Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for my complimentary eARC of Love at First Book.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have had quite a few misses this month in regard to arcs. This was a total HIT. I binged this one in a day. I loved everything about this book.

A librarian
-working in a bookstore
-in Ireland
-while also helping her favorite author finish writing a series.

Oh and the love/hate relationship with her hunky coworker.

I am so proud of myself for figuring out the story arc.
There were a few tender/sad moments but overall I was smiling by the end

‘Love at First Book’ was an utter delight.

Emily Allen is a librarian in Martha’s vineyard dealing with a difficult mother, trying to decide what to do with her life. She answers an advertisement to be an assistant to her favorite author Siobhan Riordan who is trying to complete the last novel in her series. It has been ten years since the author published a book, due to a severe case of writer’s block. Siobhan’s books were a lifeline for Emily during the difficult times in her life, and it is a dream come true for her to travel to Finns Hollow – the small town in Ireland where Siobhan writes, and her son Kieran ‘Kier’ Murphy runs a bookstore.

Emily immediately falls for Kier, but he is not happy that she is there, and the two of them spar continually while Em works part time in the bookstore, and part time for Siobhan. When Siobhan reveals she is in bad health, Em and Siobhan begin a race against time to complete the book. Em and Kier however are often at odds over what to do, and Em is both annoyed by, and beguiled by the handsome Irishman.

I absolutely loved the witty repartee between Em and Kier as they struggle with working together and each supporting Siobhan in their own way, their chemistry was amazing. The cast of characters in the novel were fantastic, and the location truly comes to life as the plot continues, and Em falls in love with the village. A typical enemies-to-lovers romance in some ways, this book took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions as Em and Kier kindle a romance, break apart, and move together again as they deal with a heartbreaking situation.

This book had some real depth as well as romance. I cried buckets at several places in this novel, while laughing out loud at others. I loved the way Emily handled the toxic relationship with her own mother, while tending the relationship with Kier’s mother. The fact that she found out how to be her best self along the way was very endearing. Also, what is not to love when the book is about books?!

I think I’ve read every one of Jenn McKinlay’s books, from her cozy mystery series to her romances, but I think this one is the best yet.

✩4.5

✦What to Expect✦
•Bookstore in Ireland
•Grumpy/sunshine
•Small town in Ireland
•Author
•He calls her Red
•Book lovers

✦Characters✦
•Emily Allen
•Kieran Murphy

✦Fav Quotes✦
“Have I kissed you yet today?”
“I don’t believe so, no,”
“Terrible oversight on my part.”

I think once you discover what truly falling in love is, you realize you never really were before; don’t you think?”

“And I choose you, Red. In this world or any other, it will always be you.”

✦Thoughts✦
Wow this book blew me away. I had no expectations going in and I absolutely loved it. I related to Em’s character so much! The banter and relationship with Kier, I was swooning and loved it. The relationship with Siobhan, I was not expecting that twist and honestly I cried several times. I can’t recommend this book enough, this 100% a book for book all us book lovers. What an enotional journey

SO cute! I can see this being loved by many. I adored Em and her awkward little self as she grew to become more confident, set boundaries with her toxic mother, and stuck to making her new life in Ireland work. I thought the hate-to-lovers transition was a bit abrupt & the MC was compared to romance novels too many times, but the ending had me in tears. This was a beautiful story and I loved it!

I laughed, I swooned, I sobbed, and then I swooned some more. Oh my gosh this book was a roller coaster! The romance in this is so sweet and swoony. You’re rooting for them from the very beginning.
I am currently learning to set boundaries and I felt so connected to Em in her journey. I loved the growth that happens with all of the characters. I loved the different mother/child dynamics and that Jenn McKinlay didn’t just try to make things miraculously better. It’s very true to life and such a healing read.
Definitely one that I will be picking up again and again. Such a lovely book!
Two of my favorite quotes from the book-
“In this world or any other, it will always be you.”
“All of my daydreams were always about you.”

A book about books? Sign me up! Emily left her job as a librarian to spend a year in Ireland helping one of her favorite authors and working at a local book store. While there, she meets Kieran, the author's grumpy son. Love at First Book is a story about starting over and finding love. It's heartfelt and touching, and charming. Emily's story is the literal dream of nearly every bookworm! The author did a great job with this one.

