Sleepless in Seattle meets the 21st Century! Watching Aiden & Lucie fall for each other and banter on the Heartstrings radio show gave me butterflies. A swoony romance about two people trying to find the magic in their lives. BK Borison continues to write some of the best contemporary romances out there!

Holy freaking masterpiece.

I’m contemplating trying pineapple on pizza (again), I want a Heartstrings sweatshirt with Lucie & Aiden written in a heart, I am about ready to reread this book because it made me giggle, laugh out loud, smiled to the point my cheeks were sore and cried. Because yes, there are a few scenes that pull on your Heartstrings.

if there is a book to put on your TBR this is it.

I am hungover, so thankful for having the opportunity to read an advanced copy, but I am unwell and may need to sit in a corner and review all my highlights and think about Lucie and Aiden.

SIX STARS⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I seriously don't know what to do with myself. This has to be the best romance book I have ever read. The way I fell head over heels for Aiden Valen... I was physically giggling and kicking my feet at this book. 💖 The CHEMISTRY between him and Lucie is unmatched. If you want a story with great vibes and banter/interactions that'll make you swoon, add First-Time Caller to your TBR right now!
This story also had so much DEPTH!
Omg, I cried the last 10% straight of this book.
The interaction with his dad... omg. SOBBING. IYKYK

I can not believe I was privileged to read this as an ARC. I will 10000000% be buying a physical copy as soon as this comes out! 👏🏼
Side note: I have never seen Sleepless in Seattle *I KNOW* and now plan on making it a top priority after reading this story which was a retelling.
I can not wait for the other books in this series.

This was my first ever read by B.K. Borison and I will add everything she has ever written to my tbr. OMG. I have never seen someone create a more magical connection.

Thank you so much, NetGalley for this advanced readers copy of First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison!

Imagine being the host of a romance hotline while you no longer believe in true love. That’s a bit of a problem. But when a call from a young girl asking for dating advice for her mom goes viral everything changes. Lucie thought she was happy and fine without romance but when everyone starts scrutinizing her relationship she’s forced to reconsider. Everyone is rooting for Lucie to find her happy ending. As sparks begin to fly behind the scenes Lucy makes one final call.

I’m speechless. BK Borison continues to write incredible books and my heart can’t handle it. The tension and chemistry between Aiden and Lucy is unmatched. I live for the slow burn office romance.

I adore the relationship Lucy has with her daughter who’s just too cute as well as her co-parents. They all get along really well and that they’re pushing Lucy to finally do something for herself. Her child will always come first but her own happiness matters too.

Just like Borisons other books this one features a dual pov, HOT spicy scenes and plenty of banter. This one’s a big yes for me, definitely one to look forward too. It’ll be released on February 11 2025!

Read this if you like
🩷Single mother trope
💫Forced proximity
🫶🏼Opposites attract
🔥Slow burn

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 /5 stars

First Time Caller is the perfect start to a new series by B.K. Borison. The series is an ode to Nora Ephron films (genius) and this one is a spin on Sleepless in Seattle. Aiden, host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, has fallen out of love with love. However, when a young girl calls in about finding love for her mom, the interview goes viral and Aiden meets his match - Lucie. Everyone wants Lucie to find love, but could Aiden be the answer to her problems?

I adored this book. Nora Ephron films are about 90% of my personality, so this series is basically the best thing to ever happen. I need all of the books NOW. An excellent start to an exciting new series.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love BK Borrison ALMOST as much as sleepless in Seattle. So I was super excited about this book, and overall I enjoyed it. I wish that I found the main male character a little more likable. The female main character was extremely likable, and there were points in the story where I wanted better for her than her love interest. I loved her daughter and her unconventional family. I loved that she had a job as a mechanic, because I think that women working in trades are underrepresented overall. I came around on the male main character, but she was definitely the stronger of the two for me. The author is definitely setting up another series, and while I was a teensy bit underwhelmed by this one, I am still very much here for it.

This was such a fun book! i absolutely adored every single thing! the characters, the plot, the writing, the cover! it was such a wonderful book! definitely adding this to my collection

I was so excited to see how this story was going to go, and did not disappoint! Definitely took me longer than it usually does to read, but I enjoyed it when I did end up picking it back up. Love how the dynamic was different between Lucie and her ex, and the relationship they all had with her daughter, Maya rather than the usual trope we see. It felt fresh and I loved to see Lucie have her own career and life figured out—except for her love life. Aiden’s character was so perfectly flawed that I couldn’t help but love him. His quirks and moments of understanding, the monologues about how he felt about Lucie—so freaking cute!! The only thing that felt a little confusing was why he wanted to stay away and couldn’t be with her. I get that he had trauma from his past, but it just didn’t feel like the stakes were high enough for it to be so drawn out. My favourite is definitely Maya, and that epilogue was the cutest. Overall, a fun read!

