This book was fun and sweet. I loved the idea of getting to meet your hero and finding out they are just as wonderful as you imagined. I loved the angle the author took with this book of finding a healthy way to escape a very unhealthy relationship. The element of found family is done beautifully and the love story while slow burn is super fun. Can't wait to see what this author brings us next.

Title: Love at First Book

Author: Jenn McKinley


Ch: 23 plus epilogue


Pg: 09:49:02


Genre: Rom Com


Rating: 4 stars


Publisher: Berkley


I loved this hate to love rom com. Emily and Kieran were perfect for each other even if they don’t see it. But it’s the banter between them the keeps the reader turning pages.


Though I listened to the audio book instead of reading. As the audio adds charm t Kieran’s Irish accent and not to mention proper pronunciation of the Irish names.


Now this isn’t just a cute rom com it does deal with some tough issues. There’s a trigger warning for cancer, and difficult parent adult child relationship but the author handles it all respectfully.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

4 stars - Great! Might re-read

Another delight from Jenn McKinlay! I loved the characters in this, especially Emily's growth throughout the book. The bookstore and writing bits were terrific, and I loved the romantic relationship. (Language, sex)

DNF -- I couldn't get into this one. It could be a little bit my mood, but I think it's also a little bit the writing style.

I really liked this book! Using one of authors’ favorite trope of grumpy bookseller and blocked book writer, McKinley crafts a lovely, fresh story with an adorable maternal figure, a kind and anxious leading lady, and a secretly charming leading man.
I loved the setting; the book made me feel I was in Scotland without adding too many twee details. It felt natural, authentic.
I love love loved Siobhan Riordan— she was feisty, loving, and fierce. Emily leaned towards Mary Sue at times, but McKinley always brought her back to reality. And Kier was just swoon-worthy— a modern Darcy with all the good and bad that implies.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC of the book! All opinions are my own.

When Emily Allen leaves her library position in Martha's Vineyard to spend a year in a small Irish village working at a bookstore and as an assistant to her favorite writer, she doesn't expect to butt heads with Kieran Murphy, the grumpy bookstore owner - and son of the writer in question. But as the two spend time together, they start to realize there's more to them than meets the eye - but is Emily ready to risk it all? Well written and a perfect encapsulation of forced proximity, there's a lot to like in this romance novel. Readers will be transported to small-town Ireland and are as likely to fall in love with the town and its residents as they are with the two main characters. A surprising amount of depth and emotion help round out what could be a fairly rote romance novel. Sweet and relatively chaste - sure to be a hit for those who like their romances on the cozy side.

“𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐’𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.”

A book about a librarian settling in to help a famous author in an Irish bookstore?! Say less.

This was such a cute read. Emily was so fun and living out every bookworms fantasy of finding a hot nerdy bookish man in another country 😂 I loved her relationship with Kier and how they pushed each other’s buttons. So many good moments, but really loved her getting back at him immediately by not calling him by his nickname.

If you love books set in another country, especially Ireland, then I’d definitely recommend this one. A quick and light read that’s perfect for a Sunday afternoon💛😊

Ok audiobook girlies, have you ever heard Brittany Pressley perform an Irish male character? You already know she’s a queen but this particular performance further solidified that fact for me. She can seriously do any voice type perfectly! She could narrate a calculus textbook and I’d preorder it. Aside from the fact that I’m a Brittany fangirl, this audiobook is extremely well done. There are so many emotions and she, per usual, nails each and every one.

This book has much more depth and heart than I expected. Based on the cutesy cover alone, I threw in my earbuds and prepared for a light and funny romcom. Yes, there are parts that made me laugh - especially when Emily had to learn Irish names and phrases for certain things - but it also made me feel all the feels! (Get your tissues ready.) I loved the Irish countryside and independent bookstore setting along with all of the background characters who worked in the store. I enjoyed watching the relationships between Emily, Kieran, and Siobhan form, change, and solidify. Their connection was so realistic and touching!

Definitely add this one to your list if you’re a fan of enemies to lovers, broody book lovers, international travel, quotes from books used in conversation, and scones and tea.

* There are a few trigger warnings mentioned in the beginning so please make sure to check those before you dive into this one. I won’t mention them here because they’re kind of spoilery but definitely necessary for those who need them. *

This book was really sweet. It made me laugh, and made me cry. It was a great follow-up to Summer Reading, which I really enjoyed. Definitely check this book out ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This one follows Emily (Em), as she travels to an Irish Village to help one of her favorite authors, and work in a small bookshop. She there encounters the manager of the bookstore, Kieran.

I immediately fell in love with these two. Both getting under each other skin in the cutest way. There interactions had me smiling ear to ear. The found family vibes had my heart smiling whilst pulling at my heartstrings.

I really liked this story set in Ireland - we get Emily Allen who is a librarian who wants and needs a change in life. She jumps on the opportunity and runs off to Ireland. She ends up having to work with her favorite author's grumpy son. We get the grumpy/sunshine trope or enemies to lovers trope in this story, some heavier topics like cancer. I'd say it's a story that will pull at your heartstrings. I loved the characters and the charm of this story. I also loved that the FMC is a bookworm. I'm definitely excited to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was another delightful romance from Jenn McKinlay. I loved the Irish setting, the grumpy bookstore owner, and the sunshiny librarian going to Ireland for a year to work at the bookstore and assist a famous author trying to write the next book in a popular series after ten years. I can't say I was expecting to be so emotional and cry with this one!

The premise of this is so sweet and genuinely made me want to drop everything to move to Ireland and work for a bookshop! I did also enjoy some of the engaging banter and cozy cast of characters. However, I struggled to believe that some of the things said in the book came from a protagonist in her thirties (she seemed much older at times) and there were a few phrases that completely took me out of the book--typically the commentary she made about her own body. And again, while I did feel the book was very endearing, it did feel quite flat at times. But overall, a sweet read!