I really enjoyed this story with a bit of humor and lots of emotion. I did shed a few tears near the end. I really liked Emily. She is a librarian and kind of quiet, but when she gets to Ireland and meets Kieran, she gets a bit sassy. It is evident that Kieran doesn't want her there. Is she just another one of his mother's crazed fans? Emily has been a fan of Siobhan's books and when Emily was offered a job as her assistant, she jumped at the chance. The public knows so little of Siobhan's private life. Emily didn't know that she had a son or had cancer. Now Siobhan wants to finish her series. The last book was a cliffhanger, and she wants to finish the series, but she has had a bad case of writer's block. Emily has helped her come out of that, but Kieran doesn't want Siobhan working so hard. Emily and Kieran constantly butt heads and Emily can't understand why he doesn't want his mother to finish the series. There is a lot of old hurts that need to be brought out and there are some secrets revealed. Good story!

Love at First Book warmed this book lover’s heart! Such a winning combination of humor, romance, complicated family dynamics, friendship, and dealing with grief! The quaint, beautiful setting of Finn’s Hollow, Ireland was just icing on the cake!

Emily Allen, a librarian in Martha’s Vineyard, felt inspired by Samantha and Ben’s HEA (the couple from Summer Reading) to take life by the horns move to Ireland to take her dream job all the way in Finn’s Hollow, Ireland. Working for her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan, as assistant part of the time and filling in at her son’s bookstore, The Last Chapter the other part. While she’ll miss Sam, her best friend, taking the job removes Em from her mother’s manipulative clutches. That woman was something else!

What Em doesn’t count on is Kieran Murphy, Siobhan’s son, being less than happy with her arrival. This still doesn't dim Em’s elation with the whole situation. Siobhan is a dream to work with and the town and its quirky occupants are just lovely!

I find enemies-to-lovers a tricky trope. If the exchanges are too mean I’m not a fan. Not the case here. I absolutely loved the slow journey Em and Kieran took to love. They had some fun push and pull between them, and I was thrilled to see Em stand up for herself. I was so happy Em had done the work to get free of her mother’s bullying and used that going forward.

I didn’t expect the story to quite so emotional and break my heart, but it did, but it also left me with so much joy!! I won’t spoil the story by elaborating. There was plenty of humor and lightness to balance out the grief and it just felt right. Love at First Book is a definite recommend!

Love at First Book was not at all what I expected. I went into it expecting a fun, lighthearted romp in the country I’ve always longed to visit, and while it certainly had plenty of moments of fun and humour, it was also incredibly emotional in many ways. It was also wonderfully romantic and heartfelt, and I completely fell in love with Em and Kieran’s story.

Em and Kieran have a truckload of baggage and trauma between them, with one looking for change and the other avoiding it at all costs. Emily grew up with a narcissistic mother who verbally, emotionally, and psychologically abused her, which led to Em feeling trapped in her own life. When she had the opportunity to move to Ireland for a year and work as an assistant to her favourite author, she jumped at the chance. Kieran is the son of said author, and has his own family-related trauma to deal with that slowly comes to light throughout the course of the book. I loved how these two slowly helped each other open up, shine a light on their shadows, and begin to heal. Kieran brought out a side of Em that she never knew existed. With him, she was feisty and fiery as she learned to use her voice after years of being silenced, criticized, and verbally abused by her mother. Their interactions ranged from hilarious to sweet to frustrating to swoony to steamy, and I loved their banter and chemistry. I appreciated both of their growth and especially enjoyed watching Em growing her courage muscle, stepping outside her comfort zone, finding where she belonged, and building a life she chose rather than one she felt trapped in. I also enjoyed the mental health rep with Em's hypochondria/illness anxiety disorder.

I also liked how this felt like a story within a story. The Tig McMorrow books were a big part of the story in many ways, and I think a lot of people will relate to that feeling of a series really awakening something in you and touching you deeply. Having those stories heal a part of you, making you feel less alone, making you feel seen. Wanting to be as brave and bold and fearless as those characters and embodying those qualities without even realizing it. It was a really beautiful full-circle sort of feeling knowing those books meant so much to Em and helped her in her darkest times and then having her not only get to work for/with Siobhan, but get to know and love her as well.

I do wish there had been a bit more closure with Em’s mother. She was such a big presence at the beginning of the book - calling and texting Em constantly, berating her, demanding she come home - and then there was just nothing. On one hand, I’m relieved we didn’t have to watch the abuse continue because it was upsetting to read and I’m also glad Em was in therapy and had learned to set boundaries and stick to them, but it felt like an abrupt change with no real moment of Em ‘being done’ or telling her mom off. I know with someone like her mother, Em would never ‘win’ and would never really get through to her mom or make her change, but it felt a bit like a loose end to me.

Love at First Book was such a lovely, heartfelt story. I know these characters are going to stick with me for a long time.

