Aiden hosts a late-night romance call-in radio show. Lately, his callers whine about their partners which makes Aiden not believe in love. He gets an interesting call from a 12-year-old girl who wants her mother to start dating. Lucy is a single mom and spends her time working and taking care of her daughter. Suddenly Aiden's dwindling listeners increase when this show goes viral. The radio manager asks Lucy to join Aiden on his talk show. Aiden is supposed to help Lucy find a partner but its hard when he starts having feelings for her. I loved Lucy's character. She is a mechanic and is a great mom putting her daughter first but learning she also needs to take care of herself. Aiden's character frustrated me and I wish his reasons for being so stubborn were examined earlier in the book.

I said I wanted to feel something and B.K Borison said bet. This is my first read by this author and I'm kinda obsessed, I was hooked from the moment I began reading. Aiden and Lucie were so fun to read, the premise of this book met the expectations and follow through. The only thing that threw me off was how little Maya appeared? Like for a single mother, I expected having a daughter to be far more of a factor in her looking for a relationship and a factor in who she wanted? Like I think a missed opportunity was showcasing Maya and Aiden's dynamic. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this and my god Aiden was a gem. To be loved is to be known, and that is all that I could ever want.

My first B.K. Borison book, but definitely not my last -- I loved this book!! So full of love and optimism, and just such a perfect romance read. Lucie is such a relatable character, and I loved how unabashed she was in her pursuit of the love she knew she deserved. Aiden is the perfect grumpy but lovable character, and his family history created a really powerful story of perseverance through a realistic look at family trauma. Overall just such a cute read, absolutely perfect to read around Valentine's Day when it releases on Feb 11!

I have read the Lovelight Farms series by this author and loved it, I was very excited to hear they were coming out with another book.
At first I was a but weary about the premise of the book and how it sounded but I should have trusted that this author would make it amazing and that it couldn't have ever been done differently.
It was a cute story with everything to give.

This is BK Borison’s best book. Everything from banter to chemistry to plot… so heartfelt, hope inducing, and genuine. No notes.

•Title: First Time Caller
•Author: B.K. Borison
•Genre: Romance
•Format: eARC
•Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•Premise: A mix between Sleepless and Seattle and The Bachelorette, First Time Caller is a unique and refreshing romance read. Lucie, a single mom mechanic finds herself on a Baltimore radio hotline, with the entire city trying to help her find love. Her cohost, Aiden Valentine, is a grumpy, cynical man who doesn’t believe in love. The two host the show together…but over time, they build their own relationship that complicates things.

•Thoughts: I adored this book! This was so unique and a storyline I don’t think I’ve ever read in a book. Lucie and Aiden’s chemistry and build up of feelings felt so real and believable, I was feeling butterflies for them! I’m always a sucker for the single parent trope, and this one didn’t disappoint. I loved Lucie and her daughter, Maya’s, dynamic with her ex husband Greyson. The lack of true miscommunication in this book was SO AMAZING! It had some of it, but made sense why it took place and it didn’t drive the plot. Aiden’s trauma and his sadness felt so real and raw, and my heart ached for him.
This one hooked me from the start, and I was eager to pick it back up each time I had to stop reading each day.

Easy 5 stars!!!

The writing was so good, bubbly and warm. It felt like reading a 90s romcom and it was perfect. I loved that the side characters were flushed out and hilarious. Just a really well written story that had me kicking my feet.

Such a great book! Strong, like able characters!
I love the Sleepless in Seattle esque storyline. I love how the author portrays each of the characters’ shortcomings, they both steal your heart.
This is a charming, well written, heartfelt story! Cannot wait to read more from Borison.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Did I drop everything I was doing when this ARC came in with the promise of swooning and getting overly attached to these characters because it's written by B.K. Borison? Absolutely.

This Sleepless in Seattle inspired story starts when Lucie's daughter calls into a romance hotline to help her mom find love. Little did they know Aiden, the host of the show, had secretly become pessimistic about love. The radio sponsored journey to find her love forces them to work together to get her perfect match.

Lucie and Aiden omgggggg. Their chemistry and banter is off the charts. Truly if they had a podcast or radio show, I would listen to it.

In true fashion similar to Lovelight farms, there's found family and side characters who you just love and hope that you see more of!

Overall, I really liked this one! There's humor, romance, and just great vibes. I'll miss the Lovelight farms setting but can't wait to see what more this series has in store for Heartstrings!

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC 🖤

This book was truly amazing! The characters have so much life to them and this is one of the best written pre-teens I’ve read about. Not too cringey and very funny! I loved the humor and the lighthearted nature of the book, but also the more meaningful and sweet moments. One of the best contemporary romances I’ve read to date!

well that was freaking delightful. literally no notes.

