5 Swoonsh Stars!

This is my very first Kate Clayborn read and if the rest of her library is half as good as Love Lettering, I'm destined to become a devoted reader.

Love Letting was told in a single-POV by the heroine Meg. Fortunately, with Meg's apt and expressive voice, I never felt that I missed Reid's POV. I quickly fell for him and his regal poise, brusque honesty, and insecure tics, all shared through Meg’s keen observation. As for her, Meg’s character stirred a reaction in me and I simply felt like I understood her. I may not have ever had the exact thought processes as Meg in relation to her artistic pursuits, but I got how her artistry infiltrated her view of the world. I was fascinated by her compulsion to assign letters, shapes, and lines to what she saw and to what she felt, emotionally.

Together, Reid and Meg are best described as lovely. After a somewhat complicated beginning, the couple chose to become (mostly) transparent with each other. It was a reader’s delight to experience this couple's journey without the miscommunication and omissions that so often plague couples in contemporary romance. Therefore, the angst and conflict were more authentic and less manufactured by unnecessary drama.

The entirety of Love Lettering was a leisurely-paced, slow burn romance and it was EVERYTHING! If a book is going to move at a slower, but consistent pace, it needs to keep me invested with interesting details, meaningful characters, and graceful prose. LL had all of that along with some delicious swoon, witty banter, sweet friendships, and a convincing twist.

Aside from everything positive that I've already highlighted, the grandest compliment I can bestow is this: Kate Clayborn doesn't feel the need to spell out every thought or contemplation in a character's head, but allows the smart reader to draw the right conclusion by showing through physical actions and responses. I absolutely love when an author treats the reader with above par intelligence and doesn't relay redundant information or stay in a character's head beyond what is obviously necessary.

For me, Love Lettering was unequivocally original and enchanting. It was near perfect in it's pacing, writing, and story arc along with a sweet romantic reward. Absolutely, sigh-worthy!

Meg and Reid meet cute - sort of- when she designs the program and other materials for his wedding to Avery, a wedding that doesn't happen but Meg doesn't know that when Reid shows up at the shop she works out of to show her that he's found the word "mistake" in her work! HAH! Against all odds, these two- an artist and a math guy in banking - built a special and deeply romantic relationship. I admit to not understanding the game they play with signs throughout NYC but that didn't matter- the heart came through. I learned a bit about calligraphy (I'll never look at Bloom Where You Are Planted the same way too!). There are some terrific supporting characters (why is Sibby acting oddly? what about Lark- love Lark!). Reid's not a relaxed person- but there's - heads up - a lengthy very steamy part (and another shorter one later). This isn't a straight line romance and there's one heck of an interesting twist near the end. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

I've read the first chapter/excerpt from NetGalley and I need this book, like, now-ish, please and thank you.

Okay, having read the entire book (as a free preview, because apparently wishes do come true), I enjoyed this, but I guess I was hoping for more of a magical realism aspect.

The tour of New York was fine, but the twist was just a little Deus ex FBI for me. You thought he was engaged to be married? Psych, just kidding. No baggage here, totally a nice guy doing more than his Civic Duty.

I loved this book. The writing was just, well breathtaking. There is really no other way to describe it. Meg is one of my favorite heroine's of the year--compelling, flawed and oh so very real and lovable. And Reid is the perfect match for her, no matter how they struggle. The best romances are those where the main characters HAVE to be together, where the reader roots for them because there is no other option and Love Lettering completely accomplishes that. The book was just fabulous and brilliant and cannot recommend more.

Love Lettering was the first book by Kate Clayborn that I've read. I had originally been given access to the first chapter and it had me intrigued. Lately I've been really enjoying easy, light reads and this one was exactly that... and you know what, it didn't disappoint! I loved how New York City was basically a character in its own right. Given I'm planning my first trip to NYC in the near future, all of the details of the walks through the city really resonated with me. Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought it was an interesting, unexpected plot line. Also, Meg's job made me want to buy how to books on lettering. Anyway, if you enjoy light, easy to read romance, this is a fun one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and was so excited to read it after seeing multiple positive reviews on my social media! I jumped right in and while I loved the characters the author developed, I found it a slow read as it was very descriptive, to the point where I was skimming to get to parts about the characters and dialogue. Reid’s character was such a pleasant surprise as the story went on, I was somewhat shocked with the twist near the end. Overall, it was a good story.

