I’m always looking for a chick-lit with a fantastical edge as it can be a lot of fun. As soon as I heard about this book, I knew that I had to give it a go. I’ve never read Carrie Hope Fletcher before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’m glad I gave this book a chance. I’m posting this as part of the blog tour with HQ Stories. So thanks very much to the publishers for my free copy of this one.

With This Kiss follows Lorelai, who sees the future deaths of anyone she kisses. Her ability has always shocked her and has meant that she has been avoiding romance for a long time. It always seemed like the right choice for her until the day she met Grayson. Suddenly she finds herself wanting to kiss someone and having to decide whether getting close to someone is worth it when you know how they’re going to die.

As someone who does worry about death a lot, this book did strike a chord in me. I don’t know how I’d handle seeing how people would die. I would definitely be trying to prevent people’s deaths, but that isn’t always possible. I totally understand why Lorelai was avoiding romance, though there were some aspects that I didn’t get.

The family relationships in this book are kind of sad. Lorelai didn’t think her family would believe her, so she pushed her parents away rather than telling them the truth. Her mum clearly loves her and wants to comfort her, but because she didn’t demand to know what was wrong the first time it happened, she couldn’t have cared that much? Kid Lorelai, that was kind of dumb. I do understand it to some extent. Obviously, she didn’t want her parents to look at her differently. But it was a little difficult to feel for her when you can see that she would have had a better support group. She just had to reach out herself. Things do get better for her with her family, so I’m glad about that. It was just a little frustrating.

In fact, Lorelai’s habit of pushing everyone away was pretty frustrating. I do understand why. I probably wouldn’t want to risk anyone finding out that I could see how people were going to die. People would wind up asking you to kiss them and find out how they go, I’m sure. But it made her seem pretty flighty, and it was a little off-putting as it did at times feel like she deserved to be feeling bad. In a lot of ways, that was good though. No one is perfect, and it means that you see her grow over the novel. It is a little slow, but I liked seeing Lorelai become more confident and open herself up to more chances in life.

When it comes to the writing, it’s pretty simple. This is a short book, and it’s one that you can very easily get through. This book is what I’d consider a pretty easy read, even if it can be very emotionally heavy. If you’re looking for a quick book to get through, this could be the one for you. Just make sure you’re in the right headspace for it. At one point, one of the side characters is feeling suicidal, so trigger warnings for that.

The romance was pretty cute. Grayson was a good guy, and he really didn’t have to put up with some of the stuff he did. Lorelai was so very lucky to meet a guy like him. I think I’d be happy to date a guy like him myself. He’s nerdy, likes books, films and theatre and is close with his family? Sounds perfect to me. Definitely debating adding him to my book boyfriend list.

I am glad I read this book, and I think I’ll be checking out Carrie Hope Fletcher again in the future. I wouldn’t say this was a favourite book of mine, but I’m glad that I read it.

I didn’t finish this one I didn’t find that the story interested me and the name of the main character irritated the life out of me.

Today I am so excited to be sharing my review for this superb story, I picked it up whilst on holiday to read and was instantly transported into the world of the wonderful Lorelai. I loved this book so much that I preordered a copy for my best friend and she is currently reading it and absolutely loving it as well.

When you first meet Lorelai you don't think much of the fact that she is quite content working at the cinema and living with her best friend. However as you get to know her, you learn about how she learnt about her secret and the impact this has then had on her life.

I found this a refreshing read and totally different to anything else that I have read this year, making it really memorable. Lorelai was a complex character that avoided all relationships and affection in the hope of not revealing her secret to anyone.

This was my first book by this author but it definitely won't be my last as I was totally absorbed and just loved getting to know these wonderful characters.

I thought this book was a bit different from your normal romantic book and I enjoyed it.

Lorenai has never really had a proper relationship as every time she kisses someone she sees how they die so she has vowed never to have a relationship with a man. She meets Grayson at her work and she can feel the sparks between them will she overcome this difficulty and have a normal relationship.

The characters were very good and I enjoyed how they interacted with each other.

I haven’t read a book by Carrie Hope Fletcher before but would recommend you do.

Lorelai lives with her best friend, works at the local cinema, and in her free time she writes film adaptations of books, but she has avoided relationships for years because of a painful secret. When Lorelai kisses someone on the lips, she sees how they are going to die. Because of these traumatic visions, she hasn't kissed anyone since she was eighteen years old.
When she starts up a book club with a twist at the cinema, Lorelai meets Grayson and feels an instant connection with him. Grayson is sweet, clever, geeky and funny, and he gets her wondering if she's brave enough to take a leap.

Overall, I enjoyed this romance with a supernatural twist - Grayson is an absolute sweetheart, and the references to fantasy films and novels made my inner geek happy. The book club initially seemed an important setting, as Lorelai was very passionate about starting it and the club provided the location for the two protagonists' meeting, but unfortunately it didn't feature again further on in the novel. The middle section felt a bit slow, while Lorelai was hesitating and procrastinating, and I just wanted to give her a nudge.

