Based loosely on the movie Sleepless in Seattle, First-Time Caller gives you all the same warm and fuzzies as the movie and even more heart. Aiden’s jaded view on love was built into his back story and revealed in increments while Lucie’s need for that happily ever after falls in line with what all little girls dream of having in their future. It wasn’t until her daughter calls in to the radio station that she takes a good look at her life and realizes that yes, something is missing and that dream she has had won’t happen unless she takes chances and leaves her safe place, home with her daughter. I loved reading about Aiden and Lucie’s journey, their self-discoveries seemed realistic and not so outrageous giving more impact to the story.

You can’t help but love a book with great side characters- the charming daughter, the lovable ex, the manager with a mushy heart, and the work friends who root for your happy ending. This book had all of the above and those characters helped deliver a loving, warm romance where the happy ending was guaranteed. I could read this book over and over.

𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘺!

<u>"IS IT POSSIBLE TO DIE FROM THE FEEL OF A WOMANS THIGHS?"</u>


i loved Lucie and Aiden so so much. The chemistry was there instantly. I loved that it was inspired by sleepless in Seattle but i feel like it was also a call back to the early 2000s rom-com.

the man (aiden) is emotionally unavailable (tries to be) but so so down bad. the FMC is literal magic and doesnt see it yet. Lucie has spent her whole life taking care of everyone else and she's pretty happy with her little found family. she is a single mom and her 12 year old daughter decides to call in to heartstrings radio show where (recent lover hater) aiden picks up and they discuss her mothers love life. When she gets caught by Lucie on the phone in the middle of the night the whole city swoons for Lucie and her search for magic.

<i>cue the most romantic love story</i>


I just felt like this story gave me all the butterflies and i totally understood Aiden at times and Lucie in others. they were so cute on the radio show and i loved that the whole city got to listen to their story unfold. and also pineapple is so good on pizza and ross gellar should take notes on the types of list you should be writing about a woman.

quotes i loved:

"id know you anywhere"

"i like a woman that can toss me around"

"apricot jam"

"love isnt always sunshine and daisies. sometimes its hospital beds and shaved heads. but i wouldnt trade any of it. because it was with her."



when aiden said "I think i convinced myself that if i loved you guys less-it wouldnt hurt so bad if i had-if i had to lose her" " so i kept myself apart and hoped it would help"

It felt like a punch to the heart because i do the exact same thing sometimes. This is a great Story.

I was so, so thrilled when I heard that B.K. Borison was starting another romance series! The Lovelight Farms series really took the romance book community by storm, and I was intrigued to see how the author would pivot from a small-town series to a big city one. I’m pleased to report that First-Time Caller has all of the charm and coziness that readers have come to expect from Borison’s stories, cocooned in a romantic radio booth tucked away amongst the hustle and bustle of big-city Baltimore.

Inspired by Sleepless in Seattle, First-Time Caller is a dual POV romance novel following single mom Lucie who is inadvertently introduced to jaded radio host Aiden by her matchmaking daughter, who hopes Aiden can help her mom find love on the airwaves. As Lucie gets roped into “bachelorette” style radio programming to help boost her dating life and save the radio station’s ratings, she inevitably develops a connection with the man who is supposed to be shepherding her on her “road to love” (sponsored by Mr. Tire, iykyk).

Aiden and Lucie’s show soon goes viral, but for as many listeners are trying to woo Lucie, just as many (if not more) are tuning in to hear Aiden and Lucie flirt and banter. Adding to the atmosphere, each chapter begins with either an except from the radio show dialogue or online comments/reviews for the show (I LOVE when novels break things up with fun additions like this, and it really helps add some zest to the storytelling). Their pairing is a bit grumpy/sunshine (although I’d classify it more as jaded/cautiously hopeful romantic) but it’s sweet and organic and they’re of course totally in denial for a while. There is a bit more of the “miscommunication” trope than I’d like and of course the dreaded “third act break-up,” but there’s also a very sweet public declaration of love that does a good job of making it feel worthwhile and very on brand for the characters.

As much as I enjoyed this book for what it was, I actually found that the romance was one of the least interesting things about it for me. I think B.K. Borison’s true knack is in writing a community of characters that make the setting feel alive, and she managed to do that even without a small town setting (which usually are where you get the stand out secondary characters in these types of romances). I loved the quirky team at the radio station (the lovably neurotic weather/traffic man, the terrifyingly efficient station manager, etc), Lucie’s mechanics who all act like fathers to her, and especially Lucie’s next door neighbors who happen to be her ex and his husband and father to her daughter, and how they’ve basically merged their households into one. There was really a focus on found families and unconventional yet amazingly strong relationships that I really loved. I wanted to know more about how the radio station came to be, how Lucie and Grayson survived getting disowned and raising Maya as teenagers who didn’t stay together, how Lucie learned how to be a mechanic with no former experience. I felt so wrapped up in Lucie’s little world she carved out for herself in the big city, and in some ways it felt cozier than the small town setting of Lovelight farms, since it’s such an intimate little community of found family in such a big city setting (though there is a Lovelight Farms easter egg I caught! So I do think the series exist in the same universe).

