OWBC 07: Consider Yourself Kissed with Jessica Stanley
It’s no accident that a novel brimming with IYKYK references is written by Jessica Stanley, the author behind one of my favourite recommendation newsletters, READ.LOOK.THINK. Jess has an incredible knack for uncovering hidden gems from the far corners of the internet.
While sipping on Foreign Friend’s, 2024 ‘Anna’ Gamay, I immersed myself into Jess’s latest novel, Consider Yourself Kissed—a poignant love story set against a politically charged landscape, available from April 1. It’s a book pairing (vol.09) that hits all the right notes.
Ahead of her upcoming book tour, Jess was kind enough to answer a few questions about the inspiration behind her book. Enjoy!
Book Pairing Vol.09
CYK delves into the question: Can women truly have it all? It chronicles a decade in the life of Coralie, a woman entering her 30s, juggling a career, family, children, and a partner against the backdrop of a politically charged UK.
Coralie's journey is both intimate and expansive, reminiscent of the 2024 Anna Gamay. The Yarra Valley fruit undergoes two weeks of skin fermentation and two seasons of oak aging, resulting in a wine that is silky and fresh. CYK and Foreign Friend's Gamay are a progressive pairing, merging structure with curiosity.
The prose, at its heart romantic, pairs perfectly with a medium-bodied, low-tannin Gamay—smooth, wholesome, and brimming with bright cane berries and acidity. The wine’s savoury, earthy notes subtly reflect the novel's political themes.
CYK's ending leaves a lasting impression, much like the toasted sesame on the palate. Both are relatable and profound, once you've finished, consider yourself kissed.
2024 Foreign Friends 'Anna' Gamay
2025 Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley
Jessica Stanley, author of Consider Yourself Kissed, out April 1st, 2025
Orange Wine Book Club: Consider Yourself Kissed spans a decade of Coralie's life as she enters her 30s. Was it your intention for readers to connect with her intimately at different stages of her life, as her relationships evolve?
Jessica Stanley: During the pandemic I took refuge in a lot of comfort re-reading: Alan Hollinghurst’s The Line of Beauty, American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld, The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford and the Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard, five volumes following a family during World War II. I realised that, in a way, they were all chronicles, told in chronological order over a large span of time, dipping in to closely follow one period of a character’s life after another. They show life as it’s really lived — the Cazalets gathering round the radio to see if they’re at war and then immediately having to prepare dinner and work out where the cousins would sleep. I wanted to do something with a woman’s life during the past turbulent decade.
OWBC: The use of parentheses in your writing throughout the book reveals so much insights and reflections into Coralie's mind—what inspired this approach?
JS: I’m so happy that you've noticed that! Coralie is different to me in many ways and I couldn’t quite get a hold on her tone until I concentrated on punctuation. Where I rush along with no commas, she carefully puts in extra (the first, second, and sometimes even third, comma). Her parentheses are a lovely thing about her, I think, because it shows her tolerance of ambiguity (that two different things can be true) as well as her determination to think clearly, to push a thought to another level of truth, even though people aren’t always listening to her.
OWBC: Consider Yourself Kissed references numerous books and includes many anecdotes about today’s culture which makes it incredibly relatable. What motivated you to weave these details into the story?
JS: I really wanted the book to feel true. In profiles of famous people I always want to know the name of their WhatsApp groups, what emojis they use, what they read or watch on TV. It’s what I want to know about my friends and it’s what I want to know about my characters!
OWBC: You vividly describe sacrifices and unfulfilled dreams in Coralie's relationships and life. Do you think the story raises the question of whether women can truly have it all?
JS: I feel as though the ‘can women have it all’ question has definitely been answered in culture as ‘no’ — I know myself that when I have a paid job on, I can’t write; when I write I can’t go out with friends; I can spend a day cleaning the house but it’s ruined as soon as the children come home; and when my children need me I can’t achieve anything. Then various crises have to be fitted in, and weight-bearing exercise somehow — it’s all quite hard.
In Consider Yourself Kissed, I took the impossibility of ‘having it all’ as read, and found myself asking questions like: how do we not just fall in love but stay in love? How are we meant to have a family when our own family growing up wasn’t perfect? How can go on when the world seems so chaotic and frightening?
OWBC: Like Coralie, you'll soon be returning to Australia. What places are you most excited to visit, and what will you be reading while you’re here?
JS: I’m so fortunate I was in Australia in December for family Christmas, so I’ve done the stations of the cross (picked up a copy of The Season, had breakfast at Marios in Melbourne, walked around Fitzroy and Collingwood, shown my children Wendy Whiteley’s secret garden and obviously Bondi Beach). On this visit I might just take it easy, allow myself to fantasise that I live in Australia full time, relax and smell the beautiful air and stare at the beautiful trees. I will be going to Sorrento Writers’ Festival, which I’m so excited about. I can’t wait to hear Australian voices.
Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley will be available on April 1, 2025. Jess will be touring Melbourne and Sydney from April 23rd; more details here.
Stay tuned for our upcoming interview with Foreign Friends Wines and subscribe for an exclusive discount code!
An Inaugural Book Club Dinner
Our very first Book Club Dinner is happening next week on April 8! Tickets are sold out, but you can join the waitlist here.
