Sadly I didn't get to fully finish this before the archive date. I have loved all of Kate Clayborn's other books and what I read of this was no exception, though!

I wanted to love this one, but it fell a little flat for me. I seriously enjoyed all of the moments between Reid and Meg, but they were just too few and far between during the first 50% for me to keep chugging along. Clayborn is clearly an excellent writer though

I really enjoyed this quirky romance. The heroine, Meg, and hero, Reid complemented each other perfectly. I loved how they developed slowly. This was a unique story that I couldn't and wouldn’t put down. Loved it!

I read this on Nov 20th and forget to review.


I absolutely loved Meg and Reid. And the way they helped each other change and grow. I especially loved how Claybourn didn't shy away from the less romantic parts of real life. Like the hell that is periods and psoriasis. It was very refreshing to see these in a book. Often times the only mention of a period is when, oops it didn't come. Will definitely read more by this author!

A bittersweet and swoony contemporary romance with Clayborn's trademark gorgeous prose and a gloriously-lived-in New York serving as the third lead. A love letter to romance, lettering, and the city by turns, LOVE LETTERING is a must-read for fans of Clayborn's previous work and a fantastic starting point for new-to-the-author readers.

My goodness this book, it's such a beautiful ode to love. Everything in the book is precious, from the time that Reid confronts Meg about hidden messages to the long walks they take in the city to chase down signs. The long walks that eventually turn into something more for both Reid and Meg. I loved the beautifully written characters of not only Reid and Meg, who are just fabulous but also Cecelia, Lachelle, Sibby and Lark. It reminded me so much of the loving relationships I have with my own best friends, not perfect but always there for each other. This book will definitely be one of my top favorite romance books.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

This was a lovely—pun intended—love letter to romance, NYC, and friendship. From the beautiful writing, with its detailed descriptions of letters and the city and signs, to the delightful Masterpiece Theatre quality romance, this book was pretty much the equivalent of a warm hug. My only complaint is I perhaps would have liked a bit more time spent on Sibby pulling away re: dealing with her feelings and the hurt that arose there.

I actually read this months ago but just waited to talk about it. I didn’t love this book. It was a good but not great read for me. It felt more like women’s fiction, but that is fine with me because I enjoy WF too. There was a lot of emphasis on the Meg’s work and it felt like too much at times. There is a subplot where Meg and her roommate/former best friend work on repairing their relationship but it also felt like this was a more important relationship to Meg than the romantic one with Reid. And I am not opposed to that, female friendships are incredibly important and I wish that we as a culture talked more about healing from broken friendships. All that to say, this book was fine but was missing something for me as a reader. Something that I find hard to describe. I think if you’ve read and enjoyed Kate’s previous books, you will enjoy this one as well.

Love Lettering is a quiet sweet romance and also my last read of the year/decade. CRAZY! A story about Meg the “Planner of Park Slope”, a woman who makes custom hand-lettered journals for the NYC elite. Meg hand-lettered a wedding invitation which included a secret message. A year later the groom hunts her down wondering how she knew his marriage was doomed. There is nothing more romantic than NYC and this book takes you all over the city! The lead is quirky and the budding relationship between her and Reid gave me all the warm and fuzzies.⁣

I am not really sure how to describe this book, exactly. I just know that I loved it.

The author has done a wonderful job with these characters, the two main characters are very different people on the surface but they actually have a lot in common. Meg who had the tough family situation, who was always struggling so hard for everything; Reid who was misunderstood by so many. Somehow, these two just work. And even as a cranky middle-aged woman, I was charmed by their romance.

I also liked the secondary characters; Sibby who played such a large part in Meg's life, until she didn't. Lark, the lady who looked like she had everything you could want in life, but didn't. And I loved Reid's family, so much. Cecelia and Lachelle - good friends, both.

So much warmth and love; it shines through, even through the hard and bad bits. This is not some sort of sappy romantic book, at all. It is gritty, it is real and yet it is so beautiful too.

Highly recommended read.

5 unreserved stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books.

Love LetteringMeg Mackworth has made enough of a name for herself to be able to support living in New York... NEW YORK. Her hand lettering has even netted her an opportunity to have her own line for a larger stationary (something to do with paper) line of her own. But her secret (putting codes into the designs she makes) is about to be uncovered.
Reid Sutherland was astonished to see the word Mistake spelled out on his wedding programs. It made him rethink the whole marriage. Now he's in the shop where Meg used to work (and is coincidentally filling in) asking her why she thought that it would have been bad for him to follow through.
The two opposites (Meg is into words; Reid works with numbers) start to lean on each other to see the world through a new lens which gives each time to relax.
A lot of people are loving this book and I can see why. It is a book that is going to make you start to notice things. However, there were two distinct points where I thought, "Wow, this is wrapping up to be a satisfying ending" and looked down to see that there were 50-150 pages left in the book. It felt as if there were chunks just pasted on to the end. Otherwise a lovely read.

Three stars
This book came out December 31st
ARC kindly provided by Kensington and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

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.

