3.5 stars = Good+

I enjoyed this captivating, quiet story of love and second chances. The conflicts are largely internal for Nora and Will both. I enjoyed the apartment community and a lovely, surprising friendship Will develops through the story. The author's many fans will love this. (Language, sex)

I love Kate Clayborn’s books, there’s something so lyrical and poetic about her prose, the way she describes settings and emotions and lays the groundwork for her characters and the way they behave. And while I did like this book maybe more than you did, I will say that it wasn’t a 5 star read that blew me away. Uneven is a good way to describe it, there were moments that did take my breath away but the book overall failed to meet the high expectations I hold for a Kate Clayborn romance.

Their first (second) meeting takes place around 4 a.m. from their respective apartment balconies and it’s such a soft, quiet, warm moment, the “golden hour” of Nora’s solitary early morning moment broken by this mysterious stranger on her recently deceased neighbor’s balcony.

So, I’m typically a heroine-centric reader in that I normally fall for the heroine and then spend the rest of the book allowing the hero to win me over by way of wooing the heroine. This is that rare book where I fell hard and fast for Will and remained largely ambivalent towards Nora. There’s nothing objectively wrong with her. She’s fine, lovely even but I didn’t feel a sense of connection to her.

My lack of connection to Nora is further strange because she’s dealing with a loss I know all too well, the loss of her beloved Nonna, her grandmother. And while I could fully empathize with her loss, I had trouble relating to the whole concept of not wanting to change anything and desperately wanting everything to stay exactly the same.

My affinity for Will didn’t stem from me seeing myself in him but rather, I saw a lot of my own husband in him. Both are doctors, natural at taking care of those they love, and while my husband definitely doesn’t share the same painful backstory as Will, they are both charming and easygoing, incredibly gregarious in social situations and almost laughably awkward when it comes to one-on-one interpersonal relationships.

I, too, adored Will’s burgeoning and awkward friendship with Gerald, found myself laughing over their uncomfortable interactions and looking forward to their surprisingly honest exchanges. In fact, I’d go so far as to say I was far more interested in the developing friendship between Will and Gerald at times than I was in the romance between Will and Nora. And that probably underscores why this book didn’t land in the 5 star column for me. I went looking for a lovely, sweet romance and while it was there, it definitely didn’t feel like the star of the show for me.

Aside from Nora’s best friend, Deepa, whose name alone makes me suspect she may be South Asian, there are no physical descriptions given for any of the side characters. This seems especially unusual given Kate Clayborn’s propensity towards descriptive prose. She describes the apartment building and the “units” and even something so seemingly benign as a shower curtain rod with such specificity, the lack of physical descriptions seems a deliberate choice on her part and a weird one at that.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. I have a lot of thoughts on this book. First, trigger warnings for grief, parental abandonment, and intense emotion. Second, This story has a lot going for it; the deeply flushed out characters with knowing everyone's backstory, their character development (without feeling like archetypes), and some hijinks mixed with some beautiful romantic/emotional moments about the main characters individually as well as together. I also loved the bromance that was presented along with the other friendships and relationships. My main issue with this has to be the plot. I enjoyed it sure I was engaged with the story. However, there are moments of overwriting when it comes to the characters overpowering the plot (I love the characters but I wanted to move along at points). There were also moments where I wondered where things were going when it came to some of the events that were happening. Overall though, I truly enjoyed my time with this book and these characters and I would definitely recommend this to adults who love a character driven story. Because of these points, I have to give this a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Kate Clayborn has written another tender, restrained romance in Love at First. I think her specialty is helping solitary characters move toward each other at a sometimes maddeningly slow pace; in the process of falling in love with each other, they also learn to engage more with the world around them. Will and Nora, the hero and heroine of Love at First, both live very interior lives—there are times when long stretches of pages go by that describe their inner thoughts, not involving any dialogue or action. On my first read of the book this seemed a weakness; the second time through it made much more sense to me, reflecting a quality of the characters rather than a shortcoming of the author. (I also re-read Love Lettering in between and realized that book shared this non-talky quality, though to a lesser degree.)

