This is more of a 3.5 star rather than a 3 star.
The premise of this was very cute, I love when a 12 year old conspires to get one or both of the main characters to fall in love. The romance between Aiden and Lucie was really sweet so this made it a really quick read for me. One thing I struggled with is that Aiden as a character felt really flat to me, his struggles for why he couldn't be with Lucie felt forced and honestly nonexistent? Like it wasn't believable to me that he was emotionally unavailable when he fell for her as soon as they met. Same thing for his breakup with her, it just felt like he was making stuff up and I really didn't see where his standoffishness came from.

5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Aiden Valentine, the jaded host of a romance radio hotline who’s secretly fallen out of love with love, finds himself in an awkward spot when one adorable, unexpected call from a young girl goes viral. That girl? Lucie Stone’s daughter, who’s determined to help her mom find love, much to Lucie’s dismay. Lucie, who thought she was content with her life, suddenly finds herself the center of attention in Baltimore. The pressure to rediscover romance, all while juggling her job and being a single mom, makes her start to question whether she’s truly happy with the status quo. Meanwhile, Aiden, terrified of losing Lucie but even more terrified of loving her, finds himself more untethered by the day.

This book was a delight. The plot was fresh and the chemistry between Aiden and Lucie made it a joy to read, but I think the most valuable addition to this story was the supporting cast. The relationship between Maya and her dads is so wholesome and inclusive and I loved everything about it. Aiden is endearingly broody but so sweet to Lucie and Maya. Just a 10/10 all around.

What you can expect to find in First Time Caller:
-forced proximity
-strangers to friends to lovers
-single mom
-found family/family bond
-tension
-she wants magic and love x he doesn’t believe in that
-she’s a mechanic

Okay hear me out - didn’t realize I was going to love this so much until I read it in First Time Caller…he has a gold chain and plays with it when he’s nervous or anxious - gah!!! (brought me back to Connell and his chain from Normal People). Okay…moving on now

THIS BOOK. This book was so so so good. I read Business Casual earlier this year and didn’t think that BK Borison could top that, but she did. I have not watched Sleepless in Seattle (maybe I need to?) so I’m not sure how to compare this book to that movie, but I will say that I was hooked right from the beginning. I loved the dynamics with all the characters in this book. From Lucie and her ex (also baby daddy) to Aiden and his co-worker/best friend Jackson. Every person in this book had an important role to play and I appreciate that none of them were there just for the sake of it.

And the relationship between Aiden and Lucie 🥹 I loved the banter and tension between these two. Ugh. This is one of those books that I wanted to fly through and at the same time I didn’t want it to end. These two were just so good for one another.

Only gripe with this book - I didn’t want it to end.

Absolutely cannot wait for the next book in the series! BK Borison is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

BK Borison is without a doubt one of my favorite romance authors!! “First Time Caller” is a sweet twist on a workplace romance. I’ve never seen the film “Sleepless in Seattle” but now I am curious to watch and see where the inspiration came from. I was immediately pulled into the story by Aiden’s personality and the unique meet cute between Aiden and Lucie.

Overall, this was a solid romance and I enjoyed many aspects of the story, such as Aiden having to set Lucie up on dates and being jealous. My favorite part is when he saves her from a bad date and they have a spontaneous night filled with tension. I liked the slow burn but it did get pretty slow paced for me in the middle. I appreciated Lucie and Aiden’s journeys to opening up to love!

Everything I could’ve ever wanted and more. Such a sweet and cozy book with the perfect amount of spice!

Why have I not read this author before?? This was freaking delightful! With some solid smut and a romance that unleashed a whole field of butterflies in my belly, I had the best time reading this.

When Lucie’s daughter calls into a nighttime love advice radio show, Heartstrings, to seek advice for HER, Lucie gets herself wrapped up in a quest for love…

Aiden is the host of Heartstrings and he is falling out of love with love. Not his head or heart is in the broadcast anymore… until Lucie. There is something about her voice, the way she moves, that he can’t stop thinking about. It started lighthearted when they invited her onto the show to help her find that special someone, but he is getting in deep… fast. They have chemistry, but he is supposed to be helping her find love.

This was adorable. Were there some things that were a little ridiculous? Yes. Of course… I rolled my eyes at the amount of cheese at times, but it was just purely a great time.

This is my first B.K. Borison novel and I had a good time! It won't be my last

What I loved…
- A++ banter
- THE TENSION!
- She’s a mechanic 💗
- Absolutely adorable Sleepless in Seattle inspired story
- 29+ FMC and MMC
- adorable family/found family dynamics
- swoony, hopeless romantic in denial MMC
- the COVER, are you kidding me? It’s perfection
- single mom


What I didn’t love…
- The first 25% is a little slow
- I wanted MORE banter and MORE tension, what we get is really good but there is not nearly enough of it!
- I did not connect with Aiden’s backstory - could be a me problem
- the conflict and reason for keeping them apart was weak

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I am obsessed with this. Not only was it a love story, but it felt like a love letter to Baltimore as well. I’m from Baltimore and I just made me so happy. The story is a sleepless in Seattle retelling and I am
Obsessed.

