Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tate and Penny have a... complicated relationship. They aren't friends, but they definitely aren't enemies, either. They are something else. Something neither of them is ready to admit. Because both girls are deeply scarred. They've known each other forever; they're mothers are best friends and their small family has been in a precarious everything-is-fine limbo ever since the accident that killed Penny's father. But now, Penny's mother Lottie is giving up half her liver to save Tate's mom's life. And the glass house they've been living in begins to crack...

This book made me feel... a lot of things. The story was incredibly raw, in a way I wasn't expecting. I was expecting a cute sapphic romcom and this was many things, it definitely wasn't cute. It was painful. It was heartbreaking. This is a story of trauma and how it effects different people. How we hurt people and while we might have our reasons, they aren't excuses. How healing can be both needed and incredibly painful. How important our support systems are.

This reminds me of A Scatter of Light in that the characters are both young and so, so flawed. They heal and they hurt people along the way. They stay silent when they shouldn't because they are terrified of breaking the status quo. And the most groundbreaking? This book is so, so queer and complex and upper YA and also not about coming out. Both main characters are sure of their sexuality. But that isn't the only confusing or uncomfortable feeling queer people have. Especially not queer people who have survived intense trauma.

This book was hard to read at times, simply because of how emotional and raw it was, but I definitely recommend it.

Because the version provided to me does not have any trigger warnings, I do have to criticize that. Please let me know if this was added in the final version. Trigger Warnings are: neglect, sexual assault, cheating, graphic depiction of traumatic situation involving death of a loved one.

This book covers the POV of Penny and Tate, who aren’t friends, but they have never been enemies either. They a forced into close proximity after a decision made by their mums(who are best friends) along the way it goes into detail the six times where they almost kissed one another.

The book itself is Unique in that it has a fan fiction style of writing. This book should come with some trigger warnings as this does cover a lot of heavy and distressing topics which even messed up some of my emotions. I have never felt this sad, angry and disgusted with some of the things that happened and things which were said and done. Overall it’s a cute LGBTQ romance but not completely for me due to some of the points mentioned above

This was so sweet and sad all at the same time. Six Times We Almost Kissed is the story of Tate and Penny, whose lives have been intertwined since birth. It is written in dual perspective, as well as having sections stylised as text conversations, which really cements the fanfic inspiration. The basis in 5+1 fics, the ‘there’s only one bed’ trope, enemies to lovers (of a sort) is used well amongst the darker themes of grief, illness, and chronic pain.

On that note, there were some aspects that could have been mentioned more, or incorporated more fully. Penny has chronic pain and limited mobility in her hands due to an accident when she was younger, but this is only briefly mentioned when its convenient for a ‘you’re the only one she trusts to touch her scars’ moment. I understand that this is a romance, but the representation of chronic pain etc could have been a bit more of a plot point.

Other than that, the relationship is cute (even if it’s VERY slow-burn) and I am more inclined to prioritise reading The Girls Ive Been, which I’ve owned a copy of for months already.

when i got this arc i was literally so excited i had to read it straight away and i'm so glad i decided to do that!!

this is how you do young adult contemporary correctly! the romance was important but not the only thing going on and all the characters were so real. i loved them all and their relationships with each other were hard but realistic.

also i never expected it to be so sad but it really was. all in all, a very different vibe to the girls i've been which is tess sharpe's only other book i've read but so enjoyable!

I loved the other Tess Sharpe book I read so requested this and raced through it, thoroughly enjoying it. Told in dual narrative Tate and Penny’s Mums are best friends and move in together to save money when Tate’s Mum is ill. This means the two girls living in close proximity. There is history between them as Tate has seen Penny at her worst, but in every case was the rescuer.
Alongside this storyline is the relationship between Penny and her Mum which was fractured. Mainly her Mum’s fault, but there were reasons. Mental health issues are addressed as is bereavement and although the ending is inevitable it is no less enjoyable.

I absolutely adored this book.

I loved the relationship development between Penny and Tate. I loved that nothing is off limits - grief, cheating, therapy, trauma (emotional and physical), loss of parent, dysfunctional families, mental health and illnesses are all discussed and made part of the storyline.

Told in dual perspectives, I liked getting to see Penny and Tate’s perspectives on everything that happened. I loved the plot and I liked that each time they almost kissed is centred around something that they both went through and supported each other with.

I highly recommend this book.

what a wonderful, moving, slow-burn teen romance! the book tackles deep and important issues and seeing the characters learn and grow was really heartwarming (even though it hurt quite a bit at times!). After getting into the story I didn't want to put the book down...what more can you want? :)

Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) (hereafter, Six Times, because I’m not typing that out all over again) is a fun enough read, I suppose. Framed in the style of a x+1 fanfic, it leans into that vibe, particularly with the writing style. As such, and perhaps expectedly, I found myself getting frustrated.

