This was so good!!! I am an emotional mess. I loved all of the Maryland references, I loved the banter and the spice!!! I loved that the third act breakup was short and productive. I love that he kept a list of her favorite things in his car

My only note is that Maryland people call the “DMV” the “MVA”

I just finished this arc and it is easy in my top two romance reads for this year! I loved the chemistry, the banter, the connections. It had me laughing, gluing my eyes to the pages, and broke my heart at times. I absolutely gave this a 5⭐️I LOVED it! It was fun and easy to read and all the characters were likeable and relatable. This book was the one to finally break me out of my reading slump! I would really enjoy seeing this book as a movie adaptation too! This is my first book from this author but I will definitely be checking out more of her books! Please check this book out if you love romance because it’s packed FULL of it! Thank you to NetGalley for the gift and berkley! I throughly enjoyed this book!

This book is 448 pages and at no point did I wish it was shorter. If anything, I wanted more. Please, BK. Thank you. Forever grateful.

Aiden (who does not have a face for radio and could easily be a cult leader, in the very best of ways if those even exist - lol). Lucie. Maya. Jackson. Grayson. Mateo. I could spend all day telling you why I love these characters.

Every single Borison novel makes me feel light and giddy and loved and in awe of how truly epic a happy ending should be. "First-Time Caller" is a bright, beautiful start to a new series. Here's a list of highlighted sections from my Kindle. Read these three snippets and tell me you aren't dying to get your hands on this book:

"But what's wrong with being a romantic? I can be a confident, independent woman and still want someone to hold my hand. To ask about my day. It's a good thing to what passion and excitement and care. Attention and affection. I don't want to settle for anything less than that."

"I've never been someone who engages in casual touch, and I'm not going to start with Lucie. I repeat it like a mantra until it sticks. I will not touch Lucie. I will not touch Lucie." -- boy do they touch.

"And I want your favorite to be my favorite."

Borison doesn't hide her inspiration and I am totally fine with it - Bring on the "Sleepless in Seattle" vibes and I will EAT THEM UP. Baltimore is nearly a character on it's own - the late winter weather, all cold and wet and cozy, is perfection. Lucie is different but not in a 'I'm not like other girls' annoying way - she isn't trying to prove something she just has an unusual job and a stable but unusual family set up. Poor Aiden, I am feeling all sorts of things for this giant sad boy. I saved this book as a 'treat' and it was exactly that. It was moody and cozy and had the swooniest ending. I loved it so much.
Thanks so much for the ARC!

5⭐️

This was my first B.K. Borison book, and honestly I’m not sure why?! Because I ate this book up! It was so good. From start to finish! I love a single mom/dad trope and this one delivered in just the very best way!

I loved the premise of this one. I loved that the daughter was so invested in her mom’s happiness that she meddled. The way she called into the radio station asking for advice for her mom was seriously just so sweet to me! And the ex.. I was obsessed with this whole family dynamic! It was perfect!

Once radio show phone call goes viral.. the real fun begins! Aiden needs to save his job and the only way for that to happen is get Lucie on his show to help find her love. While Aiden doesn’t necessarily believe in love.. Lucie is out hopeless romantic!

And please.. can we talk about how good the chemistry was between Aiden & Lucie?! From the very beginning on the very first radio call their banter had me just giggling. And from there.. the banter just got better. Along with the tension. My god you could just feel the tension radiating off the page! They were seriously just so perfect for each other. I loved them both so much!

But my man Aiden was down so bad from the very beginning! This man RUSHED to her when he realized she had been stood up on a blind date. And then they proceeded to have the best night together!
HE KEPT A LIST OF HER FAVORITE THINGS IN HIS TRUCK SO HE DOESN’T FORGET!!

This book was perfection!

Thank you so much Berkeley & NetGalley for the arc!

Aiden hosts a late-night romance call-in radio show. Lately, his callers whine about their partners which makes Aiden not believe in love. He gets an interesting call from a 12-year-old girl who wants her mother to start dating. Lucy is a single mom and spends her time working and taking care of her daughter. Suddenly Aiden's dwindling listeners increase when this show goes viral. The radio manager asks Lucy to join Aiden on his talk show. Aiden is supposed to help Lucy find a partner but its hard when he starts having feelings for her. I loved Lucy's character. She is a mechanic and is a great mom putting her daughter first but learning she also needs to take care of herself. Aiden's character frustrated me and I wish his reasons for being so stubborn were examined earlier in the book.

I said I wanted to feel something and B.K Borison said bet. This is my first read by this author and I'm kinda obsessed, I was hooked from the moment I began reading. Aiden and Lucie were so fun to read, the premise of this book met the expectations and follow through. The only thing that threw me off was how little Maya appeared? Like for a single mother, I expected having a daughter to be far more of a factor in her looking for a relationship and a factor in who she wanted? Like I think a missed opportunity was showcasing Maya and Aiden's dynamic. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this and my god Aiden was a gem. To be loved is to be known, and that is all that I could ever want.

My first B.K. Borison book, but definitely not my last -- I loved this book!! So full of love and optimism, and just such a perfect romance read. Lucie is such a relatable character, and I loved how unabashed she was in her pursuit of the love she knew she deserved. Aiden is the perfect grumpy but lovable character, and his family history created a really powerful story of perseverance through a realistic look at family trauma. Overall just such a cute read, absolutely perfect to read around Valentine's Day when it releases on Feb 11!

