“The most delightful cast of characters I’ve met in ages…a modern romance masterpiece.“ —New York Times bestseller Christina Lauren “Constantly revealing new layers of lyricism… A
“At the end I was left with that warm, glowing love for humanity.” —The New York Times
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A sparkling and tender novel from the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, full of bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love that fans of Christina Lauren, Sarah Hogle, and Emily Henry will adore.
Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar . . .
No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can’t work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance . . .
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Relatable characters in this well written book about a real-estate feud make it a pleasant read.
Some people should not have children and that describes Will Sterling’s parents who were so in love with each other that they neglected their only son. The one time he met his Uncle Donny, he heard him call his mother “Rash, Reckless, Selfish”. And Will agreed. That day he decided that he was not going to be like them and turned his life around, putting himself through college and medical school. He also decided that he was never going to have a relationship like theirs. And it was also the day that he first saw Nora Clarke, on the balcony of her grandmother’s apartment, where he would one day find himself. Donny ended up leaving the apartment to Will, with a stipulation that he could not sell it for a year. He has nothing but awful memories of that apartment, but his boss’s ex, shows him how to fix it up and make it into a short term rental. To Nora, however, the apartment that she inherited from her grandmother, is full of love and she considers the other residents her family. So when the residents hear what Will plans to do with his inheritance, they decide to stop him. The resulting battle then leads to love, as Nora learns to let go and Will to open up to his feelings.
I read an ARC provided by NwtGalley.com. this is my unbiased and voluntary review.
I thoroughly enjoyed Love at First! Nora’s inner musings are hilarious! The friendship between Will and Gerald is so special. And Nora and Will are a treasure. Their story is excellent!
A second chance they didn’t expect! An unexpected loss brings together two people that missed their last opportunity at a connection. One is morning the man she knew, and the other is still reeling from the pain knowing him caused.
I adored the other residents in the complex. Very lively, real, unfiltered characters that will have you both laughing and cringing along with their hijinks. The audiobook brought everyone to life perfectly!
This was the second book I’ve read by this author, but I enjoyed this one a lot more. If you’re looking for a feel-good, almost second chance story with a few obstacles along the way, then add it to your TBR now!
3.5 stars
It was a sweet read, made me chuckle once in awhile. The apartment complex can actually say “yes, there is a doctor in the house” LOL!!
A little slow at times for me, it did pick up though.
I guess I didn’t feel that spark between the 2 main characters. They did meet when they were younger, now as adults it seemed like they had to work to like each other. Will wanted nothing to do with his the apartment, as for Nora it was her home. The people in the building were her family. I could have used those sparks for me it would have made the book so much better.
Other readers might have loved this book, and other might agree with me. Although I loved the relationship with Nora and her grandmother, and the other tenants of the building. I just can’t get over how Nora and Will didn’t click and it took to much work. Here I am repeating myself like an automated phone call.
This was a pretty good book. I loved the idea that Will saw Nora sixteen years ago and had that love at first…feeling! I loved how close knit the relationships are in the apartment building. I loved the way the author bundled grief, family and love into a great book. I felt a lot of feelings while reading this and yes, I did cry. I do love a book that can make me feel enough to cry.
Holy cow I loved Love at First so much. Kate Clayborn’s writing is absolutely magical and always feels like a warm hug when reading. The story of how Nora and Will meet and how the book opens, sucked me in immediately. It did take me a little while to finish, I love Clayborn but I need to read her books slowly to fully appreciate her writing. But this story, the characters, the romance, and the ending were all delightful, heartwarming, magic. Five stars.
I was looking forward to this book for so long. The blurb sounded like a perfect beach read/romance. Unfortunately I found the book long and tedious and never really warmed to either character. This slow burn romance was more of an exasperated “when will they ever get together.” The ending was adorable but getting there was a chore, unfortunately.
