For me, this is an easy 5 stars. It has so many things that I love in a romance book; forbidden romance with practice dating, lust, pining, and Chloe Liese’s specialty; a beautiful family/friends dynamic. She will forever be a favorite author of mine.

These characters are so sweet, tender, and so hot!! Juliet and Will feel like the definition of Invisible String!!!!! I loved the vulnerability between the them as they used practice as the excuse for opening up and trying things together. The practice dating is one of my favorite things about the book, it left so much room for tension and pining. I could feel myself wanting to scream for them to get together and i love when a book makes me feel that way. Individually and together they are so sweet and perfectly developed characters for the last in the series.

This is a series that I could read over and over again and find a new reason to love it every time. I have loved their stories and the sisters. I dont want this series to end.

Read this if you like these tropes:
-fake dating
-forbidden love (keeping it a secret)
-found family and friends

Other fun facts if you like bullet points:
-Shakespeare retelling
-Neurodivergent rep
-chronic illness rep
-small town but the town isnt the focus

While I liked Will and Juliet's chemistry at first, this book ended up being a soapbox for Liese to lecture on a variety of topics. Things that could have been revealed slowly, like chronic illness and past trauma, (especially their effects on the lives of the characters) were instead info-dumped in huge blocks of text, first as internal monologues, then again in dialogue. This book, like many recent Berkley titles, desperately needed an editor to tighten up both the internal thoughts of the characters and their very unrealistic conversations.

Juliet had so much backstory and so much potential to be a great, deep character that we've seen throughout this series, but somehow when we got in her head it all flattened out into one dimension- even her grief, previously so palpable, was surface level. Will was no better- the times he was with his family had the most depth and realism, the only time we were shown, not told, how people were feeling by the way they interacted.

The storyline itself also didn't spend pages well- this is 400 pages of them pretending they need anyone else's approval to date for real with no actual conflict or real issues to get over. A disappointing conclusion to a series that should have been so fun, but ended up being an avenue for lectures from the author and diversity checkboxes.

What a wonderful end to the Wilmot Sisters. After reading book two and getting an outsiders perspective of Juliet and her ex boyfriend I knew that her book would be special to me. Juliet conceptualizes a lot of my own fears and I was so incredibly interested to see how Chloe would choose to write Juliet’s story. Will is everything good in a man and quite frankly if I could write a man for myself he would be painstakingly similar to Will. Physical attributes aside (because who wouldn’t love a freckled adorned, fiery red head, with muscles for days?), Will is kind and gentle, true and steady. He cares deeply for his family and putting the happiness of others people he loves above pride is second nature. Will and Juliet were everything the other needed. I think some of the best love stories are when through their actions they love one another from the beginning. How can you hear anything but “I love you” when they take the time to learn how to support the others chronically health issues and challenges with social cues and loud noises without taking away their agency or independence? To help them with the things they struggle with without making it a thing where they have to “deal” with the problem. To love them and change your plans and life to fit their needs. It was just absolutely beautiful, this series is an exemplary lesson in love:,)

Thank you to Berkley for the opportunity to review this ARC<3

Huge Chloe Liese fan here--so absolutely no surprise that this book was a warm hug, cozy, swoony romance!!

For *reasons* Juliet and Will decide to go on some practice dates! She's rusty and recovering from heartbreak, and he is painfully shy and in need of lessons! There's an emotional connection from the start, serendipities left and right, and all the slow burn pining I've come to expect in a Chloe Liese books!

If you love:
• shakespeare re-imaginings
• dating lessons/practice dating
• introverted, quiet, neurodivergent, cinnamon roll hero who blushes 😊
• romantic, heart on her sleeve, histrom reader heroine (one of us! one of us!)
• no third act break up! (sometimes I really need this!!)

The game of Guess Who made me so happy! There's so much to love about this book, but that was a seriously highlight for me. Also, the steam scenes that fit the characters so well! Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this last installment of Chloe Liese's series. Juliet and Will have a unique relationship and their bond was precious. Chloe Liese is always a good choice when it comes to reading diversely. I'll miss the Wilmot sisters!

