I loved this second chance romance story even though they tend to not be my favorite. It was different and I enjoyed it.

A family is what you make of it!

Dr. Will Sterling was surprised that he inherited his uncle’s apartment in a small condo building in Chicago because he had only met him once. That one time he heard the most gorgeous girl on a balcony. Now Will is back to the condo and he’s heard the voice he had used to make something of himself.

Nora Clarke was used to taking care everyone in the condo building because they were her family after her grandmother’s death. Will Sterling wanted to change things after inherited his uncle’s condo but hearing Nora’s voice and her friends helped him to realize that a family is what you make of it.

Nora has made her family with neighbors and friends, but she must let Will into her life when he realizes that he wants a family!

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

I l-o-v-e-d Love Lettering and was super jazzed to get an ARC of Love at First but honestly I ended up dnf-ing it at 25%. It just wasn't gripping me in the slightest. I've tried twice now and both times I found something else more interesting to read instead.
Maybe it's me and I'll come back to it and love it? But right now it's merely eh.

Love Lettering is one of my absolute favorite books, so I was really excited to read Love at First and let me say… it did not disappoint.

I’m seeing a trend where it’s hard to describe exactly what Kate Clayborn’s books are about, because there are just so many different layers to them. Love at First is about Will and Nora, their feud, their found family, and their fears of letting go or letting people in. Clayborn’s skill as an author shines in her gentle building of relationships, the way she’s able to make you care so much about what’s happening to these characters, though you can’t even tell the exact moment you start to fall in love with them. It feels like such a natural progression with every chapter. This was told in dual POV, unlike Love Lettering, which added another layer to how much I absolutely ached for both Will and Nora. Seeing the differences in how each of them viewed love made rooting for their relationship an even more heartfelt experience. A special shoutout to Will and Gerald’s friendship, and the way it highlighted Will’s changing views on how people saw him, and what he was capable of being for others.

I’ve now read two full novels and a novella by Kate Clayborn, and all three have made me cry (I’m not a frequent crier at romance novels). I cannot recommend her enough, especially if you’re looking for sweet, unique love stories.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with this ebook for review!

Love At First was a delightful read. It was a combination of the love-at-first-sight trope and the enemies-to-lovers trope, but with twists. Both main characters, Will and Nora, had not-so-typical childhoods and are still dealing with their emotional baggage (they are around age 30). Both sets of parents were very wrapped up in each other in different ways and didn’t have a whole lot of time or emotional space left for their children. The additional characters from Nora’s Chicago apartment building are well-defined, diverse, and non-stereotypical. In addition, Will’s boss, Dr. Gerald Abraham is terrific and I loved seeing the progression of Will’s relationship with this man. Kate Clayborn lets you into the inner thoughts of both main characters, which was a nice change of pace from many romances. The book drives home the message that family isn’t always your blood relatives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

“My hiccuping heart” is my new swoon worthy phrase!
Will Sterling had a tough adolescence, but the image of the girl on the balcony and her laugh stayed with him. Sixteen years later, he is back to that place, not by choice, and she is there! Left with an apartment from an uncle he never knew that he doesn’t want, Will works to unload the burden, but a feud ensues with the residents of the building and the lovely Nora, who makes his heart hiccup.
A very swoon worthy read. Not only is it sweet, but it is salty and sassy. The supporting cast of characters are endearing, including 2 wily kittens.
This is my first time reading Kate Clayborn, and I’m in love with her writing style and how she portrays strong minded heroines with everyday issues. You have to read Love at First, and you’ll realize you don’t have to love the way you were first loved.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corporation for the ARC and allowing me to give my honest review.

This book crushed the enemies to lovers and love at first (kinda) sight thing all in one book. Bravo.
This is a super cute, easy read. I really enjoyed the idea of found family and my favorite part of this book was all the adorable characters that lived in the building. Oh and Poetry night. The meet-cute was really fun and enjoyable and I loved the Golden Hour they shared, I thought it was so sweet.
Gerald, or Gerry, was another highlight of this book. I love his mannerisms and he made me laugh every time because I just loved the way he interacted with other people.
The characters had some childhood baggage they needed to unpack but that seemed to be it, plot-wise. It didn't have anything extremely memorable about it, but it was still a cute little romance.

