Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this e-ARC!!

An influencer ends up encountering a UFO on a solo photo shoot and ends up on the Men in Black’s watchlist. The Men in Black agent assigned to her case ends up having a haunting connection - the UFO she saw is the same one. His dad saw before he died.

El and Carter have great flirty chemistry and work together to solve a government conspiracy!

Well, not as good, (in my opinion) as her debut this book is a must read!

A light hearted romantic read that answers the question… what if a woman saw a ufo and the men in black existed? I love the blend of paranormal/spooky what ifs and how we even had a few cameos of the characters in ‘love and other conspiracy theories’. This read made you really feel and connect to the characters while maintaining a comedic tone all throughout. So thankful to have read the arc for this and I will absolutely continue to read anything this author releases!

so much cuteness

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 do you think aliens are out there?

I don’t know about you my reading has been proceeding at a snail’s pace recently. Despite that fact, Mallory Marlowe‘s Love at First Sighting was a fresh breath of air that wafted in with a suspenders-wearing hero.

There’s a web of conspiracies in this book that keeps the action moving forward, but it’s all supported by two leads who aren’t afraid to be soft with each other when they can’t be soft with anyone else.

El & Carter realize that despite their very different lives, they need comfort, support, & kissing, & that can be found with each other—even as an alien sighting monitoring organization is bearing down on them.

This book is charming, funny, & sexy, & with enough tenderness to power a fleet of drones.

5 ⭐️. Out 08/12.

CWs: past loss, emotionally negligent mother, violence, past murder

[ID: the ebook is on a black table & in front of a glass with two hyacinths in it & a gray cat.]

I read this author’s other book and immediately knew she’d be a must-read. This book is so fun! I loved the couple and their individual voices, and I loved the mystery element of this book. I’m going to recommend it to all romance-lovers possible.

4.5 stars!

Influencer x Man In Black? SIGN ME UP!!

Absolutely loved the premise, it was refreshing to see, honestly. The story as a whole had some slow moments, but overall, the pacing was good.

We got to know characters, their motivations, fears and family history. They felt alive. Carter gave off a comical relief character at first, but that was quickly replaced with deeply hurt person, who just wanted answers. Ariel, on the other hand, gave off a very sheltered vibe and I think that was on purpose. She grew a lot in the span of the book and I was very happy to see that.

The romance was cute, but I was expecting a more deep connection, especially after reading Love and Other Conspiracies first. It just felt more genuine somehow.

Love at First Sighting is perfect for lovers of a quick romance with some mystery. Inspiring, but not lighthearted. An unlikely Mulder and Scully, if I dare say so myself.

Mallory Marlowe really knows how to write tender romances and action sequences! This book was so beautifully high concept and was executed so well. I absolutely loved the dynamic of passive Carter and headstrong El. They complimented each other so well and really supported each other with so much love and humor. Truly, my only issue was that since this book was quite high concept, there was a fair bit of set up at the beginning in order to establish the PIS and cement El's influencer lifestyle. However, once the book hit 40%, it cruised and kept me hooked all the way through!

As an X-Files lover, this was so fun! I went into this thinking it would be a silly little romance with some UFO chatter. 🛸💞👽

Instead I got:
• plenty of heart-racing scenes (The Rookie playing as ambience didn’t help regulate my anxiety)
• emotional moments for our characters together and as individuals
• cutesy flirting between our mmc & fmc

El & Carter are so precious and each deserves a big, fat hug!!🫂

There were definitely some cheesy (and sometimes cringy) moments, but I went into this wanting my OG X-files characters to come to live again in an alternate universe. The vibes were great!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

A fun alien rom com that checks the boxes! Well....almost all of them. I'll let you decide on the aliens. It's a Man in Black and an influencer who meet under strange circumstances and try to solve a decades old crime. There is PDA so if you don't like reading about it...probably skip. It is a fun time tracking down the spaceship?

Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher.

As always, thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this early. What a fun series that also works as a series of standalone novels. The characters are so delightful. I LOVE the premise and am excited for the next book.

I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to read Mallory Marlowe's sophomore novel early! Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley.

As usual, Mallory knocked it out of the park. This is a true love story, one where we get to witness El and Carter falling in love, accepting flaws, and being more gentle with each other than they are with themselves. The mystery kept the plot intriguing, although I would have been just as happy to watch El and Carter watch movies together. I look forward to many many MANY more books by Marlowe decorating my shelf in years to come. She's found her niche and it works so well.

ARC Review: Love at First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe
Pub Date: August 12, 2025

Thank you to @berkleyromance for the #gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily. #berkleypartner

If you've been on this page at all in the last year, you know that Love and Other Conspiracies, Mallory's first book, was my favorite book of last year. So much so that I read it 3 times and it only came out in August. So when I saw this book on Netgalley, I emailed my dear friends at Berkley a truly unhinged email that included multiple links to various posts I had made about LaOC as well as an attached photo of me meeting Mallory at @romancecon last year. I truly had 0 chill my friends. But it WORKED. So I dropped everything and read Love at First Sighting immediately of course!

The premise of this book is so incredibly fun! Social media influencer sees potential UFO and falls for her Man in Black who is just trying to get her to stay quiet?!? Say less.

