Kiss Me Like You Mean It

by Laura Wood

Ophelia Turner-Jones likes to be in control, but her neat and tidy world is about to be turned upside down.

One year after a drunken night out in Las Vegas, Lee receives a surprising email. She hasn’t seen or talked to him in months, but now Lee needs to track down her longtime crush, Nico… and tell him that they accidentally got married.

Adrenaline-seeker Nico has never stayed in one spot for long, so the last place Lee expects to find him is settled in a picture-perfect small town in Maine, surrounded by a community of loveable oddballs and eccentrics. But that’s not the only surprise in store, because it turns out there’s one thing Nico desperately a wife.

Nico's life is a mess, and he doesn't want to drag his best friend's little sister into it. Unfortunately, Lee might just be the answer to all his problems... if he can keep his hands off her.

With the help of the whole town, Nico and Lee have to convince the world that they’re happily married and in love… but what happens when the story they're telling starts to feel too much like the truth? What do you do when you're really falling for your fake husband?

Genres: Romance, Autumn, Contemporary, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Marriage Of Convenience, Adult

432 pages, Paperback

First published August 13, 2026

About the author

Laura Wood is the winner of the Montegrappa Scholastic Prize for New Children's Writing and the author of the 'Poppy Pym' and 'Vote for Effie' middle-grade series and YA novels, A Sky Painted Gold and Under a Dancing Star.

She loves Georgette Heyer novels, Fred Astaire films, travelling to far flung places, recipe books, Jilly Cooper, poetry, cosy woollen jumpers, Edith Nesbit, crisp autumn leaves, Jack Gilbert, new stationery, sensation fiction, salted caramel, feminism, Rufus Sewell's cheek-bones, dogs, and drinking lashings of ginger beer.

Reviews

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nopes, not finishing. Cliche after cliche. Las Vegas shenanigans? Best friends who secretly have always loved each other? Miscommunication trope? Grandmother who is quite different from anyone else?

[ahmeeka]

DNF – unfortunately this author is just not for me

[Viv ❦ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

this was a fun fall romance-nothing extraordinary but enjoyed it!!

single dad, brother’s best friend, small town, fake marriage and friends to lovers. what more do you need?

[Goda l Knygu_jura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Turėjau visai nemažus lūkesčius, tačiau likau nemenkai nusivylusi. Mane erzina, kai skambiai skelbiami tropai įmetami į knygą, nes tiesiog! Ir po to vi-siš-kai nėra išpildomi... 🥲 Tai man kliuvo ir veikėjų santykiai, neįtikino nei miscommunication trope, nei jų meilė, nei išvis visa istorija. Pabaigoje išvis kažkokia mišrainė padaryta. 🥲

[Nada A. · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

4.8 stars
I thought I was getting a cute fall story but it ended up being so good!!

[Anna (annareadit) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

[Bena Sarapaite · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ Labai jau toks surealus, bet tuo ir žavi! Priminė gilmore girls ir if it makes you happy! Smagiai susiklausė 🎧

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiss Me Like You Mean It is a book with a chaotic story which somehow works, even though it starts with the 'got drunk and got married in Las Vegas' cliché. The characters of both the FMC, Lee and MMC, Nico are likeable and I loved the way that Lee's character grew as the book progressed. From an anxious introvert, she slowly grew to a confident character who wanted nothing more than a family. There were also a whole cast of other likeable characters, not just the MC’s

This is the fist book by Laura Wood that I have read and I really enjoyed it. It was the perfect romcom read, with a sprinkle of autumn throughout.

Favourite Quote: ‘You’re stuck in this tepid relationship with a man who has all the personality of a glass of skimmed milk’.

Tropes:

🏘️ Small Town Romance
💒 Fake Marriage
👨 Single Dad
⭐️ Brothers Best Friend
❤️ Friends to Lovers
🧑‍🧑‍🧒 Found family

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiss Me Like You Mean It by Laura Wood