Kate Claybourn is also on my “automatic buy” list of authors, and this one does not disappoint. In fact, I would even venture to say that it’s a romantic masterpiece. Like all of Claybourn’s stories, this is full of a slow-burn romance and a good dose of whimsy. She paints worlds we want to move into.
4 stars! Super cute and a lot of fun! Some parts felt a little too long, mostly in between the major events, but I really enjoyed the overall story. I loved the idea of meeting so far in the past and being thrown together again. I also really loved the characters, especially the building tenants.
This book had all the feels and I loved it from the first! It was even better than Love Lettering (which was also wonderful and you should read that one too)! If you’re looking for a fun read with amazing characters that will make you smile, look no further!
On an aside . . . I love the depiction of Chicago (my hometown). The only thing is . . . not everyone here is a Cub fan! I get that this was set on the northside, but it would have been fun if Will had been a White Sox fan. What I wouldn’t give to have an author write about a character that was a White Sox fan for a change. We have two baseball teams folks!
Book 138 towards my goal of 290! 3/5 stars for this contemporary romance read. Loved the cover. Story was fine, nothing great. Felt it was a bit long in parts. Narration was good. Can’t say I’d recommend this one.
Wonderful novel of love at first sight delayed 20 years. The characters and supporting characters will steal your heart. Great Summer read!
This a cute story that has had me going back and forth between 3 and 3.5 stars so I finally settled with 3.5 as it really is a lovely quirky story.
I know the authors point was to put the emphasis on the tenants or neighbors rather, of the building as they (other than our Female, Nora, and Male lead, Will.) deal with the change coming from their good friend, who happens to be Wills uncle, passing away and leaving his apartment to his estranged nephew.
I loved the detail that the author put into that story, but I think that some of that storyline could have gone to Wills background with his family other than the bits of information we got.
It’s full of quirky characters, fun loving and nosy people, which reminded me of my family and neighbors
I wish I had more to say about the book but it just didn’t hit me hard enough.
Thank you to Kensington Publishing Corporation and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Love Lettering author Kate Clayborn is back with her newest romance set to be published February 23rd. In Love at First, readers see how sometimes a chosen family is all you need to make it through life.
This novel is super cute and really dives deep into how your family is what you make it. It also plays upon the soulmate trope and how when two people are destined to meet, the universe finds a way to bring them together again.
The way Will tries to run from his past and how Nora refuses to leave the shadow of hers is an interesting contrast to read about. There is also the contrast of Nora’s reliance on her formed- family (made up of her neighbors) and Will’s lone-wolf attitude is brilliantly done. These two seemingly opposite people realize they have more in common than it initially seems and that they need each other to heal the wounds of their pasts and ready themselves for what the future holds. Both of them also learn to realize that change is a natural part of life and it takes bravery to be a little reckless and take a risk at changing things up.
This story is heartwarming, funny, and a joy to read! Fans of Clayborn’s other novels will not be disappointed by this book and romance lovers will fall in love with Love at First. If you’re looking for a fun and heartwarming romance, then this is the book for you!
*I received an ARC from Kensington Books via Bookish First in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is a gentle, big-hearted story about love – not only the sweet romance of loyal Kate and solitary Will, but all the tender connections of their “found” families. The language is lovely and the characters endearing.
I really wanted to like this book. I am fan of happily ever after romances, especially those by Sophie Kinsella. I loved the cover of this book and I loved the first impression that I got from reading the first few chapters. Unfortunately, after I started reading, I felt let down by my high expectations. There wasn’t anything wrong with Love at First. It’s a typical romance that will satisfy many readers. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.
One thing that I really enjoyed was the cozy aspect of the book. I felt that the characters and situations were warm and I liked learning about how the two characters fell in love. One thing I didn’t like was that the plot felt boring to me. I started to skim when I felt like there weren’t enough things happening to move the plot along. I also didn’t really get the author’s sense of humor. In short, Love at First is a great romance, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
I WANT THIS IN MY MOVIE THEATER! This book was practically made to be filmed as a romcom. Each character shines (Dr. Abraham is my favorite) and the building itself is practically a character. It’s a familiar story of two lonely, dysfunctional people finding each other with a little help from their friends, but it’s told in such a charmingly fresh fashion and so well written that it was a joy to read.
