Rating: 3 5

This might be my least favorite book that I've read by this author so far, but I'm still looking forward to reading more of their books. The brief drama between Cam and Al seemed unnecessary. They claimed they acted the way that they did because they were jealous of him. But they were being a bad friend before that. And Cam had to be understanding of that for some reason. With the title and cover of the book, you'd think it would be more of a romance, but it really wasn't. This is more about friendship and trying to prevent someone from getting murdered. It was pretty obvious to me who the villains of the story were from the start. This was still overall a fast paced and well written story.

4.5 stars

Cam hopes that changing schools as a sophomore will help him to stay flying under the radar. Since he’s a human at a school where kids have supernatural powers, that shouldn’t be a problem. Until he has a psychic glimpse during a school fight where a girl gets murdered.

Turns out true psychic visions are rare in the supernatural community, so Cam suddenly finds himself the center of attention. But all he wants to do is solve the mystery of the girl he saw to hopefully stop her murder.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of Love at Second Sight by FT Lukens! Always a fan of Lukens work, and this might have worked its way up to my favorite book by them. It seemed like there was a little more at stake in this book than in their previous books.

Let me just start by saying Lukens brilliantly draws parallels between the way Cam’s parents won’t accept their supernatural ability and parents that won’t accept their kids’ sexuality. Cam’s parents are trying to change who he is, despite his journey towards accepting himself. It’s a very fitting comparison to make in a society that is actively trying to erase LGBTQ+ identities.

Aside from that, the characters are what initially drew me into this story. Cam is a wonderful narrator, and eventually finds a little group of friends who accept him wholeheartedly. And help him on his journey towards the supernatural. His relationship with Mateo was adorable, and it had a realistic progression throughout the book.

The ending of the book is a bit wild, taking a turn that you might not expect. But this made the book even more engaging for me, and I was definitely on edge for that last 20% of the book. If you like supernatural mysteries, definitely check this one out when it comes out in April!

I enjoyed "So This is Ever After" another F.T. Lukens book, and to me this book gave me similar vibes. The romance was cute but not part of the whole story, which I enjoyed, and even the murder mystery part of the book was fun to try and figure out. The romance was well paced and the friends feel fleshed out and Cam's friends were fun. This book gave me 80's movie vibes with all the paranormal high schoolers. There were a few things like the brand new school having yearbooks available in the Library, that did bother me but not enough to take a way from the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for this ARC!

I decided to read this book as part of the Trans Rights Readathon, as FT Lukens has been on my want to read list for a long time, and I just hadn't been able to find a reason to. Enter the readathon and receiving this book as ARC from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing. I'm beyond happy that I read this book, as the characters are dynamic, I was entranced by the plot, like to the point where I feel like I should have been taking notes with how invested I was.

My only issue is that I wish there had been a tiny bit more shown for Mateo and Cam, because I just loved their dynamic so much!

FT Lukens has been an auto-buy author for me since the first novel I read of theirs, and I’m happy that that hasn’t changed. This was such a unique story, and I’m so glad I read it.

I LOVED the friendships in this book. The ‘paranormal Yahtzee’ but my favourite part of the story, I loved all of them and their connections with each other and Cam. Every single one of them was important to the story, and it just worked. The family situations though… I personally didn't care for any of that & is the reason I’m giving this a 4 instead of a 5.

The title confuses me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cute title and the cover of the book is stunning just like all of the others designed by Sam Schechter for FT Lukens. But it made me think this was going to be a second chance romance, which it definitely wasn’t. Honestly, I’m hesitant to call it a romance at all, it was a paranormal mystery. There is a romance but it’s a minor storyline. The self discovery and teamwork were so much more of the plot, at least that’s how I read it.

Anyway. I adored this. I can’t wait to pick up a physical copy for my shelves when it comes out & I definitely recommend it.

This book was SO MUCH FUN. Another great book from F.T. Lukens!

It was everything I would want from a teen-paranormal mystery with a bit of romance kind of story. Everyone in the main cast of characters were so loveable. The different types of beings in this world all had their own sense of uniqueness and it was great seeing it all come together in the end.

Cam's life situation felt the most grounded and relatable out of all of their previous MCs. He was also dorky, fun, and would panic in situations where I would have reacted the same. The cast of friends Cam makes along the way all felt like real teenagers reacting the way real teenager's would. I think I've said this in a previous review but I find that kind of hard to find, and Lukens excels at it.

