Unfortunately this wasn't my favorite book! I feel like I am not the audience for "enemies to lovers for one chapter " | need more animosity between the characters before they fall for each other in order for it to be labeled that in anyway! It was a cute, easy read! Thanks to net galley for the e arc!

I absolutely devoured this book. My favorite trope is grumpy/sunshine and Millie and Finn were so easy to root for. The understories of the impossibly adorable twins and their heartbroken Uncle Finn grieving a traumatic loss and Millie finding her way back to herself made me feel totally invested in this story and unable to put it down.
The writing was engaging and the pace of the book moved nicely, so much so that I finished the whole book in one sitting.
Anyone that likes swoon-worthy romance and a little spice will thoroughly enjoy this read!

This book was absolutely swoon-worthy. I, someone who isn't swoon-able, almost actually kicked my feet in two different scenes.

I love a good grumpy-sunshine-he-falls-first, and this absolutely fit the bill. I also adored those two little kids and my heart broke for them so many times.

Plus. The game store / bookstore scene. ............ I gasped in adorable.

Excited to read more from this author!

Having already read this book as a indie publication, then reading it again for a traditional publishing house... this book just gets better and better. Reading it again for the second time just made everything so sweet and I got to soak up all my favorite interactions and moments. I really think I ended up enjoying the book more overall the second time around. But for those who are reading it for the first time...

The relationship between Millie and Finn is like a warm hug on a cold day. It heartwarming and SO swoon worthy. Millie and Finn as individuals are amazing! They are both well established adults who understood the boundaries of their professional relationship before becoming friends then eventually lovers. I think the workplace aspect of this book is super realistic which is refreshing compared to some other workplace romances out there. I loved that Finn didn't hide what he was feeling for Millie or hide it for a majority of the book. He waited for her and gave her the space to figure out what she wanted/needed from her next relationship. And he still showed up for her throughout that time. SWOON!

Millie and Finn also had their own past traumas they were working through and they COMMUNICATED!!! I love when characters do that. I hate unnecessary conflict. When they did have conflict, it made sense for the characters and their relationship together. And guess what they did, they TALKED IT THROUGH! The heavier topics discussed in this book weren't overbearing, the book was still overall a very light read. Check TWs though!

Overall, this book is amazing! I love the romance, the setting, the communication, the side characters, everything was just too good.

This book was amazing! First of all the cover is so pretty and it definitely made me want to read the story. The romance was so cute and the banter was so funny!

I really loved this book, I finished it so quickly and I am now unnaturally obsessed with Finn. 🥵 Finn being so down bad and feral for Millie had me down bad and feral for Finn in response. 😅

I am typically not someone who picks up books with a single dad trope (he becomes the guardian of his nieces) but this book seriously had my heart bursting.

This cover is also SO CUTE?! I can’t wait to get a physical copy when it comes out in January.

Thank you to NetGalley & Harpercollins/Avon for sending me this ARC! 💖

3.5/5 stars

I wasn't entirely sold on this story at first. The characters felt a little flat at first and there was a bit of telling instead of showing over the course of the first few chapters (we were told more than shown that Millie and Finn were enemies of sorts). However, I am glad I stuck it out because it ended up being a really feel-good story overall and the characters felt much more dimensional as the relationship between Millie and Finn progressed. I am not usually a fan of stories where the main characters have kids, but Finn's role as guardian to his late sister's kids was so sweet that I didn't mind it so much. I will say that the portion of the story featuring Millie's ex as the villain could've used some more exploration. The conflict felt hollow because it ended with very little action on the part of Millie or Finn. Overall though, this was a solid read and perfect for someone wanting lighter fare with found family and a MMC that is respectful, communicative, and only mildly grumpy.

Very cutesie. Very demure. I loved the premise and how fun this was. Gave the vibes I was looking for and honestly so glad to have read it.

I loved this book! The characters had such depth, the story had so many layers and I didn't want to stop reading. The cover is beautiful and I loved reading this!

