Love Lettering is very different!

Meg Mackworth was the Planner of Park Slope but had gotten out of doing wedding invitations and was doing personalize journals and planners for customers in New York City when Wall Street mathematician Reid Sutherland came by the paperie to ask her why she had put a code in the wedding invitations for Reid and his now ex-fiancé. Reid wondered how Meg knew they shouldn’t get married even though they broke up for other reasons but he also told her he hated New York City. Afterwards Meg reached out to Reid to help him fall in love with living in New York again by finding hand painted business signs because they were giving her inspiration for three treatments for a craft company to design a new line for them.

Love Lettering was different to me where the couple sends messages to each other without using a lot of words which is really interesting to read and different from where the couple falls in love instantly and Love Lettering is a slow burn type of book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved Meg and Reid. I really felt how they visualized letters and numbers and how they connected them together. I loved their growth and stories. I couldn’t get enough of how personal the story was and how flawed and real both Reid and Meg are in their relationships together and with other people. If you love a good romance and like feeling attached to and a part of their stories, this is a book for you.

Review of Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn:
⭐️⭐️✨ (2.5 stars)
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Meg Mackworth is a hand-lettering designer who weaves hidden messages into her work. She incorporates the word “mistake” into a wedding program for a couple whom she believed the marriage was doomed to fail, but assumed no one would spot it. Except the groom did.
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This book was very slow for me to read though I’m not sure if it was because of the book itself or the holidays. Nevertheless, I couldn’t devour it like I have with so many other contemporary romance books. I wanted to love this book based on the synopsis alone but I found it very hard to get through. I will admit, her profession as a hand-writing designer has inspired me to want to play around with some calligraphy but her ongoing mentions of different font styles distracted me from the story. I spent more time going down a rabbit hole of watching calligraphy videos than actually reading the book. I did enjoy the added touch of a thrilling twist towards the end that I absolutely did not see coming. I also appreciated the Epilogue where she wrapped up all the loose ends in a nice tiny bow for us. I hate when loose ends are not tied up. 😤 It was a good book, not my favorite but it certainly is an inspiring book!
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Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for an advanced readers copy of Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn in exchange for an independent and honest review. Look for this book out on shelves on 12/31/2019 and grab a copy for the new year!

Meg is essentially a calligrapher who designs journals, wedding programs, etc in Brooklyn. Reid is a quant (just like my husband) who is an expert in numbers and codes. These two meet before Reid gets married, as Meg is the designer of his wedding program, and re-meet a year later after Reid decodes a hidden message in the program. Their friendship that buds into something more develops through the course of finding inspiration, overcoming fears, and being more honest with yourself — all of which are relatable to most on some spectrum.

It took me a long time to finish this (it drove me crazy), but as you know, it has been super busy the last few days. Thanks to a snowstorm yesterday though, reading complete!

Okay. I wanted to love this. It was one of my most anticipated reads this fall, and was so excited when I received an ARC. However... unpopular opinion over here! Honestly, the concept of the story was unique and absolutely raw. But, the slow burn killed me and reading about fonts (seriously too much sans serif in the beginning) lost my interest a bit. Meg was 26, but for some odd reason, I felt like she was an old soul (good and bad, depending on how you look at it). Overall though, Clayborn’s writing and details flowed well, and would’ve been a quick read if it were any time but the holidays.

It was a bit of a slow start for me, but after about the halfway mark I was hooked and didn't want to stop reading. I loved the hunting for letters. It made me think about walking around looking for signs where I live. I really liked the character of Meg.
Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the arc. I am voluntarily leaving a review.

SAMPLE CHAPTER
I've only just recently read my first book by Kate Clayborn, but enjoyed it so much I couldn't wait to read this excerpt from her forthcoming book, especially as it sounded really unusual.

Meg makes her living by designing hand lettered custom journals etc. and after a piece in The Times has become quite famous and known as The Planner of Park Slope. But supposedly she can also read signs in relationships that other people miss and last year wove a secret sign into some wedding invitations as she knew the marriage was doomed for failure. The first chapter of this book is when the bridegroom comes back to the shop and asks how she knew - he'd found the secret code!

And... then it finished! Just when it was getting interesting, and I wanted to read more and know more about this lovely world of lettering and secrets.

But it's a great concept for a book and I now can't wait until it's published, I feel inspired to rush out and buy some calligraphy pens and have a go myself!

UPDATE - NOVEMBER 2019:
I've now read the whole book and whilst I did really enjoy it, I've had to drop it to a 4-star as I did find it dragged a bit at times.

