I know that so many people loved this story, and part of me can understand why. The romance, once it finally gets underway, has swoon-worthy potential, and the writing is almost hypnotic. Unfortunately, both of those things were its downfall for me.

I had a really difficult time getting into the story. I totally appreciate a skilled writer, and I do think Kate Clayborn has a lot of talent, but I felt that the writing got in the way of the storytelling here. It was overly meta, too internalized, and despite the fact that I'm very much into typography (total understatement!) and design, I had a hard time not skimming.

I also struggled with the romance, especially at first, not understanding why the hero agreed to spend time with the heroine. On the other hand, I did like the way the heroine's different friendships rounded out her characterization. In that regard, this had a bit of a women's fiction feel to it, focusing on the heroine's career and relationships and how she changes and grows as a result of them.

This is the second book I've read by this author that hasn't completely connected with me, and I can't decide if I'm just not a good reader match for her storytelling and writing style or if I should keep trying. (Help!)

RATING: C+

Amazing writing, lush and descriptive and the romance was swoon worthy with characters I want to root for. Another A + effort from Kate Clayborn.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this e-arc first chapter in exchange for an honest review.

So far I'm hooked! I like the author's style and flow of the story. I find myself wanting to know what comes next.

I absolutely loved this book! I am such a fan of the author and every page here was complete perfection.

A very cute and sentimental read! I look forward to reading more by Kate Clayborn.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

I was really going to put this book down multiple times, but for some reason I stuck with it. Kind of glad I did. I really enjoyed the romance between Reid and Meg. It was quirky, hot and most of all real. Not sure I needed all the mystical lettering stuff, and I am some one who craves and enjoys the mystical. The friendship sub plots gave the book a bit more umpf for me and kept me reading. Overall, this was a slow read for me and I was left wanting a bit more speed.

I was apprehensive going in to this book because I had heard so many wonderful things about it. I think that either the book was hyped too much or recent events had me in a mood because, while I liked the book, I didn't see the fuss being made. That's not 100% fair to the author and this is by no means a bad review. I enjoyed Meg and Reid's strangers to friends to lovers story as well as Meg really getting to know who she is but I was a little taken a back by the b sub plot with Sibby and Meg. On the one hand, I loved that Sibby was there for Meg when she really needed her but the little we see of her prior to this makes Sibby kind of an unlikable character. It was a cute three star read that definitely distracted me from the real world and I love the love letter it was to NYC. It was a good read, just not a great one for me.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy.

I really love romantic books and this is no exception! The writing is beautiful and descriptive just like its title. I took me a little while to get into it, but once I did I was hooked. This would make a great movie!

Love Lettering is a light, whimsical read about Meg, who has built her own hand lettering business. She hid a message in a clients wedding program and months later the groom, Reid, shows up to confront her about it. Reid is good at math and numbers, making him Meg’s opposite, but does this also make him her perfect match? They become friends as Reid helps Meg work through a creative block she’s having and Meg helps Reid start to like New York. There is a pretty big plot twist towards the end of the book that I didn’t see coming.

I love that the author created unique characters that you don’t find in every book. There was a great subplot about friendship, and I loved Meg’s relationships with both Sibby and Lark. Overall this book might be cheesy for some with all the “signs” and lettering talk, but I found it charming. This is a fresh take on a cute contemporary romantic novel.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing via NetGalley for a copy of this book to review!

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I haven’t read anything by this author but I’ve heard so many wonderful things about her novels from the podcasts I listen to. And I’m very glad I was able to read this one first specifically. This book was a love letter to journaling, art, and calligraphy all tied into one wonderful love story about a mathematician and an artist. Meg was so wonderfully endearing and charismatic. Her journey to self-empowerment in this novel was wonderful to see first hand. And Reid was so vulnerable and heart-wrenchingly perfect as a hero, his devotion and love for Meg was evident in the novel as it progressed and their relationship and chemistry really leaped off the page. Their love story and how it developed by walking the streets of New York and looking at hand-painted signs was a great idea. The writing is so beautifully done, it’s almost lyrical in how the characters and their stories are written. And decorative journaling is very on trend right now so the book is very well timed. Some pieces of the book weren’t an exact right fit for me. Overall though I really enjoyed this book a lot, it was extremely swoon-worthy and a wonderful read. I would definitely recommend it!

I adored reading Meg and Reid's story! I loved the slow build of their friendship and later their relationship. I also really enjoyed the light 'mystery' elements. This made my heart happy. Beautifully emotional.

