Based on the title and cover of this book, I had prepared myself for something light and easy. That was not the case for this book, however! It addresses topics like grief and loss, and despite the heavy themes, this book was enjoyable to read. I related a lot to the highs and lows of the Nell and Charlie's relationship. The plot isn't fast-moving, but the emotions are carved out well and do a good job of bringing the reader in.

Thanks to NetGalley I got a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I appreciated the heads up from the publisher regarding the fact that this book deals with grief and suicide as that may not be for everyone.

The story itself, basically a love story of Nell and Charlie and it was okay, but I did not love it. To be completely honest I was rather bored while reading this book and desperate to move on to another book, but I did not want to leave it unfinished as that would not be fair for the author and secretly I kept hoping things would change and that I would get so sucked into the story that I would not want to put it down. Sadly this was not the case. It was an okay story, I didn't hate it, but with so many other great books available I would not recommend it.

This is a heart rending story about how a chance meeting between mental health helpline worker Nell and Charlie, who is feeling lost in life, leads to an unexpected friendship. Told from Nell’s perspective we gradually uncover more of Charlie’s life and in doing so Nell has to face some of her own fears. This is very bittersweet and covers some important but difficult topics but in a very sympathetic and understanding manner. This could have been a difficult read but the characters and storyline were so well woven I really felt for them, there were some lovely bright spells of humour amongst it all and a whole lot of hope.

[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]
When I requested this book there wasn't a trigger warning, so I read it w¡thout that info. Obviously it isn't what I expected. It's not a bad book but it's full of grieve and hope but not of love, it's not a love story (I thinkl the cover misslead the reader).
The best part is the visibilization of mental illness, one of our great health troubles and probably the most hidden.
Sadly, this book wasn't for me.
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//REVIEW IN SPANISH//
Dos estrellitas porque estoy invadida por la generosidad del espíritu navideño y no me apetece terminar el año poniendo menos nota pero le podría dar una estrella perfectamente.
Espero que nadie meta esto en la categoría de Romance porque no es una novela romántica ni de lejos.
Lo pedí en Netgalley antes de que pusieran el trigger warning y, cuando me lo concedieron, me mandaron un email contándomelo para que supiera lo que iba a leer. Sinceramente, si lo llego a saber, no lo habría pedido porque a veces no tienes el cuerpo para leer cosas sobre pérdidas de seres queridos e intentos de suicidio. Pero bueno, ya que lo tenía... Esperaba un personaje traumadito que se enamorara y floreciera de nuevo a la vida, blablabla. Bueno, pues no es eso lo que te encuentras. Aquí lo que hay es una persona que cree que su vida no tiene sentido y que, al conocer a otra, comienza a darse cuenta de que tal vez esté equivocado. Pero el libro lo que nos narra es ese proceso y más la amistad entre ambos que el amor. No hay momentos de pareja ni nada por el estilo, es la relación de acompañamiento mientras que te haces a la idea de la pérdida de la persona que amabas. Vamos, ni de coña lo que quiero leer en una novela romántica (aún no entiendo por qué Netgalley lo ha puesto en romance, de verdad).
Luego hay varias historias y relaciones personales de los protagonistas que tampoco te aportan gran cosa.
No es un libro que esté mal escrito pero me ha parecido que lo venden como si fuera una cosa que no es. Lo único que destaco es la visibilización que se hace de las enfermedades mentales y de los trastornos que todos podemos tener cuando, de repente, desaparece uno de los pilares de nuestra vida. Creo que es estupendo que esos temas se traten pero personalmente, si me los encuentro en una romántica, prefiero que el tono general sea un poco más alegre y que, no sé, llámame loca si eso, pueda disfrutar de una relación amorosa, algo que aquí no aparece.

This book is very well written covering many different subjects of life,love,suicide and second chance in love. That does sound as though there is so much to cover in one book,but I have to say that the author very cleverly intermingled these subjects in a very special way. When I started reading the book I wasn’t sure as to which journey the author was taking us on and how it would develop and end. I was not disappointed at all,I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Looking forward to the next book with Hannah.

Perhaps this book just wasn’t for me, but I only got about 30% of the way through. I found it hard to believe that Nell wouldn’t have guessed about Charlie, given her job.