Tropes: Stem Romance, slow burn, found family, he falls first, no 3rd act breakup, MMC is a single guardian, grumpy MMC/sunshine FMC

I was very excited to get this book. I love both Ali Hazelwood and Tessa Bailey and this book stated it was for fans of these two authors. The cover is also so beautiful I’d want to read it just for that. Give Me Butterflies did not disappoint. I got the best Ali hazelwood’s vibes with the stem aspects of this book. The banter was really good. The romance is sweet however this book had a deeper layer as Millie deals with life after her abusive ex. Finn deals with the death of his sister and taking care of her daughters by himself.

What I didn’t like:
I’m not a big fan of epilogues. I just finished this whole book I don’t want a large chapter that’s telling me ‘oh look how happy they are.’ If the book had a happy ending I know that. This book has two. TWO Epilogues. If it’s that important to the story it should be part of the actually story.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Avon books for giving me an ARC of this book for a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for sending me this book before it re-enters the world!

I thought the idea behind this book was super cute and, when I requested it, I was super excited to read something a little bit romantic and sciency and maybe even a bit cheesy. It was all of these things, but I still don't think it worked all that much for me. I think the characteristics of this book were a little too in-your-face. By this, I mean that everything just felt over exaggerated. For example, Finn's "grumpy" personality to Millie's "sunshine" personality were a bit too on the nose and overly stated by the characters. I'm the kind of person who would rather decide who a character is based on action and not their own words or perceptions of themselves, so when describing the main characters I just felt like it wasn't as believable. And, in my opinion, the entire book (from plot, to characters, to everything else) was set up like this and it was super disappointing.

I think this book will be for some people, just not me.
Still thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for sending this advanced copy to me!

I adored this! Millie, the cheerful entomology curator, is determined to snag the department director job and nothing, not even her grumpy astronomy colleague Finn, will stand in her way. But as she digs into Finn’s grumpy shell, she finds a softie underneath, juggling grief, two nieces, and a demanding job. When Finn ends up on the committee deciding her fate, things get complicated in the best way. Millie’s optimism and confidence shine, and Finn’s gruff exterior hides a heart of gold. Their relationship unfolds naturally, with sweet moments that had me rooting for them the whole way. Bonus points for no third-act breakup!!!! Just solid communication and lots of warm fuzzies. THIS WAS GREAT!

I’m eagerly waiting for Jillian’s next book! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a charming and cozy read that blends grumpy/sunshine dynamics, workplace romance, and found family beautifully. The new cover and engaging blurb drew me in, and the book did not disappoint. The romance between Millie and Finn is heartwarming, and his adorable twin nieces add extra charm. The low-drama, supportive relationship between Millie and Finn, combined with a welcoming found family, makes this a perfect read.


Thank you, Jillian Meadows and NetGalley for the ARC

Jillian Meadows has written something special with "Give Me Butterflies". It had so many things that I love (all the tropes AND a strong heroine in STEM, supportive hero, banter for days, steam, and an elderly dog) and the writing was gorgeous.

Millie was a perfect heroine for me. She had some emotional baggage to work through from her ex, but didn’t shrink into herself or become a wallflower. She was strong, capable, and funny/sassy when she needed to be. I loved the friend group and absolutely adored her relationship with her parents and sisters. Their texts were hilarious but it was so great to read about a supportive, loving family.

And Finn - the work he is putting into getting over his grief and being a good guardian for his nieces made him absolutely delicious. I loved the open therapy talk and how mature their whole relationship was handled - the way he went about proving his love and committing Millie was so sweet. He was all in from day one, and communicated the crap out of that. The subtle way he propped Millie up without stepping in to save the day - I melted. And he made her soup! 🫠

Their tension was incredible and there were so many scenes where it was so heart-wrenchingly palpable . I adored seeing them fall for each other, working through their attraction with healthy communication. And I absolutely LOVED Millie and her whole fantastic family also taking on Finn’s nieces as their own.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! This was such a cute and heartwarming workplace romance!! There is alway something so special about a single guardian book, Finn with the girls was precious and adorable. I also love a grumpy sunshine, and seeing Finn's grumpiness being no true match to the sunshine that was Millie... I was smiling and kicking my feet at their banter. Perhaps what I loved most about this book was how supportive Millie and Finn were of each other. I appreciated that this book was low drama, and that the drama that did exist had more to do with concerns of how it would look in the workplace rather than any issues amongst the two of them. This story also comes with a strong found family in the friends of Millie's who immediately welcome Finn and his nieces into their fold. I had the absolute pleasure of first reading this book when it was independently published by the author previously and was so honored to be able to read it again ahead of its rerelease. I can't wait for more people to read about Finn and Millie.

