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Verdict: A light, steamy, low-angst beach read about a TV star who comes home for her 40th and the former best friend who once kissed her — breezy and sexy, with lovely family and surfing, but the romance is simple and Sadie’s awakening is thinly explored.
Best for: Readers who want a sexy summer read, 40-something heroines, second chances, a celebrity lead and a single mom.
Heat level: 4/5 (romance.io: explicit open door, 15 ratings)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.6/5 — a 3.93 Goodreads average across 2,672 ratings and 3.61 on StoryGraph from 562 reviews)
Tropes: Second chance, friends to lovers, celebrity romance, queer awakening at 40, single mother, small town, dual POV.
And Then She Kissed Me is Harper Bliss’s 2022 contemporary lesbian romance from Ladylit Publishing. TV cop Sadie Ireland heads home to Clearwater Bay, the Northern California beach town where she grew up, to celebrate her 40th birthday and recover from her divorce. There she comes face to face with Devon Douglas — the best friend she lost when Devon kissed her at sixteen.
It holds a 3.93 average across 2,672 Goodreads ratings, with 69% of them four or five stars, 3.61 on StoryGraph from 562 reviews, and 4.6 stars across 1,222 Amazon ratings. It is one of Bliss’s popular comfort reads, with readers split between those who want easy and those who want depth.
What Is And Then She Kissed Me About?
Sadie needs a break from Hollywood. Her marriage to her co-star is over, her show is on hiatus, and she wants time with her twin brother, her sister and her father. Devon, now a life coach and the mother of a young son, Finn, cannot believe it when Sadie reappears; she has regretted ruining their friendship on a lovestruck whim for more than twenty years.
Sadie is as dazzling as Devon remembers and can still hold her own in the waves of Clearwater Bay. Devon’s first priority is her son, but Sadie takes up more and more of her headspace — and Sadie finds herself inexplicably drawn to Devon. It could be nostalgia. It could be their old friendship. Or it could be more.
What Makes This Romance Work
- Beach-read energy: Readers describe it as a fun, light summer read with a great setting and surfing scenes.
- Heat: Bliss’s love scenes are the draw for many; one listener was amazed how she keeps them fresh.
- Family and friends: Sadie’s siblings, Devon’s friends and the surfing lessons with Finn give it found-family warmth.
- Heroines at 40: Readers cheered for leads in their forties.
- The audiobook: Abby Craden’s narration is widely praised.
Book Synopsis
TV cop Sadie Ireland needs a break from her Hollywood life. She heads home to the beach town where she grew up to celebrate her 40th birthday with her family. Devon Douglas can’t believe it when she comes face to face with Sadie again. They were inseparable in high school until Devon did something she has regretted for more than twenty years — she ruined their friendship on a lovestruck whim.
Sadie is as dazzling as Devon remembers. Devon’s first priority is her five-year-old son, but getting to know Sadie again is taking up more and more of her headspace. Sadie is inexplicably drawn to Devon. It could be nostalgia. It could be remnants of their old friendship flaring up. But what if it is more than that?
My Review
This is Bliss in breezy mode. The dual first-person narration moves quickly, the whole story unfolds over a short stretch of time, and Clearwater Bay is a pleasant place to spend it. Sadie’s homecoming is more layered than it first looks — she and her siblings still carry the impact of their mother walking out — and Devon’s relationship with Finn and her friends adds warmth. When Sadie and Devon get together, the book is generous with steam.
The weak spot is Sadie’s awakening. She moves from straight TV star to falling for her old best friend with little explanation — several readers said her realisation needed more development, and one summed it up as “it just happened.” Others found the pair jumped into bed quickly, the chemistry thin, or the same doubts (“but you’re straight”, “you’re Sadie Ireland”) repeated too often. A few found it boring, with little happening across 300 pages, and one felt Finn could have mattered more.
My honest note: If you want an easy, sexy beach read with a feel-good ending, this delivers. If you want a thoughtful coming-out story, it only skims the surface.
| Element | In And Then She Kissed Me |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Sadie Ireland & Devon Douglas — TV star and former best friend |
| Ages | Both around 40 |
| Core tropes | Second chance, friends to lovers, celebrity, queer awakening |
| Setting | Clearwater Bay, a Northern California beach town |
| Heat level | 4/5 on romance.io — explicit open door |
| POV | Dual first person |
| Content notes | Divorce, a parent who left the family, a painful teenage rejection |
How Spicy Is And Then She Kissed Me?