📚💚📚
📖Review
4🌟🌟🌟🌟
📖Book 18/100
📚Love at First Book
💫Genre:
Fiction/Romance
✍️Author:
Jenn McKinlay

📝Synopsis 📝
Emily, an American librarian, gets the job to work on the last book of a series written by her favorite author. Of course she accepts it, packs her bags, and flies to Ireland. The catch though is she works part time at her son’s bookstore and the rest of the time being Siobhan’s assistant, but he is not happy about Emily or shall we say Red is there.

My thoughts 💭
Wow this was such a beautiful story. Yes I expected a love story, yet I didn’t expect the plot to tear me apart 😭💔 The relationship Kier and his mom have was a beautiful add on, and Emily’s character and her mother’s relationship was a great add on element too. I didn’t expect to love these characters all as much as I did. I love an enemies to lovers story, but this one was so unique and relatable….many of us book lovers always have a book packed in our purse or bags…heck I carry my kindle everywhere I go which has about 700 books in it😂 I wanted a little bit more of Emily’s mom, but I also feel there was enough of Siobhan. There was a little bit of spice, but it wasn’t heavy. So if your looking for a romance novel that has family drama, is going to make you sob, but has a happy ending, then definitely give this one a go!
✨✨✨✨✨

🤍Thank you so much @netgalley and @berkleyromance for approving this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

✨Publishing Date:
May 14, 2024

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I thought this book was really charming! The author did a great job of setting the scene and her descriptions of Ireland felt authentic (but also, I've not ever been so take this with a grain of salt haha). The descriptions of food, the town, the locals were so lovely and it felt like the author took care with these.

What stopped this book from being amazing to me, is that it felt mostly surface level to me. I want to be invested in the characters, but it's hard for me to buy in when they have little to no nuance. The relationship was fine, the characters were fine, everything was just fine but I wanted more.

Also, I didn't love the relationship with her mom, who is incredibly toxic and awful to her. I wish we would stop normalizing keeping these people in our lives. I know family relationships are often very complicated but...every time her mom called I was like ??? Why are we still talking to her or answering her calls???

Thank you to Berkley for the ARC!

I asbolutely adored this novel about a librarian who moves to an Irish village to help her favorite author write the final book in a series. Siobhan wrote a fantastical series that Emily adored growing up and she, along with many other fans, had to wait years for the last story. A letter from Emily sparks Siobhan to finish so she hires her to come help. Unfortunately for Emily, Siobhan's son does not want her to finish the series due to her health. Not to mention, he's not a fan of Em AKA Red. But as stories go, they quickly discover they are attracted to one another and once Kieran realizes that Em has his mother's best interest at heart, the two join forces to help her finish the last novel of the series before it's too lat.e. I loved these characters and their story.

A librarian, Emily Allen, needs a change in her life. She loves books and when she’s offered a dream job with her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan, she jumps at the opportunity. She’ll have to relocate from her hometown on Martha’s Vineyard to Ireland.

Emily is excited for the opportunity of working part time with Siobhan and part time at her son’s book shop. The fly in the ointment is that her son, Kieran Murphy, is not happy about this arrangement. Emily can’t figure out why since he never met her before.

Emily is ready to help Siobhan write the last book in her successful series. When illness hits Siobhan, Emily is more determined than ever to help her finish the book. At the same time, she and Kieran are coming up with schemes to make sure Siobhan gets plenty of rest. She fights them, but it just brings them closer together.

This is a wonderful, emotional love story. It had a little of everything - humor, family drama, romance and many poignant moments. I was totally captivated by the characters and the setting. As grumpy as Kieran tried to be, I adored him. I couldn’t help but root for Emily and Kieran to find their way to each other.

Jenn McKinlay takes the reader to Ireland and it’s a beautiful trip. She has a knack for painting the perfect picture for her readers. I enjoyed every minute of my visit and look forward to this author’s next book.

Another book for me to add to my Best of 2024 list.






FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay is a delightful romance set in Ireland in a bookshop! Truly what else do you need to know to want to read the story? Emily Allen is a librarian who travels from Martha’s Vineyard to Ireland to work for her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan, finish her final book. She will split her days between Siobhan and working in her bookstore. Kieran, Siobhan’s son, runs the bookshop and does not want his mom to finish. So much to be sorted out.

There is something enchanting about a book about people who loves books that draws you in as a reader. This was an absolutely delightful read. The chemistry, the book quotes, the banter and the sweet friendships made it a beautiful story. I was all in and enjoyed my time visiting Ireland and the Last Chapter bookstore.

This was a wonderful read and I highly recommend Love at First Book. It will be one of my favorites of 2024.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.








CW: Abuse, manipulative parents, breast cancer, and counseling. One open door scene.

A ROMANCE WITH BOOKS AT ITS CENTER IN IRELAND?!?! WITH MULTIPLE BOOK QUOTE REFERENCES?!

…okay.,.honestly… was there any other option besides me being obsessed with this book?

The enemies to lovers vibes, the literary banter (yes they banter in literary quotes), the MCs family complications and how they escaped to fictional worlds…it was just everything my soul needed. I flew through this book and I couldn’t put it down!

If you love books with…
ENEMIES TO LOVERS
COMPLICATED FAMILIES
BANTER GALORE
BOOKS AS A PLOT LINE
SEXUAL TENSION
BOOK LOVERS

This may be for you!

Love at First Book is the latest release by the super talented Jenn McKinlay. I loved getting to know Em and Kier and was rooting for them from the very beginning. Their characters felt so real and were easy to relate to as well.
It made me laugh and made me cry. Love at First Book will certainly pull at your heartstrings. I highly recommend this moving romance to anyone.