“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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I’m a sucker for a Kate Clayborn novel and went into LOVE AT FIRST super excited. I loved the premise and second chance at love for the two main characters. Grief and inability to let go of the past are themes that run throughout the LOVE AT FIRST and Clayborn handles them beautifully. And, while I loved so many parts of this book, my lack of connection with Nora, the book’s heroine, was disappointing.
Clayborn has a wonderful voice and LOVE AT FIRST showcases that. There are many laugh out loud moments that made the book read like the romantic comedy it is. The residents of the apartment building, where much of the book takes place, are eccentric, gruff, and well-meaning and they carried the book frequently. Surprisingly, it’s Will’s boss, Gerald, that steals the space in my heart for secondary characters. He’s gruff and has an aversion to eye contact when the book starts and his transformation is both hilarious and heartwarming.
Then there’s Will. I absolutely adored him. Emotionally neglected growing up, Will faces life with a wall around his heart. His growth throughout LOVE AT FIRST is well plotted and uplifting as he lets Nora and the rest of the apartment residents chip away at his wall. More so, he’s engaging and attentive with everyone he comes into contact with despite his caged heart. He’s one of Clayborn’s best heroes and I would have been happy to read an entire book just about him.
I wanted to love Nora. On paper she checks all the boxes of a great heroine. She’s grieving her grandmother and when Will inherits an apartment in the building, she latches onto him as a way to avoid her grief and her own need to move on. As mentioned, Clayborn handled these themes beautifully, but sadly Nora remained an enigma throughout the book. I never connected with her and at times I felt she overstepped, her inability to let go spilling over, affecting Will’s own character development.
I wish I could give LOVE AT FIRST more than 3.5 stars. Despite this, I do recommend the book, especially if you’re a big fan of Kate Clayborn. If you haven’t read anything from Clayborn, I recommend you check out her booklist!
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an early copy of LOVE AT FIRST in exchange for honest feedback.
A charming and modern romantic comedy that has that old “love at first sight” and “happily ever after” cliche but with a bit of modern problems and modern life to it. It’s a unique story mixed with the old “girl meets a boy” idea. In this cute book, the couple are two different but very sweet and nice people that fall in love in the day-by-day life. It’s pretty accurate and realistic to how a couple would fall in love these days and it’s a very engaging, easy to read but slow paced book.
Will Sterling was fifteen when he first ‘saw’, actually, heard, Nora Clarke’s voice on her balcony on the third floor of the building where his uncle (that he had just known about) lived. Sixteen years later he’s back in the same location that now belongs to him after his uncle has passed and fate or not, she still lives there. Will doesn’t have good feelings about that apartment so he decides to short-rent it (like an Airbnb) but Nora and the other sweet neighbors (more like a ‘family’) don’t agree with that. Her plans to sabotage his plans ends up making them even closer to each other. A very enjoyable read.
I liked the main characters but I think it’s missing a little bit of character development so we could truly know who they were and then they would be more likable. I also wish I could know more about Donny because he was kinda like a side character even though he plays an important role in the story I feel like I finished it not knowing who he really was. I really loved the neighbors’ loyalty and care for each other like a family; it sounds like where I grow up and I felt good reading about it. I read this book in two days but I could probably have finished it in a day if I had started it earlier but it was very easy to read and cute. There was a very detailed s3x scene in there, which is the only reason why I wouldn’t say that this is a YA novel. There’s no wow in this book, no twists, or any memorable moment but it’s a feel good book. I mean, the last chapter when Will talks to her did give me some goosebumps of joy. And btw the epilogue was kinda boring and long but I did like the last page of it. I like this book a lot more than “Love Lettering” because this one is a lot more realistic and engaging.
This is a sweet romance with lots of quirky characters and, of course, a happily ever after ending. It’s the story of family – both the people you are related to by blood and, most importantly, the people that become your family because of the love and care that you feel for each other.
Nora has recently moved into her deceased grandmother’s apartment in Chicago. She stayed there in the summers growing up and all of the other residents of the building feel like family to her. They are close knit and take care of each other and are really a quirky bunch of older people. Will was surprised when his uncle left him an apartment in his will. They had no relationship at all and Will wanted to sell the apartment as soon as possible but the will stated that he had to own it for one year before he sold it. Much to the other resident’s dismay, he decides to fix the apartment up and rent it to short term renters until the year is up and he can sell. The other residents try to discourage him on his plan especially Nora who feels that the disruption of her apartment family will be terrible. But when Will and Nora meet, there is an instant connection that neither of them can deny. Will their attraction become something larger or will Nora protecting the people in the apartment building drive them apart?