I have read the Lovelight Farms series by this author and loved it, I was very excited to hear they were coming out with another book.
At first I was a but weary about the premise of the book and how it sounded but I should have trusted that this author would make it amazing and that it couldn't have ever been done differently.
It was a cute story with everything to give.

This is BK Borison’s best book. Everything from banter to chemistry to plot… so heartfelt, hope inducing, and genuine. No notes.

•Title: First Time Caller
•Author: B.K. Borison
•Genre: Romance
•Format: eARC
•Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•Premise: A mix between Sleepless and Seattle and The Bachelorette, First Time Caller is a unique and refreshing romance read. Lucie, a single mom mechanic finds herself on a Baltimore radio hotline, with the entire city trying to help her find love. Her cohost, Aiden Valentine, is a grumpy, cynical man who doesn’t believe in love. The two host the show together…but over time, they build their own relationship that complicates things.

•Thoughts: I adored this book! This was so unique and a storyline I don’t think I’ve ever read in a book. Lucie and Aiden’s chemistry and build up of feelings felt so real and believable, I was feeling butterflies for them! I’m always a sucker for the single parent trope, and this one didn’t disappoint. I loved Lucie and her daughter, Maya’s, dynamic with her ex husband Greyson. The lack of true miscommunication in this book was SO AMAZING! It had some of it, but made sense why it took place and it didn’t drive the plot. Aiden’s trauma and his sadness felt so real and raw, and my heart ached for him.
This one hooked me from the start, and I was eager to pick it back up each time I had to stop reading each day.

Easy 5 stars!!!

The writing was so good, bubbly and warm. It felt like reading a 90s romcom and it was perfect. I loved that the side characters were flushed out and hilarious. Just a really well written story that had me kicking my feet.

Such a great book! Strong, like able characters!
I love the Sleepless in Seattle esque storyline. I love how the author portrays each of the characters’ shortcomings, they both steal your heart.
This is a charming, well written, heartfelt story! Cannot wait to read more from Borison.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Did I drop everything I was doing when this ARC came in with the promise of swooning and getting overly attached to these characters because it's written by B.K. Borison? Absolutely.

This Sleepless in Seattle inspired story starts when Lucie's daughter calls into a romance hotline to help her mom find love. Little did they know Aiden, the host of the show, had secretly become pessimistic about love. The radio sponsored journey to find her love forces them to work together to get her perfect match.

Lucie and Aiden omgggggg. Their chemistry and banter is off the charts. Truly if they had a podcast or radio show, I would listen to it.

In true fashion similar to Lovelight farms, there's found family and side characters who you just love and hope that you see more of!

Overall, I really liked this one! There's humor, romance, and just great vibes. I'll miss the Lovelight farms setting but can't wait to see what more this series has in store for Heartstrings!

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC 🖤

This book was truly amazing! The characters have so much life to them and this is one of the best written pre-teens I’ve read about. Not too cringey and very funny! I loved the humor and the lighthearted nature of the book, but also the more meaningful and sweet moments. One of the best contemporary romances I’ve read to date!

well that was freaking delightful. literally no notes.

- loved lucie, loved aidan, loved the side characters
- the banter and the chemistry and the spice were all A+ (and the spice/tension was balanced well with real emotional connection)
- even the third act conflict was good (not unnecessary miscommunication, but actual valid feelings that felt real and natural)

i already can't wait for the next heartstrings book!

First Time Caller by B.K. Borison
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heartstrings series, book one

Pub date: February 11, 2025

I devoured this one. 🔥 B.K. Borison has slowly but surely become a favorite for happy romances for me!

Inspired by Sleepless in Seattle, this has all of my favorite vibes. The writing creates realistic chemistry and the dialogue + scenes were top tier.

I loved the way that the FMC slowly gave the MMC back the hope that he had lost, without even realizing it. 🥹💞

Perfect for you if you like:
Single mom + healthy coparenting
Inspired by Sleepless in Seattle
Just a kiss to get it out of our systems
Bad idea romance
Grumpy MMC
Easy to skip 🌶️

Such a cute story. Both Aiden and Lucie were so likable in their journey. I typically don’t like single parent tropes, but I enjoyed that Lucie was still friends with Maya’s father and it wasn’t like Aiden was applying to become her new father. I’ve only read one other book by this author and enjoyed this one so much more!

I am new to this author, and honestly the genre as a whole. I am trying to expand my reading list and was hoping this would be a good introduction. Turns out I was right- this book is thoroughly enjoyable and fills the gap left behind from the lack of rom-com films being produced right now. I found the dialogue really humorous at times (my inner voice read most of it at a dead pan monotone which might have helped a little). It had about the perfect amount of spice, really focusing on the build up. I would absolutely recommend this for someone trying to dip their toes into the genre without wanting to be overwhelmed.

First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison was a cute read. I will always pick up anything that is remotely Nora Ephron coded and this was very much a Sleeping in Seattle retelling. I felt like it might have been a little too close to the original source material, though. It was still an enjoyable read, though. The female main character was delightful for the most party. I loved that she was a mechanic and really enjoyed the family dynamics. The male main character felt a little flat and I was just frustrated by him. It was still an enjoyable read and most romance readers will definitely enjoy this.