If you are looking for a cute, feel good read, this is the book for you. I was in a slump and this book helped me come out of it. I loved the chemistry between Emily and Kier so much. They both have similar stories and I love how they rely on each for support and comfort! Def recommend this to my bookish community!

Emily and Kieran were perfect, but this book was also so much more!!

Emily has always lived in Martha's Vinyard, but needing change when an opportunity in Ireland presents itself, she cannot hesitate to take it. Out on a limp she had applied to be the assistant to her favorite author, Siobhan, who left her favorite series hanging for 10 years! Emily cannot think of a better idea than to be away from home and also helping conclude the series that helped her grow up.

What Emily did not expect was the broody bookshop owner - Kieran - who instantly seems to not be a fan of Emily. She is working part time at Last Chapter, which is a pretty famous bookstore while in Ireland for a year helping Siobhan finish the final book in the series. She soon finds out that Kier is the son of Siobhan and that they will continuously be in forced proximity. BUT Emily refuses to be like every other woman who falls at his feet due to his attractiveness (and ofc the accent).

I loved what a strong character Emily was. She came to Ireland looking for an escape but seeing her find a family she deserved was so heartwarming. She was so used to be a people pleaser, but when she first meets Kier, she immediately responses differently. She finds herself holding her ground and speaking out when she wouldn't usually.

Kieran is extremely hesitant to not only have Emily in the bookstore, but in Ireland and helping his mother write again. He doesn't think that this will be good for her (for valid reasons) and so he does what he can to push Emily out. He gives her the worst tasks in the shop and constantly defies her. Emily sticks it out either way and both Kier and Em figure out that there is more to the other person, and they seem to have a lot more in common than they would've thought.

I loved Emily so much. Watching her find herself and a new family who truly valued her was amazing. I do think the storyline of her mother fell off a bit, which was odd since that was the main reason of her going to Ireland. It was a strong story in the beginning about her mom and I understand that she was developing boundaries, but I feel like after some time her mother was never even mentioned lol.

Kieran was an amazing hero to root for. While he was broody and standoffish I don't think it was to an unreasonable extent. His feelings were valid and while he tried to resist it, he couldn't help but eventually opening up and falling for Emily like the rest of the town.

I loved seeing all the adventures they went on to get the creative flow going! It made me want to go visit Ireland (it is already on my bucket list lol). All the different personalities throughout the book with the staff and side characters added another fun layer to the story!

Overall it was such a fun time and I enjoyed my time in this wonderful Irish village with amazing characters!

3.5 rounded down. I enjoyed this SO much more than the first book in the series. It was nice to lose myself in the dreamy Hallmark setting of a small-town bookshop in Ireland. Emily's trauma with her mother was handled really well, and I found myself moved by the relationship between Emily and Siobhan. This book did remind me why I usually don't love the grumpy/sunshine dynamic - Kieran was so abrasive at times it was hard to root for him, and the universal adoration of Emily felt at times inauthentic. Outside of this, I did enjoy their banter and chemistry, and I was still rooting for them at the end.

Love at First Book ticked many boxes when it comes to my romance novel expectations. It’s a quick read, takes place in an appealing Irish village with a bookstore that comes with a swoon-worthy owner. Perfect for Emily the librarian, out in the world on her own for the first time. She’s there to help her all-time favorite author finish the last book in her series. And of course it turns out that the bookstore owner is the author’s son. Much predictability ensues. A little sappy at times and the supporting characters all pretty much walk on water. Still, a good read with some excellent messages regarding parent child relationships.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group ; all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

This romance is not only a story of two people falling in love, but also a love letter to Ireland itself. The food, locations, and people are described in adoring detail. This book is also a story of moving on, and how staying frozen in time is in the end more harmful than confronting your fears. It's definitely got its potential tearjerker moments as well, so if you like your romance with a side of sniffles, it's definitely a good pick.

For sensitive readers this book contains abusive and toxic relationships (past and present), cancer, death of loved ones, and graphic sexuality.

If you're looking for a story that will make you feel all the things, Love at First Book is the one for you. I honestly LOVED this book, the characters and the entire premise. Emily Allen, a librarian from Massachusetts, takes a leap of faith and moves to Ireland to become an assistant to her favorite author and bookseller. Upon arrival, she quickly discovers the author is suffering from major writer's block and her prickly new boss is the author's son.

I love McKinlay's writing style. She creates stories that will you give you the ultimate reader's high, followed by tears. Love at First Book is another beautiful example of this. In this story too, she brings us romance, found family and friendship, while also tackling topics of mental health, cancer and grief.

Highly recommend this story.
Thank you, Berkley Publishing, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5/5 stars

This is the first book I've read by Jenn McKinlay and I loved the story and characters.

I love books so to have the FMC as a librarian was wonderful. Emily loves Siobhan Riordan, who is a famous author and her writing helped her thru some of her darkest days. She gets invited to Emerald Isle to help write the final book in Siobhan's series. Emily jumps at this chance but encounters Siobhan's son Kieran, who isn't going to make things easy on her. He wants her gone.

