A pleasant enough read but not really my cup of tea. I think this will really appeal to women with families/children as it may be quite relatable.

Long winded in some areas and I couldn’t connect with the characters but I would still recommend it as there is a good political backdrop and some elements are enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I did enjoy this but found it very slow paced. The backdrop was either explored too much or too little in my opinion. There was a raw honesty about the characters which was appealing and some flashes of humour and pathos as well as lots of relatable moments as a parent. Thank you for the review copy.

This isn’t my usual genre; I rarely read romance titles. But I’m pleased I read this. It’s Charlie and Adam’s story, told over approximately a decade and it’s a story of our time. I’m sure many will relate to some of the circumstances and both characters are plausible. Jessica Stanley’s take is filled with sharp observation about people, how they interact, motivation and more. It’s not action packed, but it’s filled with insight and there’s humour. To my surprise, I became invested in both; I wanted things to work out. Very well written and very refreshing.

Enjoyable and truly relatable read. Charting Coralie and Adams relationship through time..with all aspects of family relationships covered.. Generally a satisfying read... although relevant to the story I didn't enjoy the political content and tended to gloss over it.

A gem of a book that is tender and joyful, I loved every moment of this. Coralie is a wonderfully drawn character, and while it is a love story (CYK!) it is also a story about coming of age and acceptance of self. It also felt deeply nostalgic and funny, and I loved the tenderness of the relationships, romantic and platonic, but particularly between stepmother and stepdaughter and brother and sister. It's the kind of book you want to share with everyone.

A story about mixed families, a young Australian writer running to the UK to get away from a bad relationship and bumping into a single dad with a lovely very young daughter . Love blossoms between Coralie and Adam, she moves in with him, she becomes pregnant, they don't marry at first, then she has a second child. Zora the child from Adam's past relationship is constantly in their home. Coralie is invariably working from home for the first few years of having the young ones around. Adam's job is getting busy and his career takes off, he's a political journalist, so plenty of very busy times and these affect the relationship and Coralie.
Very descriptive writing and one is swept up in the drama and the politics of the time.
Things eventually work out after Coralie has a minor breakdown and Adam eventually proposes - after 10years of being together!

perfect mix of funny, sad, romantic—i loved this very much. felt a moment of startled recognition as someone who also read i capture the castle and bonjour tristesse in the same adolescent summer. RIYL laurie colwin, that ann patchett book about the pandemic, or books where everybody texts like you actually text!

Domestic fiction which centres
around the day to day life of Coralie, an Australian living in London with her husband and three children, one of whom is the excellent Zora, Coralie’s stepdaughter.

Spanning an eventful decade from 2013 to 2023 with a political backdrop which ranges from Brexit to the pandemic, not to mention five different UK prime ministers, this is a different take on a classic romance or domestic fiction novel.

When Coralie meets Adam she is in her (very) late 20s and it starts off like any other meet-cute, but with added flat swapping!

I enjoyed discovering the reason for Coralie’s move to live in London, this gives some clues to her nature. Additionally you also gradually learn about her family. Coralie’s father and Adam’s mother are very interesting characters. I enjoyed them both immensely.

By the end of the novel Coralie, her friends and family are very clearly defined and feel like old friends.
Consider Yourself Kissed could be adapted into a TV series. If well written and cast, it would be good.

A satisfying read with likable characters. This is one which will probably particularly resonate with working mothers of young children.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Coralie and Adam have a good relationship until they have children. Adam's high powered job means he has little time to spend at home helping out , Coralie feels invisible. Difficult relationships with other family members. Can they find a way to overcome the problems? Heart rending, so true to life. Hard to put down to see how they manage to cope.

Jessica Stanley’s Consider Yourself Kissed is a tender and relatable exploration of love, family, and the quiet complexities of everyday life.

The story follows Coralie as she moves from Australia to London, where she begins a passionate and seemingly perfect relationship with Adam, a divorced father to the charming four-year-old Zora.

Their love story is heartwarming and beautifully written, capturing the euphoria of new love and the hope of building a life together.

One of the book's strengths is its nuanced portrayal of modern family dynamics.

Adam and his ex-wife Marina co-parent Zora with admirable maturity and fairness, offering a refreshing depiction of divorce and shared parenting. However, as life evolves - with Coralie and Adam welcoming their own children and grappling with the demands of work, family, and societal expectations - the story delves into the less glamorous realities of domestic life.

Coralie’s struggles are depicted with raw honesty.

Her resentment builds as she shoulders the burden of running a household and raising children, while Adam, a political commentator, becomes increasingly consumed by his work.

Stanley captures Coralie’s inner conflict beautifully: the push and pull between love and frustration, between gratitude for her family and a simmering sense of personal sacrifice. These emotions will resonate with anyone who has felt the relentless pressures of family life.

The generational tensions add another layer of depth, particularly when Coralie’s father visits from Australia. His outdated parenting ideals clash painfully with Coralie’s modern approach, leading to moments that are both excruciating and all too real.

Stanley’s writing shines in its ability to make the ordinary feel profound.

This book is a poignant reminder of how life can creep up on us, how dreams and ambitions can be quietly sidelined by the daily grind. It’s not a dramatic or plot-driven story, but its power lies in its relatability and emotional authenticity.