Lukens does a great job of writing a feel-good kinda goofy paranormal high school story while adding in some real spooky tension at the end. I think some people may find the shift towards the end of the book jarring but personally, I loved the escalation. I think it added to the oddness of this fun world.

Thank you very much to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for this ARC!

I absolutely LOVED this one and it might be my favorite FT Lukens’ book yet 👀

FT writes such incredible found family stories and this one was no exception! You have Cam who was human… until a school fight which made him have a vision and realize he’s actually a clairvoyant. Then there’s his whole group of paranormal friends including Al, a witch, Mateo and his brother + cousin, werewolves, Kaci, a psychic who sees ghosts, Reece, a sprite, and then finally one normal human who just loves the paranormal, Gemma.

The whole story revolves around Cam’s first vision… seeing a murder. He and Al work tirelessly to try and figure out who is being murdered and who is the murderer. This takes the two of them + the others on a whole race to try and stop the vision from happening. Friendships are tested, people are accused, and in the end, the biggest plot twist and absolute horror occurs (I was quite literally panicking that it wasn’t going to be a happy ending).

The story was so unique and soooo well written! I never saw parts of it coming and wow that ending was so full of twists and turns that I almost wish there was 30 more pages afterwards to fully recover from it.

I HIGHLY recommend picking this one up if you love found family, paranormal settings, murder mysteries, and of course a little bit of romance on the side🥰

This was a really sweet YA mystery. Lukens does a great job meshing the human and paranormal world. It's magical realism done correctly! I wasn't expecting the kind of suspense that this gave, but I was here for it! Of course, like any good YA it needed an element of romance and that was done really well. It made me want to be young again.. crushing on the werewolf. The story was funny at times, sad at times, scary at times - everything you want in a fast paced YA novel. The characters were so much fun to hang out with for a few days. Well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for a complimentary early release copy of Love At Second Sight by F.T Lukens.

After reading and absolutely adoring Otherworldly by F.T Lukens I was excited to see they had another new book coming out. I was even more intrigued to find out that the new story would have a mystery/thriller element, which is one of my favorite genres! Love At Second Sight was a fun and entertaining novel to read, the characters feel well thought out, and the mystery elements were perfect. F.T Lukens writes friendship groups beautifully, in both novels that I’ve read from them I’ve been impressed with the characters, story, romance, and friendships. I’m all for the misfit friend vibes in here, I found the friend group to be entertaining to read about, there was never a dull moment around this group!

The psychic visions were also a really neat element in the story, the visions didn’t feel overused/overpowered at all. I like how Cam went about dealing with the visions among other elements in the story. I enjoyed the thrilling aspects of the mystery, the visions, and just how some scenes played out really tickled that thrilling nerve of mine! The only thing that bothered me a bit was the romance felt like it was on the back burner, I was routing for Cam and Mateo but I just wish we would have gotten some more scenes between the two. I lived for the thrills and tense moments between them but I wanted more romance/one on one scenes with them. I definitely will be reading more from F.T Lukens, I have two physical books i’m excited to get into. I know they are going to be excellent reads!

Gosh this was such a fun time! Paranormal is BACK, baby (don't come for me if it has been back... this made me feel like I did reading paranormal romances in high school, but it was more humorous).

This world was so fun! It felt very contemporary but with magical beings in society (faeries, sprites, vampires, werewolves, witches, etc.). Cam's plight realizing he is clairvoyant and having to deal with the initial ramifications of that all on his own was so interesting to read. I loved seeing his friend group form (and also each friend is so distinct?! I want more books about this group!!!). The romance was cute, but more on the back burner than I was expecting (maybe it could be more of a focus in potential future books?? O.o).

This book is about accepting yourself for who you are and coming to terms with cutting out people who don't. I wasn't expecting the message to have such a punch to it, but I was crying near the end. These characters deserve everything. I hope there will be another book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Cozy. Wholesome. Standalone. Found family. LGBTQIA+ inclusive. It has all the things I’ve come to expect from F.T. Lukens’s books. I will say that some plot points, like reuniting with a supposedly missing estranged sibling, feel a little underdeveloped or anticlimatic. This book also felt a bit darker than other Lukens books because of biological family violently rejecting their children. Even though the rejection isn’t based on gender or sexuality, it is something the characters cannot control about themselves, so it’s upsetting for an otherwise cozy, inclusive book. Likeable, but not my favorite F.T. Lukens.

Not my favorite of F.T. Luken's books, but enjoyable nonetheless! I loved the main cast of characters, and the world was magical and immersive. It was missing that distinct spark I'm looking for, though.

