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Table of Contents
About The Book
Winner of Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ+ Romance
A Best New Holiday Romance by PopSugar, BuzzFeed, Refinery29, and more!
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.
A Best New Holiday Romance by PopSugar, BuzzFeed, Refinery29, and more!
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.
About The Author
Hayley Downing-Fairless
Alison Cochrun is a former high school English teacher and a current writer of queer love stories, including The Charm Offensive and Kiss Her Once for Me. She lives outside of Portland, Oregon, with two giant dogs, her small wife, and too many books. You can find her online at AlisonCochrun.com or on Instagram as @AlisonCochrun.
Why We Love It
“Alison Cochrun’s debut novel The Charm Offensive was an in-house favorite, and it wasn’t hard to see why. Charming, hilarious, and full of nuanced conversations about sexuality and mental health, the novel struck a chord with a wide range of readers. Alison brings all that and more to her sophomore novel Kiss Her Once for Me—adding a fake engagement, a hipster coffee shop, bookstore dates, and a holiday setting to the mix for the perfect fall rom-com.”
—Kaitlin O., Editor, on Kiss Her Once for Me
Product Details
- Publisher: Atria Books (November 1, 2022)
- Length: 368 pages
- ISBN13: 9781982191146
Raves and Reviews
“Cue snowbound high jinks, four-way romantic entanglements, a hilarious set of relatives and enough musical earworms to last you till January. That’s right, this is the queer women’s “While You Were Sleeping” you didn’t know you needed this Christmas season.”
—The New York Times
“Fans of Alison Cochrun’s debut, The Charm Offensive, will love her new queer romance . . . . Read this sexy, insightful, and utterly charming book.”
—Buzzfeed
“Cochrun’s cozy second novel is chock full of holiday cheer, pop music, and queer happy endings… Ellie and Jack’s love story is gentle, and readers will appreciate every grand gesture, whether it takes place on a snowy bridge, a ski lift, or even a dingy dive-bar bathroom. A heartwarming queer romance reminiscent of Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas.’” —Kirkus Reviews
“[T]his holiday-themed romance is sure to warm even the coldest reader’s heart.”—Library Journal
“A sparkling winter wonderland, quirky family traditions, and a messy ‘love trapezoid’ make the yuletide gay in this earnest queer rom-com… it’s delightful to watch this clever spin on the fake dating trope unfold. This is a winner.” —Publishers Weekly
"Dizzyingly adorable and brimming with laugh-out loud humor, Kiss Her Once for Me is the new rom-com gold standard. Alison Cochrun writes with palpable compassion, tenderness, and heart that makes every page a memorable one. I swooned, squealed, and shrieked my way through this absolute masterpiece." —Mazey Eddings, author of Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake
“Beautifully tender and delightfully sexy, Kiss Her Once for Me is the holiday romance of my dreams. A cozy, cinnamon-scented hug of a book.” —Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care
"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."
—Chloe Liese, author of Two Wrongs Make a Right
"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."
—Timothy Janovsky, author of Never Been Kissed
"Cochrun’s writing is by turns whip-smart, hilarious, and deeply vulnerable. Kiss Her Once For Me is both a queer celebration and subversion of romance tropes, along with being a love letter to Portland and an incisive exploration of family, art, and failure. Jack and Elle’s swooningly romantic love story will make even the most cynical among us believe in the magic of snow days." —Anita Kelly, author of Love and Other Disasters
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Kiss Her Once for Me eBook 9781982191146
- Author Photo (jpg): Alison Cochrun Hayley Downing-Fairless(0.1 MB)
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