What’s In A Kiss by Lauren Kate
Rating: 3.5/5
Spice: .5
Primary Genre: Romantic Comedy
Plot: 4/5
Blurb: From # 1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Kate comes an enemies-to-lovers “what if” romance about a prom kiss that never was, and one woman’s magical chance to live what might have been.This is not how Liv wanted to see Jake Glasswell for the first time in ten years. Once her high school rival and the prom date who humiliated her, now a successful TV personality, he’s more attractive than he has any right to be. And he’s her Lyft passenger.Since the prom night kiss that never was, Liv’s life has not gone to plan. She deferred Julliard to be with her mom during a crisis, and now swears she’s happy as a recently furloughed drama teacher going on no-strings dates. This weekend she’s maid of honor to her best friend, Masha, and, of course, Jake is the best man. But when Liv glares into Jake’s eyes as Masha says, “I do,” the universe turns on its axis and Liv is suddenly living a version of her life where prom night was the beginning of her and Jake, not the end, and it turns out he’s the love of her life. The catch? Her mom and Masha hate her now. What’s in a kiss? Maybe everything.
The Good:
* I loved the sci-fi element/butterfly effect vibe of this book. It’s always interesting to me to explore the what ifs of your life.
* The writer was humorous without detracting from the serious emotions of the story. That’s a fine balance and Lauren was able to do so with poise.
* Jake Glasswell is one of my fave book boyfriends of the year. Jake in both timelines. You’re in for a treat there.
The Meh:
* I felt like the ending could have gone so many different ways and the direction that it took was a little lackluster.
* The book spent so much time in the alternate life that the ending felt very rushed and unfinished. This book could have used another chapter at the bare minimum.
* It irritated me to no end that the FMC never had a sit down with her mother to thoroughly explain what in the world was going on w/ that relationship in her alternate life. I need to know as a mother, because I can’t think of a single thing that would cause me to refuse to speak to my child when they’re trying to reach out to me
Bottom Line:
What a weird and unexpected little book. This storyline definitely didn’t exactly go in the direction that I thought it would but I think that is because the ending felt so rushed to me. I think if the ending was a little bit more drawn out and if there were a few more things explained I would have came away from this book liking it more. That being said, it’s a cute little romcom and a good read if you don’t need to overthink every plot point like I do.
If you purchase a book from a link on this page I may earn a small commission.
