Let's Kiss and Tell

by Joss Richard

Fall for the brand-new sexy, sweet and heart aching romance from the bestselling author of It's Different This Time!

Genres: Romance, Fake Dating, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Workplace Romance, Fiction

464 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2026

Reviews

[ahmeeka]

[arc review] I finished this last night and felt stuck on my overall opinion of it. I struggled to get through the first ~33%, and while it did pick up, I don’t really know if this was for me. I think it’s probably a 2.5* rounded down!

let’s kiss and tell follows lucy and marsh in a dual pov. lucy is a sex writer who is trying to keep her job amid layoffs within her company, and marsh is the new senior writer looking for a date to his ex girlfriend’s wedding.

the story was fleshed out, which I did enjoy because it didn’t feel rushed and choppy. I loved the tension between lucy and marsh, and how their relationship was a slow burn.

I will, however, say that I finished not really knowing much about marsh? I do think that might be intentional, because his life revolved around writing (which became a plot point) but the only thing marsh and lucy had in common was their jobs?

I did find myself relating to lucy and how she’s anxious avoidant, and I felt connected to her in that way. I don’t really know? maybe I need to reread properly when it’s released?

I really enjoyed joss richard’s first novel, but I just don’t think this book was for me. that’s not to say it’s not good, because I know a lot of people will enjoy it and love it! I’m just probably in the minority, and I’m sad I didn’t enjoy it the way I thought I would.

at the end of the day, joss is and forever will be one of my auto buy authors, and I look forward to whatever she releases in the future!

thank you headline eternal for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Dab]

Happy Pub Day, I guess.

So, after long and difficult consideration, I decided to give this book three stars. I love this author’s writing, and I loved these characters (at least for the first ~65% of the book), so this feels fair.

(I might still change my mind, though…)

I fell in love with this book. At first sight.

But then it broke my heart.

(Or should I say, made me throw up in my mouth a little?)

Marsh was such a perfect book boyfriend, I wanted to hug him and hold him. Their chemistry was chef’s kiss, and the first half of this book gets all the stars from me. All of them!

Marsh and Lucy’s dynamic was so well crafted that I couldn’t stop reading. She was pure chaos, bursting with energy and joy. Marsh was quiet and hardworking, a little cautious, but with a heart of pure gold. He was just enjoying Lucy’s company, not trying to tame her, just admiring her and recognizing how smart and brave she was. It was magic. Their banter! Her randomly talking about sex in public and his shocked reactions made me cackle multiple times. It was so much fun to read!

But then they slept together, and she realized that he meant more to her than she was ready for, and it went downhill from there. I just couldn’t get past the fact that she had sex with Marsh, then with another guy, and then with Marsh again, all within 24 hours. It was gross. They moved on from that as if nothing had happened, but it wasn’t the same book to me after that.

Then the third-act breakup was awful too, because third-act breakups always suck, and then he hooked up with someone else too, which was also gross. I’m not overly sensitive to OW drama, but I also don’t want to read about some random chick screaming his name at 93% of the book.

So yeah, how do I rate the first half five stars and the second half two?

Thanks to Headline and NetGalley for the arc, all opinions are my own.

[Lottie Smalley]

2⭐️😭 no one is more disappointed than me!!! i LOVED it’s different this time, so i went into this ready to be swept away… but omg this was just so boring to me!!

there simply was not enough story here!!! this book could’ve been an article! everything felt so long-winded and repetitive, there were no side characters i cared about, and i never felt immersed in the romance or the world 😫

i usually EAT UP messy relationship dynamics. give me bad decisions! give me emotional back and forth! but the mess has to feel earned! (i think this is usually better with second chance when there’s history) but here, the characters just felt so underdeveloped and childish, and i could not get emotionally invested in their scheming!

i also wanted more from the sex columnist setup because, on paper… SO fun! but the whole thing ended up feeling strangely dated to me? i appreciate the carrie bradshaw of it all, but in 2026 i had such a hard time believing anyone is reading this extremely traditional newspaper column. get this woman on substack!! let her freelance!! or set the book in 2008!!! the columns themselves were also pretty cheesy and took me out of the story too.

