The author of the “swoon-worthy debut” (Harper’s Bazaar) 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.
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 …
The author of the “swoon-worthy debut” (Harper’s Bazaar) 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.
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.
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.
Excellent book about the human experience: with silly little tropes.
5 stars
Content warning
I go into detail about why the tropes that are silly work.
Oh god. The tropes are usually so stupid, but the book is so human.
Confusion: they don't introduce why the character is confused about the situation until later. You get all the real feelings without the silly little situational irony that makes me want to close the book. (some people like that.)
Arranged marriage: I like this, but not in a "romcom," especially not to a man if it's sapphic, except it's hilarious and so necessary to the plot (including to the moral of the book).
This book hits the exact right spot on so many levels. It's funny, beautifully written and narrated (Natalie Naudus does a fantastic job), and never gets bogged down. I also appreciated the various reps: Korean-American FMC, #ADHD, #anxiety disorders, #demisexual FMC, #nonbinary side character, #bisexual MCs and side characters, conversations about #polyamory, and probably more that I'm not remembering.
This one was soooo close to being a 5⭐️ for me. FWIW, that last ¼ star is really a personal preference—if you enjoy really angsty 3rd-act break-ups, this book may be perfect for you.
