Love at First

Books | Fiction / Romance / Contemporary

3.9

(181)

Kate Clayborn

“The most delightful cast of characters I've met in ages…a modern romance masterpiece.“ —New York Times bestseller Christina Lauren “Constantly revealing new layers of lyricism…Love at First is poetry, then — sometimes an artful sonnet, other times halting free verse. But it's never anything short of miraculous.” —Entertainment Weekly, Grade A “At the end I was left with that warm, glowing love for humanity that is always what I’m chasing when I read this genre: the sense of togetherness, of hope, of even unsolvable problems feeling less impossible. Because a good romance lets you forgive the people on the page. A great romance lets you forgive people in general — and feel that maybe they even deserve it.”—The New York Times Buzzfeed Books to Add to Your TBR Goodreads Hottest Romances of 2021 Frolic Best Books of Winter 2021 BookRiot Books for Coping with A COVID-19 Winter SmexyBooks Most Anticipated Books A Love So True Books Every Romance Fan Should Read A sparkling and tender novel from the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, full of bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love that fans of Christina Lauren, Sarah Hogle, and Emily Henry will adore. Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar . . . No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can't work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance . . . “Gorgeously written.” —NPR “A superb cast of characters rounds out this sweet, slow-burn romance.” —Booklist “A Mary Balogh–style love story…The comforting rewrite of Romeo and Juliet you didn’t know you needed.” —Kirkus Reviews “Will and Nora’s chemistry and the quirky side characters keep the pages turning. Clayborn’s fans will be pleased.” —Publishers Weekly “Her beautiful prose is full of a softness and depth that lingers—passages beg to be reread and savored. Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Emily Henry, Love at First feels like a long, warm hug upon returning home.” —Shelf Awareness “A beautiful book and worth the painful beginnings…” —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books “A beautifully understated but gloriously romantic love story full of poignancy and tenderness.” —All About Romance “Clayborn remains one of my favorite authors, and I can’t wait to see what she will write next.” —Frolic

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More Details:

Author

Kate Clayborn

Pages

320

Publisher

Kensington

Published Date

2021-02-23

ISBN

1496725190 9781496725196

Ratings

Google: 5

Community ReviewsSee all

"A sweet one without being cheesy! "

Brenna Luevano

"this book was cute. it took me a long time to get through… I think the story was a bit slow. there are some really lovely and funny characters in this book - a nice found family theme running throughout. I loved Clayborn’s Love Lettering so I was a lil disappointed that I didn’t love this one as much."

klow

"I absolutely love Kate Clayborn’s books. Her writing style is fun, flirty, emotional and sexy. "

Tina Davis

"I was going to give this three stars as there's a lot of this world and community that was left unexplored. However, the ending came together very well. I sometimes get a bit frustrated to the endings to contemporary romances. It's long and complicated and I won't go into detail but I always feel that the realisation that 'we can work through this' comes as too much of a surprise. Sometimes it does in real life too. But I think that's not really how it usually happens. Whether you accept or not, 'working on it' is always an option, and there are no sudden miracles that make the challenges okay. Conversations with loved ones can be eye opening. However, sometimes the challenges are too ambitious, and it is ridiculous to pretend and anything but working on it constantly can ease the challenge. This is sounding quite vague - basically what I mean to say is that I liked that this love story didn't strive for the super ambitious. These two were compatible and they cared for each other. They struggled. But they weren't emotionally unavailable. Emotionally constipated maybe. But it was a realistic timeline. They were open to somethings. And the more they opened the more they were willing to open up more. And I like that - it felt like, yes, Nora and Will are good together and they found a way to work well together too. Overtime. My main criticism that made me want to give this three stars was the abundance of 'telling' rather than showing. A lot of vague passages where you're told what happened. There's nothing inherently wrong with having these. But I thought they werr skipping over important moments. I also think with such a lovely cast of characters it would have been great and added a lot to the story if they were explored more. Including Donny - felt a bit weird that for all his part in Wills sadness, we dont actually know much about him and his life in the community. Having said this, I still enjoyed it. In particular, I adored the last few chapters where Nora and Will opened up to those around them and the I loved Marian's intelligent speech and Geralds practical advice. Most of all, I think Wills confession moment is likely one of the most sweet Ive read. The tomatoes and the tree, it was simple and beautiful in its simplicity. The words spoken too. His speech wasnt over done to the point it would sound hollow. It felt very restrained, in a good sensible way. I like my romances sensible so I appreciated this. So four stars it is. There's work to be done. But I loathe to not recognise an author's good work."

Beatriz Sousa

"Sometimes when you are reading a good book, there is one perfect moment when you realize this will be one to remember. Thankfully my moment in this story came very early, and by the end I was laughing and crying and rooting for these characters as if I really knew them. But first, the beginning! At the start, we meet a young Will, who falls in love with a girl’s voice on what comes to be one of the worst days of his life. Sixteen years later, that same girl, Nora, has moved into her Nonna’s apartment and is slightly perturbed to see her dear neighbor’s nephew inheriting a unit in her beloved apartment. She sets out to lightly sabotage his rental plans, and he sets out to prove he’s not such a bad guy to the ragtag group of homeowners who make up the building. Obviously romance ensues (of course it does, have you seen the gorgeous cover on this book that indicates as much?) but while I loved the relationship, what really touched my heart was the sense of community. In this time of isolation, I think it’s important to remember we don’t live in silos. The loneliness during the pandemic has sometimes felt all consuming, but this book reminded me that none of us are really alone. We can choose our “family,” and we shouldn’t be afraid to make connections simply because we don’t want to get hurt. I took so much from this story and I’m so grateful for the chance to read it. I hope others feel the same joy I felt while getting to know Will and Nora, and cherish the connections we have in our own lives!"

A P

Allie Peduto

"A bit slow paced and flat (wholesomeness overkill), but cute for some light reading. "

C D

Crystal Dunn

"Loved this!!! Fun read!!"