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for providing me with an electronic review copy.

Lorelai discovered at the age of 13 that when she kisses someone she sees how they will die. Consequently she now avoids kissing anyone. Fast forward some time and hen she meets someone she faces a dilemma. To be honest the romance was lacking for me. I found the idea fascinating and overall an okay read.

I wanted to like this one because the cover is super pretty and the premise of the story seemed like it would make for an excellent read… one kiss from the main character and she can tell you how you’ll die, talk about a death kiss. Unfortunately this one fell a bit flat for me. The characters were forgettable at best, I can’t even remember their names and I’m not fussed about looking them up, and not too long into the book we are thrown a token trans character, who’s literal point in the book was to be apologised to and then forgotten about without another mention in the story.

I’m sure there will be plenty of people that like/love this one, but it just wasn’t for me. I wanted substance and character development, and I didn’t get any of that. This was my first book by her and whilst I didn’t enjoy it, it hasn’t put me off reading her other books in time. Thank you to HQ for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Lorelei sees the death of the person she kisses. Sounds depressing? It is.
Somewhat more uplifting towards the end of the book but you have to wade through repeated scenes of angst and despair before you get to it.

I found this so riveting and magical. When Lorelai kisses anyone their death comes out as a vision. But she can't tell anyone because it sounds so crazy. When she finds out the two people she did kiss died prematurely she wonders if she had caused them to die. She finally opens up to her flatmate and she is so encouraging but when Lorelai is kissed against her wishes she has two preminitions. With the prospect of finding love with Grayson she needs to find out more about her curse/gift. 


Such an unusual but brilliantly written storyline I was soon hooked and wanted to know more about Lorelai. I loved the idea of the book club with a twist. It made the story current and fresh, in particular the 'Ladies and Gentlemen' speech about not being binary. I was rooting for her and Grayson from the start. Great cast of characters and I just loved this book.

Wish .i could give it more than 5 stars

Lorelai was 13 when she had her first kiss but it left a lasting scar. As she was kissing the boy she saw how he would die.
Not understanding what she was seeing she kissed someone else and also saw how they died. Both boys died a while later in the exact way that Lorelai had seen during their kisses.
Horrified by what she has seen and frightened that she may be the cause of these boys untimely demise, she hasn’t kissed anyone since she was 18 and has stayed clear of relationships.

Lorelai has kept this secret for a long time, revealing it only in a letter to her dying grandmother and to her best friend Joanie.
I liked the fact that Lorelai likes to write screenplays for films based on books and hoped this would be explored further within the book.
She’s a big film buff and works at a cinema that screens older films. This is where she meets Grayson – could he be the man who makes her want a relationship finally?
Lorelai and Joanie decide that Lorelai needs to find out how this "gift" of hers works and if there is any way of changing what Lorelai sees, surely she isn’t responsible for the deaths of people she kisses? There’s only one way to find out…

Thank you to HQ Stories and Netgalley for providing this arc copy in return for an honest review.

This story feels like it has a lot of potential; Lorelai being able to see the death of any person she kisses is such an intriguing idea, and I was really excited to see how it played out. It's worth saying I was also a fan of Carrie's YouTube/theatre etc as a teen, so that made me all the more excited. Unfortunately, this just didn't live up to my expectations. In terms of categorisation, I think this should belong to YA instead of Adult Fiction, as the writing is very simplistic and fails to grip the reader.

I'm not trans (I am LGBGTQ) but I think its also really important to bring up the scene with Lorelai saying 'ladies and gentlemen' and then apologising because there is a trans person (Joy) in the room, followed by their partner 'saving the day' by giving a perfectly scripted, cardboard sounding educational answer. It is extremely uncomfortable to read. The trans element is clearly used for 'woke' purposes - Joy doesn't make a return at any point throughout the book, so is just used as a minor plot point to illustrate political correctness (despite multiple Harry Potter/JKR references throughout the book).

Aside from that, the characters aren't very well developed and the narrative falls flat. I really wanted to love this but couldn't - however I do think some people will enjoy this.

If you're looking for a unique, intriguing magical realism plot with fast falling love interests that make for a very easy read, this will be for you.

Wow, what happens when you can see how someone dies. You retreat in to your own space and never have intimate contact. Are you a freak? Where does this come from? Follow the story as it unravels and keep your fingers crossed for the ending you hope for.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and HQ for granting my wish to recieve the E-ARC of With this Kiss.

