Give Me Butterflies was one of the cutest, most heartfelt books I've read so far this year.

Millie is working toward her dream job, but one thing is standing in her way; the grumpy (and hot) Finn. As the two keep colliding, feelings start to bloom. As the two navigate a newfound friendship, other challenges arise.

I loved Millie and Finn! I loved how Millie was unabashedly herself after making herself small for someone else for so long. I loved Finn's grumpy exterior and soft heart. I really enjoyed their emails and blossoming friendship over the course of story. I often found myself wondering where I could find my very own Finn. I really appreciated the way challenges and struggles were dealt with. When there were problems, they didn't last forever and were resolved soon enough that it wasn't heart crushing, but not so quickly that it felt like what was the point of this even being a problem.

I cannot wait to read more books by Jillian Meadows!

Thank you Netgalley!

This is the second romance book in a week where there isn't a third act breakup! It's amazing! I loved all the museum stuff although I wish it had been a little more in the front instead of not being terribly important to the plot. That promotion could be set anywhere. I thought this was a couple with fairly good communication and when they weren't I did understand why. I loved the twins so much. How could you not fall in love with them?

Laugh out loud banter, hot nerds, and a beautiful found family! Perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood! 4.5

Millie absolutely adores her job as entomology curator but when she is up for her dream job as a program director things are looking even brighter. Except when she finds out grumpy coworker Finn is on the hiring committee for her position. Anxious enough about life in general, when Finn starts to be nice and not the stoic grump the rest of the museum knows, Millie draws a clear line in the dirt. She wants this job and doesn’t want to risk being accused of sleeping her way into. Friendship only with Dr. Finn Ashford! But there’s more to Finn then what he lets on, and friendship might now be that easy.

Thoughts and potential spoilers:

I ADORED this book! I haven’t been able to stop talking about for days! Millie is a ray of sunshine and sooooo relatable! Struggling with anxiety and her confidence after a toxic relationship but still trying to see the good in people and in situations! Don’t even get me started on Finn. Honestly he’s perfect. Hot nerdy man who steps up and takes care of his sisters children?! Who is patient when Millie needs time? Oh the way that man made me swoon!! The found family friendship wise was so lovely to see! Millie has some absolute ride or die friends by her side! But then when Millie slowly gets enveloped into the folds of Finn and the girls? Genuinely beautiful.

If I had any complaint, it would be though there were multiple conflicts, they were always resolved very quickly. In a way it is a bit more realistic and probably more mature to actually communicate with your partner, but I almost wish one or two of the conflicts could have dragged out a bit more.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC! All opinions are my own.

This was such an adorable, heartwarming story.

This is probably one of the most realistic and honest love stories I have read.

Millie is a curator for the entomology department in the process of interviewing for the director of entomology position and Finn is the director of astrology and the guardian to his two twin nieces.

The two do not get along in the beginning as Millie’s sunshine-y personality contrasts with Finn’s grump, but they slowly start a friendship that evolves into a beautiful love story.

Both characters deal with toxic relationships (Millie’s Ex and Finn’s parents) but their relationship heals the broken pieces in each other.

*not a spoiler-free review*

🚨🤪single dad alert🚨single dad alert🚨🤪
well, he's never officially titled as such. but he is one.

the star component: finn was tenderhearted and sweet, and the amount of emotional intelligence that man exudes?? don’t even get me started. he was continuously so encouraging of millie and willing to parse through whatever anxious thoughts she was facing. i could feel my poor, unattainable standards reaching new heights each turn of the page.

the negatives, though: 1. occasionally, how they conversed (not through all conversations) felt too perfect. during serious dialogue, especially, it was a bit unnatural and almost clinical..? i think it reads good only because it's not heard aloud.
  2. missed the mark of a tried and true grump x sunshine. him being the “grump” was like when you were in middle school and wanted to be mad all day but couldn't stay that way.
  3. the blurb! oh it held such promise, alluding to a forced proximity situation of him on the interview committee. ultimately, it was all of 2 seconds before millie and finn were voluntarily hanging out without the guise of work.

thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books, and Jillian Meadows for providing this eARC!

Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows was such sweet and funny debut!
An ending grumpy/sunshine, workplace romance that grabbed me from the first page!
I devoured this book in one sitting and was surprised at how much I loved it!
This book was just perfect and I’m excited to see what Meadows creates for us next!

DNF. I lost my marbles halfway through when we didn't learn something important Finn does until he has told Millie about it. This book is first person dual POV, and the action Finn takes happens during the timeline of the book. It's unbelievable and borderline offensive that the reader did not learn Finn did what he did as he was doing it.

As I started reading this book, it immediately reminded me of the writing of one of my very favorite authors, Kate Canterbary. The amazing workplace banter had me rolling with laughter. The way Millie and Finn interacted and the quips just flying was definitely a highlight for me. Deeper than that though is the feeling of loss of yourself through other relationships that had them both wary of stepping into a relationship and laughing hard against moving forward. So many super sweet moments with the addition of precious children, amazing friends and "some" family along with some really hot intimate moments made this book a win for me. If this is her debut book, I'm very much looking forward to more from Jillian Meadows.

Perfect for the readers who love grumpy x sunshine, he falls first, women in STEM, workplace romances and found families.

Honestly, this book was freaking amazing. I absolutely loved it. Millie is an amazingly written character that I really felt. Coming out of a bad relationship she’s trying to find herself again. And reminding herself daily that she’s worth it and her mentally and emotionally abusive ex isn’t someone that should take up any more of her time. She strength she learns and finds in not just herself but in other throughout the book was beautiful. And it was a beautiful reminder that when you don’t feel strong, your friends will be strong for you.

Finn was also amazingly written. And his struggles weren’t without their own beauty. I mean raising your sister’s kids after she passes is a huge responsibility for anyone and I loved how real honest this was written. And the relationship with his parents?! While heart breaking, the minute he stood up for himself, his nieces and Millie?! If I wasn’t already in love with the dude, that would’ve cemented it for me.

Give Me Butterflies was an amazingly beautiful story and I look forward to more from this world! More of the Oak sisters, more Lena, Emil and Micah!

"Give Me Butterflies" is a promising debut! I was a little nervous when I started reading: tiny chapters and choppy scenes were not very engaging. But, the writing flows better as the story grows. I was impressed by the author's respectful inclusion of several challenging topics, including grief and bad family/dating relationships.

Millie and Finn's story is very sweet with lots of caretaking and encouragement. I especially appreciated the positive portrayal of therapy and the important relationship conversations that took place between the love interests. Another highlight was the focus on consent: it's consistent, natural, and sexy!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

A sweet, emotional, heartwarming read!

This never quite leaned into “enemies” to lovers territory—Finn just has a bit of a grumpy edge and a classic RBF which can be misconstrued. Nevertheless, I still liked the romance a whole lot! What really stole my heart was Finn’s relationship with his nieces—there’s something undeniably attractive about a man who’s good with kids, and the little girls really brought out the best in him!

I typically don’t care for kids in books, but THIS was an exception. They added a lovely addition which helped deepen the connection between Millie and Finn and I really appreciated it for what it was.

All that being said, I would’ve loved the romance to have been more of a slow burn—the pacing felt too quick for my liking personally. But despite that, I truly enjoyed this read! It’s a great mix of sweetness, humor and tender moments that left me in awe.

𓐐𓎩 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀/𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀
Grumpy x sunshine
Mental health rep
Single dad
He gets jealous
Insta-love (pretty much)

3.7 ★

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾!

Millie is a kickass entomology curator interviewing for the department director position. She refuses to be distracted by her grumpy coworker with his permanent scowl, bright blue eyes, and nerdy astronomy ties. . . Not that she’s spent much time noticing any of those things.

Finn Ashford doesn’t mean to glare at everyone, but he’s juggling his job at the museum, navigating the grief of losing his sister, attempting to make his nieces smile, and not ruin dinner for the fifth night in a row.