This was a cute story and enjoyed the read.

Standalone title in the same universe as Summer Reading.

Em is a librarian who needs a change. After her parents divorced, her mom is unhappy and has become codependent on her. She wants to see the world and feels stuck in Martha's Vineyard. So when her favorite author offers her an assistant gig to help her finish the last novel in the series and a job at a bookstore, she takes the opportunity and heads to Ireland. But when she gets there, she realizes she may be in over her head. Siobhan hasn't written anything in nearly ten years and doesn't seem to have any idea how to write this book. And the bookstore is run by Siobhan's son Kier (aka Murphy) who isn't at all keen to have Em there and lets her know. But there's a fine line between love and hate and soon Em and Kier are finding it hard to fight the attraction. And when the real reason for Siobhan's writer's block begins to make itself known, everything starts to look different.

This was a cute, if very predictable, read. If you're looking for a light romance with a heavy dose of UK culture, this will do the trick. The characters are developed well-enough, the plot is good enough, and the best part of the book was the scenery. Overall, just a good solid read in this genre.

Overall: 3.5/5 rounded down due to predictability
Spice: 1.5/3

Emily is a librarian in Martha’s Vineyard and has always dreamed of adventure and travel. She lives as a “caretaker” to her narcissistic mother who needs constant attention, not really a caretaker. She comes across information that her favorite author is looking for an assistant in Ireland. She gets the job and is soon on her way. When she arrives, she doesn’t receive a warm welcome from Kier, the son of the author. He manages the bookstore where she will be working when she isn’t performing her duties as an assistant. She is determined to win him over and develops a warm relationship with his mother, Siobahn. She learns the real reason behind her assistant job and her determination to help deepens. She is also falling in love with Kier, but he fights this every step of the way. I loved the characters in this book and found it hard to put it down.

Also reviewed on B&N (1IrishEyes430) and Kobo (IrishEyes430)

I like the cover of Love at First Book (at least, its current version in 2024 – it seems like new covers are a dime a dozen these days and change on a whim) but the plot is what drew me to it. A librarian, Emily Allen, gets her dream job – a chance to move to Ireland for a year and help her favourite author, Siobhan Riordan, finish her fantasy series. It’s one that Emily has loved for years and she has been waiting, like many fans, for the final book to come out – it’s been ten years since the last one and ended on a cliffhanger! Love at First Book is mostly a rom-com, though there are some sad patches, but in the end it’s well worth the read.

Along with helping out Siobhan, Emily is going to be working at Siobhan’s bookshop, which is managed by her son, Kieran Murphy. Their first meeting leaves Emily with the impression that Kieran is kind of a grump, and he clearly isn’t thrilled with Emily being there or that she’s been hired by his mother as her assistant. This is confusing for Emily, until she finds out (and this isn’t a spoiler), that Siobhan is ill. In fact, she’s dying. And when she writes, she doesn’t take care of her health because she gets consumed by her writing. So for Kieran, it’s not good news that his mother wants to write the final book in her series instead of focusing on her health. But as Emily and Kieran get to know each other, their initial animosity gives way to a mutual attraction and suddenly, Emily is caught up in a sweet and sexy affair. But if Siobhan’s book is completed, will that mean her time in Ireland will be up, too?

I enjoyed this story quite a lot, despite the on-page illness of Siobhan (yes, it’s cancer). Emily’s trip to Ireland is a needed break for her from a very demanding mother, for whom she’s been a caregiver. It’s given her some mental health issues, and therapy has been helping her to set boundaries with her mother. Having a taste of freedom makes her realize how stagnant her life has become and that this could really be the beginning of a new chapter for her, regardless of whether she stays in Ireland or not. Kieran’s relationship with his mother is also complex – he went through periods of abandonment when his mother was in the throes of her fame and away on book tours (or obsessed with her writing). They’ve reconciled as adults and have a good relationship now, but Kieran doesn’t understand the obsession with her story (he’s never read the series) and worries that her finishing the series will be to the detriment of her already fragile health. But for Emily and Kieran, sharing about those relationships draws them closer together.

There’s lots of fun banter between Kieran and Emily and they are both very well rounded and believable characters. It’s easy to like all of the secondary characters, too, local shop owners and Emily’s co-workers at the bookstore – they give the story a nice, homey feel. And helping her favourite author get unstuck and figure out how to move a story forward was also interesting to me, since some of my own series faves have stalled and I’m waiting for next installments. The balance between funny scenes and more emotional and touching ones is well done (be prepared for some tears); the pacing is good and right from the start, and even if the romance is fairly predictable, I was intrigued to find out how it would all end (does the novel get finished? You’ll have to read it to find out!) All in all, Love at First Book is a great trip to a small Irish town and a wonderful introduction to a new-to-me author.

