I have to say this was my least favourite book of Chloe's so far - I just didn't fully buy into the romance of this, and I felt the pacing was off with their "practicing" morphing into a real relationship.

This series is so warm and comforting, and I was so happy to finally see Juliet get her own story. This is a story of healing and learning to trust again and I think the author handled it beautifully. Juliet is so sweet and deserving of love, and then to have Will as the MMC - he's so quiet and unassuming and I loved them together. I loved the glimpses we had of the characters from the previous books, and seeing how they're getting on. The pacing is a bit slow at times, but overall this was so sweet, and I'm so sad to be leaving this family behind.

This was an ok read for me! If you love friends to lovers, slow burn romance you will enjoy this one. Hope to check out more books from this author :)

Thank you to Chloe Liese and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Once Smitten, Twice Shy" is the third and final book in 'The Wilmot Sisters' series. This follows Juliet (a woman who has previously left an abusive relationship), and Will, a neurodivergant man who struggles with love. They devise a plan to 'practise' love, going on dates and just being together.

One thing I love about this book was the diversity in it; there was quite a few LGBTQ+ side characters, but our main characters were also diverse as well. Juliet has celiac disease and also connective tissue disease - the book talks about how difficult it is to find places that would accommodate her dietary needs, it also shows how difficult it is to live with a chronic illness.

Our main male character Will has autism and the book is very focused on the struggles associated with having autism - such as loud noises, touch difficulties, sensory issues and things like that.

Will and Juliet take care of each other so beautifully; Will respects and understands Juliet's needs with her health conditions, he doesn't coddle her or treat her like she's fragile. Juliet understands Will's needs as a neurodivergant man, but she doesn't treat him any differently. They respect each others boundaries and they respect each other.

I think this is one of the healthiest romance couples I've read about to this day. There were a couple of issues here and there, but that's normal in relationships - they worked together to solve the issues.

As individual characters, I love them so much and I relate to them. They work so well together!

I haven't read book one or two in the series, however I plan on reading them as soon as I can! I would recommend reading them in order. This book was so good, I can only imagine that the first two will be just as good.

I loved every single character in this story, all of the side characters and previous main characters. It was such a healthy and positive environment. We had a wlw couple, we had a mlm couple, we had so many different types of characters. It was a beautiful book with amazing characters, easily a 5🌟 read for me.

No notes, just perfect.

But seriously now - The neurospicy rep? The chronic illness rep? The Shakespeare retelling? This book was calling my name. And it did not disappoint! Chloe Liese is officially on my autobuy list.

This was a light and fun read with only a smattering of angst. I hadn't read the earlier Wilmot Sister books and picked this up for something a little different, and it was! I loved the neurodiversity and chronic illness reps in this book because I always feel like I learn something. It was also fun to make the connections with Twelfth Night and other Shakespere items eg the Montague neighbour. However the spice felt a little forced and out of place, even though it was well written. Maybe it was a late edition to the book?

Big thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK and Chloe Liese for a copy of this book. This is my honest review.

I was so thankful for being given the opportunity to read this book, I have loved this series and cannot wait to buy this one physically, I love Chloe’s writing style and the representation that she brings with each book. This is definitely my new favourite of the series .

I love how this author is so inclusive with her characters and usually enjoy her books, but i struggled with this one a bit. Maybe it wasn't the right time to read it, but I didn't feel the pull to pick it up.
The premise was fun with both characters helping each other to give romance another try and the last third was good, so I'm glad I did keep going.

ˋ°•*⁀➷ Tropes

🎀 Reimagining of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
🎀 Star crossed lovers
🎀 Romance practice lessons
🎀 Grumpy x sunshine
🎀 Neurodivergent rep
🎀 Chronic illness rep

This was a super sweet read and had amazing representation!

Juliet and Will's relationship was tender and wholesome. Will complimented Juliet perfectly as he is such a sweet human being and took the time to appreciate her. She definitely deserved it after the toxic relationship she came out of. It was the small moments between them that won me over. Neither Will or Juliet are perfect but they have self-awareness and are trying to heal.