That’s not to say there aren’t good aspects to this book — it’s a Tess Sharpe book and I always at least enjoy her works. Which I did here (3 stars is a good rating, etc, etc, so on and so forth). It was very readable, and I got through most of it quite quickly. The aspects I enjoyed from Tess Sharpe’s previous books, too, were present here and just as good. So really, I think my rating came down to the style.

But let me start with the good things. While this book is probably framed and marketed in a way that makes you think conventional romance or romcom, it’s a little heavier than that (as you might expect if you’ve read any Tess Sharpe books before). In this, you have it twofold: a mother-daughter relationship ruined by grief after the death of a husband/father, and a mother-daughter relationship dealing with a recurrence of cancer and a necessary operation. Personally, these aspects were when the book was at its best for me. They were written in such a way that you still felt for Penny’s mother, despite how she had failed her daughter.

The central relationship too, between Tate and Penny, was just as good. It’s hard to describe it really, so I’m not going to try that hard. It’s about two girls who are tied together by their mothers’ friendship and all that entails. They’re not quite friends, but they’ve seen each other at their worst moments and, for all they claim to dislike each other, have stuck through thick and thin. And yet, that description doesn’t even begin to properly define what their relationship is. Your only option is to read and see, because it’s honestly the best part of the book.

So, if that was good, now we come to the less good. Namely, the style. YMMV on this one, but for me, the attempt to have it read like a fanfic, with typical fanfic style writing (lots of asides in brackets, lots of short sentences, each afforded a whole new line) got frustrating after a bit. Half of the asides didn’t need to be framed as asides and the short sentences lost any sort of emotional impact when they showed up on almost every page. The style is primarily the reason I didn’t enjoy Six Times quite as much as Tess Sharpe’s other books.

But as I said. Your mileage may vary. It’s definitely one that, if you liked her previous works in whatever capacity, you’ll like this one too.

Tess Sharpe did it again,

SWTAK is an delightful coming-of-age romcom full of heart - following two not-quite-friends as they try to navigate growing older, and growing closer. Both Penny and Tate had their own demons to fight with, and hearing from each of their perspectives in such a personal tone really let us connect with them on a meaningful level, as well as getting to know what they really thought about the other before they even did!

A raw and authentic story about identity and love.

Six Times We Almost Kissed is a heart-wrenching story of love, grief, friendship and guilt with glimmers of hope and a blossoming sapphic relationship. Check out my full thoughts below. Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette and Tess Sharpe for my early copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Six Times We Almost Kissed is a story I fell deeply in love with. Not only from a personal point of view but because this book is so heart-wrenchingly emotional. You can’t help but root for both Penny and Tate who find themselves in difficult circumstances but it is the challenges they face that keep bringing them together thanks to the friendship of their mothers. Penny has and is dealing with a lot; her father died in an accident, she was seriously injured, her relationship with her mother is in tethers and she doesn’t quite know what to do about it all. Tate’s mom is extremely unwell but thanks to Penny’s mom is receiving a life changing transplant. The complexities of Penny and Tate’s lives really bring them together and the emotion shared between the two (not always positive!) is very relatable.

I really liked how the story was structured with alternating POVs between Penny and Tate. It was satisfying being the outsider and knowing that despite their stony exteriors towards each other they were both secretly falling/already in love with one another. Then there were the flashbacks to all the times they almost kissed – usually after a particularly emotional moment. It all really helped to build the emotion and connection to the characters. It would be hard to read this book and not have a connection with them.

The last few chapters of this book really broke my heart. This book deals with such raw themes such as mental health and grief. Penny’s grief in particular was difficult to read about, not only did she lose her Dad the day he died but her relationship with her mom has never been the same. I loved her Gran and the fact that this was such a women empowering story. Women looking after women, female friendships, sapphic relationships. It was exactly what I needed!

If I didn't already have 'The Girls I've Been Before' on my TBR list, I definitely would have added it after reading this! Tess Sharpe's writing is captivating, her characters spellbinding, and her plots brilliant in 'Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did). As a result, I know I will love what else she's written!

The two narrators of this novel, Penny and Tate, know each other thanks to their mothers being best friends. This has led to the two of them spending a lot of their lives together, despite the fact that they're self-professed 'not friends'. During all this time, the romantic tension between them has steadily blossomed and made itself more known. As readers, we learn about this awkward yet sweet tension through chapters that take place in the past, as well as through the majority of the narration which takes place in present day. Throughout the story, I found myself rooting for them to get together more and more, as well as found myself caring far too deeply about their own personal journeys. Penny's was particularly emotive to me, and several scenes involving her and Tate talking about Penny's mother reduced me to tears.

As the title suggests, I'd say this book would definitely appeal to readers who enjoy fanfiction tropes; it has all the makings of a (superbly written) fanfic thanks to the snappy dialogue and engaging plot, as well as the familiar structure. I wouldn't personally identify myself as someone who appreciates fanfiction tropes, however.; I usually quite dislike tropes like this one, as well as slow-burn romances! The fact I liked the story so much, therefore, is a testament to how brilliant it is.

