At First Sight is a gorgeous love story, full of chance encounters, opening up to strangers, and the desire to just take that leap and go for it.

Charlie and Nell make for an unlikely pair; she is confident and talkative, he is brooding and introverted. Yet despite that, sparks fly right from the very start and it's clear that these two are made for each other - but of course, things are never that simple!

As the story progresses, Nell finds out more and more about Charlie, his life and his past. It becomes apparent that he desperately needs help, and Nell is determined to do her best for this attractive Irishman who suddenly appeared in her life.

Packed with love and loss, grief and heartache, this is a story which embraces the difficult feelings many of us try to push aside. It's okay to be lonely, to feel scared and uncertain, and sometimes, reaching out and asking for help is the best thing we can do. At First Sight tackles mental health and the stigma around it, as well as coming to terms with losing those you care about more than anything. For all its sweet romance, this is a story that gives an important message.

It's all too easy to find yourself hoping for a happily ever after, but you will have to read it yourself to find out where Nell and Charlie's story takes them. The writing is compelling, the story real and honest, and this unlikely couple are sure to find a place in every reader's heart.

At First Sight is a beautifully written, unconventional love story about picking up the pieces and learning how to put them back together again.

I loved this!
Very unexpected considering that from the book cover i was expecting a cute romance but this book was so much more! I should have known considering that I was reading a piece of writing by Sunderland who had also surprised me earlier this year when I read her debut novel Very Nearly Normal.

First of, I would like to adress that I highly appreciated teh inclusion of content warning as this book deals with grief, loss, depression and suicide. I think more publishing houses should consider doing this as readers have clearly a need for it. That being said, I was sad to see some low ratings for At First Sight with the reason being that the readers where not prepared to read about these difficult subjects Sunderland writes about despite it being included in the very copy we received, AND receiving an extra email by the publisher about it after we got approved for this eArc.

Anyway, moving on to the story itself. I loved the characters and their development as well as Sunderland's ability to write about the above concepts in such a thoughtful, respectful and sensitive way. Incredible spot on and I wish more authors had the ability to do so when they decide to delve into such important issues. I also love her attention to detail on small everyday things we all do (well at least pre-Corona times). I selected the following quotes as examples:

'It looked as though I'd interrupted a deep thought which was lingering like fog on a wet autumn morning.'

'The messy bun sliding down the right side of my head like an icecream slipping from its cone on a hot day.'

'..and she wrapped herself up in these shawls and scarves like bandages, as she was trying to hold herself together with them.'

And of course, I am a sucker for Doctor Who references casually slipped in the conversation!!!

'Because I always found the Ood the sexiest of all Doctor Who creatures.'

And the inclusion of Irish characters was a definite PLUS as I love their dialect and, for me, made the conversations more lively.

I think I will be thinking about this book a lot and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is comfortable reading about such topics in such a down to earth way. I enjoyed every single one of the characters and I could really see this book being adapted for a movie. I think it is made for it and the screenwriters would have very little work to do to adjust it. I felt like watching a movie and it was awesome, tears and everything you know?

With her second piece of work that is At First SIght, Sunderland is definitely an auto-buy author for me. She needs much more attention than she has gotten so far and i hope for more people to discover her too!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books for providing me with an eArc of At First Sight in exchange for an honest review.

SPOILERS ahead, proceed with caution!

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1. I want to know more about Charlie's uncle, Carrick, and Orlagh, the love of his life!!! A spin off maybe??
2. The twist about the bumber sticker made me cry so much!
3. Would also be great to have a sequel about Charlie and Nell in New Zealand!
4. I will never look at cold tea the same way again...

At First Sight by Hannah Sunderland an extraordinary five-star read. This will be one of those that will divide the audience, some will love it like me and feel it’s the best story they will read this year and some will hate it, and that’s as the author has taken on such an emotive subject, as it deals with suicide and mental health but wow they did it so well, I lost my farther to suicide and used to work on a charity helpline that wasn’t for suicide but had a couple of calls through of people on the edge and its such a fine line, you always wonder what could I have said different, what did they do once they hung up? Nell and Charlie have a moment and sometimes that is all you need, but as Charlie lost his wife, he is a lost man, how can he ever get over that loss, the suddenness of the death is what is most difficult to get over, how a moment can change your life in so many ways. So many moments to change the path we take. Sometimes its timing and sometimes its fate, if you are looking for thought provoking, challenging yet thoroughly enjoyable reading then you need this story in your life. I enjoyed this author’s debut novel, but this one has cemented my need to read more, I will be keeping a stalkery eye on for what we will get next.

