I was looking for a just a simple sweet romance and this was a lot more sad and hard hitting for me. Lovely writing and definitely pick it up if your looking for a book with a bit more to it than your tradional romance but it definitely wasn’t for me.

This is a contemporary fiction and it is written in the first person, which focuses on the central character of Nell.

Nell is a helpline worker and likes to eat her lunch at the local cafe, which is busy and popular.

Unexpectedly, Nell meets Charlie, a charismatic handsome stranger who has a pleasant conversation with her while sitting at a communal table in the cafe.

Even though, they liked each others' company, they didn't exchange phone numbers. Surprisingly, Nell receives a call at her workplace. Charlie is in need of desperate help.

I liked how the story was written in the first person so you understand what the character is going through and it sounds more like a diary entry. The author has written about some strong themes effectively but it isn't my ideal romance novel.

A lovely story, which felt impossible to put down.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

This story is about grief, loss and starting again. It's about wanting to leave this life because you can see no way to be happy in it. It's also about fate and the strange coincidences that happen in life.

Nell is a kind, considerate person and I worried about her attraction to someone who was a long way from having the same feelings as she did. I could understand why she liked Charlie so much but I wasn't sure how it would all end .

An intriguing, well written read that will have you laughing and crying!

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

It was a little sweet lovestory, but it was hard to connect with Nell and Charlie. i didn`t care for them as much so that affected how i liked the story.

*Thank you to Avon Books UK, NetGalley, and Hannah Sunderland for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Nell works for a helpline, one we would call a suicide hotline. She loves her job and has formed friendships with her coworkers. One day on her lunch break, she meets Charlie in a cafe but leaves without getting his number. Luckily, he calls the hotline the next day, much to her surprise. She breaks the rules of her position and meets him for drinks.

What they describe as a deep connection to each other managed to confuse me. I found their chemistry a bit off, as they seemed to have none. Charlie continually blows off Nell with no explanation, and then she takes him back until she learns about a deep secret. If you are looking for a fun romance, this is not it, unfortunately. They don't take their romance beyond kissing. There are deep themes of suicide, death of a spouse, and severe depression. For me, I didn't feel a connection between them at all and would have given up the second time Charlie ghosted me.

"At First Sight" is very well written and heartbreaking at times. I wanted to see their relationship move forward but we don't really see that in this book. At the same time, there is Hannah's ex-boyfriend, who is hanging on by a thread and it is almost painful to see. At times, both funny and sad, I wish I had connected more to this book.

This was a bit of an unexpected romance for me! It's not the straightforward romance you're expecting with a book with this description, but I was engaged in the characters and rooting for them the entire time.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

This is not a rom-com. The synopsis is kind of misleading, as it doesn't really go into much else beyond sounding like a meet cute. It's not. This is a downer of a book that tackles some very heavy subjects (depression, suicide, death). While it had the potential to be a great, heavy hitting book, it unfortunately was not. The main character, Nell, kind of grated on me from the get go. She has some weird traits that were written in that just seemed so odd. That aside, the writing, paragraph to paragraph, was a bit choppy and seemed to feel like I was missing something sometimes. Without markers, it a lot of times jumped to something else and threw me off. However, this was a digital arc, so it very well could have been partly due to that. Overall, it was an okay book. I did enjoy the ending, and it was nice to see people dealing with their mental health in a positive way and the characters growing as individuals.

Extraordinary love story that will capture your heart! Two strangers, and two chance meetings...very serendipitous. Will recommend to those that loved Ps. I Love You, or Me Before You.

I found this second novel from Sunderland rather hard work. The topic is considerably heavy-going and I found myself feeling rather anxious and miserable whilst reading it.

A chance meeting in a coffee shop between Nell and Charlie leads to a tale of sadness and grief. Nell works for a mental health charity, working on the phone lines. Therefore, you can expect there to be a fair amount of woe with the stories that Nell describes. However, after Nell cannot find Charlie, it would seem that fate is going to bring them together anyway because he comes through to her phone at work. Clearly needing her help (even though he describes it being for his uncle), Nell breaks the rules and agrees to meet up with Charlie once more.

