I enjoyed the first book in this series, Summer Reading, and was excited for Emily's story. As a traveler myself, who would love nothing more than to get the opportunity Emily did to work at a bookshop abroad and assist a writer she loves, this book spoke to me before I even opened the book.
I appreciate Jenn's books because she touches on serious, life matters. Both Kieran and Emily have some trauma backstory in their parental relationships that affect them both as adults. Watching Kieran slowly let his guard down and connect with Emily was lovely. Honestly though, my favorite relationship in the book is the maternal one that Siobhan takes on with Emily. Knowing Emily's mother and treatment of Emily, it was cathartic reading about Emily having a healthy maternal relationship.
Speaking of Emily's mom, she kind of disappeared later in the story. For being such a big part of Emily's journey, it felt like there was no closure in it. And Emily's attachment to a book series from her youth as an adult, was a little much for me. I get having a book or series that was a big part of your life and seeing paralells or comfort in the pages, but her obsession seemed a bit creepy. And Kier seemed a more rude, rather than grumpy/broody in the beginning, but when he and Emily finally allow themselves to become more, I really liked him as a character and enjoyed seeing his growth and understanding over his relationship with his mom as a child.
If you like a book with a bookstore and an author and former librarian has all the bookish things you want, including many book quotes.

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

"Tig McMorrow now has his last chapter, but for you and me, Red, our story is just beginning."


Love at First Book was completely precious. If you had told me that I would go on such an emotional ride with this book, I would not have believed you. And yet, here I am melting into a puddle full of feelings.

In this, you will meet Emily and Kieran. She goes by Em and is new to Finn's Hollow. He goes by Murphy and is her new boss. Does it end there? Absolutely not. Names mean nothing to these two because five seconds after meeting one another, they call each other Red and Kier. Sure, it might just annoy the other to hear that name, but it eventually grew on them.

Key word: eventually.

Anyways, she is absolutely loving Ireland and this adorable town. She wishes Kier wasn't so stubborn and was more accepting of the changes his bookstore desperately needs. He doesn't want her here one bit because if she is, that means his mom is back to writing. As well as constantly being on his mind, but details.

Oh, that tidbit about his mom? Well, she's a writer, and Em is also there to be her assistant. I absolutely adored Siobhan and secretly wish the Tig McMorrow series actually existed. She, like her son, can be very stubborn but has had the biggest writer's block of her life. While she had a great reason to not write a book for ten years, her beloved readers just want to know what's going on in Tig's life. Some fans can be super crazy.

It was difficult to put the book down as the relationship blossomed and the drama erupted all around them. Especially when Siobhan was starting to write the book! Of course, I did that very thing, but I was trying my hardest to digest this very slowly. So slowly that I felt so many freaking emotions. Heck, I cried!

In the end, this book was so freaking good. I highly recommend it and now I feel like I need to jump into Sam's book.

Sweet yet predictable and the prickly son was sometimes a little too prickly. Often these books have some suspense and romance, and you know what’s going happen but there is a misunderstanding. Why don’t people just say what’s on their mind? I probably would’ve given this more stars if I didn’t feel that it was too frustrating and people were just too “quiet”. Sometimes a book is prolonged because of silly misunderstandings and it just gets tiresome. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

It was not my cup of tea unfortunately. I really struggled to get into the book. I thought the premise of the book was interesting enough but I just couldn’t connect with the characters.

I received a copy of this book as a host for The Gloss Book Club, and we’re reading it for our February meeting!

Emily is leaving her home on Martha’s Vineyard, where she works as a librarian and lives with her mom, to take on an exciting new role—working as a writer’s assistant for one of her childhood favorite authors. Alongside this, she’ll also be spending part of her time at The Last Chapter bookstore.
Upon arriving, she meets Kieran Murphy, the gruff and standoffish bookstore owner, who also happens to be Siobhan’s son. Their dynamic starts off rocky, but as they spend more time together, tensions give way to something deeper.

I’ll be honest—this book had a very slow start for me, and it wasn’t until I was over halfway through that I became somewhat invested in the storyline. That said, I loved all the Irish phrases I picked up along the way, and the bookish quotes sprinkled throughout were a lovely touch. The banter between Kieran and Emily was fun, and I appreciated the complexity of their family relationships, which added depth to their characters.

✨ Tropes You’ll Find Here:
📖 Enemies to lovers
🔥 Slow burn
📚 Books about books
🌿 Small-town setting
If you’re a fan of slow-burn romances, this one might be right up your alley!

I really enjoyed Love at First Book! As a book lover, I was immediately drawn to the premise, and it delivered exactly what I was hoping for—a charming romance filled with heart, humor, and, of course, a love for literature.

The main character was easy to root for. She was smart, independent, and had just the right amount of vulnerability to make her feel real. Her journey wasn’t just about romance but also about self-discovery, which I really appreciated. The love interest was equally compelling—thoughtful, kind, and someone I genuinely wanted to see her end up with. Their chemistry was strong, and their interactions were a great mix of sweet and witty.

