Love at First
Rating: 2 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

Love at First was not for me. Sadly I had to DNF it at 30%. I just could not get into it. I was really looking forwards to reading it because I really enjoyed Ms Clayborn's Love Lettering.
I liked how the prologue introduced us to these two characters. We are introduced to more of Will's back story and I instantly was invested to see how the family event that happened to him here would affect him for the rest of the story, but unfortunately once the story took off I was bored.
It took me four days just to read what I did. It was just not for me, but maybe it could be for other readers.

2.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

You know that feeling when you can see objectively why a certain book or author would work for so many people, but you come to find that it just doesn’t work for you? That’s my experience with Kate Clayborn. I DNFed Love Lettering, and now in spite of wanting to give her another go because I did see objective potential in her work, I find myself feeling very underwhelmed by Love at First.

Of course, I do see the appeal. The storyline in itself is fairly charming, and the prose flows very well, even if it failed to fully engage me. I think this is very much a case where my preferences just didn’t align with what the story delivered.

I did really like the “community” aspect, even though I did struggle to visualize them, given that Clayborn provides no clues as to physical appearance; it’s all implied through name choices. Once again, I found my friend Aarya’s analysis of this valuable, pointing out the odd way in which this hints at diversity without confirming it.

And I just didn’t get what others were swooning about? The premise is there, but the execution does not deliver. I didn’t feel anything for Will or Nora, in spite of the fact that they supposedly had this sweet moment in their past. There appears to be attempts to build romantic tension and have tender moments, but I skated right by them, feeling pretty much nothing, which is sad to say.

Despite my optimism and wanting to hope for the best, I just didn’t love this book and don’t think Kate Clayborn is the author for me. However, I don’t regret giving her a second chance, as I can theoretically see why she and her books are well loved. As with any hyped book or author, I think you should take all the raves and critiques with a grain of salt. And if this book or any of Clayborn’s works sound good to you, I hope you try them and that they work better for you.

This book is an utter delight! Sixteen years ago, Will heard the voice of a girl he knew was special on a day that changed his family forever. Now, he rediscovers the girl, Nora, when he unexpectedly inherits the apartment where his world was shattered. Nora is horrified to learn that her late friend's nephew plans to turn his apartment into a short-term rental, disrupting the lives of the tenants she adores. As everyone knows, found families are my favorite trope in books, and this one is done so well. I first discovered Kate Clayborn with her lovely book, Love Lettering, last year and have now bought her other three books. She is a must read for me now!

Oh my heart! Love at First is my first five-star read of 2021. This sweet romance is bursting with charm, characters you'll cheer for, and emotional moments that will surprise you.

Nora grew up spending summers with her grandmother in her small apartment building, and all the neighbors became her extended family. And what a cast of characters they are! After her grandmother dies, Nora stays and settles into Nonna's life and apartment, not leaving much room for her own life. But when Will inherits his estranged uncle's apartment in Nora's building, life becomes much more complicated for both of them. Will wants to unload the apartment as quickly as possible by finding a new tenant and Nora wants the building to remain familial-like, even resolving to a few hi-jinks to keep it that way. The situation forces them to make peace with things from their pasts and embrace a future they didn't know they wanted.

While there are moments that made me laugh, this novel has depth, too. Will and Nora do have issues. In fact--let's be honest--they could both probably benefit from some therapy, but the walls Will has put up and the fact that Nora doesn't want anything to change are understandable reactions. It was refreshing to watch them work through the things keeping them apart--the ups and the downs--with a little help from their friends.

Love at First is romantic--like swoon-worthy romantic!--with just the right amount of steamy thrown in, as well. Entertaining and satisfying, it's one I'll want to reread again!

Love Lettering was one of my favorite romance reads last year so I had high expectations of Love at First. It did not disappoint! I loved the cast of "family" that was much bigger than blood relations, I loved the backstories for the hero and heroine, and I thought their romance felt believable and charming. There's even poetry as a key plot point! Five sparkly stars for this book that expanded ideas of friends and family into a really lovely community. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.

Kate Clayborn can't go wrong. Her books are some of my favorites and this one wasn't any different. I listened to Kate on a romance book panel and she said her favorite parts of books are a big cast of characters and watching the protagonists open up to each other and to themselves. Love at First hit the mark on both of those fronts in such a delightful, comforting way that this book felt like a big warm blanket and made me feel cozy and secure.

