Review: "Kiss the Girl" by Melanie Jacobson

Kiss the Girl by Melanie Jacobson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Kiss the Girl" by Melanie Jacobson is the second book of the Creekville Kisses series. Characters from the first book ("Kiss Me Now") play supporting roles in this one, but it reads as a complete standalone.

About a year ago, aerospace engineer Grace Winters moved back to her hometown of Creekville, Virginia to run her family's hardware store while her father was treated for cancer. She doesn't plan on sticking around, however; as soon as her father is able to return to work, Grace hopes to go back to her real life as part of Boeing's design team in Charleston, South Carolina. Knowing that her stay is temporary, she's tried not to put down too many roots and has specifically avoided dating, even though her friend Brooke, a teacher, keeps trying to fix her up with one of her co-workers. When Grace finally meets PE teacher Noah Redmond at Brooke's wedding rehearsal, they hit it off despite an awkward first impression, but Grace is determined to stick to her no-dating plan. Friends is all she and Noah can ever be, though Grace is willing to consider adding some benefits to the arrangement until she leaves town. When Noah's boss refuses to consider his application to be the new head coach of the football team because he's single, without thinking, he blurts out that he's dating Grace. She agrees to go along with the ruse, but it's not long before their feelings for each other start to seem all too real.

Noah and Grace were super cute and fun together with great chemistry and witty banter. The problem was that they were opposites in a lot of ways; for example, Noah loved living in a small town, whereas Grace had gotten used to the perks of living in a city and couldn't wait to get back to it (and her career). More importantly, Noah was certain that he wanted a serious relationship, and as much as he liked Grace and enjoyed their kisses, a temporary friends-with-benefits arrangement wasn't for him. I really appreciated how open and honest he was about what he wanted and that he didn't settle for less, no matter how good it might have felt in the moment. I was really happy that they managed to find a way to make things work in the end, and I absolutely adored the epilogue. It was one of my favorite proposal scenes ever, both because it incorporated my favorite holiday (Christmas) and because it was so meaningful for Grace and Noah as a couple.

Overall, "Kiss the Girl" was a funny, sweet, and heartwarming story that I highly recommend for all fans of contemporary/small town romance, holiday romance, and romantic comedy. It was the first book I've ever read by this author, but it certainly won't be the last. (I hope those future books will include stories for Noah's sister Paige and Grace's sister Tabitha!)

*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.

View all my reviews