When Millie stumbles through the door of her interview, her eyes scan the committee and land on the one man that could derail her promotion, but it just so happens he’s also the one man that could make all her dreams come true.

Give Me Butterflies is a slow burn, single guardian romance featuring a handsome grump and an anxious curator; it is full of swoony moments, nerdy banter, and enough fiery tension to light the museum ablaze.

I honestly wasn't sure what to think about this book in the beginning. The scenes were short and seemed to jump back and forth with no easy flow between chapters. There was something about Millie that didn't seem to fit. I loved Finn from the very beginning, and he became even more endearing as the story went on. I really loved the sweet relationship he had with his nieces. As the story went on, I felt the writing improve and saw an easy flow from chapter to chapter. I really grew to love Millie, and I enjoyed the dynamic between her and Finn. The way she embraced his situation with his nieces was so sweet, and they became a very solid family. Once their romance began, it was a fast read, and I was entranced until the end. This was a great love story. I really loved Finn's devotion to Millie. I also found the way they embraced their grief to be very endearing. I ultimately enjoyed this book so much!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for my honest review!

“Strength isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s a quiet power that isn’t so obvious to the world.”

Sweet found family moments, a green flag live interest, and both main characters overcoming their personal trauma to be bring out the best versions of themselves for their person <3

And you know that tweet about specific characters ‘haunting the narrative’ well a certain constellation almost made me several times in this story

Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows
Rating: 4 stars
Steam: 2 chilis
Pub date: 1/21

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon for my complimentary copy!

Give Me Butterflies by Jillian is such a fun, heartwarming read! It’s got all the good stuff—grumpy/sunshine vibes, slow-burn tension, and a workplace romance set in a museum. Millie is an entomologist who is all about chasing her dreams. Finn is the broody astronomy curator who’s just trying to keep it together for his twin nieces after losing his sister.

The chemistry between Millie and Finn is off the charts. It starts slow—shared dinners, board games, and a lot of awkward but cute moments—but you can’t help rooting for them as they figure it out. Finn’s nieces are total scene-stealers, adding so much sweetness and helping bring these two together.

This book hits on some heavier stuff like grief and toxic relationships, but it’s handled so gently that it never feels too heavy. Plus, there’s so much humor and heart—Millie’s family texts had me laughing out loud, and the found family dynamic is just so cozy.

The steamy moments are perfectly done, with just enough spice to keep things interesting. The emotional buildup makes it all feel extra special.
Honestly, I’m still swooning over this one. If you love slow-burn romances with lovable characters, nerdy banter, and all the feels, you need to pick this up. It’s such a strong debut, and I can’t wait to see what Jillian writes next!

I’m going to be single forever. Because after reading this book, I know that men like Dr. Finn Ashford *can* exist, and I refuse to be in a relationship with someone who isn’t him. I mean, the man buys her a stand mixer so she can make her favorite almond croissants — and later sets up a private baking lesson with the pastry chef from the café where she buys them. He buys her all the books and games she picks up in a store so she doesn’t have to narrow her options. When she’s sick, he calls her dad to get the soup recipe her family makes.

Can I have one of him, please?

This book feels like a romance between two adults in an actual relationship. They communicate. There’s no silly third-act break-up. And I think we need more of that in this genre.

Millie is an entomologist up for a promotion to department head at the museum where she works, and she’s having a heck of a week: She keeps almost literally running into Finn, the seemingly grumpy head of the astronomy department who is on the interview committee for her promotion. She spills coffee on him. She dents his car. And through it all, he scowls at her. Except he’s not really all that grumpy; his sister recently passed away and left her twins, Avery and Eloise, in his care, and he’s a little overwhelmed and trying extra hard to make sure he’s doing everything right. (He’s even going to therapy.) After his nieces attend a summer camp with Millie, they bring her deeper and deeper into their lives (making pizza, baking cookies, singing Disney songs), and things grow between Millie and Finn from there.