Overall: First-Time Caller feels like a warm blanket and cup of cocoa on a cold winter night, intimate and cozy with a bustling city rushing all around you. Quiet, contemplative conversations in a busy coffee shop. The type of story that’s made more intimate by the lack of a small town setting, to be completely honest. I’m really excited to see where this series goes, and I can already pinpoint various characters who I can see getting their own books/romances further on down the line (Jackson the weather man, the station manager, Patty, the guy who brings his vintage truck to Lucie to fix, etc). I think this is the start of a really charming new romance series!

My heart is full with tears running down my face.

Hopeless romantics ‼️ this book is for US! It fills our veins with the sunshine and sweet comfort. Aiden and Lucie were the pinnacle of magic, their chemistry was undeniable. It was a feat of great magnitude to even put this down to face the real work - it’s why I didn’t! I did not want to leave this glorious romance hotline where love was blooming once more (all on the road to love, sponsored by Mr. Tire)

This side characters were all sooo chaotic, so wholesome, so fulfilled! It was incredible to catch those breadcrumbs dropped along the way, giving us hints at what the rest of the series could hold for us.

First-Time Caller is my first B.K. Borison book and I can tell you that I have been changed for good, I will never be the same. This book has changed what a foolish romantic I am, it fed my very soul.

Short synopsis: Aiden is a radio show host for Heartstrings, a romance hotline, problem is he doesn’t believe in love. That is until a young girl calls in looking for romance for her mom. Lucie ends up going viral and joins the show to find her happy ever after.

My thoughts: I loved the Lovelight series, and this one has the same charm, wit, and swoon! I could not put this down, from the first pages I just wanted more Aiden and Lucie. I’m so excited to read the upcoming books in this series.

I loved Lucie’s unconventional occupation (mechanic) and her relationship with her daughters baby daddy and his husband. Their weekly dinners together were so sweet.

I adored Lucie and Aiden’s banter in the booth. If you listen to the audio on this I think it totally amplifies the connection between the two characters, and the little interludes between each chapter were the best!

Also, he has a note of all her favorite things. Just so he doesn’t forget. How dang sweet is that!

Read if you love:
- Workplace romance
- Sleepless in Seattle
- Single mom
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Picnics and Pineapple on Pizza

First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison started off kind of slow for my liking, but once it picked up, I was hooked! Aiden and Lucie’s story was so soft and sweet, and I absolutely loved seeing the little moments of Aiden falling for her—both on and off the air. There was something so special about watching their connection build through late-night radio calls and then spill over into real life. And don’t even get me started on the note he kept with all of her favorite things—such a small but meaningful detail that made my heart melt. If you love a slow-burn romance with a little bit of angst and a whole lot of charm, this one is definitely worth picking up!

A delight to read! Such a fun take on a classic rom com. The first of many B.K. Borison books I plan to read.
I especially loved how balanced the banter and emotion make plot points were, and the healthy and but unique family dynamic was.
Can’t wait to hand sell as many of these as I possibly can!

I loved this adorable rom-com! The story is told through a dual POV, going back and forth from Lucie to Aiden. I loved the radio aspect at the end of each chapter, It will give you Sleepless in Seattle vibes.

Lucie is a single mom to her twelve-year-old daughter Maya. One night Maya calls into Baltimore’s Heartstrings radio show to try and help her mom find love. Lucie overhears this and quickly picks up the call.

Aiden has long given up on love but the irony is that he hosts the romance radio show, Heartstrings. So when Lucie grabs the phone from her daughter, Aiden and Lucie start talking. And they both find it so easy to talk to one another. The show producer notices and asks Lucie if she is willing to come on the show for a while to try and find some dates.

After a few hideous dates, you can see they both start falling for one another. Aiden doesn’t think anyone is good enough for Lucie. I loved how much Aiden was looking out for her from checking in on her to making sure she got places safely. They have great chemistry and banter between one another, and the banter lasts throughout the entire story which I love.

I also need to add that I loved the co-parenting family aspect Lucie had with Mateo and Grayson. They lived next door to one another and always had family dinners. It was absolutely adorable!

First-Time Caller is Book 1 in the Heartstrings series. I can’t wait for the others in the series!

This is a perfect grumpy-to-sunshine romance filled with a ton of great banter. 

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sweet, touching, and romantic!

First-Time Caller is a tender, insightful tale that takes you into the life of the disillusioned Baltimore romance radio host Aiden as he struggles to juggle a disheartening career, philophobia stemming from childhood trauma, a new addition to his late-night show, and the budding attraction he feels for Lucie, a caller who has her heart set on finding magic.

