Spanning over several years, 'Consider Yourself Kissed' shares the timeline of Coralie Bowers' life and love. It's filled with real, authentic moments - Coralie's every feeling about her partner Adam, her desire for motherhood and her struggles with self worth in the workplace and within her abilities to write. To me, Coralie is the perfect character and honestly I think this is a pretty perfect book too. I feel as if I have so much to say about this book and how it tugged on my heart but I cannot properly articulate it all.

I've seen a few reviews mentioning how slow this can be in parts but I don't think that to be a negative - Coralie herself feels stuck, feels like life is moving on without her, leaving her behind to catch up with the never ending list of things to be done, people to care for. If you like books where not much happens (and I don't mean this in a bad way, I mean the way in which the author glorifies the everyday mundanities of life), you will adore this book.

To me, I see many similarities to other characters and books / films. Coralie is comedic, I love the way she narrates her life and is almost reminiscent of Bridget Jones. I also see connections to the movie 'Love Rosie' as it tells a love story set over a longer span of time where not everything is as straightforward as it seems. But besides these similarities, Coralie stands out on her own. To me, she feels so real, her experiences and stories authentic and lived in. The range of emotions I felt whilst reading this were crazy - numerous times I wanted to cry on the bus or laugh out loud at a funny anecdote.

The other characters in this book were extremely strong too. I particularly loved Zora, and the way we saw her grow from a child into a mature teenager with her own conflicts. Daniel was another character that was written really well and it was interesting to see him and Coralie bond after an unconventional childhood, learning how to be siblings later on in life.

I loved this book so much and could honestly read hundreds more pages about this charming set of characters and their lives. What a beautiful novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cornerstone for this arc !!

**All opinions are my own !!**

Not what I expected, Consider Yourtself Kissed is actually a bit of an epic novel, following the life of an Australian woman living in London over about ten years. Well written and very clever at reflecting the times - partly through the career of Coralie's partner Adam, who is a political journalist. As well as the wider picture, it the book shows the lifelong impact for those whose childhood included emotional harm, and the power of love, friendship and family in healing trauma.
I found the book relatable, sensitively written and gently powerful. Over the ten years we get to know the cast of characters well, and I found myself really caring about them. This is a reflection of the depth of the book, which I applaud.
A good read for book clubs, as it has left me with much I would like to speak to others about. Very happy to give this five stars and to recommend it.

I really loved this book. Great characters in Coralie and Adam. When they bump into each other it's a case of love at first sight but what happens when one person in the partnership feels they're giving up everything so the other can flourish in their chosen career.

I liked the fact the book has a contemporary setting and covers recent political and social events and the impact on our characters lives.

Will Coralie and Adam be able to work through their problems and get their relationship back on track.

God, this is such a brilliant story of the slowly meanderings of life, love, parenthood and trying to truly stay in touch with your personal self.
I absolutely love this story. I was so invested. I spent my days wondering what would happen next.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to have read this ahead of publication and exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book so much. I totally understand the hype. It was so smart and so funny and it all just felt very true. Nothing radical or new, but a classic story told extremely well. Will be recommending to my friends.

It's not that this book is bad, it's well written (though I do take issue with the Australian noting that band-aids are called 'sticking plasters' in the UK. Just plasters. This is a small thing I know, but I was quite bored of the book by the time I got to that part so it annoyed me more than it should). Also the author's use of brackets to explain her point seemed as though she was unsure the readers would know what she was talking about.

I saw another review say that this book is like reality TV, and that sums it up for me. Long stretches of it are like when you couldn't sleep so you watched Big Brother at 1am. Realism is fine, but it's okay to admit that it's also often boring, and doesn't need to be documented.

I'm grateful for the ARC from netgalley, but this was a slog for me unfortunately. Too long, too meandering, too much Boris Johnson (ew).

A romance novel with a bit of grit which was refreshing. True love definitely doesn’t run smoothly for Coraline who meets Adam in a park when she rescues his young daughter from a lake.
Set to a backdrop of the uk in the 2010-2023 period, Adam is a political journalist so there is a lot of detail on what was going on in the country too.
Some parts drifted a bit, but overall a nice read.

An interesting read set against the backdrop of recent major events in Britain and the world. When Coralie needs to 'start fresh' her company transfers her out of Australia and into a rather lonely existence in London. Until she meets Adam and his darling daughter Zora, who steals her heart almost as completely as Adam does.
The book covers some really key moments in recent history and what it's like to be a woman saddled with domestic responsibilities in the face of Brexit and Covid. I really resonated with a couple of parts - like after Brexit, when Coralie is told 'stay not knowing for as long as you can' and as someone who lives on a different continent to the rest of her family, where her mother is terminally ill and she doesn't know how long she'll need to stay until she finally dies.
It has a lot of relatable moments as a mother but overall it just didn't grab me. I think I liked the supporting cast of characters more than Coralie. Worth a read but not my favourite. Many thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this from start to finish. So relatable, somehow even where it veered far from my own experience. Reminiscent of Coe's writing about the state of the nation, exploring how the undercurrent of politics affects family life. Brilliant.

