This BOOK!!!!!!!!! This felt like a 90's romcom in the best way. I read it in one sitting. I think this series is going to become very beloved -BK is soon to become a household favourite if I have anything to say about it!

Some moments felt adorable, but other parts felt kind of blah. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't love it as much as I thought I would. Overall, the writing is quite well done; however, the pacing is inconsistent and feels somewhat prolonged due to its length.

This series is for my Nora Ephron, 90s romcom lovers! First Time Caller has got all the Sleepless in Seattle vibes but with a fun twist and releasing just in time for Valentines Day 💗

✨ "if he wanted to he would"
✨ meet cute
✨ slow burn
✨ grumpy x sunshine

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight. When I tell you nothing makes me swoon more than when a jaded man falls HARD for the love interest. This is a big warm hug with a side of cookies.

Thank you to berkley romance and netgalley for the advanced e-readers copy of this cutie book!

Real romance is BACK.

Inspired by rom-com classic Sleepless in Seattle, First-Time Caller follows two people — romance radio host Aiden Valentine, who ironically has fallen out of love with love, and Lucie Stone, single mother who's a hopeless romantic just waiting for magic to find her. One late night, Lucie's devious daughter Maya decides to play matchmaker and call into Heartstrings, asking for advice. When Lucie finds out and steps in, her snappy conversation with Aiden ends up going viral, earning her an invite onto their show. And the rest...is history.

I think I was first really impressed with the plot and the pacing. It's been a long time since I read a contemporary romance where I felt like the story was allowed to breathe. The book took the time to set up its characters — main and side — before the story began. It took the time to bring our leads together in a way that actual makes sense. And finally, it took the time to have our leads actually fall in love, communicate, and put in the effort to be together. In a world where so many romance novels just throw trope after trope at its audience, this was so refreshing.

I really loved both the main characters as well. They each have their demons, sure, but they genuinely feel like very real and very kind people who make mistakes and then grow from them. Once again, in a world where so many books give their love interests snappy and easy-to-go-viral one-liners, I found the conversations between Lucie and Aiden so relatable and down-to-earth. Even the parts you'd think might come off as cheesy didn't, and I had such a goofy grin on my face reading their every interaction.

Maybe the one thing I would have asked for more from this would have been seeing more of Lucie's daughter and having Maya interact with Aiden more. While being a single mom is in no way the biggest part of Lucie's character, the family theme gives us some really heart-warming moments and is still really important. I would have loved to see more of those moments.

Nevertheless, this was so dang fun! And I cannot wait for the next in the series and all the butterflies it will give me.

This was so cute and perfect for Valentine’s Day time! It was cute and upbeat. A perfect amount of spice in my opinion. I loved the characters and the story. And not really a third act breakup. I really liked this one!

This book felt like pure magic!! 🥹 so romantic and heartfelt. I truly felt like a 90s rom-com in a book.

I loved the main character Lucie. She’s such hopeless romantic in the best way. She showcases such a quiet and realistic strength. I really loved how it showed the different ways she had love in her life through her daughter, and the dynamic she had with her daughter’s dad and husband. It was such a unique and beautiful family dynamic.

Aiden was such a complex character. While he was grumpy on the outside he was such a sweetheart on the inside. The list of her favorite things?!?! I melted!!!

Overall, such a fun and cute read. The PERFECT book for live month! 💘

One of the best books I’ve read. I am absolutely in love with Aiden and Lucie’s story. There is so much cuteness, love, and emotional poured into every single page! I cannot recommend this one enough and I am eternally grateful I was able to read it! 🥹💖

First-Time Caller is a well written and humorous romance by B.K. Boris on that pulls from many romcom inspirations but I feel tries to pack in too much into a pretty simple but good story of a hopeless romantic and a cynic who bring out love in each other.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for this arc!

I believe B.K. Borison has truly written 2020's equivalent of Nora Ephron's iconic film Sleepless in Seattle but in novel form!

