This is a book that just keeps on giving. I received the first chapter a few months ago as a teaser and boy did it get me hooked. Now that I've had the opportunity to read the full book, it's just...wow. This is the first book in a while that I've had to just sit back after I finished the last page and let it all soak in like a delicate but protective warm hug.

Almost one year ago, Meg hid a message in Reid and Avery's wedding programme. No one was supposed to find her message but it was her way of saying what she felt needed to be said. But then in walks Reid today with programme in hand and she knows he'd found the message. We are then swept up in the slow burn romance of the year.

I was dazzled and mesmerised and shocked and devastated everything in between. This book enveloped me completely over the 2 nights it took me to read it. It was clever and original and never ever rushed. Even the epilogue wasn't a slapped together 2 page happily ever after - it was slow and intentional and beautiful. Kate Clayborn has written a masterpiece and I want more!

This book was so good! I highly recommend it anyone who likes a good romance that is full of emotions and keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next. This book was a joy to read. Thank you Kensington Books via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this delightfully book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Kate Clayborn's books always take me through a myriad of emotions. I can be laughing one minute and crying the next. Her character development is always on point and you get fully invested in the HEA. I highly enjoyed Love Lettering and can't wait to read more! A true talent of an author that I am glad I recently discovered!

This is a hard review to write because I want to get it right. Why I loved this. How extraordinary the writing is, the moments we were given, shown, even the ones that were hidden until they were ready to be told.

To me, this a love story for all the people who were told they were mistakes or were mistaken, and even felt it in themselves. Who never got a do-over, never got a second chance, or the opportunity to explain themselves. It’s a quiet story, in a way, one that just goes along with things.. until it doesn’t.

I’ll preface this, a little belatedly, by saying that if you don’t love a little whimsy in your novels, if you can’t use your imagination to bring something to mind, you might not always love this read. Fonts, lettering, as one might infer from the title, play a very big part. And I loved this. It offered a richness, a uniqueness, to the characters and this world — even if it is our own.

And speaking of the characters.. they were all, equally, in their own way, five stars. With exception to one obvious selection (Cameron) and one maybe not so obvious (not naming names, cough, Sibby, cough). Meg was a delight; watching her come into her own, every step she made, every mistake.. it was lovely. Reid, however, I almost have no words for. This is the most charming of all romance heroes. Not a grump, not an alpha, not a jerk. Just a giant, awkward, stoic creature. A total gentleman, a diehard math nerd, completely out of his element in almost every situation. He stole my heart, totally, and every interaction between them was just.. I want more.

“<I>Reid, did you make a joke?</I>“
“<b>Probably not. I’m not known for my sense of humour.</b>“

For such a quiet story, the plot of this did take me a bit by surprise, but in hindsight everything slots into place. Every t gets crossed, every i gets its dot. But the banter, the chemistry, the build up.. everything, was fantastic.

I hesitate to say more because, again, I really want to get this review right. I’m not sure I succeeded. Just know this book made me laugh, made me soft, made me gushingly share passages with a friend (who had already read it!) and, I mean, full stop, what better expresses a reader’s love than that? At this point, all I can say is : read this book.

Thank you soo much for the chance to read an ARC copy of #lovelettering from #netgalley. While I will admit this book took me some time to hook me in at the beginning, but after that I could not put it down as I wanted to see ehat would happen next with Meg and Reid and if "the hidden message" would lead to more. Highly suggest reading!

Warm, funny and endearing. Meg Mackworth, an up and coming hand letterer, is stunned to see the handsome Reid Sutherland walk in. As soon as she sees him her thoughts immediately plunge back to the wedding programs she designed for him and his fiancee. He couldn't possibly have seen the message that she accidentally/on purpose snuck into the programs....or could he?

This novel is for anyone that is in the mood for a light romance novel, especially if you love New York City, the amazing art of hand lettering and signs of all sorts.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Syrupy sweet, Love Lettering is a romance with a very, very slow beating heart.

The premise had potential and I really wanted to like it more than I did. The characters are endearing and charming, but the story is bogged down by poor pacing and semi- torturous, long winded inner monologue. I was surprised and blindsided by the sex scene as it seemed to not flow with the rest of the story. Cute and quirky storyline, la la la, then BOOM--hot and heavy. I trudged through and probably would have abandoned this book if it weren't a NetGalley copy. I appreciate the author's effort but the execution of this story left much to be wanted.

2 stars/5

Thank you to NetGalley for granting me a copy for review.

This is a book not to be gobbled up in one sitting, but savored. It was a real pleasure to read. I enjoyed the love stories within love stories in this book - there was the main romance, but also people's love for their friends, their city (I <3 NY), their craft (Meg's lettering, her friends' calligraphy and art shop, Reid's numbers). The romance between Meg and Reid came together in a very old-fashioned, sweet way, but still with loads of sizzle and swoonsh. (You will know what a swoonsh is when you read the book!!)

Thank you, Kate Clayborn, for this book! And thank you book gods for whoever bestowed this ARC on this lucky reader. What a gem.

