Amazon Best Romance of the Month Top Ten Best Romances of 2019—Entertainment WeeklySheReads’ Most Anticipated Books of 2020 Bustle 17 Best New Books Of December 2019 HelloGiggles 8 Best New Books To Read In December“I can’t wait for the whole world to fall in love with Love Lettering!” —Jasmine GuilloryIn this warm and witty romance from acclaimed author Kate Clayborn, one little word puts a … with Love Lettering!”
—Jasmine Guillory
In this warm and witty romance from acclaimed author Kate Clayborn, one little word puts a woman’s business—and her heart—in jeopardy . . .
Meg Mackworth’s hand-lettering skill has made her famous as the Planner of Park Slope, designing custom journals for her New York City clientele. She has another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Knowing the upcoming marriage of Reid Sutherland and his polished fiancée was doomed to fail is one thing, but weaving a secret word of warning into their wedding program is another. Meg may have thought no one would spot it, but she hadn’t counted on sharp-eyed, pattern-obsessed Reid.
A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to implode. But with a looming deadline and a bad case of creative block, Meg doesn’t have time for Reid’s questions—unless he can help her find her missing inspiration. As they gradually open up to each other, both try to ignore a deepening connection between them. But the signs are there—irresistible, indisputable, urging Meg to heed the messages Reid is sending her, before it’s too late . . .
Praise for Love Lettering
“Delicious and beautiful and perfect.”
—New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean
“This book will wake you up in the middle of the night aching for these perfectly imperfect characters.”
—Sonali Dev, author of Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors
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I have four things to state before I get into the heart of my review.
1. Do Meg and Reid have any other interests other than their jobs?
2. The so-called romance between the leads is bone dry, no heat, no passion, no nothing.
3. Meg is a doormat.
4. If I never see the words, sans serif and swoonshes again, it will be too soon.
Now my review of this tedious book. The author may have a good grasp of grammar, but this book has so many plot holes. For instance, you don’t introduce a fight between Meg and her parents in chapters 4 or 5 and give the reader nothing to go on. We didn’t find out for several chapters what the fight was about. Also, her so-called best friend is an ass. Their fight scene, if you want to call it that, was pointless and stupid if by the end of the book they’re all buddy, buddy again. As I said before, the romance isn’t there. They read like good friends, which wouldn’t be a bad thing, but this is a romance. I agree with a review I found on Bookbub; I received this book in a giveaway I don’t think I entered. Also agree with her on, it’s hard to get into and stay with, believe me, I know. Anyway, I have read bad and good romances, and this is definitely one of the bad ones. I would have given up a long time ago, but I didn’t want my first book of the new year to be a DNF.
Loved this book. Full disclosure, I won a copy. Well written and a terrific plot. Try it. You won’t be sorry.
This book made me swoon. A love letter to New York, best friends, and hot guys who are a bit socially awkward all wrapped up in one delightful package.
Kate Clayborn is one of those authors who has been on my TBR for ages. I own more than one of her books, but somehow never made time to read any of them. I’m pretty sure I fell half in love with Love Lettering from the minute I saw the cover. I was lucky to get an early copy but didn’t get a chance to read it until a few days ago. I understand why so many folks rave about Kate’s writing and why Love Lettering was on the “best of” lists of so many readers. I’m aware it’s only January, but this book is destined to be on mine here in about eleven and a half months.
Love Lettering was an absolutely gorgeous book. It’s been a couple of days since I finished reading and I’m still struggling with how to put my thoughts into words. I just loved it so, so much. It was a story of self-discovery, personal growth, friendship, and love. I laughed, cried, and swooned. My feels had feels and I loved every single minute of this emotional roller coaster.
I fell head over heels for both Meg and Reid early on. It did take me a little bit of time to get fully into Meg’s head, however. Her thoughts were a little hard for me to follow at first. But it didn’t take that long. I ended up with a major girl crush on her. Can we be best friends? And Reid? Oh, my Reid. He’s a new favorite swoony book boyfriend for sure. These two gave me all the delicious slow burn goodness I could handle. I loved the pace at which everything developed between them. I especially enjoyed how it happened as he was falling for New York and she was finding her spark again. They brought out the best in each other.