Will is a serious and intense ER doctor. He inherits an apartment in Chicago from his uncle who he didn't have a relationship with. The will stipulates that he cannot sell the apartment for one year. He has some trauma over his relationship with his parents and uncle and the apartment is not comforting for him. He decides to offer it up for short-term rentals so he can make some money before being able to sell it. The other residents of the apartment complex are not so happy about this endeavor and their spokesperson Nora starts on a gentle campaign to get him to change his mind.

Nora basically grew up in this apartment complex with her grandmother. The other residents are her found family and she doesn't want to change anything about their little community. She also has a complicated relationship with her parents and her work life isn't progressing like she wants it to. The sudden influx of changes in her life overwhelms her and she unexpectedly finds comfort with Will.

I loved watching the two of them open up to each other and to themselves. Nora's decision to make some small cosmetic changes in her bathroom felt like such a win after being afraid of tarnishing the memory of her beloved grandmother. Will's willingness to share his hurt with Nora and start to care about the other residents made his character arc so sweet.

This book was practically perfect. If you loved Love Lettering you HAVE to read this one. I can't wait to see more of this author's work.

This was cute, light and adorable. I enjoyed the first book in the series and this stand alone second book was just as good. This was a bit different than Love Lettering. You can’t help but love the characters the author creates and root for them. The relationship is a good slow burn.

This isn’t exactly frothy, fluffy romance, but was quite lovely and sweet all the same! Both Will and Nora were well-developed with engaging points of view, and the cast of side characters was individuated and quirky without being too much. The pace is pretty brisk and sometimes I wished it would slow down just a bit, but I loved the way the tropes of childhood sweethearts and enemies to lovers were both played around with, and while it isn’t laugh out loud funny, there’s a nice, subtle humor that works well. Recommend to fans of Evvie Drake, Beach Read, or Rainbow Rowell’s Attachments.

The title really does say it all in this case. I know, you look and immediately think "love at first sight", but no, nope, this is so much more. Love at first sound of voice, love at first but contradiction later, love at first lovemaking, and so on. Will and Nora go through many ups, some downs, lots of emotions and some heartache in their journey through this book.

Meet the "family" who lives in the building, all who rally behind Nora to support her in trying to keep Will's inherited apartment off the short-term vacation rental market, because they are worried it will spoil the family feel of the building. Get a glimpse into how alike Will and Nora's upbringing was, lonely, sad and having to grow up too fast. Enjoy their developing relationship. Their story is relatively clean until about 60%, then it heats up fast!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This was such a tender and heartfelt novel. The prologue grabbed me right away and I didn't want to put the book down. Kate Clayborn balanced all of the emotions and humor so well in Love at First. Her writing is magical and I found myself swooning one minute and then laughing out loud the next. I loved this entire cast of quirky and charming characters. Love at First is a love story, but it's not just about romantic love. It's also about the love between friends, neighbors, found families, and most of all, it's about loving yourself.

There are too many things to list, but here are just a few of the things I loved:
- The great mix of tropes: forced proximity, enemies to friends to lovers, and second chance-ish romance. They worked well together and felt really balanced.
- All of the secondary characters, especially Gerald. Each provided amazing comic relief and I loved the bromance between Gerald and Will.
- How Nora and Will's story came full circle. I loved the backstory and that ending and epilogue made me swoon so hard. Their love was subtle and almost quiet, but it was so very tender and beautiful. I loved that it wasn't rushed and that they each recognized that they had to reconcile their pasts before being able to truly move forward.
- "I'll see you." I loved how this simple line could be interpreted not just to say goodbye/see someone later, but to really see a person for who they are. That connection of understanding and being seen was so powerful between Nora and Will.
- The importance and theme of family. This was one of the most painful and beautiful parts of the novel to me. I was really touched by how this group of "orphans" took care of each other and created their own new family.

My heart is so full. I really can't recommend this book enough.

CW: grief, loss of loved one, parental abandonment

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

This was just not holding my attention in the slightest. It wasn't bad at all, it just wasn't very good either.. Even though I thought the prologue hook was intriguing and cute, the present had zero impact on me. Because there wasn't a relationship between Donny and Will, I wasn't too upset about his death and Will getting his house, or the disruption of the found family of the building.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I honestly just loved this book so much. I loved Will and Nora, both individually and as love interests. The way they both grew throughout the book was perfect and it all felt so natural and real. This was such a swoony read and I couldn’t stop smiling when I finished reading it.