Overall, Consider Yourself Kissed is a thoughtful and engaging read, offering a realistic portrayal of love, family, and the challenges that come with balancing it all.

Stanley invites readers to reflect on their own lives, making this novel not only a story to enjoy but also one to ponder long after the final page.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely read and I enjoyed the dual time aspects. Great sympathetic characters and lovely story. It was good to be shown that love doesn't mean that life is always smooth.

Consider Yourself Kissed is an absorbing family drama made even more interesting by the political background in the time frame that it’s set.
None of us particularly want to remember the harrowing times of Covid and the lockdowns but I did find that reading this part of the book to be a cathartic experience.
That period of time is only part of the story, there is so much more besides. We first meet Coralie, an Australian living in London, in 2013 where she has quite a dramatic meeting with Adam and his young daughter, Zora in Victoria Park. From then onwards I felt I knew Coralie so well as I was taken along with her life for the next ten years. Coralie is a warm, likeable young woman who over those ten years has to navigate being a step parent, a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend whilst still feeling ties to her native country, Australia. This is set in a turbulent political time of several General Elections, Brexit and Covid, all particularly important to the story as Coralie’s partner Adam is a political journalist. I felt that this was handled so well as this all simmered in the background of all our lives over this period.
If the political background of the story sounds a little heavy and depressing, this book wasn’t at all and I found myself in tears of laughter in many parts of the book. There are some unforgettable characters in this book. I really enjoyed it and it definitely deserves my first 5 stars of 2025. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for a free proof copy of this book. The opinions are all my own.

My rating is probably a 3.5 but feeling generous. It was a sweet story with some novel angles but something was missing for me. Its not quite a love story, in fact there were moments I felt quite frustrated with the romantic relationship and the expectation that the woman (not even the child's mother) should assume parental responsibilities. Its also had large portions dedicated to political commentary which is not really my thing. That said, it was well written with lovely attention to characterizations and UK vs Australian details.

I devoured this book. When I wasn't reading, I was constantly thinking about Coralie and her family.
The characters surrounding her - friends, family, extended family, and her children, were all so realistic. It was a really relatable book about losing yourself and your passions in your relationship and in the early years of motherhood, and trying to find your way back again. Set against the backdrop of Brexit and Covid, it has really captured the uniqueness of the last few years.

Probably more a 3.5⭐️ to be fair, I liked it but obviously wasn’t as taken with it as other readers. It’s well written and I enjoyed the time span and the politics involved but didn’t feel particularly invested in the characters and the book hasn’t stayed in my mind as others have.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and to the author for your work.

This was a heartfelt read, and one that I sometimes loved and sometimes struggled with. As someone the same age as "present day" Coralie, There were moments of real recognition - and I had to stop reading for a while when I was reading the covid section - but there were also moments where I completely didn't relate. I think my friends who are parents will appreciate big parts of this book more than I did.

Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley is a heartfelt exploration of love, family, and the complexities that come with navigating both personal and public upheaval. The story follows Coralie, who, when she first meets Adam, is a newcomer to London, feeling adrift and unsure of where she fits in. Adam, charming, witty, and just a touch taller than the average British male, quickly captures Coralie’s attention. His daughter, Zora, is the icing on the cake, adding to his appeal and making it clear that he’s not just a man to be admired but someone with a life full of heart.

As the book moves forward, spanning a decade marked by political instability, including the five Prime Ministers and the upheaval of Brexit and Covid, the couple's life unfolds in parallel with the tumultuous times. The highs and lows of their relationship mirror the societal changes around them. A decade on, however, Coralie finds herself reflecting on the life she and Adam have built together and realising that something important is missing, though she can’t quite put her finger on it. Has she truly gained everything she dreamed of, or has she lost something vital along the way?

Stanley masterfully combines the intimate struggles of her characters with the larger, shared challenges of a changing world. The soap opera-like events in their personal lives—the quirks, the family dramas, the Christmases, the baggage—are set against the background of a society in constant flux. This clever juxtaposition creates a relatable and poignant narrative that speaks to the ways in which our personal lives are often shaped and overshadowed by the larger events around us.

The characters are drawn with warmth and depth. Coralie is particularly relatable, her internal struggles speaking to anyone who has ever questioned whether they’ve compromised too much in the pursuit of stability and success. Adam is not without his own flaws, but his dedication to his daughter and his complex relationship with Coralie create a rich dynamic. Zora, though a child, adds a sense of innocence and hope to the mix, grounding the family unit in a way that feels real and heartfelt.

Consider Yourself Kissed is an engaging and thought-provoking book about the messiness of love, the complications of family life, and the quiet losses that often go unnoticed until it’s too late. It’s a warm, perceptive story that will resonate with readers who enjoy character-driven narratives with a touch of humour and a lot of heart. Whether you’re navigating your own family’s complexities or simply looking for a relatable, enjoyable read, this book offers both entertainment and emotional depth.

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From the title I was expecting a gentle rom com and I was pleasantly surprised when it was a rom of sorts, but also so much more. Politics, motherhood, marriage, mental health, family are all big themes in this book. Covering a span of years marked by different PMs and ending post-Covid this was a very - what’s the opposite of nostalgic? - read. I felt at a loss when I finished it.

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.