This is the first book by Nickolas Butler that I have read. I took a chance on it since it was set in the Chippewa Falls area of Wisconsin. It’s a second chance story that I found myself rooting for both Charlie and Vivian. They were married for 4 years forty years ago.

I liked the book even though there was a lot of growing on both parties. If you believe in second chances, read this book to find out if it happens. There are hurdles in their way.

I received an ARC e-book copy from Netgalley and these are my own opinions

This is a very grownup love story where the characters take responsibility for their actions and in doing so gain a love that is real and that's more forgiving. then the love they had forty years ago.
From the beginning of the story, I enjoyed following Charlie and Vivian as they start to become reacquaint with each other and how much they truly like each other. I like seeing how Charlie and Vivian handled their problems differently than they did forty years ago, and by doing so, they have a better understanding of how the other feels. I like following Charlie as he decide if he is going to treat Vivian the same as he did when they were married or does he truly want to be with Vivian and make the changes that will make her trust him. I love to see how Charlie get to experience many things in life he never was able to until he reentered Vivian's life., like a family, coming home to someone and knowing someone had your back. I love seeing Vivian open up to new possibilities in her life, once her daughter finds her way, and she can find hers,. It made me smile after all the hardship Vivian had to go through.
And the best part of this story is how each of the characters were able to give each other something special that they always wanted but never could give themselves before and how grateful they were when the received it, like a horse, and baseball game and a daughter. What a heart warming story.

I want to thank Sourcebooks | Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an advance copy of tale about true love.

This enjoyable romance was a delight to read. Charlie and Olivia were married for 4 years before dissolving the marriage. As youth goes, bad decisions and cringy choices often go hand in hand. After 40 years Charlie never stopped thinking about Olivia. He looks her up and asked her out. A lot of life can happen in 40 years. Is it possible for people to change after that many years? Charlie is counting on the opportunity to show Olivia that he isn't the same irresponsible kid she divorced, if she will take that leap of faith. The slow dance of getting reacquainted is a whole lot of fun as these two adults navigate their new circumstances.

I loved everything about this book. The growth of an older couple, blending of families and confronting addictions for a meaningful relationship the second time around

I would encourage romance readers to pick this one up or if you're looking for something with different challenges than a couple just starting out. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an early copy.

A FORTY YEAR KISS—I couldn’t stop reading it! It’s such a beautiful, emotional love story, but honestly, there’s so much more to it. There’s forgiveness, growth, and healing woven throughout. The romance was so real and grounded, and I loved how the couple rediscovered each other, learning new things about each other after all this time. It was just so heartwarming.

So, Charlie and Vivian were in love and married years ago, but now Charlie’s back and wants to be with her again. Vivian’s spent her life focusing on her kids and grandkids, and she’s really hesitant about diving back into something with Charlie. She’s worried about getting hurt again, especially if it ends up like before.

What really stuck with me was how real and complex the characters felt, especially with all the history between them. Seeing Charlie and Vivian challenge each other to grow and heal was honestly so moving. And I loved how it showed that even though people change over forty years, they can still stay true to who they are. It was written so beautifully, and I can’t wait to see what the author writes next! You should totally check it out.

I am a big fan of novels that feature characters in their senior years, especially those that portray seasoned adults as capable, vibrant human beings, so when I saw A Forty Year Kiss was a romance between two sixty-somethings, I was very excited to read it. What I did not expect was a roller coaster of emotions, and a life-affirming, beautiful portrayal of two people who were once in love, for a multitude of reasons divorced, and now, decades later have reconnected.

The authenticity of this relationship struck me, and I devoured the book just to see how things would end up for this family. I loved that they went through episodes of distrust, as old hurts crept into their new relationship. The bonds that developed between Vivian's daughter and granddaughters and Charlie felt like what might really happen, and the family that was created felt real.

The entire story had a slow-burn feeling to it, more of a character study than eventful, and it is told through the alternating points of view of Charlie and Vivian. The dual POV was a perfect choice, as the reader is able to see how the relationship is evolving through both of the main characters' eyes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital ARC of A Forty Year Kiss by Nickolas Butler. The opinions in this review are my own.

When I read the synopsis for A Forty Year Kiss, I was immediately hooked. I've always been fascinated by situations in which people remarry their ex-wife/ex-husband. I also liked that this was the love story of an older couple, which I don't see a whole lot in contemporary fiction.

The best way I can describe this book is "quiet". It's slow, meandering at times, soft, and just...quiet. There's a story happening but without bells and whistles, and without major drama. The things that could be considered "big" in terms of life events are handled and explored without theatrics, if that makes sense.