4.25/5⭐️
2/3🌶️ (4ish scenes)
3/3🦋

•My Thoughts•
This was fun and super swoony! I loved the dynamic between our main characters and how they complemented each other so well. I love the growth we get to see in Lee, our female main character, and how she settles into herself and how her natural gifts are exactly what Nico and his daughter Pheobe need. The small town, Maine setting sounded gorgeous and I loved the fall vibes sprinkled throughout. I ALWAYS enjoy a fake relationship dynamic and their accidentally married in Vegas turned marriage of convenience had me kicking my feet. I think my biggest issue and it’s not even an issue, it was just a “me expectation” thing…this was super romcom-y with the silliest small town (like Lucy Score Story Lake level wackiness) and I wasn’t prepared for that. There was still the sharp wit and humor that I’ve come to expect from Laura but a lot of small town shenanigans. I can absolutely enjoy this dynamic but it threw me a bit because I wasn’t expecting it. Everything was well written and so much fun and I can see this hitting *even better* for me on a reread with the proper expectations! Absolutely still recommending this one!

[Lilly Dunkley · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

Holiday book numero dos! What a cute little romance! Really enjoyed this a lot! Forget how much I live a small town romance with an abundance of qwerky characters!

[Pagesatpaces · Rating 5 out of 5]

just finished Kiss Me Like You Mean It by Laura Wood, my first book by this author and it certainly wont be my last. I absolutely inhaled this, it was like catnip to a bunch of feral cats. I loved everything about this book.

Lee finds herself married to Nico, her older brother's best friend and the man she's had feelings for for years, after a drunken night in Vegas. A year later, she discovers they're still legally married and ends up back in his life, agreeing to play the part of his wife. And of course, when there are already feelings involved, things aren't quite as simple as they might seem.

I'm having a real small-town romance moment and this ticked all the boxes I'm looking for. The writing was superb and the dialogue was so sharp and witty. Lee and Nico were both likeable and relatable, and the chemistry between them was sizzling. Although I did want to throttle them on more than one occasion with some of their questionable actions and decisions.
Then throw in some crazy theatrical antics from the eager local townspeople, think Gilmore Girls whacky, and you have the perfect recipe for some sweet but funny situations.

I genuinely loved this one and definitely recommend it for all my fellow Gilmore Girls lovers. Laura Wood, I'll absolutely be reading more from you.

[Books of the Moth · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Let me tell you first that I really adore ‘Under Your Spell” and ‘Let’s Make A Scene’. The first book in this series was so wholesome, warm and sweet and the witch theme made that book unique. The second book was a masterclass in tension between not just the characters but between their actions and their feelings unsaid. I loved the chapter with Lee and Nico in that book. It made me curious about these two, so ’The Fate of Ophelia’ book as I called it was one of the most anticipated books on my list this year. In some aspects this is a lovely story but I feel a bit disappointed.

The first quarter of the book pulled me in. It was witty, funny I liked Lee very much and the story kicked in smoothly. My problems are mainly in the second quarter: both main characters started lusting over each other too quickly and too strongly for my liking. Where I wanted yearning, connection and tension it was just description of sexual urge and desire. Why write these really intriguing characters and then focusing on their hotness more than their personality?
There were also more and more inconsistencies in tone and characters. Ophelia changed too much too quickly and Nico was like a completely different person. I just couldn't find reason to these sudden changes. That problem was luckily addressed later and perfectly made sense in the end but in that part of the book it was really weird.
After that blip the real connections started to build more organically and honestly and in the end this story was great. I liked how this book spoke about the sacrifice we make for the ones we love, how we can make our family life our success beside our work and still be our most honest selves. How can we be relaxed with someone who makes the effort to truly understand us and treats us accordingly. These are beautiful themes of this relationship. But sometimes I felt this book wanted too much to tell in one story.

My biggest problem with one aspect of this book is a confession (or unpopular opinion):
I strongly dislike the way that we talk about books nowadays. I mean it especially about how the conversation changed in the last decade focusing more and more on tropes.
Tropes aren’t inherently a bad thing, they are just tools for writers. Certain patterns, type of stories are in storytelling since the beginning. Every writer in every genre uses them.
So it is strange to me that tropes became the main bases for communication around romance and romantic fantasy: books mainly written by women for women. This has a cheapening effect on these works which makes me feel frustrated. Every genre has masterpieces and lower quality stories, too and every genre has its own patterns but not every genre are marketed this way. This form of conversation around some books just makes me sad…
I despise trope based marketing: I don’t have favourite tropes or disliked tropes because in my opinion any trope can be written greatly or poorly. It depends on the writers strength. In a good writers hand any trope can be great if that serves the plot and the characters well.
So I feel that trope based marketing gives me absolutely nothing. I don’t search for books based on tropes in a way that I don’t search for a restaurant for the ingredients. If I read a food review I'll search for the quality of the meal in it, not for the grocery list of the chef…
In a case of my next read I always look for the blurb and if I knew the style of the author already. I'm interested in the story, the characters, the language. I’m bored out of my mind seeing one check-list review after an other, again and again. It is truly endless…

