Kate Clayborn’s spectacular Love Lettering was the first book I read in 2020. Now, while the rest of the year didn’t work out so well, I can’t deny that it was an amazing reading year for me, and now Love at First looks like it’s continuing that tradition. I am an absolute sucker for a found family story, and this is an expert exploration of that trope and its power. It’s also got a bit of a Romeo & Juliet feel, and since that’s literally my least favorite Shakespearean play, you can imagine my shock when I realized how much I loved this book.

I loved how the title is such an integral part of the book. I always get a little frisson of delight whenever I find the title of the book in the text, and wow, wow, this book. I initially thought “Love at First” was referring to the “love at first sight” trope. After all, the book starts out with a teenage Will standing in the apartment’s garden and being completely smitten with teenage Nora on the balcony – the initial and most identifiable parallel to Romeo & Juliet. The delicious irony here is that Will, suffering from an overabundance of jock machismo, has so far refused to get glasses, so he can’t actually see the mystery girl he’s entranced by. But the events of that day change Will’s life forever, and possibly seeing his Juliet again isn’t enough to overcome that, even sixteen years later. It’s coming to terms with those events that reveal deeper meanings behind “love at first” for both Will and Nora. I won’t spoil what they are, because getting to that point is an incredible journey, but, oooh, I cried.

“We didn’t have sex. He—he grabbed my hand, and then . . . I don’t know. We stayed like that. For a few seconds.”
Deepa blinked. “You . . . held hands.” She tipped back her head and laughed. “This is the most you story. So then what?”


While they do start out in a bit of an enemies-to-lovers position (Will has inherited an apartment in the building and intends to flip it and use it as a short-term rental, which Nora and the other residents are strongly opposed to), neither are ever particularly cruel to the other. Instead, their battles are more rom-comy – death by casserole overload and backyard poetry readings. Nora, after all, loves the building so much that she’s convinced that all they have to do is show Will how wonderful it is and he’ll reconsider. But the event that shaped Will’s worldview – the slow reveal of which is absolute devastating perfection – occurred there, and it’s going to take a lot more than kittens and Shakespearean sonnets to change his mind. The way their relationship builds, with all the requisite pining and hand flexes and leaning-in-doorways, was exquisite.

“A month later there’d be a “For Sale” sign for Donny’s apartment in the front courtyard with a sticker price that’d start spelling the end for this building that Nonna had made a second life in, this building that had—with a bit of fate and a lot of effort—become a family all its own.”


Nora’s building is an extended family, full of quirky characters, so there’s not only this gorgeous romance, but also the various friendships between the building’s residents. They each interact with each other in distinct ways and felt so real that it was relatively easy for me (who often has trouble with scads of secondary characters blurring together) to keep them separate. My favorite, however, was Dr. Gerald Abraham, Will’s boss at the hospital. I will admit to almost, almost loving him more than the main characters. There’s a whole subplot with him and his relationship with his ex-wife – and Will – that made me cry buckets of happy tears. My biggest pet peeve is that there was very little physical description of the secondary characters. There’s a whole conversation where Nora’s best friend Deepa is using the Zoom camera to carefully apply makeup but there’s not even a line about the color of her eyes or anything. It’s a bit jarring.

Overall, this book absolutely wrecked me in the best possible way. It’s a gorgeous exploration of family, grief and love, with a very powerful message, and I highly recommend it!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Love at First was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. I really loved Love Lettering. Unfortunately this one was a miss for me. After reading it for a week I’m only 35% into the story.

I like the concept and the characters but it’s very slow going. When I put it down, I don’t want to pick it back up and find myself doing other things instead. That’s the sign that this isn’t for me - at least right now. Maybe I’ll try to come back to it another time.

Thank you to Kensington and Netgalley for the free advance reading copies.