3.5 rounding down.

Cute, heartwarming, and surprisingly emotional.

Kieran and Emily's relationship was very sweet and their banter was fun to read, because it made me laugh and root for the two to get together due to all the chemistry they had. The relationship itself was a bit clunky- they picked the absolutely wrong time to start making out and I wish the fmc had more restraint to be able to back off until she gets things in order.

I did enjoy reading Kier and his relationship with his mother, and how that blossomed over the course of the story. Some revelations were very sweet and I did tear up at points. Emily's backstory, on the other hand, didn't quite feel as resolved as Kier's; she left the United States to travel, work with her favorite author, and get a bit of distance from her toxic mother, but her mother's part in the story faded away quite early on. A couple of throwaway lines is not a resolution, especially when it pertains to the main character's backstory and character development.

Her character development is also rushed, too. She says she struggles with conflict and standing up for herself, but from the moment she stepped into the bookstore, she gave it as good as she got. Other than a couple of thought lines, Emily didn't give off the vibe that she was uncomfortable with conflict or certain situations.

Though sometimes it felt a bit rushed and juvenile, I did enjoy the story, the flow, and the characters.

thank you Netgalley for the arc

I just absoloutely loved this book! I read McKinlay's "Summer Reading" last year, my first book from the author and I really enjoyed her writing so I was naturally thrilled to get an early look into her newest novel and I actuall enjoyed this one even more than the other!! I went on a trip to Ireland last year so a week and I feel like I could really picture all of the moments between Emily and Kieran and it was so heartwarming! This book really swoops you right into its world and its just a delicious cozy read for anyopne who loves love!

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Romance, Books About Books
Spice Level: Spicy w/ a fairly slow burn
Tropes: Love in a new country, Grumpy / Sunshine, Book Lovers

I loved seeing Ireland through Em's eyes. The building relationship between her and Kieran is a lot of fun. One of my favorite relationships was Em going from hero worship of the novelist, Siobhan—Kieran's mother, to a deep friendship. It just made everything in the book matter more.

This is a book where Em comes into her own!

The book is too spicy for my taste because there's sex on the page, but I'm sure most readers will love that.

I recommend this book for spicy romance readers.

Happy reading!

Oh, my heart. This was just so adorable. It's got everything I like in a book - dislike (not necessarily hate) to lovers, librarians, bookstores, a fantastic setting - and the story just brought all of those great elements together. This book has a FMC sho is basically starting over in life later than she'd like to be, but I truly appreciate McKinlay making that a plot element because it does happen! And people do it successfully.

Love at First Book
By Jenn McKinlay

As a former bookstore worker, I am always drawn to stories about bookstores and I am so happy I read this one!
Emily Allen, former librarian from Martha’s Vineyards has taken the job of a lifetime as an author assistant to her favorite author Siobhan Riodan and part time bookstore employee. Going to work in the small village of Finn’s Hollow, Ireland is just what she needs to get away from her overbearing mother and finally have a life of her own. Working for her all-time favorite author is a dream come true, even if she must put up with the grumpy son Kieran Murphy who is also her boss at the bookstore.
Kieran Murphy is the son of Siobhan Riodan, and even through the author has had a 10-year case of writers block, he isn’t ready for her to start writing again for a number of reasons. Doing his best to give Emily the worst jobs at the bookstore doesn’t have the results he hopes for. Watching the battle between Emily and Kieran is such fun and despite his best efforts, he can’t help but like her.
The story is endearing and has such a wonderful cast of characters! I laughed, I cried and I couldn’t get enough of this story. I really hated for it to end.
Grab your copy of Love at First Book and enjoy!

Cheers to a 5-star review, and happy publishing week to @mckinlayjenn ‘s Love At First Book!!

This book is perfection. I tore through 70 percent of it yesterday and was reading it/listening to it between IEP meetings as I subbed today. I was hooked!

It gave me Last Call At The Local vibes with both the Ireland setting and the strong mental health representation via Em, and it just made my reader and writer heart so happy. Leaving the United States for a year to help run a bookshop in Ireland and act as a writer’s assistant to a beloved author?!? Sign me up!!

Voice actor @britpressley did an incredible job with the narration (her Irish accent was lovely!), and talk about giving me all the feels. The emotional scenes in this book were even more heartwrenching when you could tell she was getting choked up reading it, and my goodness, there were some ugly-cry moments for me toward the end.

I think what I loved most about Love At First Book is that the love story took a backseat to the found family and emotional growth plot lines. Em’s bond with Siobhan both touched and broke my heart, as did the relationship between Kier and Siobhan. I also appreciated how the locals of Finn’s Hollow fell in love with Em and rallied behind her, rooting for her HEA with Kier. I loved how much they loved and supported Siobhan, as well.

