"The Forty Year Kiss" intrigued me. That's a long time to wait. Indeed the main characters are both mature people with lives and concerns that many readers would share. It was refreshing to read a romance that is not full of the energy and discovery of youth or more reflective angst
middle age. The characters were easy to care about and the setting was brought to life. The plotting was just a bit predictable. This was a very pleasant read - just right for a break from the issues of the day.

This was beautifully written but not really any major plot line. Little conflicts here and there. The lack of quotations took a while for me to get used to reading. I wouldn’t say the small town played a huge role in this story. It was really just a second chance romance with an older couple.

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Not my usual choice of genres, but I accepted the challenge and was pleasantly surprised. Well written with believable characters and a good plot developed.

I was drawn to this book because the author also wrote Shotgun Lovesongs. The premise is that a who couple married and divorced when very young, meet again, due to the searching of the husband. He says he has never stopped thinking of her and wants to make amends for his bad behavior as a young man. The question is whether the woman will be willing to give him another chance. Most of the story was good and as a reader, I was interested to see what happened. I thought things became too simple at the end. Would definitely consider other books by this author.

I was drawn in by this emotional look at second chance love late in life. I didn’t agree with many of the life choices of the characters, particularly Melissa, but I did like reading a realistic love story about two people finding their way back to each other. It is a literary tale told mostly through dialogue that doesn’t use quotation marks so it can be difficult to read at times. Recommended for those who like love stories with older protagonists.

I was first drawn in my the beautiful cover but was also excited for the premise - two people who probably got married when they were too young and immature have a second chance at love when they reconnect in their 60's.

The pacing was pretty slow for me and I think I might have preferred to have the story "spoken" instead of a told dialogue

A rare second chance romance with mature characters. I was really excited to read this one of the premise - I’m a sucker for a good second chance romance and after 40 years?! It ended up falling a little flat for me - I didn’t find myself rooting for the characters and the lack of quotation marks for dialogue made it a little more difficult to read. That being said, it’s a cute story and if you’re looking for a romance with older characters, this is it!

Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Sinopsis en español:

Charlie y Vivian se separaron después de solo cuatro años de matrimonio. Demasiados problemas, demasiadas luchas, a pesar de que el amor no murió del todo. Cuando Charlie regresa a Wisconsin cuarenta años después, no está seguro de lo que encontrará. Está seguro de una cosa: debe tratar de reconectarse con Vivian para recoger los pedazos rotos de su pasado. Pero cuarenta años es mucho tiempo. Son cuarenta años de otras relaciones, cuarenta años de construir nuevas vidas y cuarenta años de arrepentimientos, errores y secretos dolorosos de larga data.

Una exploración valiente y triunfal de la redención y el triunfo del atardecer, A Forty Year Kiss es una historia de amor única en la vida, escrita con un lirismo deslumbrante y notable claridad de espíritu, de un célebre autor en la cima de su juego. Es un San Valentín literario que promete ser una historia de amor para los siglos.




Reseña:


Fue un libro entretenido, no conecte como me hubiera gustado con la historia, pero aún así disfruté de la historia.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book has a really sweet premise - two people who were married for four years in their 20s reunite four decades later - but I found it a bit trite and cheesy. It wasn't that there was no conflict - there certainly was - but it bothered me that the characters seemed to breeze past the conflict much faster and with much less conversation and reconciliation than I would expect. I found both Vivian and Charlie a little flat, and the relationships didn't feel particularly fleshed out. I really wanted to find this book special and endearing, but it was meh to me. It was definitely well-written, but it just wasn't for me.

My first book of 2025 is a real winner. Few books share romances between older protagonists. Vivian and Charlie married in their 20’s and stayed together for four years. Charlie was an alcoholic, and Vivian finally had enough of putting up with him. Charlie, now sober, has been living with regrets for the past 40 years, but he is hopeful as he arranges a meeting to see if she’s the real love, the one he let get away. Vivian’s life has been tough, and she struggled financially. She has taken in her daughter Melissa, a single mother, and her two young granddaughters.

Writers need to read the author’s note, of how he found the inspiration for this book.

This is a beautiful, gentle story with deep-running thoughts, of treasuring the time we have left with our loved ones. Marriage is hard, but it is worth it. Don’t miss with hopeful story of love and humanity.

Charlie and Vivian parted ways after just four years of marriage. We get to see the reasons and the regrets. We get to see the nerves of renewed romance. Very hopeful and uplifting as the two navigate this romance. Great writing.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Forty Year Kiss by Nickolas Butler. Charlie and Vivian were married for four years, and then divorced, mainly because of his drinking. They have both led their lives, and it’s now 40 years later. Vivian is a widow living with her daughter and grandchildren. Charlie tracks her down, and thinks that they belong together. It’s a story about love over many years, and regret. Will this work out for them? #thefortyyearkiss #netgalley #nickolasbutler #advancedreadercopy #lovetoread #takeapagefrommybook #readersofinstagram #bookstagram

This is a story of a family, once upon a time, a husband, Charlie, who loves his liquor a bit more than he does his wife, and so, eventually, they take separate paths. It isn’t that he didn’t love his wife, Vivien, but as the years pass, he realizes what he has been missing out on. A family, someone to love who will love him back. But will she feel the same way? Can he convince her that he may not be perfect, but he is trying to rebuild what they had together, once upon a time.

Essentially, this is a love story, but one that slowly evolves as any animosity felt in the years that had passed has changed. They’ve both changed, and slowly their relationship evolves to at least a friendship, and maybe, as time passes, even more.

Pub Date: 04 Feb 2025

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Sourcebooks / Sourcebooks Landmark

This was a really fun read. Light hearted, funny, sweet. I really enjoyed reading it, it was an easy read. This is my first time reading a book by this author and I feel it was a nice surprise. I shall be on the lookout for his books.

A unique perspective of second chance romance with mature characters. The story isn't overly eventful, but the characters are interesting. It's an easy read that is very entertaining. This book will make you take a look deep inside yourself as it stirs up a lot of emotions.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks | Sourcebooks Landmark for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The book started out very smoothly and kept me interested. Likeable characters that were developed well and it was a fresh take on reunited love. It is hard to read when the author doesn’t use quotation marks for dialogue.

Charlie and Vivian had quite the journey. From a failed marriage to a renewed romance later in life, these two have something special. I enjoyed their developing story and cheered along the way as Charlie made a life-changing path for himself!

This one gets off to a really slow start, and has a couple things I couldn't get past. One is that Vivian says the cigarette smell on Charlie doesn't smell bad (yeah right), and the other is the lack of quotations for the dialogue. DNF.

This was a lovely unique love story!

Charlie and Vivian were married for four years in their twenties but divorced after Vivian couldn’t take his drinking issues anymore. After he moves back to Wisconsin forty years later, they reconnect and decide to see if they can rekindle their romance. They have to work to overcome some challenges along the way, including a big secret Vivian’s been keeping and some lingering alcohol issues of Charlie’s.

I really enjoyed seeing both characters work through the struggles and learn forgiveness and relearn how to love each other. It was a tad overly emotional and angsty at times but I was still really invested in whether or not these two would make it a second time. Highly recommended if you love second chance romances particularly with older characters.