Overall though, this is a delightfully funny hot holiday romance about learning how to step outside of fear and go for what we want in life--even if that means we fail from time to time. I read this book shortly after watching THE HAPPIEST SEASON movie with Kirsten Stewart, so I honestly couldn't help but think of that the whole time I was reading this (which is a good thing because I really enjoyed both!). It wasn't just that this is also a sapphic love story, it was also the environment the characters are in and where the love interest comes from. I really liked watching these characters' relationship develop. This is a really sweet second chance romance with a messy fake dating situation that just WORKS. The chemistry was believable and was really cute. This is also another Christmas read I think you could read whenever, but I think Christmas is the best time for it. It's really festive with them being home for the holidays and all the festive family activities which were absolutely adorable.

Fans of Alison Cochrun's debut, The Charm Offensive, will love her new queer romance . . . . Read this sexy, insightful, and utterly charming book. Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off. But I’m always alone, have always been alone, and just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean there’s any reason for that to change. You can feel just as lost and aimless at Christmas as any other time of the year. And what’s the point of having that fancy degree if you can’t financially provide for your elderly parents?”A struggling artist strikes up a marriage of convenience with her one-night stand’s brother in this holiday romance. Barry from Sauquoit, Ny"Holly Jolly Christmas" did not make Billboard's Top 100 chart; but between 1957 and 1964 he did have nine Top 100 hits, with "A Little Bitty Tear" being his biggest hit, it peaked at #9 (a "Funny Way of Laughing" was just behind it, it reached #10). I’m sure it will be,” I huff as I jog to catch the tail end of a “Walk” sign. Not for the first time in my life, I regret that my only means of physical exercise is the occasional kitchen dance party while I wait for my frozen burrito to heat up in the microwave. “I’m just a little strapped for cash at the moment with my student loans and my rent, but hopefully I’ll get this promotion to assistant manager, and—” sapphic christmas romcom?! hallmark christmas movie, but with women falling in love?! disaster bisexual artist and her butch baker love interest?!! Did you Venmo me that money?” my mother starts as soon as the call connects. It’s abundantly clear that no, I did not Venmo her the money, or else Lindsey Oliver would have no reason to call me.

I put this on hold at my library before it even came out, based on the buzz. The hold became available in time for me to take it to my parents’ for Christmas (a Christmas miracle!). I loved it so much that I bought my own print copy, which just arrived a couple days ago.Laika Studios,” I correct her for the dozenth time. My mother may switch her career goals as frequently and thoughtlessly as she shuffles through husbands, but she never misses the chance to remind me of my greatest failure. I don’t let her see how these words affect me, though—don’t let her know about the hot kernel of shame that blossoms in my stomach. “And I didn’t go to college forever,” I manage casually. “I got a master’s of fine arts in animation.” In this witty and heartwarming romantic comedy—reminiscent of Red, White & Royal Blue and One to Watch—an awkward tech wunderkind on a reality dating show goes off-script when sparks fly with his producer. One thing to love about romances is there’s no spoiling the end, at least not in a general sense. We know these two queer women end up making it work and get their happily-ever-after, because otherwise it wouldn’t qualify for the genre. The joy in reading an awesome romance like this one is the journey along the way and the specific ways that the book explores familiar themes and tropes. In that way, Kiss Her Once for Me is a truly stellar example of not just a holiday romance or a queer romance, but of any kind of romance because it’s so good at playing with genre expectations and at building fully realized leads who have character arcs separate but complementary to the love story. Plus, have I mentioned it is really fun and really gay? Ellie’s banter with Andrew was suuuper funny! I wish we’d gotten to see more of them together. And overall, I wish we’d gotten to see more of the side characters. At the end of the book, we’re supposed to believe Ellie really connected with the whole family, but there were barely any bonding moments between them, so it felt jarring when she said she loved them all. Ellie’s best friend and the coworker were also pretty irrelevant, and I lowkey forgot they existed.

I don’t know if I’d strongly recommend this book since it had so many flaws, but I don’t regret reading this book. It will find an audience that loves it. I’m just not part of that audience. I read this book shortly after watching THE HAPPIEST SEASON movie with Kirsten Stewart, so I honestly couldn't help but think of that the whole time I was reading this (which is a good thing because I really enjoyed both!). It wasn't just that this is also a sapphic love story, it was also the environment the characters are in and where the love interest comes from. I really liked watching these characters' relationship develop. This is a really sweet second chance romance with a messy fake dating situation that just WORKS. The chemistry was believable and was really cute. This is also another Christmas read I think you could The mix of humor and romance and pathos worked perfectly for me. I related to Ellie’s struggles with perfectionism and overwhelming fear of failure so, so much. And I also related to how hard it was for her to let people in, to let them see what she was feeling. This isn't bad by any means. It just fell very flat for me. It's so fast and flippant. The characters are likable enough but not lovable. I appreciate the sapphic representation. But it was still overwhelmingly boring. Kiss Her Once for Me is a gift of a story. Capturing the festive charm and nostalgia of the season, the fresh-fallen-snow wonder of falling head over heels, this holiday romance also reminds us that giving and receiving love can be as tangled as a knot of Christmas lights, yet with patience and perseverance, finally unwound, no less beautiful, the glowing joy we all deserve.

No one is more disappointed about this rating than me. My 1st ever ARC, of one of my most anticipated releases of 2022! And I ended up not really liking it… This book simply wasn’t for me.

And it’s not just the content of Kiss Her Once for Me that is festive. Cochrun’s writing, on top of being very funny, is often thematically and seasonally on point. Take, for example, this description of Ellie’s anxiety: “My insides are a runny glass of eggnog.” When Andrew arrives in the coffee shop for the visit that sets the plot in motion, Ellie tells us: “A visit from Andrew Kim-Prescott is usually a highlight in my sad-hermit life, but this is just the flammable tinsel on the dried-out Charlie Brown Christmas tree of my day.” Christmasy metaphors abound! It’s not my fault you insisted on going to college forever and got fired from Lycra Studios,” she snaps. Mike from Franklin County, PaBurl Ives sang this song in the Rankin - Bass animated t.v. christmas special : "Rudolf , The Red - Nosed Reindeer" , while doing the voice of "Sam the Snowman" . He also sang the theme song , sang "Silver and Gold" , and narrated the story . Burl Ives is also known for his two popular songs on a 45 - speed record : "Pearly Shells" and "Little Bitty Tears" .Classic romance set up (broke artist is offered chance to fake-marry rich boy who only gets his inheritance if he's married) but in this case the broke artist is still in love with her one night stand of a year ago, who turns out to be the rich boy's sister. But while I didn’t like it, I do think the author achieved what she was trying to: this is basically a Christmas rom-com with a lot of LGBT rep, which I can appreciate. I also like that the author took popular tropes (fake dating, marriage of convenience) and gave them an unexpected twist. If you enjoy cheesy Hallmark movies with insta-love and a lot of Christmas-y scenes, this book will be perfect for you, and you should definitely read it! Last year I had the pleasure of reading a copy of The Charm Offensive and when it instantly became one of my all-time favorite romances, I knew I needed more from Alison Cochrun. I searched rights reports hoping to see an announcement for another book and found out she was writing a sapphic Christmas rom-com??? To say I was excited about this release would be a massive understatement. Even then, I was not ready for how this book would surpass my incredibly high expectations. Big-hearted, affirming, and dreamy- Kiss Her Once For Me is an ode to those in search of love, family, and a new lease on life. Use italics (lyric) and bold (lyric) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part