Yet, this relationship is not plain sailing as Sunderland details a man very much suffocated by his own grief. Charlie is in desperate need of help and I applauded Nell’s patience, even when she fears he is ghosting her and completely disappears from contact for a couple of weeks. Over the course of the novel, we gradually learn of Charlie’s circumstances and it is one that is heart-felt, guilt-ridden and depressingly sad. Therefore, like Sunderland’s author caution at the start of the novel, be prepared for a story that really pulls on your emotional strings.

At times, I found this novel really hard to read because of the sadness and how trapped Charlie feels. It is a sobering reflection of tragic times and, despite today’s emphasis on looking after one’s mental health, Charlie shows that even if there are support networks that you can reach out to, it is not always enough. Consequently, I often had to close the book and distract myself with far more positive, uplifting tasks to ensure I did not feel dragged down into the sadness that radiates from the pages.

Moving the story to Ireland, I found this part of the book dragged. I wanted there to be some closure but it felt like it took a while for this to be reached. On reflection, I think this is Sunderland’s way of demonstrating the complexities of grief and I do wonder how the writer was able to write such a vivid portrayal of Charlie’s situation. I certainly hope this is not drawn from personal experiences.

This book drained me but I was glad to have finished it. Admittedly, I am certainly going to find a sunshine read after this one but I really enjoyed the optimistic note that the story concluded with. My favourite part of the book was undoubtedly the closing paragraph: I thought it hauntingly, beautifully written and a true example of Sunderland’s craft.

Although I did prefer the writer’s debut novel, this was an emotional exploration of how grief can shape our future relationships. I did not find there was much comedy in the story, but I did like to watch the blossoming connection between Nell and Charlie, especially as he grows to learn to love life all over again.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not the type of romance book I generally read but it had the same themes of discovery and learning to be there and get better.

This was a love story that captured my heart. This book had me feeling so many emotions. It was very well written. Its not usually the genre I go for but I really liked this book.

When Nell meets Charlie by chance while she is out for lunch, she couldn't imagine answering his call at Healthy Minds, a support line she works for. What unfolds is a story of dealing with grief and mental health, and a budding friendship.

Dealing with my own mental health challenges, this wasn't an easy read for me. Especially in a time when I am grieving a bit more than usual, I had to put the book aside. But, now that I have finally finished it, I have to say it was an enjoyable read. Probably not everyone's cup of tea considering the topics, but I liked how this developed.

Thanks Netgalley for the digital arc. I really enjoyed Nell and Charlie’s not so conventional love story. This was a rollercoaster of a book, and it kept me guessing along the way! I just loved how interconnected everything was, definitely gave me goosebumps during a couple spots. It was sad, witty, sweet, not to mention shocking (snow globe scene in the kitchen). This type of writing makes me want to seek out everything the author has written and read it too. Loved this book so much!

What an amazing story about Nell and Charlie. As well as the new misses and chance meetings, it also shows how not everything is perfect, but that doesn’t matter if you have each other

I absolutely loved Hannah's first book (which I reviewed here) so I was extremely excited to read this second one.

This book made me laugh, made me cry, and absolutely ripped my heart apart at times. It deals with grief, loss, heartbreak, death and suicide, and it manages to strike a balance between being compassionately and sensitively written, while also being engaging, entertaining and at times, very funny.

I'm not a big fan of this kind of books to be honest but once in a while we all need something that is out of our comfort zone, and I'm happy that my choice was this book.
This is not the typical romance and that makes it unique.
Also love the cover, definitely buying this book for my library.

Thank you netgalley for this free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a very sweet book, it had some emotional depth to it, which I quite enjoyed. However, it felt as if the grief had taken over the entire story, which no longer made it an enjoyable story. I do think that it was a perfectly decent read and would have been even better, had it not been for the grief overload.

A huge thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Something about this book really triggered my heartstrings. I think maybe it was the understanding that Nell had for Charlie; she met him where he was at. Good book!