Fool Me Once: A Novel
"A simmering slow burn bursting with banter... This is a romance for anyone who's ever felt too messy to be loved."
--ROSIE DANAN, author of The Roommate
In this fierce and funny battle of the exes, Ashley Winstead's Fool Me Once explores the chaos of wanting something you used to have.
Lee Stone is a twenty-first-century woman: she kicks butt at her job as a communications director at a women-run electric car company (that's better than Tesla, thank you), and after work she is "Stoner," drinking guys under the table and never letting any of them get too comfortable in her bed...
That's because Lee's learned one big lesson: never trust love. Four major heartbreaks set her straight, from her father cheating on her mom all the way to Ben Laderman in grad school--who wasn't actually cheating, but she could have sworn he was, so she reciprocated in kind.
Then Ben shows up five years later, working as a policy expert for the most liberal governor in Texas history, just as Lee is trying to get a clean energy bill rolling. Things get complicated--and competitive--as Lee and Ben are forced to work together. Tension builds just as old sparks reignite, fanning the flames for a romantic dustup the size of Texas.
Don't miss The Boyfriend Candidate, Ashley Winstead's next laugh-out-loud rom-com about learning to embrace living outside your comfort zone!
--ROSIE DANAN, author of The Roommate
In this fierce and funny battle of the exes, Ashley Winstead's Fool Me Once explores the chaos of wanting something you used to have.
Lee Stone is a twenty-first-century woman: she kicks butt at her job as a communications director at a women-run electric car company (that's better than Tesla, thank you), and after work she is "Stoner," drinking guys under the table and never letting any of them get too comfortable in her bed...
That's because Lee's learned one big lesson: never trust love. Four major heartbreaks set her straight, from her father cheating on her mom all the way to Ben Laderman in grad school--who wasn't actually cheating, but she could have sworn he was, so she reciprocated in kind.
Then Ben shows up five years later, working as a policy expert for the most liberal governor in Texas history, just as Lee is trying to get a clean energy bill rolling. Things get complicated--and competitive--as Lee and Ben are forced to work together. Tension builds just as old sparks reignite, fanning the flames for a romantic dustup the size of Texas.
Don't miss The Boyfriend Candidate, Ashley Winstead's next laugh-out-loud rom-com about learning to embrace living outside your comfort zone!
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Community Reviews
2.5 stars-I really did not connect with this story or the MC. The cheating and the way she treats her ex-BF/BF is gross and triggering, it really threw me out of the story. I did not vibe with much of the romance at all it was just OK; I do like very few romance novels, but something about this trope with these characters didn't sit/work well for me. It was just fine. Good writing style though.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon house for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon house for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book. I loved Lee and Ben together. I loved their banter. I do not know why this book is rated so low. I think people didn’t like the cheating but the MCs don’t cheat in the current timeline. Lee cheated on Ben when they were together in grad school and a side character cheats but it’s barely addressed. Ashley Winstead is an instant buy for me if she comes out with another romance. I haven’t read any of her thriller/mysteries so I don’t know if those are as good but I loved both this book and The Boyfriend Candidate, which takes place two years after this one and follows Lee’s sister Alexis. I read that one first and now I want to go back and reread it because a bunch of the characters from this book are in that one.
I loved most of this book but the constant back and forth of we’re friends, we’re e enemies, we’re in love, we hate each other was a bit much by the end. I hated when he ghosted her AGAIN towards the end when he knew it was a bit trigger for her. But otherwise I really enjoyed reading this and love the politics aspect!
it was such an incredible read to have a messy main character in a comedy romance. i adore lee stoner so much, and found myself laughing out loud throughout the read.
It had its moments but the constant political pressures and sneaky shade being thrown to the right was kinda a turn off.
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