Review: Kiss Her Once For Me by Allison Cochrun

Thank you Atria Books for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

I absolutely loved The Charm Offensive so I was ready to love Kiss Her Once For Me. It did not disappoint! I’m telling you all, this book is packed with perfect tropes and holiday vibes, this is the book you need this holiday season.

Synopsis:

“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.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Setting—I have never been to the Pacific Northwest or Portland, but I imagine it is a place I will feel quite at home there and this book proved it to me again. Between the scenes in Seattle and at Powell’s Books (a dream destination for me) and the cabin in the mountains, i was feeling the vibes.
The Holiday Vibes—One of my favorite holiday books for the pure vibes is Christina Lauren’s In a Holidaze and I think this book achieves it similarly! A dreamy setting and a family that makes you want to be a part of their traditions!
The Twist on the Tropes—I love fake dating and I love second chance. I loved how the tropes were combined in an unexpected way!

What Didn’t Work:

Act II Pacing—My biggest issue with The Charm Offensive, another of Cochrun’s books, was how long the chapters were. It’s nitpicky and not something I’d take stars off for! That was solved in this one but I felt like the pacing of act II got a little muddy and the ending was rushed.