How does a love story play out when you're not young and have the whole world in front of you? Charlie and Vivian seek to rekindle a flame that burned out 40 years ago with their divorce. There's is a story filled with forgiveness, acceptance and hope.

A Forty Year Kiss was an enjoyable love story between a couple who were looking for that second chance at love and happiness. Most of the romances that I’ve read are about younger couples, so it was nice to see an older couple’s story being told. I appreciated the fact that the author told their story with all of the passion, longing, and honesty that it deserved. The characters were far from perfect. They were flawed, not always likable, but that’s what makes it realistic.

Charlie and Vivian were married only four years when their relationship ended. A lot had transpired during the forty years since they had last seen each other. People grow, mature, and can change.

Charlie had taken a chance by contacting Vivian again after all these years, especially since he had broken her heart. He didn’t know if she was married or what her life and circumstances were. Luckily, she wanted to meet up with him again, too.

Charlie and Vivian had lived very different lives during their time apart. Easing back into a relationship was going to be an adjustment. Vivian had a few reservations, and rightfully so. After all, there were reasons why they had split up all those years ago. Throughout the novel, we get to witness them fall back in love, we get to know what had originally torn them apart, and we get to see what their lives have become. Not all the parts of their lives are easy to share, though, and someone is harboring a secret that could potentially tear them apart again.

All in all, A Forty Year Kiss was a good story about family, love, and second chances.


*3.5 Stars

I read very few romances, but this is Nicolas Butler, and his novel is set in part of Wisconsin I love and know well: Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls and the Spooner Northwoods. Wisconsin will always be my favorite state,(even as it sadly turns towards red.)Butler’s tale centers around alcoholic Charlie, retired now , who has returned to manage his inherited farm. Charlie’s real goal, however, is to reunite with his first and only true love,Vivian. Charlie and Vivian were married for a few brief years in their early 20’s and neither has forgotten their young love. Now reunited in their sixties , they seek to rekindle and secure a second chance at love.

I loved this book and the characters created therein. Highly recommend.

A Forty Year Kiss is a slow paced second chance romance, and an intriguing read! Charlie and Vivian made it down the alter, but their marriage didn't make it to its fifth year; sometimes love just isn't enough. When Charlie returns home forty years later he is determined to reconnect with Vivian, but a lot has happened since their divorce, is it worth it to try again?

I was interested in reading this because of its description of lyricism and honesty, and I definitely found that the writing met that description. One of the reasons that Charlie and Vivian broke up is because of his alcoholism, and this is an issue that remains in their rekindling romance but with more experience and maturity, they are able to handle it differently from their younger selves. I am a big fan of slow burn romance and convincing storytelling that is descriptive, I don't require a lot to happen in the story and slow pacing is actually something I love, so I really enjoyed this story. I think the challenge is that with stories like that, you often have to love the characters. I think that there is a missing element of memorability for me, and so it just slightly misses the mark on perfection for me.

An enjoyable read for any fan of slow-burn romances!

DNF'd @ 40%

This unfortunately was a DNF for me. The writing was decent, but the plot was boring. I think a big thing was that this was supposed to be a love story made up of small moments between Vivian and Charlie, but it felt like they never amounted to anything. That and lack of quotation marks was driving me bonkers - I just couldn't do it.

Thank you to Nickolas Butler, Sourcebooks Landmark, & NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

All the stars for this truly wonderful love story about second chances and stumbling into an unexpected life in middle age. Don’t miss this one - it’s quite remarkable.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

A couple in their 60s gets a second chance at love after a failed marriage 40 years before. A lot has happened during that time and Charlie is determined to make things right. Vivian is not so sure. One of the reasons they originally split up was due to Charlie's alcohol abuse. Living with her grown daughter and 2 granddaughters, Vivian doesn't want anything to happen to them. The couple takes it slow, knowing that while they have a history, they have a lot to learn about each other. I really enjoyed this one. I also loved that the story was set in central Wisconsin. Beautifully written, it's sweet but not saccharine, and was the perfect palate cleanse after reading some really intense books.

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advance copy of this novel.

I assumed from the title that this novel was about a romance that spanned forty years and ended happily, as romances do. Butler gives readers more than that, however. First of all, it’s an unusual romance that is written by a man and highlights the male protagonist’s point of view, but he also gives the woman her own story to tell.

More important, the title’s forty years are those that have passed since Charlie and Vivian have seen each other, when their youthful marriage ended after four mostly distressing years. Youth and poverty had a lot to do with that, but the key issue was Charlie’s drinking. After a few more failed relationships, Charlie, now alone and wealthy, reaches out to his first love, whom he has come to believe was his only true love. He has bought a fabulous house near the deteriorating Wisconsin town where they started out, and she still lives. Vivian, still beautiful, is alone too, though with an adult daughter who has two girls of her own, and they all share a decrepit little house. The cycle of poverty continues for her.

