I first read Give Me Butterflies last year after it released and fell head over heels in love with Millie and Finn. I was completely swept off my feet and read it in one sitting - the tension and banter are *chef’s kiss* simply delectable and the cookie dough scene has been living rent free in my brain for over a year. I love how this story centers finding joy, laughter, your voice, and yourself after loss and leaving a toxic relationship, and I appreciate how Jillian has the characters advocating for therapy (with the sessions on page!) and encouraging each other to prioritize their mental health and emotional well being. I am so excited that Jillian’s delightful debut is being rereleased so even more readers can meet and fall in love with Millie and Finn. AND!!! That BONUS epilogue. SO perfect!!

This book has it all - nerdy banter, women in STEM, stargazing, therapy rep, found family, strong female friendships, relatable family group texts, and the most perfect grumpy sunshine pairing. Jillian’s writing not only has you giggling and kicking your feet, but her encouragement for chronic apologizers (hi, hello, it’s me) and joy and hope she infuses on every page comfort your soul. If you’re a girlie with anxiety whose heart and mind often need a pep talk and assurance that you’re confident, capable, badass, and doing amazing by showing up and being YOU, Jillian (and Lena and Micah) will be your hype girl and you will finish this story feeling so loved and empowered.

Everything about this story is abundantly cozy, heartwarming, and soft and I relished the opportunity to revisit this story and spend time with these wonderful friends turned family, who love and protect each other fiercely.

There is so much to love in this book.
- The characters, both main and secondary
- The relationship Millie and her family build with Ave and El, twins who lost their mother at a young age.
- The chemistry between Finn and Millie, and the way he cares for her.

Once we get past the 30% mark (which, prior to this point, feels like Insta-love), there’s a really beautiful story of healing after grief and found family.

Here’s what you can expect from this read:
- Found family
- Enemies (?)-to-Lovers
- Dual POV
- He Falls First
- Single guardian
- Workplace romance (sort of)
- Cinnamon Roll MMC

If you love these tropes, I think you’ll adore this read.

But, for me, the central conflict in this book felt pretty flimsy - which took away from the core love story. From the absolutely inconceivable hiring practices of this museum (which would be nothing short of illegal in real life) to how emotional abuse is depicted (much too quickly for the this important topic), I struggled to buy-into parts of this narrative - especially when it ALSO felt like questionable conflict was too easily resolved.

**A note on the depictions of abuse - I’m confident the author meant to portray this in a sensitive manner, but these moments - with Finn’s parents, with Millie’s ex — felt hollow/surface-level, like they were there to create conflict rather than truly explore this painful reality so many readers will have experienced firsthand.

In the end, I think Give Me Butterflies is a case of “less is more” - as I mentioned, there is a sweet and spicy love story here that would have been enough. There’s the promise of a science love story/STEM romance that could have been a focus and wasn’t. But we have this close-knit family to adore, and another one to create with the growing love between Millie and Finn.

The story could have focused on these things -- and the honestly wonderful characters Meadows created — and been a top contemporary romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an advanced copy of this book on exchange for an honest review.

I needed a pallet cleaner and this was just the thing. This was a great balance of emotions: sweet, heartwarming and spicy. The pacing was perfect for the vibes, I never felt bored which sometimes I have issues with when reading romance but not here! I look forward to picking up the next installment of this series. Thanks NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I loved Give Me Butterflies so much. Jillian Meadows wrote a beautiful story touching on grief, anxiety, and self doubt. Millie and Finn's relationship was so sweet, especially watching Millie fall in love with Finn's nieces right along her falling for Finn. I cannot wait for the release date to add this to my shelf.

Where do I even start with this book? This is one of those books that had me kicking by feet and squealing with all of the cuteness happening. From all the nerdy references to the adorable girls catching on. I also really enjoyed how the author portrayed anxiety and also grief; it was done it such a respectful way and did not hinder any of the part of the story. The miscommunication that happened also did not take away but fit in with the characters. Also, Finn falling first and hard was so cute but understanding that Millie is getting over a really bad relationship not quite as ready as he is. Overall, this book is adorable and very relatable.

Thank you, Avon & Harper Voyager, Jillian Meadows, and Netgalley for an arc of this book. I love STEM romances they are an instant read for me! The cover on this book is to die for! Cant wait for the release day so i can add it to my bookshelf.

