I was a little iffy on this book at first. The start was a little odd at first and didn't keep my attention. Fast forward to a few chapters in, I was hooked.

The story follows Cam, a newly formed clairvoyant. He sees a terrifying future for an unknown girl and goes on a journey to find her and figure himself out. Along the way, he befriends a werewolf, sprite, psychic, and adorably odd human.

I'm a sucker for gay romance and to sprinkle a little bit of paranormal in it was a chef's kiss. There were so many delightful and surprising twists. I changed who I thought the culprit was so many times. I feel like I'm going to need to reread this immediately.

Supernatural queer love stories are now my new jam! If you are Team Jacob or just really love werewolves, you have to check this out. Psychics, murder, witches, and a paranormal school set the background for this fun, mysterious novel!

Before I begin, I would like to thank F. T. Lukens for allowing me to read a Net Galley copy of their upcoming book, Love at Second Sight, which will be available everywhere on April 29th, 2025.

The only thing that fifteen-year-old Cam Reynolds wants to do is complete sophomore year without drawing any attention. Considering that he goes to school with his witch best friend Al, and his crush, a werewolf named Mateo, he has a fighting chance. When Cam has a psychic glimpse at the future and sees an unfamiliar teen girl murdered at school, he is forced to accept that he’s a clairvoyant which is one of the rarest types of supernatural beings ever. Now the most powerful supernatural factions are trying to persuade him to join them, and figure out with his old and new friends who is responsible for the girl’s murder in the future. Can Cam and his friends determine who the future victim and perpetrator are and stop the murder from happening or will he be next?

This book was fantastic. You have Cam, a sweet, honest, and clever teen who has to juggle with his new supernatural abilities and pressure to decide where his allegiances lie. I found his relationships with his family and friend Al relatable, and many times I wanted to give him a hug. The mystery was written well, and I felt bad about how many people swarmed him to get their futures read. The interactions between Cam and Mateo were cute, and I adored the way Cam and his friends looked out for each other. There were a lot of twists in this story that kept me in suspense and I gasped multiple times as each secret was revealed. The attitudes of people, from the supernatural factions to humans unaccepting of supernatural beings in general, were similar to the interactions that people have to deal with on the streets and with their loved ones. I loved the friendships that Cam made and strengthened due to him embracing them and their supernatural abilities and fascinations wholeheartedly, and cheered for them to figure out and stop the murder plot from happening as I read the story. Overall, if you like fantastic worldbuilding, complex characters, supernatural beings, mystery and suspense, clairvoyants, wonderful chosen family dynamics, discussions about prejudice and stereotypes, and sweet strangers-to-friends-to-lovers teen romance with low amounts of spice, then I would highly recommend this book. Here’s the link with more information: Amazon.com: Love at Second Sight eBook : Lukens, F.T.: Kindle Store

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

F.T. Lukens delivers a heartwarming and engaging mix of fantasy and mystery in “Love at Second Sight.” This YA urban fantasy is packed with charming characters, well-executed LGBTQ+ representation, and an endearing slow-burn romance, all set against a supernatural high school backdrop. The character development is absolutely outstanding in this book as well, one of my favorites from Lukens.

Fifteen-year-old Cam Reynolds wants nothing more than to blend in at his new school, despite being one of the few humans among his paranormal classmates. Unfortunately, his hopes for a low-profile sophomore year are dashed when he has a vision of a teen girl being murdered—viewed from the perspective of the killer. Suddenly, Cam discovers he has psychic abilities, putting him in the middle of a murder mystery and making him the center of attention. With the help of his diverse and lovable friend group—including his best friend Al, a nonbinary witch, and his werewolf crush, Mateo—Cam must unravel the mystery while also navigating the complexities of supernatural politics and his own self-identity.

Lukens excels at creating relatable and dynamic characters. Cam feels like a genuine teenager—awkward, self-conscious, and unsure of his place in the world. His growth throughout the novel is both satisfying and realistic, as he gains confidence and embraces his newfound abilities. The side characters, including Mateo and Cam’s group of supernatural friends, are equally well-developed, each bringing their own strengths and struggles to the story. The found family aspect is one of the book’s strongest points, as Cam builds relationships that help him become more sure of himself.