I really enjoyed this excerpt! I have always liked Kate Clayborn's books and the writing here is fantastic.

I immediately went to buy and start the full novel.

*I was given an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own*

This book was adorable, and for someone who's watched nothing but Investigation Discovery for about a week straight, it was just the palate cleanser I needed.

Meg is an artist of sorts. She is a calligrapher, who makes designs out of words. As a matter of fact that's how she meets Reid-- she designed his wedding invitation. So when he comes into her shop one day and asks her about that design, and something she'd hidden in it in particular, both of their lives are changed. The two immediately fall into a friends-then-lovers sort of situation, which for me can be either hit or miss. Meg and Reid are just different enough that it works without being over the top cheesy, and I couldn't help but root for them.

This was a fast read (finished it within a matter of hours) and definitely a cute one. It wasn't earth shattering or ground breaking but it was a sweet story that took my mind off of the chaos that is going on around the world right now. Sometimes that's just as important as being a literary trophy. There was a fairly descriptive sex scene, but it wasn't something I'd be afraid of my little sister reading.

I look forward to reading more of Clayborn's work, and would recommend this book to many of the romance readers I know!

Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Love Lettering was both wonderfully whimsical and supremely quotable. There’s not a single page that that I turned without quoting or laughing or having my heart moved at least a little. There are those few books that make you feel like you’re curled up beside a fireplace with your favourite drink cupped between your palms as you lean in conspiratorially, speaking in soft tones and silent laughter with a close friend.

Love Lettering is one of those books.

What I loved about Meg and Reid was that they represent real people, with real flaws, real problems, real insecurities, real doubts and pain. They’re real people in a real world, however, they just see things we don’t always see. The book is snowflakes upon snowflakes of signs; the ones you see, the ones you miss, the ones you love and the ones that scare you. A woman who loves letters and a man who loves numbers and the story of how these two characters find where the love they have for their respective glyphs fit into their lives and in turn, how these two fit in one another’s lives.

This book is a fantastic read on how to work on relationships, but it’s so subtly done that it fits beautifully in the unravelling of the story. Some of the secondary characters have some very very crucial role in Meg’s understanding of what a healthy relationship looks like. I love how Meg actively works on what she has learnt. It’s what all of us would do, when we find a healthy solution to something that has been plaguing us all our life. We’d insistently work on it, trying to find how this solution fits in our life and how we can change some of it to suit our needs.

Sometimes while reading about Meg and Reid you feel like you’re cradling a newborn baby in your arms for the first time in your life, or caressing the wings of a butterfly or holding gently the wrinkly soft hands of your grandparent. The vulnerable beauty of that is evident in both of them and their interactions and it makes something soft and sweet bloom inside you that you want to protect, cherish and hope for in your life.

There are certain people in this book that upset you, certain things that hurt and being more used to characters that lash out, hurt and spiral, we’re a little shaken with how different it is in Love Lettering. In the beginning you want them to just cut their losses and leave, but would we do that in our lives? To people we’ve known and loved with all our heart? I wouldn’t. I would try. I would speak, put effort and try again. Meg is gentle in a way most of us probably are in real life, perhaps that’s why it took me a moment to ease myself into the pattern.

Love Lettering is definitely not a predictable read. It takes you by the horns in the most gentlest way possible. But when your world turns on its head, whether gentle or not, it is always evident. Five stars. I highly recommend it.

Happy reading!

"I would say I like you so much, Meg."

Swoon, swoon, swoon! Or would that be swoonsh? Reid may not be a natural conversationalist, but he's got the best lines. I love his letters and that scene at the bar. Through Meg's eyes, we see just what kind of man Reid is, and can I just say that I'd like to take him home? Reid was written as this socially awkward nerd but he's the best where it counted--kind, thoughtful, considerate, protective, good in bed and handsome. Did I mention handsome? Not sure why, but I always picture Clark Kent (portrayed by Christopher Reeve) whenever Reid comes up in a scene.

The story is written from the first person point of view, and Meg's voice is unique and engaging. She totally captured my attention; I couldn't stop reading! The blurb and first chapter intrigued me to get the book and while there wasn't any paranormal stuff happening, how the author integrated lettering, the heroine's profession, into the story is intriguing and fascinating. Though I did wonder at the believability of any man agreeing to go with her around town looking for signs. But it was perfect for Reid in his particular situation.

That aside, I'm in love with this story!! One of the best stories I've read in 2019, and highly recommended. Don't miss this. I'm looking forward to the author's next book!

