story telling are great though and I would love to read other titles by him. This story was like a re-coming of age of two older people who have connected after two decades. Lots of hurts and reckonings with who they've become while a lot of newness baked in as well. I can't relate to this time in life as I'm not there yet but I presume with that much time under one's belt on this earth that all the wisdom and growth has to come with some regret and yearning too. The author captured all of this well. It was an interesting and engaging story for sure.

This is a sweet novel that explores a romance between older characters, something we don't see often enough. I imagine this will appeal to many of our library patrons, particularly those who enjoy quieter stories, midwestern settings, and complicated love stories.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

I'm a sucker for second chance. Never have I read a second chance that spanned over 40 years. Charlie and Vivian were married at the start of their young lives. A marriage based on love and passion, and not much logic. Once the novelty of first love wore off, the cracks started to show until they were both falling into a pit of loneliness and contempt.

40 years after their divorce, Charlie seeks out Vivian. Realizing she may be the only woman he has ever loved makes him strive to be a better man for her and her family. It's an uphill battle and the author does a great job navigating Charlie's character arc from an alcoholic to a family man.

Vivian hasn't had an easy road in her life and was a single mom to two girls and now tends to her grandchildren. Never enough money, never enough time, the last 40 years of her life have been spent scraping by. Her tentativeness toward Charlie is warranted and again the author does this character justice by highlighting her insecurities. You really get a sense of what makes these characters tick.
I found the story to be very heartfelt, emotional, and timeless. A true full circle of love lost and rekindled.

A slow paced character study where a divorced couple reconnect in their 60's. Their marriage was at a young age, for a short time and they did not have children. Once it was over, it was over, until he took a chance and reached out to his old love on social media. The book reminded me that dreams can come true and love can find you, no matter what age you are. For that, I am appreciative. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary digital ARC. This review is my own opinion.

I try each year around Valentine's day to at least read one romance. It is definitely not my usual genre and there is something saccharine in a lot of these types of books that feel vapid to me. When I read the premise for this book, it seemed like it would have at least some substance. There was a good underlying story here and I very much became invested in the 'will they, won't they' aspect. I found it heartwarming to see Charlie's life really change with the re-addition of Vivian into his life. There was a lot that was thoroughly predictable and I am never a fan of the long lost, deep dark, secret in a book that when unleashed just seems to be fine when it is a huge deal. I would probably rate this a 3.5 out of 5 and am rounding this up to a 4 as this was one of those books I could not put down. I started this book this evening and finished it in one sitting. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. I would definitely be interested in seeing what else this author writes.

I loved the story's premise: reconnecting with someone after forty years. However, I felt that it missed the mark.

I was excited to read a romance about someone older than 24. Charlie and Vivian are in their 60s. They reconnected and rebuilt their relationship. Throughout the story, you learn about the MC’s past and how that affects them currently. I kept expecting something “big” to happen, but it never did or at least that’s how it was presented in the story. Every event that took place was more of a “setback” in their relationship. There were secrets they quickly moved past it. Which made the story less relatable. Overall, I enjoyed the story. The characters were likable, but I felt that pacing was a little off, at times.

I absolutely enjoyed this tragically sweet second chance romance. The characters have grown so much between the years they spend apart as well as during their rekindling and Charlie and Vivian will keep you rethinking your past mistakes and ability to grow within yourself before you waste more precious time. Overall, very poetic and great pacing, I didn’t want to put it down even though the lack of quotation marks threw me off. Once I started envisioning them thinking as a stream of consciousness, I could get through what was action lines and what was dialogue.

I found this book a little difficult to read and get thru, but I did enjoy the story about finding love again when you are older. The dialogue of the characters wasn't easy to follow since quotation marks weren't used to make it stand out and made it more difficult to follow. The story as a whole was interesting as Charlie has tried to change his life around and wants to meet up with his first ex-wife that he found on Facebook. The book follows their relationship and the struggles that any relationship has with 40 years between the last time they were together.

This book starts out as a dark horse for me. I was not sure what to expect. The title sounds very romance-y……not my favourite genre. But, the blurb draws me in. It's about the rekindling of a marriage that ended forty years prior.

I think many people think about “the one that got away”, whether it was a relationship or a marriage. The one special person where it didn't work out, for one reason or another. Charlie and Viv were married quite young and the marriage did not last because of alcohol.

While there is an instant (but cautious) attraction, the journey is not without its stumbles. And, so it should be. People change a lot in 40 years. It is interesting to follow as they learn about each other. The characters seem very real. Flawed, not perfect. There are secrets. There is a bit of drama.

This is definitely a character-driven story. There's not a lot of action. It sort of ambles along. A cozy, comfortable story. I felt very engaged with the characters. I especially enjoyed the last chapter. I could feel the excitement and emotions.