This was the first book I have read by this author, and I have officially added B.K. Borison into my author rotation! This book is giving "early 2000's rom-com movie" vibes with these lead characters. This book gives realistic portrayals of how people can meet and fall in love. Not that I don't love a good Billionaire MMC, but this book gives its readers a healthy dose of reality when it comes to finding love - relatable jobs, relatable family structures, and a relatable relationship. I would defiantly recommend this book!

thank you net galley for the arc!
my rating is 3.75
this is such a february coded book!!! the main characters “meet cute” was very unique and quite funny. the book was cute, a little predictable at times, but overall a fun read. I absolutely loved the main characters dynamic with her family (ex hubby and his partner) those scenes felt so cozy. typically i don’t like kids in books but her kid was cute. I found the love interests chemistry came randomly. idk how else to explain it.

A single mother finds her daughter on the phone late at night with a man. She takes the phone from her only to find out that her daughter called a Romance hotline. The radio host explains to the mother that her daughter called in because she is concerned that her mom is lonely.

The radio show is known for discussing love and how to find it. The host then asks the mom why she is single, and she informs him that she is waiting for magic. She does not want to settle for less and wants to experience the type of love written about in books and movies. Her call goes viral, and a few days later, she gets an offer from the radio show owner. They want to help her find love!!

This love story was lovely. I adore every single character. They all made you fall in love with the plot line and the two main characters. This story has a unique plot, and I was hooked on chapter one.

I really enjoyed First-Time Caller! This book has Sleepless in Seattle vibes, with a tween girl calling into a radio station’s dating advice show to get advice for her mom, Lucie. When the call goes viral, Lucie is thrust into the spotlight and agrees to appear on the show to find dates. She’s not counting on being more interested in the grumpy host, Aiden, than any of the guys who call in wanting to go out with her.

It’s a super cute setup, but the story started to drag for me in the middle. It takes Aiden and Lucy FOREVER to finally make a move on each other. There aren’t any subplots happening, either, which slowed the pacing. The book starts picking up steam (literally) once they begin exploring their attraction to each other. My frustration with the pacing may just be a me issue, as slow burns aren’t my favorite.

I loved the world B.K. Borison created with the radio station and Baltimore setting. There’s also a great cast of secondary characters. Overall, this is a heartwarming, well-written romance that I’ll be recommending to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

BEYONNDDD cute and fun. i loved every second of this book! the characters … the plot… the chemistry WOOOOW love

before i say anything, i NEED to say this… when you get your hands on this do yourself a solid and think of theo james and olivia cooke for the MCs bc HOT DAMN 😩😂 they were all i could think of and it was so hard for me to get anywhere in the story at first bc i would think about them and then run to google to stare at pictures of how pretty they both are 😂

while i ended up loving this book, it was honestly really hard for me to get invested in. right off the bat i was obsessed with both lucie and aiden and how they came to meet but after they met and the first few radio sessions went by it felt a tad monotonous, then it would pick up for a few and become fun, just for it to kinda slow down again. i felt this stop and go until after the 3rd failed date, after that i was having the best time and didnt want to put this one down. however since that is 61% of the book thats my reasoning for bumping it down to a four star read.

alexa, play the bolter by taylor swift. my dear sweet dumb aiden how i wish you would have pulled your head out of your butt a little faster. this man had been in love with lucie from the very damn start but oof did he let his trauma really get in his way. i would have loved to see more fun life things together post actually declaring their love for one another. i loved how lucie handled the situation and him, however i wish she didnt have to as these two came so easy to eachother when those commitment issues were checked out.

overall i loved them, i loved how unique this book felt to me. the slow burn is delicious and worth it in the end, and i honestly cant wait to see where this series takes us because if its anything like lovelight farm im going to LOVE all of these books bk puts out for it 🩷

Okay, this book was perfection. I'd really fallen into a romance slump and this brought me BACK (bless you B.K. Borison!)

First things first: even though this is a lovingly done tribute to Sleepless in Seattle, it absolutely stands on its own. It feels like settling in to watch what you know is going to be your new favorite romcom.

Secondly, I loooove a slow burn with idiots who don't realize they're falling in love, and Lucie and Aiden are those idiots to a T. Both of them felt so genuine and real, so l rooted for them from the jump. There's no sudden miscommunication out of nowhere or something totally stupid that switches up the story; it's just two people who are finding their way. They're sweet and soft and sexy as hell, in all their magic and messiness. (Also, for my fellow Murphy Brown lovers out there? Aiden feels very Peter Hunt to me, and Jackson is Miles Silverberg but I digress.)

Third, the writing itself is just spot-on! None of it felt off or out of place to me, and I was immersed the entire time. It helped, too, that I seriously loved all of the side characters. I especially appreciate how even though this is, of course, a romance novel, love in all its forms is presented and felt throughout: parental love, platonic love, etc. It created such a sweet bubble to tell the story within.

I was really excited from the cover art and synopsis to read this, and I was NOT disappointed - and now I can't wait to read more in this series.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.)

In B.K. Borison’s *Heartstrings*, a disillusioned radio host and a seemingly content single mother are brought together by a viral advice segment, sparking unexpected romance. This cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired tale blends charm and humor as the characters navigate love’s complications both on and off the airwaves.

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!