[The One with the Kiss Cam]: A Review

Hi y’all!

I hope you are surviving January and even thriving! We have had so much snow this month. It’s been crazy! But we’re finally beginning to see the grass again and with temperatures in the mid 40’s, we feel like its spring!

Today I am excited to share my review of The One with the Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel. I loved this sweet romcom.

I was first introduced to Cindy’s books last year when I read Faking Christmas which she published as part of the Christmas Escape series. If you haven’t read that, read it now. It is one of my absolute favorites ever. You’re welcome.

Book Summary: “It was just one date. My friend told me I needed more fun in my life, so I reluctantly said yes. Fun wasn’t exactly in my wheelhouse. After watching my own mother’s love life implode time and time again it’s only natural that I have a few rules to protect myself.

Actually, it’s just one rule… Avoid relationships with men so I don’t get attached.

I wasn’t worried. Getting attached has never been a big problem for me. This guy was just a warm body in a chair. I was here for the basketball game. I was absolutely NOT here for my date.

Or the kiss cam.
Or the kiss.
Or the impromptu evening with the one man who seems bent on throwing my tidy world off of its axis.

But when my life takes a nose dive, he’s also the man who seems bent on proving to me that good men do exist, dreams can come true, and sometimes throwing out the rule book is when the magic really starts to happen.”

This is the epitome of a cozy, sweet romcom starting with the fun setting. From start to finish, this story captured my attention and was such a cozy read. It reminds me of Cindy’s other novels; I love that she can create these cozy settings that offer such lovely backdrops for her stores. I loved that this is set in Salt Lake City and Idaho. I’ve been to the Delta Center so it was fun to see some places that felt familiar to me. The road trip to Duke’s grandparents’ farm in Idaho is so much fun. I love seeing his grandparents interacting. And the descriptions of the scenery are just lovely. Of course, the swoony moments up at the farm are also absolutely fantastic. Seeing Duke and Nora together in different places and times was a highlight of the story.

I love the chemistry between Nora and Duke. I loved their meet cute at the basketball game with the kiss cam. So fun! Their magical night together is clever and I love how much they learn about each other in such a short time. Then we get more of their story years later. Duke’s courting of Nora is absolutely darling! He treats her so well and showers her how much she deserves to be loved. I appreciate how patient and kind he is to her always. They share some seriously swoony kisses (even when on a jumbotron at a basketball game!) and I loved their declarations of love at the end.

I appreciated how the characters change and progress in this story. Nora especially is a compelling character because of her journey in the story. She has a lot of difficult even traumatizing experiences and relationships in her past that are just hard. I appreciated getting to know her and her story. Those experiences affect her and her relationships but I love how she is able to move forward and not let her past define her. Duke also sees himself differently during the story. I appreciate how Nora helps him see his worth and gives him courage to reach for his dreams. Such a beautiful journey! I also enjoyed the bucket lists in this story. I like how doing things that seem unexpected, silly or even crazy gets Nora out of her comfort zone. The bucket lists help her see that her life could be more than it has been. And they are such fun scenes in the book!

Such a fun, cozy romcom! I enjoyed this one start to finish and definitely want to read more from Cindy Steel!