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

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The central romance is just one of the many compelling aspects of 6 Times We Almost Kissed. As someone who grew up in a rural place, I really appreciated how authentically rural this novel felt. Penny and Tate and their families live in the mountains in California; even though it’s a very different environment from where I’m from, I recognized a lot of details about Penny and Tate’s home and how they lived. They are the kinds of girls who know how to chop their own firewood to heat their house. They live in a place where you casually wait hours to carpool with someone because there is literally no other way to get around. Even when they’re mad at each other, they go for runs together because Tate has to keep up her training and it’s not good bear safety for her to run alone. My heart goes out to Penny and her bullet journal (the bujo is its own character for real). She is such a strong girl, and she went through so much in such a short time.

But let me start with the good things. While this book is probably framed and marketed in a way that makes you think conventional romance or romcom, it’s a little heavier than that (as you might expect if you’ve read any Tess Sharpe books before). In this, you have it twofold: a mother-daughter relationship ruined by grief after the death of a husband/father, and a mother-daughter relationship dealing with a recurrence of cancer and a necessary operation. Personally, these aspects were when the book was at its best for me. They were written in such a way that you still felt for Penny’s mother, despite how she had failed her daughter. Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) (hereafter, Six Times, because I’m not typing that out all over again) is a fun enough read, I suppose. Framed in the style of a x+1 fanfic, it leans into that vibe, particularly with the writing style. As such, and perhaps expectedly, I found myself getting frustrated. The two girls we get to know are Tate and Penny. They have never been friends but with them sharing living quarters, they decide to make a pact. They will get along. They won’t fight. And they’ll keep each other’s secrets to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible. For the moms. Anna was great. She's what a mum should be. She and Tate had a lovely relationship. I just wish she could have done more for Lottie and Penny.

Reviews By Trope

But when an almost-kiss goes from almost to I am now wearing your lip gloss, Penny and Tate have no choice but to finally face the music ... right? Sweet and emotional, with just the right amount of longing and angst, 6 Times We Almost Kissed... will leave you CHEERING for the One Time We Did!😘 Sharpe’s prose throughout the novel is thoughtful and evocative. She writes alternating chapters from Penny and Tate’s point of views, and their voices are clearly differentiated. Tate’s distracted mind often inserts parenthetical asides. Penny’s voice oozes with her practicality and tendency to organize. Simple metaphors and similes are incredibly effective at revealing the girls’ emotions, especially about each other. Tate tells us: “I’m sitting here, hanging on her words like she’s a cliff I’ve slipped from.” Penny thinks, after Tate says “Penny”: The two central characters in 6 Times We Almost Kissed are 17-year-old teen girls, Penny and Tate. Both are such full, real young women it’s a bit hard for me to remember that they are fictional! Tate has a reputation for being cold and aloof, which stems from her trying to keep herself together while her single mom has gone through not one but two major health crises. She cares very deeply for the few people she’s let get close to her and is incredibly loyal. She is a hardworking star on her swim team whose goal is to score a sports scholarship so she can go to college and earn enough so that her mom doesn’t have to worry about money anymore. But beyond all of that, the two girls are also dealing with their very real feelings for each other. Feelings they will never admit to one another. Well…until they do.

Despite the cute cover and the fanfic-y title, there’s nothing romcom-y or light about this story. It’s all about grief and resilience, about love that should be a given and love that seems unfathomable, about PTSD and character growth, about standing up for yourself and showing up. It’s honest and brave and hard and painful and so so satisfying.The way the story shows this type of abuse is so important because it’s often not seen as a legitimate type of abuse. Penny’s story will show just how harmful emotional abuse is and how dark it can be. 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. really enjoyed this!!!! i mostly listened to the audiobook and the narration was incredible!!!! i can't believe tess sharpe narrated it herself? multitalented queen! I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. ** Now Marion, Penny's gran and her dad's mum, was incredible. She was everything Penny needed despite losing her son. I can't really put into words how amazing she was. I hope everyone going through loss and grief has a Marion to help them through it.

Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did)” by Tess Sharpe is just about as perfect as you can get for a queer young adult romance. An utterly compelling will-they-won't-they slow-burn queer romance from the author of THE GIRLS I'VE BEEN. I absolutely loved this. I stayed up until 2am so I could finish it. I just couldn’t go to sleep without getting my ending. What I loved about the ending is that while it felt fitting, it isn’t perfect. Everything isn’t wrapped up and perfect but it is hopeful.But when an almost-kiss goes from almost to I am now wearing your lip gloss, Penny and Tate have no choice but to finally face the music … right? I can't really sum up the way grief is explored. You'll have to read the book yourself. I think it's done extremely well. Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) by Tess Sharpe is a beautiful young adult novel that follows the lives of Penny and Tate, two girls who have always clashed but whose paths constantly cross because of their mothers' epic friendship. When a long-awaited surgery forces both families to live together, the girls can't ignore their reluctantly shared past… including all those times they've almost kissed. Tate is also dealing with the fact that her mom is actually going to live and be healthy. She never thought that was an option.