Consider Yourself Kissed - by Jessica Stanley (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

What happens when you find love, but life keeps getting in the way?

When she first meets Adam, Coralie is new to London and feeling adrift. But Adam is clever, witty, and (he insists) a quarter inch taller than the average male. His charming four-year-old daughter only adds to his appeal.

But ten years on, something important is missing from the life Coralie and Adam (though let's face it, mostly Coralie) have built. Or maybe, having gained everything she dreamed of, Coralie has lost something else she once had: herself.

Set against an eventful decade, Consider Yourself Kissed puts the subjects of love and family on a grand stage, showing how the intimate dramas in our homes inescapably compete for energy and attention with the shared public dramas of our times.

It's a read that effortlessly balances sweetness with bite, the public with the personal, and humor with heart.

Review Quotes

"Funny, smart and memorable, this contemporary romance offers a lucid example of how humanity can endure... Stanley's delightful novel reminds her readers of the joy, humor and even subtle hope that can be experienced during life's lowest moments."--New York Times

"Readers want different things from romance, and real and raw are two of them. Consider Yourself Kissed expertly layers the light and heavy elements of life, with a main character who is quick-witted and quietly perceptive, giving hope that a fire between two people may just survive many storms."--Washington Post

"A delight to behold...Lost woman tries to find herself is a familiar story, but Consider Yourself Kissed is buoyed by fresh, funny writing and, pretty much without exception, a terrific cast of characters."--Wall Street Journal

"You know those novels, the ones you reread every few years, that feel like having a cozy cup of tea with a very witty and fascinating old friend? ... Jessica Stanley has written one of those books with Consider Yourself Kissed." --The Cut

"Oh-so-relatable ... Stanley's novel is rich, and her cleverness irrefutable."-- NPR

"Charmingly chronicling life after 'happily ever after'... effervescent." --The Boston Globe

"[A] pitch perfect love-story-that's-not-a-romance...it has a cast of fully realized, imperfect but relatable characters and infuses its unflinching look at the burdens of womanhood with warmth, compassion, and humor (get ready to laugh out loud!)."-- Vogue

"Like One Day and Normal People, leaves you feeling bereft at the final page." --The Times (London)

"Fans of Jojo Moyes will be drawn into this emotionally candid deep dive into a long-term relationship."--Booklist

"So real...very, very funny."--Elle

"The kind of book that, for a certain kind of reader, will immediately become a treasure...a very human novel. And a very good one."--The Guardian

"Fresh and original...a brilliant book that hits all the right notes: a bit sad, a lot moving and very funny in places. A wholehearted recommend." --Good Housekeeping (UK)

"Droll, smart... This is, at its core, a love story, but it is also much more than that. It's a thoughtful and evocative portrait of the ups and downs of a romantic partnership over time... extremely funny." --The Saturday Paper

"The relationships and writing are so bracingly, deliciously fresh that I wish there were a fresher word than fresh. And that the book were 1000 pages longer." -Catherine Newman

"A beautiful, harrowing, wild ride through everyday life, Consider Yourself Kissed is a love song to women everywhere." -Annabel Monaghan

"One of those books you tell everyone to read--a truly modern novel about the complexity of love and domestic life." --New York Times bestselling author Maggie Shipstead

"A love story like no other: charming, warm, heartfelt and funny but with a truly razor-like authenticity. I absolutely loved every moment and didn't want it to end!" -Liane Moriarty

"Deeply appealing... At once a smart literary love story and an absorbing family drama." -Meg Wolitzer

"One of the most delightful and relatable books I've read about modern womanhood, the evolution of love, and the way we show up in the world." -Ashley Audrain

"Jessica Stanley's principal subject is romance, which she renders--in all its mess and glory--masterfully. But the real delight in Consider Yourself Kissed is how the novel confidently thinks about love more broadly." -Rumaan Alam

"I'm annoyed I didn't write this book myself." -Madeline Gray

About the Author