The romance between Cam and Mateo is sweet, slow-burn, and utterly wholesome. Both characters are adorably awkward around each other, with small but meaningful moments—like Mateo losing control of his shifting when embarrassed—making their budding relationship feel authentic and age-appropriate for younger YA readers.

While the book is framed as a murder mystery, the story’s true heart lies in its characters and relationships. The mystery itself takes a backseat for much of the book, though it picks up in the second half. Some elements of the twist may be a bit predictable, but the journey remains engaging. The book also touches on deeper themes, with Cam’s strained relationship with his parents—especially regarding their treatment of his older brother—echoing real-world issues of familial acceptance and rejection, especially involving the LGBTQ+ representation.

I do wish the world-building could have been fleshed out more. The supernatural factions and urban fantasy elements are intriguing, but at times, the lore feels a bit overstuffed. Additionally, the ending, while satisfying, feels a tad rushed. I would absolutely love it if Lukens continues to explore and develop this world in another book.

Overall, “Love at Second Sight” is a charming, heartfelt, and compulsively readable story with a wonderful cast of characters. Lukens continues to prove their talent for crafting endearing protagonists and meaningful friendships. Fans of supernatural high school settings, slow-burn queer romance, and found family dynamics will find this book an absolute delight. Highly recommended!

I was actually pleasantly surprised after reading this book. I'm not really one to like these kind of genres, where they involve witches and werewolves, However, the storyline kept me intrigued the entire way through. I absolutely loved the representation in this book as well, I can see younger readers feeling seen and appreciated while reading this. I would definitely pick up another book by F.T. Lukens as well.

This was a great read, especially for me who doesn't normally lean into romance reads, even when they're fantasy. The romance was actually very subtle here and maybe that's why I liked it. There was a lot of mystery and turns here that kept me entertained through to the end.

Having read all of Lukens other books, I was so excited to see that they have written another book! This book was such a great time. Love that it was all about finding out who you really are and who is really there to help you in the end. The high school setting was great; loved that basically everything that could go wrong on the first day of school went wrong. The mystery part of the story was also great. Another great book.

Oh wow, what an amazing book! I have a new favorite author! I’m off to find their other books. I need to read them. The premise was fascinating. High school student Cam hoped to fly under the radar in his new school as a human among his cool paranormal classmates. In the midst of a school fight, he had a vision of the future, filled with a gruesome murder of a teen girl. When he comes to he figured out he was clairvoyant, and someone in his school was a murderer. Now he was off figuring out who she was, who murdered her, and to prevent that from happening. In addition to that stress Cam also had to figure how to live with his new found powers with his unhappy parents. Along with his best friend Al, that was a witch, his werewolf crush Mateo, and his new paranormal friends he figured out a plan for the victim and his clairvoyant future. I absolutely loved his friend group. They were adorable and so kind to him. I liked that his best friend Al was figuring out their own powers of being a witch and being his loyal friend. I loved Mateo for his shyness and his quiet strength that Cam needed. And together they were adorable. I would have loved more romance and scenes of their connection. I didn’t like Cams parents and thought they were cruel to their older son Aidan. I was disappointed with the bad guy that was a bit predictable. I was hoping for more. The ending was okay, but would have loved to know more in regard to the future for Cam and his powers. It was a wonderful story of new and old friendships, love, and being happy with oneself. I enjoyed reading this gem of a book! Overall, it was a very addicting, and amazing book. I absolutely recommend this lovely book! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

This is my second book by the author and between the two I can already tell they are going to become someone reliable if I want a solid, good time.

Really I think they were firing on all cylinders here. The characters, the themes, the relationships, the twists, it all worked. I was so convinced around 80% that I had the shape of things figured out but I had really just led myself down a garden path of my own alleged cleverness. The clues are there and the explanations don’t rely on being told things at the last minute you couldn’t possibly have known before. And some of the reveals within the book genuinely took my by surprise!