This review originally appeared at All About Romance.

I put off writing a review for Love Lettering because I have so many mixed feelings about the book. I love the art of hand lettering and calligraphy, but I sometimes found the minute focus on the process and different styles (which I obsessed over while reading the text!) distracted my attention from the love story. When I wasn’t wholly distracted because I was visualizing letters and fonts and serifs and sans serifs, I loved this quietly charming – and slightly magical – opposites attract romance.

Meg Mackworth was mostly content working at an upscale paperie, creating beautiful custom hand-lettered stationery, journals and planners for its elite clientele. But then word about her talent spread like wildfire over social media, and her once quiet life became a distant memory. As Love Lettering begins, Meg – dubbed The Planner of Park Slope – is struggling to enjoy her success. She’s lost her creative spark just as an important deadline for a hand lettered journal showcasing her innovative style looms, and she’s panicking. Overwhelmed by the pressures of fame, her work feels forced and uninspired. Meanwhile, she can’t talk to her best friend and roommate about any of it because they’re barely on speaking terms (and she doesn’t know why), and Meg is still trying to shake off a sense of guilt about the hidden message she left in a client’s wedding invitation forecasting the demise of the relationship. She’s mostly convinced herself that no one will ever spot it, but if they do, it will spell disaster for her burgeoning career. Worry and doubts are her constant companions, and she’s certain things can’t get worse… until they do. Reid Sutherland, the gorgeous fiancée of her former client – the client whose invitation contained the hidden word – enters the shop. Stunned and wary, Meg’s initial reaction is to hide. And then she notices he isn’t wearing a wedding ring.

Reid Sutherland is a financial analyst with a talent for spotting patterns – which is how he spotted Meg’s hidden word in the wedding invitation. Although Reid called off the wedding for many reasons – not the least of which was because a total stranger knew it was a mistake – he wants and needs to know how the artist knew the relationship was destined to fail. When Reid walks in the door of the shop and spots Meg, he’s curious and angry and anxious, exhausted by New York City and his job, and desperate for answers from the unassuming woman who made him think twice about his meticulously planned life.

Meg and Reid are a study in contrasts, and as usual, Ms. Clayborn – via the first person PoV of Meg – slowly reveals the hidden depths and quirks of her characters as they reveal themselves to each other. (This author knows women and articulates their insecurities, their doubts, their strengths, their secret selves so clearly… they are women I know and understand.). After an alternately awkward, tense and antagonistic conversation with Reid in the shop, he leaves – but neither he nor Meg experiences a sense of closure afterward. Later, Meg obsessively replays the conversation, and in a pseudo-penitent act, she challenges herself to help Reid fall in love with New York City.

As Love Lettering slowly, quietly unfurls, Reid and Meg awkwardly – painfully, really – discover more and more reasons to spend time together, and more and more reasons to like each other. Each ‘scavenger hunt,’ is like a marvelously, intricately crafted short story within the greater novel, and as they roam across the city finding NYC’s secret places and hidden treasures, they also find them in each other. Their conversations are witty and sharp and difficult and lovely, and watching the author’s characters fall in love is such a wondrous experience. I can’t think of any other author who so perfectly captures those scary wonderful feelings of falling in love. Eventually, the slow simmering heat between Meg and Reid reaches a boiling point, and their friendship gives way to a sexy, passionate affair. Their happiness casts something of a magical, soft focus glow over the whole novel, and it’s all amazingly well done… so it’s a bit of a shock when the story takes an abrupt twist. Honestly reader, the clues are all there, but I was surprised nonetheless.

The affair with Reid helps Meg to find new inspiration for her work, and confidence in herself. She challenges her roommate to be honest about their estrangement (I confess, I didn’t love this character), and nurtures a new friendship with a client on her own journey of self-discovery. Reid, as I mentioned earlier, remains something of an enigma – to the reader, and to Meg. Reader, he’s lovely, but intense and oh, so tightly wound. It’s a delight to watch him enjoy Meg, and to sometimes relax and let his guard down. He’s complicated, and so is his life – well, at least the part he allows Meg (and us) to see.

So let me circle back to one of my biggest challenges grading this book. I love hand lettering, calligraphy, typography, branding… truly, I’m obsessed with it, which was a mixed blessing reading Love Lettering. I geeked out when I read the blurb and saw the cover. I looked forward to hearing about Meg and her career and her art. And then I started reading and obsessing. I couldn’t turn my brain off trying to imagine the letters and styles and fonts… and ended up wholly diverted from the story! I suspect the majority of readers will not have this experience, and all the letter talk will serve more as a background to the story. Unfortunately, for me, it was its own special kind of torture!