This is my first book by this author and I was immediately HOOKED! I am sucker for a love story but especially a love story when both MCs seem to think that love no longer exists in the world. This book follows Lucie and Aiden on an unconventional road to love. He's works at a radio station where he hosts a romance hotline and she's a mechanic with a unique family situation with a 12 year old daughter that just wants her mom to be happy. So what does she do? She calls into this romance hotline asking for advice to help her mom out.

I fell in love with both characters instantly. Aiden is s bit of a grump, but he has a good heart. He's just terrified of letting people in because of his own hurt and trauma. But then comes Lucie. A hopeless romantic at heart who takes a chance on herself and goes down the windy road of looking for love while her entire hometown chimes in. I loved that we got dual POV. With each chapter you got to know each character on a deeper level and it felt like I was cheering on my best friends for a happy ending. An absolute must-read!

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley Romance for this eARC!

WOW. Consider me charmed. I absolutely adored this book!!! I love the 90s rom com movie vibes with some adjustments to make it more modern, and so much Sleepless in Seattle vibes! It was perfection. The dialogue, the side characters (esp the men the FMC works with 🥹), and the vibes were just immaculate. Loved loved loved this!

This was a cute Sleepless in Seattle inspired book. It was enjoyable but the third act conflict was pretty obnoxious and made me annoyed with Aiden and I am not sure he redeemed himself.

This was super cute!!! I loved the Sleepless in Seattle vibes, I wish there'd been more steam though. Their chemistry was great but this was very PG and I felt like the romance build-up took too long. Overall, a cute very strong romance.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I was so excited to dive into it because I have loved BK Borison's Lovelight series and had high hopes for this one. I fell in love with Aiden within the first 2 pages, and shortly after fell for Lucie as well. I love the wit and snark those two have together.
BK Borison has a way of writing characters that you can't help but relate to and feel for them. I definitely could relate to both Aiden's emotional walls and Lucie's insecurities in finding love.

This book was disgustingly cute. There was an alarming amount of giggling and feet kicking going on over here. This is the Sleepless in Seatle for our generation and I'm so here for it.

I adored both Aiden and Lucie. Their banter was *chef's kiss.* And just the perfect amount of spice. I also appreciate that I adored Lucie's daughter too. I usually really dislike kids in romance books because they're always written in a way that doesn't match the age they're supposed to be. But Maya was a believable 12 year old and I loved her.

I just wish there were a few more scene of them in the booth together. Those were truly my favorite.

Ugh this book was cute. It is a must read for romance lovers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the eArc. All opinions are my own.

What an amazing slow burn romance!! This felt like I was watching a movie in the early 2000s. I loved this romcom and would recommend it to anyone. Aiden and Lucy were the cutest ever!!! The way they met had me squealing. Invisible string coded

This was an addictive read, filled with fully fleshed out and incredibly fun characters and a truly swoony romance that you'll be rooting for from the get-go. The only problem I had was that the reason for not getting together felt really confusing/unbelievable--but in a way where it wasn't explained super well or at least I didn't find the explanation good enough. Overall, a fun read!

this was actually so cute and I loved it. I thought there was the most perfect amount of build up to the relationship and when they finally got together it felt so victorious. The daughter definitely felt younger than 12 but I will suspend my disbelief for the plot. I liked Lucie as a character and all of the things that made up her life and thought it was a really unique story. Also when he comes to her when she's stood up and the list of favourite things, you're kidding.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! Our two leads felt fully fleshed out and tangible on their own, but of course paired together they were even better. I fully felt their chemistry and I felt like one of the listeners for their show as I eagerly rooted for them the whole time. I like that Lucie reiterated that she did already have a full life, but that she wanted this too. Will happily read more about these two in the future, if that were to ever happen.

B.K. Borison remains the absolute queen of writing devastatingly heartwarming cozy romances. This book was like coming home after a long day and snuggling up on the couch with some tea and your cat. It was like coming out of the cool water and sitting on the sun-warmed sand. I want to live in this book. As I told my friend several times while I was reading, it felt like I was injecting dopamine straight into my veins. What a beautiful love letter to love in all its forms. Lucie and Aiden have my heart forever, and so does Borison.

Oh how this book had me kicking my feet in giddiness! The premise of this book was so cute (very much along the same lines of The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon) about a daughter calling into a Baltimore Radio Station to try to help her mom get dating advice. She melts the heart of the grumpy radio host and we suddenly embark on a humorous adventure where these two characters gravitate towards one another. This had the perfect amount of cute banter and emotional storyline to make this blossoming romance seem feasible and not over the top. First Time Caller was my first book by this author, but certainly not the last after this cute little story!

And the location of this book had me all in my feels! Born and raised in Maryland I couldn't help but yelp in glee anytime a familiar landmark was mentioned or when these characters were munching on BERGER COOKIES!!!! iykyk 🦀

If I felt this way with Aiden and Lucie's book I am truly scared for my reaction to Jackson and Delilah's book coming up next because it is WEATHER! NERD! ENEMIES! TO! LOVERS! I haven't been this pumped for an upcoming rom com since Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon came out!!