Kate Clayborn does it again. My first introduction to Kate was 'Love Lettering,' and it became one of my favorites. 'Love at First' is another solid romance from Kate. This is the perfect modern romance novel to snuggle up and read this winter.

Kate Clayborn’s writing style is so rich, so full of detail and gives you all the feels. She made me feel like I was reading something that lovingly belonged in the past but was refreshingly set in the present.

Will Sterling finds himself the unwelcome owner of a condo unit he doesn’t want and therefore becomes a serious threat to Nora Clarke’s piece of mind and carefully curated life. Each of them has to contend with a delightful cast of characters who live in the tiny condo complex. Will’s story will break your heart. Nora’s will give you hope.

I love stories about real characters who could be your next-door neighbour. This book is a gentle reminder that so often we don’t know the whole story, unless we take the time to learn it. It's about community. And kindness. And generosity. And I definitely recommend reading it!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Will met Nora when he was in high school. She was the girl he'd been dreaming about. They meet again after more than fifteen years. I liked the chemistry between Will and Nora.

Love at First is a slow burn romance from sort-of-enemies to lovers with a community of quirky side characters and the apartment building itself that add color and heart to this quiet, but laugh-out-loud at times, contemporary romance.

*Note to sweet romance readers: Rated R for sex/some language

DNF at 50%

After really looking forward to this, I’m super disappointed to say that it didn’t work for me. I started it off reading in a loud environment, so i figured that was the reason for my initial dislike, but my dislike just multiplied with time.

Have you ever tried to read a book, but found that you couldn’t relate to a single character? That right there was my problem with this book. I never cared for Will, but I grew to despise Nora. She was petty, and completely one-dimensional. Honestly, I know nothing about her. I can’t even recall why she cared so much about a literal armchair in Donny’s apartment.

My second problem with this was the entire plot. I just didn’t understand it. Will had an apartment left to him, so why were these residents so concerned with what he was going to do with it?? It’s not like he was going to throw raging parties, so what was the problem with renting it out? As long as he was responsible, these people shouldn’t have cared. Instead of keeping to themselves, these resident launch a vendetta against him, and basically attempt to sabotage his efforts. I’m sorry if I can’t relate to a bunch of petty characters who feel they have a say in anything and everything.

And finally, I despised the romance. Or, should I say infatuation? As soon as Will saw the girl on the balcony, I groaned, because it was one of the worst cases of insta-love I have ever read. And, as soon as Will moves back into the apartment, his thoughts are immediately circling around Nora. I can handle insta love if it’s done well, but this was too much. It just made the characters feel fake because 80% of their personality was based off of their attraction to the other.

The one thing I did enjoy about this was our kittens, Francis and Quincey. They were adorable, and as a cat lover, books with cats get automatic points. Sadly, even the kittens couldn’t save this. Considering that it has glowing reviews, there must be something I missed, but it’s not something I care about enough to continue.

Thanks to Kate Clayborn and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is the first book I’ve read by Kate Clayborn but I’ll definitely be putting her other books on TBR list.

Love at First follows Will and Nora who are complete opposites. Will is running away from his past while Nora can’t seem to let go of hers. This was one of the sweetest books I’ve read this year and the side characters were so wonderful. The entire book was heartwarming. If you enjoy a good frenemies to lovers, I would recommend you pick this up.

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

I just read “Love Lettering,” so I jumped to read another well-written romance by Kate Clayborn, and this book delivered. The book begins with a smirk-worthy battle of wits between doctor Will attempting to flip his inherited apartment into an AirBnB situation and Nora, who lives in the apartment complex and is trying to destroy his plans, and then slowly builds to a realistic romance between two unlucky people. Definitely recommended for romance readers. (Both characters were non-described white people, and much of the supporting characters were not assigned a race.)

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of Love At First. I loved this romance, and flew through it. Highly recommend. 5 stars!!

Love at first was love at first page! This book was such a delight to read, and the perfect story to read and find comfort in in these dark times. This story had heart and charm and gave me all the giddy, warm and fuzzy feels.

Kate Clayborn’s writing was soothing and magical and I was delighted with each turn of the page.

This story was romantic, sweet, and swoon worthy.

I adored both Nora and Will and was swept off my feet by their romance.

If you’re in need of a feel good romance story, definitely pick this one up!

This was my first Kate Clayborn read and it certainly won’t be my last!

I received this book for my honest opinion.

Oh my goodness! This book started a little slow for me, but once it started moving, I couldn’t put it down. This is the sweetest story of Will and Nora. I loved how their story comes full circle. The characters become like family. Love, love this book!!

Thanks #netgalley #LoveatFirst

I enjoy Kate Clayborn’s books and this one does not disappoint. Nora lives in her deceased Nonna’s apartment. Everyone is like family in this building. They watch out for each other. Will inherits his Uncle Donny’s apartment. He doesn’t understand why he inherited and put a stipulation on about selling the apartment. He never even spoke to his Uncle. Will wants to rent it out. At first, Nora wants to show him how great the building is and the inhabitants. What ensues is Will gets to know the people in the building and Nora. I enjoyed this story and the characters from the building. You will want to live there. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

Rating: 4/5
Laughing Score: 0/5
Crying Score: 2/5

Plot: Will is a single doctor with a self-protected heart. Nora is a loyal, free spirit designer who spends her time supporting the people who live in the same apartment building as her grandma. When Will inherits a unit, apartment in the building and starts to shake things up, he doesn't immediately become well liked by anyone, except maybe Nora.