This is a sweet story where, let's face it, we all know what's going to happen but Clayborn has created terrific characters and, well, I really enjoyed it. Will spots Nora on at his uncle's apartment builiding on one of the worst days of his teenage life and doesn't see her again until his uncle dies and leaves him the apartment (don't call it a unit!). Nora is living there full time now in what was her grandmother's apartment, working from home for a San Diego based company. She's also the head of the owners group, which she bands together when Will informs he that he's going to use the apartment as a short term rental. I loved the other tenants, each of whom had a distinct personality but Dr Abraham, Will's boss- he's the best. Nora and Will slowly make their way to one another (there's some real steam once they do) but as in all the best of this type of novel, there's conflict until something (no spoilers) brings them back together. I know this is trope-y but Clayborn's a great storyteller. I know what would happen with Will and Nora but I wanted to know what would happen with everyone else. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC. A fun read.

Kate Clayborn are you a writer or a lyricist? Loved your writing style so much; It feels like you are writing a poetry....love how the words have a lyrical flow to it!!

Will and Nora are such charismatic, charming couple, you can’t help but fall in love with them! They both have more or less common background and foundation. I loved how the story revolves around an apartment in Chicago and the love of close knit neighbors. Will had seen or may I say heard Nora when he was 15 years old teenage in the backyard of his uncle’s apartment and after 16 years now overworked doctor Will, inherits the same apartment unit after his uncle’s death..

Whereas Nora has been living on and off in the same apartment complex for last 20 years with her grandma, Nona, and have formed a close knit bond with all the neighbors. When Will plans to rent out his unit, Nora tries her best to thwart his efforts and it’s so much fun to read their light feud and sabotage his efforts.

This was a 5 star read for me and I would highly recommend this book to anyone out there who enjoys a good lyrical fast paced romcom!!

Thank you Kensingtonbooks and NetGalley for sending me a gifted copy of this book in exchange of my honest review!!

"You don't have to love people the way you learned to love at first."
This line from Kate Clayborn's new book, Love at First, sums up the feelings behind this book.

This is a story about two people, Nora and Will, who meet when Will reluctantly takes over an apartment in the small Chicago building where Nora and an interesting array of other people live. There is conflict, of course, but there is also a mutual attraction that brings the story full circle.

I liked the story in the beginning. Now, the middle part dragged for me a bit, but in the end, the story wrapped up nicely. I enjoyed not only the main characters but also the other people in the building as well as Will's friends. I thought it was a sweet story with a good message about how we can choose how we love!

I gave this book 3.5 out of 5.0 stars.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is my favourite genre so when I seen this book advertised I just had to snap it up.
I found this book very easily read, I loved the storyline the accompanied boy meets girl and falls in love.
I loved how Wills sight or lack of it as a teen played a part in Nora loving his glasses.

All in all it was a very enjoyable book.

I've read multiple books by Kate Clayborn, and while I enjoyed Love at First, I can honestly say it wasn't one of my favorites from her. The Luck series was a favorite and Love Lettering was a close second. If I hadn't read those, I may have rated this book higher, but Clayborn's other books set the bar high for me....
Love at First is called a "rom-com" but, it took a bit for the "com" to make an appearance. I would classify this as more of a quirky love story than an a romantic comedy.

When Nora's grandmother dies, she moves into her old apartment complex and begins to create her life there. Will is also brought into the mix by the death of a family member, but he isn't as keen to stay in the apartment as Nora is. They butt heads on the direction they think the complex and it's *units* (IYKYK ;)) should go.

Love at First is a story of taking chances, The characters learn to let go of what holds them back and move forward to the things/people that make them feel alive. It took me about half of the book before I really got into it, but once I did I really enjoyed it. As Kate Clayborn is known to do, she made the story come full circle and sprinkled in little bits and pieces of heart tugging details. I would recommend for those looking for a romance, but not necessarily one that's high on the comedic side of things.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was spectacular. As i read the first chapter / prologue the author created such a unique voice that I felt like i could hear the narrator and even the tone of voice they would use to read the story. The writing was so beautiful it was almost lyrical in its rhythmic style making it extremely easy to read and enjoy.