I love the keep of faith a librarian from Martha's Vineyard, Emily, takes by moving to a quaint small Irish village to accept a job assistant favorite author. I loved the bookish love letters woven into this book from mentioning Darcy, to the love interest running the local.bookstore. although this book has some lovely, lighthearted moments in the Irish countryside the characters bring their own trauma and baggage as well making this more then a fluffy read.

Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay is a delightful romance that seamlessly weaves together themes of love, literature, and second chances. The story follows the charming protagonist as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery after a life-changing breakup. McKinlay's witty writing and well-developed characters make this a heartwarming read, perfect for book lovers and romantics alike. The book's blend of humor and heartfelt moments keeps you hooked from start to finish, making it a must-read for anyone seeking a feel-good love story.

I love "enemies" to lovers stories. I love the tension it causes. This story was a delight. I love a grump so I enjoyed the relationship between the main characters.

This was just fine, but not likely to be memorable and even bordering at times on mawkish sentimentality. It is very Hallmark-y and cozy with a very predictable plot, and my tastes just differ.

A lonely librarian steps out of her comfort zone and accepts a position in an idyllic Irish village to work with her very favorite author helping her write the final book in a long-running children's fantasy series. I found some of Emily's fan-girl behavior a little unsettling, and along those lines, I found some of the book's exuberance for the power of a favorite children's series defining an adult's life a tad confusing. I know fan culture and I typically find it bemusing in its lack of critical thinking, and this book abounds in idolizing favorite authors and books to an unsettling extent. What is ironic though as a bookish person is that I wanted to read this book because I was drawn to the idea of the power of books to provide us with a fuller life. So there was a balance here missing for me.

Of course the exalted author has a fabulously handsome and grumpy adult son, and of course he clashes and banters with the ever-positive Emily. Then they fall in love. Then there is conflict that separates them. There is some sadness thrown into the plot that some readers might want to be aware of in advance and check CWs.

There is also one strange plot that simply falls away midway through the book. Em's mother is emotional abusive and has wreaked havoc in Em's life for years, which is a major reason for her decision to travel to another country to escape the abuse. The mother continues to call and harass her overseas and then suddenly vanishes from the story. There is some slight ties between this abuse and the hero's backstory, but otherwise, I found this entire thread odd and kept wondering right to the last page where the mother went. Anyway, it was a small plot that niggled at me. Otherwise, I can't really recommend this book but I did not hate it either. I just likely won't remember it for very long. My overriding takeaway - Ireland sounds lovely, especially when small villages there abound in quirky and fun-loving people.

I loved this book so much. The setting was charming and perfect, the characters lovable and witty. Steamy and adorable, this book makes a perfect escape from the everyday horrors of this terrible timeline we're living in.

What got my attention on this book was the Irish setting, a librarian, bookstore, and a romance. However I just wasn’t wowed, I struggled for over half of the story wondering when I’d enjoy this more. I really liked the vibes between Em and Siobhan, they worked well together in finishing her series. Kieran was too much of a grump for me to like the romance between he and Em. The ending was just ok.

If I'm being completely honest, I wanted to stop reading this book about 1/4 of the way in. I had a very hard time getting wrapped up in the story and characters. It wound up being a cute read by the end, but I would list a lot of other books for recommendations before this one ever came up.

This was such a cute story! Loving and heartfelt, beautiful and adorable wrapped into one!

Ireland is on my bucket list to visit, and these friendly characters are exactly the reason why! Plus, visiting ruins, popular landmarks, sheep in the road, a local pub, and attempting to drive on the wrong/right side of the car, ha! (Loved the scene when Emily was trying to learn to drive).

So many fun quotes throughout this book and such a sweet story of finding love unexpectantly. Grumpy/Sunshine, your boss's son, family drama, subtle spice, grand gestures, doggy sidekick, and HEA!

I’ve written and deleted the beginning of this review about 8 times now. I’m speechless. I don’t even know where to start or what to say. This was phenomenal. Highly recommend.

(bookstore) boss/employee x forced proximity x grumpy/sunshine x found family

Thank you Berkley for the gifted e-copy.

OMG, a book about a librarian that moves from Martha's Vineyard to Ireland to be her favorite author's assistant and work in a bookshop???? WHAT?! Emily is the luckiest girl alive and I want to be her when I grow up.

I loved the relationship that Emily built with Siobhan over the course of the book, and by the end you better believe I was bawling my eyes out. The fact that Siobhan has had writers block for the last 10 years and really wanted to finish the last book in her series gave me a heads up that something was going on, but the bond that she forms with Emily over these books (and life) was just the sweetest.

Then you have Kieran...Siobhan's son and Emily's boss in the bookstore. He is super protective of his mom and isn't happy one bit that Emily is there to help Siobhan write. So now we have an enemies to lovers trope going on, and the chemistry between Kieran and Emily is smoking hot.

The third act breakup was a heartbreaker that I saw coming and I understand why Keiran was upset with Emily. Luckily this is a romance so we get an HEA once everything is sorted out.

I read this book on the way home from Disney and it was the perfect distraction for the end of vacation blues!