RUN- DON'T WALK.
This book is so damn good! It literally had me kicking my feet.
The characters are charming, hilarious, and easy to love.
In case you're wondering- it is very spicy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet romance. I was swooning while reading this book.

This book was a warm and cozy read with grumpy/sunshine, workplace romance, and found family. The new cover grabbed my attention and then the blurb had my whole attention and this book did not disappoint. Who doesn't want to work at a museum and fall for your grumpy colleague!! No THIRD ACT breakup should convince you enough to pick up this book and if not how about some adorable twin girls that just stole my heart. Pick up this book it is the perfect read for fall coming up!!

Thanks netgalley for the arc!

Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows is the first book in the Oaks Sisters duet. This is Millie and Finn‘s story.
 
These two both work in a museum together and I absolutely love the STEM aspect of the book. Millie is a curator for the Entomology Department and the butterfly and bugs girl. And Finn is the director of the Astronomy Department. They have a bit of a hate to love work rivalry going on and that was quite funny to follow along and their bickering is great. They slowly became friends and then so much more and I loved following along their story. It’s definitely slow burn but I loved all the little and tender moments.
 
Millie is working hard to get a new position of a director and I loved how passionate she is about her field of study. Her family is lovely as well and I loved the scenes at their farm. She is caring and loving and that was exactly what Finn needed.
 
Finn really likes his job and he has a stable life, but it  turns upside down when his sister dies, and he becomes the guardian of his twin nieces. I liked how this book portrayed grief in a raw and realistic way and how they work on it. I always love a found family story and this one was just so precious, and I melted away with all the scenes with the nieces.
 
Overall, Give Me Butterflies totally gave me butterflies and was such an amazing and heartfelt STEM friends-to-lovers romance. 5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶🌶 / 5

✨ Grumpy / Sunshine
✨ Office romance
✨ Forbidden romance
✨ Single dad (/uncle)
✨ Found family

➕ Mental health rep
➕ LGBTQ+ rep in side characters
➕ Women in STEM

👏🏼 MMC with alllll the green flags!!

What I liked:
Finn is truly blessed with every green flag imaginable. He is already in therapy *swoon* working on his trauma from having a shit family, losing his sister to cancer, and overnight becoming the sole guardian of his twin nieces. There is NO miscommunication trope because this is an adult man who has gone to therapy and is working on himself. That's not to say the relationship isn't without hiccups, but it is NOT because of miscommunication. Over and over again Finn proves that he supports Millie and will continue to support her in the way she needs support. This is a man who will ask you if you want to vent to him or want advice because he knows sometimes you just wanna vent about your shitty day while eating a pint of ice cream and sometimes you want someone who will pull out the blue prints to a casino and help you plan a heist.

There's also great rep (women in STEM, LGBTQ+ side characters, FMC has anxiety and trauma from her emotionally abusive ex).

Forbidden romance! Finn is her coworker and on the hiring committee for the her (recently retired) boss's job. So she has some (understandable) concerns about the optics of being in a relationship with him.

What I didn't like:
🚫 OATMEAL RAISIN HATE 🚫
I am concerned with all of y'all on team chocolate chip because you are missing OUT.

Also, Star Trek > Star Wars and this is a hill I will die on. The author clearly has questionable taste and I almost DNF'd for the characters having such awful taste so early on in the book. I did not need to have Finn's ONE red flag come out at 3% into the book??

TLDR - cute, no miscommunication trope, a man with so many green flags he'll never get pinched on St. Patty's day, and women in STEM!! If you enjoyed The Love Hypothesis, I think you'll enjoy this one too.


For the publisher/author - the book had several continuity errors (e.g., Finn mentions that he got rid of the twins' smaller beds and got them one big bed, yet later on Millie mentions their beds) and could benefit from an additional round of editing to identify and correct those continuity errors.