One of my favorite things about this book was the setting. The cozy, bookish atmosphere made me want to curl up with a cup of tea and get lost in the story. The supporting characters also added a lot of charm, bringing humor and warmth to the plot.

Overall, Love at First Book is a delightful, feel-good read that’s perfect for book lovers and romance fans alike.

Incredibly sweet story about pushing outside of your comfort zone and finding love in unlikely places!!
Emily moves to Ireland to take her dream job and ends up finding so much more. I felt like I was walking through the streets of the village alongside Emily and feeling all of the feels right along with her. The banter and relationship were fun and realistic!

A good book. Our heroine accepts a job and moves to Ireland. There she will work with her favorite author, who she is obsessed with. She will also meet the author's son, who wants his mother to rest, not risk her health becoming obsessed with the characters in her book. McKinlay clearly explores the feelings of each character, so it's hard to choose sides.

Love at First Book was a fun romance with very well developed characters and a great storyline. I loved how the heroine takes a job assisting her favorite author with her favorite series and also works in a library where her boss is the author’s son. No spoilers here! I encourage you to give this one a go and enjoy as I did. Thank you to Ms. McKinlay, NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for the opportunity to review this book.

This book was written with readers in mind and I am here for it! It is perfect for those who love enemies to lovers, slow burn, found family and grumpy sunshine tropes.

Extremely tempted to give this one a solid 5 but there were a few times that gave me pause for it being a little too hokey. By the end, I was in love. So stinkin' cute! Definitely a top cozy romance for me.

fantastic romance with some really compelling characters. our protagonists were amazing love interests and Siobhan was an awesome character. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Small town, forced proximity. Enjoyable read. First time read a book by this authors. Thanks to the publisher for my copy.

When a librarian moves to a quaint Irish village where her favorite novelist lives, the last thing she expects is to fall for the author’s prickly son… until their story becomes one for the books, from the New York Times bestselling author of Summer Reading .

Love at First Book is the cutest romance set in the coziest town in Ireland. I was not expecting to cry in this book though but I would not change anything about it. This is the perfect book to curl up with if you want to escape to a cozy bookstore in Ireland with some enemies to lovers, a grumpy Irish MMC and all the feels.

Another top read of 2024! I really liked this one. I had high hopes after Summer Reading and I was not disappointed.

I am going to be completely honest, I finished reading this book right before going into the hospital and have no recollection of what I thought of it.
I think that I enjoyed it, though I cannot give specifics.

I didn't love Jenn McKinlay's first book, but I decided to take a chance on Love at First Book because it sounded so cute and the cover is adorable. I'm so glad I did because I enjoyed this one much more than Summer Reading! Such a sweet and delightful story. I really enjoyed it!

I enjoy a couple of McKinlay's cozy mystery series (Library Lovers and Cupcake Bakery) and a few years ago I discovered her summer "beach" reads and enjoyed her quirky characters without murder.

I wasn't sure about reading a summer book during winter but thought sunny skies and warm weather might be nice (if it was just in the pages of a book) during the cold, cloudiness of winter. I don't know if it is because it is set in Ireland or perhaps it isn't summer, but whatever it was it wasn't warm or sunny.

I loved the setting of the small Irish village and all the characters living there. Of course, since there is a bookstore and the main character is a librarian, it's practically the perfect book.

This is an enemies-to-lovers romance as Emily takes a sabbatical from her library job to work in a bookstore and be the assistant to an author.

The author is someone Emily has idolized since she was a child. The author's children's story was an escape from Emily's chaotic and traumatic childhood. Imagine if JK Rowling had ended Goblet of Fire with Harry Potter being transported out of the labyrinth and then nothing for 10 years. That is how Emily felt about Siobhan Riordan when she decided to write the final novel in her children's series.

There is only one little problem. Siobhan's son and owner of the bookstore doesn't like the idea and doesn't everything he can think of to make sure Emily doesn't feel welcomed in hopes she returns to Martha's Vineyard.

If you are going through Hallmark Holiday movie withdraws, this book just might be the fix you need. It's heartwarming and a little sad. It's predictable but the journey is enjoyable anyways.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Thursday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2025/01/review-round-up-5-books-from-my-review.html

When American librarian Emily Allen moves to a small Irish village to help her favorite author complete the final book in her best-selling series (after 10 years!), she never expects to fall in love - especially not with the author's standoffish son.

I enjoyed this book for the cozy feel, quaint Irish village setting, and the fact that it's a book about books and bookshops. Overall the plot was a little predictable. I think we all knew what was going on with Shioban. Some of the characters were aggrivating (that means you, Emily's mom) and I didn't really connect with Emily all that much. I did enjoy some of the side characters at the bookshop and in town. I also thought the love story lacked spark and was a little too quick for my liking.

Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay was a quick and easy, cozy love story but it was a bit too predictable and overall forgetable.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.