As for the story itself it was a slow burn enemies to friends to lovers romance wherein our hero Dr. Will Sterling inherits a condo in Nora Clarke's building. A building she associates with the found family she has built there and her grandmother's memory. A building Will wants only to be rid of and turn into a short term rental property which would potentially disrupt the delicate ecosystem of the condo family. Enter the enemies part of our story and lots of silly and adorable hijinks that ensue as the condo residents led by Nora, try to halt Will's progress.

Even when they do give in to their instincts and start something up together, it is a tentative unclassified romance that keeps them both off kilter and ultimately requires both of them to do some introspection in order to come to terms what is really holding them back and what they really want.

The author created a dynamic set of side characters at the condo building and in Will's life that all helped propel the story forward and add depth and texture to the already beautiful story.

"Love At First" is the first book I've read by Kate Clayborn. I requested it after hearing Christina Lauren rave about her. They being one of my favorite author duos, I couldn't resist one of their recommendations. I anticipated that Love At First would be cut from the same cloth as the CLo books that I love: light in nature, witty banter, steamy in all the right places. I thought this would be an easy rom-com to distract. I was wrong.

Love At First left a lot of lingering thoughts after I'd finished. The book had a slow start, and I didn't really seem to "get into it" until a quarter of the way in, probably because I kept waiting for the com in rom-com to kick into gear. Turns out this isn't a rom-com, but a journey for two people whose lives accidentally intersected years previously, only for them to somehow find their way back to each other. It's a story about growing through your worries, your concerns, and what you think is part of your nature, in order to experience life to the fullest.

I really identified with Nora, whose idea of loyalty was tied to the notion that everything would have to stay the same in order to honor her loved one. Nora was scared of change, letting her family down, and most obviously letting her guard down to let in someone new. I feel that in every fiber of the birthday cards I've been saving for the last 10 years. Will is afraid that he's going to turn out like his parents, to his own detriment. He's worried that he'll be so singularly focused that he'll ruin himself and someone else in the process.

I really enjoyed this story once I wrapped my head around what it was going to be and could appreciate it for what it was. I'm interested to see what else Kate Clayborn has to say. I was going to rate this a 3, but the more it sits with me the more I think it's definitely a 4 star read. I think Will and Nora (and Jonah, Benny, Emily, Marian, and Gerald (Gerry!) will be with me for a long time to come.

I received this as an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn so I jumped at the chance to review this ARC. I didn't love it as much as Love Lettering, but I still really enjoyed it. This is about Will and Nora. Will has a chance encounter with Nora at 15 but misses his opportunity to introduce himself due to unfolding family drama. 16 years later, he's inherited an apartment and meets Nora again. There is an element of insta-love, but then also reads like a slow burn. It also has a found family trope and poetry themes. Will and Nora are a great match, and I love Kate's writing style. However I had a hard time with the conflict, not necessarily being weak but just not working for me.

I still really enjoyed it. I really liked the cast of characters, and Will and Nora's love story.

More of a 3.5 rounding to a 4.

Love at First finds Nora, who has taken over her grandmother's condo and spot as president of the building's housing association at odds with Will, who just wants to be rid of his uncle's condo and never set foot back in the building where his whole life changed ever again. Though they start as nemesis (and those interactions are pretty hilarious), they eventually find common ground over some kittens and the resulting allergies said kittens produce.

Oh this book. It's just amazing. You knew from the outset that there were some deep hurts felt by both Nora and Will, but Clayborn unpacks them just a little bit at a time, never overwhelming you and just reeling you in to care even more deeply for these characters. Nora's obsession with preserving the past and Will's desire to never, ever revisit it set them on this collision course, but their connections helps them grow and change as individuals. Also, I definitely would love to live in this apartment complex (though I do understand Will's wariness); the way these neighbors have cared for and watched over each other is just beautiful and adds such a tapestry to the background of the story. And the one moment that made me cry happy and sad tears simultaneously? Well, I think you'll know it when you get there.

A true masterpiece, I give it 5 stars.

