Rating: 2.5

To say that this is a grumpy/sunshine romance is misleading. He could be considered "grumpy" in their first couple of interactions but after that he's not grumpy or rude at all. The romance also happens way too quickly.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Jillian Meadows for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I LOVED this one and it’s one of my favorite romances now. I originally requested it because of the cover, but I’m so glad that I did.

This one follows Millie and Finn, two curators at a science museum, but it feels different to some of the STEM romances I’ve read before. It’s really unique, romantic, and heartwarming. There are some serious topics, one being that Finn has nieces that he’s adopted after his sister passed away. This part of the plot was so sweet and it was so cute seeing the two main characters take care of and love them.

If you like romance books, run to pick this one up! Also the author’s other book, which I read after this one, and may have even enjoyed a little bit more. I can’t wait for more from her!

I love a good STEM romance and the cover definitely drew me in. The story follows two rival museum workers. Millie is in the Entomology department and Finn is in Astronomy. It was a good romance that delves a bit into some more serious topics, like domestic abuse and loss of a family member. But, the author does a good job of balancing the story. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a STEM romance, or just a cute workplace enemies to lovers. (Thank You to Netgalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the ARC)

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

"I don't need the sun when you're here, stella mia. You're the brightest star in my universe, and I've been orbiting around you since you poured coffee all over me. I could spend the rest of my life watching you shine."

4.25 stars

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 👀

I think the pacing was a little off here. Finn went from 0-100 pretty fast, which is still enjoyable to read, but I got halfway through and was wondering what else could possibly happen for the last half.

But even though it felt a little long I still really enjoyed it and I'm really excited to see Fable and Theo 😍

This was such a cute romance! I really enjoyed the MMC and how he was in therapy for managing grief. It made for great communication between the characters, and I love that. The twin nieces he was taking care of were so sweet and I l0ved how the FMC interacted with them. There were some heavier emotional themes that worked well within the story. All around, a really sweet romance with some comedic relief.

This was so beautiful and fun. An Entomologist and an Astronomer falling in love? My nerdy little heart. I love this so much. They were both so sweet and those little girls, Eloise and Avery were everything to me. I love a wrong first impression, a second chance at life and love. This was great. Highly recommend.

I love the newly designed cover. I just could not connect with these characters at all. I tried but it felt like I was missing something that already happened. This has elements I enjoy in a romance but I couldn't click. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

This romance about sweet entomologist Millie and grumpy Dr Finn the astronomer is the sweetest breath of fresh air! This story navigates heavy topics like grief in such a beautiful and caring way. This was non-stop just sweet as almond croissants. It also addresses how toxic relationships can convince someone they're alone. It follows that with great found family who rally together in the best way. This book is wonderful!!

I loved this book! I devoured it in two days. The coworker dynamics, a twist on the single dad trope... The book was strong, well written, full of well rounded characters I want more of.

This is a cute grumpy meets sunshine romance novel and one of my only 5 star reads this year! I seriously have no notes. The characters are realistic and aren't like 20 years old, I love a romance with characters that are of a more reasonable age. Millie is a woman in a male dominated field and the book doesn't shy away from that. Multiple times the book focuses on the prejudices women in STEM can face. Part of the reason Millie doesn't want to fall for Finn is because Finn is on the hiring committee for a promotion at work. She knows that even if it isn't true, it would be perceived as sleeping to the top.

Millie is such a sweet character with an amazing support system. Her family and friends all support her in such loving ways. Millie had been in a long term emotionally abusive relationship and is still dealing with the fallout from breaking up. Her family and friends never belittle her experience and continue to support her through recovering from having her self-worth shattered. Finn is also a multi-faceted character, he adopted his sister's daughters after she passed from cancer. Finn is rebuilding his life after not only losing the family member he was closest to, but also now having to be a parent to two girls.