I do have two little things to complain about. Firstly: there are no quotation marks used throughout the whole book. At first, it confused me but the author wrote in such a way that I soon fell into the rhythm and knew who was speaking.
Secondly: now that I have finished the book, the title makes sense. But, to some readers, it might be off-putting. Like a cheesy romance. It definitely isn't, but the title does not reflect that. These two things have not affected my rating.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Charlie and Vivian married quite young. 4 years later, they divorced, in large part due to Charlie's drinking. The story picks up with Charlie's return to Wisconsin after inheriting a farm. He is determined to rekindle their relationship. But both Charlie and Vivian have forty years of trials and tribulations. For Vivian, she lives with her daughter and her two granddaughters. But there are secrets she is hiding as well.

I enjoyed this "later life" romance/family drama. It was a bit slow to begin but I just had to find out the rest of the story. Charlie and Vivian were once married but Charlie's alcoholism tore that marriage apart. He is now trying to make up for the hard times his actions caused. Vivian is wary, because she doesn't have a level of trust with him. This is a good boo.

The whole time I was reading A Forty Year Kiss, I kept wanting to describe it as a "quiet" book- there's no big drama, and the major events that do happen happen quickly. It's a book about feelings and reflections- looking forward and backward in the same lives. Charlie and Vivian were married for four years forty years ago, and we meet them when they reunite. They're both flawed but trying hard to still live good, kind lives, and I enjoyed the story of them reconnecting. In no way is this quiet book boring- it just made me feel comfortable picking up the book (often) to spend more time with them. I'd highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley & Nickolas Butler for this advance copy.

Charlie and Vivian haven’t seen one another for more than 40 years, but they have a history: They were once married. Now in his 60s, Charlie has been thinking about Vivian for a long time, and he wants nothing more than to rekindle their relationship.

A FORTY YEAR KISS is a romance about two mature people who find that they’re still compatible. The difficulties they faced as younger people are not insurmountable after the many lessons they’ve learned over the course of their lifetimes.

This is a sweet love story, but there wasn’t enough conflict for me to really get into it. I did enjoy the idea of two people reuniting and rekindling their relationship, but it just didn’t have enough angst to keep my attention. The lack of quotation marks doesn’t bother me and it’s written beautifully. A FORTY YEAR KISS just didn’t compel me to devour it, the way I like my romance books to do.

I received an early digital copy of A FORTY YEAR KISS from Netgalley and publisher Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for my honest feedback.

There are too many great books out there to waste time on books that the reader doesn't enjoy.

The author's choice to not use quotation marks was a complete annoyance and frustration. It made reading the story for clunky and challenging.

I had high hopes for Forty Year Kiss, but unfortunately, it fell short of expectations. The premise of revisiting a long-lost love after decades apart sounded intriguing, yet the execution lacked depth and emotional resonance.

This was a DNF for me. I know others have loved it but I was not going to continue to torture myself with this style of writing.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first Nickolas Butler novel, and I found it interesting. Charlie and Viv were married very shortly when they were very young. They divorced after 4 years of marriage. It is now forty years later, and Charlie has lived with the regrets of his actions that led to their divorce. He has also realized that Viv is the love of his life. Meanwhile, Viv has raised a daughter and is helping her (Melissa) raise her two small girls. They struggle to make ends meet. When Charlie reaches out to Viv, she is curious and admits to herself that she has missed him. However, can they reconcile and ove4rcome the issues that happened in the past to have a HEA?

Oh- so much to unpack.

Characters:
The characters of Charlie, Viv and Melissa were overall developed nicely in a way that you come to know what each character regrets, feels, and dreams for. You also see the internal struggles each goes through, and what they are wrestling with to achieve acceptance, forgiveness and hope. I struggled with the character of Jessie. She is lovely, but I felt the author took the easiest and most misunderstood route in writing about her life as it pertains to her condition. There seemed to be no realistic portrayal of the possibilities and achievements for someone struggling with this genetic DNA. So I felt this story thread was simply put in to use a plot device. I had to take stars off because this element really frustrated me.

Plot:
The story is has a lot of sweet moments- I mean a lot! It does portray what a second chance love story might look like between two 60-ish year old people. Between all the sweetness, it has anxiety and jealousy and a bit of ridiculous moments. I began to get frustrated with Viv. She gets upset about so many things that happened in the past, and won't let go. I am an older, seasoned woman, and with time and life comes a teeny bit of wisdom (hopefully ;/)! I felt that Viv missed out on the wisdom as she held on to things that happened a long time ago (Charlie's marriage to another woman 25 years ago!!!). Charlie still struggles with issues of the past, and has not rectified them. And, Viv has kept a secret from him- so these are the issues driving the story. It is a slow story- but I honestly feel that it is a little more realistic in what might happen in a rekindling of love between elders than the hot-passionate thing.

I liked how Melissa's story developed, and was cheering her on, and happy with her outcome. The ending was sweet, but a bit contrived. And at times there was repetition in hashing out what happened in the past, and overly sweet conversation.

My biggest struggle was no quotation marks! It read to me more like internal thoughts and remembrances of dialogue, instead of "real time" dialogue. It was a bit confusing, and I feel that this slowed the story down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.