Generally speaking, I am not a book savorer. When I’m totally enamored by characters and a story, I want to read it as quickly as I possibly can. But, I took my time with Love Lettering. If I’d have read it on ebook, I probably would’ve highlighted every other page. As it is, I flagged several quotes. Kate’s words were just so lovely. As was everything about this book. I can’t wait to tackle her backlist this year. I love finding new-to-me authors to love.
Favorite Quotes:
“I think anyone would want to be your friend.”
“Even you, huh?”
“Even me. Especially me.”
“I could barely breathe for how much I missed you.”
“I hide things. My feelings about things in my life, or in the lives of people I care about. I hide them in my letters, and I hide them when I’m talking about the weather or Frisbee or whatever other thing I fill up the space with—”
Love Lettering was a recommended read by Sonali Dev last fall and I am so happy I put myself on a library wait list for this one! I didn’t fall into this book right away. However, once I caught on to Meg and Reid’s unique rhythm, I was swept away by this charming story! While the story had a few unexpected twists, especially towards the end, Reid and Meg’s unusual courtship and romance captured my imagination fairly quick. I loved their letter games and the gradual way they opened up to one another and I adored how much meaning could be conveyed in a handwritten word.
A very enchanting and adventurous way of looking at our worlds through new eyes. This story made me want to adventure out in surrounding towns to look for old signage. To look at a business sign and see individual letters, fonts, colors, and styles. There’s budding careers, making and maintaining friendships, discovering who we are, whistleblowing, scandal, and romance packed in between the letters and numbers that are so important to the main characters. A very entertaining and fun read.
Wow!! I loved this book and have never read of a romance quite like the one between Meg Mackworth and Reid Sutherland. She is well known for her hand lettered planners, invitations and programs and they met when she was doing the lettering for Reid’s wedding to another woman. Meg had immediately realized they were wrong for each other and had almost unconsciously coded the word mistake into the wedding program. Reid with his genius for numbers and patterns had discerned the word and brought it to the attention of his bride-to-be. They ended their engagement and a year later Reid stops by to see Meg. Thus begins a new relationship in which Meg tries to show Reid the interesting and fun things about the Manhattan, which he says he hates, by looking at the hand-lettered signs in the various neighborhoods. There are other things going on in both of their lives which they are not telling and everything blows up. Yet there are still the signs.
Confession? I requested this book by mistake.
I don’t read or like romances because “feelings”… Ew, no thanks.
But Meg and Reid? Cutie Patootie. And Kate Clayborn? Well, she can really write.
Thank you to Kate Clayborn, Kensington and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I hadn’t read any of the author’s previous work so had nothing to compare to but I will definitely read more after this. It took me a few chapters to get into the flow but I was hooked after that. The premise was very cleverly designed to incorporate signs and hidden messages in everyday things. I haven’t read anything quite like this before,the concept was a new one for me. It was quirky,funny , heartwarming and romantic and kept me turning the pages until the end. The relationship between the two main characters was well constructed and believable and the banter between them was very witty and entertaining.
I received an early copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review and all thoughts are freely given
“Love Lettering” has a little bit of mystery weaved into a heartwarming romance. The romance between Meg and Reid was difficult and emotional at times but the way they worked through situations was always profound and thought-provoking. I often found myself asking if I would have done the same things.
It did have a bit of a slow start for me but I was turning pages soon enough once it grabbed me and never put it down after that.
I felt like I learned a lot about The “Lettering” profession, which I knew nothing of prior. It has definitely left a mark with me as I catch myself looking around at signs and writing.
This was my first Kate Clayborn novel and I am excited to read future works.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for fair and honest review.
There are books you feel, that you see, that hit all the senses. Love Lettering is one of those. Meg and Reid see the world differently, and yet the same, in patterns, letters vs numbers. After a rocky start, Meg and Reid grow close while playing “games” that are meant to help Meg break out of a creative block, but which also show Reid, and us, all the vitality that is Brooklyn. Everything comes alive. A complete sense of place is here, all the sights, sounds, and smells.
I loved seeing Meg’s thoughts, how everything is reflected in the imagery of lettering. From signs to people to emotions. Even having Reid’s expression described as a “swoonsh” – it is a visual, a feeling, an impression, and I loved it. Meg is a great blend of characteristics: introspective, observant, ambitious enough to start her own business, reluctant to fight but willing to learn. I loved her vitality, even when she was questioning herself.