Thank you so much to #Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes, you just need a nice light, nice book that just keeps you smiling from how cute it is. I felt like Love at First was a breath of fresh air for me after some of the heavy reading I have been doing. It is a little predictable and story that has been told in many ways, but still, the book kept me reading and I can honestly say I was sad when it ended.

Will and Nora met when they were teenagers although they did know it. The next time they meet again, its under completely tense situations. See Will's uncle owned the apartment building that Nora lives in. Now that Will's uncle has passed, the building is Will's . You almost want to hate him, but he's just so damn adorable. I love the cast of characters in here and love how light and easy this book was to read.

3.5 Stars! I found Love at First to be an incredibly sweet story of what I consider to be an inevitable romance between two people who were reluctant to try.

I did not, however, find the "enemies to lovers" undercurrent particularly interesting. I never got the sense that they were ever actually enemies. Nora didn't want to see her building change. I wouldn't want my building to have vacation rentals either, even if I'm not best friends with my neighbors, so I understood that. For Will, it never seemed that he was even playing an enemy. Maybe it's because we knew he was in love with her from the very first page or because he just wasn't her enemy. Their "feuding" was minor, short-lived, and not too interesting to read. It hardly felt like a feud at all (which is fine!). Mostly, I felt that Nora was really the only one feuding with him. I rarely got the sense that even the neighbors didn't like him even with Nora painting him as the person who was going to ruin their home.

It's when Will and Nora began to open up to each other that they realize not only how similar they are but what the other person actually needs beyond what they're saying. The way they understand each other through facial expressions, inflection, movements, etc. That only comes from people who are paying attention to each other. Maybe enemies would pick up on those things as well but they'd use them differently. The way Will says her name to calm her, he could use maliciously if he wanted. Nora could have used the picture against him or what she knew of Donny. But above all, they're both thoughtful and kind people so they never even spared a passing thought to do that.

They do so much thinking. About everything. About each other. They think constantly about very little else besides how it relates to the other person. Even when Nora is worried about her neighbors, she's equally worried about Will. That's not a person I would consider an enemy. There was no "will they wont they" but I was surprised by the length of time it took them to actually do something with each-other that wasn't just thinking about the other person. I never got the impression that it was even possible for them to stay apart for any length of time. Overall very sweet and heartwarming.

Sixteen years ago Will heard Nora's voice for the first time. It wasn't a great day, but in that moment he knew, this girl could be his everything and he didn't even see her face.
Fast foward to now, Will has inherited an apartment from his late uncle, the same uncle that turned his mother away 16 years ago, and he's not interested in keeping it. One morning, as he's out on the patio, he sees someone above him is up too, and then he hears her voice. It's been 16 years so he knows it can't be the same girl, but something about her has him questioning everthing.
The building is full of tenents that he isn't really intertested in getting to know. He just wants to fix up the apartment and rent it out so he doesn't have to deal with the memories, but as he learns more and more about the people that live there, he starts to realize they are like a family and maybe, just maybe they could be part of his.
Nora and the other residents aren't interested in Will renting out his apartment to strangers, they are a close knit group of people and having a revolving door of new people coming in and out would disrupt their lives. As soon as she meets Will she knows there is something about him, something in the back of her mind that she just can't get out, but he's the enemy. He wants to bring change to their carefully constructed world. She will stop at nothing to make him change his mind.
As Will and Nora try to change the other's mind, they might just realize how much they need each other. They are both so scared, Will of becoming his parents, Nora of change, that maybe a little bit of what the other has is just what the other needs.
Enemies to lovers is my favorite and when you throw in a bit of fated lovers, you grabbed my heart and didn't let go. I thought this story was adorable and I loved Will and Nora and the banter between the two of them. The real star was all the neighbors though. They felt like such a warm and loving family that would do anything for anyone and anything to protect their own.
Thank you to Netgalley, Kensington and Kate Clayborn for and early copy of this book.

I don't remember the last time I cried reading a rom-com, but I was so deeply moved and emotionally-connected to this story that not only did I cry, I read that particular passage over and over and I want to go back and read it again! This is a delightful and entertaining story, filled with the most delicious characters, not just Nora and Will, but all of the other wonderful people who live in the pages of this book. This book delves deep, far below the layers of lightheartedness of a typical romance, revealing heartache and pain that took my breath away. Will and Nora wedged themselves into my heart and left me reeling with love and pain and anxiety and hope. I loved every word, every swoop in my stomach, every hiccough in my heart.