I have read previous books by this author and she tells a good romance story with a few laughs, a few tears and a happy ending. This was a great book to cuddle up with on a cold winter day!
Nora Clarke is still dealing with the grief of her grandmother’s passing when tragedy strikes her close-knit building and another tenant passes. Donny didn’t have any family that they knew of until his nephew Will shows up. Will Sterling has only one memory of Donny and his apartment, and it’s not a good one. It’s been 16 years and he hasn’t forgotten that day or the girl on the balcony above him. Needing to figure out what to do with his unfortunate inheritance, an old apartment across town that he’s stuck with for the next year, Will decides to renovate and turn it into a short-term rental. Nora is inexplicably drawn to the quiet handsome doctor while being completely appalled by his idea. When Will realizes that Nora’s the same girl from the balcony all those years ago he can’t believe his luck.
Love at First is about so much more than just Will and Nora falling in love. It’s about dealing with the past, learning to let go and move on, and chosen family sometimes being the best family. It’s beautiful and tragic, lonely and hopeful and so charming. I adored watching Will’s relationship with the entire building shift and evolve, and Nora finally accepting that it’s okay to move on and not live in the relics her grandmother left. There is great banter and wonderfully quirky side characters, a good pace, and amazing tension between Will and Nora. I highly highly recommend Love at Fir
OH, this book is glorious. No one–but no one–writes awkward nerds falling in love better than Kate Clayborn and I absolute cannot get enough. This book is funny and emotional and glorious all at once, with a cast of characters as unique and endearing as the main characters. I loved Will so, so much. He leans in doorways! He takes care of her when she’s sick! He makes repairs to her bathroom! The story is soft and funny, everything I needed to start off my 2021.
Kate Clayborn has quickly become one of my go-to authors for romance and humor. Her writing can be both whimsical and deeply felt and never fails to leave me with a smile on my face and a happy heart. This book was no exception.
Will “met” (or more aptly “heard”) Nora from a balcony as a 15 year-old boy going through a sad and turbulent period in his life and was instantly smitten by her infectious laugh. Sixteen years later Will is now a doctor who has inherited his estranged uncle’s apartment in the complex where he first “met” Nora. He is captivated all over again by her adult self even though they are feuding over his subletting his apartment to strangers who she feels will infringe on her “family” of neighbors. As they learn more of each other’s lives/childhoods, they begin to trust each other and understand each other from a different perspective.
Will is an endearing character who literally took responsibility for his family at age 15. He has skewed views of relationships because of his parents and is afraid of feeling too much and becoming obsessive and selfish. Nora, who was basically raised by her Nonna, has trouble with change and letting go. As they both open up (both to each other and to themselves), they begin to heal and look forward to moving ahead in their lives.
I loved this story…for its heartbreak, for its poignance, for its humor and for its honesty. I also fell in love with the secondary characters, who are endearing and supportive in all ways.
Another wonderful story from Clayborn, and I look forward to many more from her.
Many thanks to #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for providing me the early ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
I finished this while at work on a break and I’m trying to not cry at my desk, dang it! I was so happy to receive this arc, especially since I had fallen completely in love with the author from her Love Lettering book. Which meant this book had really big shoes (spines?) to fill. And it smashed it out of the ballpark. Sorry, I’m mixing my metaphors but gosh I loved it so much! I loved Nora, who is clinging to her beloved deceased grandmother’s memory and is afraid of change but is filled with love and joy. And I certainly loved our dear doctor, who was hurt horribly as a child and thinks he’s moved on but has he really? All in all, this was a beautiful story filled with characters that came alive. Brilliant.
A wonderful, tender, and emotional read. Nora and Will’s journey from their past to their future. Nora is been loving her Nonna’s live since her death. She inherited her apartment, her belongings and her lovely neighbors, and they are her family and her responsibility. Will want nothing to do with his uncle’s unit in the same building because the hurting memories from his past and is set to renew and rent it. But this will disrupt Nora and her neighbour’s life. Will they fight for their believes or will their fight bring them together? A really great love story
Kate Clayborn’s Love at First is a great read and will be a must read in 2021.
Will spies his Uncle’s neighbor above him during a big moment in his life at sixteen years old. He has poor eye sight but it’s love at first sight. The teen above is Nora, who lived with her Nonna every summer in that Chicago apartment building.
I won’t tell you much about the plot because it’s just a delicious, beautifully built story full of rich unfolding layers.
We are able to see and hear about each of the MCs lives as they breakdown their walls and find friendship. There is a romance that is a slow burn with a lot of connection.