On starting reading this book it very quickly becomes apparent that this is something a bit more than your average romance. The tone and setting is the same, but the writing ins sharper, wittier, smarter. The opening scene in the coffee shop could have been a cringe fest, but here it is nicely handled.
Our heroine, Nell, with her disastrous previous relationships and going nowhere life is nevertheless joyful and warm-hearted. She meets the mysterious Charlie when she inadvertently throws her sandwich at him in the coffee shop, they connect, but the moment passes and Nell leaves without any hope of seeing him again. In a few hours there lives will collide again, only for Charlie to leave without explanation. Nell should give up on him, but she doesn't, and when fate brings them together once again she will need a very good explanation.
The first thing to say about the plot is that it goes to a lot of dark places, and very few romantic places. I started reading this hoping for a well written, witty, but ultimately light romance. It is neither light nor particularly romantic. I got a bit weepy in parts, towards the end it did become just a bit too joyless for me, but it is dealing with some big issues, so I suppose it had to go there eventually. I guess I would categorise this as 'relationships' rather than 'romance'.
(on a side issue- I didn't like the way Charlie's Irish accent was written semi-phoneticly, all yer's, and missing g's off every ing, as if English people perfectly pronounce every letter as written (the irony))

This book was different to what I had expected, but notin a bad way. It is a love story with a difference.Quite slow moving but that works well in this case. Nell is a counsellor working at a telephone helpline charity. She is a bubbly personality most of the time, but has issues with her ex , Joel. She meets Charlie in a cafe and gradually they become friends though there are complications on the way.
At times sad, at times funny , the emtions in this book are well portrayed. As a reader, you understand what the characters are feeling and why. I don't know whether I would be able to come up with some of the solutions that Nell comes up with at different times in the book . You know that it is right, but when in that position you do not always follow the sensible course of action (emotions can get in the way) .
A thought provoking and intellegent story. I will look outfor more from this author .
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review .

This book deals with very heavy issues. With suicide and mental health coming to light relatively early, I knew this book was not going to be like the other romances I've read.
Truth be told, these kinds of things don't really bothers me in a book, but this book was not for me. I was about 35% in and a bit bored. I'm sorry. I did finish because of curiosity of how said issues were handled.
Nell and Charlie were not a realistic couple, imo. Their dialogue was flat and their growth and chemistry were dry.
The flow of the plot was also on the slower side with not enough happening to keep me interested.
The concept was great, but how it got delivered just missed the mark.

** Thank you for the email with the trigger warning though, I appreciated that**
Also, thank you NetGalley and Publisher for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.

*trigger warning for suicide and loss of spouse*

At First Sight was a heartbreaking yet heartwarming story of how much chance encounters can affect everyday life. The main character, Nell, meets a man in a cafe and after a whirlwind of events finds herself not only helping him heal from the loss of his wife, but falling in love and learning important lessons about life, which ultimately leads to a journey of self discovery. Nell and Charlie were such likable characters that you couldn’t help but root for them throughout the book. While there were themes of suicide, depression and loss, there were also themes of love, forgiveness and hope. The author did a great job of highlighting all of these themes and also showcased how every action in life can lead to extraordinary things. I’m very happy that I had the opportunity to read this book because it was such a beautiful read and I have a feeling that this book will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend this book, even to those who think they might struggle through it, because this is a book of healing that I believe could help people going through similar issues. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for allowing me to read an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having read and enjoyed this author’s first book I was looking forward to reading this one.

When Nell first meets Charlie unbeknown to her, she’s about to save his life. When they meet again it sets off a chain of events which will change both their futures.

An excellent story dealing with the difficult subjects of grief, depression and suicide. Well written and thought provoking, this was an excellent read.

Wow! This book is an emotional rollercoaster! There are times where you are screaming at each character, “What on earth are you doing?!?!” However, it all comes clear in the end. I absolutely loved the ending and thought it was perfect how the jigsaw fit together.

I don’t recall seeing any novel with the main character working in a call center of some sort.. and even less in a mental health help-line! So I deeply appreciated the career choice; having that type of things in novels definately normalise the idea of calling one, which is amazing. I thought the subject was handled pretty well, as Nell clearly had some psychotherapy formation, so in times we get little tidbits about the depressed brain like for exemple why they tend to self-neglect themselves.

