THESE GOT ME PUNCHED
A Book of 50 Kisses
By: Nicholas J. Stevens
Published: January 7, 2020
Publisher: Mascot Books
Non-Fiction/Humor/Memoir
Well, I’m not sure what I was hoping for when I agreed to read this book. The premise of a man’s life of 49 kisses leading up to his supposedly last kiss…number 50 definitely grabbed my attention. But, I think I must have been expecting more romance. Instead, it was more “guy talk”. I should have expected that, but I was hoping for sweet, funny, and romantic moments that the author shared with girls and women throughout his life, bringing him to the one he was going to spend the rest of his life with. But, maybe that was how it would be if a woman wrote a story of her 50 kisses.
I think this book is written more for men to read, with male humor and details men would appreciate. There were a few stories I laughed at and appreciated his candor. But, others weren’t as interesting….maybe it was because the kisses weren’t either.
The chapters are short, quick reads. There is a surprising amount of detail to the stories so the author either has an amazing mental memory or kept a detailed diary of his kissing escapades. I’m quite certain I couldn’t remember conversations I had in high school or college with that amount of detail to save my life. But, hats off to him for the engaging details which maybe was helped out by friends. I wonder if all the women he kissed are aware of his new book or assisted with some of the memories? The author does state in the book that some of the details and names have been changed to protect their anonymity and that he tried his best to recreate events and conversations from memory.
This book is more than just kissing details, but also shows a young man who grew up, got his heart broken, fell in love, and lost in love again. He made wise decisions and unwise decisions. I liked how the 50th story was sprinkled throughout the other chapters in the story to give the reader a kind of a lead-up to the big reveal.
The cover and title didn’t really work for me either….again, I think it is a male/female image thing. But, for readers, especially men, who like essays on life and love, they will find these essays funny, forthright, and maybe offer the chance to reminisce a bit about their own history of kisses. But, that 50th kiss does offer the reason for the title and leaves the reader wondering if it was a happy ending for the author….or not. Here’s hoping maybe he will get to his 51st kiss.
Nicholas J. Stevens uses humor and witty banter to share incidents of romance, teen angst, and obviously kissing, in his personal collection of essays. I think many readers will find his book funny and leave them rooting for the author to keep capturing the “right kiss”.
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Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to make a purchase through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.
Posted Under Book Review, essays, memoir, Nicholas J. Stevens, non-fiction