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.

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.