Love at First is a quiet book. Will and Nora both feel an immediate pull toward the other, but they move into each other’s orbits slowly, cautiously, tracing smaller and smaller circles until those shapes overlap. There’s no big fight or explosive misunderstanding between the two of them. Their story becomes one of quiet steadfastness, of two people learning how to stretch and reshape their lives to include not only a romantic partner but also a larger community of friends and found family. Clayborn’s attention to detail and care with language makes Love at First a truly poetic read.

Happy #pubday! This is a kind of a meet cute, second chance, enemies to lovers kind of story. Will meets Nora as a teenager while visiting his uncle. At the time, he desperately needed glasses so he more so hears her, than actually sees her. Anyway, sixteen years later, he inherits his uncle’s apartment and who does he finally see, Nora!

This story is chock full of funny and quirky side characters that will sure bring out a laugh or two. However, love story between Will and Nora was kind of blah for me. It was a bit too slow for me and was lacking drama and some spice. It wasn’t a bad read but it fell short for me.

Big thank you to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for the ARC!

This love story is more than just a romance between two characters -- it's about the love of family, as well. As the only child of incredibly self-absorbed parents, Will has never actually heard anyone say to him, "I love you." His parents only had time and affection for one another, and even before their passing when he was just 18 years old Will learned to take care of himself and to be responsible, not selfish and reckless. Nora, on the other hand, also had "distracted parents" in her archeologist mom and dad but she also had a loving grandmother who made Nora a part of her apartment building family every summer. Nora never felt unloved and had plenty of extended family. After Nora's grandmother passes away, Nora officially becomes a part of the building family and finds in them what she's always been missing. When Will suddenly inherits an apartment in Nora's building after an estranged uncle endows it to him, Nora and her neighbors are determined to show him what "family" really means, and Nora is ready to pull out all the stops -- including her own heart. But she'll need to get passed the barriers Will's selfish parents created around his own heart if there's any chance of a happily ever after...

Thoughts: This was a really sweet story about more than just two characters falling in love. Readers can't help but feel for Will after finding out how blinded his parents were. Nora is just what he needs, even if he doesn't want to accept that at first. Their history is adorable -- him having almost met her sixteen years prior when they were both just teenagers -- and truly exemplifies "love at first". Their chemistry is a bit confusing at first because, while they both seem to like each other, they don't actually want to like each other. Will just wants to leave the apartment behind but can't because of a legal obligation and Nora desperately wants him to not disrupt the comfortable "apartment family" dynamic she and her neighbors have established since her childhood. Both deal with a lot of pent-up feelings both with each other but also their respective loved ones and the history each has weighing them down. The secondary characters brought a heartwarming aspect to the story, as well, although they were sometimes a bit difficult to keep straight in my head as I was reading the story, and the friendship between Will and Gerald was a delightful surprise each scene they shared together. And while I'm a sucker for happily-ever-after's, this one in particular gave me total "While You Were Sleeping" vibes in its humor and candid love confessions.

**Thank you, NetGalley and publisher, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.**

I read Clayborn's novel, Love Lettering, at the end of 2019 and I didn't feel a strong connection to the characters, so I was interested to see how I felt after reading Love at First. Well, overall I enjoyed Love at First more. When Will's late uncle, who he only met once, leaves him his apartment in a small six apartment complex in Chicago, Will decides to turn it into a rental property. But first, he has to deal with a few unexpected setbacks and hijinks from Nora, who lives in her late Nonna's apartment on the third floor. Told from both their perspectives, Love at First follows the pair as they navigate love and life.

Firstly, this book reminded me of The Switch, as there was a strong sense of family and community at this beloved apartment building. This was also your quintessential slow burn romance, with things heating up about halfway through the book. I think Will and Nora had a strong connection and chemistry, but feel a little bit more character depth would have taken this book to another level. Overall, if you're looking for a cute and heartwarming romance, check out Love at First.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC - all opinions are my own.