I received this ARC from the publisher and Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

Kate Clayborn creates a wonderful cast of quirky characters in a charming old building that is the center of this love story. I found myself amused and emotionally connected to the characters right away. I love how Clayborn creates complicated characters and has them grow in ways that work with the plot of the novel. Both characters have to deal with their issues to find their way to love together. In this story, it really is the secondary characters that make it fun. Also, it has kittens.

This is the second book I have read by Clayborn, and while I didn't love it as much as Love Lettering, I still found it a good read.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review.

Now to the book! Year ago, Will saw the girl of his dream on a balcony by his uncle’s apartment. Now year later, Will is unexpectedly back at that same apartment. Will can think of nothing else other than unloading the apartment as quickly as he can. Instead, he encounters that same girl from the balcony all those years ago. Nora on the other hand is not about to let Will ruin their tight knit apartment community by turning his apartment into something similar to an Airbnb.
This was a cute story. I knew I had to read this book when I saw Christina Lauren talking about how much they loved it. That is high praise! It was a classic enemies to lovers story. Comes out a week from today!

Love at First by Kate Clayborn is a delightful story of love and friendship and found family.

It has a bunch of quirky characters who share an apartment block and who look out for each other. Into this group Will finds himself when his uncle leaves him his unit  apartment. Will has only been there once before when his uncle rejected him. So of course Will wants to do nothing more than clean the place up and let it. However... that's not accounting for the fact that the girl/woman he saw on that first visit is still there.

What follows is a delightful story of two people who have been wounded by their upbringing, where they had learned certain things about life, that maybe no longer stood them in good stead. It was delightful to see them changing and growing and finding their way.

One of my favorite characters was Will's boss, Gerald. He too undergoes change and finds his way in life and love in a heart warming vulnerable way.  

This book shows us what it's like to live with a diverse group and be accepting and caring. To find love in all its facets.

Can one earn an official certification in doorframe leaning?
Because if anyone deserves a framed diploma highlighting his doorframe leaning capabilities, it is Dr. Will Sterling.
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Five hiccuping hearts for Love At First (By the way, when I got to the part of the book where the title was clearly born from, I cried. Even typing this, it’s giving me goosebumps).
It has all the Classic Clayborn Characteristics (say that five times fast) I love:
Snappy dialogue, lovable characters (I *love* how much time we get to spend with their inner thoughts because for me it enriches the plot), a happy balance of chest-aching angst and belly-laugh humor, and the warm and gooey chocolate chip cookie feeling that floods your body when you’re finished.
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Nora and Will’s story centers around found family (Listen, you’re going to love the side characters as much as the main ones-Gerald almost stole the show for me in the last ten percent!) and coming full circle. I’m a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope, but I also love how neither is really the “bad guy.” They are each working through their own experiences with grief, but their methods of handling it are polar opposite. It’s what causes them to butt heads initially, and also what winds up binding them together.

📚 Kate Clayborn is so good at creating places and people full of fine grain details. I feel like I know Will and Nora personally.
📚 Nora's apartment building feels like Stars Hollow in miniature, the way the residents all know each other, love each other, argue with each other, and take care of each other.
📚 LOVE AT FIRST is a lot about grief and moving on, but it's also about love and nostalgia and hope and the way two people can lean on each other in order to make it through.

I think I own almost every single Kate Clayborn book but this is the first book by Kate Clayborn that I finish completely. (I say completely because I've read 2 chapters of Love Lettering but haven't yet continued!). Love at First is simply one of the best books of this year. Yes, we are in February still, and I haven't yet read a lot of 2021 books, okay. But this book? Unmatched.

Balcony talks, kittens, cherry tomatoes, second chances. I haven't stopped crying since I finished this book, I still feel my face all hot and tired from all the tears I have cried. One of the best love confessions I have ever read. But I think it's because it was Nora and Will, and because of their history together. It's also because of Kate's writing; so lyrical, so poetic, so beautiful. As I said before, this is my first Clayborn book, so I didn't really know what to expect, only knew that I was going to probably love it a lot. But now, having read LOVE AT FIRST, and actually got to know Kate's writing and craft, I'm obsessed.