Romance.io rates it 4 of 5, “explicit open door,” from 15 ratings, and readers agree it is steamy — “beyond sexy,” as one put it. I Heart SapphFic labels it medium, so expectations vary, but most readers found plenty of heat. One critic felt the sex outpaced the chemistry and skipped those scenes.
On content, the story involves Sadie’s recent divorce, her mother having left the family when she was a child, and the hurt of a teenage kiss that ended a friendship. It is otherwise low angst.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want a light, steamy second-chance romance with 40-something leads and a beach setting. It is on our feel-good lesbian romance and single mom lesbian romance lists.
You may want to skip it if: you want a deeply explored coming-out arc, slow-burn tension, or a plot with more happening.
In short: Sunny, sexy and simple — a beach read, not a deep dive.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
As a Harper Bliss title, this has a large readership; a web search surfaced no Reddit threads. On Goodreads the split is 30% five stars, 39% four, 23% three, 5% two and 1% one. On StoryGraph, 88% tag it lighthearted and 62% call the pace fast. The unabridged audiobook, narrated by Abby Craden, runs 6 hours and 46 minutes.
Prefer audio? Listen to And Then She Kissed Me on Libro.fm — the audiobook shop that supports independent bookstores.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The easy beach-read vibe first. Second, the steam. Third, the family and friends. Fourth, the audiobook.
What readers argue about and complain about: Sadie’s underdeveloped awakening, above everything. Second, sex outpacing chemistry for some. Third, repetitive doubts. Fourth, not much plot.
The comparison worth making first: If you like Harper Bliss, About That Kiss is another of her romances we have reviewed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How spicy is And Then She Kissed Me?
Quite spicy. Romance.io rates it 4 of 5, explicit open door, from 15 ratings, and readers describe plenty of steamy scenes. One critic felt there was too much sex for the amount of chemistry.
Is And Then She Kissed Me a second-chance romance?
Yes. Sadie and Devon were inseparable best friends until Devon kissed Sadie at 16 and the friendship ended. Twenty-four years later, Sadie comes home for her 40th birthday.
Is Sadie coming out in And Then She Kissed Me?
Yes. Sadie, recently divorced from her co-star, discovers her attraction to Devon at 40. Some readers wished her realisation had more development.
Is there an audiobook of And Then She Kissed Me?
Yes. The unabridged audiobook is narrated by Abby Craden and runs 6 hours and 46 minutes; listeners rate her performance highly.
Is And Then She Kissed Me connected to other Harper Bliss books?
It is a standalone, but characters from other Harper Bliss books are mentioned, which readers of her work enjoy.
If You Loved And Then She Kissed Me, Read These Next
Try About That Kiss or Love Me Like You Shouldn’t for more Harper Bliss. For more, browse our feel-good, low-angst, single mom and late bloomer lists, or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
And Then She Kissed Me sets out to be a sunny, sexy second-chance romance, and it delivers exactly that: good heat, a lovely setting and warm family ties. What holds it back is how lightly it treats Sadie’s coming out and how little else happens. For a summer read, it is worth it. Check And Then She Kissed Me on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, And Then She Kissed Me ranks as a good, steamy comfort read — fun and sexy, held back by a thin awakening arc and a slight plot.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ 3.93 average across 2,672 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 69% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.61 on StoryGraph from 562 reviews
- ✓ 4.6 stars across 1,222 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Second chance
- ✓ Friends to lovers
- ✓ Quick to the bedroom
- ✓ Chemistry divisive
Characters ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ Likeable leads
- ✓ Warm family cast
- ✓ Sadie’s shift underexplored
- ✓ Finn underused for one reader
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ Breezy, fast
- ✓ Dual first person
- ✓ Repetitive doubts
- ✓ Light on plot
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ Family wounds
- ✓ Homecoming
- ✓ Low angst
- ✓ Not deep
Heat Level ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Romance.io 4/5, explicit
- ✓ Beyond sexy for fans
- ✓ Medium per I Heart SapphFic
- ✓ Too much for one critic
Ending ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Feel-good ending
- ✓ Found family
- ✓ Satisfying for fans
- ✓ HEA vs HFN not specified
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ Beach-read comfort
- ✓ Praised audiobook
- ✓ Quick
- ✓ Little plot to revisit
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