While the title is clever, I don't think it represents the book well. While there is a subplot romance, it's very subtle, and the two romancing characters in question go on one date and then they share a kiss at the very end of the book. I don't mind subplot romance at all. In fact, I prefer it. However, this title could be misleading and upset some others.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love that time in the Spring when I get my once yearly hit of joy from F.T. Lukens newest book and Love at Second Sight provided just that. A lovely group of paranormal friends trying to solve a mystery when one of them becomes a clairvoyant and chaos ensues is my idea of a good time. I loved the characters, the mystery kept me mostly engaged, and the details about high school made me laugh.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is that Cam being a clairvoyant and his experiences directly in some cases correlates to the experiences of queer youth. He's basically forced out of the clairvoyant closet with a video. His parents don't see him as normal and want him to be normal. It's new territory and he's unsure about himself and everything. However, for this book, it seems to be a queer normative world, so instead of the conflict being about his gender or sexuality, it's about his powers. He decides to lean into them and finds a group of friends who love and support him. His parent? We're not going to talk about them. It would be a spoiler.

The mystery aspect of this was pretty fun. Trying to piece together a murder and prevent it when you can only see a few glimpses of the future based on who you're touching is not the best method to solve a mystery, but you have to work with the gifts you're given. Cam and his friends do the best they can with their array of powers. I really loved Al and their raven familiar Lenore. They were *chefs kiss*. I also really enjoyed Kaci, Gemma, Reese, and Mateo. If I had one comment, I wish that there was a bit more to Cam and Mateo's romance, but it does make sense in the situation that they are more preoccupied with trying to solve a murder.

Overall, I would recommend this to fans of F.T. Lukens other books. If you like urban fantasy, queer characters, and found family aspects, then you'll be pretty pleased. If you want a jog down memory lane and the square pizza provided by your high school cafeteria, this could give you that. If you're still in high school and reading this well... enjoy! Spell Bound is still probably my favorite F.T. Lukens book, but I can appreciate that this wrapped up in a more cohesive way. I can't wait to read whatever F.T. Lukens has planned next, but I already know that I'm going to have to wait another year. However, for those of you who have this to look forward to: Happy Reading!

This book was so fun and cute, and I had a blast reading it. For starters, I loved our main character and narrator, Cam. He was so caring and brave and lovable. He was a great perspective to be reading from, because as he was learning everything about the supernatural community so was the reader. He also had amazing development, making more friends and growing into his abilities and realizing what kind of person he wants to be in life. I also loved his friends. His relationship with Al was especially wholesome as they were able to fight and make up maturely. And of course his relationship with Mateo was so adorable. Lastly, I love the magical world building and plot. It was so fun seeing so many different magics in the different characters, and Cam’s ability was very well thought out and structured. As for the plot, I liked the mystery aspect a lot, especially with the references to Scooby-Doo. I didn’t love the climax of the plot and the ultimate villains of the story, as it was a bit dark for me. But overall this book was amazing, I enjoyed it and highly recommend.

5/5 stars: This is Lukens' YA 2SLGBTQIA+ Paranormal Mystery Romance stand-alone that follows a human fifteen-year-old who unexpectedly has a psychic glimpse of the future in front of most of the student body, seeing a gruesomely murdered teen girl from the point of view of the killer. Now he has to navigate the supernatural community and their unwanted persistent interest in his gifts and how it all effects his relationship with family and friends. All while working to identify the girl in the vision, find her potential killer and prevent the murder from happening. Or the next murder he sees might be his own. Witty and heartfelt, Lukens' writing and character work are exceptional; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain incredibly likable. Cam's an adorable artsy oddball and I love him to pieces. It's great to see him grow into his new paranormal powers and navigate his relationship with his parents and his old and new friendships and deal with all the attention his clairvoyance has garnered. And oh course there's his sweet romance with his longtime werewolf crush, Mateo. While there are no OPS scenes, the romance is very flirty and swoony. Additionally, Lukens has crafted mystery with plenty of twists and turns. With tact and sensitivity, Lukens touches on some sensitive topics; so take care and CWs. Lukens is a favorite author and this newest book doesn't disappoint; Highly recommend!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Margaret K. McElderry Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

LOVE AT SECOND SIGHT gave exactly what I was expecting. It was cute and quick. Very fun snack of a story to read.

really cute romance with some great drama near the end. it felt a bit sudden but it was definitely hinted at throughout! 5 stars. tysm for the arc. would recommend.

