First off, I thought the cover of this republish was so cute and it definitely pulled me in to request the book!

Overall this book was very cute and cozy. It just had an overarching feel good mood to it, even with some sad themes (Finn’s sister). The found family trope in this book probably sticks out the most to me, which again adds to it being a heartfelt read!

This book would be good for a reader who is looking for a cute romance with just a dabble of spice. However I was expecting more of a grumpy/sunshine and slow burn originally going into it. I would say yes Finn (MMC) is depicted that way originally but it was a weirdly paced switch that he becomes more soft for Millie, which was odd to me. This isn’t that much of a slow burn because he falls for her very very quickly.

Thank you Avon & NetGalley for letting me read this ARC!

I’m feeling quite conflicted about this book. While I don’t think it’s a bad read, it ultimately wasn’t for me, which is perfectly fine.

On the positive side, it’s adorable. I love the science aspect, especially that Millie is an entomologist and Finn is an astronomer—such opposite ends of the world yet so compatible at their core. Millie being a woman in STEM who faces challenges and has to work hard for everything is inspiring. Finn is a genuinely nice guy, and their witty banter, along with the "nerdy" Star Wars jokes, creates a super cute, warm vibe. The nieces in the book are adorable, and I appreciate Finn’s dynamic with them—he’s great with kids. The story also explores a range of emotions beyond the cuteness, touching on anxiety, trauma, and grief. Overall, it’s a good story, and some quotes really tugged at my heart.

However, I struggled with the pacing. At the beginning, it seemed like we were heading toward a grumpy-sunshine, almost rivals-to-lovers vibe. I felt the palpable tension and was excited to see it unfold. When it did, it felt a bit anticlimactic, breaking just a couple of chapters later. I wish it hadn’t started with those adversarial vibes, as it left me feeling let down.

SPOILER ALERT: Around 30% in, when Finn buys her a KitchenAid and says, “You’ve already done everything, more than you know,” I was confused. It felt too soon for such a significant moment, and their interactions hadn’t built up enough to make it flow for me. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that there’s a lot of insta-love in the story. While that trope appeals to many, it just doesn’t resonate with me.

Overall, it’s a cute book with great ideas, but the pacing was much quicker than I initially expected, which affected my connection to the story.

3.75 stars. I enjoyed this book, the concept was really interesting but I feel like I’m missing important information or context with each short chapter. I would’ve liked more time in the museum, more of Millie’s entomology knowledge, more of the interview process, more of Millie’s family. There was opportunity for more there that I think could have rounded out the story. Even, more information about her ex - I wanted more!! I also felt that maybe the romance was too fast, a bit insta-lovey.

Overall, I enjoyed it but I wish there was a bit more detail.

I fell in love with the cover first. However the story was incredibly heartfelt too. I love romcoms with kids done right. The meet cute was workplace grumpy-sunshine but it involves into something deeper. A romance about a single parent and loving his kids. Finn became a single parent after his sister died of cancer. Finn is a good parents to the twins Eloise and Avery but Millie was the star that helped them heal. It wasn’t just a romance love story between Millie and Finn but also Millie and the girls. I melted how caring they all are towards each other and I love how close Millie is to her family. I loved the small group family text chain at the beginning of most of her chapters.

The spice was simmering very much a 3. Good.
Overall I really enjoy this story. Easy to read and flows well perfectly for a first time novel!

I ate this book up. I loved the found family trope, and this was done very well. This book was really hard to put down and I definitely stayed up way too late to finish reading. I couldn’t stop giggling and feeling all the warm and fuzzies with this.

4.25 stars!- I really enjoyed this story and I am looking forward to reading more books by Jillian Meadows in the future! First off, I love the cover! This was such a quick read for me. I really liked the character development between Millie and Finn and seeing them grow. I loved the found family aspect with Millie's family and Finn's nieces. I also liked the emphasis Millie put on her career and wanting that promotion. There is no third act breakup, which I always like. I am hoping we get more books in this world with these characters in the future!

I ATE THIS BOOK UP! Millie and Finn was the perfect example of the best couple even with the nerdy references and dances I still loved this book so much!

Thanks to Netgalley for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! This definitely shot to the top of my contemporary romance favorites.
From the nerdy references, to the Disney dance parties, to all the thoughtful, romantic gestures...this book had me constantly smiling. It made me feel all the warm and fuzzy feels.
I loved that the mmc has adopted daughters! It brought another level of cuteness to the story.
I felt like the writing was so natural and engaging. It was truly hard to put the book down.
I will definitely be looking for more books from this author!

this is such a fun and quick read with some spice and an absolutely adorable take on the found family trope. millie and finn have so much respect for one another and they actually communicate and trust one another with their vulnerabilities and it was super refreshing to read

This book was the definition of a comfort read for me. Warm, cozy, wholesome (with spice) and cute.

Millie has a love for coffee, almond croissants, book boyfriends, and her career. Her family is warm and welcoming with loads of sarcasm and their family texts threads will have you laughing. Finn comes across as a grump. But we soon find out, he is the guardian of his sister's twin daughters and is trying to balance his work life, parenting, and setting healthy boundaries between himself/the girls and his toxic parents. THERE ARE LAYERS TO THESE MAIN CHARACTERS and oh my goodness I love them both.

Finn and Millie work at the same museum and have had a few run ins. Some of those are quite dramatic! He's gruff and moody, While she's a walking ball of light shining like the brightest star in the sky. They seem to be inevitable magnets for each other and their banter is adorable. These two characters end up being so soft and sweet to each other. I adored watching their relationship grow and change. I love that they both express their needs and take time for themselves as needed. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the dynamic between the four of them (Finn's nieces Avery and Eloise were adorable).