So... in the end the ex-bridegroom, Reid (maths whizz) and Meg start a stilted sort of friendship, each quite awkward characters and set in their ways. A lot of the time they are out and about finding lettering inspiration for Meg, with Reid being very closed off about his job, which he seems to hate, along with New York. Meg tries to persuade him otherwise, and their relationship slowly (very slowly!) starts getting easier, but they are both quite quirky characters.

I really enjoyed the hunt for the different lettering around the city, I love old signs and that part of the story really interested me (and even made me go out and buy a journal and some pens to start my own bullet journal!), but whilst I did enjoy the story it didn't quite live up to the fabulous start, and the sample chapter I read, where I was expecting really great things for the rest of the story. So I loved the very beginning, lost interest a bit in the middle... but then towards the end something completely unexpected happened and Meg and Reid's lives were completely turned on their head, which reignited my interest. I definitely warmed to the two main characters as the book went on and really liked them by the end, but it did take me a while getting there. But an interesting book, and one that I definitely will remember.

This was an interesting concept for me. Meg saw the world through fonts. Reid saw the world through codes. Together they could have made one crime solving duo. Meg was a difficult character for me to fully connect with. She was very passive, tended to fly under the radar, didn’t want to stir the pot, and not driven to stand up for herself. She was living in a situation she was too scared to confront, in a job where she was unmotivated to progress, and living in a city she was too sheltered to explore. I feel like the only time she really became alive is when she compared the people and situations to fonts. The way she would describe the swoosh of a letter or the bold of a font it made the story become more alive and you were able to feel the emotions of the story. Reid is sweet but there is something about him that makes me feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Reading his character I feel like he was too good to be true and just waiting for the mystery to unravel. I love how kind he was, but most of the time I felt like he was really distant to Meg, and though I know it was intentionally done that way, I felt like it dissolved some of the “romance” of the story. There’s a lot of melancholy at the start of the book and it carries through the whole story. Your rooting for Meg to find happiness, either with her job, her personal friendships, or love. It seems, however, like she has a hard time finding any peace within her life and that unease and uncertainty made it hard for me to connect with the story or characters. I just felt sad and discouraged reading the story and didn’t find happiness until the very end.

I enjoyed this love story about Meg and Reid and liked that it included secondary stories about her work and friendships. It was generally a sweet and whimsical romance but then all of a sudden there was a very long and detailed sex scene, which seemed out of place an. Rating: 3 stars (I liked it).

In Kate Clayborn’s novel, Love Lettering—Reid and Meg meet up because of a message that Meg hid in Reid’s wedding invitation a year before. Reid comes to Meg looking for answers and a tentative friendship develops. Kate Clayborn’s characters are deep, complex, and beautifully flawed. The relationships in the novel feel authentic and the pacing is perfect. This novel is sure to be a hit with readers.

S-u-r-p-r-i-s-i-n-g. Kate Clayborn’s “Love Lettering” is just that in the best possible way. A contemporary romance novel that threads stories of work, friendship and love that takes place in NYC.

In a world where almost everything is digital- on our phones and on our computers- Meg Mackworth’s hand lettered planners, notebooks and designs are in high demand, but Meg is creatively blocked. Enter, Reid- a stoic, professional gentleman and one of Meg’s former clients. Their friendship is unique and while Meg loves NYC and finds inspiration all over the city, Reid can’t wait to leave.

L-e-a-v-e, what Sibyl, Meg’s roommate is doing by moving in with her boyfriend, but is she just leaving the apartment behind or her best friend too?

This book was a slow burn for me, but once everything came together I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Fresh, funny and relatable, definitely recommend for you or for a gift for the new year!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for my full eARC of this book which I used for my review; all opinions provided are my own.

I love and enjoy hand lettering, and actually know how to do it (not professionally but I know it). However, every single detail explained here was a plus for me, BUT this book supposed to be a romance genre book not a Lettering for beginners kind of book. Yes, the story is there, but if you're looking for something to happen, it'll be after you read 50% of the book. Love Lettering didn't make me feel anything but boredom; there were few lines that made me laugh but other than that, nothing happened. Also, I couldn't explain the Meg's and Reid chemistry to fall in love and believe me, I do believe in love at first sight, but I just didn't believe their love.for each other.

While reading this book, I wished I could be able to read from Reid's point of view; to know his thoughts about Meg, about anything in general. It took so much from me to finish this book, because I just didn't feel anything and felt bad because romance in totally my genre..