Millis and Finn come together first as grumpy coworkers, then as friends, and then as friends who maybe really like each other. The story progresses naturally and is just a lovely love story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

I read and enjoyed a holiday romance by Jillian Meadows on Kindle Unlimited last December and when I saw that she had something on NetGalley, I knew I wanted to grab it. I really enjoyed this enemies to lovers workplace romance, which features one of my current favorite plot elements - one of the main characters has unexpectedly taken on caregiving responsibilities for children. In this novel, that character is Finn, the grumpy astronomer who works at the same museum as female main character Millie. Millie, a charming entomologist who is still recovering from an emotionally abusive and traumatic romantic relationship, has no idea why Finn hates her, though does keep accidentally making it worse - spilling coffee on him, accidentally hitting his car, and the like. But when the museum holds one of their annual summer camps, Millie meets Finn's two young nieces, who have recently lost their mother. She bonds with the two of them, and eventually Finn, and they become friends (who are hot for one another). They both have a lot to work through, and they are open about it with each other, which was kind of a refreshing change from some contemporaries. There was an ethically questionable situation - Millie is being considered for a promotion, and Finn is on the hiring committee - but Meadows does a nice job of dealing with that head-on. Overall this was a very sweet, satisfying romance between two adorable nerds. Content warnings for death of a loved one (in the past), emotionally abusive past relationship (some of which does happen on page).

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: There were things about this that I really enjoyed and some that made it hard to finish. The things that I enjoyed were elements of the plot and life circumstance of the main characters. Finn is raising his two younger nieces after the death of his sister from cancer and Millie is dealing with an abusive ex. Though these are both gut wrenching and serious topics, the writing didn't always hold the space for that. A lot of the plot devices moving the story forward were good, however didn't feel serious enough to match the tone of the plot.

There is good humor, a lot of moments that made me laugh out loud. You will enjoy this if you like fast paced romance with more heavy hitting topics. My main complaint is that I wish it would have slowed down some and took more time develop before moving forward. This is by no means a bad book and I think a lot of people will enjoy it.

I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with this book at the start, but it turned out in a way I wasn’t expecting based on the description. This was such a sweet, swoony story of love and found family that handles grief so well. I think I was going into this expecting a generic steminist, grumpy-sunshine rom-com with a fun and new workplace setting (A museum!). Wrong. This is a great debut from Jillian Meadows, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Millie is such a lovely, kind character that was so easy to root for. Finn though is a TOP-TIER, GRADE A book boyfriend. He’s not a grump, he’s a man grieving the loss of his sister and trying to stay afloat while raising his twin nieces. He fell first, and he fell HARD. I loved him so dang much. He’s a perfect cinnamon roll.

His nieces were some of the nicest portrayals I’ve seen of young kids in a book in a while – with two distinct and adorable personalities. I loved watching the four of them become a family, and the scenes of them bonding are the best parts of this book.

I don’t think I necessarily loved how the subplot of this was written though, and I wish I could have seen more of the museum setting and their careers. It felt a bit uneven when I loved the cozy family aspect of this book so much. You have two charming, driven, nerdy characters – let them nerd out a little more other than looking at the stars! Since this is being marketed as a steminist rom-com, I want a little more STEM. And to be honest, if this was marketed as a found family book instead, I don’t think I would have this critique!

Thank you Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for this e-ARC. I can’t wait to read more of Jillian’s work.

I have never read anything by this author before, but I really enjoyed reading this book. The pacing was good and the character's were developed very well.

All I wanted was some joy, laughter, and peace for these two lonely hearts because damn, they’ve been through it. Throughout the book, all of the characters (except Finn’s parents, no thank you) were easy to connect with and cheer for. Give Me Butterflies is realistic, relatable, and so, so sweet.