Well thought out characters and storyline. I thought the plot was needlessly complicated, but I liked the characters. I found it to be very original. This is my first novel by this author, but I would be interested in reading more by her.

What a lovely story! I very much enjoyed it but I would have enjoyed seeing the lettering that was described. It would have really enhanced the beauty of it.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love Lettering was my first book by this author, but it won't be my last. A thoroughly enjoyable read written in first person.
I loved the emotional journey of the heroine, with a close point of view that allows us to see the world through her eyes.
In many ways, this book is a love letter to New York City.
As far as drawbacks: the voice is entirely the heroine's, so if you prefer a dual POV, this might be a sticking point. However, the end of the book has a twist that wouldn't have worked with dual POV.
Overall, this is a book I'll recommend to friends.

M-I-S-T-A-K-E

That was the code Meg snuck into the wedding program for Reid Sutherland. meg is an artist who focuses on hand lettering - she is much in demand for her skills particularly in making custom planners. Her life took off after the New York Times profiled her as the "Planner of Park Slope." Reid Sutherland is a quantitative analyst on wall street who was set to marry his boss's daughter. Reid is quiet and very focused on math. He comes across as formal and maybe a little snobbish. I think of him very much as a Mr. Darcy type - but maybe without the arrogance and condescension. When Meg met Reid and his former fiance to go over the final version of the program - she knew this was not a match made in heaven. One year later, Reid comes to find Meg and ask her about the coded message in the program. This sets the two of them on a path to finding each other - and maybe themselves.

Meg is a really amazing woman. She moved to NYC after a personal trauma - to restart her life. In the course of that she manages to overcome her fears and build a successful business. When Reid re-enters her life she is at a crossroads - her roommate and best friend is moving out, after months of gradual distance between them and she has a strong artistic block. Meeting Reid and looking at things from a new perspective helps her unblock creatively - and emotionally. Meg starts out the book as extremely non-confrontational and avoids any and all arguments. With Reid she learns to let go and finds herself as a person and an artist.

Reid has been keeping a pretty major secret through all of this. His secret complicates their lives in ways Meg could have never envisioned.

The writing and story here are beyond wonderful. It is a beautiful, honest look at personal growth with an incredible side of romance and love. I also adored the descriptive elements about Meg's lettering. Can I buy one of her planners, like yesterday??

Reading this on an e-reader may have done the overall book a disservice, however. I am guessing the print edition may have more beautiful lettering elements that weren't present in the e version, but I wish they were!

A fabulous read.

I received this as an ARC for free, but these opinions are all my own!

This book was clearly meant for me. I mean, signs and letters and stationary and allll of it was precisely my jam. It was, as Reid might say, “quite” perfect. The two main characters were so DAMN relatable that I can’t even figure out how to write about them. I loved Meg and her internal doubts and the part about her always going along with everyone and her desperate fear of confrontations - I adored her. And Reid. My goodness, what can I even say about Reid, beyond the fact that he was also relatable and incredibly charming and really, I adored them both. This is basically exactly what I want in a contemporary romance novel. The games they played, the dialogue, all of it was just brilliant. I do hope this is the beginning of a series because the side characters are also amazing and I basically want to live in this world she has created for much longer than just one book.

Have you ever reached 15, 20% in a “romance” book and thought “there’s nothing here for me. I don’t understand these characters. I don’t see myself anywhere?” That happens to me - over and over again. Sometimes a book is just a book - and sometimes it’s more. It sends a message about relationships and how we feel about ourselves and What an author thinks about women and love.

In 2018 I read 253 books. In 2017 I read 299. 2018 had 31 “best of the year” books. 2017 had 36. So about 12% of my reads made it to my “best of” list. This is my 118th book this year. And it’ll be my 35th “best of 2019” book. My rate of awesome book is growing.

I used to devour shifter romances. Vampires. Men who felt it was okay to answer a serious inquire with “babe.” But I grew uncomfortable. I read some articles about reading. I found this cadre of reviewers who wrote reviews that made me feel smart. And heard. And understood. And I started picking different books to read.

Kate Clayborn is the current apex of my reading metamorphosis. An author who clearly likes women - she makes my awkward, worried, 39 year old self feel seen. And loved. Represented.

Meg was quirky. Making bad decisions - mistakes even. She struggled with some ghosts of her past. She was also adorable. Believable. Compelling and smart. I rode every high and every low in this book with her - breath held or grinning ear to ear. There’s something magical about a heroine I can respect - they are scarce on the ground in contemporary romance.

And Reid. Stoic awkwardness is a big fat turn on. Reid had me making heart eyes early on with his rudeness and his discomfort and his tics. Reid was authentic and real and a joy to read.

This is one of the best slow burns I’ve ever read. And also likely the best book I read in 2019. An ode to self-respect and real conversations and doing the right thing and the hard thing and not running away. A book that celebrates intelligence and consent partnership and all the best things about relationships.

