Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I loved a short and sweet novella and this one filled that void. Was it the best love story I've ever read? No. But was it fun? Sure!
Evelyn Davis has been away from her hometown for 10 years, running away from her mistakes. When she's called back for their annual Kiss Lottery, she answers that call figuring the content will be good for her social media platform. But she secretly hopes to reconnect with her BFF, Beckett Whitfield who made her the villain in his most recent book, and find out just why he did it. Despite the time and distance, neither has forgotten the other, and their connection brings them closer the more time they spend together in their home town. Will the connection lead to a second chance for their love?
Evelyn was a likeable enough character. I could see where people would connect with her. She was a bit whiny for my taste. I did feel badly she really didn't have any family to speak of and how hard that would be to come back home and not have anyone on her side. There was a lot of her telling us about her past, though we did get a few flashbacks, as well. But I needed more showing of her story. Beckett was not as developed, in my opinion. I needed a bit more from his character. It's been 10 years and he's still pining? and she never knew? I just don't feel that being a real thing. I needed more about him and who he is. Plus their age didn't really vibe with their persona on the page. They felt much younger than almost 30 year olds. Overall, the character development was lacking for me. As was the chemistry. They kind of fall back into each other but I never really felt the build I needed to have it happen. And the sex scene was just not my cup of tea.
This story was great for a quick, romantic Valentine's day read. Very predictable and just a bit cheesey. The author did a nice enough job building the world and wrapping up the story in the short span of the story. It could have used a bit more character development as I didn't feel much connection or empathy for either main character. I could definitely see this as a full length novel and think the development would have been better had it been such. If you're a lover of Hallmark stories, this one will definitely fill that slot. This is my first time reading this author and I can see she has great bones for romance books. I would definitely pick up her other books and give them a try.

The kiss lottery is about Everly who is returning to her hometown after leaving town years ago. Everly gets anonymous invite to come back to town to film her podcast. In town, everly runs into her ex-best friend Beckett. Everly and Beckett were very close when they were younger and had a bad falling out. Everly and Beckett are both entered in the town's Kissing lottery. Everly and Beckett start to reconnect and finally sort out their past issues. The ending seemed a little rushed. I did enjoy Everly and beckett.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me, I felt the relationships between characters too unrealistic and I was not able to engage with the setting or the premise of a lottery. It was easy to follow though.

This book was addictive— the way the plot unravelled made me want to keep reading. The characters were well-structured, had dimension, and shared amazing chemistry.
The book presents us with a small mystery that we feel compelled to solve, though deep in our hearts we already knew the answer. Everly portrays herself as tough but turns out to be a softie, which made me relate to her. Beckett is a softie through and through— he can't fool me. Their long-lasting romance perfectly complements the plot, and their sweet history melts my heart. The spicy scenes were well-written and made me swoon.
I'm giving this 4.5 stars because something felt missing, though I can't quite put my finger on what. The fact that the plot wasn't solely focused on their love story helped push this rating above 3 stars.

This story is funny and lovely. I read it in two days and, at the end, I feel like I'll miss Rose people.
Beckett is such a cinnamon roll...

This is a quick read but it is a feel good story. It is dual POV between Everly and Beckett which I felt tells the story nicely. I feel like there could have been more detail with Everly and her family back story but all in all it was a cute story with a second chance that turned out well.

I enjoyed immensely this 5 star story so much that I pretty much binged read it.

Everly returns to her home after being away for years. She gets a mysterious invite to the Kiss Lottery. Beckett and her were secretly in love with each other but neither had acknowledged it. Is Cupid playing match making?

It was a funny, lighthearted and heartfelt story. One I devoured. I loved all the amazing characters that played a role in making this story entertaining. There was some unresolved issues for both of them that needed to be worked out. Beautifully written with a seamless plot. Bottomline this is a must read.

Standalone told in a dual POV with an HEA. I strongly recommended this story.

Sweet second chance romance . Relationship between the H and h was beautiful. The side characters were interesting too . Quick and easy read. Kept me captivated. Love this author. And this book did not disappoint. Recommend reading it. Hopefully it is book 1 of many. Would Iove to read about the other characters and their

I really enjoyed this one! I believe it's a total stand alone, and not terribly long. It took some turns that I did not expect, which were different and I liked, even if it took me a minute to see the reasoning. Honestly, I'm hoping there are other books to follow, because it wasnt enough. These seem like a fun group of friends, and I'd love to see more.

Thank you so much to Montlake, Isla Madden-Mills and NetGalley for the ARC.

This novella is the perfect Valentine's read.

It gave me full nostalgia vibes with a few mysteries thrown in for good measure.
As an avid fan of Isla's, I knew I would enjoy this story going in, and she didn't disappoint.
Everly fled the small town of Rose, Tennessee after graduating high school and hasn't returned. Now pulled back by The Kiss Lottery, a tradition in Rose where single people put their names in the hat to be randomly drawn and paired up with another for Valentine's Day. She receives a mysterious invitation to this event and has no idea who it could be from.
Upon her arrival back in Rose feathers begin to ruffle as old high school dramas reemerge. And past crushes reignite.
Add in a ghost who is haunting the local Tarot card reader wanting assurance that her love led a happy life after she died in the 1918 Flu Pandemic and you have a deliciously cozy small-town read.

Note there is 'light' spice, only a couple of scenes, no third-act break up and a HEA.