Our story starts with Aiden Valen(tine), a radio host of Baltimore's Heartstrings where he gives out relationship advice despite his pessimism towards romance and love in general. One night, a young girl calls into the show in regards to helping her mom find love. From here, we're introduced to Lucie and her daughter Maya along with a cast of fantastic side characters. Their moment on Heartstrings goes viral online thus causing Lucie to be added onto the show to kickstart her own "Road to Romance". I loved this book's humor and romance; it made me feel as if I were watching a classic romcom! The characters were endearing and the plot was paced phenomenally. This was my first B.K. Borison book but certainly not my last! This was pure magic!

this freaking book!!! Love.

Thanks to @berkleyromance for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 do you have any big plans for today? It’s my husband’s bday! He’s sick so we’re hanging out at home, but I’m hoping for some quality couch time later!

I’m late to the BK Borison party, but now I can see what all of the raves have been about. First-Time Caller was a warm, romantic, hot cocoa-with-heat of a book. I loved it!

Aiden & Lucie are lonely & both are disillusioned by love / the work that goes into finding it. Then Lucie’s daughter calls into the romance hotline that Aiden mans, & Lucie eventually agrees to feature on Aiden’s show as she goes on a mild quest to find love.

These two are perfect together. I found myself thinking toward the beginning of the book that I didn’t have to worry about any angst coming my way because it was so clear that they were meant to be.

Their conversations, the way they take care of each other, his protectiveness, her unwillingness to give up, the precious life they’ve built by the end…

It filled my heart with so much joy.

5 ⭐️, out 02/11.

CWs: parental estrangement, parent who has cancer

[ID: Jess holds the ebook in front of white, orange, & pink floral wallpaper]

THIS WAS PERFECTION. I loved everything about this book.

The second I found out B.K. Borison was writing a trilogy based on my favorite Nora Ephron movies, I was ALL IN. I obviously had to rewatch Sleepless in Seattle after reading this last month. The vibes were on point.

Lucie and Aiden are perfect for each other. I absolutely adored them and loved the connection they formed both on and off the radio. The chemistry is palpable. The banter is hilarious. 1000/10 would recommend! 💕

First Time Caller is also full of amazing side characters - I love Jackson and can’t wait for his book! He’s absolutely hilarious - especially when he unexpectedly has to cover Aiden’s show 🤣 - and I’m so excited to learn more about him.

If you love classic rom-coms, make sure you pick this up!

First-Time Caller was a book that reminded me why I love the romance genre. B.K. Borison called it "a love letter to love" and that is a perfect way to describe it. Exploring all forms of love - 'romantic, lost love, first love, best friend love, child and parent love, and especially self-love! It was a story of learning to open yourself up again and that there's magic out there waiting to be found.
Authentic banter, delectable writing, and tender, feel good moments- this had me giggling, kicking my feet, and wetting my shirt with tears.
It truly did evoke the nostalgic and heartwarming feelings you get while watching those classic rom-coms.
This story feels like if you pinch zoomed in on Baltimore and found Lucie, a single mom mechanic that has given up on finding love but still holds onto that hopeless romantic part of her that says "I want the magic."
One night her daughter, Maya, secretly dials into Heartstrings, Baltimore's Romance Hotline, for some dating advice for Lucie where she is introduced to Aiden, the grumpy and reluctant late night radio show host that has closed himself off to love.
I related to Aiden on a fundamental level which made me really deeply connect with this story. Of loving things from a distance so that it hurts less. And being reminded that real-life magic exists all around us in all the forms of love was a beautiful thing to experience.

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 4/5
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥☄️ (0-5) I bump up for public places, but very few scenes total.