I do have a handful of critiques:

The book is front-loaded with quite a bit of exposition in the first few pages. It was readable enough but I was very aware I was having someone just tell me things instead of having information come up organically.
There’s a point where character one tells our narrator a story which later on is somewhat contradicted by character two, so our narrator assumes character one is lying. He’s known character one longer and better, so it doesn’t make sense they would jump straight to being a lie on that character’s part and not a result of them being mistaken or mislead. This is also treated with some importance even though exactly what wires were crossed is never explored. This sounds nitpicky but it bothered me that it turned out not to really matter besides deepening certain suspicions.
There are some lines about how it’s so weird how, for example, someone will have nature powers, except those powers are allegedly common, and there’s no indication that magic is “new” to the wider consciousness. Given the way parallels are explicitly drawn between these groups and marginalized populations in the real world, it’s a little like someone saying, “it’s unbelievable that you’re a boy who likes other boys” or “that your skin is darker than mine.” These things should be relatively normalized as in-universe occurrences rather than physics-defying miracles.
It felt a little bit like some character arcs fizzled out once their immediate relevance waned towards the end. Things felt a little fizzily in general, really, like there was a bit of an anticlimax rather than smooth falling action.

Overall I am really glad that I got the chance to read this book. It had me hooked and I loved being in this world for a little while. Cam is a very believable, sympathetic teenager and I felt for him in all his struggles. If FT Lukens ever wanted to revisit him and his loved ones I would be there for it. 4.25/5

Thank you for the book and the chance to give feedback! This review is cross posted to my Storygraph and Fable.

I've been on a bit of an anti-ya tirade lately, but I will always fuck with F.T. Lukens and their insanely amazing book covers, so I obviously wanted to get my hands on this. I'm happy to say I enjoyed it. For the most part. There were a few things I didn't quite enjoy, but overall it was a fun little journey that I liked taking.

Cam is a good protagonist, though I can't say I was in love with his best friend Al. They were a bit too much, and I didn't quite buy their friendship for most of the book because Al just kinda seemed like a dick.

Mateo was great, and I would have loooooved more focus on him or his family. You don't get too much alone time with him, and when he's in groups he seems sort of bowled over by the rest of the characters. I would have liked a little more time spent with/on him and Cam's relationship, but I suppose that wasn't meant the be the main focus of the book.

The magical aspect of the book was great. The world building was nice, and you could definitely feel it was a sort of Gilmore Girls meets magical creatures universe. I enjoyed the time spent in the town and learning about the differences between the various factions and guilds.

The last quarter of the book felt rushed, the last several chapters especially hurry you from one event to the next without much breathing room, but the ending itself was nice (if not a little expected).

Overall, the book doesn't quite live up to its gorgeous cover, but it is a fun and sweet read that you'll most likely walk away having enjoyed.

Magical! If I had to use one word to describe this book: it was magical, and addicting the whole way through. I was so invested in the plot and characters and literally didn’t want to put it down at all.

F.T. Lukens will always be an instant read author for me!!!!

I requested and received and eARC of Love at Second Sight by F.T. Lukens via NetGalley. I’ve always circled around Lukens’ books, but I don’t read much YA fiction these days so I’ve never committed, but I was excited for my first foray into their storytelling! Fifteen-year-old Cam Reynolds is tired of being the odd kid out. As his sophomore years begins, he wants nothing more than to blend in, which shouldn't be too difficult to achieve since he's a human attending a school full of kids with paranormal powers, like his best friend who is a witch and his crush who happens to be a werewolf. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned. Cam has a psychic vision of a murder from the point of view of the killer. Cam's new found abilities throw him into the school's spotlight and he must learn to open himself up and work with friends, both old and new, to solve the mystery and identify the killer's victim before it is too late.

This book really drew me in, it plays on all of the right elements. A little romance, a little spooky, a little suspenseful. It was so easy to become to invested in Cam as a character and the dilemma of his newly discovered abilities, due in part to the effortlessness Lukens’ exhibits in creating such an interesting and convincing world. I found myself wanting to know more about the different paranormal factions in Love at Second Sight. One part of the story that really caught my attention was the somewhat fraught relationship between Cam and his parents. This plot point really has a universal feeling to it, something I’m sure every reader can relate to in one way or another, but it also very much feels like something many queer teenagers in particular can relate to.