Kier and Em’s rivals to friends to lovers relationship development was great too, as was Em’s feisty banter with Kier. I loved how he brought out the extrovert in her, and I also appreciated how Em helped bring him closer to his mom by convincing him to read her books.

This book was pure loveliness, and I’m so glad I had the chance to read it. Just a heads up, you’ll want some tissues onhand as there is terminal illness, loss of a parent, emotional abuse, and some heavier mental health issues woven throughout this story. Jenn handles them with sensitivity and grace, but it makes for emotional moments.

This book came out yesterday, so grab it now!! Can’t wait to discuss!

In this slow-burn, small-town Irish romance we find Emily/Em/Red and Murphy/Kier in Finn's Hollow, Ireland. Emily is new to town, on a work visa to help her favorite author try to finish her hit series that has left her protaganist in limbo for the past 10 years. Kieran is the author, Siobhan's, son and is convinced finishing the series will rob him of his mother. He wants nothing more than to send Emily packing back to the states. Emily is splitting her time between Siobhan and working in Kier's shop so she has half of every day to endure his miserable tasks. What is clear early on, however, is the chemistry that exists between Kier and Emily and before long they give in and find a way to work together to get the book out together. The third act is an emotional ride and one that made the book even better in my eyes.

3.5 stars

Emily is a librarian on Martha’s Vineyard who has dreamed of traveling, but her challenging family dynamic has stopped her. When she sees Siobhan Riordan, her all-time favorite author, is looking for an assistant, Emily jumps at the opportunity, and next time she knows she’s off to Emerald Isle. Siobhan’s health is rapidly declining and she is determined to finish the last story in her popular series, but she hasn’t written in a decade. Her son, Kieran wants his mother to rest, unaware just how rapidly her health is actually declining. Emily finds herself in the middle, attempting to make peace between the two while helping Siobhan with the book and slowly falling for Kieran as well.

There’s something about Ireland that makes it such a sweet setting for a romance story. Pair it with a storyline all about writing a book and you have the perfect cozy vibes. I loved this book and how it was truly such a love letter to the people who write our favorite stories. This was a more emotional journey than I initially expected - between Emily’s incredibly toxic relationship with her mom and Siobhan’s cancer, there were many moments when I found myself tearing up. Much of this book focused more on Emily, Siobhan and the book, and the romance often felt secondary. However, the moments between Emily and Kieran were so sweet and tender, I was rooting for them and wanted more of their scenes.net

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Emily is a librarian who heads to Ireland to help her literary hero Siobhan write the final Tig novel, a series that helped Emily tremendously in difficult periods of her life. Siobhan’s son Kieran is not happy to meet her and tries to drive her away by saddling her with inventory using an ancient laptop she nicknames “Slo-Mo”.

The setting was absolutely dreamy! I loved the bookstore where most of the story takes place, but we also visit a gorgeous house and castle in their quest to finish the last Tig novel.

The romance between Emily and Kieran was so well done. I loved the slow burn between them as they got to know each other (despite Kieran’s best efforts to drive her away). I love that Emily describes herself as quiet but Kieran insists she’s feisty and anything but quiet.

This was a really fun read and I absolutely loved it!

Unfortunately, I thought this was just okay. While the premise sounded cute and loved the setting, for me, the romance fell flat. I don't think I ever understood why our main characters liked each other and Emily's inner monologue was immature at times. The dialogue was forced, some of the plot was pretty unbelievable, and I never got sucked into a story. I will say, towards the end, I felt like we were finally getting more depth from our characters but it was too little too late. I wanted to like this and I'm sad it wasn't a win for me.

Imagine growing up with a book series that meant the world to you… and it was never finished. Now imagine that you write to the author begging them to finish, and they not only respond but invite you to move to Ireland to help them finish writing it. Say what?! Maybe not the most realistic premise in the world but WHAT A DREAM!

Ever read a book at the perfect time? I went into my read of Love at First Book completely blind and I’m so glad I did. This story is such an unexpected gem. What is it about books that are about books that are complete magic?! And the setting- the perfect small town in Ireland with a bookstore hosting many of the story’s key moments. Is it obvious I loved this one?!

The narration by Brittany Pressley was absolute perfection. Her voice is so feminine so it is truly amazing how she just nails a male Irish accent. This story covers a multitude of subject matter and Pressley manages to bring humor, love and grief in the best way possible. I was impressed from start to finish!