The beginning of the story was very captivating. However as it continued, Charlie was difficult to like or feel empathy for until you got further into the story. Nell starts off as very gullible and I found myself rolling my eyes. It’s the 21st century, I wanted her to stand up for herself. Although I finished the book, I found myself skimming to speed it along. Interesting story, timely topics, characters relatable but difficult to “like.”

This book wasn’t what I expected it to be. From the cover art, from the description, from the author note describing it as a “quirky love story,” I was expecting rom-com. I was not expecting so much drama and sadness.

The story dragged for me initially, but by the last half of the book I was hooked. And in tears. Lots and lots of tears.

I like where Nell’s character ended. I can’t say I liked how she started. It was a story of growth. And grief. With maybe a few too many side plots thrown in. I could have done without the bulk of Joel’s storyline for sure.

If I could give it 2 1/2 stars I would. But since the latter part was what I liked more I guess I’ll give it 3.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this really interesting. I thought the characters were really well drawn. They seemed very real on the page.
Nell and Charlie meet by chance and fall for each other but there are complications. I won't give it away but I thought it was written in a lovely, thoughtful way.

This story is about love, loss and beginning again. Sometimes you have to work through your past before you can hope for any kind of a future.
Charlie is in a coffee shop and has a chance meeting with Nell. Charlie’s life has been spiraling out of control, and meeting Nell gives him hope. Nell is counselor at a mental health hotline, and when Charlie calls her and she recognizes his voice and they agree to meet up to continue talking.

Will Charlie and Nell have a chance at a relationship? What is Charlie’s story? Can you be just a friend to someone you are falling in love with?

Thank you Netgalley for complimentary copy. The thoughts and opinions are my own.

There is an instant connection when Nell and Charlie meet by chance one day. However they don’t exchange details so there is no hope in ever meeting again… But when Nell answers her work phone, at the the suicide helpline, the following day, Charlie is on the other end.

A emotional read, but well worth the tears.

Actual rating: 4.5/5

! TW/ Mention of the death of a loved one, suicide, mental health, depression, grief

Nell and Charlie meet in a café and immediately feel something between them. Nell is a worker in a mental health line and Charlie has a difficult story.
First, I loved the mental health theme in the book as well as grief and depression, topics we don't find often in books.
As well as that, I really enjoyed the slow romance between the two characters and all of the stories behind it.
Furthermore, I liked the powerful story of Charlie and how real it feels. I also fancied the originality of the story and it truly touched me.
Last but not least, I can't wait to see what Hannah Sunderland writes next!

I just loved this book - it was wonderful and joyous, despite the subject matter.
It was a one sitting read, and I spent a great day in the company of Charlie & Nell, I own a Magnus cat too so maybe that swayed me....!

I thought it was well written, rounded and thoughtful - definitely my first 5 star of the year and an absolute recommendation.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I feel as though this is such an important read for everyone. Sunderland took difficult topics like suicide and mental health and turned it into an unforgettable story filled with a lot of valuable perspectives about life. Nell and Charlie find each other when they need it most, and each of them learn a valuable lesson from the other about how to move on and do the hard things in life. While Nell initially takes the grief counselor role at the start she quickly learns she also has struggles she may not be facing, and while she copes with them differently than the plagued Charlie, they are still important things to face. I believe this is such a valuable story about grief and settling in life that anyone could take something away from- definitely a must read!

I do like a book which doesn’t run down the path of girl finds boy, girl drops everything for boy. I applaud the parts where mental health is talked about and people think about their lives rather than throwing themselves at each other. I did mark it down a mark as I did find the situation with the ex a little difficult to believe near the end of the book, but that was forgiven just for the scene with the mother and the housemate alone! It was very funny.

Not your typical love story.

It's been a while I've felt so much heartbreak for any character. About half way I was so emotionally drained I didn't know what else can come. Book that can pull every single emotion out of you and just shock you from one page to another.

Wonderful story of unexpected love not at the right time... Or maybe the opposite?

Beautifully written and unforgettable.

This one broke my heart a little bit, because I tought that I would love this book. But I don't know why, I just didn't feel it. I just couldn't connect to main characters. I am so sad...
I even touhght to leave it DNF, but I did finnish it...
This one wasn't for me. So because, I love this author I am rating this book with 3 stars, and not with smaller rating. Because it is just me

Such a cute book! A different love story than I expected and something that will stick with me for awhile.

📚BOOK REVIEW📚⭐️⭐️
#atfirstsight by #hannahsunderland @avon_books @netgalley

Oooh I’m so sad. I absolutely loved this authors first book but this one just missed the mark for me!

So to start with, there is definitely a story here; it’s complete, raises and deals with sensitive issues well and in a nice safe way. I can see the effort the author has gone through in planning and executing the story and that part is done really well.

The thing I found hard was connecting to the characters; this book is completely character driven and I didn’t really feel a connection to main characters Nell or Charlie.

