I absolutely adored this one. It’s a Sleepless in Seattle inspire romance that is a perfect Valentine’s (or anytime) week read. It follows single mom Lucie, having an encounter with radio love-line host Adain Valentine, after her daughter makes a late night call to the show. Their chemistry is electric and Aiden’s viewers eat up there banter, but sparks are flying between them in real life. The ending was so sweet I now have diabetes. I’m still swooning over it…

I loved the unique premise of the radio show and the way that the story was set up. I thought the FMC and MMC often had great banter and loved how it had the backdrop of the radio show to highlight it. I loved all of the side characters, especially Maya! At the same time, I thought that the side characters as well as many of the plot lines beyond the relationship were undeveloped, like Lucie's life as a single mom/her relationship with Maya and Aiden's relationship with his family. By the 50% mark, I felt somewhat disconnected as a result and kind of flew through the rest of the book without many thoughts. I did enjoy this a lot more than when I read the first Lovelight Farms and am not opposed to continuing with this series.

let’s freaking go. I finally understand the BK Borison hype. Eveything about this was perfection. I cannot wait to continue to read the rest of her backlist asap. Fantastic!!

Darling.

Simply darling.

First-Time Caller is a novel you want to stick in your bones long after you finish it. I fell deeply for the characters and their exploration into romance and love. The entire story was tender and precious to the core. This is a reread for sure (and that is a rare thing).

BK Borison is the author to read.

Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy.

First, thank you to the publisher for the early read. I love the author and after reading her prior series, I knew I had to read this one. It's so cozy and lovely. The main characters are so sweet and wonderful and you're just rooting for them the whole time. What a fun and delightful read.

This was a fun book with a lot of charm. I don't often like romances with children, but in this case, the kid really worked. What worked less for me was a male main character who "doesn't do relationships." It's a tired source of conflict for me personally, and I wish we could have dug deeper. Similarly, I am not personally someone who has issues with reading about death and cancer, but it seems a little overused as a source of trauma in romance these days, especially for a book that does not need to be that heavy. Still overall really fun. This book has some similarities with Linda Holmes' Back After This!

A gorgeous look at love and putting yourself out there. This spin on Sleepless in Seattle sees Lucie, a single mother, joining Aiden on his romance radio show to try and find love. This book perfectly captures the feeling of falling in love and all the butterflies and roller coaster emotions along the way.

Aiden did not expect to fall down a rabbit hole of emotions after giving up on love for so long. But here he was, fighting tooth and nail as he found himself helping a single mother whose daughter called his romance hotline. Now the entire city of Baltimore is watching and waiting to see what will happen to them next.

This story is so cute. I love a good romance, so the idea that there is a romance hotline intrigued me. Lucie joining Aiden on the radio to find her true love is a fun idea. He is such a grouch and cynical character, so watching him lose himself in his feelings for Lucie made me giddy. He paid attention to everything she loved, and the friendship turned into so much more.

This is a slow romance as Lucie is trying to find love in other men. It did not bother me because they both had a lot of growing up to do. The friendship helped build a solid foundation for their romance. I kind of wished that Lucie’s daughter was around a bit more. Lucie was always working, out dating, or around Aiden.

Despite me loving this, the story is so predictable. There are moments when the author drags it out and you want something exciting to happen. The cheese factor is on high and makes some scenes a bit cringe but overall, I still enjoyed it.

Fan fans of B.K. Borison, you are in for a treat with this new series. While, it may not have been the best story that I have read by her, it left me smiling. I can’t wait to see what is next.

~ Samantha

First-Time Caller, by BK Borison, is a contemporary romance revolving around a call in radio show and is compared to Sleepless in Seattle.

Aiden Valentine hosts Baltimore's late night romance hotline and, even though this is his job and Valentine is his name, he's not sure he believes in love. The callers he gets to the show often just complain or share heartache. He wants nothing to do with that. Until 12-year old Maya calls on behalf of her mother, Lucie. Lucie Stone overhears her daughter whispering on the phone when she is supposed to be sleeping and finds her daughter called in and chatting with Aiden about dating advice for Lucie. Suddenly, the call goes viral, the station wants more of Aiden and Lucie, and the whole city is rooting for Lucie to find true love. And Aiden realizes that he's falling for Lucie, but will he tell her in time, or let love slip by?

This is a new series by BK Borison. After having read a couple from the author's Lovelight Farms series I thought I'd give this a try. Well, I should have known better. I, personally, found the open door love scenes a little too much and was hoping this series would not be as explicit, but it was just the same. I think I will stay away from this author for that personal reason. I did enjoy the banter and the storyline in this book, so I will rate based on that, but I chose not to finish this one based on the above reasons.

I think if you enjoy romance, spice, and cute banter, you'll enjoy First-Time Caller by BK Borison.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was such a cute rom-com! I loved Lucie and Aiden so much. Seeing their relationship grow over the course of Lucie's time on Heartstrings was very adorable. Their chemistry and banter was super strong right from the beginning of the novel, but overall, their romance was so gentle and magical. I really loved the community that surrounded Lucie by the end of the novel--not just Maya, Grayson, and Mateo, but also Aiden, Jackson, Maggie, and all of Heartstring's listeners. The ending of this book was super sweet too, especially with Aiden's line, "Long-time listener, first-time caller," and the full-circle moment at Skulldaggery cafe (IYKYK). I'm super excited for the next book in this series, following Jackson and Delilah, next!