i DO appreciate the progressive conversations around sex, sex work, women’s sexuality, and the idea that romantic partnership isn’t the ultimate marker of a fulfilling life. genuinely! i think there were excellent intentions here. but i fear i also did not need nearly as many sex scenes as we got, especially when i already wasn’t emotionally invested in the relationship.

cute in theory and definitely thoughtful, but emotionally flat, painfully predictable, and soooo repetitive. i originally thought 2.5-3 stars because it was perfectly fine, but by the end i wished i would’ve just DNFed 💔💔

[Mai ༊*·˚]

4.25 ★— Move along, Carrie Bradshaw! There’s a new sex columnist in town.

For 2/3rds of this book, I was fully bespelled, as this story features one of my favorite heroine types in romance: the avoidant commitment-phobe.
I love reading about women who have to wrestle with themselves to open up and admit that they’re falling in love, and with Lucy Reid, we get a protagonist who matches that perfectly.

She and Marsh meet and embark on a How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days-esque adventure, with her needing a fake boyfriend to write more about relationship issues in her column and him needing a date for his ex-girlfriend’s wedding.

The story did a really good job of letting the two get to know each other, their chemistry really feeling off the charts as they went on dates, bantered, and had insaaane sexual tension. I can't emphasize enough how much I liked the scenes that built up their desire for each other and how well the author portrayed them as truly losing it for each other once they both gave in.

Now, let me get to the last 3rd of the book that sort of woke me from my reading euphoria. Marsh and Lucy get into an argument that I honestly thought felt rushed and… weirdly corny? There was a moment where Lucy attacked Marsh on the basis of him being a news journalist, saying that he was doing that because he couldn’t write personal stuff, and all of that felt so out of left field to me, as their different writing careers had never really been a point of contention between them before, which all contributed to this defining fight feeling contrived and hamfisted.

It felt like the book veered into a more schmaltzy direction that I hadn't really felt prior to this point and... I don't know why exactly, but the last few articles and bits of dialogue between Marsh and Lucy started to read like a cliché romance mishmash that dampened my love for their love a little.

I still really liked this as my introduction to Joss Richard (though… the name Marsh is something I never warmed up to, sorry!), and I am absolutely adding her to my short list of treasured contemporary romance writers.

___________

Thank you to Dell for the ARC.

[julie ★]

‧˚꒰💗୭ ˚. 5 stars ౿ let's kiss and tell ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ
⤿ finish date: august 17th ⋆ ˚.

OMG i love this one so much. joss is def became one of my favorite authors. it's the second book of her that i read and it's the second five stars. and she has published two books. do with this information what you want.

in this one we follow Lucy and Marshall, she is a sex columnist and he is a news reporter. they both def have commitments issue and they avoid serious relationships, for all the right reasons obviously.


i completely adore the emotional maturity and depth that this book and characters have. it is a book that have all the 90's early 2000 energy, all light and flirty but then all of a sudden here there is the emotional punch. and i love every second of it. i am such a big fan of romcoms having a really intense deep emotional layer and i love seeing how characters navigate them, the duality of it is just my cup of tea in romance and this book was perfect!

another aspects that i feel is so much need to be discussed is the spicy one. normally I don't like heavy spicy scene but in this case first they are important for the book and characters growth and second they are beautifully written. i truly cant even explain what about these scenes felt so hot and next level for me because it wasn't just two hot people with insane level of chemistry having sex but i think the trust and the intimacy of it all just really elevated every single scene we get.

i loved everything about lucy & marsh from start to finish, i tried to prolong my reading this for as long as possible because i never wanted it to end while simultaneously dying to see how it ended!!

also i wanted to give a shout out to the voice narrators, i absolutely loooove the audiobook of it, like so much that you can even imagine how much.
I think that I my very little and new journey through audiobooks this might really be my favorite.


⌗‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ── 💗💋 .ᐟ pre-read
⤿ start date: august 17th

i have loved it's different this time and i can't wait to read this one too, the premise is sooo intriguing.
also i would do immersive reading so expect also audio review!