I read the many positive reviews before beginning the book and was really looking forward to reading my ARC copy of Love Lettering. I found it to be slow and actually too descriptive. Too much time is spent describing Meg's thoughts about almost everything and everyone she encounters. More emphasis should have been put on the developing relationship between Meg and Reid, the main characters. The book has potential ....just wish that there was more about Meg and Reid. Sorry to have to say that I am very disappointed because I really wanted to like this book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and I am happy to give my honest review.

I love Kate Clayborn and was very excited to get this book. The publisher teased me with the first chapter and I couldn't wait to dig in more. It's such an interesting concept for a book and felt very much like a Meg Ryan romcom.

Meg is a hand-letter artist who designs planners, invitations, and other fun stuff. She has been feeling stagnant in her career and creatively blocked when a former client calls her out on some subliminal messaging in his wedding program. Reid, the disgruntled ex-groom, wants an explanation so he can move on with his life after his failed engagement. He is a staid and stoic mathematician on Wall Street and she decides to become his friend.

They slowly and deliciously fall into a relationship, first as friends. They walk New York city playing games in finding signs on businesses. The whole book is wonderfully worded with descriptions of letters and the feelings those words create.

I loved Meg and Reid together. I loved seeing Meg grow into her own with her friends and coworkers, learning how to fight for the relationships that mattered most. I loved Reid's growth into feeling more in control of his life and his choices. I was surprised by the big moment that kept these two apart which made it even more satisfying to see how they worked it out.

This is one of my favorite reads of this year and one I definitely recommend. It mixes a bit of nerdy with letters and numbers with two characters who deserve the love they find in each other. It was a delightful book that I can't wait to read again.

Love Lettering" is an original piece of work filled with secret codes and messages (my favorite portions of the book), flawed characters and symbolism that made this downright unputdownable.

It's like wow. I am pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this. No joke. I had previously read some reviews and anticipated the worse with this one but I was nearly knocked off my feet with this uniquely written contemporary romance concept. The characters' storyline was refreshing and the pace was painful on the intake but gradually started to improve chapter by chapter. I kid you not, my eyes glued to my screen, taking all the words to heart and then without missing a beat, I found myself in a whimsical journey of self discovery and as the story unfolded, Reid and Meg great character development.

In addition, if you're looking for a whirlwind romance, this is not the book for you. This slow burn novel can either make it or break it for most readers, and the romance aspect to Meg and Reid relationship didn't start until a little after the halfway mark but the wait was worthwhile.

This is a must have, must read, must everything is book for any reader looking to close the year on a high note.

Confession? I requested this book by mistake.

I don't read or like romances because "feelings". Ew, no thanks.

But Meg and Reid? Cutie Patootie. And Kate Clayborn? Well, she can really write.

Thank you to Kate Clayborn, Kensington and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the romance part of the book was good overall. It took a little while for me to get into it. I was getting bogged down in the description of the lettering. I probably would of got through this book faster if it had more interaction between Meg and Reid from the beginning. Overall rating it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Not read many books by this author , but they know how to accommodate each word, giving twists and meaning.. A book , whilst reading, you will laugh in bulk and at the same time you will have great moments of refelxion. A book that has to read again and again. An excellent travel partner. I would definitely recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley & Kensington for an eARC; this is an impartial review.

I'm not sure what I'd call this trope. Strangers to friends to lovers? Annoyed to misunderstood to supportive to caring to loved?

It is definitely a slow burn (no face-pressing until ~60% in), and I was a little impatient with that at first. But as the big reveals keep coming, that time spent on character and situation development pays off. I could see their flaws, but still liked everyone and understood them better as the story unfolded. Loved getting inside Meg's head and how she saw people's words. Also her courage in communicating her wants to Reid.

As an observation: not necessarily very diverse.

This book is definitely in my favourite of the year. I found the writing style very good, the characters interesting and the story overall entertaining as well as challenging. It makes me want to see a movie made out of it.
Her gift to see through the letters and people facades can be a bless and a curse at the same time for the heroine but that's why fate decided to bring together two different characters from different social backgrounds, to become friends and more than that with time through those letters and what each letter symbolises.
Many people will enjoy this slow burn love story .

The cover of this book immediately grabbed me, I love the style and the colours. To be completely honest, the beginning 50% or so of the book felt repetitive, like it was going nowhere and frankly a little boring. I was worried I'd have to ditch it and try again later, but I pressed on and I'm SO glad I did. This book gave me the warm fuzzies, mixed with a bit of drama and an ounce of heartache - the perfect combination for a good light romance novel. I fell in love with the characters and their relationships and I became invested in the story once it got going. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a feel good sappy romance novel! I would also totally read a sequel novel to this.