When I read the first excerpt I thought this would be a really cute book, however I was disappointed with the full book. It was nearly half the book before a real conversation or a hint at a storyline emerges. For the first half Meg is way too much "in her head" . The first half of the book could have been described easily in a few paragraphs. I had to make myself plough through and considered for the first time not finishing a book. The final product is a decent storyline but still missing an element that makes you feel anything with the characters. Reid almost acts like someone 'on the spectrum' . His passive aggressive behavior throughout the book is strange when at the beginning when they met you might think he would have more warmth. Too much too late. Needs a little work to be a really good book.I
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an unbiased review.The opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this book. Not just because of the fragile characters who found their way to each other and also found their way to bettering their lives. The writing of this novel is beautiful and I didn't want it to end.

Synopsis: Meg Mackworth’s hand-lettering skill has made her famous as the Planner of Park Slope, designing beautiful custom journals for New York City’s elite. She has another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Like the time she sat across from Reid Sutherland and his gorgeous fiancée, and knew their upcoming marriage was doomed to fail. Weaving a secret word into their wedding program was a little unprofessional, but she was sure no one else would spot it. She hadn’t counted on sharp-eyed, pattern-obsessed Reid . . .

A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out—before he leaves New York for good—how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to implode. But with a looming deadline, a fractured friendship, and a bad case of creative block, Meg doesn’t have time for Reid’s questions—unless he can help her find her missing inspiration. As they gradually open up to each other about their lives, work, and regrets, both try to ignore the fact that their unlikely connection is growing deeper. But the signs are there—irresistible, indisputable, urging Meg to heed the messages Reid is sending her, before it’s too late . . .

I will defiantly be reading more of Kate Clayborn. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC.

" My lower back aches, everything I put on feels a half size too small, and I would very much like to attach a vacuum hose to my mouth that connects directly to a bag of chocolate, clutch a heating pad to my middle, and watch a series of rom-coms where no one every seems to get a period, ever."
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I REALLY ENJOYED THIS CUTIE-CUTE BOOK! It had a nice blend of comedy (mostly through the inner-voice of the protagonist Meg), toe-curling steam, major man crushing *ahem* REID you are so delightful, good pacing, and a clean and tidy ending. If you are looking for something light and funny, you can't go wrong with Love Lettering.
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Meg is an up-and-coming artist in New York City, specializing in lettering and calligraphy. She designs planners and stationary and until recently, wedding items! Sometimes, the letters Meg design get away from her, and after her last wedding, she designed something in the wedding program that she absolutely did not intend to do - she planted a hidden sign within the pages of the program. Enter Reid, the groom (swoony groom), who was not fooled by Meg's hidden message, and wants to know more about what she had to say. PANIC!
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Definitely check this one out, guys!
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Thank you to Kensingtong Books and Netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I received Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn as an ARC from Netgalley. I absolutely loved this book and the premise of the story. The "love lettering" in the title doesn't refer to actual love letters but refers to artistic lettering. Meg is a freelance artist living in New York with her best friend. She was designing wedding invitations, programs, thank you notes, place cards, etc but now her focus is on designing custom made journals. The story is a love story but it also focuses on how Meg expands her artistic talents in the process. She and Reid (the love interest) start a quest as friends to find unusual lettered signs all over New York City. I loved the characters, loved the story and found the entire novel very creative. I could not put the book down. I can't wait to read other books by Kate Clayborn.

This was a fresh take on a romance. I am always looking for those an really enjoyed the "lettering" portion and details of a hobby.

I am fairly new to the romance genre and I am still trying to find my niche, but I have to say I loved this book! The characters were engaging (I really like Meg, I see a lot of me in her, which is always fun when you read a book because you can connect with the characters better!), and the story had a great flow and didn't lag anywhere for me, with really great writing. This is a great book for when you need to put a book down and come back to easily, which is ideal for me!

This is my first book by Kate Clayborn but I will definitely be checking out more by her!

I received and ARC of this book on NetGalley for my honest feedback.

Thanks to Netgalley for my complimentary ARC of this book which I used for my review & to Kensington Publishing for my complimentary hard-copy; all opinions provided are my own.

Kate Clayborn’s Love Lettering is unapologetically modern but oh my gosh, if it doesn’t give me some of those 90s Meg Ryan movie vibes (read: peak cinematic rom com period as far as I’m concerned). See the checklist below:

⭐️A quirky heroine who’s confronted with the where-do-I-go-now-when-the-artistic-space-I’ve-created-for-myself-is-threatened question. (spoiler alert: have no fear! She’ll figure it out!)