Will, the guy who has come into Nora's life, ready to disrupt every single thing she has carefully protected. She doesn't want anything to change, but Will is that silent typhoon who really doesn't know the effect he has. Will, the guy who wants to be loved for the first time. Who really has always craved a family. And now, coming into this building, meeting all these different personalities, the neighbors, who are all a family, his life is forever going to change.

PS. I love when a romance book has a "person a is sick and person b is going to take care of them, cook them food, buy their medicine, stay by their side" scene. Happy to tell you this one has one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for an opportunity to read Love At First

When a teenage Will spots a thirteen year old Nora up in her grandmother’s balcony, he falls in love. 15 years later, the meet again.

What I liked:
✔️ the supporting characters are what make this book! From the neighbours to Gerry and Sally, I would have loved to have read more about them
✔️ a cutesy story

What I didn’t like
✖️I wish there was more dialogue - more banter. The love story was cute but lacked excitement and fun and I found myself skipping paragraphs to get to the scenes with the other characters

I'm an absolute fan of Contemporary Romance books and I'd heard about Kate Clayborn quite a bit and when I saw Love at First here on Netgalley, I jumped at the chance to read and review it.

I have to say I absolutely was not disappointed and in fact, I loved this book. It had one of those adorable couples in them, Nora and Will, that you wish you were a part of. I wish I had a will in my life now. *sighs dramatically*

Sometimes you feel a connection with someone, no matter how short the interaction was, that it sticks with you for a long time. That's what happened to Will. He was a teenager the first time he came to where Nora lives, she didn't see him but he did see her and there was just something about her that drew him in. A lot of things happen in his life and he decides to grow up and forget about her. Fast forward 16 years, Will is a doctor now and his estranged uncle just passed away and left him the house and due to legal complications, Will had to keep it for a year before he can sell it so he moves in. After seeing and talking to Nora, he instantly recognizes her as the girl from all those years ago. Their connection and attraction is instant and extremely cute to be honest.

As with love stories, I love when it's dual point of view so you know what both the characters are thinking and feeling rather than just one. As this book was a dual point of view, I loved that as well. It had great background and supporting characters as well, I'm pretty sure I liked all the characters in the book.

Lastly, the writing was superb and I already said it but I'll say it again, I loved this book and would recommend it to everyone out there, especially fans of Contemporary Romance and I'm definitely going to read more of Kate Clayborn's books after this.

Oh my word, where to begin?? I adored this book SO MUCH! As I read, I highlighted every moment that made me swoon and by the end, I think I had highlighted half the book.

Nora lives in a small apartment building where she has formed a family with the other (mostly older) residents. When Will inherits one of the apartments they are all wary of the doctor coming in to mess with their close-knit group. However, despite his aversion to the apartment, Will finds himself almost immediately drawn to Nora.

Every character in this book was so lovable, and the connection between Will and Nora was so incredibly sweet. I absolutely loved every minute of this book, and I cannot recommend it enough for fans of contemporary romance! Thank you to Kensington for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Kate Clayborn is a romance author that I keep seeing on bookstagram and Twitter - reviewers I love and respect have pretty much all unanimously adored her books. When I saw her new book, Love at First, available for request on Netgalley, I jumped at the opportunity.

The best way to describe this book is: cozy. It mostly takes place in the confines of Nora’s condo building: a building with six units where everyone is like family, except for Will. When Will moves in and threatens to upend the tiny community, Nora and the residents of the building decide to take matters into their own hands to protect their little family. From a plot point of view - things never get too angsty, which I really liked. The hijinks to stop Will from ruining their little community were never too over the top.

I loved the found family aspect of Love at First - from a young age, Nora was adopted into the community of her Nonna’s condo building. It was a tight knit community that was almost too involved in each others’ lives. Though some of the side characters didn’t have a ton of story of their own, they did a great job supporting Nora’s story and helping her grow throughout the book.

The romance between Nora and Will felt very organic and realistic - their chemistry was found in their quiet moments. Even though they had very different opinions of what the condo building’s future should look like, they were undeniably attracted to each other. I really liked that they were a little on the slow burn side of things - they took their time warming up to each other and acknowledging their feelings. I also really appreciated their communication skills - even when they had a fairly big fight, they were able to talk through it afterwards and it didn’t feel over the top angsty.