Kate Clayborns, Book Love lettering. Was a wonderful book. My first story by this author. Took me a little bit to get into the story but once I did. I couldn't stop reading.. what a truly wonderful book. Meg is a talented letter artist.
Meg and Reid there wasn't anything I didn't love about them.... this is a story that well you must read to understand how beautiful it unfolds I just can't say enough about this..
I will definitely be looking for more stories by this author.. thank you Kingston.
And good reads for letting me read this early Arc.
Thank you Kate Clayborn for this amazing book...

"You're the best part of this city."
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I don't even know where to begin. I mean, I've put off writing a review for a couple of weeks so I can distance myself my my ~feelings a bit, but going through the notes I've highlighted, well, I'm still drowning in FEELS apparently. LOL
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"The warmth I feel - it's not from the drink. It's from this evening. these games, this moment. This understanding, or at least the attempt at it."
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Meg is a successful letterer and artist but is creatively stuck for a while now, a block that's most likely caused by an upcoming career step that may or may not change her life for good. Reid is a former client who seeks her out, about a year after they last saw each other, bec he's looking for closure of some sort, but heh, one door closes and another one opens! 😏 It starts an unlikely friendship between a woman that's passionate with letters and a man obsessed with numbers, and ugh, the slow burn didn't feel too slow for me bec it was so SO good!
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"This is so . . . it's so frustrating, how it is between us. How he presses me on every single thing, how he baits me into saying what I shouldn't say. How he doesn't let me keep it light."
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Same with the other book I've read from Kate Clayborn, this story's main cause of conflict is the MC being at a threshold towards a life change. It deals with a plateau in the MC, emotionally and otherwise, the difficulty of stepping out of an established comfort zone, and ultimately reaching a starting point after the worst has come to pass.

It is told entirely in Meg's wonderful PoV, showcasing Kate Clayborn's creative mastery in introspection, but it didn't leave me hanging for more of Reid's perspective/intent. He was written enough for me to trust him as Meg trusts him, and when the Great Conflict happens, agh, I ached for him too! The single PoV also allowed for the other relationships in Meg's life to be seen and processed as she navigates through them, whether an old friendship going stale, a possibility to do better after the Mistake, or even just letting in people she's always kept at a distance bec being 'safe' didn't let her live her full life anymore.

Meg was also written as a v likeable character that even when she was clearly making wrong choices, I had deeply understood that she was just protecting herself from more hurt. Still, Kate Clayborn made her grovel, she made Meg, as well as Reid (and Sibby too, I must note) ask forgiveness and earn that forgiveness before finally getting over the life-hurdles that kept them stranded.
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I don't really consider this an intense book, at least not til everything blows up bec for the most part, it was lighthearted, funny, and it so pleasant to read their romance blossom as Meg grows into a better version of herself. But I must tell you that the last 20% of this was read through teary eyes and sobs smothered against a pillow, and though the book was ~unputdownable at that point, I had to take breaks to breathe and hydrate. 😅 The fact that I could personally relate to A LOT of the things Meg and Reid were going through just made me ~feel everything so hard. Reid's grand gesture particularly notable, but I'm not gonna say what it is, just that I LOVED IT SO MUCH!
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"The point is . . . sometimes fighting isn't about leaving, it's about staying. It takes practice to get it right, and it's painful, but if you want to stay with people, you do it."

*The eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

This was a cute story with some depth to it. I liked both the main characters as well as many of the minor characters and felt they were easy to relate to. I know the book is about hand lettering but I thought it went over board on discussing the intricacies of type face and lettering.

This is a book about signs of all shapes and sizes. The kind Meg draws and notices and the vibes she gets from other people. I appreciated her perspective - especially as she explores the city she loves - and wanted to actually see her talent, not just read about it. I had trouble getting into the story but am glad I stuck with it. The flow is a bit haphazard; it morphs into a hot and heavy romance and then into a thriller.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Love Lettering is a great romance, so unique and original while being completely swoon-worthy at the same time. Meg is a professional hand-letterer who has reached Instagram levels of fame. She first meets Reid when she is writing the programs for his wedding, and they are later reconnected when his wedding falls apart and he discovers that she had hidden the code "Mistake" in his program. Meg and Reid soon discover they have a strong connection, and what follows is a beautiful love story. Clayborn does a good job weaving in other storylines as well, about friendship, family, and careers. This was the kind of book I hated to put down, and thought about all day, rushing home so I could pick it up and read it again.