Clayborn does it again! What a lovely, warm-hearted book. Love Lettering is an ode to words, letters, writing, and friendship. This is such a down-to-earth story--it's a romance, yes, but it's also about friendship, growth, and pushing past your comfort zone. Meg and Reid are charming together, and Meg especially felt like such a warm, realistic heroine. Clayborn is great at capturing those little moments that we notice about people, and I loved being in Meg's head while she was falling for Reid & rediscovering herself. Clayborn is also magical at capturing what words and letters can make us feel and also what they feel like--there was so many parts I underlined because, YES, I have felt that way about a word before. Some people might find the story a little slow because we spend a lot of time in Meg's head, and the plot is very character-driven. But I was never bored and I read it in one sitting. And by the end, I was blown away by how well Clayborn had tied everything together. I was absolutely enchanted with this book and these characters. I will never look at letters and signs the same way again.

A word though: you need to be willing to see beyond the literal to enjoy this book. I'm not an artist, or a calligrapher, and although I enjoy bullet journals and stationery, I'm terrible at making my own pretty (simple black underlined titles for me each day thanks very much). But I'm a reader, and I believe in the power of words, in how words SOUND and how words LOOK and how they feel when we shape them with our mouths and hands. If you can't (or don't want to) try and understand that, or believe that, I don't know if you'll enjoy this. But I hope you'll give it a try.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced ecopy in exchange for an honest review.**

Meg Mackworth is a famous hand-lettering creator who has designed one-of-a-kind wedding invitations and has now branched out on her own. Due to the popularity of her craft, the New York Times ran a feature on her which made her even more in demand.

But Meg has a secret, one she thought she only knew. In her work, she sometimes hides words through her spellings which are known only to her. They can be her thoughts and feelings about the project she has done.

So when Reid Sutherland comes into the shop she is working at and announces to Meg that he saw what she had written on his and his ex-fiancé's wedding invitation and he wants to know why and how she knew, Meg is flabbergasted.

For some curious reason Meg is relieved Reid did not marry. And Meg, who is trying to prepare for what could be a life-changing job interview and is in need of some new inspiration is curious as to how Reid was able to find her secret. On a whim she asks Reid, a math and numbers man, if he would be interested in playing a game with her and go around and look for hidden words in signs all over New York City.

As Meg and Reid begin to connect through of all things the awkwardness of life in general which they have discovered they have in common, they launch into a once in a lifetime relationship.

But suddenly all the signs and words begin to change as does their relationship... Will they be able to recapture the joy and compatibility they shared? For some people who have a tendency to think outside the box, life can be a very lonely world. To find someone who thinks as you do can be transformative.

Love Lettering is just a beautiful, loving, heart aching story about two lost souls who find each other while accidentally reading into all the signs.

Thank you #NetGalley #KensingtonPress #KateClayborn #LoveLettering for the advanced copy. Love Lettering come out December 31.

I received an ARC of Love Lettering (December 31) from Kensington Books via NetGalley. What follows is my fair and honest review.

TL;DR: If you read contemporary romance, you’re going to want to pre-order Kate Clayborn’s Love Lettering. (And there’s a great pre-order package if you order from Fountain Bookstore!)

If that isn’t enough convincing enough, here’s a quick summary and full review:

Meg is a calligrapher, known as the Planner of Park Slope for her work designing planners for clients. But once upon a time, Meg also designed wedding stationary, work she gave up for reasons she is unwilling to share. But when Reid, one of Meg’s last wedding clients, walks through the door of her shop, he seems to know exactly what she’s done. The secret reason she won’t design any more wedding invitations. And a year after Reid’s wedding-that-wasn’t, he’s looking for answers. What Meg and Reid find together is more than either could have anticipated.

I loved Love Lettering, even though contemporary isn’t usually my go-to romance sub-genre. Meg and Reid are a great opposites-attract couple, and I thought the conflict(s) they face together are believable and realistic. I also enjoyed how Meg grows as a person, mostly independent of her relationship with Reid.

One quick note: the novel is written in first-person POV from Meg’s perspective, so if you don’t that writing style, this novel may not be for you. While I did find myself wishing for more of Reid’s perspective throughout the book, it didn’t ruin the novel for me. And without giving too much away, after reading through the ending of the book, I can see why leaving Reid’s perspective out is probably the best choice for the story.

I highly recommend Love Lettering for contemporary romance readers, or for anyone looking to give the genre a try.

5 stars.

There have been a few times when reading a book, I simply sit and wonder at how the author is able to convey such beauty through words. Books like Kite Runner, Evvie Drake Starts Over and now of course Love Lettering. There's no denying that Kate Clayborn simply has a way with words. I have highlighted so many passages that brought tears in my eyes, or connected me to these characters on a deeper level. Love Lettering is a romance novel, but also a book that delves deeper into our insecurities with love, of being loved for who we are and how sacred the bonds of friendship at various stages in our lives.

Meg works with clients to hand letter journals, wedding invitations (in the past) and commission work, but she has a bit of a block right now and is having a bit of a hard time finding her creativity. One day a past client Reid walks into her shop to inform her that he saw the signs in the invitation she designed for his wedding and called it off. Meg of course is left flabbergasted, never imagining anyone would spot the signs she had put in the marriage invitation, let alone the groom!

