We all know it and fear it: the sophomore syndrome. That inexplicable dread when an author that delivered a debut so stunning that you can’t help but shake in your boots, anticipating whether their sophomore novel will live up to your expectations or crush you into pieces. Well, folks, let me ease your mind: there’s nothing to fear here. Cochrun delivers a story just as charming, mesmerising and ultimately delightful as its predecessor.
Kiss Her Once For Me follows Ellie who feels like her life is falling apart. Working a dead-end job at a café after her dream career went up in flames all while her mother only calls when she needs money instead of, well maybe wishing her daughter a merry Christmas, and an eviction notice threatening to appear at her apartment’s door any second now, Ellie doesn’t know what to do. That is, until Andrew, the property-owner of the café Ellie works at, makes a preposterous offer—to marry him so he can get his inheritance and spend Christmas with his family as his fiancée in exchange for a huge amount of money. It’s ridiculous and sure to end in chaos but Ellie can’t really refuse the offer that seems too good to be true. It all seems to work out pretty okay—that is, until Ellie meets Andrew’s family and finds out that his sister is none other than Jack, the gorgeous woman Ellie fell for during a magical day last Christmas. As old feelings resurface and new secrets threaten to make Ellie’s dreams of a better future go up in smoke, Ellie’s forced to face some demons of her own if she wants to get through this holiday season intact.
In a nutshell, Kiss Her Once For Me is the Christmas rom-com we want and need this holiday season. I’m just patiently waiting for Netflix to adapt this because this is literally what Happiest Season could have been if, you know, everyone was a whole lot cooler about a lot of things.
What I’ve learned from this book is that Cochrun has a talent for seamless storytelling, and I don’t necessarily mean pacing-wise (though that was great, too). Cochrun always manages to make multiple plot strings intertwine effortlessly (though I’d venture that it takes a lot of effort) so that even when something happens that you don’t quite know where it’s going to fit the narrative overall, you’re pleasantly surprised when it all comes together. It’s a feat to combine an electric romance with well fleshed-out characters and their individual struggles, a wild group of secondary characters with heart and hilarity and top it all off with nods to important conversations like mental health, ambitions and family expectations. Not to mention to throw a Christmassy vibe over it all that somehow makes this emotional, deeply impactful story perfect for reading while bundled up under blankets and sipping on hot cocoa.
Ellie’s story hit a bit too close to home for me. While she’s confident in her demi-bisexuality, Ellie also lives with anxiety—and is a perfectionist. The tendency to give up before you’ve actually even tried giving something your all was so relatable and I think that anyone who’s ever worked for their dream but felt like they weren’t strong or determined or perfect enough to achieve it and thus gave up on it to spare themselves the pain of losing it by someone else’s doing will surely understand where Ellie is coming from. The phrase “cutting yourself off at the knees” came to mind many times. Meanwhile, Jack has to live with her family’s expectations of her messing things up wherever she goes. It’s hard to change someone’s perception of you when they’ve known you your whole life and Jack struggles with making something of herself (and believing in her own strength) while she thinks everyone else is just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Cochrun knows how to create characters that make you take a hard look at your own life and Ellie and Jack were no exception.
Their romance is of course incredibly complicated. Beyond the secret that broke the two apart over a year ago that the reader learns gradually, we also have difficult family dynamics and shenanigans that make reuniting one tough cookie. But a highlight of their messy, emotional road to happily ever after are the flashbacks we get to Ellie’s and Jack’s perfect snow day. While Ellie immortalises their love story in drawings, you heart will skip a beat, guaranteed. Of course, no romance would be complete without some messy scenes and oh, do the characters deliver on those. Talk about a love rectangle instead of a triangle (One Tree Hill fans will get what I mean).
While I don’t want to take away too much of the plot, I will say that there is a secondary romance in this book that had me rooting so damn hard for a happy ending. When you have a story where the secondary characters are almost as heartwrenchingly endearing as the protagonists (*ahem* grandmothers unite!) you know you’re in a for a hell of a good time. Also, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t mention that this book has loads of Taylor Swift references so you know I had to give it all the stars.
All I can say is that if you love family drama, all the found family vibes, incredible anxiety rep and a story that will make you question your own definition of failure and success, then this is a must read for you.
Featuring all the Christmassy vibes, authentic anxiety rep, and insightful discussions around the concept of failure and family expectations all wrapped up in a bundle of queer characters and a love story that will make your heart ache, Cochrun’s sophomore novel Kiss Her Once for Me is the perfect sapphic treat this holiday season.
Kiss Her Once for Me is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of November 1st 2022.
Will you be picking up Kiss Her Once for Me? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
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.