Here is my honest review.
As soon as I read the blurb I knew I had to read this novel. I actually have it on pre-order twice from Waterstones.
I really really wanted to enjoy this novel but I found some of the plot had been abandoned, the book club at the beginning seemed to have disappeared until the very last chapter. There was a character introduced in the book club that is a trans-woman but then she just disappeared never to be mentioned again, it just felt like she was put in the book for the sake of being able to say it's inclusive.
From chapter 1 to 10 the story grabbed me but I found myself glazing over from chapters 10 to 19 because Lorelai started becoming a bit frustrating with the whole I can't do this, I can't do that (but let's be honest would I be the same as her if I had her gifts...yes, yes I would) but from chapter 20 the story picks back up and I couldn't put it down.
Yes it lost me half way through but I'm so glad I carried on reading because I enjoyed it. I enjoyed finding out the shocking truth ( that I will not say due to spoilers) I loved the relationship between Joanie and Lorelai. I liked how it tied up at the end and the lessons Lorelai learns.
Overall With this Kiss is a good read.

Before I go deeper into the review, thank you NetGalley and HQ (publisher) for this ARC in exchange for an independent and honest review.

This book left me with a bit of a bittersweet taste. The idea of the book sounded great and I immediately needed to read it. Lorelai can see anyone’s dead with a kiss. I thought was brilliant. However, and Im sad to say this, the book failed on the delivery.
In general, the characters were flat and I couldn’t really connect or care much about them. The chemistry felt a bit too fast and a bit confusing and in a way too convenient. I missed that sense of epic love story.
The side characters only appear briefly and not really bringing much to the table and by the end of the book I had more questions than answers about Lorelai’s gift.
The book was ok but I think the story had a lot more potential and the flatness in the characters made it average.

After reading the synopsis I was really looking forward to diving into this one but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I found that Lorelei just wasn't an easy character to relate to and the romance was lacking.
The first part of the book did drag a little but i did want to read on and find out where it was going!

I do think if you are a fan of Carries books you will enjoy this one and the writing style was ok. The whole book just felt like it missed the mark or was just missing something.

Plot

When their lips touch, will she seal his fate?

From the outside, Lorelai is an ordinary young woman with a normal life. She loves reading, she works at the local cinema and she adores living with her best friend. But she carries a painful burden, something she’s kept hidden for years; whenever she kisses someone on the lips, she sees how they are going to die. But she’s never known if she’s seeing what was always meant to be, or if her kiss is the thing that decides their destiny. And so, she hasn’t kissed anyone since she was sixteen.

Then she meets Grayson. Sweet, clever, funny Grayson. And for the first time in years she yearns for a man’s kiss. But she can’t… or can she? And if she does, should she try to intervene and change what she sees?

Review

Ok so, first of all I want to say I liked this book. The premise is really interesting and the cover is down right gorgeous. However, it's not without its problems.

First of all, the cinema book club that is started at the beginning of the book, is never seen again until the end. This is where there is also an extremely bad attempt at introducing a trans character and Lorilai's reaction in trying to better with pronouns. This character is never seen again and I feel that this was just done for the sake of adding something relevant to the text.

The chemistry between Lorilai and Grayson seems flat and sometimes forced. I didn't really believe that they would live happily ever after.

The character of Riggs and his issues seemed to all work itself out in a nice neat way and I don't really feel that this was realistic.

I did enjoy the relationship between Lorilai and Joanie, especially when Lorilai needed to hear a few home truths. They probably have a better chemistry than the love story.

Like I said the premise is good and it is a quick and sometimes enjoyable read. I would say its more aimed at the YA market than the adult fiction. There are problems with this book, but as this was a proof copy, these could definitely be fixed before final publication.

It's not Carrie's best work but its not her worst. A little fixing of the problematic and unrealistic parts of the story and it would be a wonderful and quirky read.

Rating

3/5

Recommend

If the problems were fixed then yes.

Thank you to HQ for an advance proof copy of the book as part of their Blog Tour. All opinions are my own.

A lovely story of a girl called Lorelai who has the ability of when she kisses a man she get a vision of how they are going to die. Then she meets Grayson who she really falls for but cannot allow herself to kiss him.
What follows is a enjoyable read full of twists and a revelation that helps Lorelai to understand.
Would recommend,
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for a advanced copy.

Lorelai shares a flat with her best friend Joanie they both work at the cinema along with Riggs the boss’s son but lorelai carries a painful burden when she kisses someone she sees how they die so the last kiss she shared with someone was when she was eighteen she shares her secret with best friend joanie she meets Grayson and they really like each other but she’s really worried about seeing his death
I really enjoyed this book but I did find it a little slow starting

Well I was confused at the beginning of this book as the text felt very American, until I realised the story is set in good old London England! Then I could settle feeling more at home!
The main character Lorelai was hard to relate with, her friend Joanie was a good comedy element but again not relatable. I sadly felt let down as so many issues were glossed over or moved on from too quickly. Although written well it was too American for me, especially with the glossing over and whizzing on.....I felt left up in the air but really didn't care too much. Not enough depth? The writing felt vulnerable and uncomfortable and sometimes a bit of a lost soul was there.
Perhaps not an author for me, I loved the essence of the book but not how it presented.
Thank you NetGalley for the early read.

Really enjoyed this. Carrie writes beautifully and captures emotions brilliantly. Good story, good characters, definitely worth a read.