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!!

eARC Review: Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Chloe Liese
Pub Date: January 14, 2025

Thank you to @berkleyromance for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Listen, I've long been a Chloe Liese fan and I'm not stopping anytime soon! Her books have something so special to them - the representation, the romance, the spice, and the swoon - it's all just utter perfection. I particularly love just how kind her characters are to each other and how much they remind us that communication is, in fact, super sexy! This book also gets bonus points for not having a third act breakup!

Juliet and Will both are such well rounded characters and I was rooting for them the entire way! Their relationship was so sweet and that epilogue in the end?? Just destroyed me in the best way

If you haven't read these books yet, what are you doing???

5/5 stars

I absolutely loved this book AND this whole series.

I didn't think anything could compare to the Bergman brothers but this one did. I will be buying copies and rereading this series along with the Bergman brothers. Liese's books are so easy to read and are such a comfort to me. She writes characters that make me feel seen, loved and the endies are so wholesome. Can't wait for her next series!

Once Smitten, Twice Shy is a slow-burn romance with excellent writing. I loved hearing their inner thoughts so I could be inside Juliet’s and Will’s minds. Liese writes vulnerable Juliet with her celiac disease and her stiff joints, but Will, sweet, autistic, sensory-issued Will, is the real star of this story.

Read this book if you like:
-fake dating
-meet cute stories
-big families
-steam
-authentic and neurodivergent characters
-cinnamon roll male main characters

Another charming, sweet Shakespeare retelling from Chloe Liese! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every book in the series, and Chloe fans will eat this latest one right up. It’s got all the elements we know and love—the amazing consent and spicy steam, the commitment to writing love stories for *everyone*, and the tender ways she writes about her characters. Juliet and Will are both such good people, and watching them fall in love is a treat. Will’s a total green flag guy, and it was delightful to see cameos from the first two books in the series, too.

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

Oh what a fun end to this Shakespearean inspired romance series! As always, Chloe knocked it out of the park! Filled with romance, love, steam, and such emotional connections! She is such a talented write and ensures that every fictional story is treated with such tenderlove and emotions. It is clear that she cares for representation and this book was another solid example of how to do so beautifully

This hit a lot of the points of a romcom, but the retelling aspects felt forced to me at places. Also, the romance novel loving protagonist here felt like a less exciting redo of the last Bergman book.

New favourite romance author! So sweet and love the Shakespeare inspo. Nice to read about the other couples.