I felt like I needed to be desperately involved in Charlie’s story to make me feel the correct emotions and become emotionally involved in the story and sadly it just wasn’t there which I think then ruined the entire point of the book.

I found the story very predictable, which wouldn’t have been an issue as with this genre you expect it, but with the characterisation issues, it really dragged and became boring and unfortunately I found myself skipping a lot of the 2nd half.

Overall, I feel it’s a shame because I really wanted to love this book but just something didn’t connect for me. As always this just my opinion and I definitely think it’s worth giving it a go as if you could make that connection with the characters I think it would be a completely different read.

➡️for synopsis & ⚠️trigger warning.

As this was an #arcread thank you author #hannahsunderland #avonbooks and #netgalley for allowing me to read this one early!

-Emily

@the_book_girls_1

I would just like to say thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

When I saw the trigger warnings I wondered what I might be getting myself into but decided to carry on. I have to say I think that this book dealt with grief, depression and love in such a round wholesome way. Even though it was a romance novel it wasn’t the classic happy ending that everyone looks for and I’m glad with the ending and showing positivity that someone’s you need to be alone to work on yourself.

I think having depression and suicidal thoughts as a main plot in this book made it seem more real and highlighted the darkness that can come with mental health, I just want to say thank you for writing this in a realistic view and not adding a mental health storyline just because it can be added to a romantic twist.

Even with the serious plot lines the book still left me feeling content at the end as everything seemed to turn out okay for all the characters in this book. I can’t wait to see what the next book will be!

First off if you think this is a typical romance novel you are wrong.

Secondly get a huge box of tissues you will need them.

This story is literally heart breaking from early on and it is relentless throughout the entire novel.

The roller coaster of emotions you go through at one point in about four chapters was so much I had to take a break just to process all of the feelings I was experiencing.

It is brilliantly written and honestly I think this will stay with me for a long time.

If you like to become emotionally invested into the characters of book that are very well developed and leave you wanting more than I highly recommend this novel!

Stunning cover which grabbed my attention straight away. The synopsis sounded good too.

What followed was a brilliantly written story of hope. Mental health issues affect 1 in 4 people, so the author did a brave and clever thing by tackling it in a romance novel.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t fully connect to the romance element of this story because the side stories were just so sad.

I liked the characters and feel the author wrote and described them well. The story flowed well and I enjoyed the style of writing.

Overall, an excellent read. Not a light and fluffy romance, but an emotional read that dug itself into my subconscious and had me thinking about the deeper issues throughout the day...the art of a skilled writer??

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 📚

I really, really wanted to love this book and while it was 'ok' - it'd didn't pull the punches that I wanted it to,
The book touches on some really important issues but never really explores them deeply enough - it's a shame as I think there was a lot of potential!

I thought that this book had an excellent storyline.

It was a heartbreaking read that was packed with emotions and guilty feelings.

The characters were so warm and genuine I really grew to love them.

This was a story that genuinely made my heart go a bit mushy.

A real tearjerker and one that will stay with me - it is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended!!

Firstly huge thanks to the publisher for the ARC I was drawn to the book blurb and the cover (can you blame me). This is a story of Neil a compassionate woman who during her lunch break meets Charlie a very sweet man. As expected they didn't exchange numbers and contrary to what I believed this was not an easy love story . It isn't cheesy but has heartbreak and grief in it. I recommend this book to everyone .

At First Sight, was not the story I was expecting from the title and the synopsis. I was expecting an upbeat romance/rom-com where this is a story with lots of heartbreaking moments and grief plays a big part. It gets deep at times and if suicide and the death of a loved one is a trigger point for you then maybe give this book a miss.

Nell works for a company similar to the Samaritans. She talks to people on the phone when they are at the lowest point in their lives and possibly thinking about harming or killing themselves. She is a very compassionate woman who has a lot of time to listen to people, even if she does often have verbal diarrhoea and doesn’t know when to stop talking. She loves her job as it seems to be the one bit of her life that is going right.

Nell initially meets Irishman Charlie in a cafe on her lunch break when she sits next to him as no other tables were available. No matter how much she tries she can’t help herself from talking to him and the two have an instant connection but they go their separate ways, that is until Nell takes a call one night and Charlie is the caller. She goes against the work policy and goes to meet Charlie.

Charlie is a sweet man who is lost in this world. Two years ago his life completely changed and for him, it felt like it had ended too. Since then he has been spiralling mentally out of control and doesn’t know how to move forward, hence the phone call to the helpline.

The two have a connection but there are also some things in the past that they need to deal with before they can even think about being in a relationship together. Nell also feels guilty for feeling the way she does about Charlie and at times it felt like her mental health was suffering too.

The book is beautifully written and kicks you in the guts at times, so have some tissues ready. There were parts I didn’t think added anything to the plot, such as Nell’s ex-boyfriend, and parts I think played a big part even though they weren’t the main focus of the book, such as her housemate and colleague Ned.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book even if it went in a direction I wasn’t expecting.