What’s in a Kiss? is a captivating, funny enchanting story about a woman whose future was extremely promising, until it suddenly took a horrible turn. As she prepares to marry off her best friend since childhood and see the handsome crush she almost but did not kiss back in high school, who is now famous, she begins to feel she has nothing to show for her life since her promising high school years. For her, she’s never been able to get past the “what-if’s” and that kiss that never happened.
Liv is a Lyft driver who lives in the same place she grew up. She lives with the love of her life…her dog, Graham Parsons. Her best friend Masha is still the best friend she had when she was in kindergarten, and her mother is the love of her life. She feels content, well sort of.
The reality is during high school she had a promising future as an actress. She had been accepted to Julliard and was looking forward to the move to New York. Unfortunately, something devastating happened and that ended her dreams and she chose to stay with her mother and her best friend.
So although she is excited that her best friend is getting married and she is the maid of honor, she begins to relive her past as well as the crush she had on one Jake who is the best man in the same wedding, who is a famous podcaster and of course, dating a model. She’s not jealous! She always regrets that she had that one chance at prom to kiss him, but for some reason it never happened. But she still carries this with her even in the present.
So, when she picks up a fare and it’s Jake, their meeting does not go very well. She’s embarrassed and he’s just plain obnoxious. How she’s going to be able to put up with him in the next few days is beyond her.
But, something happens during the wedding ceremony which changes her life…literally…as Masha and her fiancĂ© are about to say I Do, Liv catches Jake’s eye and her head begins to spin, and she thinks she’s going to faint. She comes out of this trance in a very different reality!
In this new reality, Liv is a popular actress, living in a mansion, Masha refuses to talk to her, her mother is not in her life and acts as if she hates her and oh, she married to Jake! As for Jake, he adores her and is the opposite of what he was in high school. He is so supportive, handsome and puts her career first. Clearly in this reality that prom kiss did happen…but what happened after that??
Although Liv enjoys being with Jake, she needs to go back. She wants Masha to be her best friend again and of course she wants her mother to love her again. But going back will mean she loses Jake.
What should she do?
What’s in a Kiss? is a hilarious, heartwarming and romantic story. Wouldn’t we all want a do-over about something from our past if we could?
Thank you #NetGalley #G.P.Putnam’sSons #LaurenKate #What’sinaKiss? for the advanced copy.
Lisa's Cubby 