Thoughts: I will admit at first I did not immediately fall for the characters in this book, but I would say by the time I was 20% in, I was hooked. This is my first Kate Clayborn book (Love Lettering has been in my library queue since summer), and I have to say I am in love with her writing. This book felt like a true love story of two individuals meeting, who were instantly attracted to each other, but took their time with their relationship. It wasn’t cheesy, it wasn’t rushed, it was thoughtful and it was charming. Nora and Will’s character development was a big part of this story, which I think really helped the reader care about their relationship development. It took a deeper approach to love, life and all the people you meet along the way.

If you love romance books, and classic boy meets girl stories, then I think you’ll love this book.

This was my first ARC and I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley, Kensington Books and Kate Clayborn

Love at First was very cute and the characters were easy to like. There is something different in the way that Kate Clayborn sets up her stories that I appreciate, in that they kind of veer away from the usual romance story arc. I will definitely be buying this whenever it is release.

In classic Kate Clayborn fashion, I finish her newest book and decide it's my new favorite. I ADORED Love Lettering and her Chance of a Lifetime series, and Love at First has the same amount of heart, sweetness, and swoons. Clayborn writes beautiful prose that never feels like it's trying too hard or doing too much, and has this uncanny ability to make seemingly ordinary settings (an apartment building in Chicago) feel magical and romantic. Nora and Will were two wonderfully developed characters with distinctive traits and backstories that brought them together in such a special way. I loved how this book had hints of different tropes (second chance romance, enemies to lovers) that gave it a familiar, comforting sort of romantic arc without fully fitting into any one box. Also, so much doorframe leaning. You love to see it. Truly can't wait for whatever Clayborn writes next and couldn't recommend Love at First any more highly!

Sixteen years ago, Will experienced both the best and worst moments of his life at his Uncle's apartment in Chicago. He hears the voice of an angel from an upper balcony and instantly falls in love just moments before hearing a devastating truth about his parents. Now, he's unexpectedly inherited that apartment after his uncle's death. Having only negative feelings about his uncle and this place, Will decides to clean out the apartment and make it into a short term rental. But the other residents in the buildingstrongly object to his plan. They have all been part of a special community for years and don't appreciate the idea of strangers joining them. And the loudest objections come in the voice he fell in love with sixteen years ago. As their relationship progresses from frenemies to lovers, Nora must convince Will that sometimes the best families aren't the ones you're born into.
Thank you to Kate Clayborn and Kensington books for the opportunity to read this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This book was exactly what it needed to be; a balance of sweet and steamy, with a cast of supporting characters that was colourful but never burdensome.

There were a lot of organic reasons for the main characters to be together and shift between bickering and lusting after one another. Though the ending is pretty obvious, this book was still really enjoyable.

I've read other books by this author, and this one might be my favourite.

Kate Clayborn’s Love Lettering was the first of hers that I have read and I loved it, so I thought, of course I’m also going to love her next one. And I did like it. Kate Clayborn has a really good and easy to read style that will have you rooting for the couple. What I didn’t like here, or liked less, was Will.

Or rather, Will in the context of the plot at the start, I guess.

You see, contemporary enemies (although not really, let’s go rivals, maybe that’s closer to what this is. Adversaries is perhaps even more accurate) to lovers, particularly when it’s a man and a woman, always, always, leads me to hating the man. I don’t know what it is, I just want to slap their smug little faces whenever they get one up on the woman. I am constantly waiting for the woman to grow tired of them and also want to slap them in their smug little faces.

But.

Invariably they fall in love with them instead.

It’s truly baffling.

I mean, it’s possibly the second most baffling thing for me in romance, besides the tendency of straight women to forgive men anything, no matter how insulting. Thankfully, I didn’t have to suffer that bafflement in this book as well.

(In truth, though, maybe I just struggle with these kinds of dynamics to start because I hold grudges easily. I would not be so forgiving or distracted by this man’s supposed hotness. No man is hot when being smug about getting one over on you.)

So, what I’m trying to say is that there was no real way I would like Will. The start was inauspicious. I spent about half of the book wanting to slap his smug little face. And, okay, once that plotline was out of the way, I did like him and the book a fair bit more. I just couldn’t really get past that initial dislike.

But there were definitely other aspects of the book I unequivocally liked. Like the tenants of the flats who were one big family, the slow and sometimes reluctant friendship between Will and Gerald (which also made me laugh a bit). And the fact that, when faced with misunderstandings and angst, the characters actually talked things out.

If only I hadn’t got off on such the wrong foot with Will, really.

Love at First is a delightful romantic story that will please all lovers of the genre. This is such a sweet story; the characters were absolutely lovely and the storyline flowed seamlessly. I really liked Kate Clayborn's first book that I read and this second one was just as good. If you're in the mood to be reminded of the good in people I highly recommend this book.

I requested this book from NetGalley, because I absolutely loved Kate Clayborn's novel "Love Lettering". Let me just say, Kate knows how to write a good romance novel. I fell in love with her characters, Will and Nora; not to mention all of the other quirky characters in the apartment complex!

Nora has no idea that her story with Will goes back 16 years. He heard her laugh on her Nonna's balcony and the rest was history. There may be some thrown tomatoes in there, too! Sixteen years later, Will is back at the address it all started quite unexpectedly and Nora is still there living in her Nonna's apartment! Nora is loyal to her neighbors in the complex and her Nonna. A feud ensues between Will and Nora over whether the apartment complex should change or stay the same. Nora has lovely memories of her summers with Nonna growing up, but Will has very different feelings about the building. Should things change, or should everything stay the same? There's a balcony, late night chats during the "golden hour" between a couple of "opposites", and opportunities for second chances.

I definitely recommend this read when it is released February 23, 2021! #LoveatFirst #NetGalley