What is this have to do with this book specifically?
This trope based conversation around books became part of some books now. And it puts me out of the story in an instant. As I said earlier ‘Kiss Me Like You Mean It’ has several problems. But this meta conversation about the characters knowing that they “living the tropes” like the 'marriage of convenience', 'my brother’s best friend', 'hot single dad'… etc made me wanted to scream.
It is enough reading in the ‘praise’ section sentences like this: “Packed with all the best tropes” and “Lee and Nico together are absolute tropey perfection” Now I have to read it in the story as well?
Why?

“Actually,’ Lee pipes up, ‘my friend was saying that we’re basically a marriage of convenience trope.’
‘Yes!’ Kat hoots.
‘What do you mean a trope?’ I ask.
‘Like a romance novel,’ Kat puts in, as if that clears anything up.”

This is not the first novel I’ve read with this kind of meta conversation but this was the first where I felt that it has nothing to do with the story. ‘Book Lovers’ by Emily Henry comes in mind but in that book both of the main characters are working in the publishing industry and the book itself was commenting / critiquing on publishing and the way we consuming literature today. And some of the romance tropes were intentionally turning on their heads by the author.
‘Any Trope But You’ by Victoria Lavine is the other book where tropes were part of the plot: a disillusioned romance writer started to live the tropes and realizing that she still has hope. But again this book was a commentary on relationships in a consumerist and cynical world.

But in the case of ‘Kiss Me Like You Mean It’ it didn’t bring further the plot or the characters, didn’t made any criticism or commentary. It was just weird and unnecessary… Lee and Nico had so interesting professions and exciting relationship dynamics with their friends and family. I wanted to read about more of those things and not this unnecessary conversations about tropes. Especially because this comment above made it seem that only romance novels are about tropes.

Can we please concentrate on the story and the characters again? Can we have conversation about the main themes, motifs and messages of a book or how it made us feel or think instead of the mechanics of the writing?
I know this is probably just me and I’m old fashioned and not on trend or whatever. But this bugs me because I want to be a part of the conversation about my beloved stories. Sadly I did fell out of it because this is not the way I operate so I’m feeling left behind.

Despite my rambling about this I liked this book more than I disliked it in the end but in some ways I was a bit disappointed… I don't like feeling the great potential of a story and seeing it not reaching all that high that it could've been. This is just one sign of my expectations of a talented writer like Laura Wood. She is still one of my favourite romance writers and I will wait not too patiently for her next book and hope for the best…

P.s.: I also miss a conversation between Lee and Jack about his blind spots around his sister and his ignorance of her feelings. It is good that Nico pointed that out but I think it would've been better if we hear it with her words. Their relationship feels like it just starting or starts to evolve and I wanted that in the story of Lee's self-realization. Also Jack is so open and understanding with Cynthie. It would've been nice to see that he starts to make more effort with his little sister.

[Alex | brightestbookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★

🍂 Marriage of convenience
🧣 Brother’s best friend
🍂 Single dad
🧣 Small town hijinks
🍂 Forced proximity

Ophelia (Lee) and her brother’s best friend Nico accidentally get married one drunken night in Vegas… but they only realise they actually went through with it a year later. During that time Nico has learned he has an American 8 year old daughter - whom he has relocated to live with - and also needs a wife so that he is granted his inheritance 😅

This was so much fun! The synopsis sounds like *a lot* - and it kind of is a chaotic mess?! But it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is silly enough that it really works! It had me laughing out loud, instead of rolling my eyes at their antics.

Nico and Lee are actually English MCs, but the book is set in a small town in the US - which I have realised I love because you get the laugh-out-loud British deadpan humour & dry wit, but all the feels of an American small town romance?!

The town is definitely a character in this book - I loved all the small town stereotypes! They are so meddlesome and their hijinks are hilarious. It gives Inglewild and Rome KY vibes, or the town from If It Makes You Happy, and it’s such a perfect autumnal hug.

