This is way more than the lighthearted YA love story that the title gives off. It's a gorgeous yet oft-heartbreaking examination of grief, trauma, mental health, healthcare, friendship, parenting, and more. Penny and Tate are real, flawed characters who have been dealt a terrible hand in life and are just trying to survive. Equally strong and necessarily more mature and responsible than other kids her age is Penny. Although Penny is more emotionally open than Tate, she’s also been through a lot of trauma. Her dad died on a father-daughter rafting trip accident when she was 15, leaving her with permanent mobility issues in her hands and an emotionally negligent mother who abandoned Penny in her grief. Her mom has never made herself accountable or repaired their relationship. Penny loves the outdoors, especially the local river, and she is a planner and organization aficionado who outlines her life in steps in her bullet journal. If you love queer love stories, YA romances, or are as big of a Tess Sharpe fan as me, you need to read 6 Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did). It’s a must! They’ve never talked about it. They’ve always ignored it in the aftermath. But now they’re living across the hall from each other. Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) (hereafter, Six Times, because I’m not typing that out all over again) is a fun enough read, I suppose. Framed in the style of a x+1 fanfic, it leans into that vibe, particularly with the writing style. As such, and perhaps expectedly, I found myself getting frustrated.

It’s just this confusing thing that keeps happening. You know, from time to time. For basically their entire teenaged existence.

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Sweet and emotional, with just the right amount of longing and angst, 6 Times We Almost Kissed... will leave you CHEERING for the One Time We Did!😘

Harley is one of the most complex, fascinating, dangerous characters I've encountered in years." —Lisa Gardner Told through the two girls’ present, and six moments from their past, this dynamic love story shows that sometimes the person you need the most has been there for you all along. First of all, the audiobook is narrated by the author and my previous experiences of authors narrating their own books weren’t great but this one was excellent. I loved all the characters, how their inner complexities are unveiled progressively, how relatable they all feel. At seventeen, both MCs have already gone through a lot of drama yet are so sweet and full of life and plans for the future. The moms are very different but their ride-or-die friendship makes a lot of sense. Penny’s mom is hardened by the pain weighing her down and it makes her hard to love but it also makes her relatable, and I love the way the author wrote her relationships with both her daughter and her mother-in-law. The grandmother is awesome, but again, not in a too-good-to-be-true way. Same for the MCs’ best friends. With a title like Six Times We Almost Kissed (And The One Time We Did) you’d expect a cutesy, slow burn romcom. While this is only the second Tess Sharpe book I’ve read (I still have Far From You on my to be read list, I know, I know, I’ll get there eventually), I have to say that I am loving that her books are hard hitting contemporaries.I absolutely loved this. I stayed up until 2am so I could finish it. I just couldn’t go to sleep without getting my ending. What I loved about the ending is that while it felt fitting, it isn’t perfect. Everything isn’t wrapped up and perfect but it is hopeful. I read a lot of 5 times fanfics and decided I should turn the structure into a very slow burn, angsty YA Romance novel about two girls almost kissing and then being super in denial about it every time it happens while everyone else in their lives is like “Those two. It’s some soulmate shit.” Sharpe creat[es] a lacerating picture of grief and regret. ...The murder mystery is compelling, and its resolution serves as a reminder that love is irrevocably tied to loss and that few people get out of it unscathed." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

In case it is not extremely clear with my review, I highly recommend Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) to fans of contemporary young adult fiction. Penny and Tate have known one another all of their lives. Their moms are best friends and they’ve grown up together whether they like it or not. They’re not really friends and they don’t hate each other either, but they definitely have some type of feelings for the each other. An incident forces them to have to live together and they agree to get along, at least in front of their mothers. This forces them to have to figure out how to coexist with each other and all the feelings they’ve spent years ignoring. They've never talked about it. They've always ignored it in the aftermath. But now they're living across the hall from each other. Prepare yourself for a very emotional ride with this book that will make the happy ending feel even better.This romance is full of struggle and strong emotions, likely to find an appreciable YA audience."— School Library Journal I really wish I could share some quotes on this review because there are a ton of really thought-provoking ones. I could have highlighted the entire book, that's how well it was written. Penny, in particular, had my heart. Her storyline with her mom was a favorite for me. Because of the death of her father, her relationship with her mother has become fractured. I loved how Penny learns to stand up for herself and demand what she needs so that she can heal. Anna was great. She's what a mum should be. She and Tate had a lovely relationship. I just wish she could have done more for Lottie and Penny.