[bean]

No one is more upset than me that I didn’t love this. The first 60% of the book?? Five stars!! Incredible (off the charts banter. Unreal chemistry.) The next 40%? 1 star. I’m devastated.

I would say why but I don’t want to read think pieces about how I must just not like real, raw, messy humans! (I do & I’ve done what both of these characters do that pmo. Many times. But not to the love of my life. Never to the love of my life. It’s inexcusable to me)

[Maren’s Reads]

4.5⭐️ Sex columnist Lucy Reid is looking for a new twist on her usual pro-singledom column. Newly hired news columnist Marshall Oakley needs a plus-one for his ex-fiancé’s wedding. Soon, an agreement to fake date to achieve both goals becomes complicated by some very real feelings, leading both to question whether their views on love are mutually exclusive.

Admittedly, this took me a minute to get into, but once I reached the midway point (and the fake dating was fully underway), I was completely invested. From the moment our MCs meet, you could feel the intensity of their connection jump off the page. Both writers (albeit in very different subjects), the witty banter, and of course the flirting, was superb! But it wasn’t until these two were thrust into each other’s lives in a concrete way, that I was able to really appreciate their dynamics.

Marsh is an absolutely standout MMC, who never felt pigeonholed into a specific trope. And while I know that our FMC isn’t the easiest character to love, especially based off of some of her decisions, I tend to prefer messier characters whose complex psyche makes them act in ways that feel more real than rom-comy. And I think Joss Richard has definitely done this here in her sophomore novel with Lucy.

🎧 I tried to read via the audiobook around the 20% mark and was not a fan of the narrators, more so because by that point, I had already envisioned what the characters would sound like and they did not match up for me. I ended up quickly switching back over to the ebook.

Read if you like:
▪️fake dating
▪️writer x writer
▪️workplace romance
▪️west coast setting
▪️messy characters
▪️sex positivity
▪️forced proximity

Thank you Dell Romance and PRH Audio for the advanced copies.

[Aleksandra [semi hiatus]]

MMC has sex with OW at 93%

[caleigh]

i fear i just wasn’t vibing w this at all :(((

── .✦ pre read
i was sold on this the second i read the blurb but then bought it and why is it 450 pages 🫪 fingers crossed it doesn’t fall into the standard contemporary romance trap of overestimating its importance and being too long 🤞🏼🫣

[cat]

・❥・⁀➷ pre-release

march 30th- please please PLEASE let me be accepted for this arc. Joss Richard made it into my top 3 new authors of last year and I was OBSESSED with her debut. I can’t wait for this one🤞🏼🥹

[angelinabvby ۶ৎ]

ꨄ 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 💋
ARC APPROVED FOR THIS ADORABLE BOOK WITH ITS ADORABLE COVER 💖💗🥰💞

[Tanvi Patel]

“𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴?” “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦?” “𝘔𝘩𝘮.” 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵. “𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺, 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺?” “𝘐’𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺.” “𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘒𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭.”

Lucy, our beloved sex columnist, and Marsh, a news reporter with his slutty tortoiseshell glasses, have the most charming meet-cute at a work happy hour. What starts as a chance encounter quickly turns into a mutually beneficial arrangement: they agree to fake date since he needs a convincing plus-one for his ex’s wedding, and she needs a relationship to satisfy her editor and keep her job.

I genuinely thought this book has everything I look for in a great romance. It’s full of heart, depth, and layered, complex emotions. It is one of those books you’ll either completely fall for or not connect with at all.

Lucy and Marsh are both commitment-phobes, but for entirely different reasons, and one is clearly more afraid than the other. Because of that, mistakes are inevitable, but I really appreciated how Joss never lets their conflict feel juvenile. They’re both deeply prideful, which leads to some painful, honest conversations, but never veers into spitefulness, which is a difficult balance that’s handled so well. Even at their most complicated, as they try to make sense of what their relationship could be, you can feel how much they care for each other. I have zero notes and am so excited for everyone else to experience this story too.

Thank you Netgalley and Dell Romance for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Mira]

DNF at 65%

The author's debut wasn't a favorite of mine, but I enjoyed her writing style, so I decided to give this book a chance. Unfortunately, I wish I hadn't.