I expected this book to be more of a chick lit but that was just my assumption based on the cover and the description. I enjoyed my time with this book - I felt my emotions strongly during reading it and it was different than a lot of the cookie cutter books out there. The book as a whole was just a little slow for my taste so while I liked it, I didn't love it.

At First Sight was a bit of an antidote against all of the psychological thrillers I have been reading lately.
This book isn’t a rom com. It tackles some hard hitting issues such as grief and suicide.
Two strangers meet at a cafe and don’t exchange details so they expect their paths never to cross again. Only the next day, Nell answers a call whilst working for a mental health helpline and Charlie is on the other end of the phone.
Like I said this book is not a light hearted rom com or the usual women’s fiction book due to the issues explored in the book.
The first two thirds of the book was a bit slow for me but I liked the way Hannah Sunderland wrote about mental health and the message behind the story.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I have mixed thoughts about this book. It’s true it is clear that it is about suicide and mental health but I don’t think I realised how ‘heavy’ it would be. That’s ok. I think more stories need to tackle hard hitting topics. The thing I didn’t like was that I didn’t really love either MC. I loved Ned though! And Carrick

A tough read, I cried a lot and have spent a lot of time thinking about it and the themes since

4.5 stars

This was a beautiful story about loss and love and fate.. Nell and Charlie have a chance meeting at a coffee shop and from there both their lives are irrevocably changed. This book is very emotional, dealing with grief and suicidal thoughts. There are also some funny and engaging parts. Most of all, there's hope. With love even the darkest tunnel has a light at the end.

My only tiny critique is that as an American, some of the language is "foreign". George Bernard Shaw once said that "England and America are two countries separated by a common language." Throw in an Irishman and his family, and it is even more so. Nonetheless, it did not stop me from devouring the story.

I absolutely adored Kenna and Siobhan. You'll have to read the book to find out who they are. Makes me glad to have Irish blood running through my veins. Also, I wish Covid were over so I could go back to Ireland some day.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Now to stop crying and get some work done this weekend!

Thank you to @netgalley for my advanced copy
What a beautiful story! @flounderinghanauthor you are brilliant. I was so pleased when I was invited to read this one, I really enjoyed Hannah's previous book "very nearly normal " and this didn't let me down. Not ashamed to say I cried a fair few times haha.
Nell and Charlie's story is beautiful. Be prepared for a range of emotions.
This is out in the shops 1st of April. Grab yourself a copy!!

At First Sight follows the story of Nell and Charlie who meet by chance in a café and shows their unconventional journey towards love and growth. It was a beautifully poignant and emotional read for me. It really highlighted that love stories can be messy, complicated, enigmatic. The story handles difficult topics such as loss, suicide and grief with care and sensitivity; I really appreciated the realistic mental heath representation (anxiety and depression) and the struggles that were shown both characters endured in all aspects which is so rarely seen in Romance/Women's Fiction. I really liked all the side characters in the story and thought they really helped to support the story. During the beginning, the pace was bit slow but once I got into the book I read it quickly.

Thank you to the author, Hannah Sunderland and publisher, Avon Books for the e-arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

At First Sight was a very slow moving story, which is unusual for me with a romance. It was not the story I expected after reading the description.

The two MCs Charlie and Nell meet but never exchange info. They end up connecting again as one of them needs help. Charlie has a dark past and Nell works for a crisis hotline (I sometimes wondered if this was best career choice for her but I digress). When Charlie calls, Nell goes against policy to meet with him as they had connected once before and their story takes off. Trigger warning for audiences: suicide and themes of grief and loss.

This was overall a heavy read, and I only gave it three stars because I thought it was slow, and I wasn’t as invested in the story or characters as I expected to be.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Avon and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Two strangers. Two chance meetings. One extraordinary love story…
Nell and Charlie feel a spark when they meet by chance in a cafe. But they don’t trade numbers, or surnames, so there’s no way they’ll meet again.

But the next day, Nell’s phone rings at work. Somehow, impossibly, Charlie is on the other end. And he needs her help.

Nell is about to save a life, fall in love … and risk everything for a perfect stranger.

