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.

This is a good story but a little long winded at times which felt unnecessary.

Not really my cup of tea.

CYK, shorthand for everything both right and wrong about the relationship between Coralie and Adam.
This is a deftly woven tale of a real relationship- beyond the trope of boy meets girl and into the messiness that makes up real relationships- montessori ambitions and all.
The blended family interactions work well and the outcome is a pleasing one!

There was a lot I really liked about this book (I read it in a day and a half so there is proof in the pudding as it were). The characters are great and it's a viscerally honest portrayal of family, relationships and motherhood. I also liked the fact it was set among so many episodes of recent history which helped to anchor it so much in reality (though very occasionally these felt a little too long and took me away from the story a little).

I did struggle with the number of exclamation marks. Of course there are times when they are needed but I do think less is more and especially early on I found it a bit off-putting.

SPOILER ALERT: While I liked the way the story ended and the event it leads up to worked brilliantly, the last couple of lines felt a bit rushed and therefore slightly unsatisfying. But I did enjoy it as a whole and would certainly recommend it as a really good read.

No love story takes place in a vacuum, and we are all affected by the world around us - its inequities, madnesses and moments of progress. Consider Yourself Kissed explores this in a way that few books do, and succeeds.

Australian Coralie meets Adam in the relatively normal (politically, anyway) days of 2013 (this is when I started dating my wife, also in East London, so I'm loving that), and their relationship blossoms in the exciting setting of Hackney's hipster restaurants and Broadway Market flats, where a small plate in a restaurant with lots of exposed brick and schoolroom chairs can set you back fifteen quid. Even Adam's sweet daughter from a previous marriage, Zora, feels like an additional blessing rather than a problem to be solved, though Coralie is very keenly aware that Zora isn't hers. But the thrill of first love doesn't last forever...

I couldn't put this book down, finding the beginning section to be the weakest in terms of why Coralie made the decisions she did (effectively forced into exile in expensive Clerkenwell by her sleazy boss, this was one of the few sections that didn't quite ring true) but I enjoyed the section particularly before Coralie's first child with Adam is born, and how she is forced to reckon on a daily basis with her 'failures' as a parent, daughter, mother and writer while Adam's star continues to rise. The ending felt a bit rushed, I wasn't sure if Coralie would ever be repaid for her sacrifices and the book starts on a cliffhanger it doesn't really end up earning - but as a depiction of grown-up love and life in London, seen through the eyes of a narrator and author who stands at a slight remove from the utter weirdness of English history and society, this novel is hard to beat.

This book starts like a classic rom-com with a typical rom-com setup: woman-lonely-lost, man-looks like Colin Firth (he has more significant traits but this one's sufficient, really.)

But this is not a rom-com, it goes beyond the first happy ending to follow the characters through many ups and downs over a decade. It is set against the backdrop of a turbulent time in British (and world) politics over the last decade. Jessica Stanley manages to integrate the political and the domestic in a way that feels intentional but not forced or hackneyed. The real strength of this book is its characters, including the secondary ones, who are lovable, interesting, and relatable.

This book is whip-smart, and I use this word with the full awareness that it's a "girl adjective" (you will understand if you pick up the book). It is funny, emotional, and feels nostalgic (possibly because the author doesn't shy away from references like Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones' Diary). To put it succinctly, I would describe Consider Yourself Kissed as a more romantic Sally Rooney for women in their 30s and 40s.

Gail is an Assistant Head at a private School but when the Head says she is going to retire Gail assumes she will get her job. Unfortunately the Head tells her that somebody else is in line along with another Assistant Head. Infact Gail lacks talking to people skills and should look for another job.
A real shock at 61 to be let go.
Her daughter however is getting married and her ex husband arrives to stay with her for a couple of days. She really is a locked in person who struggles with communicating with others.
How will she get through all this without worrying herself silly?

I found this story a bit messy - I got bogged down a bit in all of the detail of the characters’ lives. The premise is a good one - single Australian girl meets just-divorced London guy with a young daughter and all of the angst and soul-searching that goes along with it. The characters are middle-class and privileged with jobs in publishing and politics and we watch them living through familiar history as prime ministers come and go and COVID arrives. It’s a good novel but with too many unnecessary minutiae - however there is a beautiful love story at the heart of it all and the title sums it all up nicely.

A warm, perceptive and relatable book about a noisy, chaotic family with all their complications: parental baggage, Christmasses, quirks, sadness.
The title comes from a book Coralie was reading, where the male character signs off letters to his girlfriend "Consider yourself kissed." Coralie and Adam appropriate this and sign off from texts and other communications with "CYK." It's one of the things I loved about the book because most families have their own shorthand and phrases.
It's very much about a particular demographic: Hackney, Ocado orders, Montessori schools and so on. The first part has Coralie and Adam meeting and falling in love, with lots of exclamation marks.
They move in together and we follow them through births, lockdowns amidst a backdrop of politics. Adam is a political writer, podcaster and journalist. Their lives are vibrant with family members and friends: Coralie's sinister father in Australia, who still signs himself "Dad" in brackets; the two gay grannies; the larger than life husband of Coralie's brother.
Coralie becomes fragmented and descends into depression. She longed for two children but she craves time on her own, to write a book. She resents Adam for being able to follow his dreams professionally. She feels guilt for having a seemingly perfect life, but being dissatisfied. I felt like punching the air when stepdaughter Zora finally told Coralie to get a grip. And she did.
I'd like to go through the next 20 years of their life.

Just this moment finished this and can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed it. Coralie is a beautifully complex character that I really felt for. Going on her journey of sorrow and motherhood, mixed in with politics, was a real emotional ride. It’s a read in one sitting and whilst trying not to give too much away, I kinda saw the little bit before the ending coming - Coralie was emotionally damaged at the start and I never really saw her as “fixed” throughout.
Anyway, it is a stunning read and keeps you enthralled throughout.

On first glance this book wouldn't be something I'd pick up but am so glad I requested this. A brilliant witty tender look at life and the choices we make. Loved the London setting over the dual timelines, found the characters engaging, the plot thought provoking and overall I found this book hard to put down. Fans of David Nichols will really enjoy this

This whole book was a delight. Funny, wise and very moving. This story of Coralie - an Australian in London - and her life over the course of ten years as she builds her family, and loses herself is compassionately and humorously told.

A gorgeous and realistic trip through the realities of being an adult. The characters feel so real and fleshed out. Cover is great too!

I was planning on reading something else, then I was spontaneously drawn to this book – and how perfect because it's set in London Fields, which is literally right where I was headed as I was reading it! I read this in a day, partly thanks to train journeys, but also because it's such an easy and engaging read. Jessica Stanley did a great job of depicting that little slice of Hackney, of capturing the real world and giving a flavour of the years she writes about, and of writing the big family scenes and dynamics (writing about children was particularly well-done!) The only things I wasn't so keen on is Adam himself (everyone blurbing this describes it as a literary rom-com but is it??) and how heavily politics is featured. I don't think the book needed full-on quoted paragraphs from British politicians and quite so much discussion of what was going on in the news, it didn't really add anything for me.