I suffered reading through this book hoping it would get better. Sadly, it did not. Why?

Issue 1: The 2 main characters are very unlikeable and super cringey. They did not learn anything or evolve from start to finish.

Issue 2: Where the heck was the editor for this? Where was a proofreader, if the editor didn't want this job? Someone did not do their one job! When there was any dialogue in the book, it was hard to know if it was a discussion or the thoughts of the character. Zero quotation marks! This was an epic fail.

Cannot recommend. Not for me.

THanks to Netgalley, Nicklas Butler (not your best work), and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC in exhange for an honest review.

Already available

I received this as an advanced reader copy and failed to read it before release date (2/4/25.) But I read it all today!

I thought this was a good book; very well written. It's a little slow and unrealistic at times, but a sweet second-chance romance.
We follow Charlie and Melissa as they meet up 40 years after their divorce from each other.
This story is full of feelings; love, loss, guilt, grudges, and forgiveness. Alcoholism is a decent part of the story, delving into how it affects individuals and families.
All in all, this is a good read!

A Forty Year Kiss by Nickolas Butler is a beautifully written book. The depth of feelings and the joy this couple feels is so real. Full disclosure - I'd love that story to be mine.

“I don’t think we’ve peaked. Not by a long shot. I think our best days are ahead of us“


Forty year kiss is a wistful, character driven story about a second chance between to old lovers. I am always down for a second chance romance but this one was something I chose to broaden my reading taste while having something to anchor me. I figured this be the only way I would read a story about two 60 year olds, because I thought, how could I relate to them? Well, all these pages later and I’m so glad that I did. This novel was great in its rawness regarding addiction, poverty, life’s disappointments, and the fear of love and being let down.
My heart ached for Charlie, it ached for Melissa, it ached for them all. This story was also uplifting and inspiring at times as well.

The book opens with Charlie waiting at a restaurant bar waiting for his ex-wife Vivian to arrive. The poor guy had got there an hour early to make sure he wasn’t late and that he was there before her so she wouldn’t have to wait on him. Early on in the first chapter you already can see how earnest and genuine he is, and how sincere he is in trying to impress her again. 🥺 we find out that Charlie has been a longtime alcoholic and that is the reason his marriage with Vivian broke down in the first place. But he’s changed in a lot of other ways during the time they’ve been separated, including his awareness of how alcohol effects him.

Vivian agrees to meet Charlie after he finds her on Facebook and is swooped off her feet by him. However, she has to battle the years of disappointments and struggles to allow herself to be happy and accept this new version of Charlie. It felt super realistic because it wasn’t like they ended on good terms. While Charlie has been living, albeit poorly, she’s been the responsible parent (her daughter Melissa) making ends meet in her second marriage. Followed by being a secondary caregiver to her granddaughters as she currently lives with her daughter and her two granddaughters. This causes friction across their reconciliation.

During the course of the novel the dynamics that run between them all get pulled and stretched and then come back closer together. I really adored the relationship Charlie and Melissa developed as well. This was indeed a great story about second chances at love and at life. The only con I really had was that the author wrote in 3rd person which is not my preferred method of consumption lol. Overall, like I said the story is well done that I was able to look pass it and continue on.


Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review 💕

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"I dream about the mornings when we were lying in bed...I can still see the curtains in our bedroom, the white lace, moving with the wind...I dream about kissing you. Can I? Can I kiss you?"

The tenderness in the language used by remarkably poignant author Nickolas Butler, in his meaningful later in life second chance romance, A Forty Year Kiss, often left me breathless.

Charlie and Vivian were married for 4 years in their early 20s. Their divorce wasn't about falling out of love. It was about disappointment. Charlie's excessive drinking, fighting more than making love, and the bills piling up. Now 40 years later, Charlie has reached out to Vivian.

They both have led their lives. Vivian is a widowed grandmother. Charlie is divorced, retired from the railroad. His mind keeps going back to Vivian. The regrets, the mistakes, the what ifs. Vivian wonders about him too. Seeing him again still gives her butterflies. But all she can think is, "But please, don’t break this woman’s heart twice."

This writer doesn't use quotation marks. Reading the book is like waves lapping over
thoughts. It takes a moment to realize they are speaking not thinking to themselves. Listening to the audiobook, beautifully performed with quiet compassion, by Richard Poe, takes away this experience but doesn't change the honesty of the prose.