I couldn’t put this book down, and I am ecstatic about watching your reviews roll in. I think you all are going to love this.
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Meg Mackworth currently designs custom journals and planners for New York City's elite...but she used to design custom wedding stationary. Sometimes, as she draws out beautiful words, she lets herself hide secret messages and signs in her work. On one such occasion, she let a couple know she thought they were making a mistake, right there in their wedding program. No one has ever noticed Meg's unusual habit...until the groom from said wedding program visits Meg a year after his wedding-that-never-was, wanting to know how she noticed the signs of impending doom before he did. Frustrated with her lack of current inspiration, Meg looks to Reid (the doomed groom) to rekindle her former creativity. What follows is an unlikely friendship as Meg and math-wizard Reid seek hidden signs, patterns, and inspiration throughout New York.

Oh man this book is gold. I love how Kate Clayborn describes Meg's lettering, giving each font a story and personality. This isn't the sort of book you can really rush through mindlessly because the beauty is really in these smaller details.

Meg and Reid are such a fun pair, and I love how much of the story focuses on Meg's friendships - Lark, Sibby, Lachelle, and Cecilia have as much face time with the heroine as Reid does. And I love how Clayborn handled Reid's ex-fiancee, Avery. She is never portrayed as the villain.

I will say that the beginning was slightly hard to really get into and the steamy bits in the middle seemed really out of place (I mean, I am not the author, so who am I to say, but they were distracting to me). That is why I couldn't go all out for a 5 star rating.

But this book is so charming and enjoyable and I am so glad I read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I prefer my fonts with serifs, thank you—an elegant Garamond or, if I’m feeling more informal, a simple Palatino.
In Kate Clayborn’s charming, witty romance LOVE LETTERING, there is meaning in the swooshes of letters—they tell a story. Clayborn’s characters are funny & real and their sign-fueled romps through New York add spark to a heartwarming love story.

Meg Mackworth has a special relationship with letters. Hand -lettering is what gave her the nickname Planner of Park Slope. Meg is the person who designs all those lovely planners, calendars and invitations in the most lovely and appropriate fonts. She sees the hidden meaning in signs, and even sneaks some into her work. And that is what will get her in trouble.

A year after Meg customized wedding invitations for Reid and Avery, Reid has tracked her down wanting to know the meaning of the word he found hidden in the invitation.

You see, Reid is a numbers guy. Seeing patterns in numbers. He has questions and Meg doesn't have time for them. But maybe she could help him and maybe he could help Meg unblock her creative brain before her huge deadline.

He seems very uptight and regimented. Which he is, but he is also a genius who graduated from college at 15. Little by little he and Meg form a bond. Just when everything is looking up she and Reid encounter Avery, the former fiance' and daughter to Reid's boss. It's at that point that Meg believes Reid isn't over Avery and she backs off. 

In an explosive turn of events, Meg could lose everything she has worked so hard to achieve and her chance at love. But everything is not what it seems and Meg and Reid both will have to step way out of their comfort zones to have any chance of a life together.

A romance with a bit of a kick at the end. I wanted to read this book because of the lettering. And it did not disappoint.

Well Done!

NetGalley/ December 31st, 2019 by Kensington Books

I really enjoyed my time with this sweet story. The blurb tells you most of the plot of the book. Meg's a letterer and Reid and his wife-to-be are her clients. A year later, Reid finds her and asks about the message she'd hidden in their wedding announcements.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot since there is a bit of a twist towards the end of the book (which I guessed somehow) but this isn't a mystery novel so it's not really about the plot. The characters are fun and each uniquely interesting and the main character was developed enough to make the story enjoyable for me. In many romances, the characters seem to be cardboard versions of themselves, with the author not feeling the need to develop the characters fully in favor of developing the romance/electricity. In this novel, I felt both of the characters were developed enough that they felt real to me. Even the secondary characters like Meg's roommate, the client Lark, and the women at the store were all fun additions to the story without seeming completely one-dimensional.

I love lettering and I love numbers so the extra layers of Meg's job and Reid's job were an added bonus for me. If romance is your genre, I am pretty sure you'll enjoy this one.

thank you to netgalley and Kensington Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book through the evolution of the love between Reid and Meg made me picture NYC in a whole different way. This city does exist according to a numerical system but never before would I interpret the letters of signs and the symbolism behind them in this way. In playing games with each other, the winner was love. I also enjoyed how strong Meg became even in the face of total adversity that allowed her to accept only what best suited her and what she needed and deserved. A truly heartwarming story.

This book makes me want to visit New York and walk around all day perusing old signs. And find a vendor that sells naughty ice cream. And also take up calligraphy. Which is hilarious considering I have all the artistic ability of a hamster.

The descriptions of the fonts and handwriting were so gorgeous throughout. What Meg sees in letters, Reid sees in numbers. These two quirky characters may not fit a typical mold, but they fit each other perfectly. This was a lovely read from an author of whom I had no previous knowledge. But I'm so looking forward to more! 5 stars