After finishing the book and stepping back from it, I can say I really appreciate the story that was told. I love that the characters are very real and flawed. Their struggles, their joys, their internalizations all felt real and believable, which is important to me in any book I book (though plenty of books are lacking in this).

I also LOVE that the idea from this book came from a conversation overheard by the author, so much so that parts of that conversation are actually used in this book. I love thinking about how cool it would be if the real-life people that had that conversation would pick up this book and realize it was about them. Unlikely, I know, but still fun to think about.

That all being said, I did find myself bored with this book at times. I was eager to get through it, but more so because I wanted to finish it and move on from it, not because I was excited to see what happened. I think this is a book that I may have loved if I were in the right headspace for a book that was so quiet and slow, but with where I'm at right now, I just found it to be dragging at times.

I also felt that while the characters were flawed and certainly had their tensions and struggles, some things went way too smoothly. That's not to say that I wanted the characters to struggle, but just that it didn't feel authentic; there were some major things that happened that I feel would have caused a lot more strife. Things that felt like major betrayals were just shrugged off and didn't cause any tension or anger.

I think this was partly to show how the characters have grown and how at this stage in their lives, there are some things that aren't worth getting angry about, but it just didn't add up, given the seemingly minor things that DID cause tension and frustration between them. I was especially shocked that the issue that caused the dissolution of their marriage the first time, which was still very much a potential issue in the current day, wasn't reacted to in a believable way. Having a family member with the same issue, I can assure you that you don't go through that level of trauma and pain and suffering only to be understanding and unconcerned when that issue continues to present itself at a later date. And the fact that it caused the end of their marriage was such a focal point that it just didn't make sense to me that it wasn't a bigger concern in the present day.

That all being said, it was a good read. I did like it, and I think there will be plenty of people out there who LOVE it and rate it higher than I have.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Nickolas Butler has written a beautiful, quiet, contemplative story unlike any I've ever read before. Charlie and Viv got married young but the relationship and Charlie's drinking took a toll and they divorced. Forty years later Charlie returns to see if a reconciliation is possible.

There's not a lot of story here, but I loved the realistic angle on love lost and found from an older perspective. Gorgeous prose and thoughtful characters are a reminder of why Nickolas Butler is one of the best writers of this time.

loved that the main characters were older in age and youthful in heart, and I do love a second chance redemption arc and gentle storytelling. I think if I didn't compare all of his novels to Shotgun Lovesongs, one of my favorite books of all time, that I would have liked this one more, and the fault in that is mine. I know better than to think the feeling evoked by one reading experience can translate to every other one by that author. It's earnest, but not in a way that felt authentic to me. It also contains everything plus the kitchen sink, which is I think one of the ways it went off the rails. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Understanding the value of a second chance

Charlie and VIvian fell in love when they were young back in the 1980's. They got married only to discover that love wasn't enough to keep the marriage alive, particularly in light of Charlie's drinking and fighting. After four years they divorced and Charlie left town, leaving Viv behind with a broken heart and both bearing scars. Now forty years later, during which time Charlie has never (despite two subsequent marriages which he acknowledges should never have happened, their failures entirely his fault) stopped thinking about Viv, the two agree to meet at the Tomahawk Room in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, the town where their story began all those years ago. Charlie had found a way while living in Albuquerque to contact her online...these past three years she had been increasingly on his mind...and after exchanging emails and phone calls they are finally seeing one another face to face. Charlie wants another chance with Viv, to create a life with her after all of the mistakes he has made with her and elsewhere in his life. Viv is nowhere near as certain that its a good idea, she remembers the pain he had caused her back when they were together. But Charlie seems to have changed, and it certainly feels good to feel wanted. Viv's life hasn't been easy either; she lives with her daughter Melissa, a single mother raising two young girls with no help from the men who fathered them. Her days remain a struggle for money, cooking and cleaning and washing clothes over and over again. Does Charlie deserve a second chance? Does she? Charlie hasn't completely shed his demons, and Viv has a secret she kept from Charlie for forty years...could love be enough this time around?
A Forty Year Kiss is a story about love that isn't really a romance novel, featuring two very ordinary people who have lived lives full of mistakes and regrets and challenges. Can love survive and be rekindled after four decades? Can you ever learn to trust again someone who hurt you badly? What would you be willing to risk for a second chance at love? Charlie and Viv are complex and flawed characters, authentic, endearingly imperfect and yearning for something that once was and might be again. The gentle pacing reminded me of Kent Haruf's novels, and the Midwest small town setting is well rendered. In today's world it is refreshing to enter a story that maintains optimism in the face of regrets, and it was impossible for me not to root for these two weary people who find the courage late in life to grasp for the brass ring one last time. For those who enjoy authors like Kent Haruf, Robert James Waller, Leif Enger and even Nicholas Sparks...carve out some time to spend with Charlie and Viv...you won't regret it. Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me early access to this quiet gem of a novel in exchange for my honest review.