The author heard the starting quote above sitting at a bar. He took an overheard conversation and created a love story about an older couple, having their own secrets, lies, griefs, loneliness and finding the courage to try again. His brilliance makes A Forty Year Kiss the perfect Valentine Day gift.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair & honest review. All opinions are my own.

The story of rekindled love after decades apart had potential, but the audiobook didn’t fully pull me in. The pacing felt slow at times, and I struggled to connect emotionally with Charlie and Vivian’s journey. While sweet and heartfelt, the story was also quite predictable, making it less impactful than I’d hoped.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing an advance reader's copy of this book. Unfortunately at this time I will be unable to read it and give it the attention it requires. I will return to the book and provide a review at the earliest possibility.

A slow, second chance romance with characters who flawed but trying really hard. Nickolas Butler presents the struggles of alcoholism and how it can effect one's life in an interesting relatable way. I did don't the lack of punctuation regarding conversation to be difficult and distracting. Thanks#NetGalley #Sourcebooks

I love a slow-burn romance and I love a literary one even more. A Forty-Year Kiss was both of those things, and I enjoyed it a lot. The lack of quotation marks was incredibly annoying, but I dealt with it, and I think ultimately this book will be forgettable to me. But while I was reading it, I was very into these characters and their story, and I really rooted for them to get their shit together and have their happily ever after. I liked it a lot.

A Forty Year Kiss by Nikolas Butler follows Charlie and Vivian who were once married. After 40 years Charlie never stopped thinking about Vivian. Not a fan of a second chance romance by this book was such a delight. I really loved the premise of this book. This is a wonderful story of love, forgiveness and personal growth.
This was beautifully written, I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing an arc of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks | Sourcebooks Landmark for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I did enjoy this book. This was the first book I have read by this author and I will be looking for more. Loved the storyline and the characters. I felt like I was there. I would definitely recommend this book.

This was a sweet read! I enjoyed the romance between the two main characters and the characters themselves were complex and grew throughout the story. I just wish we had gotten a bit more from the story. The pacing and romance was a bit slow for my taste and plot itself didn’t really feel like it had a big moment to it where we felt a climax for the characters or the plot. Everything felt like it was easily fixed without much tension. The text itself also felt a bit confusing to me since there were no quotations for dialogue. Overall though a sweet story that I definitely recommend looking into!

This book was such a beautiful, emotional read! It’s a story about love, timing, and second chances that completely pulled me in. The characters felt so real, and their journey—full of longing, missed opportunities, and undeniable chemistry—had me hooked from start to finish. The writing is heartfelt and nostalgic in the best way, making you reflect on your own "what ifs." If you love love stories that tug at your heartstrings and make you believe in fate, this one is a must-read!

A Forty Year Kiss by Nikolas Butler is a gentle romance between two people who are now in their sixties but had been married forty years earlier and had not seen each other until Charlie opened a Facebook account so he could find her. They had arranged a meeting and he was nervous. One of the things that had broken them up was his drinking so here they were, meeting in a bar. And he had a beer. He had tried a root beer but it wasn’t enough. She was beautiful. They hugged and it felt so right. It began a relationship that would have definite ups and downs and surprises, no question. A story of alcoholism, disabilities, pre-conceived notions, and love..

Charlie had retired from forty-years on the railroad. He had inherited an old house and was fixing it up. As it turns out, he had taken the advice of a kid he worked with and bought Apple stock, as well as some others. He had plenty but he was alone. Vivian lived with her daughter and two granddaughters in a run-down rental, but it was full of love. She had made a bad choice with her second husband, too, so was alone except for her family. They were excited about Charlie. She wasn’t sure she was. This was an endearing story of love and commitment. It was more a slice-of-life that plot driven but that is what made it a good story. And certainly a romance different than most. It was good to see older people falling in love and written by a man. It was a terrific readable!

I was invited to read a Forty Year Kiss by Sourcebooks. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Sourcebooks #NikolasButler #AFortyYearKiss

Charlie is rethinking his life choices at the age of 64. His biggest regret is the dissolution of his first marriage to Viv, lasting only four years, forty years ago. Charlie tries to rekindle his relationship with Viv, now a grandmother who has had a hard life. I appreciated the older characters, reevaluating their choices. There are secrets they are both hiding from each other. I didn’t like the dialog without quotation marks, which I felt slowed down the story and made it feel less realistic. Just okay for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

3.75 rounded up

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing a review copy of A Forty Year Kiss. I have mixed feelings about this contemporary romance/family drama that published this week.