I'll be honest I found this a slow starter. However once I got into it I couldn't wait to finish it. The story is so sympathetically written to the subjects, it had me in tears at many points. I appreciated the email that was sent to warn of the difficult subjects this book covers as I would not have expected that had I only looked at the cover.

Sometimes in the book I found myself wondering if Nell was in the right job as she also seems to be quite an emotional soul - however this worked well for the book. By far and away my favorite character was Ned - we all need a Ned in our life!

I have already recommended this book to others.

At First Sight, from its name, cover and description suggested this would be a lighthearted rom-com, where grief played a huge role. However, this was more a novel about grief, with a sprinkle of lighthearted moments, but otherwise provides a hard-hitting look at potential suicide and the loss of loved ones.

Nell, a telephone operator for a mental health charity, is compassionate and enjoys talking and helping others. On her lunch break one day she meets Charlie, a charming Irishman who sits cradling a cup of tea in a local coffee shop. Nell, a social butterfly, strikes up a conversation with him but despite their instant connection and obvious attraction they go their separate ways, that is until Nell takes a call one night and Charlie is the caller.

This is a tender and heart-wrenchingly sad unique love story. It's unlike anything else I've read recently, and there were moments where I could feel the sadness lodged in my throat. The protagonists both have some healing to do, and it's not simply a 'romance fixes mental health issue' story which I was thankful for. There is a vulnerability to the pair's interactions, and whilst I didn't particularly warm to either of them I was invested in how their story might end. Together they overcome a lot of adversity and hardships, but there are also some side-arcs which I didn't think particularly added much to the story - I'm looking at you housemate Ned having a relationship with Nell's mother. Whilst its premise is unconventional and wasn't what I was initially intending to read, it was a difficult and messily real look at love.

*Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for the review copy

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I found the first half of the book I got into pretty fast. The mystery of Charlie and his background had me reading more and I liked the chemistry between him and Nell. As I kept reading, however, I found that I didn’t really like them together (and I found their relationship unhealthy.) I appreciated Charlie’s vulnerability but found that they didn’t work together. I liked Nell as a character (although some of her decisions frustrated me at times). I loved how Ned was continually there for Nell and like a father figure to her.

Oh my word how does she do it?? This is the second book I’ve read by Hannah Sunderland and I’m sure my heart is still reeling.

I love this story about Nell and Charlie. Their initial chemistry draws you in straight away, and as the story unfolds the book becomes impossible to put down.

There are several twists and turns that I didn’t see coming that quite literally had me gobsmacked 😶 and poor Hannah had to put up with me messaging her constantly as I read each new shock factor. As did my lovely friend who introduced me to this fabulous author.

I don’t want to say too much as I don’t want to give anything away, but this book is heartbreakingly beautiful and I lost count of how many times I ugly cried while reading it. I can’t stop thinking about it and I’m devastated that it’s finished. The ending was absolutely incredible and I was left tingling with goosebumps from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

At First Sight is pure perfection and I cannot wait for everyone to read it when it is published in April. Hannah is an absolutely amazing author and I can firmly say she’s now one of my favourites.


⚠️Trigger warnings ⚠️
This book deals with thoughts of suicide, grief, loss and depression and is dealt with in a truly respectful manner, which is a credit to Hannah’s writing.

Thank you for approving me to read this bloody BRILLIANT BOOK!!! It deserves all the stars because it is that good 😌

After reading and absolutely loving Very Nearly Normal, I had high hopes for this one and was so excited to read it. Sadly this book was a miss for me. Whilst the writing was good, I found myself getting bored with the pace of the story and lack of connection between and with the main characters. I also appreciate the trigger warnings and usually I can read them without issue, but reading this was quite depressing, especially without much of any light, fun, romance moments that I was hoping would happen along the way. Thanks so much for allowing me to read and review this ARC, I will definitely been keen to give this author another go after loving her first book!

A lovely read a book of chance of falling in love .Emotional moving great characters.The perfect book to sink into leave your world and join their lives.Believe in the joy of serendipity,#netgalley#avonboojsuk

A very moving story. The characters were well developed and showed realistic responses to such sad situations. Anyone having just suffered loss should not read this yet. But after time it may help to read this to help with grief.