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 My thoughts at 79%: Now this is slow burn goooooooodness that is soooooooo worth it. ❤️‍🔥🫠 The slow burn is full of captivating plot, swoony chemistry, and beguiling banter!!! And the steam is like a fireworks show, when they do a little tester then finally the real show! Please give me a finale! 🎆 🎇
🤩 Oh my gosh—what a “meet-cute!” It’s just so captivating! And how it becomes a double type meet cute! Because the first is through the radio.
🤩 I loooooove a radio show romance!!
🤩 These two narrators are fantastic and entertaining!
🤩 The mini radio sections are so cleverly in duet, while the rest is dual narrators.
🤩 So raw and real and vulnerable and hottttttttt!!
🤩 Oh, wow, the chemistry between them is fabulous. And the sound room forced proximity is so good!
🤩 Lucie Stone is a single mom with a cute tween! Beautiful family with LGBTQIA+ representation.
🤩 Fun banter!
🤩 Great plot—the dates for the show are fun, and pity nuts too! 😅🤣
🤩 I just loooooove how the radio station call at the beginning comes full circle at the end!

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 I’m just not sure I believe Aiden’s complete 180° after one conversation with his dad. He probably needs some therapy. I do believe he’ll work hard at his relationship with Lucie, but he might need a little help along the way.
💫The slow-burn fireworks show was fantastic, but I was really hoping for a finale!
💫 Hathaway Lee was perfectly cast as Lucie, but I’m on the fence about the male narrator. E.J. Bingham has a beautiful voice (he’s very young sounding, reminding me of Neil Patrick Harris) but it kept making me think he was a teenager, more immature than I wanted to be thinking about Aiden. I think I’d like to hear him in something new adult.

“I like thinking that I’d be worth the trouble.”

My first read from B.K. Borison and already one of my top reads of the entire year.

This book is raw and honest. Each character is unapologetically themselves and it’s refreshing. I love Lucie and her makeshift family—I love how happy they are altogether. I love how she’s not afraid to be herself and ask for what she wants out of the people in her life.

But then there’s Aiden. And oh my god…the way that I swooned over this man. There’s something incredibly unique about him. He’s self-deprecating and cynical in his own mind, but when he interacts with others? He’s honest and down to earth and truly someone I’d love to know personally. He felt different from every other MMC I’ve ever read—and I mean that in the best of ways.

“I like that. Thinking that I’m worth paying attention to. Something ordinary made extraordinary by the person you’re sharing it with.”

This book might be one of the most well-balanced stories I’ve ever read. It has the perfect amount of soul-searching, family time, and romance-seeking. It is well-balanced in scenes of friendship and in the pacing of the developing romance. The characters are real and believable and make you root for them from the very beginning—both from their awkward first radio call and their first even-more-awkward in-person meeting…complete with dental innuendos and all. I mean, how could it not be perfect when it all starts with Lucie’s twelve-year-old daughter calling into a romance hotline radio show in hopes of finding love for her mom?

“Aiden?…Do you think I’ll get my magic?”
“Nah, Lucie…I think you’re the magic.”

If there was one love story I would wish on everyone…it would be this one. Something pure, real, and genuine. Something filled with love before either character is even aware of it. Something that brings more to your life without ever making you feel like you’re missing out on something else.

“I thought, maybe just this one, you could have the love you deserve too.”

I cannot express enough how much I love every part of this story, except to say this: you need to read it.

You’ll fall for Aiden + Lucie too if you love:
- Sworn off love
- Only you
- He falls first
- f*ck it moment
- Meddling family
- Radio show
- Friends to lovers
- Sleepless in Seattle
- Forced proximity
- Single mom
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Romcom

Thank you @berkleyromance and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
If you are missing a traditional romcom, similar to Sleepless in Seattle I have the book for you! Aiden is the host of a romance hotline radio show but he’s feeling a bit pessimistic and stuck in a rut. That is until he received an interesting call that caught his attention. In walked Lucie into his life. This was a sweet one perfect for Valentine’s Day week.