Will and Nora’s story is a slow burn, frenemies-to-lovers, romance story. The characters both had a less than favorable childhood and history. Love at First wasn’t really that, exactly…more of a second chance? I thought the storyline was written ok, I enjoyed it ok, there was humor and family and friends, but I didn’t feel the “romantic” connection that I like to feel when I read a “romance” book. This is a lot like Author Kate Clayborn’s other books…enjoyable, but not a grab-you-deep type read. 3.5 stars…rounding up to 4.

This was my first Kate Clayborn novel and I'm in love! Omg, it was beautiful- the writing, the plot, the characters! Everything was amazing! This book definitely gave me some Romeo and Juliet vibes! LOVED IT!

“Love at First" by Kate Clayborn is a "boy meets girl" story...er..rather, 16 years ago, the boy hears a girl's voice speaking from an apartment building balcony he is standing under and becomes mesmerized with her from afar but doesn’t actually meet her and now, fast forward, has inherited an apartment he doesn’t want in the building (and people don't want him there)...they come face-to-face but they don't exactly sail off into the sunset...at first.

It's a bit of a star-crossed lovers meets sabotage, meets second chances type story- complete with quirky and animated neighbors, dysfunctional childhood memories and of course, some love mixed in.

This was a cute read that I found easy to get lost in. The people in the apartment building are a bit much and in real life, I would have totally moved out of there but the relationship was pretty sweet...and there's a cute kitten moment too if that is your jam.

Thank you Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I never get tired of getting lost in a great love story. Love At First by Kate Clayborn was one of those stories for me. I was immediately sucked in and happily went along for the ride. What a ride it was!

I think every character in this book was in some way damaged by love. Either their parents couldn't show them proper love or they were spoiled by the love they had and lost. There were many kinds of love. Love between family, friends and friends that became family.

One of the main characters in the book is an apartment building with six apartments. One apartment was recently vacated when it's owner died. One apartment was left to the owners granddaughter who spent many summers there. The other four apartments have older inhabitants. They all have a love for their home that has brought them together as family. I loved the character and feel of the old building that plays a strong part in the story.

If you're like me and love family, generational love stories, I highly recommend this book. This is my first novel by Kate Clayborn and it certainly has me interested in reading more of her books.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and #Netgalley for a fair and honest review. Thank you!

I thought this story was really cute and sweet. I liked the characters well enough, but the slow burn felt quite slow. I wish there were more chemistry and romance between them. It definitely had its funny moments - mostly from the building residents.

This was my first book by this author and it won’t be my last! I really enjoyed this light and fun story! I enjoyed Clayborn’s writing style and thoroughly enjoyed the main characters. I can’t wait to read more! Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy.

I received a free advance digital review copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Love at First by Kate Clayborn is a delightful, feel good romance with a cast of diverse charming characters. Using the enemies to lovers trope, Clayborn delivers a well written story with plenty of substance , exploring issues of "found family," neighbors helping each other "age in place," and the ramifications of parental loss. Clayborn treats these issues in a sensitive compassionate way, and the story overall is one of hope, redemption, and of course, love. The neighbors in the 6-unit condo building around which the story revolves reminded me of the characters in Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare, which I also loved. I was hoping to learn more about the estrangement between Donny and his sister, the uncle and mother of main character Will (Will's inheritance of Donny's condo and his decision to turn it into a short-term rental is the event that sets the plot in motion), but that storyline is never resolved. My favorite character was Will's seemingly gruff boss, Dr. Abraham - the secondary plotline of the doctor's evolving relationship with his ex-wife (who helps Will with his condo rental plans) and with Will was both heart warming and funny, and I'm glad that Clayborn included these elements in the book. I would love to read other books that tell the stories of the other long-time building residents.

Kate Clayborn has cemented her place as one of my favourite authors. Her gentle and lyrical style of writing has completely satisfied me. This story in particular touches on themes of grief, fear, friendship and found family. Both characters have to face the changes brought on by death in the family. Their complicated backgrounds make loving others challenging, but they each support the other and grow into people who can love others fully.. The cast of secondary characters are well-developed and lovable. I finished the book feeling hopeful. In this day and age a book like Love At First is a gift!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. Nora, Will and the other characters in this story were interesting and fun to read about. The book held my attention and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

This standalone novel is more than a romance. It's also a story of found family, self-reflection, and growth.