Pros
+ Second chance romance of a couple in their 60s rekindling their relationship after 40 years
+ Dual points of view from Charlie and Vivian
+ Includes the emotions and consequences of real life issues such as divorce, alcoholism, and single motherhood
+ Set in the Midwest, primarily Wisconsin but also Iowa and Illinois
+The plot was inspired by overheard conversation in a WI bar

Cons
- The emotions felt surface level - few deep thoughts from Vivian or Charlie
- The way alcoholism was handled felt very unrealistic and trivialized
- The final chapters were like an unrelated short story in tribute to the Chicago Cubs. It was well written, but why spend so much time on a single event?

I love reading Midwestern authors so I’ll be checking out Nickolas Butler’s books, both backlist and future publications.

What's not to like? A book that takes place in my home state, mature characters and a second chance at love. Can Charlie and Vivian rekindle their relationship after forty years apart? How have they changed so they don't repeat the same mistakes? This was another comfortable read from Nickolas Butler. Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks and the author for a copy to read and review.

The title says it all because it's 40 years. When Charles and Vi VL.A.N we're married and then divorced. Charles wanted to get back with her so he moved back to wisconsin. This.
Was really interesting because they really did love each other.But they were different people when they were younger. It was nice to see when people are older and they get back together and try to make a new friendship for new romance. Charles.
Worked on the railroads and he really had no friends, so he decided to move back.To his uncle's farm Charles's contact number through a facebook app. D I v l a n responded so they met up one night. He had a drinking problem.And this is what led to their divorce. She remarried and had her a girl named Melissa.And had two grandchildren. It was very hard for her because he became disabled through an accident. Then when he died she was all alone with her daughter and her grandchildren Before he died melissa used to take care of him because her mother had to work. Things were hard for melissa as well but she like charles. Charles was a very interesting character because he tried to change and tried to become a better. She had another daughter named jessica and this is a surprise we'll find out at the end of the book. I love this love story because it went very slow and beautifully written.How he expressed his love. F o r e V I v l a n. She was a fighter because she always was giving him a hard time. There's so many different aspects of this book. As you read it, you realize how complicated life can become. But sometimes in the end, you can all get back together.

Forty years. That's how long Charlie and Vivian have been divorced. Unexpectedly, Charlie contacts Vivian. He wants her back and now all he has to do is to convince her he is now a better man. Can he do it and will she believe him?
Beautifully crafted, A Forty Year Old Kiss is a heartfelt tale about the possibility of second chances. Filled with deep emotions and memorable moments, this is a story well worth reading. The characters are believable, and their stories are compelling. Told with sensitivity and candor, A Forty Year Old Kiss is a memorable story. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A new author for me. This is my first book to read by this author and I will be looking for more...

A quote from this book:
"There were only so many years when a child believed in magic, and that was something. Something precious, really. To still believe in magic."
I love this quote. So many parents forget this one. Let your babies stay babies as long as they can. The world is too cruel for them to act grown. Let them enjoy not having worries. <3

This story was so good. So deep and light at the same time. How to deal with a lost love... Forty years later.

Charlie and Vivian were once married. Very much in love. Then they weren't. They moved on. Away from each other. New lives. But Charlie never forgot Viv. His Viv. He knew he was the one that caused her so much pain and unhappiness. What he wouldn't do to rectify that. Yes it's taken him forty years but that kind of made it the more romantic. They are both in their sixties and living their own lives. Charlie will do whatever it takes to win back Viv's love...

Vivian is living with her daughter and two granddaughters. She takes care of the girls while her daughter works. She doesn't have much but it's her life. She never dreamed that Charlie would come back into her life and she's not so sure she wants him too. It wasn't that great the first time around. He hurt her. Broke her heart. But should she give him a chance? Her daughter and granddaughter's think she should.

This book takes you deep into their lives. How things were. What broke them apart. How they meet again. What Charlie is willing to do to prove his love. And to kiss her again. He thinks she is the most beautiful woman alive. If that's not true love what is? He has made money over the years and wants more than anything to take care of Viv. To help her. But she doesn't really want his money. She just wants to be loved. Can they find that again after forty years? Will that Forty Year Kill be rekindled?

I loved this book so much. I loved Charlie and Vivian. They both are so likable and so perfect for each other. I rooted all the way for them. Even when some secrets were revealed I rooted for love to win. But did it?....

Thank you #NetGalley, #Sourcebooks, #SourcebooksLandmarkm for this book.