- loved lucie, loved aidan, loved the side characters
- the banter and the chemistry and the spice were all A+ (and the spice/tension was balanced well with real emotional connection)
- even the third act conflict was good (not unnecessary miscommunication, but actual valid feelings that felt real and natural)

i already can't wait for the next heartstrings book!

First Time Caller by B.K. Borison
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heartstrings series, book one

Pub date: February 11, 2025

I devoured this one. 🔥 B.K. Borison has slowly but surely become a favorite for happy romances for me!

Inspired by Sleepless in Seattle, this has all of my favorite vibes. The writing creates realistic chemistry and the dialogue + scenes were top tier.

I loved the way that the FMC slowly gave the MMC back the hope that he had lost, without even realizing it. 🥹💞

Perfect for you if you like:
Single mom + healthy coparenting
Inspired by Sleepless in Seattle
Just a kiss to get it out of our systems
Bad idea romance
Grumpy MMC
Easy to skip 🌶️

Such a cute story. Both Aiden and Lucie were so likable in their journey. I typically don’t like single parent tropes, but I enjoyed that Lucie was still friends with Maya’s father and it wasn’t like Aiden was applying to become her new father. I’ve only read one other book by this author and enjoyed this one so much more!

I am new to this author, and honestly the genre as a whole. I am trying to expand my reading list and was hoping this would be a good introduction. Turns out I was right- this book is thoroughly enjoyable and fills the gap left behind from the lack of rom-com films being produced right now. I found the dialogue really humorous at times (my inner voice read most of it at a dead pan monotone which might have helped a little). It had about the perfect amount of spice, really focusing on the build up. I would absolutely recommend this for someone trying to dip their toes into the genre without wanting to be overwhelmed.

First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison was a cute read. I will always pick up anything that is remotely Nora Ephron coded and this was very much a Sleeping in Seattle retelling. I felt like it might have been a little too close to the original source material, though. It was still an enjoyable read, though. The female main character was delightful for the most party. I loved that she was a mechanic and really enjoyed the family dynamics. The male main character felt a little flat and I was just frustrated by him. It was still an enjoyable read and most romance readers will definitely enjoy this.

I loved this book so much! I love the Sleepless in Seattle type story, I really enjoyed Lucie and Grayson's family dynamic. I think it was really powerful how neither of them had a relationship with their family of origin but it wasn't this painful thing that needed to be fixed, they had their own found family which was really beautiful. I enjoyed Aiden's closed off-ness and watching him grow. The dialogue in the book was fun and quick and funny. I never wanted this book to end. I'd read a million books in this world. I also love the radio show aspect of it. Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC!

First Time Caller
Rating: 👍🏼 liked it
Spice: 🌶️

Lucie has everything in her life that she needs; a job as a boss lady mechanic, a baby daddy who she adores, his husband who she also adores (and who happens to live next door, making split custody so much easier) her 12 year old daughter and her best friend who owns the bakery down the street. The one thing she doesn’t have is love. And it turns out she’s not looking because dating sucks. men suck. romance is a fairytale and you shouldn’t have to “try” to be in love, it should just happen. Right? Lucies daughter Ava, doesn’t agree. After calling into a late night radio romance show and exposing her mom’s lack of love, to all of Baltimore, Lucie gets talked into being on the radio show. Lucies Road to Love with Aiden Valentine. Baltimores grumpiest romance radio host. On her road to romance, Aiden realizes that Lucie is way better than the losers calling in to have a chance with her. This show will either end with Lucies Heartstrings being held together with a new beau, or radio silence.

I wanted to love this so badly. But for me it fell flat in so many areas. This was a slow burn… the slowest of burns. The beginning was fun and quirky getting to know the characters and their roles in each others lives, then lost me with the same situations over and over until Lucie and Aiden realize that they’ve been flirting on air for all of Baltimore since night one. I love Aiden and Lucie together, their banter is fun and light but it took forever for them to realize it. Then the show just ended and it felt like it took the story with it.

This book had me hooked immediately. Although I do not normally read romance, I love myself a good 80s and 90s RomCom and this book made me feel all of those feelings and more. Not only are the two characters we follow so charming, but the supporting character are positively delightful.

The dynamics in this story seem to flow so naturally that all of the relationships seemed so simple and easy and believable in the best way. I absolutely adored all of the personalities mixed in and coming together to make us love these two characters in Aiden and Lucie.

A Sleepless in Seattle inspired romcom?! Say no more. I’m there.
This was everything I wanted in a romance novel. I loved it. 5 stars!!!!

Arc review: 5 ⭐️
I just feel so warm and fuzzy. I read this on a sleepless red eye to Rome. It felt like falling in love. It was warm and rich and while I may be starting this vacation sleep deprived, I feel zero ounce of regret. This book is a pizza shared in a blanket fort. My favorite BK book to date!

Thank you Berkley for the arc!