I’ve never seen Sleepless in Seattle (I know I KNOW I need to) but I enjoyed this book. It felt so sweet and wholesome and I really loved the characters and the plot. I definitely cheered for the FMC and MMC to end up together. The only negative for me was the spicy scenes. Don’t get me wrong, I love spice. I read a lot of it. I read a lot of books where there is nothing but spice. But the premise of this book just felt so wholesome and innocent that the spicy parts felt weird to me… out of place. I honestly would have been really happy with just kissing and a HEA for these two!

Thank you so much to BK, Berkley, and NetGalley for the early read! It truly means so much.

Sometimes a girl just wants a guy who is sweet, has boundaries, and is also just so ravenously into her. First-Time Caller hit every note I wanted when it comes to a contemporary romance.
This was my first time reading anything by B.K. Borison and I can't wait to check out her other books. The beginning of the story started out a little slow for me. I wasn't instantly hooked by the Sleepless in Seattle-esque meet-cute. However, around 20% of the way in, once the in-person banter got going, I was invested.
There were only a few spicy scenes and all but one were just intense make-outs, but that was perfect. It wasn't cringy or weird. Instead, it was the ideal result of pages of pining. I was very impressed with how Borison balanced the story with the spice.
I will definitely read from Borison again and would recommend her books to people who like Emily Henry.
Thank you to B.K. Borison and Berkley for an eARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

First-Time Caller" by B.K. Borison is a heartwarming contemporary romance that beautifully blends love, family, and second chances. The story follows Aiden Valentine, a cynical radio host, and Lucie Stone, a single mom unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight when her daughter calls into his show. Their connection unfolds in a charming, authentic way that keeps readers rooting for them. With relatable characters, witty dialogue, and a touch of media frenzy, this novel captures the magic of unexpected romance. It’s perfect for fans of modern love stories with a dash of classic rom-com flair.

I absolutely loved this delightful rom-com of a book! Full of different kids of love (friendship, family, and romance), this was a fun and easy read that was so perfect for Valentines Day!

This was such a cute romcom with a spin I have never read before.

We get to meet Lucie, a mechanic/single mom to a lovely tweenager girl, who gets tossed into the dating scene via a late night romance radio show her daughter called into. Cue the shenanigans.

Aidan is Heartstrings local romance radio host who has fallen out of the idea of love and is just plain grumpy. He tries to help Lucie fall in love as people call or text the show, but somewhere along the way realizes that love is really out there if he just stops sabotaging himself every step of the way.

Can you believe this was my first book by B.K. Borison? I’m utterly obsessed. This book was so sweet. I also loved Lucie’s job. Felt very unique and even her relationship with her daughter’s father felt like a breath of fresh air. The banter between Aiden and Lucie is unmatched. This is one of those books I wish I could read for the first time again. I love love loved this book so much!

Thank you Berkley for the gifted copy!

This book had the power to make me both laugh and cry. The characters were so witty in their banter, and I enjoyed their chemistry so much, especially the radio conversations. And when we got down to the serious conversations— Aiden’s fear of commitment and love, and Lucie realizing what the magic she wants really is— I was boohooing.
I loved that Aiden didn’t even flinch at the fact that Lucie had a child, let alone a preteen, and actually the first conversation was between Maya and Aiden when Maya called into the radio station asking for his advice for her mom. The meet cute was just that— very cute. I felt like a Baltimore resident falling in love while listening to these two fall in love.
I recommend listening to the audiobook while reading this as it really adds to it, especially with the radio segments.
I loved the Lovelight Farms series, but this may be my new favorite from Borison!

I loved this sweet romance! Don't be fooled by the slow-burn. The sweetness definitely turns to spice! These characters were very well formed and lovable! I would have loved learning more about Lucie + Grayson's history!

This was my very first book by BK Borison and it was definitely cute. I absolutely loved the concept of a romance radio show and I loved how the entire thing was set up in the very beginning. This particular book managed to have that magical feel that romance books often do while also making it feel like a real story happening to real people that I'm watching unfold and I love romance books that manage to do that.

Lucie was a refreshing character, I love her family dynamic and the relationship she has with each person that falls under that found family umbrella. Her daughter is an icon and I love her so much. As a mom, I found a lot of what Lucie said about putting herself last and not thinking about her wants really relatable and her desire to not want to settle because her life is fulfilling enough as it is.

Aiden was a charming grump and I love love love the fact that we got to see his POV throughout this book because his internal dialogue surrounding Lucie specifically was one of my favorite aspects of the book. Their banter throughout was phenomenal, chemistry was so good and that grand gesture that he pulls off was one of my favorites from a romance book.

This book was enjoyable, I'll be picking up other books by BK Borison but I do think I might have set up too high of expectations for this book because I went into it thinking it would be one of my new favorite books and that wasn't the case.

- sleepless in seattle vibes
- grumpy/sunshine
- banter and chemistry thar are off the charts
- forced proximity
- found family
- slow burn
- dual pov and open door

I’ve never seen Sleepless in Seattle, a movie I know this book has been compared to many times, but I sure can’t wait to watch it because I adored every second of Aiden and Lucy’s story. This was such a unique romance and there was so much to love - Lucy’s unconventional career, main characters in their 30’s, a romance radio show, real thoughts on datingand an absolutely incredible cast of side characters. I laughed out loud many times but there were also so many sweet and tender moments that made my heart melt. This was the most perfect slow burn and the chemistry between Lucy and Aiden was such a treat to witness. So glad I chose this as my first BK Borison book!