Reid is perfectly “Masterpiece Theater” – a description that tells us everything. How he stands. How he folds his coat over his arm. The placement of the napkin on his lap. The sound of the word “good.” The idea is to reflect the linear quality of numbers, but he is also charming, quiet, stoic, solid, warm.
I loved that we see Meg and Reid grow together over time. It’s a real relationship, real growth, not just hot and bothered for a weekend and let’s see where it goes. No, these two grow together through all kinds of stuff, work stuff, friend stuff, life stuff. Pacing is excellent, the passage of time never feels like it’s dragging or worse, ignored.
Sexy times are on the page and they are sexy but also deeply emotional. The slow burn of the growing relationship, the foreplay of three little kisses, trying to stay in L-I-K-E, the heat, the “I see you” hug when the world is falling down – it is all there.
Side characters are interesting and funny and charming. They all add to the setting and the story, to the relationships Meg has in her life and how they are part of her personal story. And any of them would be fun to explore in another story but no one feels like they are dying to be the star of their own book, so not distracting or detracting at all from Meg and Reid.
I absolutely loved this book. And now I’ll be seeing swirls and swooshes and curls everywhere I go.
CW: Parent separation
Meg Mackworth was the Planner of Park Slope but had gotten out of doing wedding invitations and was doing personalize journals and planners for customers in New York City when Wall Street mathematician Reid Sutherland came by the paperie to ask her why she had put a code in the wedding invitations for Reid and his now ex-fiancé. Reid wondered how Meg knew they shouldn’t get married even though they broke up for other reasons but he also told her he hated New York City. Afterwards Meg reached out to Reid to help him fall in love with living in New York again by finding hand painted business signs because they were giving her inspiration for three treatments for a craft company to design a new line for them.
Love Lettering was different to me where the couple sends messages to each other without using a lot of words which is really interesting to read and different from where the couple falls in love instantly and Love Lettering is a slow burn type of book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
On the author’s website: Kate Clayborn – books that make you laugh, cry and happy sigh. Yep. There are books that you know as soon as you’ve read a couple of chapters you will have to read straight through. There is no stopping point, no appropriate place to take a break and get on with your life, no desire to leave these characters who have become real. Who in fact have become so real it’s almost an obsession. You almost pick up your jacket to go for a walk or to eat with them. In fact, they feel so real that you have to know what happens to them now, which means you keep reading until the very last word. And as soon as you’ve finished you want to go back to page one and read the entire book again – now.
Love Lettering is one of those books. I could go on and on with a detailed account of every action that takes place, everything the characters say and do. But I’m not the exquisite writer Kate Clayborn is and I wouldn’t do the story justice. So instead I’ll just answer your burning question: should I read this book? The answer is a resounding yes. Read it. Now. Straight through. And then do it again.
This is an intense, deliberate, precise, magical book. You can feel Meg and Reid being drawn together like moths to a flame. Meg is good-hearted and caring and has a wondrous gift for letters – and for listening when the letters talk to her – but she has a lot of baggage. Meg has developed so many coping mechanisms, but they fail her and she is caught out by Reid.
Reid . . . Reid is . . . perfect. He is so intense you practically have to close your eyes from it, so rigid, so solid, so unyielding, so stoic, and at the same time oh, so fragile, with an air of sadness and bafflement surrounding him. Maybe he’s not really perfect, but you want to care for him, draw him into your space, protect him, and peel back some of those layers to discover the warm, tender, loving man you know is in there.
Love Lettering is a book full of layers and secrets and surprises. It is amazing, wonderful marvelous, fantastic – pick a word. The writing, the words, the characters, the phrasing, the hurts and joys and expectations . . . all beautiful and magical. It’s about opening up and learning to trust, to believe in yourself and others, to communicate and be direct.
Love Lettering is a special, unforgettable book. Thanks to Kensington Books for providing an advance copy for my honest review. The story of Meg and Reid is a wonderful tale that draws you in and, in fact, does make you laugh, cry and happy sigh as promised.
Unique New York City romance
This is a different type of romance, at least it is to me. The protagonists are unusual and the setting of New York City is handled beautifully.
Meg Mackworth is a consultant that does hand lettering and calligraphy, primarily on custom planners and journals, but she’s done wedding work in the past, too.
Reid Sutherland was a child math prodigy who is now a quantitative analyst (still not quite sure what that is) at a large Wall Street firm.