The writing is smooth and genuine. The characters are lonely, quirky, and supportive. And the plot is a captivating, touching blend of introspection, friendship, self-depreciating humour, awkward situations, sweet moments, dating woes, misunderstandings, patience, intimacy, and unconditional love.

Overall, First-Time Caller is a charming, heartwarming, spirited tale by Borison that had just the right amount of emotion, angst, and passion to make this an easy, lighthearted, enjoyable read that I highly recommend and absolutely adore.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 🎭: romance
𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙚: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙚 🏃🏼‍♀️: moderate/long
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 🖤: work buddies
⚠️: some discussion of parent with cancer

🎙️he pines for her
🎙️radio cohosts about love and dating
🎙️she's dating other men
🎙️single mom

𝘐𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.

If you like a softy MMC who was a bit jaded/bitter but very quickly starts pining for the FMC - you'll love Aiden. I loved that Lucie was going on a bunch of dates with other guys to try and find love and then they'd banter about it. I really like their dynamic.

Takes a while to get the heat going but the scenes are delicious when you get there.

The interludes before each chapter were so great - the banter and character dynamics were really showcased there (especially fun on the audio because it was done duet style)

Third act did make me a bit nuts. All of a sudden our lovely MMC started acting like a teenager.

4.5/5 Stars

A jaded romance hotline host meets a hopeless romantic, female mechanic in this “Sleepless in Seattle” style romance… YESSS PLEASEEEE

This book follows Lucie Stone, a single mom, and Aiden Valentine, a brooding radio host whose love life advice show is on the verge of cancellation—until a 12-year-old caller sets their worlds on a new path. As Lucie joins Aiden on-air in search of love, their conversations go viral, and sparks begin to fly. But can a man who’s sworn off love find the courage to take a chance on it again, especially when it means risking his heart for Lucie?

This book was the swooniest rom com of my dreams and cured my Onyx Storm blues. The dual POV of this slow burn romance was *chef’s kiss*

The tension and banter between the two MCs was EVERYTHING and Aiden is the best reminder of “If he wanted to, he would.” Sometimes slow burns can drive me crazy but BK Borison made it worth the wait with this one.

Berkley romance ILYSM

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Romance for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

First-Time Caller is a tender and warm romance following Lucie, a single mother and mechanic, and Aiden, a charming and prickly radio host. When Lucie's daughter calls into the radio show looking for advice on her mother's lack of romance, Lucie decides it's time to get back out there and find some magic with the help of Aiden and the listeners of Heart Strings radio show. This was such a fun and light-hearted read that balanced the tender and raw moments just beautifully. The slow burn romance and pining were perfectly drawn out with lusty tension and playful banter. I loved how Lucie and Aiden listened to each other and grew into their own feelings before confessing and jumping into a relationship. The two were so sweet for each other and it truly felt like they saw one another in their love and communication. Not to mention the layered snippets of the radio show were so fun and kept me engaged from beginning to end.

Read If You Like:
🤍Grumpy x Sunshine🤍
🤍All The Banter🤍
🤍Sleepless in Seattle Vibes🤍
🤍Dual POV🤍
🤍Steamy Romance🤍
🤍Found Family🤍
🤍Forced Proximity🤍

This was such a delightful read!

I really enjoyed the Lovelight Farms series and so many of the things I enjoyed about that series are present here. First off, the character development is incredible. You can tell that BK Borison puts a lot of work into fleshing out her characters and making them feel real. They have histories, personalities and quirks, goals and dreams... you absolutely feel like if they stepped off a page they would flawlessly slip right into the real world. These could be people you know.

The romantic build-up is slow and lovely. It's not an instalove situation, but the main couple has chemistry from the start that slowly builds over time.

BK is becoming one of my absolute favorite contemporary romance authors to recommend to patrons.

I know single dad romances get a lot of hype but single mom romances are most definitely slept on! This book was absolutely pure romance! First-Time Caller is a marvelous Sleepless in Seattle inspired romance. With slow burn, banter, tension, connection and so much more, you can’t help but fall in love with Aidan and Lucie. Not only do you fall for them on their own but as a couple as well. This story is about a single mother, Lucie, after her 12 year old daughter calls into a romance hotline because she is concerned about her mother’s love life. The man who answers, Aiden, offers advice to both Lucie and her daughter Maya, and the conversation goes viral. Lucie ends up going on the romance hotline (hosted by Aidan) to try and find a date, she’s looking for love. But where she finds love is unexpected. This book gives the exact feelings that an early 2000s romcom makes you feel. If you’re in need of a romance for the ages that will make you feel all the good feelings while reading it, First-Time Caller is a must read. Trust me, you’ll fall in love just as hard as I did.

Omg where to start, I love this book a lot it is a perfect read for this month (February💗) the romance was really romancing here.