The found family is also very cute, and I loved how Lee was welcomed into Nico’s family and the community. My biggest reservation here was the timeline - it was so short! And it felt unlikely that Lee would go from having essentially one friend age 32, to becoming best friends with the whole town in a matter of weeks (however cute it was!) This also meant the romance felt accelerated.

I mostly listened to this, but whilst I love Thomas Judd for some characters (Osric Mordaunt 👀) I don’t think he fits Nico at all! So I ended up buying the actual book too and actually preferred reading! 📖

Overall a very cute and entertaining read, and I would recommend picking it up this autumn!

[Jasmine C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second Laura Wood book, and it was such a feel good read!

A marriage of convenience, brother’s best friend, single dad romance set in the delightful small town of Roseport, Maine? What’s not to love!
Both characters are British but the story is mainly set in the US.

Lee (Ophelia) and Nico were both so likeable, and adding an adorable little girl and a super cute dog (Taco) into the mix made this such a heartwarming, happy autumn read. 🍂

My only small criticism was that Phoebe, the MMC’s eight year old daughter, sometimes acted much older than her age. For example, she booked and paid for a flight by herself and emailed the ticket to the recipient without any adult help, which felt a little unrealistic for an eight year-old.

Overall, a sweet, cosy romance with all the British wit, that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy.

[Pauline · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

i really liked it!! but it wasn’t really giving fall?? like it could’ve truly been any season and the cover made me think it was gonna be a super fall coded book. but would definitely still recommend it anyways

[Jennifer]

Okay but this book sounds so so good!

[tappkalina]

dnf at 31%

[Alicia E · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one and I found it quite unique in its own way especially with the storyline I could also find myself relating to FMC Lee a bit when it comes to family and staying in one place for them! Lee is so sweet and I adore her relationship with Nico’s daughter Phoebe they do have a special bond and when Nico and Lee reconnect it’s like they didn’t even spend time away from each other you can see the tension and the yearning between the two and I loved it!! So did Phoebe she was always cheering them on I liked Lee’s personality and overtime I feel like what got to she a true part of her with Nico and it was incredible! Nico he’s so kind hearted and his heart is always in the right place I love how he steps up and takes in Phoebe with no hesitation and he’s a great dad trying for his little girl I love the connection he has with Lee and how he calls her Daisy it’s so cute and their own special story Nico absolutely adore’s Lee and when he shows a real side to him there was no stopping them from being together the love they have for each other is absolutely everything

Quotes I loved:
“The absolute last thing this situation needs is me lusting after my wife.”

“His gaze tangles with mine for a moment, and suddenly it's all there between us, the years we've known each other. The years I've loved him.”

“The first touch of her mouth is soft, tentative, but I'm no passive participant this time, and I want more. I want everything.”

Tropes:
🍂 Brother’s best friend
💍 Forced proximity
🍂 Marriage of convenience
💍 Small town
🍂 Fake dating
💍 Slow burn
🍂 Only one bed
💍 Single dad
🍂 Opposites attract

[Erika Miliauskė · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skaitant šią knygą jaučiausi lyg važinėdama amerikietiškais kalneliais. Knyga tai patiko, tai ne. Veikėjai erzino, o brother's best friend tropas pasirodė nereikalingas ir labai pritemptas. Atrodė, kad jis knygai pridėjo tik apimties, bet neturėjo jokios didesnės reikšmės pačiai istorijai. Man ir rudens nuotaikos čia pritrūko (vėl viršelis apgavo!!).. Kas patiko, tai tas mažas miestelis, kurio gyventojai vienas dėl kito pasiryžę padaryti bet ką. Tik ir apie patį miestelį mažai kas buvo rašoma. Skaitant knygą nuolat lydėjo jausmas, kad buvo norima aprėpti labai daug, bet galiausiai iš to nieko gero nesigavo 🫣

[PAPERBACK COWGIRL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiss Me Like You Mean It - Laura Wood

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This book was literally the perfect fall romcom read. It had a hot single dad, a very introverted, type-a but badass fmc, a hilarious kid and multiple glamorous grandma’s, a small town full of meddling busybodies and a good dose of friendships and emotional depth. This book had me laughing out loud on multiple occasions and it was so heartwarming. It’s truly an art to create the perfect small town love story without it turning into a cheap hallmark rip off, but Laura Wood executed it perfectly!

