This was such a cute, fun read with some nice nods to mental health and taking care of yourself.

I really enjoyed both characters. Millie was smart, compassionate, and had some quirkiness to her. Finn started out grumpy and dickish, though that lasted for like a couple chapters which was a little strange, but he was also a marshmallow and was giving me Clark Kent vibes

This was a great book. I loved Millie and Finn’s relationship. I loved how determined Finn was to take care of his nieces and I appreciated his grief journey. I loved that they showed a man going to therapy, I always love seeing characters go to therapy. I also loved Millie’s character, I loved that she was a woman in STEM and I found her storyline really interesting. I loved that they worked at a science center, it was a really fun concept. I enjoyed Jillian Meadows’ writing and I’m excited to check out more of her books!

Millie is currently working her butt off to prove herself worthy of the entomology director position at the museum she works in. She has always wanted to move up and has always had a passion for inspiring visitors to learn and grow. She herself knows all about growing, she has moved on from a toxic relationship and is ready for something new. The only hold up on the hiring comity is Finn. Finn is good looking but grumpy and this astronomer might be the one she won't win over on the comity. Her anxieties all come out when she learns that there is a newcomer that is looking forward to getting the entomology director position. But surprisingly she finds herself drawn closer to Finn through two adorable little girls he brings to the museum's kids programming. Finn might have more going on than Millie ever realized and he also might be the one to help her overcome a lot of the obstacles she still faces from her past.
I love a woman in STEM romance and this one did not disappoint, there was so much feeling, and I loved both main characters.

Give Me Butterflies is a perfect blend of heart, humor, and heat that delivers on every single level. If you love grumpy x sunshine, STEM heroines, and slow-burn tension that builds into something breathtaking, this one is a must-read.

Millie is a delight—quirky, passionate, and endlessly endearing. Her love for bugs and her genuine excitement about science are infectious. Finn, on the other hand, is the kind of brooding, emotionally complex hero you can’t help but fall for. Watching these two opposites clash, connect, and slowly fall for each other is absolute magic.

Their chemistry is undeniable, their banter is witty and full of nerdy charm, and the emotional depth—especially surrounding Finn’s grief and Millie’s ambition—is handled beautifully. The museum setting adds a unique, cozy charm to the story, and the found family elements (especially Finn’s nieces!) add a whole other layer of warmth.

It’s open-door in the best way—intimate and meaningful without overpowering the emotional connection. By the end, you’re left smiling, swooning, and maybe even believing that love is a little bit scientific.

A sparkling, feel-good romance that absolutely gives you butterflies. 🦋

What a sweet, cute, heartwarming read. I really enjoyed seeing how the relationship between Millie and Finn unfolded and grew. I always love a good single guardian premise, so this definitely hit that on the head!

I do wish that the story focused in on two tropes at most - sometimes it can be a bit too much to have workplace AND single guardian AND grumpy/sunshine AND toxicity in previous relationships. I know that life can be messy and that people have layers, but I needed just a little less in the trope department.

BUT. That being said, I HIGHLY recommend this book!! So cute and sweet. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the copy of this book!

This was a good book! It moved on at the right pace, holding my attention from the first to the last page. I loved the tension and romance between Millie and Finn. Not many books with the characters (especially women!) in STEM jobs. Look forward to reading more books by this author!

This book was steamy, sweet, funny, and emotional. I'm not usually one for books with kids/single parents/guardians, but I loved the family these two built and their emotional intimacy. This book had me giggling, swooning, and overall having a great time. Can't wait to read more from this author.

4.5 Stars

Give Me Butterflies is a cute rom com, it follows Millie and Finn they are co-workers, she is sunshine, and he is a grump. The banter between the two had me giggling, Jillian Meadows has a way with words that had me hooked from page 1. I don't want to spoil this book but all the characters in this book had a significant impact, the plot was everything I expected and so much more. I loved everything about this book!! Can't wait to read Lena's story next!!!

This one was so good! LOVE that the FMC is a woman in STEM! She’s got a great life and the hot nerd only makes her life better. As a romance lover, this one FLEW! Overall, I’d definitely recommend this read.

Okay but I think this book gives Ali Hazelwood a run for her money as a fun STEM romance. This book is so wholesome and sweet. It was a very well done workplace romance. I swooned so hard and fall in love when the mmc falls first.

🦋 Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows – Book Review

Just finished Give Me Butterflies and wow, this book is everything! 😍 Millie and Finn's story is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Millie is an entomologist up for a promotion at the museum, and Finn is the grumpy astronomer on the hiring committee. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the slow-burn romance had me hooked from start to finish. 💕

The dual POV really lets you into both characters' heads, and the found family aspect with Finn's nieces adds such a heartwarming touch. Plus, the nerdy banter between Millie and Finn? Chef's kiss. 🤌

If you're into STEM romances with a dash of spice and a whole lot of heart, this one's for you! 🌟

📚 Tropes:
🧪 STEM Romance
💘 Grumpy x Sunshine
👨‍👧‍👧 Single Guardian
❤️ Found Family
🔥 Slow Burn Chemistry

📌 Hashtags:
#GiveMeButterflies #JillianMeadows #STEMRomance #GrumpySunshine #SingleGuardian #FoundFamily #RomanceBooks #BookRecommendation #Bookstagram #RomComVibes

I’m not a big fan of instalove stories but I went into this with an opened mind. It dragged on a bit but overall it had a comfy sense to it. It was funny and cute & spicy but. It did take me a bit to get into the story there was so much happening but overall I enjoyed it!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

“𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒔𝒉𝒆'𝒅 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒕. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒂 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒕. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑰 𝒈𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒖𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒍𝒚 𝑪𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒔𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑰 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑰 𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕."