This book felt way too long and boring. In my opinion, a fake dating romance has no business being 464 pages long.

The FMC is a sex columnist who's completely against relationships. I disliked Lucy from the very beginning. She's selfish and overly confident, but not in a good way. It felt like she looked down on people who are in relationships or want to be in one. Despite my dislike for her, I kept reading because I hoped she would grow as a character. But after her disgusting actions around the 60% mark, I completely lost any desire to continue. I understand that she and the MMC weren't officially together, but what she did was unacceptable to me. And then she acts as if nothing happened. How am I supposed to sympathize with her after that?

I generally liked Marshall, but he lacked confidence and personality.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine (Dell) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Sarah (bookofsari)]

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

About halfway through this book, I realized I wasn't rooting for the romance anymore. I was just waiting for one of the characters to change my mind.

Unfortunately, neither of them ever did.

Lucy was a tough protagonist for me to spend time with. I understand why she keeps people at arm's length, but after a while it felt like every conversation circled back to the same fears and the same conclusions. Instead of watching her grow, it felt like we were having the same argument over and over again.

Marsh didn't balance that out either. I kept waiting for there to be more beneath the surface, but by the end I still felt like I barely knew him outside of being "the nice guy." I never reached the point where I understood why these two specifically belonged together.

The fake dating setup should have been an easy sell, but I never felt that delicious "are they actually going to kiss?" tension that makes the trope so much fun. The relationship just... happened.

I'll also admit workplace romance is one of my least favorite tropes, so this was already starting at a disadvantage for me.

The hardest part is that I loved Joss Richard's debut. I went into this expecting another favorite, and instead it left me feeling pretty indifferent. I'll absolutely read whatever she writes next, but this one just wasn't my book.

[Farisa]

Fuck this book, remind me to never read Joss Richard again. Also why the fuck is it 13 hours long????

Lucy is an asshole with commitment issues who thinks she’s got everything figured out. I could empathize at the beginning but that became increasingly harder as it became clear that she truly believed she’s the only person who knew the truth about love and relationships in possibly the world??? She sleeps with OM 2/3 into the book after a stupid freak out with the MMC.

Marshall is an idiot willing to take whatever crumb Lucy allows him. He sleeps with OW 94% into the book. It was a completely unnecessary chapter, almost like a fuck you from the author, and I might’ve actually cared if I didn’t hate Lucy so much.

Also I am fully aware that magazines/ journals/ newspapers are in fact a part of the capitalistic structure of society, ie, they are soulless corporations that do not in fact care about its employees, but for some reason Joss Richard felt the need to beat us over the head with it every other chapter? It made no sense.

[megan ◡̈]

6 ⭐️

i loved everything about lucy & marsh from start to finish, i tried to prolong my reading this for as long as possible because i never wanted it to end while simultaneously dying to see how it ended!!!

one thing about me is i LOVE a hard fought romance book, we have two traumatized for different reasons massive commitmentphobes (rightfully so) who are so perfect for each other in every way but SO damn stubborn and refuse to get out of their way the entire time they’re fake dating which is super frustrating (fun for me tho) and it just made the ending and them finding their way back to each other that much sweeter.

this book felt so sex in the city, carrie bradshaw coded but LA. i think joss hit the 90s romcom nostalgia vibe right on the head and with characters and relationships youll actually want to root for!!

the emotional depth in this book was out of this world for me, it for the most part is light and flirty but then all of a sudden joss will gut punch you and it was just so beautifully written and well done. i have become a big fan of my romcoms having this really intense deep emotional layer to them and getting to see how characters navigate them, the duality of it is just really doing something for me lately and this book was perfect in that aspect!!

lucy and marsh were mouthwateringly hot. i dont ever really make it a point to talk about spice levels or scenes in my reviews unless they leave a lasting impression on me and boy did they ever. this was one of those books where my bi panic went haywire. i truly cant even pinpoint what about these scenes felt so hot and next level for me because it truly was just two hot people with insane chemistry having sex but i think the trust and the intimacy of it all having both POVs and their inner monologues of how they view themselves, each other, sex, relationships just really elevated every single scene we get and it was H O T T T T T 😛

this was my first book of joss’ and i truly cannot wait to go listen to her debut sometime in the next week because i am just so excited for more of her words. even though i’ve only read one of her books LK&T truly cemented her as an auto buy/read author for me. i am already gnawing at the gates of my enclosure to see what is next from her and plotting how to get my grubby little paws on it asap!!