Things I Loved:
• Millie - Not one to fear spiders, Millie’s the potential director of etymology who is also a thrifter, great at picking stripper names, and not above conspiring in a cutthroat game of Catan. I loved Millie’s determination to earn her job title on her own merit and continuation to fight for her place as a woman in science. It was heartwarming to watch her grow into Finn’s little family and see her bond with her own.
• Finn - My new favorite nerdy astronomer, this man is a field of green flags. He’s working on balancing his priorities, gaining self-awareness, and taking care of his mental health (love that we get to see him in therapy). He’s not perfect, but he’s trying, and that made it easy to root for him. Finn is also a sweetheart of a mother hen, empathetic to Pluto’s plight, and rocks some “hot professor vibes” with his quirky ties. Can we clone him?
• The Romance - The numerous kind gestures and dates (both unofficial and official) made me audibly “awe.” From the coffee, croissants, and book swapping to the Friday nights, soup, and the Game of Firsts After Dark, this love story oozed sweetness and thoughtful consideration from both main characters. I also loved the communication, unwavering support, and safe spaces they offered each other. We love a healthy relationship model!
• Eloise and Avery (aka “the wildlings”) - These girls stole my heart. They were portrayed authentically, and I adored their moments with Finn and Millie. Their conversations regarding their mom made me incredibly emotional, and there were definitely a few tears shed.
• Supportive Family (FMC’s) and Friends - A good friendship circle is always fun to read about, and Lena, Micah, and Emil were awesome. One more for game nights, please! The text message threads with the lively Oaks (I just realized how that sounds and laughed) family were also highly entertaining. I have a feeling I know who the next book is going to be about **cough cough Mr. Movie Star smile**
• Realistic Conflicts and Respectful Communication - Given the nature of what the two MCs have gone through and are going through, the conflicts in the book make sense. They may initially handle a situation poorly, but then they reach out, talk it out, and respect one another enough to listen and work through it. Three cheers for maturity!
• Tough Topics and Conversations - This story deals with loss of a loved one and manipulative and abusive relationships for both MCs, and it handled them with care. The portrayals were realistic without being too overly dramatic for the sake of drama.

Minor Struggles:
> A Little More Grump - I enjoyed the beginning of the story where Finn embraced the “grumpy” label, but it didn’t last very long, and we jumped to lust and sweetness rather quickly. I’m all for those two things, but when a novel highlights the “grumpy/sunshine” trope, I like to see a little more grump before the FMC works her sunshine magic.
> A Little Less Cheddar - I enjoyed the majority of the dialogue, but there were a few small sections where it was a little too cheesy for my liking. It didn’t turn me off from the moment entirely, but it was noticeable.

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this story and found myself engaging more and more as the story progressed. It hits you in the feels but also makes you feel good, and that was just what I was looking for.

** Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

This book was incredibly written and it was the first time i've read a novel within 2 days in this year. Millie is a character I personally connect with as she tries to navigate through her career. This book was fast paced and did not have much of a slow-burn but I appreciate that in this book. It just highlights how Millie and Finn just fit so well into eachother's lives. Finn's character is the standard and he cares so much for those he loves despite his grief. If you love STEM romances and a sweet, heart-warming read then you'll love this book!

This romance novel was cute, but almost kind of boring. It seemed like there wasn't much conflict to bring the main characters together. I liked it enough for finish reading it, but I don't know if I'd pick up another book by this author.

I was hooked right away with the fact that the FMC was ready to throw down over an almond croissant 🤣 I can relate.

I related to Millie, the FMC who struggles with anxiety and had on page anxiety attacks.

It was such a sweet story and Finn is such an amazing uncle. I loved reading how their relationship grew and how the bond between his nieces became a relationship they all needed.

The twist shocked me, I’m not going to lie. I was not expecting that at all.

I also loved the group chat updates with her and her family. They are so cute and we got some insight on her sisters who will have their own books in the future.

Thank you such to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager.

First time reading this author and lots of promise. I really enjoyed the found family aspect and the setting of a museum.

Did a good job depicting non physical abuse in romantic and parental relationships as well.

Jillian Meadows is a wonderful author. This debut is amazing. The single guardian trope is my absolute favorite trope. Millie and Finn are so lovely together. Avery and Eloise are such cuties. The group texts were so fun. The steamy scenes were so good.
I'm so happy for Jillian that she got the chance to go traditional but I am also a bit sad because is my experience when an author goes trad we need to wait a very very long time for their next book to be released.