Thank you to Atria Books/Simon & Schuster for a copy of Kiss Her Once for Me in exchange for an honest review.
Summary
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. — from the publisher
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Hallmark*
*But make it gay and TVMA
My best friend and I spent most of last December and January curled up on her couch watching Hallmark Christmas and Hanukkah movies. And while the TV channel has begun to don some gay apparel, it has nothing on Alison Cochrun’s Kiss Her Once for Me.
This book is queer AF. Not just in the ooo-more-than-half-the-cast-is-a-member-of-the-fam way but also in the bittersweetness of it all. Alison Cochrun doesn’t shy away from complex mental health issues — especially how the holidays can exacerbate them.
Sure, Kiss Her Once for Me is steamy, and you’ll swoon, but it’s also not sugar plum fairies (ahem) and marshmallow fluff.
All the Colors of the Rainbow
Speaking of the alphabet mafia, Alison Cochrun has the rainbow covered. There is some excellent ace-spectrum representation in Kiss Her Once for Me. And we can add this book to the growing list of books with enby love interests.
Equally important, but more noteworthy to me, was the fact that, unlike way too much of the media, a butch woman was portrayed as desirable. Not only that, an Asian butch woman was described as hawt without being overly sexualized.
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And what else? Holy cow, this book features an Asian man everyone and their sibling lusts over. This is so important.
That’s not to say that these depictions and every minority representation were all perfectly handled all the time. I certainly cringed here and there. So there’s that — some (unintentional?) stereotyping sprinkled throughout Kiss Her Once for Me. To be fair, per her author’s note, Alison Cochrun did utilize sensitivity readers, so she did put in the effort.
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Should you read it?
For all that its positive elements outweighed the negatives, Kiss Her Once for Me, for whatever reason, never completely gelled for me. That said, it’s worth a read, especially once you’ve exhausted the short list of cheesy queer holiday movies on streaming and basic cable. And who knows, it may speak to you more than it did to me.
Kiss Her Once for Me is available now. Pick up a copy at your local indie bookstore or library. 📚🎄🏳️🌈
Please note: This book may be healing or triggering for those who’ve had a tough go of it during the holidays. Content warnings
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