[Sian]

I will write a proper critical review in a few days but for now I will say this: I am crushed that I didn’t love this.

Also, there’s a line in the epilogue where the fmc playfully rubs the mmc’s dick and it’s made me drop this from a 3.5 to a 3 star read because it’s icked me out.

---

I'm so sad to say this one didn't work for me. And not necessarily because I had a bad time reading or that I thought the book was bad but rather that I thought the message about love to be quite muddy and unclear.

Our FMC is very sure she doesn't want a relationship but rather than seeming independant she comes off as slightly hypocritical as the story progresses. Her issues which are presented originally as incredibly logical, honest and subversive. Despite the relationship seeming destined to end in flames, they fall in love and get some therapy and all of sudden love really is amazing and she was just scared. I almost found it offensive, if I'm being honest. It felt like it was being implied that anyone who isn't interested in relationships is to be pitied and must clearly be hiding some sort of deep hurt (which, for our FMC was a misunderstanding anyway).

I'm sure that wasn't the authors intention but that element hindering my enjoyment and the fact that the pacing was a little inconsistent, led me to rate this a 3.5 stars. I'm a Joss Richard lover for life and I cannot wait for the rest of her novels. However, this one just isn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballentine for this e-arc, I am extremely grateful.

[Sarah • semi ia (nvm still pretty inactive, sorry!)]

I did NOT like the author's debut, but I want to give her books a second chance, so I was sooo happy when I was approved to read this. God, I hope I love it. 😭🤞🏼

[lali ✰]

Rtc
DNFd at 66%

How??? I was obsessed, planning my reread already, and then suddenly there was one scene with one of my most hated tropes.... and then I found out it happens twice?!?!?!?!
I just wanna cry right now 😭😭😭

[Amber (ambersmagicallibrary)]

I adored this story so much!!! It started off as fake dating, but they ended up helping each other out way more than what was agreed upon. I loved that they were both writers. This reminded me so much of the rom come movies I love. Their banter was absolutely my favorite part!!!! I was giggling so much!! Of course there was a one bed scene AND date to their exes wedding. I ate this story up! Read in one sitting because I really enjoyed it. Marsh and Lucy were so perfect for each other , I was rooting for them the entire time! Marsh always stucking up for Lucy’s writing made my heart so happy. Easily 5 stars!!!

[Violet]

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5 stars, rounded down)

"Because I love sex," she says, and there's honesty to her answer. "Sex is like math. It's the same in every language."

Joss Richards intentionally wrote messy, realistic characters, which created an interesting dilemma for me.

At times, Lucy's clinical choices made it hard to root for her, and Marsh also deserves to be called out for how he publicly handled his past relationship drama.

Relationships are messy, but these two characters were always honest with each other. Even though some of their actions annoyed me, I still enjoyed the book. It was hard to put down, even if it left me feeling conflicted until the very end.

[Alicia]

4.5 !!!

I love reading about writers

[Angela | nerdslovebooks]

Overall, I'd give this book 4.25 stars. I inhaled this story. I can't pinpoint why I could not put this story down, maybe a combination of the characters, the writing, and that special feeling of finding your human. Lucy and Marsh's vulnerability was on full display, maybe because their relationship wasn't "real", and it was really refreshing to read. Lucy was such a unique character and I adored her fire. It takes a strong woman to put herself out there for everyone to see. I loved reading the sex worker parts of the story, it was really insightful.

*Fake dating
*Dual POV
*Forced proximity
*Instant attraction
*Journalist/Writer
*One bed

Format: ebook

Thank you NetGalley, Joss Richard, and Ballantine for the ARC!

[kimberly ☆]

3. stars!

