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Are you wanting to read more this year but don’t have the time to search for a perfect book or the cash to purchase a copy from name-brand bookstores? Then the Book of the Month Subscription box is for you! They pick five to seven amazing reads for you each month. You choose one or more. Read, review, and repeat! Skip or cancel anytime hassle-free. The author of The Charm Offensive returns with a festive romantic comedy about a woman who fakes an engagement with her landlord…only to fall for his sister. Perfect for fans of Written in the Stars and One Day in December, Kiss Her Once for Me is the queer holiday rom-com that you’ll want to cozy up with next to the fire. Join me as I review Kiss Her Once for Me my December Book of the Month.
Goodreads Description:
One year ago, recent Portland transplant Ellie Oliver had her dream job in animation and a Christmas Eve meet-cute with a woman at a bookstore that led her to fall in love over the course of a single night. But after a betrayal the next morning and the loss of her job soon after, she finds herself adrift, alone, and desperate for money.
Finding work at a local coffee shop, she’s just getting through the days—until Andrew, the shop’s landlord, proposes a shocking, drunken plan: a marriage of convenience that will give him his recent inheritance and alleviate Ellie’s financial woes and isolation. They make a plan to spend the holidays together at his family cabin to keep up the ruse. But when Andrew introduces his new fiancée to his sister, Ellie is shocked to discover it’s Jack—the mysterious woman she fell for over the course of one magical Christmas Eve the year before. Now, Ellie must choose between the safety of a fake relationship and the risk of something real.
My Review:
Kiss Her Once for Me was out of my comfort zone when it comes to the romance genre. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it. This is the first LGBT romance trope I have read. Along with the first book by this author. Ellie and Jack are the definition of the perfect couple. They meet and fall instantly in love within the short time they are together. As usual, things aren’t as they seem and conclusions are jumped to.
Fast forward a year, Ellie thinks she is over Jack, her life is falling apart, and she just agreed to marry her place of work landlord for money. Per the agreement, she must attend his family’s Christmas up in the mountains. Little does she know that his sister is Jack. The one she fell in love with last Christmas in a matter of 24 hours. What could possibly go wrong during this family Christmas? I’ll give you a clue… A LOT! For instance, your fake fiance’s ex also comes to the holiday festivity and gets stranded in a snowstorm. And so much more.
Ellie is such a relatable character. She is trying to make it on her own, with terrible parent trauma, anxiety, and self-doubt. Things that any girl in this day and age can relate to. Self-doubt and anxiety for me. I resonated with her throughout the book in those aspects. But just as Ellie develops and grows through the story, she finds that it’s okay to fail. It’s a part of life. It’s not the end of the world.
I admire Jack’s patience with Ellie and her can-do attitude. She is unapoligietic. Knows who she is and what she wants. Hardworking and dream-defying. They complement each other so well. Andrew was not a big part of the storyline to be really important. He was kind and sweet. Helped Ellie out of a slump, but ultimately knew what and who he wanted in the end. He just had to realize it along with Ellie.
The quality of the writing is that of a Hallmark movie. I wouldn’t be shocked if we see a Kiss Her Once for Me movie next year on the Hallmark channel. The storyline was overall good but the second half of the book was amazing! Overall the book gets four out of five stars from me. This book is for anyone who is an avid reader of contemporary romance but also wants to branch out. I was privileged to receive this copy with my Book of the Month subscription for the month of December 2022. Stay tuned for which book I will be reviewing for January! Happy reading babes!
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