They initially meet as Reid and his then fiance come into the shop that Meg works out of to go over the wedding package she’s designed for them. Reid comes back at a later date to confront Meg about a code he found in the wedding program.
This is a tale of two very different people falling in love and the trials and tribulations they go through.
I recommend this romance highly.
I received this book from Kensington Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
A slow burn romance and a witty story. It starts off a little rocky for both Cara and Reid, a year ago he was a client there to get handwritten everything from Cara but the engagement fell through and so here they are a secret message in the program and an admittance that he hates New York. Cara has a big opportunity but she is drawing a blank and her best friend, Sibby, has been pulling away from her slowly over the months and Cara is at a loss of what to do. Cara and Sibby use to walk the streets of NYC and point out all the hand drawn signs it is what inspired Cara to do what she does. Cara would prefer someone walk with her, for safety and just because she’s lonely; she thinks of Reid and his passing comment about not seeing the right signs and although she knows that he meant metaphorically she wants to show him the city through her eyes. The first outing didn’t go well but Reid apologized in the best way possible that showed he really was listening to her. From then on they had a easy friendship that turned into something more.
Overall, it was a fulfilling story from start to finish. Cara imagines certain words in certain fonts and I can just imagine in my head floating around the person as they spoke. I have to say they have a great first kiss, swoon. It is a slow burn a bunch of little things happen before the big things and it’s just Cara and Reid getting to know each other and us getting to know them. I liked the bit at the end it was unexpected and really cemented their relationship. It was wonderfully written the description and imagery with the letters was beautifully done. It’s a great way to either start your year or end it.
I absolutely adore all of Kate Claybourn’s writing, and this love story is no different. It’s a long slow burn between two people trying to find their way to each other by discovering their true selves. I can’t say enough positive things about it!
LOVE LETTERING by Kate Clayborn is the kind of book that enters your life with little fanfare. You might pick it up to read immediately, you might set it aside for a while, but when you open those pages and fall into the story, you feel as if you are seeing the world through an entirely different lens. Well, that’s what I got out of it, in any case.
The attention to detail and sharp observations Clayborn brings to her characters made me want to revel in the words on each page. The story is told from the point of view of Meg Mackworth, who we meet when she’s at a personal and professional crossroads; it’s a time where she is questioning her creativity, her seemingly rootless existence, and her reliance on the small circle of people in her life.
When Reid Sutherland enters her life for a second time, he is a disillusioned version of his former self, yet Meg is intrigued and to begin with, a little fearful of Reid. Meg reaches out to Reid, and invites him on her journey to try and reconnect with her creativity and her love of her adopted home of New York City. As they walk the streets of the city, Meg and Reid slowly open up to one and other and reveal their vulnerabilities. It’s certainly not smooth sailing, as the taciturn Reid and contemplative Meg often clash. Ultimately, it’s the smallest of words, the looks, the touches, and the gestures that unhurriedly build a connection between them. So utterly dreamy!
Secondary to their romance, there’s this wonderful theme of rediscovering a forgotten New York. While the books are nothing alike, reading LOVE LETTERING had me feeling some of the same things as when I read Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney. It’s a love letter to parts of the city that have at best been overlooked or at worst, forgotten altogether. This parts a bonus for lovers of New York City.
LOVE LETTERING is a slow-burn romance at its finest. It’s one of my top reads for 2019.
This book was so special. Unique, original, and at turns, sweet, sexy, funny, heart wrenching, unexpected, and fulfilling. I loved it so much!
Meg Mackworth is an artist, specifically, a hand-letterer. Her skill has her much in demand with all the hoity-toity housewives and such, in her neighborhood of Park Slope, Brooklyn, NYC. But before she was known for her personalized planners, she did weddings. Invitations, place cards, programs, etc, she was the girl. Until about a year ago, when she put a secret message in a wedding program, after finally meeting the fiance of the woman she’d been hired by. After that, she decided she wouldn’t be doing any more weddings. But, she can’t believe it when the groom from that long ago mistake of a program, shows up to ask her about it. He’s a mathematician, and he noticed her code. The wedding never happened. And now he has questions, and for a woman who has spent pretty much her entire life avoiding conflict, this is a doozy of a situation to find herself in.