If you're looking for strong, complex Sapphic characters and wholesome, tear-jerking and heart-warming scenes, you don't need to look any further. Read this story and see for yourself if you're more Penny or Tate! (I'm a Penny, but I know my fiancé is definitely a Tate.)

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I could not get into this novel and therefore did not finish it after the first 20%. I usually really enjoy Tess' writing but found it difficult to connect to this one.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I started this and couldn't put it down. Do you want to read a book that's written like good fanfic? Do you want an agonizing slow burn? Do you like complex and traumatised characters? Do you like there's-only-one-bed? Then this is the book for you.

I started off thinking "oh this is tropey, I hope it's okay though" and it absolutely is. The tropes are easily identifiable but that doesn't make it bad—they're very well written and hardly felt like tropes at all. I read a lot of books in this genre that involve trauma and a lot of them don't seem interesting, the trauma is just too flat and distant. Here it's gritty and vibrant and I did want to cry a little bit.

The highs and lows were so good that my partner said "I haven't heard you make that many sounds while reading in a long time." Some of the lines are just so good and impactful. GOSH. So yes, I recommend this book. I should get a copy when it comes out and you should too.

As someone who basically grown up reading fanfiction, the 5+1 style fanfics are some of my favourites. So when I discovered that Tess Sharpe's up coming book was inspired by it, I immediately knew I had found a book that would become a favourite. And it did; I love the way it is written. I love the sapphic romance. And most of all, I thoroughly enjoyed how the plot dealt with a lot of things, from family, to young love, to grief and loss and more. I love books that do this and Six Times did it wonderfully!

Reading this was the perfect way to end off 2o22. I'll definitely be preordering this asap!

This book was beautiful and heartbreaking, and complicated, and tender and raw. It was so well written and absolutely smashed my heart to pieces. Trauma, grief and complicated family dynamics were embedded alongside a slow burn sapphic relationship. Tate and Penny have always been in each others lives from the day they were born, however they’re not friends but they’re also not enemies.

No matter what they always find their way back to eachother, especially during the worst, most difficult moments of their lives. And on top of that they keep almost kissing - almost. Will they find a way past all the obstacles holding them back from eachother? Is it possible to outrun their fear when they’ve lived through a life time of it? Will they finally build up to the moment they’ve been avoiding? Will they finally kiss?

Find out in Tess Sharpe’s incredible, gripping, heart shattering upcoming YA novel “Six Times We Almost Kissed”. To be Released February 2023💋❤️

A sweet, quick read about two young women whose mothers are best friends. Their growing attraction, coupled with trauma and family issues make their love story complicated, but all ends well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

This is only the second book I’ve read by Tess Sharpe but I already can tell she’s going to be a new favorite author of mine. I already loved »The Girls I’ve Been« a lot but »Six Times We Almost Kissed« was very different but maybe even better. It definitely made me cry a lot of tears and we love books that have an emotional impact. 😌

»Six Times We Almost Kissed« is about Penny and Tate who have been frenemies since childhood because their mothers are besties and when Pennys mother donates part of her liver to Tates mother they decide to move in together, which means Penny and Tate have to finally face the attraction thats growing between them for quite a while now.

The book deals with a lot of heavy topics that I didn’t necessarily expect. Don’t be fooled by the fun title and cover, this book isn’t a light read. It was funny as well but overall it deals as I said also with more heavy topics like the death of a parent, grief, sick parent, very difficult mother-daughter relationship and I probably forgot something because honestly, the characters were going through a lot. Whatever shitty things could happen, they happened to them. And through it all Penny and Tate had to put their big girl panties on and finally work through their feelings for each other. I really liked how they always said they didn’t even like each other that much and that they weren’t friends but really? If something happened the other one was there. They were just in denial and I loved reading about their journey because the book has a dual timeline and it felt like we spent a lot of time with the characters. I just love Penny and Tate and their relationship was beautiful (and at times a bit heartbreaking because they were dealing with so much).

In conclusion: would absolutely recommend. It was a fantastic book. It was a 5 star prediction for me and it absolutely delivered.

This is the fourth book I’ve read by Tess Sharpe and she’s really good at crafting interesting characters and pacing. Once again, we are given moments from the past to understand the dynamics between Tate and Penny and to witness their deepest moments.
I really enjoyed their complex relationships with all the things left unsaid, their fears, their hopes, their love.
Also, the relationship Penny has with her mom - or lack of one really - was so well explored and touched me deeply. My mom and I have never been close and we barely talk so…
It was heartbreaking more than once and I really sympathized with Penny and Tate - loyal and loving Tate. On the other hand, Lottie made me so mad.
I must mention Remi and Meghan because these two are TRUE friends!!
To be honest, this book was sadder than I expected and for the best, I don’t really like stories that are just cute.
My only complaint would be that I'm left hungry for more even though I enjoyed how it ended.

In the end, another great book by Tess Sharpe - but I must say that Far From You remains my favorite!

I really loved this. I loved the main characters and the quirks of their relationship especially considering the weight of history behind them. Looking forward to selling it in the shop