Love at First was a cozy romance that was reminiscent of early 2000s rom-coms in the best way. I love the fact that it was fairly low angst, especially given the conflict between the main two characters - they had healthy coping mechanisms and their relationship felt really realistic. I can’t wait to pick up more Kate Clayborn books in the future - she definitely feels like a new favorite author for me. If you’re looking for other good romance books, check out The Ex Talk and One Day in December. 5/5

🏢 Warm, wonderful and totally worth a read😍

Kate Clayborn's Love at First has so many great elements that made it an amazing read. These include:

-A really lovely, youthful first encounter;

-An apartment building full of good, supportive (and at times quite nosy) neighbors;

- Lead characters with intelligence and charm;

- A romance that gives equal attention to both the hero and heroine's inner thoughts and feelings;

-Some great supportive friends (Gerald for Will and Dee for Nora);

- A slow burn connection that eventually ignites like crazy!; and,

- Touching backstories for the main characters that lead to the issues that trouble their relationship; the adversity makes the good moments all the sweeter.

Added to these, the writing itself was superb. Clayborn's writing is new to me but I'll be back for more!

Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy; this is my voluntary and honest review.

I know to expect something good when I pick up a Kate Clayborn romance and I'm delighted to say that this one definitely will stay in my memory as a heartwarming, sweet, sexy, captivating and uplifting story.

Teenaged Will Sterling experienced both the best and the worst moments of his life one afternoon in Chicago - the best because through his blurry vision he saw, but mostly heard a young woman who captivated him and the worst because it was the day when he lost his youthful optimism and had to grow up too quickly. Years later, Will, now a doctor practicing at a local hospital, has inherited the apartment in the building where he visited that day upon the death of his estranged uncle, and the mother hen of the long term tenants is none other than the girl of his dreams, now grown up into a beautiful woman, Nora Clarke.

Will has no intention of keeping the apartment where his dreams were shattered and Nora has no intentions of letting it to go to a parade of strangers as a rental without a fight. What follows is a delicate dance between two people who want different things, but also want each other.

With an eccentric cast of characters including the other tenants, Will's supervisor (a divorced doctor whose ex-wife happens to be in the real estate business), Nora's co-workers and friends, the author weaves a tale that will alternately make you laugh out loud and bring you to tears. Banter contrasts with quiet emotional talks as Nora and Will try to find a way to each get what they want without hurting the other, and finding love along the way. I won't be at all surprised to find this on a list of best romances of 2021, including possibly my own.

A copy of this review will be posted at sale sites during release week.

When Will first visits the Chicago apartment building he inherited from his uncle, his only thought is to sell it as soon as the year his uncle required he keep it expires. He refuses to live there due to the bad memories associated with it, except for one shining exception: the young girl he saw on a balcony tossing cherry tomatoes at the squirrels who strikes his very heart and soul, a feeling he’ll never forget. Although he never got the chance to speak with her, Nora is the one bright spot in a day when Will lost everything. When he finds her 16 years later, living in her late grandmother’s apartment and looking out for the older tenants who are like family, he realizes that his plans to rent the apartment short-term will make him the enemy. Despite Nora and the others’ attempts to sabotage his efforts, the two are drawn to each other.

Clayborn has such a way with words. Describing their first pseudo-date on a Lake Michigan beach and discovering the comfort and joy they find in each other’s company, she writes, ”Between them, the jacket-tablecloth had wrinkled up, a dozing chaperone.” So much of their relationship is conveyed with looks, limited words, and intense feelings that can’t be hidden. However, the path to happily-ever-after is strewn with the baggage of childhood neglect and abandonment for both of them, and Will is determined to avoid falling into the “rash, reckless, selfish” love he witnessed between his parents (as described by his uncle on that fateful day). Out of fear that he might follow in his parents’ footsteps, he spent his adult life proving that he could be stable, measured, and in control, going on to become an ER doctor. It will take a great deal of persuasion on the part of friends who care for him to get him to accept that there isn’t just one way to love.

There’s so much packed into this beautiful, enemies-to-lovers story: genuine emotion, a subtle romance with mild sex scenes, selfish parenting, and a colorful cast of secondary characters who offer a platonic, at times parental, kind of love. This is a very worthy follow-up to Love Lettering, and you won’t be able to help being charmed by the well-meaning extended family. Highly recommend!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book Kensington Books from through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.