[Oana]

If i wanted to read about both main characters sleeping with other people- she after they slept together for the first time and him after the third act break up WHICH WAS POINTLESS I WOULD HAVE WATCHED THE REAL LIFE NOT READ THIS BOOK
This was not fun it was no 90’s rom com
The FMc was INSUFFERABLE INSUFFERABLE, she did not grow at all i wanted to pull my hair out
You mean to tell me i read all those pages and you are literally the same?
I could have get past anything but the sleeping OW/OM when we are supposed to read a romance book, mind u she slept with another guy because she got too close with the MMC?? that was when the whole book went downhill for me, more like down the mountain

I am so upset ill revies more when i calm down 👉🏼👈🏼🫪

Thank u to the publisher for the arc

[Jen]

If “salt air, and the rust on your door” were a romance novel.

While unintended, reading this one at the start of August (Taylor’s Version) season was spot on.

If It’s Different This Time is peak autumn in NYC, with her sophomore novel, Joss Richard serves up a gorgeous summer of fake dating in LA. Her writing here, too, feels even sharper than her great debut—the character work felt deeper and even more compelling to me.

Lucy and Marsh are two messy, hot people who are into each other more than they (think they) should be, and who figure things out along the way. Their chemistry is always excellent, and the spicy scenes in particular hit big time.

also:
🌅 forbidden romance (coworkers)
👓 Slutty little glasses (and hot, hard torso) agenda
🩵 friends who show up and support you (and one awful ex who does not)
🥊 Boxing as foreplay
☕️ Oat milk iced latte supremacy
📝 90s romcom vibes

🎧 This was great on audio. Arya Jacobs & Robert Hatchet felt well cast here. While I do wish this one had been duet, neither of their opposite-gender voices were a detractor for me.

There’s a little bit of this one that felt overly constructed at the beginning—like it was written for a trope and a setup and a little surface level (with a few too many “omg he’s so hot’s”). Somewhere around the halfway mark I felt like the character work was more genuine and I started connecting a lot more. If you’re similary not bought in at the beginning, give it time to breathe.

Thank you Dell Romance for the ARC and PRH Audio for the ALC!

[Hannah]

Another absolute banger from Joss Richards! I absolutely love how she writes characters this was so incredibly well done. Her characters feel so real and nuanced she truly is a talent.

This book had such a unique and fun premise I haven’t read any journalist work place romance before, but this had me hooked. I loved how the fake dating aspect worked out in this book too, it was fun and believable while also not being over the top.

I really enjoyed Lucy’s character. I feel like knowing all of the issues with her parents and the childhood trauma she has makes why she is scared of commitment make sense. Love can be so complicated and it doesn’t always make sense and I feel like she kind of gets that by the end of the book.

Marsh was also incredibly well done and I loved how he ended up being completely head over heels for Lucy. I really felt for him with his whole families dynamic with his ex. It was so toxic and ick he’s better than me because I would’ve freaked out.

Overall, this is such an incredibly well done book and if you’ve liked Joss’ other books you’ll be sure to like this :)

Read if you like:
Fake dating
Sex columnist x News writer
He falls first
Workplace romance
Dual POV

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dell for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Annie K]

Lucy Reid is a sex writer who doesn’t do relationships. Unfortunately for her, her column is losing clicks—readers want more than hookups; they want the messy reality of love. So what’s the solution? Agree to be Marsh’s date to his ex’s wedding in exchange for fake dating him. No one’s going to catch feelings… right?

This book really ebbed and flowed for me. At times it was addictive—I couldn’t put it down. Other parts dragged, and the pacing felt uneven. I think my biggest struggle was with the core emotional arc. Lucy’s fear of love is the central conflict, but it started to feel repetitive, like the same argument playing out over and over without meaningful progression.

Marsh, unfortunately, didn’t fully work for me as a romantic lead. The book asks the reader to see him as this amazing, emotionally evolved partner, but I never quite got there. His backstory—especially the way his previous long-term relationship was handled—left me feeling like his growth wasn’t fully earned. The narrative framing felt a bit off, and I found myself questioning the emotional accountability on both sides rather than rooting for them as a couple.

The “forbidden workplace romance” element also didn’t land for me. It felt a bit outdated and overly dramatized in a way that didn’t match real-world dynamics, which pulled me out of the story.