"First-Time Caller" was an absolute delight from beginning to end. Lucie is a wonderfully endearing main character, and it’s impossible not to root for her throughout the story. I loved her unconventional family dynamic and her role as a mechanic—it was refreshing to see a romantic lead who isn’t overly feminized. Women don’t need makeup, dresses, or black lingerie to be sexy, and Lucie embodies that effortlessly.
The chemistry between Lucie and Aiden was filled with swoon-worthy tension, making their connection all the more compelling. I would have loved to dive deeper into Aiden’s personal struggles and see more of his interactions with Lucie’s daughter, as those moments added depth to his character.
The writing is engaging, the characters are lovable, and the romance delivers everything you’d hope for in a contemporary Baltimore romance, hon. ;)
This was my first book by B.K. Borison, and now I can’t wait to read more!
Thanks to NetGallery and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this eBook in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! B.K. Borison is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Everything she writes is a must-read, and this was no different. She has such a knack for writing characters that feel so real. I really loved the relationship between Lucie and Maya, and thought it was so heartwarming how much Maya just longed for her mom to be happy. I also really loved the way the relationship between Lucie and Aiden felt so natural. He was so easy to talk to for her, and the way he interacted with Maya throughout the book was also adorable. I can't wait for the sequel to this one!

This book, y’all. This book! It was just what I needed right now. So sweet, so swoony, so lovely.

After Lucie’s 12-year old daughter calls in to Baltimore’s love radio show with concerns about Lucie’s (lack of a) love life, Lucie ends up co-hosting with grumpy, love-averse Aiden. Neither were expecting the crackling chemistry, especially as they aren’t looking for the same things.

I adored these two characters along with the family/found family. The character growth made sense and I loved seeing these two really figure things out.

🩷💕 PUB DAY REVIEW 💕🩷

@authorbkborison contemporary take on classic tropes and a nod to a forever favorite film makes First-Time Caller nothing short of a delightful read - warm chocolate-chip cookies delivered to your door, delightful. 

Lucie is relatable and funny, thoughtful and brave. Aiden is a breath of fresh air on the page. You can't not like him. I dare you. He's a good one. We love those. 

These two are ✨M.F.E.O.✨ and I adore them together. There is a familiarity, believable vulnerability, and trust from the start. Their connection is special and their interactions are compelling, illustrated by a subtle gesture or gentle observation that is captured by Borison's honest writing.

I remember when the news of First-Time Caller ☎️ broke and I was doing cartwheels. Maybe because I grew up on films like Sleepless in Seattle, While You Were Sleeping, and Someone Like You, while also dreaming of which Nora Ephron kitchen I was going to spend eternity in.

Maybe because I have a thing for snow globes, Christmas cookies, a mother's love, and the radio. Many adolescent angsty nights were spent recording "The Delilah Show" ❤️

This book is a perfect way to celebrate love 💕 and at the right time. To remind us why romance is necessary in both life and in fiction.

A whole lot of funny, flirty dialogue, smiles, and that cozy fuzzy feeling... a memorable cast of characters, a setting that is everything I love about the historical and cultural landscape of U.S. cities, and finally... that glittery spark of (insert Meg Ryan's voice) →⁠→ ✨m-a-g-i-c✨

Happy, Happy Pub Day to the author - we met in an elevator once and I tried to mask my inner fan girl and say hello without making it awkward, and in the process forgot to introduce myself. Hopefully, you don't remember me. 

And thank you to Berkley 💕📚 @berkleyromance for my first Advanced Reader Copy from your team. I was honored to receive one.

I adored this book, and will definitely be going back to read everything else Borison has written. Lucie was such a cool FMC, I love that she is a single mom to a preteen & a car mechanic. I will always eat up the storyline where one character is helping the other to find love and is blind to their own feelings as they slowly become jealous of other suitors. This story is the best blend of humor, spice, and emotional vulnerability and growth. The cast of side characters are compelling and add both humor & depth to the story.

E.J. Bingham & Hathaway Lee were spot on with their audiobook narration and really brought Aiden & Lucie’s banter to life! I loved listening to this story because I felt like I was listening in to the Heartstrings radio show.

Thank you to Berkley & NetGalley for my digital copy and to PRH Audio for my audiobook copy of this book. This review is voluntary, and all opinions expressed are my own.