I really appreciated the way Lukens uses Cam’s story to explore so many different dynamics. With his newfound powers Cam finds himself at odds with his best friend, Al. At the beginning of the novel, Al is Cam’s only real friend, and this element of the book really pulled at my heartstrings. I wanted them to regain solid footing in their friendship! I was also invested in Cam’s crush on Mateo. This book really seems to have a touch of everything and I think that is what made it such a satisfying read, particularly since Lukens really managed to make me care about every part of the story with the creation of such a wonderful group of friends.

Thank you to Simon Teen for a digital copy to review!

When a teen has an unexpected vision about a future murder, he must juggle newfound interest from the supernatural community with trying to prevent the murder from happening in this new romantic fantasy

^from the publisher!

This is my first book by FT Lukens and it definitely won’t be my last! I get to meet them at Love Y’all Fest in February and I was excited to dive into their work.

I was immediately bought into Cam’s story and I LOVED the social commentary here. If you live in the US - you will immediately recognize it for what it is.

I don’t want to spoil anything but this was a delight. I loved our friend group, the casual queerness, the mystery, and the found family of it all. Just a beautiful story!

F.T has yet to write a book I didn’t like and this one was also fantastic!

Everything from the cover art,plot,characters is awesome

Cam and mateo are just the cutest and this had me not wanting to put my kindle down

This was cute! I’ve only read Otherworldy by this author which I also enjoyed, so with this adorable title and cover I thought it’d be another good one. I loved the friend group in this and the plot kept me turning pages. There was less romance than I was expecting, but I did think Cam and Mateo were cute together, I just wish they were fleshed out a little more. I didn’t loooove the dramatic climax but the overall ending was nice. Fun characters in this one, though!

Love at second sight was a well written YA paranormal romance. Following Cam a 15 year old human living in and around the paranormal world. He has to navigate high school, the feelings and the drama.
There was so much representation throughout the story and I feel that the fantasy side had many hidden meanings which was a nice touch The romance was adorable, the suspense was nail biting and the story just flowed nicely. I wish I could read this again for the first time!

Cam has just started his sophomore year at a new high school. As a human going to school with supernatural students, he is mainly interested in blending in and crushing from afar on the cute werewolf in his grade. That is until he becomes an unwilling casualty in a school fight, and ends up having a psychic episode in front of half the school. With his newfound clairvoyant abilities, Cam must recalibrate everything he knows. What’s even worse, his first vision is of a teen girl being attacked from the killer’s perspective. Now he must find a way to track down the murderer before they commit their kill. As well as make sense of the complex politics of the supernatural world.

Yes I read this in one day. Yes I giggled. Yes I loved every character.

FT Lukens knows how to write the most endearing characters. Their lead characters are often clumsy, awkward, and goofy. At the beginning of their stories they are very lost, but are guided by their desire do what’s rights and protect those they love. Cam definitely fell into this category. As a 15 yr old, he’s very shy and self conscious. His youth tends to seep through the pages and this helps showcases the immense character development he goes through later. By the end of the story you could see his gaining strength, self-confidence, and direction in life. And it was largely due to the friends he made, the people he surrounded himself with.

FT Luken’s other strength is side characters. They know how to write a diverse friend group that has their own strengths, weaknesses, and development. Reese, Kaci, Gemma, and Al were all lovely characters and I appreciated their dynamic. They each inspired something different in Cam’s development. And I loved how they each struggled with their own abilities. We saw their growth alongside Cam’s. Mateo, of course, is both our love interest and a member of this friend group. I love werewolf boyfriends, I think all protagonists should have werewolf boyfriends. Mateo is adorable and sweet and soft. I loved that he was just as shy and moony as Cam. I think they work well together.

The overarching mystery plot of this book definitely fell more to the wayside for me. I think the other explorations in this book took the forefront and were more interesting. But it did drive the plot and while I had suspicions of the twist, it was still enjoyable.