Will first sees Nora when he's 16 years old, right before his life changes forever. When they meet again as adults, he has just inherited an apartment in her building. They butt heads immediately because he plans to rent out the unit to short-term tenants, and the other people in the building have all lived there for 20+ years and are quite the community. (Nora inherited the apartment from her grandmother and has known all of them since she was a little girl.) Most of them are senior citizens, some are single and some are married, but all settled in the building after life threw them curve balls and they needed to start over. They have poetry readings and movie nights, share meals and books, and they are each other's chosen family. Tenants that come and go with no stability don't really fit. So the group tries a few tricks to change Will's mind, but their sabotage goes majorly awry when he actually enjoys it...and all the time he's spending with Nora. Will doesn't think he wants love or a family, but he just might have found both anyway.

Kate Clayborn's books are SO much fun. The writing here is beautiful and poignant without being heavy-handed, the characters are all so real that they jump off the page (I was casting the TV show as I read) and the story, while seemingly simple, has hidden depths. I absolutely adored all the people in Nora's apartment building. Frankly, while Nora and Will are supposedly the main characters, it's the supporting cast that really makes this book shine. Will's boss, actually (who appears only sporadically but packs a major punch when he does...Gerald, I love you!) was my favorite. This was the case with Love Lettering, too. The main characters are fun, but the supporting cast makes the whole thing work. They (literally) flesh out the story, and it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining without them. My favorite movies are ones with ensemble casts that all add a little something, and Clayborn has quite the talent in creating them in her books.

This was a HAPPY book, too. Both main characters have baggage, of course, but while it's believable, it also doesn't take over the story. It's funny, it's cute, and it's just JOYful. Which, while we're dealing with an on-going pandemic AND a winter storm in Texas shutting down pretty much everything...was a balm. I read this book at the perfect time.

I've loved both of her last two books, and I can't wait to see what Kate Clayborn does next.

**Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!**

Family, community, and dealing with change are big themes in this cute but quirky romance.

The premise of this book pulled me in. I loved the family-like atmosphere of the apartment building and the endearing yet peculiar neighbors. Clayborn created an inviting and charming community that resonated (and I wanted to join!). Sign me up for the next poetry day!

While the family atmosphere won me over, the love story between Nora and Will did not. I liked both characters well enough, and I especially felt for Will and all he had gone through. But the interaction between Will and Nora felt stilted, never dynamic. It never gripped me. And because of that, the love story didn’t feel compelling or genuine. When they finally kissed for the first time, I expected fireworks. Instead it felt lackluster.

Thank you to Kate Clayborn, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

LOVE AT FIRST is about two people who get their second chance at love. Nora inherited her grandmother's condo. Will inherited his Uncle's condo. However, Nora has good memories. Will only met his Uncle once sixteen years ago and was rejected because his Uncle never approved of his parents' marriage.

Will is already a doctor in the same city when he receives a surprise: He inherits his Uncle's condo. Will does not want to live there.

Nora likes Will until she finds out that Will is renting out his condo and she does not want that to happen. She and her neighbors plan lots of events to make it difficult for Will to rent it out.

This is an enemies to lovers story. There are some steamy scenes.

This novel was difficult for me to follow. I found this novel to be typical of many romance novels and I was reminded of why I am Not a fan of Romance novels in general.

Highly recommended for Fans of Contemporary Romance Novels.

✨ REVIEW✨

Publication Date: 2/23/2021
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC.

This. Book. The past few months I have not had the best of luck with my beloved romance novels. I haven’t read one I have truly loved since What You Wish For by Katherine Center until now. Love at First by Kate Clayborn reminded me of how much I can possibly nerd out while reading a romance. I swooned. I teared up. I hugged my kindle. All of the feelings.

Love at First is about Will and Nora, two new neighbors who immediately begin fighting when Will (a new tenant) wants to rent out the apartment he inherited from his uncle. What Nora doesn’t know is that Will remembers her from when they were teens, when he fell slightly in love with her just by hearing her laugh (swoon). As they feud, they of course begin to fall in love and I begin to have an emotional breakdown.