I was drawn to this book by the adorable cover and grumpy x sunshine trope, but sadly this did not work for me. I was really bored by the fifth chapter or so. The MMC was only grumpy for the first few chapters and the enemy co-workers was over by then as well, so I felt cheated. He was instantly in love with her, constantly talking about how he couldn't stop checking her out. Both characters read as perfect people and it was nauseating. The FMC was portrayed as so strong, yet she didn't block her manipulative ex? Didn't add up. This just felt like insta-family and I struggled to connect. I didn't feel any sparks between them and the banter felt stilted. I even skipped over the spicy scenes. I wanted to DNF by the 50% mark, but pushed through with some skimming.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a must read! The writing is gorgeous, the banter is on fire, the steam deliciously spicy and the conversation around anxiety, grief, and therapy is executed with perfection!

I read Wreck My Plans last year and adored it. I was thrilled when I heard both of Jillian’s books were going trad. This was a sweet, emotional, spicy book with adorable kids, a cute dog, and two hot nerds. I loved it!

Give Me Butterflies had me legitimately squealing and kicking my feet it was so adorable. I loved the fact that there were two nerds together, as usually the male is some macho cool dude. It made the story feel more real. The whole story was so cute and so well written, I'm definitely gonna wanna read anything this author puts out.

The story starts with the heroine, Millie, applying to the newly open position as head of the entomology department. Shortly after, she runs (literally) into Finn from the Astrology department, who is a grumpy gus. After that, and a few other slightly disastrous mishaps, Millie and Finn start getting to know each other, helped along by the twin neices Finn has gained custody of. What follows is the cutest story ever.

This book would be great for anyone who likes these tropes:
*Workplace Romance
*Single Dad
*Women in STEM
*Grumpy x Sunshine
*Nerdy Banter
*Found Family
*Mental Health Rep
*Supportive Men

Favorite Character: Finn is my newest book boyfriend. He WORSHIPS Millie. I want my husband to read this book for pointers.

Favorite Quote: "We are microscopes versus telescopes, smiles versus scowls, warm versus Fridgid"- Millie

I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I could not explain more how much I love this book. I’ve never even looked up an author before I read this book and I found her on Instagram and reached out because I was so floored by how much I love this book that I thought about it for DAYS. This is the barometer book I compare other rom coms to. It’s so good

Millie is a entomology curator at a small museum with multiple departments, including the astronomy department where the notorious office grump Finn works. Millie has applied for a promotion to be the new head of the Entomology department and, after a series of unlucky incidents, Millie stumbles into the interview covered in coffee and having driven her vehicle into her now nemesis, Finn's car, who is also part of the committee to decide who will earn the promotion. Trying to get on Finn's good side, but also realizing he is struggling as a single parent, Millie begins to spend more and more time with Finn outside of work, where, shocker, feelings develop.

This is marketed as a "swoony, single guardian romance" and I would agree. Finn turns out to be very sweet and has Millie's best interests at heart. It is a "grumpy sunshine" romance, at least in the beginning. Each character has their own struggles they are working through, Finn taking care of twin girls and Millie trying to recover from an abusive relationship, and their relationship development is really sweet. The intimate scenes were steamy, but not on the level of a Tessa Bailey or Ali Hazelwood novel. This would be a fairly good readalike for someone who enjoyed "The Love Hypothesis" by Ali Hazelwood and "All Rhodes Lead Here" by Marianna Zapatta.

What I didn't like was that it felt a little long. It took me a long time to finish this as my attentions were being attracted elsewhere. I still enjoyed it though and will recommend it to others.

Trigger warnings for Intimate Partner verbal abuse, stalking behavior.

Oh this is super cute!!! I love the whole early miscommunication thing and mishaps. I am really excited to read more about the other characters!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the chance to read this eARC.

4 Stars!

<i>Give Me Butterflies</i> has the makings of the perfect cozy autumn read! This grumpy x sunshine museum curator romance had me squeeing at all the cute, heartfelt moments.

Jillian Meadows writes with such a great sense of cinematography! I literally imagined the planet themed ties and butterfly dresses that the leads were described to wear, and that deepened my immersion into the theme.

The other side of the story - the threads on grief, parenting and finding family for the twins were beautifully done.

My thanks to the author and Avon for the eARC, all opinions my own!

