Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Fool Me Once

An enjoyable romance with an interesting subplot. I loved the attention the story brought to the need for a transition to sustainability and the use of electric vehicles (whilst dunking on Elon Musk) - I personally would have liked more exploration but after all it is at it’s heart, a romance, so it doesn’t truly detract from the purpose of the novel.

I agree with another review that I came across that it was strange how the FL would be strong and capable in the work setting but then require saving when in the presence of the ML, but that’s the romance genre for you.

Overall, it’s a fun and solid romance. I recommend, but more seasoned readers of the genre might get sick of the tropes and messy characters of it all.

Content Warnings

katherine_boothe's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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arireadsitall's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Lee “Stoner” Stone is a girl that can do it all. By day she’s a communications director for a female run electric car company and at night she’s drinking men under the table and not letting them get too close.

Lee has your textbook definition of trust problems and has the heartbreak resume to back it up. From her family drama to the last man Ben who she suspected also cheated.

Well now Ben is thrown back into her life and chaos, miscommunication, and lots of tension ensues. Suddenly they’re working together to get a bill passed and those feelings they used to have seem to still be there. I loved that Lee was messy and self aware and so well balanced with Bens heart broken but trust building character. Alllll the feels! Though isn’t it forever frustrating to hear a problem could have been solved if they just talked about it first!!

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holyhead_harpie's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I thought I would enjoy this more than I did.

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btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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boldphoenix's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I thought the premise of this book sounded really good. The first scene made me cringe and laugh, and I thought I was in for something along the same vein for the rest of the book. And to an extent it was similar, but this book was much more politics and partying, than romance and politics. In fact, the romance part was super lacking for me. I couldn't connect with Lee's character and didn't root for Lee and Ben to be together, because Lee was so obnoxious. That said, Lee recognized her flaws and was trying to work on growing, which I absolutely loved. But we could have used 100 more pages of their romance blossoming, because it feels like it barely begins by the time you're at the end of the book. The banter between Lee and Ben was great, and I craved more.

Plus I hated how much cheating is in the book. Bleh.

Read if you like second chance romance, enemies to lovers, and loveable MMCs.

TW: infidelity, drug use, death of a parent, alcohol abuse.

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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

No one wants to watch people they don’t like fall in love.
Well, I do!

Same, Stoner, Same.

This is like Parks & Rec if Leslie Knope was a fidelity-challenged party girl. A love story for policy wonks.

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read "In My Dreams I Hold a Knife" last year and absolutely adored it, so I was very intrigued to pick up Ashley Winstead's next book, in a very different genre. This book follows Lee, a headstrong and exceptionally driven young woman who is trying to make it in her political career in Texas. She has given up on finding true love, because she royally messed up the last good relationship she had. She is flustered when she learns that this good ex, Ben, and her will have to work together.
This was a really sweet and relatable second chance romance. Lee is a deeply flawed character, and it made her really relatable and easy to root for. She has been scorned too many times to trust anyone, and she really embodies "daddy issues", but she so desperately wants to be loved. Ben is such a sweet and genuinely good guy, and I loved seeing a good guy win.
Ashley Winstead has quickly become a favorite author of mine, and I cannot wait to read whatever she decides to write in the future!!

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