It was laugh out loud funny and oh so swoony. The banter was just delicious. Mallory really knows how to write a man who is just so down bad for his FMC and I could just eat it up with a spoon! Carter is a man obsessed, a cinnamon roll, a golden retriever, babyGIRL. I loved El too and the two together were just absolute lightning bolts of chemistry.

Both leads go on very satisfying journeys throughout the book and grow as characters but also grow together through their relationship. And yet again Mallory serves us a book that doesn't rely on a third act break up to build tension in the third act! Utter perfection, I'll take 10 more please.

If you listened to me and read LaOC last year, trust me that this one does not disappoint!

Mallory Marlowe can do no wrong!!! This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year following my listen of her debut, Love and Other Conspiracies. This was a fun, romantic, geeky adventure and I loved everyyy moment. El and Carter had so much spark to their own personalities and complimented each other so perfectly. El's heart for Carter's situation and her ability to put aside her own curiosity in order to help him seek out answers was special and truly made for a nurturing environment for Carter's character to thrive.

Thank you Berkley for the earc!

Love at First Sighting was an absolute delight—equal parts laugh-out-loud funny, swoon-worthy, and surprisingly heartfelt. The author crafted a rom-com that felt fresh and original, blending social media culture, government conspiracies, and an irresistibly charming romance.
El Martin was the perfect leading lady—bold, ambitious, and refreshingly self-aware. As a social media influencer, she lived for aesthetics and engagement, but beneath her curated life, she longed for something real. Her accidental UFO footage sent her life spiraling into chaos, and watching her navigate the unexpected attention (and skepticism) was both hilarious and relatable.
Enter Carter Brody, the grumpy but devastatingly attractive agent tasked with keeping the extraterrestrial truth under wraps. Their dynamic was pure rom-com gold—grumpy meets sunshine, skeptic meets believer, professional meets chaos. Their banter was sharp and filled with tension, making every interaction sizzle with chemistry. But what made their relationship even more compelling was the emotional depth woven into Carter’s past and his personal connection to the sighting.
The mystery behind the UFO sighting kept the plot moving at a fast clip, with just the right balance of intrigue and comedic misadventures. The push-and-pull between El and Carter, as they tried (and failed) to fight their feelings, made for a romance that felt both inevitable and deeply satisfying.
Overall, Love at First Sighting was a refreshingly unique rom-com that delivered big on humor, heart, and undeniable chemistry. Whether you’re a fan of quirky romances, government cover-ups, or just a well-written, feel-good love story, this one is a must-read.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for providing a DRC of this title for review.

Not sure this one grabbed me as much as Marlowe's first book-- I was looking for a little more chemistry between the leads-- but this was still very fun! Would recommend for patrons who want a romance with a touch of X-Files flair.

This book was so cute! I absolutely adore El and Carter!

El Martin, a social media influencer, goes live while being followed by mysterious lights. Her followers and friends all think she's losing it, but when Carter Brody, an agent at the Private Intelligence Sector, sees the video, he knows it's the same lights he saw 15 years ago... right before his father died.

Love at First Sighting is a wonderfully fun adventure full of twists, betrayal, and (of course) romance.

First of all, El and Carter are the modern day Scully and Mulder that I needed like air in my lungs. Seriously, These two are absolutely phenomenally crafted characters, and I just adore every moment they are on page together. A secret agent, Carter's job is to seek and obfuscate alien sightings. El is an influencer who on surface level, seems perfectly aesthetic, but really has a heart of gold and a desperate need for something deep. The two of them have to hunt down answers, but aliens aren't the only thing out of this world (you know I had to); THEIR CHEMISTRY IS, TOO! Out of this world chemistry, out of this world writing, and overall, an out of this world second novel from autobuy author Mallory Marlowe.

Thank you to Mallory Marlowe, Berkley Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This rom-com delivers a delightful mix of mystery, humor, and sizzling chemistry, wrapped in an out-of-this-world premise. El and Carter’s dynamic crackles with tension, their banter both sharp and flirty as they navigate UFO sightings, government secrets, and the undeniable pull between them. The contrast between El’s influencer lifestyle and Carter’s buttoned-up investigator persona makes for plenty of entertaining moments, and their reluctant partnership quickly turns into something far more intriguing than just solving an extraterrestrial mystery.
What makes this story stand out is its perfect balance of romance and adventure. The plot keeps things moving with just the right amount of suspense, while the slow burn between El and Carter adds an emotional depth that makes their connection feel real. The blend of conspiracy theories, comedic mishaps, and heartfelt moments creates an irresistibly fun and fresh love story. Ideal for those who love their rom-coms with a touch of the unexpected, this is a charming, fast-paced read that keeps you hooked from start to finish.

Thanks to Netgalley, I was able to get an early e-copy of this book. I really enjoyed it. Aliens, special agents, internet influencers, a sweet love story. Super fun and engaging. Can't wait to read more by the author!

This is a 5 star, 10/10 read. I loved every minute of it. It's quirky and so out of left field. I really love how she can make something funny and out there, feel real at the same time.

Both MC's are great and the supporting characters are interesting. The mystery aspect is totally unexpected as well. This is romance, mystery and humor rolled into one. Mallory Marlowe is an instant read now, I cannot wait for the next one!