Will first heard Nora's voice on a day that stands out in his memory for a number of reasons. He hears her voice again (he thinks) when he is at the apartment he just inherited. He is hoping to get rid of his inheritance as quickly as possible and Nora has other ideas.

What follows is a second chance (although they never really met-so it's more like a missed opportunity second chance) and a little bit of enemies to lovers romance in Chicago (I love Chicago!). There are also some wonderful side characters both from Will's work and who live in the building itself.

There were parts of the book that were really reflective about both love and how Will and Nora were sharped by love in their life and how that impacted how they engage in the world. While the reflections slowed the pace of the book, I enjoyed their thoughtfulness and how they inspired me to engage in some of my own reflections on the many different ways our pasts can shape us.

Thanks to BookishFirst, NetGalley, and Kensington Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Love At First is a cute book, but it wasn’t fantastic. Maybe I expected too much from the story since I have read other Kate Clayborn’s books and wanted to shout READ THIS… but this one didn’t leave me with that feeling. Not that it was a bad story, it was a good book and I know there will be plenty of people that will love it, it just didn't excite me and I never seemed to get invested in the characters. My mood? Maybe, it is possible that at a later date I need to go back and read it again.

I also didn't feel that the chemistry between the main characters Will and Nora, their personalities fell a bit flat. Once again, it isn't a bad story, it was a cute little romance, however, it just did not capture me like so many before it did,

Another absolutely unputdownable book from Clayborn, whose romances seem to be exactly what I need right when I need them. Her prose is just singularly good, and she has a way of writing about relationships that manages to perfectly capture all of those butterfly feelings you get when love is at its newest and most exciting. Will and Nora's journey through this book is sweet and tender and hilarious and emotional, a relationship that resonated with me even more than the one in Love Lettering (which had different dynamics to navigate). It's one-sided-childhood-crush-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, which sounds like a tricky tightrope to walk and it IS, but one that Clayborn navigates with unparalleled ability. There were so many lines in this book I wanted to commit to memory, and by the end I was a verifiable weepy mess. It's entirely possible that this is my new favorite of Kate Clayborn's and I want to push it into everyone's hands.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

" You don’t have to love people the way you learned to love at first."

This book 🥺❤️

This is my first Kate Clayborn book, and certainly not my last. I already got Love Lettering and can't wait to read it. I absolutely love her writing, her delicate, soft, tender writing. This book was sweet and wholesome and beautiful ❤️

Nora and Will have two meet cutes, both adorable, but they only truly meet and get to know each other after the second. They're in a little feud over Will making changes to the building that holds Nora's family, going against Nora's actions in trying to keep everything the same as a sign of love and loyalty to her grandmother and the found family she has there.

So he keeps making plans, and she makes others to sabotage them, in the cutest softest way possible!! And along the way they fall for each other, and to be together they have to face the problems they each have with love, especially Will who stops himself from loving, afraid of becoming something that caused him so much pain.

But this book gives them a perfect progression, allowing them to sort through their feelings, to grow, to find out how they want to beloved, and how to love each other.
And you also have other elements to the book, like the beautiful found family in the building that I adore. And it balances all these parts perfectly. Nothing takes over, everything takes its time and space and is so well written.

All the characters are lovable, both main and secondary. Will is a sweet sweet cinnamon roll you just want to hug, and Nora is amazing and they're both so realistic and layered.

And I loved loved loved Nora's family, Deepa, and the delightfully surprising Gerry!! 😂❤️

The book had me all smiles while reading it, and I was grinning like a fool during that entire epilogue. I'm a fan of epilogues, but this specifically was perfect!!
A perfect continuation of the slow sweet progression of the relationship I mentioned before. They learned more about each other, really grew as individuals and together, made the right calls at the right time, and write their story at their own pace.I loved it❤️

Huge thanks to the author , Kensington books, and Netgalley for the arc!!