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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.

A Forty Year Kiss is a second chance love story between Charlie and Vivian, who married and divorced young, and find their way back to each other later in life. Much light is shed throughout the story on why their marriage failed, and all the life both of them lived in the 40 years since, making them who they are today. This is a love story like none I've read, as the MCs are in their 60s, but it's just as good.

I loved the characters. They were easy to like, and taking accountability for past mistakes in their first marriage was a win for me. This was still a romance with some light, spicy scenes. It didn't feel rushed, and I loved reading about the MC's stories. I also loved reading about them falling back in love, though Charlie did lay it on a little thick.

My biggest complaint is that there were no quotation marks. This made me struggle to figure out when someone was talking vice when they were thinking. I had to reread many sentences to figure it out. It really drove me nuts.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Second chance at love.

Sweet story of a couple starting over after 40 years apart without any contact. Charlie and Vivian divorced after 4 years of marriage, mainly because of his alcoholism, but their love stayed constant leading them to reunite. I was drawn to the idea of everlasting love despite all of life’s problems and later in life romance.

Be advised it contains a lot of language, open door intimacy, abortion, and excessive alcohol use for a couple of the characters. I felt like the author wanted to show that if they didn’t drink their lives would be so much better and free from some major problems. Thanks to Sourcebooks for a digital ARC to use for my review.

This was my first Nickolas Butler novel, and it was just okay for me.
This book invoked a plethora of feelings; it was depressing, hopeful, sad, happy, and some random feelings in between. I didn’t really like any of the characters except for Jessie and Melissa’s daughters. This is a second chance romance novel for Charlie and Vivian, who are both in their 60’s, with a love that works to stand the test of time, life circumstances, and addiction. I felt like this was relatively realistic, without much steam, and the struggles that rekindling a relationship may require when you are in this stage of life. It was not a super face paced novel, and was more of a relaxing read, without much angst or drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The synopsis for this book was what drew me in initially, but it ended up falling a little flat for me.

I love a second-chance romance situation, and I did like how it was done here. Having both MCs be older helped give them more perspective, and being able to look back on their life and see how certain decision changed their lives. The dual POV gave a better insight for how each of them perceived their relationship, and having access to the inner thoughts on both sides gave a good balance.

However, there were a couple issues for me. The writing felt stilted in some parts, and it was hard to get into a rhythm while reading, and I found myself having to reread things to get the gist of what was just said. The no quotation marks also made things a little hard, but I got used to it after a while. The other issue I had was how dramatic the MCs got at times. For people who were in their 60s, it sometimes felt like I was reading about people much younger based on how they acted.

I don’t think this book was for me, but I can see others enjoying it.

You know when a book hits you at just the right time, you either love it or you don't. Could read it at another point in your life & it could go in another direction. This book hit me at just the right time.

Not a fast moving story, slow pace & we get to know the characters along the way.

Second chances, secrets, life struggles & growing older. I loved that this was a story of love but not a "romance " novel with younger people. This was relevant to me at my age.

Charlie & Viv- former couple 40 years ago & things don't go well with their marriage- too young, drinking, anger issues- to name a few.
But Charlie has grown & learned things the hard way & now he wants to redeem himself. I actually really liked his character. Viv has had her own life struggles & we find out just how much as the story goes on.

There are hiccups along the way but in all it is a lovely story about 2 people who came together after many years apart.

I don't mind a slow, gentle story & this pulled me right in. I now need to read other books by [author:Nickolas Butler|7095074]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I read one or two romances a year, so I’m not sure what pulled me in to read The Forty Year Kiss, but I’m glad I did. This was a very charming book that moved me on a surprisingly personal level.

Charlie, a 60s-something man, decides to reach out to his ex-wife, Vivian. The two were married for four years in their early 20s, a marriage which ended disastrously because Charlie couldn’t control his drinking. After meeting up forty years later for drinks, Charlie starts to realize what Vivian has always meant to him and what his future could hold.

This book isn’t plot heavy and is fairly predictable, and yet, I had so much fun reading it. Charlie felt like a real, flawed man, who struggled with his priorities and finding out what really mattered to him. I was pleasantly surprised by the introduction of Jessie, who I had an immediate kinship to due to my own sister. This was just such a sweet story and a nice change of pace from my normal thrillers and horror.

A second-chance love story full of melancholy. More like The Notebook than more contemporary romances, a very sloooooooow burn, Solid, but not for those who like faster paced reads.

Thank you to Netgalley, Nickolas and Sourcebooks for the eARC! I so appreciate you allowing me to be an early reader!

What to expect:
⭐ Second Chance Romance
⭐ 40 year story gap
⭐ Different journeys to come back to each other

My Thoughts:
it has been AWHILE since I haven't loved a book. Let me say this isn't necessarily the content. For me there issn't quotations or a he said, she said, clarity within the pages. I several times was re-reading pages to figure out who was saying what. This may be a personal preference but quotations and clarity on which character says what allows me to really dig in to the story and get to know the characters.

Its a very slow burn second chance romance, filled with a journey of growing individually, and finding their way back to each other when they're older. That said this is a later in life love story. Which I say HOORAY to because there really are not enough of these kinds of stories in the market.

I truly loved the main characters (Charlie + Vivian) their story of first falling in love to their divorce and then back again is really heartbreaking and beautiful. You really begin cheering for them to find their way almost right off the bat!

Synopsis:
Charlie and Vivian parted ways after just four years of marriage. Too many problems, too many struggles, even though the love didn't quite die. When Charlie returns to Wisconsin forty years later, he's not sure what he'll find. He is sure of one thing -- he must try to reconnect with Vivian to pick up the broken pieces of their past. But forty years is a long time. It's forty years of other relationships, forty years of building new lives, and forty years of long-held regrets, mistakes, and painful secrets.

A brave and triumphant exploration of redemption and sunset triumph, A Forty Year Kiss is a once-in-a-lifetime love story, written with dazzling lyricism and remarkable clarity of spirit, from a celebrated author at the top of his game. It's a literary valentine that promises to be a love story for the ages.

The Forty-Year Kiss by Nickolas Butler is a beautifully reflective exploration of love, time, and the delicate moments that define a relationship. Following the lives of two people whose bond has spanned decades, Butler captures the complexities of growing older together—how time shapes us, yet some feelings remain unchanging. The writing is tender, the characters deeply human, and the narrative quietly profound. It’s a story about the love that doesn’t always look perfect but endures through the years. A perfect read for anyone who’s ever wondered about the quiet resilience of long-lasting relationships. If you love stories about connection, introspection, and the passage of time, this one’s for you. Highly recommend! ✨

This is my first Nickolas Butler book and it was an absolute delight. A couple that divorced after four years and reconnect forty years later with a second chance at love… everyone deserves love and sometimes it takes giving love a second chance!