Based on the aforementioned challenges I experienced reading this book – and my complete and total inability to detach the lettering references from the actual story (UGH!) – my grade is something of a compromise. Love Lettering is a love letter to romance, New York City, and hand lettering. Lush and lovely, it’s sure to please fans of contemporary romance.

4.5 stars. This is one of those books that starts slow, but all of a sudden, you’re super into it and racing to finish. Love Lettering is as gorgeously written as I imagine main character Meg Mackworth’s hand lettering is - it’s fresh and different in it’s treatment of a character who is protective of herself and doesn’t have a ton of friends. It’s also incredibly original in creating a hero who feels period-piece romantic, but also very real.

Meg Mackworth is a hand letterer who has come into a bit of fame. As The Planner of Park Slope, she’s developed a custom hand-letters journal business that keeps her in her Brooklyn apartment, but now, she’s faced with a huge opportunity that is even more exciting and lucrative. The problem? She’s got an artistic block and a real fear of failure. Added to the fact that her best friend and roommate is becoming more distant and moving out, and Meg’s feeling a little vulnerable. Enter Reid Sutherland, a former client who comes in demanding to know why Meg left a hidden message in his wedding program - for a wedding that didnt happen. Reid is handsome, stoic, and burned by his break-up and by New York City - and Meg is part of that. Spontaneously realizing they both need a friend, Meg invites Reid to come with her on some city walks to help inspire her work and help Reid realize what there is to love about New York.

What starts as an achingly slow burn becomes a story of honesty, friendship, love of NY, fighting to keep the people you love and making choices. I really loved it. Yes, Love Lettering is a romance - and an esoteric one at that - but I could see people who read straight women’s fiction loving it too - the beauty is in the details of the way Meg and Reid first meet, Meg’s way of looking at the world, and how it compares to mathematician Reid’s world view. Also, ALL THE NYC STUFF. If you’ve lived in New York or just love the city, you’ll love the way it almost plays it’s own character in the book as the characters struggle to find their way. It’s not just a setting.

The push and pull is so great and cute and unique for all the characters. As a reader, I was practically begging Meg and Reid to get to the actual romance, but the writer in me appreciates just how much author Kate Clayborn pulled off here. Meg and Reid don’t live in a bubble and they both have friendships, relationships and work lives that bleed into their story, and it just feels so full and true.

Love Lettering is a winner if you’re into anything paper crafty or journal-ish and even more if you’re into romances that really develop and hold their cards close. I know I’ll be reading this one again and possibly even buying a hard copy for my shelf. This one is a keeper, guys.

This was only an exerpt . i think it will be a brilliant book, but i would have to read more to be able to give my full review

Love Lettering was such an incredible little surprise, humorous and with uniquely imperfect characters. What I originally thought was going to be a somewhat of hard, emotional plot shocked me as much as surprised me that in the best of ways.I don't know why I doubted it as I love Clayborn's writing.
Meg is an artist who designed and hand-lettered matrimony invitations to make a decent living for herself. She also possesses an uncanny ability to see signs and analyse certain signposts in it all. She has now become familiar to inserting her own little signs into her designs, an element which often goes undetected.

Highly skilled in the art of detecting patterns and identifying signs in surprising places, unless the recipient of said project is a mathematician. When Reid discovers a hidden message in his wedding invitation, he makes the decision to confront Meg a year later to search for answers of how she knew his marriage wouldn't actually function. Thet meet-cute occurs.
I rather enjoyed  Love Lettering and the uniqueness of the concept that brings together the characters. Signs are such an essential part of everyday life, but this is not often that people are actually having to stop to give them attention. And yes, I'm writing about actual signs— store signs, painted signs, road signs and this book made me want to start paying more attention to them. I really enjoyed the characters and the small amount of friction which was appropriate. I thought it was going to be high-handed at first because of emotional issues and constant anxiety and I'm happily surprised that it wasn't. Yes, they both had their problems, who didn't? But it wasn't anything that stopped them from having to move forward.

All in all, Love Lettering was a fun and sweet romance, and it’s definitely one I recommend. Really excited to have discovered this author and I’ll be sure to see what other books she has available.

Love lettering was a cute, romantic story with lovable characters. The ending was unexpected and took me by pleasant surprise. I loved the stoic and loving manner of Reid and the genuine and honest personality of Meg. A great read to warm you from the inside out this winter.