I will say, I was really enjoying this up until about the 75% mark. After that, it started to feel repetitive and less emotionally grounded, and the romance lost some of its believability for me. The spicy scenes, while very explicit, sometimes felt out of sync with the emotional development, which made them land less effectively than intended.

And on a completely different note—lobster rolls in San Francisco? That might have been the most unrealistic part of the whole book. Cioppino, oysters, clam chowder… sure. But lobster rolls? I could practically tell the author didn’t live in California 😅

I really wanted to love this one, but in the end, it just didn’t fully come together for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Madison (madinotmaddiereads)]

All my thanks to Dell for the advanced reader copy of my MOST ANTICIPATED release of the year in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Perfection in every sense of the word! She’s done it again!

in 2025, I somehow made it my mission to make It's Different This Time my entire personality...and I do believe I successfully accomplished this, haha! Needless to say, I've been dying to get my grubby little hands on Joss's sophomore novel and God, she whisked me away yet again! I love Joss's characterization, how unafraid she is to tap into the messiness of humanity and dissect the vulnerabilities that would typically make someone feel less than but in this story, they are written to feel entirely whole despite their flaws. Equally deserving of love as someone who seems to have their life more together or mind more collected. I found so much of myself in Lucy and know so many others will as well. Also lovedddd the positive messaging around sex normalcy! Brilliantly done!

I can't think about Marsh in any appropriate way. He's so RESPECTFUL, UGH! Love a man in therapy with a high emotional EQ! A standard has been set once again. Adam and Marshall should write a guide on how to be a man...no, but like actually :')

The California setting had me feeling so nostalgic for my trip there in 2021 and had me whipping out my album to relive such a special time in my life. Also, that club scene...tattoo it on my brain immediately, I have replayed it so many times in my head it's not even funny at this point.

Books like these are why I will be a defender of miscommunication as a third act because it CAN be done well and this is the proof! Give me the grit and work it takes to talk about the hard parts of relationship! That's real life and I think it's healthy to see how this can be written and played out in a way that shows healthy communication between romantic interests.

Perfect for lovers of beloved romcom favorite How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days!

Phenomenal job, Joss! I'll read whatever words you give me 😊

[jenna 💘✨]

4.25 stars!!

Thank you to Dell Romance and NetGalley for the ARC!

Joss Richard’s sophomore novel, Let’s Kiss and Tell follows Lucy and Marsh. Lucy is a sex columnist who is anti-relationship, anti-commitment, but is faced with a troubling task: Write about being in a relationship. Marsh, a news writer at the same company, just so happens to need a date for his ex’s wedding. As Lucy and Marsh form a plan to fake date, we witness them find the one thing they didn’t expect: love.

One thing I appreciated about Lucy and Marsh's characters were that they were a tad bit messy. There were multiple times where I wanted to yell at the both of them, or grab them by the shoulders and shake them, but in a good way. I wanted the best for them, even if they stood in their own way at times!!! Lucy's struggles with her parents, her jaded views on love/relationships, and the growth we see throughout the story was handled so well. I felt that the way Joss handled her unlearning this narrative was realistic & honest, something that didn't happen easily. Marsh's struggles with his work-life balance, his own familial struggles & his need to put on a brave, happy face for those around him were relatable & well-written! I admired both of their dedicated, passionate personalities and adored their caring, witty sides as well!!!

Lucy & Marsh's love story is quite the ride, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The flirting, the chemistry & tension!!! The safe places they offered each other!!! Their connection was instant & intrigued me from the very start. I love how they pushed + challenged each other!!! Seeing two people work through the rougher sides of themselves in tandem felt so realistic & true to who Lucy & Marsh are. And i think it makes for a solid foundation for a lifetime of love!!! They're so hot & delicious!!!! Love them!!!

I really loved the sex positivity in this one! With Lucy being a sex columnist, it's obviously a large part of her character & the story. I loved the way Joss chose to comment on the societal standards set in place for women & the discourse surrounding casual sex. It was not only empowering but also important!!!

I can't wait to see what Joss Richard has in store for the future!!! Definitely recommend adding this one to your tbr!!