{"id":2473,"date":"2025-04-05T01:34:41","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T01:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=2473"},"modified":"2025-04-05T01:34:41","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T01:34:41","slug":"consider-yourself-kissed-by-jessica-stanley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=2473","title":{"rendered":"Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jessica Stanley\u2019s sophomore novel, Consider Yourself Kissed<\/em>, offers readers a remarkably authentic portrait of contemporary womanhood that spans a decade of one woman\u2019s life. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of British politics from 2013 to 2023, this novel examines the intricacies of love<\/a>, motherhood, career, and identity with both heartwarming tenderness and biting humor.<\/p>\n

Stanley deftly illustrates how our intimate relationships and personal growth are inevitably shaped by\u2014and sometimes at odds with\u2014the broader social and political contexts in which we live. Through Coralie Bower, a relatable protagonist who struggles to balance her roles as partner, mother, stepmother, sister, and aspiring writer, Stanley crafts a nuanced exploration of what it means to build a life while attempting not to lose oneself in the process.<\/p>\n

The Story: From Meet-Cute to Breaking Point<\/h2>\n

When Australian expat Coralie meets charming political journalist Adam Whiteman in a London caf\u00e9 in 2013, their connection is instant and electric. Recently exiled from her Sydney advertising job after a messy situation with her boss, Coralie is drifting through London life, feeling invisible and untethered. Adam, a divorced father to four-year-old Zora, offers Coralie not just romantic passion but entry into a readymade family.<\/p>\n

Their initial years together are characterized by heady infatuation, shared jokes, and the gradual merging of their lives. Coralie renovates Adam\u2019s home, forms a touching relationship with Zora, and eventually welcomes two children of her own\u2014Florence and Max. All while trying to maintain some semblance of a career and nurture her long-dormant writing ambitions.<\/p>\n

But as the years pass, Coralie finds herself increasingly subsumed by the demands of motherhood and Adam\u2019s flourishing career. The political landscape shifts dramatically around them\u2014Brexit, multiple prime ministers, COVID-19\u2014while Coralie\u2019s world narrows to the confines of school pick-ups, dinner preparation, and bedtime stories. When her estranged father\u2019s visit triggers a complete breakdown, she must finally confront the ways in which she has lost herself in the pursuit of being everything to everyone.<\/p>\n

Characters: Complex, Flawed, and Utterly Real<\/h2>\n

Stanley excels at character development, presenting figures who are complex and contradictory in the way real humans are:<\/p>\n

Coralie<\/strong>: A woman torn between her multiple identities, who both resents and embraces the limitations of domesticity. Her internal struggles feel painfully authentic, especially her conflicted feelings about motherhood: \u201cSometimes it was a terrifying thought. But that night she found it a comfort.\u201d<\/strong><\/em>
\nAdam<\/strong>: A charismatic, witty journalist whose political focus sometimes blinds him to his partner\u2019s needs. He\u2019s well-intentioned but emblematic of the way even progressive men can take female support for granted.
\nZora<\/strong>: Adam\u2019s daughter from his first marriage, whose evolution from precocious child to thoughtful teenager serves as a throughline in the narrative. Her relationship with Coralie is one of the novel\u2019s most touching elements.
\nThe supporting cast<\/strong>: From Adam\u2019s lesbian mother Anne and her partner Sally to Coralie\u2019s gay brother Daniel and his husband \u201cBig Man\u201d Barbie, Stanley populates her world with distinctive characters who enrich the narrative without overwhelming it.<\/p>\n

Themes: The Personal is Always Political<\/h2>\n

Stanley weaves several interconnected themes throughout her narrative:<\/p>\n

The impossibility of \u201chaving it all\u201d<\/strong>: The novel thoughtfully examines the crushing weight of expectations placed on modern women<\/a> to excel simultaneously as mothers, partners, professionals, and individuals.
\nThe impact of public events on private lives<\/strong>: Brexit, political upheavals, and COVID-19 aren\u2019t merely backdrop but actively shape the characters\u2019 decisions and mental states.
\nIntergenerational trauma<\/strong>: Coralie\u2019s relationship with her authoritarian father has shaped her tendency to sublimate her own needs, a pattern she struggles to break.
\nThe evolution of love<\/strong>: Perhaps most movingly, the novel traces how romantic love transforms over a decade\u2014from intoxicating passion to comfortable companionship to disconnection and, ultimately, to conscious recommitment.<\/p>\n