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this, give me 10 more. This book was such a goofy emotional read, I laughed so much with these characters, and had a big smile on my face the whole book. It reminded me why I love romance books in the first place. You're in it for all the feelings, the perfect small town, wholesome characters, over the top never gonna happen moments, and of course, libraries with ladders. It was the perfect recipe for this season.
Is it full of tropes and Hallmark moments? Yes. Did I enjoy every second of it? Hell yes.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had such fun reading Kiss Me Like You Mean It! I loved both Laura Wood’s previous novels for adults (Under Your Spell and Let’s Make a Scene) so this book had a lot to live up to, but it certainly delivered.

There are so many tropes in this book that you’d almost think it might not work yet somehow it does. There’s a small town romance, fake dating, brother’s best friend, hot single dad, found family and a marriage of convenience. And, of course, at one point there is just one bed!

Ophelia (known as Lee) and Nico have been in love with each other forever but have kept it a secret from each other. He’s her brother’s best friend and she’s, yes you’ve got it, his best friend’s sister. Neither knew that the other thought about them in a romantic way. When they bump into each other in Las Vegas, they get very drunk, so drunk in fact that they forget they got married! One year later, a ‘happy anniversary’ email alerts Lee to this fact and she tracks down Nico to break the news.

What she doesn’t expect is that Nico has a good reason to look like he is in a very stable family situation and a wife on the scene would be ideal. They agree to pretend to be happily married for as long as it takes and the whole town of Rosemont is on board with the pretence.

I so enjoyed reading this book. There are some brilliant characters in the town (special mention for young Pheobe) and it sounded such a lovely place to live. As you might guess from the cover, the book takes place partly in Autumn so expect maple lattes, Autumn leaves and Halloween decorations. The relationship between Lee and Nico was such fun to read about. For so long, neither wanted to the other to know how they really felt so pretending to be a happily married couple proved challenging as they tried to keep their true feelings under wraps. Well, I’m sure you can imagine how this might go and things get very hot between the two.

This book mentions Dolly Parton a lot and she’s clearly highly regarded by the residents of the town as well as the author herself. The book is dedicated to her and she features in the author’s thanks at the end too. So it was particularly poignant that the day I finished reading it, the news of Dolly Parton’s death was announced.

Kiss Me Like You Mean It was funny, romantic, sexy and just a hugely enjoyable read. I would happily read more about the various members of this family and their friends, or some of the residents of Rosemont. Maybe Nico’s brother next please Laura? This is a perfect cosy romance to curl up with this Autumn. Although, when I say cosy, did I mention hot?!

[Amy (wildbookstagram) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was a LOT of fun. Brothers best friend, single dad, small town - yep, that was great.

Laura Wood writes with such ease and hilarity, that at times I genuinely laughed out loud. I loved Lee and Nico; they were absolutely great together and their chemistry was everything I needed - a little bit of sunshine in the gloomy months!

𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆

[fem – femsbookshelf(f) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just way too long and idk it lost me somewhere near the end? This could have been a 4 star read if it was like 350 pages at most and if there were more fireworks between the characters. I did like it tho, it’s just not my favorite ever. Very much a 3 star read.

[Emma (ejm_reads) · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

This was a perfectly fine read but nothing special for me unfortunately. I did like the small town of Roseport and the fun characters but there was never any jeopardy - everything worked out perfectly in the end with very neat little bows.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tää oli just sitä mitä mä tarttin tähän hetkeen, 4 siirappista tähteä

[Monica Haak · Rating 2 out of 5]

MIS. COM. MU. NI. CA. TION.
I said what I said.
Deze voelde ik niet, waar komt dat kind vandaan? Why doesn't it aline??

[Margaret McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely Book

Really great book, wonderful characters, made me laugh out loud. Would love to live in Rosemont!, sounds a great place to live.

[Laure Sinniger · Rating 4 out of 5]

that was the cutest ??? pardon mais la fin j'aime trop i'm gonna cry ??? et pas de grosse dispute inutile à la fin comme toutes les romances omg

[Jasmine · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

this was cute & had literally all my favourite tropes 🤭
✔️single dad
✔️faking dating
✔️marriage of convenience
✔️american small town (bonus points for its being maine in autumn)
✔️brothers best friend