Love at First by Kate Clayborn
Contemporary romance. Chicago location. #LoveatFirstNovel
Nora inherited her condo/apartment/unit from her grandmother. It’s a small building with elderly owners that have made themselves into a family unit. Will inherits his uncle’s unit and wants only to rent it out. He’s not interested in living in the unit but he does want to get to know Nora better. Will finds himself drawn into building activities with the shared welcome casseroles and the monthly poem readings.
This is a sweet, almost naive and heartbreaking slow build romance. Not clean but not a lot of sexual tension either. It’s a darling story and I loved the pace and the feeling of beloved self-made family throughout.
Both Will and Nora have childhood issues to overcome. They ignore but finally resolve.
A charming romance feel.
“Two weeks and two days since he had seen her.
Not that he was counting.
But he was counting.”
I received a copy of this book as part of a contest win by the publisher.
Will is a doctor, doing his best to prove that he’s not rash, reckless or selfish. Nora has wonderful memories of her time spent with her Nonna, that she will not be disloyal by changing anything. Throw in a cast of characters from the apartment building, that Will inherited, and you have a romance like no other.
Was this book supposed to make me cry? More than once? Please explain, because I didn’t get that memo.
While I enjoyed this book from it’s opening chapter, I’ll admit, I wasn’t initially getting the all-encompassing awe of it’s gorgeous prose that I felt from the very first word in her previous book, Love Lettering. Granted, the opening chapter of LL was one of the best I’ve ever read. The writing in Love at First was, of course, as stellar as always, but the story was a sly little thing. It built ever so subtly into this crescendo of emotions, heart-heaving romance AND friendships, as well as all the beautiful prose (without crossing into purple) that I’ve come to expect from this author. I really need to remember not to underestimate her. She brings it. Every. Time.
I’d like to note that Kate Clayborn’s books are not for those who want a swiftly moving romance that then moves quickly to sexual intimacy. They aren’t for those who crave melodrama and lots of angst. They aren’t for those who want to leave the cerebral to another genre. Also, no alphas here. And all this is why her books are absolutely perfect for me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the occasional quickie and alpha hero, but they don’t sustain me for the long haul. I need thoughtful dialogue, meaningful insight, realistic conflict and story progression. I need to respect the intellect of my characters and understand their decisions. Empathize with them. In this story and every one before, Clayborn writes:
exceptional dialogue
realistic and non-redundant internalizations
lovely independent and intelligent females (albeit, not perfect)
non-toxic, female empowering, role-model heroes (again, not perfect)
(and because it’s worth mentioning again) beautiful prose
The gentle wording and pacing in this story was just as luscious and compelling as every prior book, but her books also read completely different than each other. I love that I don’t get the same story twice and to always expect a distinct experience.
Love at First had very realistic romantic development. The slow burn enemies—to friends-to love loaded me up with those bosom-heavy feels. No less surprising were the original ideas for character conflict, how that conflict manifested itself within both mc’s, and how it evolved throughout the story and was eventually confronted and worked through. This author not only utilized the character back stories, but the numerous and sometimes surprising (I’m looking at you Gerald – cue tears #1) secondary characters that fit seamlessly into the flow of the overall story. None were overly developed, but I felt that I really understood their placement and enjoyed them all.
In the end, I think I’ve doted more heavily on the author, rather than this particular piece of work. At the same time it’s the author that I can count on to consistently deliver. The story is almost secondary, because I already know from past experience that I’m going to be immersed into a seemingly simple romance that ends up being So Much More. This book was an easy 5 stars and I may even add it to my all-time favorite list in the near future, surpassing Love Lettering as my favorite KC book. I’ll have to see how it resonates over time, but right now, I’m kind of sad to let it go.