Prose Style: Intimate, Observant, and Wickedly Funny<\/h2>\n

Stanley\u2019s prose strikes a perfect balance between literary observation and accessible warmth. Her dialogue crackles with wit, while her descriptions of domestic life are rendered with almost photographic precision. She has a particular gift for capturing the physical sensations of motherhood\u2014the weight of a sleeping child, the bone-deep exhaustion of sleepless nights, the visceral fear of something happening to one\u2019s children.<\/p>\n

The novel employs a close third-person narration that allows us intimate access to Coralie\u2019s thoughts while maintaining just enough distance to observe her blind spots. Particularly effective is Stanley\u2019s portrayal of Coralie\u2019s mental health decline, which feels both harrowing and completely believable.<\/p>\n

Some of the novel\u2019s most vivid scenes include:<\/p>\n

Coralie\u2019s first meeting with Adam, when she rescues his daughter from drowning
\nThe chaotic family Christmas gatherings that become annual rituals
\nThe claustrophobic intensity of pandemic lockdowns
\nThe breakdown that forces Coralie to temporarily separate from her family<\/p>\n

Cultural Context: A Time Capsule of a Tumultuous Decade<\/h2>\n

Stanley demonstrates remarkable skill in incorporating the political upheavals of 2013-2023 Britain without ever letting them overwhelm the personal narrative. Brexit, Theresa May\u2019s struggles, Boris Johnson\u2019s ascendency and fall, and the COVID-19 pandemic all feature prominently, providing a rich contextual framework that influences the characters\u2019 lives in subtle and overt ways.<\/p>\n

For example, when Coralie watches the Brexit referendum results come in while heavily pregnant, her personal uncertainty mirrors the national mood. Later, during pandemic lockdowns, the enforced togetherness that strains so many families becomes the breaking point for Coralie\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n

These political elements never feel didactic or forced; rather, they\u2019re integrated organically into the fabric of the characters\u2019 lives, much as they are for most ordinary people.<\/p>\n

Areas for Improvement: Pacing and Secondary Characters<\/h2>\n

While Consider Yourself Kissed<\/em> succeeds brilliantly on most fronts, it does have minor weaknesses:<\/p>\n

The novel\u2019s middle section, particularly during the pandemic years, occasionally drags, with certain emotional states revisited perhaps once too often.
\nA few promising secondary characters and subplots (such as Coralie\u2019s friendship with Alice) are introduced but not fully developed, leaving readers wishing for more.
\nThe resolution, while satisfying, comes somewhat abruptly after such an expansive narrative, with certain reconciliations feeling slightly rushed.<\/p>\n

Despite these quibbles, the novel\u2019s strengths far outweigh its shortcomings.<\/p>\n

A Personal Connection<\/h2>\n

The morning after finishing Consider Yourself Kissed<\/em>, I found myself reaching for my phone to text my sister about a particular passage that had moved me to tears. Only then did I remember I was reading an advance copy (thank you, publishers, for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review), and couldn\u2019t yet share my enthusiasm with everyone I know. Like finding the perfect wine at a tasting and being unable to buy a bottle to bring home, I\u2019ve been impatiently waiting to recommend this book to the women in my life who will recognize themselves in Coralie\u2019s struggles.<\/p>\n

Final Verdict: A Triumph of Contemporary Fiction<\/h2>\n

Consider Yourself Kissed<\/em> establishes Jessica Stanley as a significant voice in contemporary fiction. Building on the promise shown in her debut novel A Great Hope<\/em> (2022), Stanley demonstrates a rare ability to blend emotional depth with social observation and wry humor.<\/p>\n

Readers who enjoyed Meg Mason\u2019s Sorrow and Bliss<\/em>, Kiley Reid\u2019s Such a Fun Age<\/em>, or Sally Rooney\u2019s explorations of relationships will find much to appreciate here. Stanley\u2019s unflinching examination of motherhood also places her in conversation with writers like Rachel Cusk and Sheila Heti, though her approach is ultimately more hopeful.<\/p>\n

This is a novel that feels both timely and timeless\u2014deeply embedded in its specific cultural moment while exploring the universal challenges of maintaining one\u2019s identity within the structures of family and partnership. It\u2019s a book that makes you laugh, cry, and most importantly, think differently about the compromises we all make in pursuit of love and stability.<\/p>\n

Consider Yourself Kissed<\/em> is that rare gift: a novel that entertains while illuminating the complex realities of modern womanhood. It deserves a place on your bookshelf\u2014and in your heart.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jessica Stanley\u2019s sophomore novel, Consider Yourself Kissed, offers readers a remarkably authentic portrait of contemporary womanhood that spans a decade of one woman\u2019s life. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of British politics from 2013 to 2023, this novel examines the intricacies of love, motherhood, career, and identity with both heartwarming tenderness and biting humor. Stanley […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}