The author does a wonderful job of bringing to life complex, genuine characters, and my sympathies for each (both Charlie and Nell) are heightened. I also think the author portrays the many layers of grief in a relatable, true manner. But as much as I like the premise of the book--which is what drew me to it--this is not an insta love story. Instead, the future of lives was changed with that first sight. Is that bad? No. I honestly think the book has more depth than I originally thought, which is a good thing. My only other critique is that I didn't "feel" the pull between the main characters the way I would have liked to. But again, I think that was a bias set by the title and the description. Overall, if you're looking for a humorous, hopeful story, this might be for you.

A really hard hitting story on a topic that is rarely talked about, Hannah Sunderland has done a wonderful job portraying the challenges that people face and the wider impact.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly I wasn't a fan. I haven't read an insta love book in quite a while so I thought why not. This is not an insta lovestory. Frankly both characters were not all that likeable and they had no chemistry. Charlie is one GIANT red flag. He's between jobs, disappears without a word, as a seemingly difficult relationship with his family he doesn't want to talk about etc etc. And Nell investes way too much way too quickly. After seeing him twice she already imagines it's the big thing and after the third time she waits way too long for him to apologize/explain himself. They don't even really know each other and she demands way too much from Charlie while he behaves absolutely strange. I was very frustrated very quickly.

“At First Sight”, by Hannah Sunderland (Avon Books UK), explores the themes of grief and loss particularly through the character of the wounded hero, a male protagonist with a very dark past and personal story.
I liked how the author wrote the inexplicability and the sometimes diffuse, other times acute pain and despair surrounding the mental health issues addressed in the story, which aren’t glamorous at all, yet very real and a bit hard to read.
The suspense and a certain mystery about Charlie in the beginning were engaging, but I was finding the pace a bit slow going before I was halfway through the story and the dialogue not very interesting.
To a certain extent, Charlie and Nell are interesting, decent characters, but their romance wasn’t off the charts enough for me.
In the end, Charlie and Nell’s personalities didn’t appeal to me and I didn’t feel connected with them or the side characters and their stories. I usually love vulnerability in a hero, but the sadness about Charlie didn’t move me.
While I enjoyed some parts of the story and the courage to write about these issues, it wasn’t memorable enough.

This was a beautiful story about love and the difficult task that is overcoming grief. There is somewhat frequent mention of suicide/suicidal ideations, and loss plays a big role - these can be very difficult topics to write about, and even more difficult to write about with grace, but Hannah Sunderland really pulled it off. This the second of her books that I've read, and I look forward to reading more in the future. She is establishing herself as a fantastic writer that can tug at the heartstrings, cover difficult topics, and leave you thinking about her stories for days on end.

A rollercoaster! What a hard subject to explore, yet written in such a wonderful and sensitive way. Loved the characters and I wonder if there is more to come regarding them. Hannah Sunderland is a very talented writer and I really look forward to reading more by her.
Keep up the good work.

Nell and Charlie were the perfect protagonists. I really enjoyed how they met and how their story and the details of both of their stories developed over time. Nell was such a lovely and compassionate character and I enjoyed reading how she supported Charlie through his grief.. I really enjoyed this book - thank you for sharing

Ah Hannah Sunderland, you have firmly taken your place in the literary world. I read Hannah’s debut novel earlier this year – Very Nearly Normal – and that was just incredible. However, At First Sight has taken over completely and in the incredible stakes…wins hands down.

This is an unconventional romance in that it’s not often one that you read about. However the topics that Hannah explores are not uncommon and I love that there is finally a fictional book focusing on the reality of loving someone with depression, of love after loss, and of loss in general.

I don’t always like to make comparisons between Authors but when there’s a certain book or Author that just clicks with you, it’s good to know who out there is quite similar. So if you enjoy Hannah’s books or you enjoy Holly Miller’s books – then the writing style that they both have is beautiful and very similar. The books, however, are worlds apart. But yes, both incredible Authors… both new to the literary world this year…both wonderful.

This book does, as I said above, deal with difficult topics. There’s a trigger warning just before the first Chapter which gives details of what you can expect the book to cover. I urge you not to gloss over it, it’s right there to help point out that this book may be difficult for some people. Huge thanks to Hannah for respectfully including that and for dealing with the very difficult topics so well.

I almost decided to DNF this book, because it dealt with some very heavy topics (death of a spouse and suicide) and wasn't expecting that from the description. I wish it had a trigger warning and/or a content warning. I think i may have enjoyed it more with a trigger warning.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A chance meeting in a cafe for Charlie and Nell, when he leaves she regrets not getting his number but little does she know that she will see him again. It is clear that he is struggling but can she help him work his way through it. Some twists and surprises along the way.