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

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They’re not really friends and they don’t hate each other either, but they definitely have some type of feelings for the each other. An incident forces them to have to live together and they agree to get along, at least in front of their mothers. But also warmth in my chest afterward, for those two girls who cared for each other, even though they didn’t realize it themselves and almost kissed so many times.

It's a gorgeous yet oft-heartbreaking examination of grief, trauma, mental health, healthcare, friendship, parenting, and more.

It’s definitely one that, if you liked her previous works in whatever capacity, you’ll like this one too. The story will draw readers in with its irresistible slow-burn romantic fanfic-like premise, but it will also make them stick around to see the resolution of this convoluted family drama that includes love, loss, grief, dysfunction, and healing. I received an arc from Little, Brown Books for Young Reader via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. After all, their mothers have been best friends for ages, so they HAD to grit their teeth through many a movie marathon or playdate they would have rather avoided.

There is a romance plot line, but it feels secondary to the grief, even though I'd say both are equal main story arcs. Times We Almost Kissed will resonate with all the kids dealt a raw deal in life, but will also inspire empathy and awareness for those unfamiliar with such circumstances. instead, there are genuine conversations, movements towards growth, and acceptance and acknowledgement of hurts caused from all parties. Penny and Tate’s POVs were incredibly distinctive, and the flashbacks granted me an inside into why Penny and Tate were feeling what they were feeling. She completely neglected her child during the worst time in her life, and to me that's unforgivable.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. I think it’s all handled really well, but I’m just baffled at why the publishing company chose such a bright and happy looking cover for this book. The book is told in a back and forth format--the present day focuses on Anna and Lottie's operations and the aftermath. I added this book to my wish list the second I possibly could, and now that I have read it, I will be hyping this up as much as I can.

Sharpe alludes to it in her author's note, but structurally having the narrative hop around based on reliving the "6 Times" was at times difficult to follow and made the timeline feel a bit messy. Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) was released on January 24 and is a tribute to slow-burn romances, encased in a heartrending family saga. The writing was engrossing, the story flowed beautifully, the story was poetic, it's the perfect coming of age story. These girls were wonderfully messy, so great to read about and are very much now resting in a corner of my heart forevermore. And it wasn’t just Tate and Penny and how perfectly frustrating and beautiful and inevitable their love was.There's Penny, who is coping after having lost her beloved father in a terrible way--and then losing her mother to grief as well.