This is about the point where Meg and Reid form an unlikely friendship. He's guarded and unhappy with his life in New York. Quite frankly, he can't wait to get out of New York. Meg on the other hand loves New York and couldn't ever fathom leaving a place that speaks to her with signs in her every day life.

I loved the games that Reid and Meg played with one another. Reid not being a very social person, was able to open up to Meg throughout various games using letters (Meg's speciality) and numbers (his specialty). These games were so much fun, but at the same time it was a way for these two individuals to let down their guard and be vulnerable to each other.

I think one part of the book that touched me the most was Meg's relationship with her best friend Sibby. I've come to realize that I love books with great friendships in them and Meg had a lot of those in this book. She had Cecelia and Lachelle at the shop, but they were co-workers who gradually became friends. Sybill was the one constant, the one person that was always there for her when she moved to New York. But it seems as though their friendship is cracking and Meg doesn't know how or what to do to try to fix the cracks. The poignant reminders of what their friendship used to be like made me so very sad. Not only sad for Meg and Sybill, but sad because I think we've all been in her shoes. We've all had friendships that we thought were going to last a lifetime only to find that we've gradually drifted away and we're not even sure how that happened.

I absolutely loved this book. It was complex and I loved that the more I read on, the more I was able to uncover another layer that only added to this beautiful story.

The book itself is beautiful and really was an experience reading the physical book with the various fonts, capitalizations and italicized words. Thank you GoodReads and Kensington Books for my giveaway win.

What a surprise this book was to me, I struggled at the start for no other reason as it was boxing day. A busy week at work brought me to the start of this loving story that will grow on you as you read. The author's description had me seeing the drawings of the words she was describing. I was not a fan of the long long inner monologues a time when all I wanted by an answer to the question given or the action. The characters grow as well as the story to a twist I just did not see coming at all. A great way to spend a holiday day.

Set in New York City you will meet Meg Mackworth a calligraphist who has witters block with a big client pitch in the near future to be ready for. the story is told in Megs POV which I enjoy to what I have recently been reading.

Reid Sutherland walking back into the shop where they had first meet almost one year ago, wanting answers to the secret message she left in this Wedding program.

A friendship soon formed between the two as Meg is determined to make Reid love the City she has come to call home. She needs her own inspiration to get her next job finished so they play a few walking games around the city to discover a new love of the city they live in.

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this Advanced Reader Copy. All thoughts and opinions provided are my own.

With two of Kate Clayborn's books landing on my 2018 Top Ten list, this is one of my most anticipated books of 2019. This preview has me intrigued - as a person who hasn't an artistic bone in my body, I'm looking forward to being in the mind of a person who "sees" art in the ordinary letters of every day life. And with Ms. Clayborn's unique and charming way of creating characters and stories, I'm looking forward to the rest of this story.

That being said...so far the story has been slow paced and has failed to pull me in and hold my attention. There have been glimpses of the Kate Clayborn I loved from her Beginner's Luck series, but they are few are far between. Hopefully things pick up soon because I'd hate to end the year on a book that failed to meet my anticipated expectations!

Full review will be posted closer to publication...

This book almost needs two reviews. One review for the first unfortunate 30% of the book and one for the rest of the story.

For the first part, I feel like the character in the book knows the importance of details. After all, details are her job. The author however, doesn’t realize the importance and impact of details. She just went on and on. Sentences were way too flowery. Topics were over explored. Adjectives galore. I read this book on an app that predicted how much longer it would take you to read and every time I flipped a page my estimated time increased instead of decreasing. While trying to read this book, I finished four other books. It was the total opposite of a book I couldn’t put it down. I had to put it down. It got so boring and slow sometimes I felt like I was wasting my time.

I was extremely disappointed. I had heard a lot about this book and was really excited after reading the synopsis but it unfortunately disappointed me.

Fortunately I kept reading. Luckily the book improved and so I can’t give it a totally bad review. The book got exponentially better after the games started. In fact I even recommended the games to my boyfriend because I like walking.

The erotica was unexpected but very well written! Definitely a pleasant surprise.

Would I recommend this book? As the beginning of this book would tell you… May-be. Maybe you should read it maybe you shouldn’t but if you do give it a chance, don’t let the beginning deter you. The middle and end are definitely the better parts.

3/5

Happy sigh. I loved this book so much and am only sad it’s finished. I miss Meg and Reid already and I just closed the book.

Meg is The Planner of Park Slope - known for her gorgeous hand lettering custom planners for her clients. She used to also do work for weddings - invitations, programs, etc. And if she sometimes hides messages in her work...well, no harm done - right? No one has ever noticed any of her hidden messages. Until Reid - the groom of a wedding last year - shows up to ask how she knew his wedding wouldn’t work out.

There are so many things I loved in this book. The beautiful descriptions of lettering and fonts. The love for NYC. Characters working on being better communicators (always one of my very favorite things to see). Meg’s personal growth. I’m being intentionally vague so I don’t give anything away but please put this one on your tbr!!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the free book to review.