Six Times We Almost Kissed (and One Time We Did)

Pages: 356

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books 

Released: 2nd of February 2023 

Six moments lead us to two girls, one kiss, and three little words that were maybe always true in this gorgeous novel perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Jenny Han.

Penny and Tate have always clashed. Unfortunately, their mothers are lifelong best friends, so the girls’ bickering has carried them through playdates, tragedy, and more than one rom-com marathon with the Moms. When Penny’s mother decides to become a living donor to Tate’s mom, ending her wait for a liver transplant, things go from clashing to cataclysmic. Because in order to help their families recover physically, emotionally, and financially, the Moms combine their households the summer before senior year.

So Penny and Tate make a pact: They’ll play nice. Be the drama-free daughters their mothers need through this scary and hopeful time. There’s only one little hitch in their plan: Penny and Tate keep almost kissing.

It’s just this confusing thing that keeps happening. You know, from time to time. For basically their entire teenaged existence.

They’ve never talked about it. They’ve always ignored it in the aftermath. But now they’re living across the hall from each other. And some things—like their kisses—can’t be almosts forever.

What I Have to Say 

I'm reading so many queer books lately and I am living! This one broke me though. It was so sad! The relationship between Penny and her mum and the trauma that had happened to cause it were so tragic. I could really feel the pain in the words. 

I wasn't so into the relationship between the two girls. The kisses were good, but other than that I just didn't really feel the tension between them. It was however beautiful writing. There were some really touching metaphors that I'm certain are gonna be picked up and quoted from the book for years to come. 

It was definitely worth reading. I enjoy books that discuss trauma and healing and I was very interested in those parts of the story. 

 4 stars 

My thanks go to Hodder and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review.