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A FORTY YEAR KISS
Nickolas Butler
Sourcebooks Landmark
February 4, 2025
352 pages
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This book starts out as a dark horse for me. I was not sure what to expect. The title sounds very romance-y……not my favourite genre. But, the blurb draws me in. It’s about the rekindling of a marriage that ended forty years prior.
I think many people think about “the one that got away”, whether it was a relationship or a marriage. The one special person where it didn’t work out, for one reason or another. Charlie and Viv were married quite young and the marriage did not last because of alcohol.
While there is an instant (but cautious) attraction, the journey is not without its stumbles. And, so it should be. People change a lot in 40 years. It is interesting to follow as they learn about each other. The characters seem very real. Flawed, not perfect. There are secrets. There is a bit of drama.
This is definitely a character-driven story. There’s not a lot of action. It sort of ambles along. A cozy, comfortable story. I felt very engaged with the characters. I especially enjoyed the last chapter. I could feel the excitement and emotions.
I do have two little things to complain about. Firstly: there are no quotation marks used throughout the whole book. At first, it confused me but the author wrote in such a way that I soon fell into the rhythm and knew who was speaking.
Secondly: now that I have finished the book, the title makes sense. But, to some readers, it might be off-putting. Like a cheesy romance. It definitely isn’t, but the title does not reflect that. These two things have not affected my rating.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
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