A cute valentines novella

It wasn’t my favorite by this author. I do wish it was longer and a little more in depth. It was still a cute fast read and perfect for an afternoon read.

I love the way everly & Beckett got the chance to clear the air after many years of hurt. The activities surrounding the Kiss Lottery were fun & added fun chances for everly & Beckett to “run into each other” I liked that they weren’t all up in arms for a majority of the story, they had the “confrontation” and then things were awkward until they talked things out.

Overall this is a cute vday read. I kinda wished it was more focused on the Kiss Lottery OR them working through their feelings in a different way. It felt like a lot was going on. And I don’t really understand why she went back after leaving the way she did, I don’t think having her podcast cover the event & getting an invite was enough for her to return. She should’ve just owned that she wanted to see Beckett, imo.

What a fun and just downright lovely Valentine’s Day novella.

The small town, Tennessee vibes are spot on and the friends/ side characters are fun and quirky. Beckett and Everly are perfect together and their road back to one another is fun, sentimental, funny and boy can Beckett grovel. Their road back to each other is perfect.

It’s a quick read but well worth the time. And let me reiterate it is spot on for how small Tennessee towns, and the people who live there, operate. I loved every second!

3 ⭐

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Montlake and Ilsa Madden-Mills for providing me with an arc copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was a short and sweet Valentine's day novella, about two childhood best friends that reconnect after 10 years without seeing or talking to each other. Since it's quite short this felt very surface level, and I think the multiple storylines didn't help and maybe having less would've helped exploring them better. It's still enjoyable, but not too memorable in my opinion.

THIS WAS SO CUTEEE!!

Despite it being a novella, I felt the love between the two MCs. It was short but still filled with yerning, suspense and humour. Their little group was so wholesome. I would have loved a full-length novel that switched between the past and present but for a novella, it gave me everything I needed to still fall for their love story, Beckett was to sweet.

If you want a short, sweet and a little spicy novella for valentine's day, you'll love this!!

As always, IIsa has another hit on her hand. This book was a fun quick read. I'm hoping she continues a series with these characters because they were hilarious, and I think there could be more to tell.

This story revolved around Everly, who hasn't been home in 10 years and her high school crush Beckett. Before Everly left town, Beckett told her he never wanted to see her again. This is why, along with her mom dying, that Everly never returned to town. However, someone sent Everly and invite to the town's annual Kiss Lottery, and she is determined to go back and see who sent the invitation.

The book follows Everly as she returns to Rose to tell the story of the Kiss Lottery and other town stories on her popular travel podcast. Along the way, we meet her and Beckett's hilarious friends, learn some town secrets and feel the undeniable spark between Everly and Beckett.

You have to read this book if you are an IIsa fan or anyone who loves a nice fun short story.

This is a small town romance. Everly is a podcaster who returns home after a long absence. Beckett is a writer who makes her a villain in his book.

A quick fun read. Everly and Beckett are fun characters. Love the humour. Really enjoy the romance. Another winner.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Unfortunately, I felt quite disconnected from the characters of this novella. They felt very surface level and immature, but I ultimately decided to continue on because of the fact that this was so short.

What really bothered me was how manufactured the entire story felt. As a reader you really want to feel immersed in the story to the point where you forget it is fiction. But with this novella every action that the characters have felt manufactured by the author. I never really felt like the characters were complete.

Regardless, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I had a lot of trouble with this book, mainly because it felt so immature in its approach to relationships and conflict. The male lead (ML) was incredibly selfish throughout the story, and it seemed like he was always shifting the blame onto the female lead (FL) for everything that went wrong, even when it wasn’t her fault. What bothered me the most, though, was how little growth or redemption he showed. There wasn’t a real, heartfelt apology or a genuine groveling moment that I expect in a story like this. Instead, he just stayed the same—his flaws never fully addressed in a meaningful way.

The lack of accountability from the ML was frustrating. He didn’t even have the courage to face the consequences of his actions and reveal the truth himself. He seemed far more comfortable hiding behind his mother’s pedestal, and I couldn’t understand why. Why hold her up as some perfect figure when she clearly wasn’t? It felt like a cop-out to me. Moreover, the whole situation with his father’s infidelity was never dealt with in a mature way. He knew about it but didn’t seem to have the guts to do anything about it. If you’re in a toxic situation like that, why not take the steps to change things instead of letting it linger and fester?

Ultimately, everything about this book felt unresolved or childish. The characters acted in ways that didn’t make sense, and the plot didn’t offer much depth. The lack of emotional development or real conflict resolution left me disappointed and frustrated. Therefore I'm giving this book 1 aka 0 ⭐.

The Kiss Lottery is a dual POV, second chance rom-com, set in the small town of Rose, TN about Everly and Beckett who were childhood friends; however, due to an incident that occurred during high school, they grew apart and Everly eventually left Rose to pursue a career in NY. Everly, now a podcaster, receives a mysterious invitation to return to Rose for the annual tradition, Kiss Lottery. While in Rose, we see Everly connect to her childhood friends and her "former friend" Beckett, who is now a bestseller author.

The Kiss Lottery is the first book I read from Author Ilsa Madden-Mills, and I loved everything about it. Although it is advertised as a novella, the author did an excellent job in giving us a story with great plot and characters. I loved how I was able to picture everything in mind as I was reading about the town and residents in Rose, TN. The relationships that Everly and Beckett had with the other characters was amazing. Would love to see this be part of a series to read about the other characters.

Thank you Montlake for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.