Quick Notes Of My Favorite Bits:
book boyfriend chat with Eleanor
their nicknames
the date at Maggie's
a green mixer
the interview panel
Friday nights
the family soup recipe
adorable twin 5 year olds
therapy!!!!
the tattoo
her family texts and parents oversharing
her parents (hearts, hearts, hearts)
healthy boundaries
emails

Thank you NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for the ARC of this book. LOVED every minute. I can't wait to read the next book!

SUCH an adorable romance! I love that it's centered around careers in STEM!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Huge thank you to NetGalley for this arc. Not gonna lie, I thought the cover was really pretty and then ended up loving this! I’m a sucker for a workplace romance/found family which this has!!

In this story, we meet Millie, an entomologist, who is interviewing for a promotion. She is determined to get this opportunity, the only thing or person standing in her way is Finn, the grumpy head of the interview committee. When Millie sees Finn interacting with his nieces whom he just got guardianship over, she realizes there may be more to him than meets the eye.

This was such a cute read! I was pulled in from the beginning. Ughh, learning about Finn’s custody situation really tugged at my heart. He was such a good parent and I really felt for him. The author did such a good job developing his character and showcasing the reason behind his ‘grumpy’ exterior. Millie was the ray of sunshine he truly needed. This book made me laugh and tear up as the plot developed. It was like a warm hug all in one.

Best of all, no third act break up! I’m always worried going into a book about unnecessary drama, but honestly the story flowed nicely. I’m excited the next book and the holiday novella👀

The plot had a lot of potential, but the execution didn’t quite hit the mark for me. This was supposed to be a slow burn, but everything moved way too quickly.
Also, it felt like the book was built around tropes rather than letting the story develop naturally. this is an issue because it made the characters’ actions feel forced and superficial, lacking any real authenticity.
Believe me, I REALLY wanted to like this, as it included elements I usually enjoy, but unfortunately, for the reasons above, I couldn’t even finish it.

This book is perfect if you are looking for a book that will make you feel happy, its cute and sweet. Millie and Finn work in different departments at the museum. At first they seem to have a dislike for each other but as they get to know each other and spend time with Finn nieces, everything changes for them. This book made me feel happy as I was reading. You know how some books make you feel anxious? This does the opposite. I loved how well Millie fit in with Finn's girls. Finn was such a sweetheart as well. I only wish they had not gotten together so quickly. I think it needed a bit more of buildup and tension. The writing was easy to get into and I will definitely check out Fable and Theo's story. Thank you Netgalley for the the ARC.

There is nothing worse than when a trope is mishandled. Finn is suppose to be this grump with a frown but the next chapter he is has a crush on her the FMC, Millie. What happened to Mr.Grump? Where is the build up, the angst, the conflict? Unfortunately I had to DNF at 30%. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Ali Hazelwood fans look no further for your new favorite read!! Jillian writes the cutest nerdy romance following two science museum employees.
This book made me feel all of the emotions. I cried at the grief Finn feels. I laughed at the unfortunate situations our main characters kept finding themselves in. I screamed at Millie’s terrible trauma from her ex. Mostly I fell in love with the characters and their story. This is one of my favorite romances I’ve ever read.

Ps: serious fandom name drops!!! Catan, Star Trek, Star Wars, ACOTAR, Percy Jackson- I was nerding out the whole book

A breath of fresh air in the world of literary love stories is Millie and Finn's romance. Their relationship stands out as a testament to the beauty of the ordinary in the midst of the frenzy of high-stakes, action-packed romantic dramas. They are relatable people navigating the challenges of a typical life, not idealized characters created from a template of perfection. Their quest for love is characterized by their straightforward, common objective of living life to the fullest rather than by grand gestures or fortunate coincidences. Their genuine bond serves as a comforting reminder that love can sometimes find us in the small moments of life. Their story's depiction of mental health is handled delicately, providing an engaging and educational narrative.

This book is the very definition of all the feels and I could not love it more. Bonus points always for characters in a unique profession. I am now fully on board with museum romances. 😉

I’m so glad I got to revisit the revised version of this book, coming out next year. It gave me an even deeper appreciation for Millie and Finn and the quality of Jillian Meadows’s writing.

There was a quote that popped into my head after I finished this book. “Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.” This is the very definition of what Millie and Finn each do in their own way with the negative people in their lives, and it was nice to see the mature way they grew together and supported each other.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. The revised edition of Give Me Butterflies comes out in January 2025!

4.5 stars!!

this was such a beautiful debut and it had me in tears all throughout. millie and fin were so sweet and this was such a good story about loss and past relationships. the found family and characters were so sweet and it made my heart just ache.

this cover got me from the moment i saw it and i am SO happy i loved it. jillian is now one of my must read authors and i will be reading anything else she writes.

🦋 Give Me Butterflies 🦋

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5


Mille and Finn ☀️🦋🌙✨

I loved this book so much. I stayed up all night reading it and was hooked by the adorable relationship between the two main characters. They were so sweet and loved their relationship so much. The girls in this book were so sweet and I love how much Finn cared for his nieces.
If you love sweet romance with complex characters and relationships this is the book for you.

Tw:
Grief is the main one. Finn loses his sister and has to take care of his twin nieces
Death of the page.

💕Tropes💕

Grumpy/Sunshine ☀️
“Enemies” to friends to lovers ✨
Strong FMC 🦋
She takes care of him when he is sick 🌙
Single “uncle” 😚
Adorable banter ⭐️


Thank you net galley and the author and publisher for giving me an advance reader copy. My opinion is my own and not affected or influenced by net galley, publishers or author. 🩷