I really wanted to describe this wonderfully readable and engaging book as state-of-the-nation but does that make it sound more serious, more grim, more po-faced than it really is? Because, at heart, this is a romantic love story between Coralie and Adam but also a love story between Coralie and all the other people Adam brings into her life – his daughter, his mother, his ex-wife, their own children. All conducted against ten tumultuous years in British history from 2013 to 2022.

Packed with Ephron-esque banter, CYK (as Coralie and Adam call it) is a bittersweet evocation of what it’s like to be an (Australian) immigrant caught between your ailing, difficult parents and your own young children, between your own needs to be a good writer, worker, sister, friend, daughter.

This year’s Sorrow and Bliss and very much a recommended read.

An enjoyable love story involving many facets of family life. Fairly recent politics are woven into the story as well as the pandemic.

Thank you to NetGalley, The Publisher & The Author, for allowing me to read an Advanced Reader Copy of Consider Yourself Kissed

A book about family life, the chaos that occurs and how each life stage is different but also the same for many. I’m a 23 year old who has never been through the life that the characters in Consider Yourself Kissed have. I for one really enjoyed this book, I had some good giggle, I got emotional, I got angry, I smiled when Coralie smiled. I felt sad for them. This book was genuinely just a book about life and the ups and downs. Definitely not my usual book at all however I must admit I have rather enjoyed it!

I now crave to be a 40yo Mother but unfortunately I’m a 23yo male so I guess I’ll just have to be a bloody good dad! Reading this has definitely opened up my eyes a little as has allowed me to look properly at how hard motherhood is. I give all power to any mothers out there because alongside a partner being obsessed with politics…I wouldn’t have even last a night!

Seriously though, I’ve had quite a nice read with this book which is always nice so I recommend this book!

This is a heartfelt debut that goes beyond the usual rom-com as it explores love, family, and identity over a 20 year period. Set in East London, the story follows Coralie and her life with Adam and his daughter Zora. Coralie is a relatable and imperfect character, and her journey feels real and emotional.

While the political references might not appeal to everyone, it’s a realistic and moving story about relationships and the challenges of adulthood.

This book started out with the meet cute and initial romance and I thought I knew the kind of book I was getting.

Set over 20 years from 2012, against the back drop of political change and lock downs. We follow the couple into their happy ever after. A real book about real people.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy to review

How is this a debut and how did it take me through all my loves and fears in one sitting - yes, I read this in one go and yes, it might have taken me less time if I didn’t have to pay attention to my silly little spreadsheets at work.
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I can’t even choose a favourite character, they’re all very relatable and become close to your heart as time passes. I absolutely loved Coralie, but I also adored Daniel and Zoe. The book made me cry, ‘awhhhh’, but also laugh and it made me want to know more about their future together as a family.
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Going into labour while the parliment is going mad however, that was not on my bingo card and I hope it stays on paper.
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A must-read for any east londoner, I’ll meet you at the dove for a chat. Thank you @hutchinson for the copy!

This book, for me, was kind of like watching reality TV. Not your classic romcom as there wasn’t much comedy nor romance, other than at the beginning and at the end. It was, how life is, especially those with blended families. I could identify with a lot of Coralie’s emotions, not only because of the blended family aspect but because of the reality of motherhood. Especially mothers who have to work, it’s incredibly difficult to try to be the perfect wife, the perfect mother, the perfect daughter (for me) and the perfect ……………. whatever your job is………………I remember it well! It’s tough and it’s hard not to lose yourself in the chaos of juggling all those balls and it’s hard not to feel resentful that so much falls in your lap, while your husband does his much more important (in his eyes) job while seeking praise for the odd spell of childcare. The characters were identifiable and likeable. I didn’t particularly like the political opinions involved but that’s more a personal thing for me. If you agreed with the politics that probably wouldn’t bother you.
I did get a bit bored in the middle where I felt it was a bit long winded. I got the feeling that it was being ‘padded out’, and I did at that point question why I was reading it, but having said that I didn’t at any point consider not finishing the book.
All in all it was a realistic tale of motherhood and married life, which, in itself is quite refreshing and reassuring - I do get tired of perfect people leading perfect lives with perfect partners, that’s a big plus for me.
As always my thanks go to the author, the publishers and to NetGalley for an advanced e.copy of this book.

A lovely book, really well written for a debut novel. It is about family life and gets very stressful in places. A nice easy read.

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

Consider yourself kissed by Jessica Stanley is an absolutely mesmerising book. Coralie can be found in any woman and especially mothers. Her story is beautifully presented and stretched across her life. We slowly understand her relationships with kids, husband, brother and father. It was one of the books for me that I was reading so very slowly as I didn't want it to finish. It's definitely a book worth reading. 5/5
Massive thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an early copy

Ahh, this was very cute! The political and Covid flashbacks gave me metaphorical hives, but I really loved this rundown of our recent history told through the eyes of Coralie and Adam’s suburbia. Their love and their story came first, and the rest just ~happened~ (it’s not primarily a Covid book). Loved it.