This would be a very short story if their long-ago passion didn’t immediately re-ignite. Vivian is leery; Charlie, and life, have left their scars. He has learned his lesson, and from the start, he is gentle and sensitive, determined to convince her that he has changed.

Both characters insist that they must, and are, ‘taking it slow,’ but they seem to re-adapt quickly, and Charlie is integrated into Vivian’s family circle very smoothly. It helps that he’s a very lavish spender, and the he seems to have the perfect solution for every one of their problems. In fact, the older, wiser, wealthier and still handsome Charlie is too good to be true. Except that he still drinks, despite admitting to his alcoholism. And he encourages Melissa, also an alcoholic, to drink as well. Yet Vivian, although bothered, says very little about it. Most of the obstacles they encounter seem to find pat resolutions, whether couple, family, health or financial issues. The little mystery inserted near the end seems almost tacked on. Butler writes well, but, while he focuses on character development, Charlie and Vivian ultimately seem like stereotypes, rough but sensitive cowboy and poor little single mother. Still, it is refreshing, as noted, to read a romance novel by a man, about an older couple, and who doesn’t love a second chance?

Just what I needed! A Forty Year Kiss was a sweet read with massive doses of regret, making amends, nostalgia, and a second chance for love with the one who got away....

Charlie loves to drink, and he does so usually to excess. He is the life of the party, but he is also his and his loved one's own worst enemy when he is drunk.

Now in his sixties and lonely in his retirement, Charlie can't stop thinking of his one true love, Vivian: the one he drove away with his selfishness and excess.

Charlie is a true romantic, but alcohol changed him into someone who was heedless of everyone else's needs but his own.

The author reveals in his Acknowledgement that this story is based on a conversation he overheard one evening while he was at a bar, battling writer's block. I loved how the author described the gift of inspiration. A magical knowing filled him and he knew that this couple's story would fill the chapters of his next book.

And what a book it is. Vivian has not had an easy life and she is wary of re-establishing ties with Charlie. At first she decides to have fun with him, not take him too seriously, but this irks Charlie, because he is playing for keeps. He has to prove to Vivian that he is a changed man, and will keep on changing in order to be the type of man that Vivian and her family need.

There are a few surprises in store for Charlie as this emotionally charged story progresses. I often sighed with contentment when Charlie started pouring it on! Go Charlie and Vivian! I was definitely rooting for them (but I was also secretly pleased and proud that Vivian did not make things easy for him when he tried to buy his way into her family's affections!)

Nicholas Butler's writing style resembles Kent Haruf's only to the extent that he does not use quotation marks to signify spoken conversations. I certainly had no issues with the lack of quotation marks (although I can understand that many other readers and reviewers might.) I felt that the story flowed seamlessly.

This was a big "5 out of 5/well satisfied/big smile on my face/glad I requested this ARC from an author I was not familiar with" read for me. Highly recommended!!!

My thanks to the author, Nicholas Butler, his publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed every minute of it!

What a very well done example of love later in life. And also a study of how if we had only made a change or two our life could have been. We all grow and change throughout life. The chance to make right an old mistake is almost to delicious a dream to pass up.
Vivian and Charlie are both flawed and this book displays those flaws proudly.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Forty-Year Kiss by Nickolas Butler is a beautifully nostalgic, deeply moving story about love, loss, and second chances.

I wasn’t expecting this book to hit me as hard as it did. It’s a love story, yes, but it’s also a story of personal growth, resilience, and the bittersweet nature of time.

Charlie and Vivian were once married, but life took them in different directions. Now, 40 years later, Vivian is a devoted grandmother, living with her daughter and coming to terms with the life she built—not quite the one she dreamed of. Charlie, on the other hand, is lonely and searching for companionship, and there’s only one person he’s ever truly loved: Vivian.

As they reconnect, old wounds resurface, insecurities creep in, and long-buried secrets are revealed. Yet, through all of it, they rediscover a love that never truly left. Their journey is tender and raw, proving that love can find its way back—even after decades apart.

This book is heartbreaking in all the right ways, but it’s also inspiring. It reminds us that love doesn’t have an expiration date, and sometimes, the best chapters of our lives come later than expected.

✨ Recommended for fans of:
💔 Second-chance romance
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found family
🌱 Personal growth and healing
📖 Love stories that span decades

A heartfelt, emotional read that lingers long after the final page.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This one was very slow moving and I didn’t love it as much as I would have hoped. I thought the concept was cute but the execution was lacking. It had a lot of potential though.