During this isolating time of covid I sometimes felt PROFOUND loss and joy while reading this book. For anyone who misses their community or being apart of a neighborhood this book will bring that feeling right back to you.
This is my first read of Clayborn’s work and I will be going back to read Love Letters and more!! I’m a historical/contemporary romance reader and loved this book. I think fans of Katherine Center or Jojo Moyes will love this book!
Thank you so much to #Netgalley and #Kensington Books for the eArc in exchange for a fair review. #KateClayborn #LoveatFirst
Earlier this year I read and loved author Kate Clayborn’s novel “Love Lettering,” I then made my way through her “Chance of a Lifetime” series, which I also loved and it solidified my status as a fan.
I was thrilled to get an opportunity to read “Love at First” and what a magical journey it was.
“You don’t have to love people the way you learned to love at first.”
When I read the synopsis for “Love at First” I assumed this would be another cute romcom/enemies-to-lovers story featuring grumpy/sunshine dueling characters who fall in love, but it was so much more.
Will and Nora were complex characters dealing with a plethora of issues, chief among them, personal insecurities and grief. And while I adored Nora, I honestly wanted to reach through my kindle and hug Will; reassure him, tell him to allow himself to feel. I also wanted to tell Nora that it was okay to let go. There were instances I wanted to shake both of the main characters into reason, but they figured it out on their own soon enough.
I simply loved these two and reading about them falling in love, surrounded by wonderful supporting characters (Will’s boss is a personal favorite) was such a treat.
“Love at First” was a wonderful love story and Will and Nora’s story is one that will stay with me for a long time.
Will Sterling fell in love with a girl when he was 15. He only heard her voice, but he never forgot it. Having to come back to a place that changed him forever because of an inheritance. All he wants is to get rid of the apartment, and get on with his life. But then he hears her again. On the same balcony from his childhood. But she doesn’t approve of his plans for the apartment, and does everything to prevent him from going forward. Nora treasures the building and the people in it, and doesn’t want Wills plans to disrupt them. But as they each go about doing what they need, they can’t fight their attraction.
I really enjoyed this story. It was beautifully written, and held my interest. I felt that I could relate, in some ways to Nora, and how she’s dealt with the loss of her grandmother. With changing things. I loved seeing Will and Nora relationship slowly change, and grow, and how they could overcome their pasts, and be together. I definitely recommend this book. It’s a sweet, heartwarming love story.
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue
I look forward to reading more from this author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC from NetGalley.
Love at First is a tender, clever, beautifully crafted story written by the inimitable Kate Clayborn.
When Will Sterling was a teen, he found the girl of his dreams standing above him on an apartment balcony. Sixteen years later, Will has inherited a unit in that very same building, and finds himself enamored by one of the tenants, Nora Clarke, who he’s almost positive is the same girl from his childhood. Though their initial meeting is pleasant, they soon find themselves at cross purposes. And so they become friendly(ish) rivals, each set upon achieving their own goals… though neither can seem to fight the connection they share with each other.
Told in dual perspective third person, this story brilliantly follows both Will and Nora through their respective interconnected stories. Clayborn’s writing style is both humorous and poignant as she presents us with two protagonists who are learning how to move through the world amid loss and change. Both Nora and Will have a wonderful narrative arc where growth and healing happen in the most satisfying of ways.
I also enjoyed how Clayborn incorporates the idea of fate into this novel. It never feels gimmicky or overwrought; rather, it feels visceral, real, and perhaps a little bit magical. The chemistry and connection between Nora and Will is a joy to read… first as they face off against each other as rivals, and then as they soften toward each other and become lovers. They’re both flawed, but are willing to work on themselves to become better people. And I have to say that Will is one of my favorites heroes that I’ve read in romance. Of all time. So there’s that, too.
If you love a well-earned love story with wit, humor, poignance, and character growth, Love at First is the perfect book for you. I already know that this will be one of my top reads released in 2021, hands down.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
4.5/5 stars!
When a teenaged Will Sterling and his mom visited his uncle, he heard a girl laugh and fell in love. But fate has other ideas and it took sixteen years for Will and the girl, Nora Clarke, to meet again. The same building but almost in opposite sides. It takes the residents of the whole building and other characters befriending Will, for him and Nora to get that second chance.
I adore this book. I liked Will, Nora, their friends, and the residents of the building that the majority of the story takes place at. My personal preference requires some more details about certain characters to satisfy my curiosity, but I loved the “family” concept that is important to the story. Like Ms. Clayborn’s previous book, I highly recommend this book.
**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.**