This is definitely a grumpy/sunshine romance that has pop culture references from Star Wars (Kyle Ren), and Star Trek (Spock). It had me smiling a decent amount of the times. I do recommend reading the “dear reader” portion in the front becuase it does mention some sensitive topics that might have you uneasy. Over all I really enjoyed the writing style and I am not going to lie if I had no idea when I picked this up it was a debut novel and I never would have guessed. The cover drew me in and the content made me stay! If you like the STEM type of books from Ali Hazelwood then definitely try this becuase it’s cute, sweet and spicy! Just what a book lover wants!

This was such a surprise fun read for me. I was super interested in the storyline when I read the blurb and boy did it not disappoint. It's such a cute, swoony and a little bit spicy office/workplace romance. This story revolves around Millie and Finn is the perfect grumpy/sunshine dynamic. Millie is applying for a promotion at the museum and Finn is part of the interview committee. They didnt have a good start with Finn being too much of a grump but eventually they become friends and then surprise! Lovers too. I like the relationship that Millie had with Finn's nieces. They're so cute on how they easily bonded with Millie. I also love Millie's family and their hilarious group text chain. Overall, it's just a good and too cute nerdy romance with a hint of spice. The whole time U was reading the book, I had a constant smile, giggling and kicking my feet. Definitely recommend it!

Really enjoyed this! Lighthearted while still juggling some heavier topics, but overall it was low angst and just very cute. Exactly what I was looking for.

My only real feedback was that the relationship felt a bit forced in the beginning and seemingly developed out of nowhere. I found Finn’s character to be a little confusing. He was seemingly the biggest grump ever, and then suddenly incredibly sweet. It was a bit like getting whiplash. But when he was being really sweet I was so in love. I loved the dynamic with his nieces and the sense of found family.

4ish stars. Give Me Butterflies is a grump/sunshine romance between museum curators (he's an astronomer, she's an entomologist), that had its serious moments, but all in all, had me smiling throughout the entire book. Even though Finn is a supreme grump, he falls first and falls hard. And who doesn't love that? But the main reason I enjoyed this book as much as I did is the kids! Finn is a single parent and every scene with his kids was pure platinum. And especially those scenes between his kids and Millie, the female lead. I loved watching their relationships develop. But truly, those adorable girls made this book for me.

If I had to choose one word to describe this book, it would be sweet. In fact, Give Me Butterflies is so sweet, you'll end up with a tooth ache (not really, but it is quite sweet). Honestly, this book reminded me of something Sarah Adams would write, except that it's open door, complete with several spicy scenes. This is Meadows's debut novel, and in some ways, I do think it reads like a debut novel. Parts of it felt a bit paint by numbers in the sense that tropes or scenes felt thrown in because they would be popular and not necessarily 100% organic to the story. That said, I think this is a really solid debut. So much so that I 100% want to continue with this series and read the future books (assuming the other Oak sisters get books of their own). Honestly, Give Me Butterflies was an enjoyable and easy read, and I cannot overstate how nice it is to read enjoyable and easily readable books. Truly, books like this are why I read the romance genre.

Thank you so much to Meadows, Avon, and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

she had me at Darcy hand flex, y’all! 😍

this perfectly sweet & smart debut in two words is: delicious + delightful. I seriously could not stop grinning with giddiness as I read this one omg! Finn and Millie & Co have a whole heaping helping of my heart and soul. the quirkiness, the banter, the proximity of the museum moments, the twin girlies, the friend gang, the Oak fam texts, the finger licking baked goodness!!! 🤭🫠

y’all. it‘s a 𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 of the year for me. the evidence is in my scribbled love notes! go bless yourself with the butterflies in these words, but then come back so we can squeal and swoon together! 💚

“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘮𝘦. 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩.
𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺.”

𝘁 𝗿 𝗼 𝗽 𝗲 𝘀 :
🪴 grumpy x sunshine
🦋 single guardian
🥐 smart workplace rom
🌌 forced proximity
🤍 found family

DNF @ 21%.

I don't dislike this book, it is just not what I was looking for at the moment - there are heavier topics that I was expecting for a romance read.

We drop into a story already in progress which I enjoyed, but I didn't really feel an instant connection to any of the characters.

I do look forward to picking this back up in the future, it is just not for me right now.

Projected rating 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.