Thank you to FT Lukens, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

Despite the fact that I physically own two of Lukens’ novels, this was my first time reading one of their works. Love at Second Sight has made me eager to pick up my other novels by them. I found our main character, Cam, to be endearing if not a little annoying at times. The bigger cast of characters (Al, Gemma, Mateo, Kaci, and Reese) were all likable and each served a purpose to further the plot.
Some of the things that didn’t make this a 5-star read for me was Cam’s family, the pacing, and the overall feeling that a lot of this could have been solved much quicker but couldn’t because of ✨plot reasons.✨
Aiden—Cam’s older brother—is MIA for the majority of the book and only comes into play once to be like “omg don’t trust our parents, they’re mad I fell in love with a faery. Also here’s the faeries which will do nothing for the plot except remind you the supernatural are everywhere in this world.” Only for Cam to decide to continue to trust their parents despite the fact they’re the paranormal equivalent of homophobes in this queer-normative world. And believe me, the subtext is not subtle about the fact that being paranormal is the equivalent to being anything but cis-het in our world. “How she’d [Gemma] taken away my chance to reveal my ability on my own terms, to whom I wanted, when I wanted, or whether I wanted to at all.” It’s giving the forced outing from the 2018’s Love, Simon film.
I wanted the storyline with Cam’s parents turning out to be part of an anti-paranormal cult to rid their children of those aspects of society to come quicker, having it all conglomerate at the end messed up the pacing for me as the final chapters felt very rushed as a resolution was trying to be found and completed.
I found the romance between Cam and Mateo to be cute and balance good with the story itself, though from my perspective it did feel like Mateo’s crush on Cam developed somewhat out of nowhere? Maybe that was just me not picking up on the subtext beforehand.
I also feel like this book could have benefitted from a different title—I didn’t see the significance of the current title and also it feels very romance-y when I feel like this is more a coming of age, “murder” mystery story.
Last thing, there were also a couple of instances of Al’s pronouns being wrong (I spotted two times “she” was used over Al’s preferred they/them pronouns) and one instance of “Cam” being put instead of “Aiden” but overall the grammar seemed to be good and the story was well-edited.
I’d definitely still recommend this book even with all the little things I mentioned above.

Love at Second Sight is a love story and a mystery, but most importantly, it's a metaphor for discrimination. I'm the biggest fan of F.T. Lukens' works, from In Deeper Waters to So This is Ever After, and Love at Second Sight definitely didn't disappoint. The friends-to-lovers arc between Cam and Mateo was the cutest. I'm usually a bigger fan of enemies-to-lovers but the way both Cam and Mateo have obviously crushing on each other? I loved the pining. This was teen romance at its finest. I mean, they're 15 years old. If some people think the romance moved too slowly, or too mildly, remember these kids are sophomores in high school. Speaking of, I loved how F.T. wrote their characters. As a high school sophomore myself, they felt startling realistic. All of their insecurities and doubts seemed to be taken straight from my own. They don't act too mature, but they don't act too immature either. F.T. knows their characters and their audience. I can't over-stress how appreciative I am of this. If I feel like characters my age are too unrealistic, I'll drop a book, but F.T. hooked me.
I loved the paranormal elements. The way F.T. represented discrimination in the real world with how many humans saw the paranormal citizens as something to be purged translated into a thoughtful depiction of the reality we live in. This was the most empathetic way to bring awareness to and to help many see a perspective they may not have understood before. I can write an essay on how Love at Second Sight reflects real world problems and I just might. F.T. Lukens is just such a genius.
Thank you to Simon Teen for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

This was cute. I wasn't totally invested at first, but as the story went on I grew to really love it. I think the best part of it by far is the friend group that forms among such an unexpected group of people. That part was very Breakfast Club and I would love to read more of their interactions.

The metaphor of using the paranormal community as a stand in for the queer community was a little overdone, but it might actually reach some readers who don't see a problem with fear and hatred of queer people.

I would have liked a little more time spent on the romance. That part gets shoved to the background a bit with Cam's burgeoning clairvoyant powers and the murder mystery.

I also would have liked more time spent on Aiden and Cam's relationship. As it is Aiden just sort of pops up occasionally but doesn't really do much.

Overall, it's a cute read and one of my favorite FT Lukens books. I enjoy them all, but the friend group in this one is really great.

*Thanks to Margaret K. McElderry Books for providing an early copy for review.