The portrayal of chronic illness and disability was conveyed in a meaningful way. You can tell Chloe poured her heart out on these pages to offer much needed representation.

Unfortunately, I did struggle staying engaged because the internal dialogue was very long and it took me out of the moments I enjoyed between Juliet and Will. There wasn't much development in the story plot wise as the relationship developed early on.

Overall, this is a cute, cozy romance that you can enjoy if you're in the mood for something with a slower pace.

✨ Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

The perfect edition to the Wilmot sisters series. Juliet and Will are so incredibly sweet and their love story was a joy to read and follow. The connection is so well written, with the perfect amount of spice thrown in. Sheer perfection!

This wasnt my first read from Chloe Liese so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. I love her books and I can really recommend Once Smitten, Twice Shy along with her other work, a great escape from real life

Do you believe in Serendipity? Juliet once a hopeless romantic has sworn off love after heartbreak, but when she keeps accidentally crossing paths with Will Orsino, the gorgeous, off-limits guy, she can't resist the urge to revisit romance, purely for practice though.

Will Orsino is quiet and shy and really doesn't foresee a happy ever after anytime in his near future. The problem is that marriage is for the sake of his family business, at least.

With neither Jules or Will looking for love, they agree to practice romancing each other in preparation for meeting the right person, but as the saying goes, practice makes perfect and it's not long before the attraction between them becomes irrestible.

This is the first book in the Wilmot sister series I've read, and I definitely want to go back and read the rest because I absolutely adored this one. The whole practising romance really worked, and I found both Juliet and Will such great characters. The only thing I would say is this is very sweet. There's not much angst or yearning, and there's no conflict, so if you like your romance with that, then be aware you won't find that here. What you will find is a beautifully inclusive romance that had me giggling and kicking my feet! There's always some neurodivergent representation or chronic illness rep in Chloe's books, and she does it so well. I can't recommend this book or, in fact, any of Chloe's books enough! I'm terrible at keeping up with series, but she's definitely one of my favourite romance authors.

This was an incredibly sweet romance from Chloe Liese, and a satisfying close to the Wilmot Sisters trilogy!
Juliet and Will are both lovely characters. In the first instalment of the trilogy, we see the relationship that she’s recovering from and know just how bad it was, so I was cheering for her to continue her journey to healing and to embrace a healthy love from the start. Will is just such a sweetheart, and he and Juliet show each other so much grace and respect throughout. There’s a lot of genuine care and kindness there, and it felt like seeing your friend who’s had terrible luck in love find their person and get their happy ending.
That being said, like other readers mention, I found the conflict in the way of Juliet and Will forming a relationship a little contrived and drawn out. I don’t think it’s completely unjustified, but that the framing of it felt a little weak – it could have been sketched out in terms of Juliet knowing what she wanted and Will not being completely sure, or of them needing more time to recover from their past wounds, but this at times came off like they were putting off acknowledging their obvious and instant attraction/connection for no good reason. That being said, Chloe Liese’s slow burns always deliver in satisfying, well-written spice once the characters do get together, and this was no exception.
I found that this was the book in the trilogy that took the least from its source material, which was a little bit disappointing – Twelfth Night is such a beloved Shakespeare comedy and for good reason. The nods to it (and to She’s the Man) were absolutely delightful when they cropped up, so it’s really a case of me wishing there had been more of them.
Realistically this is more of a 3.5, but NetGalley doesn’t have half-stars! As always, the representation was beautifully done, and it’s always so warming to step into a world that’s a bit kinder and more inclusive than our current reality. Kudos to Chloe Liese, I’ll be keeping an eye out for her future projects.

Once Smitten, Twice Shy is a modern interpretation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night that explores themes of neurodivergence, chronic illness, and self-acceptance. It is also an incredibly sweet story! I enjoyed experiencing Jules and Will's love story as they learned to trust each other and themselves.

I loved the start of the story, and I found myself giggling out loud at many of the cute moments. However, I felt that the stakes were so low throughout that I didn't feel as gripped as I expected from such a strong start. Each character had their own personal hills to climb (which created many wholesome moments), but the lack of external pressure made me sometimes question why they were so hesitant to love each other. Despite this, I thought that Chloe Liese approached each character with sensitivity. There were some great moments where Will and Jules made modifications for each other to ensure that the other was comfortable. It was brilliant to see.