..."𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍?" 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔. "𝑰 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒐. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒕.... 𝑴𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒆, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

this book gave me butterflies. absolutely adored this one!

i love a women-in-stem book and this was no exception. millie and finn are perfect for one another and genuinely bring out the best in each other. i love how they started out trying to be friends who don't cross the line, but of course they eventually cross it. what good romance book doesn't??

there are some tw's as the main premise of this book is surrounding finn becoming a guardian to his niece's after his sister passes away. he's struggling to become a parent, while also maintaining some semblance of normalcy in his life. cue in millie, who helps him and his girls work through their grief in ways that also help millie with her own struggle after an abusive relationship.

this has a happy ending that feels incredibly worthy of the story line and will make you believe in love.

Thank you to Jillian Meadows, Avon or Harper Voyager Publishing, and Netgalley for this arc. I will be giving my honest review.
I've been excited to read this one for awhile, but when I tried to start it in January I read the trigger warnings and one of them made me hesitate. The trigger about loss of sibling made me put this book off, just because of my personal life. I am grateful I chose to pick this book up when I did because the timing was just right. I appreciated how Jillian Meadows approached the subject of sibling grief. Millie and Finn honored Finn's sister so beautifully at the end of the book (read the bonus epilogue please!) and throughout.
"Memories of Clara seem so cloudy in my mind sometimes, like I can't concentrate on them, because if I do, the pain of missing her will sharpen."
Finn was such a lovable man; He was nerdy while being sexy which is so endearing to me. The way his career was so perfectly woven into his life (his astronomy jokes, the study ceiling, him signing "Astronomically Yours," and his nickname for her). I was so pleasantly surprised to find out he was had two little girls to take care of. The girls added so much to his character and the romantic plot.
Millie was a breath of fresh air as a female lead character. She was quirky without trying too hard and relatable. Her empathy and selflessness made me love her. These main characters had this undeniable chemistry where they just understood each other. How their story unfolded was so romantic and sweet.
"I don't need the sun when you're here, stella mia. You're the brightest star in my universe..."
I would read another book by Jillian Meadows. Her writing is so romantic and lighthearted. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a Abby Jimenez type of male lead, funny banter, and romance that will make you smile.

I finally got my hands on a physical copy (shoutout to my Barnes for giving me a discount for the slight spine damage). I absolutely LOVED this book! Millie has such a quiet strength and seeing her friends support her was everything. I love seeing friendships bloom and are just so healthy in books. I absolutely loved Millie’s character I immediately loved her witty banter and how much of a nerd she is. Then enters Finn he can have all my cookie dough! His grumpy attitude was amazing plus all the secret pining had me screaming! They’re just so perfect for each other. I loved reading this book so much! I can’t wait to see what else the author is going to bring in the future.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

Wow this is definitely an underrated book why isn’t booksta blowing up talking about this one. I really loved it! It was fun to see MCs in the STEM space and this book even layered some great depth into the story. If you like a cinnamon roll MMC with single dad vibes and workplace romance this one’s for you.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Millie is interviewing for her dream job to become the Director of Entomology at the Museum she works at. But her very grumpy coworker who she may have split coffee on, elbowed in the nose and crashed into his car happens to be on the interview panel. But she’s never taken the easy path and she’ll prove to the panel that she’s the right one for this job. She’s loved bugs since she was a little girl and she will let that love and passion shine!

Finn is the Director of Astronomy and he has a lot on his plate right now. His sister recently passed away leaving him custody of his twin nieces, so his grumpy side is coming out more and more. But there is something about Millie that makes him want to smile, he’s drawn to her. Then add in she keeps razzing him with super nerdy references and witty banter, how can he resist.

Millie realizes she can’t use the avoidance tactic with Finn any longer. He’s everywhere so she’s just going to have to keep it professional. But when he brings her, her favorite almond croissant and asks for her help making pizza for the girls she can’t resist. The more they become friends the more they realizes it would be really easy to blur the lines into more. But with her dream job on the line Millie can’t think with her heart.

𝙁𝙖𝙫 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

“Of course I love you.” He bends and touches his lips to mine. “Could you not tell when I bought you an entire shelf of books?”

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* CoWorkers to Friends to Lovers
* Grumpy Astronomy Director
* Sunshine Entomologist Curator
* Age Gap: He’s 34 & She’s 29
* Custody of 5yr Old Twin Nieces
* Grief& Anxiety Rep
* Witty & Full of Banter
* She Has an Abusive Ex
* LOL Family Group Chat - Found Family
* Wilhelmina Natural Science Museum
* Dual POV + Slow Burn w/ Spice

🦋🥐✨🔭 🦋🥐✨🔭 🦋🥐✨🔭🦋

I was hooked from the very first page to the point that I couldn't put it down!! Millie and Finn's character development was everything, while being relatable!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I gave this one 3.5 stars and overall thought it was an enjoyable read! I was pleasantly surprised this was a debut novel!

I really enjoyed how both Millie and Finn had character development throughout the story, with similar but different situations. I do wish there was a little more depth to these story lines though. I don’t usually enjoy books that have kids as part of the main storyline but i thought this was done really well!

I look forward the Lena’s book!

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.