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.

What a total honour it was to read and enjoy this book! Fabulously written by Chloe as always; a hugely enjoyable read.

I have loved everything that this author writes and this was no exception. My favourite romance author and I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Adorable banter, soft and intimate moments and so much understanding and trust between the characters.

Will and Juliet have my whole heart. I adored their relationship from start to finish. I recently discovered this is the third book in the series, which means I have two more to look forward to. This was the sweetest slow-burn romance novel, featuring excellent characters, pacing and a delightful vibe. It was filled with great characters and for me, relatable situations.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers

This was such a sweet ending to the Wilmot Sisters. The instant chemistry between Juliet and Will was so good and the way that it simmered throughout was so well done. I thought the overall concept was really fun and was an interesting angle of kind of fake dating that had such a good pay off. The quiet, yet powerful, development of both the characters as they found their way together was both sweet and steamy. This book had me hooked from the beginning and kept me there until the swoonworthy ending.

💓 practice dating
💓 mutual pining
💓 found family
💓 neurodivergent & chronic illness rep

This book is adorable! Juliet & Will are both hesitant about entering into the dating market, so decide to go on a series of practice dates before trying their hands at the real thing. They are both such green flags that you can’t help but root for them throughout this book 😭🫶🏼

The premise of the “practice dating” in this one does feel a little silly, because they are wildly attracted to each other from day one, and get along so so well! But I didn’t mind that and still really enjoyed this book - you will find yourself kicking your feet with cuteness 🥲 I absolutely loved the found family that has grown over this series too - truly one of my favourite tropes 🫶🏼

I’ve read 6 of Chloe’s books now and I find I feel the same way about them - they are such easy & speedy reads, have amazing rep, they are all so tender & cute (whilst still having great spice!)

3.5 stars

I hadn’t read any of the other stories in this series but didn’t feel this hindered my reading experience at all so this can definitely be read as a standalone.

The story features a great supporting cast, and if you’ve read the rest of the series I can imagine you’ll enjoy the connection to characters that have already been introduced.

I did feel like things moved a little bit too quick for me to feel fully invested in the romance, I would have liked a slightly slower burn but if this is your kind of trope you’ll love this, however I enjoyed that there was no third act breakup which is always a win for me.

If you’re after a cosy romantic story with neurodivergent representation and a bit of spice, this will hit the spot for you.

Once Smitten Twice Shy, the final book in the Wilmot Sisters series is / has:
🥃 F/M romance, Twelth Night retelling - with a few elements of Romeo & Juliet
📖 Represention: autistism (MMC), mixed connective tissue disease (FMC), celiac disease (FMC)
🥃 Romance practice
📖 Opposites attract: grumpy / sunshine
🥃 Third book in the The Wilmot Sisters series. (I do recommend reading this series in order, Once Smitten has a long epilogue, which is more impactful if you’ve read the previous books).

This was a good end to the Wilmot Sisters series, I’ve loved how the series is inspired by different Shakespeare plays. In short Once Smitten Twice Shy is swoony and gentle romance, which is paced excellently and laced with mutual pining.
What I liked:
•I’ve said it before, and I’m going to again, Liese always writes diverse characters (I think she is an exemplar for this in the romance genre). Again in this book this is most notable from a health perspective and representing neurodivergence. Jules has two chronic conditions, both diagnosed in adulthood, and I thought the book was great at exploring her navigating her new normal (from setting new boundaries to managing bad days). Plus Will sharing his needs because he is neurodivergent, and Jules facilitating that, was lovely.
•In part the above, alongside their growing friendship and romance practice, meant the relationship had honest and open communication (which I love to read!) that allowed character progression independently and together - this equalled an invested me.
•I adore Will, for many reasons. He is a gentle red haired MMC (we need more red haired male leads in romance books in my opinion), he blushes, and knows how to do a fancy dress theme!
•The romcom references, particularly How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days - always welcome.
But…
•I wanted to see more of Will interacting with those around him he is close to, his family, dog and Christopher. I think because Jules’ family and friendships are explored in detail mainly through two previous books setting this up (her sisters are part of the same friendship group), introducing a new character as the MMC meant this contrasted a little too much for me.

🌟 4/5
🌶️ 2/5

genre: contemporary romance
pov: dual

tropes:
✨ friends to lovers
✨ opposites attract
✨ practice dating
✨ introvert x extrovert

I think this might have been my favourite from the Wilmot sister series.

Will is a shy, socially awkward softie!! Oldest sibling and brother to 4 sisters, and he definitely gives off that energy. I think his autism and difficulties with reading social cues and subtext was written so well. I love the representation that Chloe Liese weaves so deeply into her characters and their stories.

Juliet is protecting herself after heartbreak, but it was so beautiful to see her be brave. Those doubts swam down the river of thoughts and didn’t latch on. I loved how fully she believed in what Will was saying.

They were so sweet with the pinky promises and agreeing to wobble together 🥹 they were both so understanding of each others mental and physical well-being and aware of it without putting heavy burdening focus on it.

It felt so realistic and representative of those first few months of falling in love. Stumbling your way through, nothing like the movies. But there were still romantic swoony moments in there too.

Overall, a great story to finish the journey of learning about this wholesome group of people 😌

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for access to an e-arc of this title.
This is the third book in a series. However, as with a lot of romance series, it is interconnected standalone from what I can tell. I have not read the first two books in this series.
I enjoyed this title. It is a fun and cute romance that is actually romantic and not just steamy. Although the steam is ok the romantic elements and the disability rep within well written characters is what I was really impressed with. Even after the slightly rough start to the book (I personally don't vibe with instant attraction or with meetings that don't seem like they would happen), I found the characters relatable, interesting, and sweet). I was rooting for them and enjoyed the interactions they had throughout the story. I don't always vibe with romantic scenes but I actually really enjoyed them in this because they seemed to fit the characters really well. I liked that they both had respect and built actual friendship within the romantic relationship. The disability rep I really appreciated overall too. It can be difficult to show disabilities within fiction, but apart from a little bit of telling and not showing, and forgetting to show the adaptations during sex, I really liked the disability rep.
I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO... readers that are looking for a fun and flirty romance, enjoys actual romance and friendship with some steam, Likes characters that you want to hang out with in real life.

This was my first Chloe Liese book and unfortunately I was left disappointed. This book felt very imamture and the characters were severely unlikeable. I personally dont like the insta-love trope but this was that trope to the extreme