If you loved Clayborn’s last novel, Love Lettering (highly recommend), then you will love this one even more. You immediately love every single character in this book and the side characters add so much to the story. I loved the banter, I loved the whimsy, and I loved all of the love 😭. Read it. Now. (..when it releases on 2/23/2021).

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love at First is an absolute delight!

Nora lives in an apartment she inherited from her beloved grandmother and loves everything about it, the building and all of her much-older neighbors so when newcomer Will shows up with ideas about changing things, she's determined to get rid of him despite the fact that he's totally dreamy.

It's an enemies-to-lovers story with a fun twist (real estate!), there are sassy senior citizen supporting characters and Clayborn's writing is funny and fresh. (A favorite line: "Will Sterling.... He had a name like a doctor on General Hospital, which Nora found extremely insulting.") One of the things I loved most about this book is that both characters grow - it's not a one-sided relationship where one person has something to get over for things to work out. Will and Nora are equally flawed and each has to identify their own issues before they can ever be right for the other.

Love at First is the first of Clayborn's books I've read and I'm definitely going to pick up her others. If you're looking for a romcom that will put a smile on your face, this is it.

Thanks to Kensington Books, NetGalley and the author for a copy to review.

This is probably my favorite Kate Clayborn book so far. I loved Love Lettering and the first book of her Chance of a Lifetime series/trilogy. Norah and Will have my heart. I like how quiet this book is, "quiet" meaning there are no lost family secrets, scandals just to break up the couple. There's also something on how she writes love stories and characters that are familiar, somehow relatable, and yet they will make you feel nostalgic all at the same time. And I loved the neighbors on this book, too. They were just quirky and funny.

After this and Love Lettering, Kate Clayborn is an auto-buy author for me! This is the story of Will and Nora who both have a need for family and find it in the most unexpected ways. The narration of this story was very sweet and somehow reminded me of my favorite show: Pushing Daisies. There are laugh out loud moments, there’s honest conversation, there are loveable characters, and there’s just enough steam to warm you up on a cold night!

Love Kate Clayborn’s books.. Will Sterling first “met” Nora when he was 15 right before his life totally changed. Now 16 years later he is meeting her again after his uncle leaves his apartment to him. Nora has moved into her Nonna’s apartment where she spent her summers growing up. Will doesn’t want anything to do with the apartment at first. He decides to update it and rent it out. Nora and other tenants don’t want this to happen. As Will starts the process of cleaning it out, Nora tries to find ways to deter him. As time goes on this feud turns into friendship then into love. Both of them have some baggage from how their parents treated them tha t they have to deal with. As the figure out some of their issues and how to work things with each other this story turns into a unique love story.

Romance is a very new genre for me and I’m so glad that this was the book I chose to start with!

Clayborn’s voice is a delight - witty and spellbinding. Her quick humor is exactly my cup of tea! I was immediately hooked by the hilariously realistic internal dialogue (made even better by the dual POV) as well as the repartee between the characters. It’s not that this book is devoid of difficult topics, but the heavy moments are expertly peppered into a lighthearted narrative full of endearing characters.

Nora and Will! I adored them both and had a wonderful time following along on their enemies to lovers journey. This was a perfect romance for me because the physical attraction was just background noise to the growing emotional connection between them. I really felt like I was able to buy into the story because I could see where the feelings and actions were stemming from in both Nora and Will. I loved them both dearly, feeling their pains and routing for them to choose love throughout the whole book.

But also... everyone who isn’t Nora or Will! Clayborn’s supporting cast will charm your socks off. The cheeky neighbors, supportive co-workers and unlikely friends are the icing on the cake of Nora and Will’s love story. In fact, this book is so much more than their love story, it is a look at found family, self-discovery and healing from trauma. I could have read about this group of characters for a long time. I often found myself wishing I could crawl in between the pages and join their backyard parties.

If you’re a fan of quippy banter and an emotionally rooted love story, I highly recommend getting your hands on this one.