A lovely story a story of love rekindled a marriage that ended years and years ago.Now the characters are in their sixties working on reuniting healing their previous issues and falling back in love.I was drawn in from the first pages from Charlie and Viv meet for the first time and they begin their new story.so well written so involving.#netgalley ##randomhouse

This is a novel about second chances in love and life. Vivian and Charlie were married forty years ago but after a short amount of time they got a divorce. With full lives lived in forty years they reconnect to see if maybe they deserve a second chances at the love of a lifetime.

Overall I thought the story was a good one about finding love again later in life. It was also about how we carry our past with us and how we can grow from those moments. It was a low stakes book and felt like an easy love story. There wasn’t a lot of drama that I have seen in some other romantic novels. It was very cozy and just a fun one to spend some time with. Vivian at times seemed so insecure about things and a little over dramatic in some situations. Luckily it is short lived and really the story is mostly focused from Charlie’s point of view. One thing that made it hard to read was that there are no quotation marks for dialogue which can make it hard to follow at times.

“Marriage really isn’t about romance. Especially at our age. Marriage is about the day-to-day. Marriage is about steadiness. Marriage is a partnership. Marriage is hundreds, thousands of days without passion. Just groceries and bills and sickness and heartache and oil changes and snow that needs to be shoveled and bunions and missing reading glasses and appointments with the cardiologist, or maybe the endocrinologist, or the podiatrist.” Straight FACTS!

3.5 stars rounded up! Fair warning there are no quotation marks for dialogue in case that bothers you. It doesn’t bother me but it is definitely a different reading experience.

I really enjoyed this mature second chance romance about Charlie and Vivian, who find themselves reacquainted 40 years after their divorce from a four year marriage. Their love story is so sweet and I rooted for them so hard. Watching them reacquaint themselves after so many years was so enjoyable as love in your 60’s is different than love in your 20’s. You want and prioritize very different things and the reflection on past mistakes felt very authentic.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I enjoyed Charlie and Vivian's journey, that of a 60ish couple who are exploring what would happen if you rekindled with an ex 40 years later, with wisdom, self-awareness and fresh insight and not much to lose. Charlie at this point in his life has nothing left to lose so he seeks out Vivian his ex-wife to see what could be. Vivian struggles to live for herself and let go of the baggage of the past.

There aren't a ton of books written for characters past their 30's so this was a nice change. This book felt real to the point where it wasn't a rom-com or even a romance, more like book club fiction. It was a quick read and one that I think will appeal, especially to audiences over 40.

I can’t recall ever reading a book quite like this-a second-chance, contemporary romance but more?! First, the main characters are in their sixties, getting a second chance at love after their divorce forty years prior. Second-the setting was in my home state of Wisconsin and the author got everything right about it. Third, other than Nicholas Sparks books, I haven’t read a romance written by a male author that felt so heartfelt, honest, true and relatable. And last but not least: not only was this a romance but really a character driven romance where both Charlie and Vivian recognize their past mistakes and look towards the future together. The emotions were ever present, and despite their shortcomings, I adored Charlie and Vivian.
I am so glad that I was able to tandem read this with an electronic version and the audio. (There were no quoting marks…) The single male narrator, Richard Poe, did a fine job narrating-his voice calming and did not lack in emotion. Thank you the author, NetGalley, Sourcebooks for the eARC and RBMedia for the ALC. 4.25 stars

I loved this book so much! The heartwarming story is just what I needed. I highly recommend you give this one a read.

This was an interesting take on a second-chance. While I wouldn't categorize it as strictly romance, more contemporary fiction, it centers on Charlie and Vivian now in their sixties, who were married forty years ago. They reconnect when Charlie retires and inherits his uncle's home near where Vivian still lives all these decades later. He's never stopped loving her, but he also remarried twice and knows his alcoholism has been a factor in every one of his relationships. She's faced struggles and triumphs of her own through the years and currently lives with her adult daughter and two granddaughters.

I appreciated the connection and communication between the two main characters, the ways they grapple with the past, and try to imagine a future together despite all the baggage they carry both from their marriage and the years in between. The lack of quotation marks didn't cause too much confusion for me, but it took a little getting used to. The writing was beautiful. The plot was slow moving, and every time I thought something dramatic might happen, it didn't. It was a story that kind of snuck up on me and lingered a little. There were some elements that weren't exactly my taste, but it was a nice change, especially with the older protagonists, to some of my regular reads.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the DRC. The above is my genuine opinion and reading reaction.

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!