The book was the definition of a romance book the book was sweet and swooning. I love Lucie’s and Aiden relationship since the beginning and I love the fact the Aiden fell for her at first sight he was just so obsessed with her and he even didn’t know it.

It was refreshing to see that both characters were so mature specially Lucie she believed in communication to avoid misunderstandings.

The lil snippets in between chapters were my favorite some were really hilarious. The reason that I don’t give it a 5 stars is because the book felt a lil too long and the decision Aiden took close to the end was not my favorite, good thing he fix it by the end. I also would have like to see more interactions with his family to know them more personally. But there were just on the background of the story.

But over all I totally recommend this book, and I just here wondering ic the future books of this author will be about Aiden’s coworkers I see potential there.

I really liked this book. I LOVED the premise, I haven't read a romance book with such a cute plot before and it really propelled the story for me. I enjoyed how we met both of our main characters, Adien and Lucie, and the relationships they had with the important people in their lives. Aiden in a cute but funky coffee shop and Lucie with a hunted closet and suspicious phone call.

The side characters really made this story interesting even in the mundane parts. I loved every single character in here and I hope there's more of those characters in the series later on!

The chemistry between Adien and Lucie came right off the page, it was super believable to me. I'm still thinking about their first interaction because I was cackling. The banter was spot on and the physical attraction had me kicking my feet. SO CUTE!!

The only small thing I could do without is the receptiveness of "miscommunication" between our couple. The same issue that Aiden was having was a bit childish to me for a 30-year-old, and I don't mean the trauma because that felt real. I mean the way he portrayed it and acted towards Lucie because of it. To me, it felt like he was acting like a teenager and it turned me off of him because of it.

ALL AND ALL I REALLY LIKED IT!!! 4.5 stars out of 5! I absolutely recommend this book!

I'm obsessed! First-Time Caller was everything I was hoping it would be and more. I've read a few of B.K. Borison's books over the last few months and this is definitely one of my favorites. It's a brilliant, heartfelt love letter to the world of romance and more specifically Sleepless in Seattle. This is like waking up in a Nora Ephron film. I absolute devoured every moment between Lucie and Aiden. I was so impressed right from the job with the depth of each character. They didn't feel like characters who just started on the page. Their backstories were well fleshed out right from the get-go, I could connect with them very easily. The banter, their interactions, everything about their relationship was beautiful. I loved many of the other characters too, particularly Maya who had this beautiful, almost Gilmore Girls style relationship with Lucie that I admired. Often times, my fear in romance books. with children is that we will get a character who doesn't authentically feel their age. Maya feels 12. She works well in the confines of the age and acts very normally for my experience with 12 year olds. Especially ones who are so close to their parents. I found her to be incredibly enjoyable.

As someone who used to work in radio, this book is so nostalgic for me. I had me craving to watch WKRP in Cincinnati and of course Sleepless in Seattle. But I thought the basics of radio life were there. The case of characters at the station was also incredible. Maggie reminded me of an old boss at times. I feel like radio is still one of those industries where you don't see a ton of women behind the scenes leading the way and so it's a great way to showcase that strength.

Overall, this book is one of my favorites by B.K. Borison and definitely a favorite of the year. Side note: this cover is absolutely gorgeous and I'm desperate to own a physical copy because of it!

First-Time Caller hits shelves ❣️TOMORROW❣️and I am positively vibrating with anticipation for you to read it!!! I fell head over heels for Lucy and Aiden and now I’m absolutely feening for Jackson and Delilah. I need the rest of the series yesterday.

Run don’t walk to grab your copy and then come back so we can scream about it together! Huge thanks @berkleyromance for the #free ARC and finished copy. My bookshelf and my heart are forever grateful. 💖📚✨

Sleepless in Seattle, but in book form? Yes, please! BK Borrison does it again with cute, feel-good romance. A wonderful cast of characters, including a well-intentioned but meddling tween daughter, made for a delightful read. Lucie accidentally finds herself. and her love life the focus of a late-night radio show after her sweet pre-teen daughter calls in to ask how to help her mom find love. This book was sweet, cozy, and nostalgic, with just the right amount of spice! Can't wait to share this title with my customers!

I received a free copy of this book digitally from the publisher.

"First-Time Caller" was one of the books I was most excited about this year. I've been in a RomCom slump for MONTHS. I read the synopsis of this and thought it could be the book to pull me out of my slump. It seems I was right! This book is a "Sleepless in Seattle" retelling, and it was just the cutest. It's cozy and funny without trying too hard. I can not wait to order more of these into the store. The banter was AMAZING and I love that the author changed enough of the story to make it fresh and fun. It didn't feel like I was just reading "Sleepless in Seattle", it felt like a fun new story I had never heard. This was the first book I had read by the author and I'm looking forward to diving into her other works!