I waxed poetic about Finn, but I loved Millie just as much. She’s smart and strong and fights for herself and those she cares about — even as she just coming out of a relationship with a man who tried to squash her with his incessant emotional abuse. But Millie is finding herself and still keeping a smile on her face. She’s a dreamer, and she brings so much happiness to the lives of the other characters in this book and the story as a whole.

Author Jillian Meadows doesn’t create a ton of high stakes in the story (Finn has evil parents, Millie has an evil ex-boyfriend), so the pacing could have been tightened up a little, but I was happy to exist in this adorable world for every moment I was reading. The emotions in this book are honest and real, and the relationships among all the characters (Finn and his nieces, Millie and the two girls, Millie and her family, Millie and her roommate, etc.) are wonderful portrayals that add so much to this story. Things develop at a nice, normal pace, and the way any relationship hiccups are handled (with honesty, trust, and communication) was such a delight. This is a gooey, sweet book — that comes with its own stand mixer.

And yes, I got butterflies.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

📖Millie works at the Science Museum in the Entomology department. She has applied for the director of Entomology and is extremely disappointed when she finds out Finn, the grumpy Astronomy director, is on the hiring team. Finn always has a permanent scowl on his face, to go with his stunning blue eyes and astronomy ties. 

But as Millie gets to know Finn better, she realizes he might not be a permanent grumpy human, but a guy who has been through a lot and is doing the best he can. But he is still on the hiring committee, but friendship is okay? Right? 

📝I adored this novel. It was a fun and easy read that had my science nerd self excited every time anything science related came up. The banter between Millie and Finn was perfect, as well as the banter back and forth in the group texts between Millie and her family.  I found myself smiling while reading the majority of the book.

This is a good one to read if you love Ali Hazelwood books!

Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows was such a cute romance! Yes, there seems to be a deluge of STEM romances, but this one definitely stood out from the rest. This isn’t your typical grumpy/sunshine romance. Grumpy Finn definitely has reasons for being standoffish and unfriendly, while Millie’s sunshine is something that pushes her through her days. Their relationship grows subtly throughout the novel, from coworkers, to friends, to more. It simply felt natural and earned. Finn and Millie grow together as characters and lovers and it was great to see them fall in love. There are some bumps along the way in their relationship, but it didn’t feel outlandish. The spice was well written and nothing wildly extreme. I think overall, this read like such a feel-good romance that empowered. It was cute and sexy.

I think if you like Ali Hazelwood then you’ll definitely enjoy Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows. If you’re looking for low angst low spice feel good romance, this is also for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was sweet. Definitely a slice of life kind of story with found family and workplace romance. I like that the two main characters actually nurtured their feelings for each other into a healthy, loving, and mature relationship. There were brief misunderstandings but they communicated well with each other and talked through their insecurities and issues before it got out of hand.

There were quite a few times in the book I felt like the scenes ended pretty abruptly however, and the transition into the next part of the story could’ve gone more smoothly and not so choppy. I also have to admit I was kind of bored and not all that engaged when reading the story. The story had minimal antics and relatively low stakes. We went on a lot of dates with Finn and Millie, and got to see them spend a lot of time bonding with Finn’s nieces; but I would’ve liked to see more of Millie’s day-to-day life as an entomology curator at a museum. It just seemed like a wasted opportunity to give an FMC such a cool job, but not have more of the story take place inside the museum.

Ahh loved Millie and Finn’s story!! I am a sucker for found family and loved reading the family Millie and Finn built with the girls, their friends, and Millie’s family. I love that they immediately took to the girls and gave them the family they deserved. Millie’s tattoo was so sweet and beautiful honor to Clara and her and Finn’s story

Jillian writes a wonderful love story between two adorably nerdy people. Finn is the grump to Millie’s sunshine and the two of them with Finn’s nieces makes the cutest little family. The story shows real, true, raw pain from each side of the story and shows growth with both characters.

There is hope and healing and delectable dirty talk while under the stars, and I couldn’t have asked for better more lovely reread of this book.