Reid Sutherland works on Wall Street, but he’s quick to tell you he’s a math guy, NOT a money guy. He’s stressed at his job, and after the breakup of his engagement a year ago, he’s been ultra-focused on his work. He’s not heartbroken. They were never right for each other anyway, though he still works for his ex’s father’s company. But, what he wants to know, is how the creator of the wedding invitations knew he and his ex were doomed, after meeting him once. She knew it so much she put a secret code into their wedding program, that apparently only he could see. So, he finally decides to ask her. But, he could never have imagined where that conversation would lead.
This entire book is from Meg’s perspective, so we don’t get inside of Reid’s head fully. You learn to know him, as Meg gets to know him. You yearn for more, and MORE, info from his brilliant brain the same way Meg does. You fall in love with him the same way she does too. A lot of times I find a single POV, without even an omniscient narrator, to be too limiting. But, it really worked for this story. Reid was a delightful package to unwrap, and you got to enjoy it slowly, along with the heroine. This was quite the slow burn story, and I loved how much they really got to know each other before they truly got involved. Meg had a lot of internal conflicts happening at all times too, so you had plenty to keep you occupied as the story went on, even without getting into Reid’s head.
There were some great side characters here, some more pivotal to the story than others, but all were valuable. Meg’s BFF and roommate, Sibby – who has been pulling away from their friendship for some unknown reason – Meg’s former boss, and friends from the paperie shop, and Reid’s family. Even Meg’s family, and Reid’s ex, though they aren’t major players in current events were on the periphery of the story enough to be felt strongly, in differing ways. I loved how each of these people were important to Meg and Reid’s story, in their own ways.
There were plenty of unexpected twists and turns. Things I dreaded, and others I never saw coming. I loved them ALL. Reid and Meg had quite the inauspicious start, so to see how far they came together throughout the book was swoonworthy. Reid was a fantastic hero, and Meg, and strong heroine, learning to be truly independent for the first time. I adored both of them so much, and I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Meg is at the peak of her career, she is a talented Lettering artist and is in a very delicate moment of creative blocking. This and the indifference her best friend has shown her, has only made everything worse. She has never felt so lonely and discouraged in her life even when she had to face a very complicated situation in the past because in the past her friend gave her full support at the time.
Reid is tired of New York, after his marriage went downhill, he began to realize that the work he had was not quite what he wanted for his life and is beginning to question his stay in the big city. His passion for decoding numbers eventually brings him closer to Meg in a very unusual way.
By telling Meg that he doesn’t like New York, he ends up giving her an idea of how to try to cure her creative block and then begins their journey of self-awareness and resilience.
I really liked the story and the way it was built. I was very surprised because I would never imagine the cause of the behavior of either Emily, Meg’s friend, or Reid’s. I also loved the way the writer made the analogy of numbers and letters how these little details made the protagonists fall in love with each other and perceive New York in a different way than they saw apart.
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn is truly one of the best books that I have had the privilege to read this year. This is the first book that I have read by Ms Clayborn and if this gem is any indication of how great this author is, I know that there will be many more creations in store for her readers for years to come.
Yes, this book is a “romance”, but it is truly so much more. It is overcoming adversities, friendship, romance, finding yourself and your purpose, and finding the beauty in the big things and the little as well.
Things that I loved about this novel:
1. I loved the witty, ingenious dialogue. The way Ms Clayborn was able to make an art out of prose is breathtaking. There were double-meanings, play on words, and the ability to literally place a picture in the reader’s head to associate script and letters with words, phrases, fonts, and letters. I have never read anything like this before. It was amazing and so unique.
2. I loved all of the characters. I loved Meg, Reid, Sibby, Lark, Lachelle, Cecily, and Reid’s family. They all had real personalities, traits, histories, and depth. I loved everything about them.
3. I loved the chemistry, passion, and relationship between Meg and Reid. There was banter, wit, humor, love and passion. There were lol moments, heart warming moments, and tearful moments. Oh yeh and there was definitely passion.
4. I loved the plot, pace, barriers, and the ending. It was perfect.
5. I loved the games. So creative.
6. I loved learning all about the many places in NYC and surrounding Burroughs. I felt as if I was actually there. Stunning.
I guess my point is: this is an amazing book that I will reread again and again and is truly one of my favorites. It is perfect in every way. Could there be a sequel?!?!
Truly 5/5 stars