Chloe Liese I’ve missed you!!🥲🫶 what a heartwarming story this one was!🫂

✨romance lessons
✨Twelfth Night retelling
✨friends to lovers
✨neurodivergent MMC 🤝 chronically ill FMC
✨swoonworthy moments / mutual pining / flirting / a FIREMAN’S CARRY moment👏🤤
✨dual POV (+ narration on audio!)
✨a few spicy scenes🌶️

I knew I was going to love this one the second Will expressed his fear of game nights as a socially anxious introvert (hi, it’s me👋) but Liese just continued to deliver with moments that made me literally make this face >> 🥹🥹!! It was sweet, heartwarming, uplifting, and also hoooot🙂‍↕️ what more could you want?!

Things I enjoyed about this book:
- all of the Shakespeare nods! This series I have enjoyed because they are stretched across all three books
- the representation, I think this is important to have everyone being able to enjoy a happily ever after
- the series as a whole was enjoyable and I was really looking forward to Juliet's story

Things that were a struggle for me in this book:
- the plot...it wasn't really there? I mean there was a bit of the plot but there were really no stakes? It was nice and cozy and fluffy, but the passion and tension of the previous books were not here
- I love Chloe Liese and I adore her as a human and an author, but this book was a little preachy to me in the therapy talk. I know that it is amazing that characters work through things, but there were a lot of monologues about things that didn't really need to be there
As a whole, I was a little disappointed that this was the end of the series. I personally adored book 2, but book 3 fell really flat for me.

It was a cute read but that was it. I don't really felt there was a plot to follow, yes, we had to characters that found themselves wanting to overcome some past issues, but I didn't find their development across the book.

Some things about their relationship felt rushed and I didn't connect with it at the end.

The other characters (mainly their friend's group) weren't my cup of tea, I found them very annoying to be honest, they didn't felt real to me.

Overall is a cute read if you want something light and fluffy, but don't expect too much about it.

Chloe Liese has such a knack for writing realistic autistic characters and Once Smitten, Twice Shy is no exception.

I always love Chloe Liese book - and this one was no different! I will admit, Once Smitten, Twice Shy started out a little slow for me, but once it picked up.... it really picked up! Will and Jules are such a sweet couple - but Will is the real star of the show. I love him! His earnestness is so endearing. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

<b>3 ⭐</b>

i don't know how i feel about this book. i think i'm in a romance slump because i felt nothing for this book. i didn't actively think it was bad but i didn't think it was good either. it was just ✨meh✨. i don't think one of the tropes in this book was for me as i didn't care for the way they were “romance buddies” and BOTH acknowledged they felt something for each other but didn't do anything about it for 70% of the book 😭

<i>thank you to netgalley for providing me with this arc! <3 </i>

My understanding is that this author tries to represent the diversity of the human experience. A main character is neurodivergent, and another has some chronic health problems and is gluten-free. This representation is nice.

I hadn’t read anything else by this author before, and it was very clear this book was part of a series of stand alone books. Reading the other books first may have been helpful because the other characters were frequently around.

There wasn’t that much conflict in the book and all side characters were extremely kind. I cannot think of any character drama. There also was not a strong reason why the two main characters should not be together. This isn’t a problem—it’s nice sometimes to read books with minimal drama. If you’re looking for a calm, happy read, consider picking up this series.

I didn't love this book but will definitely stock a few copies in my store.

Once Smitten, Twice Shy is the third book in the Wilmot Sisters series, and unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Having not read the first two books, I felt a lack of connection to the characters, which might be different for readers familiar with the series. While the characters are in their 20s, they often felt much younger—almost like high school students—which made it harder for me to fully engage with the story.
I did appreciate the inclusion of a neurodivergent character, and I found Will to be cute, charming, and nearly believable as a romantic lead. However, Juliet’s immaturity detracted from my enjoyment of the book, as her character didn’t feel as grounded or developed as I’d hoped.
While this wasn’t my favorite read, I think it could appeal to younger readers looking for a sweet and lighthearted story. It just didn’t resonate with me as much as I’d hoped.

Chloe Liese can genuinely do no wrong. I absolutely loved this book! The Wilmont sisters series is so good, and the conclusion was no exception. Will and Juliet are great together. Will might be my favorite love interest Chloe has written. The representation in this book is also immaculate, as always!