Forty years ago, Vivian and Charlie divorced after four years of marriage--due to his immaturity and drinking. Now he has retired and relocated back to Wisconsin after inheriting a farm. Vivian is living with her adult daughter and two granddaughters--providing child care while Melissa works. Vivian and Charlie's connection is immediate and strong, but so is his yearning for alcohol. As they rekindle their relationship, they have to confront the issues that initially drove them apart and learn how to be completely honest with each other.

This is an affecting story about second chances, families, secrets, and substance misuse. The Wisconsin setting is as much of the story as the plot is. Older couples romances are a growing genre--sixty is the new forty, or whatever. Perhaps not as many people in their early 60s are retired as this story would suggest, though.

This is a beautiful nove.. #AFortyYearKiss #NetGalley

2.5 stars

I was excited to read a mature, second-chance romance, but sadly A Forty Year Kiss did not deliver. While there was nothing inherently wrong with it, there was also not much going for it. This was a novel that essentially went no where; it did nothing. The little moments of conflict that would crop up were handled within that very moment, as if they were each their own little bubble of a 1980s sitcom where it's wrapped up within 26 minutes. From each main characters' introduction on the page, you could tell where this entire novel was going — and there were no surprises. Despite trying to layer in some secrets and unresolved resentment, Butler couldn't write himself out of this tame, middling mess.

Butler has crafted a lovely second-time-around love story. Charlie and Vivian married as teenagers, but his drinking and anger issues led to Vivian divorcing him. Forty years later, Charlie has retired from working on the railroad, and he's a wealthy man, thanks to some nice investments. He decides to retire to Wisconsin, where he has inherited some property from an uncle. But the main draw is Vivian. He wants to woo her all over again—if he can convince her that he's a changed man.

• arc review: a forty-year kiss •
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This was an intriguing read about a man and a woman rekindling their relationship after being apart for 40 years. Charlie and Vivian lived a whole life without each other, and as we read, we discover some of their experiences: uncovering their secrets, insecurities, and more.
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I thought Butler did a good job capturing what it would be like to be older and vulnerable, asking for a second chance at love and happiness. He does not shy away from what felt like would be the inevitable tension and awkwardness that ensued. A testament to great writing skills. That being said, this is not a comfortable read by any means and handles some tougher topics, which I recommend researching if you have triggers.
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Although it would have made for a longer book. I would have been interested in there being flashbacks. I think it would have made me feel more connected to the story. the characters, and potentially aided in me rooting for Vivian and Charlie to be together throughout.
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Page & Pour Rating: 3✨️
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Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book and share my thoughts. This will be available February 4, 2025.
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#netgalley #afortyyearkiss #fiction #bookreview #booksbooksbooks #books #arcreview #newbook #new release

DNF at 12%

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to really get into this book. I’m not a huge fan of lyrical prose, and it felt very overdone in this book. It was also paired with dialogue without quotation marks, which is another thing I’m not a fan of in books, Both of them combined made it hard to follow, hard to keep up with what was thoughts or something someone said, and with some dialogue, it made it hard to understand what the tone and mood was.
I only read a few chapters but it felt rushed, like I know that they were once married and they’re older and wiser, but why are they kissing three to four chapters in? Like already???

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for a free ARC of this book. I’m leaving this review voluntarily

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Forty Year Kiss
Author: Nickolas Butler
Source: NetGalley
Publication Date: Feb. 4, 2025

This story is dedicated to the premise of a romance resurrected forty years after the couple’s divorce, which starts anew when the now-retired ex-husband (an alcoholic) buys a home near his ex-wife to try to woo her back. He realizes what he lost, and coupled with his age and loneliness, he wants a second chance. Readers don’t get many second-chance books with over 50 lovers, and I was pleased to see this plot line. Unfortunately, the LMC and the LFC are both a hot mess. He still drinks, she lives in a rat-infested home with no funds watching her grandchildren, and life is bleak. On the plus side, he has a lot of money. But they keep endlessly reliving their mistakes from 40 years ago, which gets a bit old (pardon the pun). There is only so long a book can beat that dead horse about a marriage that ended MANY YEARS ago when they were young and clueless. It makes life hard to reignite this romance. I’m interested in reading other reviews. #AFortyYearKiss @netgalley #nickolasbutler @bookmarked #fiction #secondchanceromance
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I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel.
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A Forty Year KISS by Nickolas Butler. I love a good romance/drama and don’t mind a slow burn. BUT.. this book was a SLLOOOWWW burn. The ending seemed abrupt. I did enjoy the character development. I think the pace could have been a little quicker.

Charlie and Vivian married young and it didn't last long. Forty years later, Charlie returns to Wisconsin to see if he can have another chance at love with Vivian. Charlie has struggled with alcohol his whole life and Vivian has her adult daughter and grandchildren living with her. This book isn't great literature but it has enough substance to make it rise above many love/romance stories.