Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

I read Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun because I enjoyed The Charm Offensive by the same author so much. 

Ellie meets a woman named Jack on Christmas Eve when she's crying in a bookstore. They have a wonderful day together and Ellie falls in love with Jack. We catch up with Ellie a year later and her life is in shambles. Her job is terrible, she's being evicted, and it's obvious she's no longer with Jack, but we don't know why. The handsome guy who owns the building where she works needs someone to marry him for a year and will pay her lots of money, so she goes to his family's house for the holidays only to find out Jack is his sister.

Interesting characters: I thought Cochrun did a lovely job of imbuing everyone with depth, from the two main characters to the fake fiancé to the friends to the parents. Really, I was impressed with just how quickly Cochrun managed to create so many real people through dialogue and character interactions.

Believable conflict: Huh. Well, I mean. It's all very coincidental, isn't it that Jack is Jaqueline? I don't know. Believable, maybe not. But I was willing to suspend disbelief for the greater good. 

Emotional tension: I really did wonder if these two fools were ever going to get together at the right time. Nicely done. 

Happily ever after: Awww, they're really going to make it, aren't they?

4.5/5 stars 

 
Lines of note:

“I think marriage is just promising to love someone as long as you can for as best you can. I think relationships can be exactly what they’re supposed to be,” she says, eyes still on the snow, “even if they only last for one year, or five years, or even just for one day. The good parts of the time you spent with a person don’t go away simply because the relationship ends.” (location 1424)

Amen. 

“And Taylor Swift is the greatest lyricist who has ever lived. I’m pretty sure Bob Dylan listened to Folklore and immediately threw his Nobel Prize for literature into the fire." (location 14610)

I laughed so hard at this. 

The woods are hushed by the thick layer of fresh powder, the silence and stillness punctured only by the sound of our boots crunching in unison. Everything is silvery and pure, and my cynicism goes out with a whimper. The majestic white sweep of snow that makes the world anew, that makes the world feel slow and unhurried, like you can curl up and just be for a moment.(location 1698)

YES! The quiet of the world after snow is 100% the best part of winter. 

She smells like coffee and essential oils and unconditional love. (location 4470)

What a generous description of a person in such a short statement. 

“Shit. She’s seen me. What do I do?” 
“Um, go talk to her?” 
“What? No. Gross.” 
“Continue standing in the doorway like a weirdo, then. You’re right, that’s a better plan.” (location 4525)

The dialogue!!

In particular, thank you to the dozens of Ohio State alums who flooded my DMs so I could include one tiny throwaway detail in this book. Go Buckeyes! (location 4751, from the acknowledgements) 

I mean, I don't know a single OSU alum who won't happily talk about their school. Also, I'm pretty sure she got some emails about how it should say The Ohio State University. (As an alum of a different state school in Ohio - Go BG!  - I get hepped up about how with one little article in their name, OSU dismisses the other thirteen state schools in the state. 

Hat mention:

It’s Mickey Mouse in a silver blue top hat holding a golden “50.” (location 2556)