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. Since their moms are best friends, Tate has always been in Penny’s life but it’s only rather recently that Penny’s feelings for the other girl seem to have shifted from driving her crazy to wanting to kiss her. Both families have had more than their share of pain and grief and the moms have always been there for each other. So it’s not surprising that Penny’s mom would be willing to give part of her liver to Tate’s but the decision carries with it all sorts of contradictory feelings and life-changing arrangements for the two teenagers. Try being seventeen, grieving for the loss of your dad and the distance that put between your mom and you, processing almost kissing someone several times, all while having to live in the same house, across the hall, from the girl you’re obsessed with. 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? This book was so refreshing. It's brave, bold, and honest. I loved the characters and the story was heartwarming and touching. Penny and Tate are both very full characters with rich histories and complicated relationships with each other, with their mothers, and with their circumstances. I loved watching them grow closer as they got to know each other better!

In case it is not extremely clear with my review, I highly recommend Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) to fans of contemporary young adult fiction. Equally strong and necessarily more mature and responsible than other kids her age is Penny. Although Penny is more emotionally open than Tate, she’s also been through a lot of trauma. Her dad died on a father-daughter rafting trip accident when she was 15, leaving her with permanent mobility issues in her hands and an emotionally negligent mother who abandoned Penny in her grief. Her mom has never made herself accountable or repaired their relationship. Penny loves the outdoors, especially the local river, and she is a planner and organization aficionado who outlines her life in steps in her bullet journal. So Penny and Tate make a pact: They’ll play nice. Be the drama-free daughters their mothers need through this scary and hopeful time. There’s only one little hitch in their plan: Penny and Tate keep almost kissing. 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”:But beyond the dark moments, this is a love story and Tate and Penny have so many beautiful moments together. Even beyond the six times they almost kiss and the one time they do, each scene they have together shows another aspect of who they are separately and together. 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. First of all, the audiobook is narrated by the author and my previous experiences of authors narrating their own books weren’t great but this one was excellent. I loved all the characters, how their inner complexities are unveiled progressively, how relatable they all feel. At seventeen, both MCs have already gone through a lot of drama yet are so sweet and full of life and plans for the future. The moms are very different but their ride-or-die friendship makes a lot of sense. Penny’s mom is hardened by the pain weighing her down and it makes her hard to love but it also makes her relatable, and I love the way the author wrote her relationships with both her daughter and her mother-in-law. The grandmother is awesome, but again, not in a too-good-to-be-true way. Same for the MCs’ best friends. This book is hard, yo. There is a lot of grief and loss to wade through, especially as it manifests so differently for so many people; and these characters are no exception. And, hey. Do you also love fraught mother-daughter dynamics? Because this has that, too. I do not love that dynamic, I find it incredibly horrible to experience, but instead of ruining the book (which has definitely happened to me before) I can respect it because Sharpe did such a great job with.. well, everything. 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.

Oh, and before, I forget, because it bears mentioning. I also loved their friends, both grade A cinnamon rolls, so much. I love me a friend group. This one wasn't quite an ensemble but they left their mark nonetheless. Really, Sharpe’s writing elevates this story every time you might get a bit frustrated with Penny and Tate’s stubbornness and instead draws focus to other important elements of their lives that binds them together—shared grief, fear of what their respective mothers might think about their relationship and how to overcome the chasm of hurt feelings both cling to for much of the story. Yet each new past moment that is revealed to the reader brings with it hope and promise for a future that might offer both girls a reprieve from the heavy weight they lug around on a daily basis. Ultimately, this is a story about the incredible inner strength it takes to survive loss, fear and illness and reminds us how important it is to have a good support system at your side when tragedy strikes.

Reviews By Representation

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.) 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? 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 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. Content warnings: find them here on Tess’ blog. Ones that aren't mentioned: underage drinking, reference to cheating (past, happened to an MC but it wasn't too heavy - an ex cheats on her).An utterly compelling will-they-won’t-they slow-burn queer romance from the author of THE GIRLS I’VE BEEN. Prepare yourself for a very emotional ride with this book that will make the happy ending feel even better. Penny, in particular, had my heart. Her storyline with her mom was a favorite for me. Because of the death of her father, her relationship with her mother has become fractured. I loved how Penny learns to stand up for herself and demand what she needs so that she can heal.

These girls were wonderfully messy, so great to read about and are very much now resting in a corner of my heart forevermore. 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. 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. 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.

With a title like that, there was no way I was passing up the opportunity to read. 6 Times We Almost Kissed is a heartfelt story about family and love. It’s a YA contemporary about bravery, facing our fears, and confronting the past. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts. Summary Overall, this is a beautiful story of two girls trying to find their way in the world--and to find love. It's amazing, and I highly recommend it for teens and adults alike. 4.5 stars. I went into this book not knowing a whole lot, but being extremely excited for it. As a long-time fangirl – I appreciate the way the title is done. 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. In my pitch, I called it a book about not knowing what you want (while insisting you do), being there for the people you chose no matter what, and figuring out how to deal with the one person who keeps being witness to the worst moments of your life, but still sees the best in you. Tess Sharpe’s newest book is 6 Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did), a story of two queer girls who find themselves under the same roof when their moms (who are best friends) decide they all should move in together. Why? Because one mom is giving her liver to the other.