When she first meets Adam, Coralie is new to London and is feeling adrift. But Adam is clever, witty and (he insists) a half inch taller than the average male. His charming four-year-old daughter only adds to his appeal.

But ten years on, something important is missing from the life Coralie and Adam have built. Or maybe, having gained everything she dreamed of, Coralie has lost something else she once had: herself.

Set against an eventful British decade that included the soap opera of five prime ministers plus Brexit and Covid, Consider Yourself Kissed puts the subjects of love and family on a grand stage, showing how the intimate dramas in our homes inescapably compete for energy and attention with the shared public dramas of our times.

Told over ten years of one woman’s life, this is an unforgettable love story that effortlessly balances sweetness with bite, the public with the personal, and humour with heart.

Review:

Optimistic, relatable, and sincere!

Consider Yourself Kissed is a tender, insightful tale that takes you into the life of Coralie, a young woman who is struggling with her self-identity after spending ten years in a career she’s not sure she loves, being a busy mother to three children, two of her own and one stepchild, losing the mother who she never felt truly cared, and supporting a partner whose priorities are mixed up and who is more than a little self involved.

The writing is genuine and direct. The characters are lonely, quirky, and disillusioned. And the plot is a lighthearted, touching mix of life, love, introspection, friendship, awkward situations, sweet moments, misunderstandings, relationship dynamics, family drama, healing, and moving on, all set against the backdrop of British politics.

Overall, Consider Yourself Kissed is a layered, astute, intriguing tale by Stanley that is the first novel I’ve read by this author, but certainly won’t be my last.

This novel is available now.

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