This was a sweet and simple love story that I would recommend to anyone looking for a low stakes romance with excellent representation. Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK | Piatkus for providing this e-ARC for an honest review.

Thanks for my earc of this book. I love Chloe liese books and enjoyed the first 2 Wilmot sister books.
It was nice to be back in this universe but I had forgotten most of the other sisters’ stories!
I thought the story was sweet and the characters enjoyable to read. I didn’t find myself obsessed but I did look forward to picking the book back up again. I found a few things frustrating: some of the dialogue was a bit long-winded and twee/cheesy and some stuff surpassed serendipity and required you to suspend belief at times, which I don’t mind but it was quite noticeable and made me eye roll 😂
Overall an easy & enjoyable read but not a huge stand out for me. I’d recommend to romance lovers though!

I loved reading Shakespeare's Twelfth Night many years ago so I was very excited and pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this reimagining,

A light-hearted, humorous, and emotional romance story that puts a modern twist on a classic. It is a sweet, steamy, and swoon-worthy love story.

I am so sad this is the end of this series as I have really loved following the Wilmot sisters. The author never fails to be inclusive and this book is no exception, the neurodivergent & disability rep were prominent throughout and tackled with respect.

I'll be honest I didn't enjoy the second book as much as the first, but I still wanted to give the third a chance. Unfortunately this book fell a little flat for me.

This one so very tender. I enjoyed seeing their growth, the way they care for each other and support each other. I loved Juliet’s strength as she navigates her chronic illness and figuring out when to have a break and when to ask for help, and when to push through. Will is so down bad so fast and we love a man obsessed. Also a s a fan of She’s The Man I adored all the nods to the movie. Thoroughly enjoyed, and a wonderful ending to this series.

Liese has concluded her Wilmont Sisters trilogy beautifully with this cozy and cute fake-dating insta-love reimagined romance. For fans of B.K. Borison’s Lovelight series.

Once Smitten, Twice Shy is the 3rd book in The Wilmot Sisters series about the oldest sister Juliet. You could say that finding this was “serendipitous” (iykyk). It is a tragedy (no, not the book!) that I have not read the other two sooner! Her other sisters, Bea (from Book 1) and Kat (Book 2) and their beaus, feature in this book. I love their humour and the heart-to-heart they eventually all have near the end is so sweet! Liese really captures the essence of sisterhood, as it reminds me of my sister.

The title is so fitting and I love it. The expression “once smitten twice shy” essentially means that you have had a negative experience and now are cautious because of it. Both our main characters have this: Juliet is wary of starting a new relationship thanks to the trauma from her previous one and Will is very self-conscious and worried because none of his previous attempts at dating has got past the third date. It is so heartwarming that they both help each other heal, and this therefore has a special place in my heart. There is nothing better than coming out of a toxic relationship into a healthy one, although there can be some insecurities that show.

This is a reimagining of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” which is unique, but actually the story’s weakest element. Other than some names and the fact the story begins in December, this is nothing like the original. I expected a few quotes from the play, a plot closer to the original, and far more counterpart characters. I am well aware a reimagining is different from a retelling as a reimagining has far more creative liberties but this just felt like false advertising. I expected the plot to be that Will wants to practice with Juliet so he can try and get Olivia to be his wife. There are some excellent references to other Shakespearean works, though, like “Romeo and Juliet” (from Juliet's name to the fact Will himself strives to become a Romeo character, able to be bold and say poetic romantic things).

I think representation is so important in stories these days, and what Chloe Liese has covered here has been amazing! We get the representation of chronic conditions and neurodiversity through Juliet and Will respectively.

The thing I adored the most was the fact these two, who are in their 30s, communicate! I’m quite shocked by this haha because there are so many stories where characters simply don’t act their age and it gives high school drama vibes. It makes a refreshing change having them in their 30s, as characters in most romances are either in their late teens or early twenties.