⭐️A corporate hero (in Clayborn's case--and in a lot of rom com cases--hero maybe doesn’t always take the time to stop and appreciate what’s around him…literally).

⭐️A big city, where fresh things and old things sit side by side on crowded streets, and it’s all chaotic and beautiful and alive (note: it might require the right person to show you how to see it).

There’s so much goodness in Love Lettering, from its sunshine-y heroine and reserved hero with a “double-take face” to its treatment of female friendship (necessary! Also complicated! Also salvageable, changeable, and forgiving); from its premise to its Epilogue, which is put-a-smile-upon-your-face delightful.

But let’s start with the plot.

Meg Mackworth has made a name for herself as a designer of largely “whimsical” wedding invitations, planners, etc. But she’s got a little problem: sometimes she puts hidden messages in her work, and it comes back to bite her when one of her previous clients, a Wall Street type named Reid Sutherland, confronts her about his wedding invitation which she created almost one year before.

Reid’s confrontation comes at a moment when Meg’s experiencing a crisis of faith about her abilities, inspiration, and overall career, and after an awkward reunion—where it’s clear that they’re both at a crossroads of sorts—they make an arrangement to walk around NYC together, looking at the hand-lettered “signs” (literal and metaphorical) that surround them.

When I describe Clayborn’s books, I feel like I constantly rely on adjectives like “lovely” but that’s because they are. They’re emotionally sensitive and astute, and the moments when the characters reveal the tender, secret parts of themselves are so beautifully done that you feel it in every word. In a lot of ways, Clayborn’s books themselves feel full of “signs”—they’re full of little details that make them special, that can be savored again and again.

Here, she writes a heroine who’s passionate and emotional and utterly distinctive, and a hero who will capture your heart with his sensitivity and willingness to be vulnerable. (Don’t let the suit fool you.) But despite their general amazingness, neither character is capable of fully fixing every problem facing them by the novel’s conclusion, and that’s part of what makes this love story extra admirable and sweet. Because you know, life isn’t really like that; all problems aren't magically solved by falling in love.

Love Lettering doesn’t feel flashy to me. In fact, there were times when the book felt understated in a way that I mostly enjoyed but that occasionally mildly disconcerted. (I blame the string of romantic suspense books I've been reading lately for this response.)

​But maybe the best part of my reading experience (and a sign of a great book)? I’m confident that—as much as I enjoyed it this time around—and did I ever—this feels like one that’ll only become richer with re-reads, when I’ll pick up on those “signs” I missed the first time around, and when I can luxuriate again in the world—the love story—that Clayborn puts on the page.

4.5 ⭐️

Love Lettering is basically a love letter to the hand-painted signs of New York, or perhaps to New York itself. Or maybe just to fonts. It really is a gorgeous, gorgeous book that will make you want to go outside and really look at the signs and even the graffiti on the streets around you, and it will also make you really notice beautiful lettering wherever you see it. I love the games Meg and Reid play, and the way they use the signs of New York to express the things that they can't say directly to each other – and I also love the way that eventually this isn't enough and they do need to work out how to converse and even argue usefully.
The story is told entirely from Meg's perspective (there are plot reasons why this has to be so), and this can sometimes make it difficult to sell a romantic story, but in this case it works. Reid may be buttoned up, but he is quite direct in his communication when he needs to be, and the mysterious parts of his life are mysterious for very good reasons.
Altogether, I found this to be a sweet, playful and charming romance that has made me want to visit New York. I feel like this one might stay on my shelves as a comfort read for years to come.

I really liked the concept of this book and loved Meg's job but the letters got to be a lot, as I wanted pictures which I know its a novel but I had a hard time with all the writing around letters. I did love the games they played and I feel like now I will look at signs in a whole new light. I liked the writing of the first half of the book better and felt like some of the passion was lost in the second half. Meg's relationship with Sib was a little hard once Sib amitted why she was not so around anymore. I don't like women on women hate, so this bugged me. But I love Meg and Lark's friendship and all that means for them both!

I enjoyed Meg and Reid's characters and wondered how it would all play out in the end. There are some nice surprises and twists which I always enjoy! Reid is such a nice lead with his math skills, how he sees Meg, loves her work, protects, her and let her be her. Needless to say, Then you will love him even more in the end for just being him! Reid is one great #bookboyfriend material!

Overall, I give it 4 stars! Its a great book and makes me want to wander around NYC with a camera and a man on my arm looking at art, shops, and signs!

Note: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.