Another sweet, neuro-spicy, retelling from Liese providing all the things we've come to love and expect from the Wilmot family. We have a variety of chronic health and mental health representation across the friends, a variety of gender-expression and sexual identities within the group. A perfect send off to the sisters and their partners.

A bittersweet end to a truly lovely series.

Juliet Wilmot, the oldest Wilmot sister, has been mending her heart since the events of book one, finding her new normal amidst a degenerative tissue disease diagnosis. Will Orsino is a shy and swoonworthy cinnamon roll hero who runs his family's whiskey distillery and truthfully just wants someone to love. It should come as no surprise, then, that these two have one of the most gentle, tender love stories I've read all year. Watching them "practice" romance with each other, all the while genuinely falling head over heels, was a delight.

Liese offers us yet another triumph of a romcom, proving that representation and diversity aren't buzzwords, but the integral ingredient to what makes her love stories so authentic, heartfelt, and magical. Having read every word she's ever published, I remain eager for anything and everything she'll bring us next.

Chloe’s books will always be ones I have a soft spot for. The way she brings a reader into sensitive voices and allows a glimmer of recognition in her love stories for OWN voices and/or disability voices.

With her 3rd book of the Wilmot Sisters, we have Juliet and Will. Shy, sensitive Will and Juliet who loves love but has sworn it off, create the fake dating romance that turns into something a little more.

It slowed up a bit for me mid way.. I wanted to push both MMC and FMc along but maybe that’s what happened in the Shakespearean “12th night” that this retelling is about.
Maybe I should have been more familiar with that one, but I didn’t know it at all so maybe I didn’t get the best parts of this one because of it.

For me, it’s my least favourite of the 3 books. I connected the least with Juliet but still enjoyed it. Honestly I’ll read anything CL writes because I think she writes beautifully in the gentlest of way (and a kicked open door! *wink)

3.5 stars rolled up

With a beautiful finale to the Wilmot Sisters series, Chloe Liese has delivered a fantastic and soul-sweeping story between two characters that you could easily see as yourself or a loved one. Their dynamic and situation at hand fits perfectly into their approach toward love together. With Juliet coming off a bad relationship and learning how to love fearlessly again and Will expressing the interest in finding a partner who is a missing jigsaw piece to his puzzle, it makes sense why they have decided to practice dating in private. Learning of Juliet over the past two books helped flush out her character already, but Will himself was wonderfully drawn in the eye’s mind despite meeting him for the first time in this book. Liese writes her characters to be full-bodied humans, from their inner thoughts to all the dialogue exchanged between characters. The reader will look forward to flipping each page because every word is chosen with so much intention behind it; no idea or notion is misplaced in this book.

Will and Juliet meet on a night out in Scotland, and while their attraction is instantaneous, they part ways expecting never to see each other again. Until months later after a chance encounter in her mother’s greenhouse, Juliet discovers that Will is actually her brother-in-law’s famous college friend.

Reunited, it becomes clear that their attraction is still very much there, but neither is ready to embark on a relationship. Instead, they decide to “practice” romance, and agree to go on fake dates strictly as friends.

Watching Will and Juliet’s foolish attempts at denying their growing feelings until ultimately admitting what is obvious to everyone was delightful. I actually enjoyed the slow progression of their relationship and their countless honest discussions about their physical and emotional challenges. Their communication and flirting skills were also top tier.

Chloe Liese continues to write romance heroes that are kind and charming and make me swoon. William Campbell Montage Orsino was no exception. Once Smitten, Twice Shy was a wonderful love story and the perfect end to The Wilmot Sisters series.

i love chloe liese's books so much!!! if there ever was an author that writes the book equivalent of a warm hug, it's chloe liese!

this was such an incredible conclusion to the wilmot sister's trilogy. juliet's book has been a long time coming and i loved the amount of care that went into writing this story.

this is a twelfth night retelling (with a little bit of she's the man easter eggs) and i just ate it up!! juliet and will warmed my heart and their romance training sessions were so charming and cute (esp when it bled into real feelings hehe). it was so cozy and sweet and so hot?????? like ok gag me

and farmer will????? he is the actual gentle giant man of my dreams!!! he's so attentive and caring and SO HOT wow. a classic chloe liese man if i ever saw one!

thank you berkley romance and netgalley for the arc! it comes out 1/14!!