Oh this book grabbed my heart from page one and didn't let go the entire time. Love at First is the story of Will and Nora. After an almost meeting years ago, the two are reunited when Will inherits an apartment in Nora's building from an uncle he didn't really know and who wanted nothing to do with him. While attraction is instant, the two find themselves on opposing sides as to what should happen with the apartment. Will wants to flip it to a vacation rental. Nora sees it as part of a family that encompasses the whole building.

There are so many wonderful things about this book. Part of what I loved so much were the connections within the pages. Nora's neighbors are fantastic. They all make up a found family for one another that just made you feel warm inside. During a time when so many of us are disconnected and separated from one another, I loved the interactions and support they gave each other. I laughed many times. Then there are the friendships. Nora's best friend is that cheerleader of a girlfriend we all want. And Will finds a best friend in the most unexpected of places. Finally, the connection they have with each other. They way they become friends before becoming more. And the chemistry is definitely there. It just got to me in a big way.

Clayborn's writing is uplifting and masterful. This book will give you that escape and fill your heart with joy. I think anyone who is looking for something to make them happy will enjoy this one. Highly recommend!

After reading and loving Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn last year, I was excited to read her new book, Love at First. I am happy to say that Love at First didn't disappoint! It's a heartwarming, angsty, and quiet love story about two lonely people finding love where they don't expect it.

Will Sterling, an ER physician, inherits an apartment from his estranged uncle. He plans to turn it into a short-term rental, which will help him pay off his astronomical student loans. Nora Clarke and the neighbors who inhabit the condo are like a family to each other, and they don't want any strangers disturbing their close-knit community. They decide to jeopardize Will's efforts to turn the apartment into a rental property. But despite the feud and the sabotage, Will and Nora cannot deny their attraction and their growing feelings for each other. Also, Nora doesn't know it, but Will saw Nora once sixteen years ago, when he and his mom visited his uncle, and he never forgot her!

Kate Clayborn does know who to write a swoony hero! I loved Reid in Love Lettering, and I adored Will in this book! He is a cinnamon roll of a hero! I also loved all the secondary characters, Nora's neighbors, quirky and funny, who made the book even better. Love at First is a hug in a book form. Reading it will make you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. I highly recommend it!

My reading journey with Love at First was a bit convoluted in that it took me a while to really settle in. I know this about Kate Clayborn, that her books are sort of slow and require me to use my brain, to pay attention to the gorgeous prose and the characters that I'll swoon over. When I first picked this up, pandemic brain was like, absolutely not, but I kept pushing. Fortunately, my brain kicked fully into gear just before the halfway mark and my heart went soaring with this sick bed scene. Honestly, if you're at all familiar with Kate Clayborn and the things she loves in romance novels because she's pretty vocal about them on Twitter, you will see so many things that make you grin in this book. There's leaning and forearm content, there's the sick bed scene (!!), and so many emotions. Anyway, let me tell you what this is actually about.

Will has inherited a unit in an apartment building that has tenants that are all very close. Nora is outraged at the idea that Will is planning to fix up his unit to rent out to short term renters and enlists the help of the other tenants to change Will's mind. Both Nora and Will are sort of dealing with grief in their own ways. Nora owns the unit she's in because her grandma passed away. Will's uncle who he met exactly once is who passed away and left him his unit. The tenants are sort of Nora's extended family because she spent nearly all of her summer's there growing up and so she has a lot of nostalgia about the building, but also feels like she can't allow things to change.

I absolutely adored the side characters, all of whom grew on me over time. I can't say that I can fully tell each tenant apart, but I do think I have a great understanding of who each of them are at the same time. I think Kate Clayborn does an absolutely magnificent job carrying the through line of both Will and Nora's personal baggage through while we watch them do home improvement and go to fun places in Chicago. I don't know that any of my words are really adequate to explain how swept away I was in Nora and Will by the end of this book, but know that I was.

Also, total aside, but Will's boss?? I love him SO MUCH. I had no idea what to think of him at first, but WHAT a journey we went on. I adore him. I think he's my favorite character and I wish him the absolute best.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very cute love story with love at first laugh so many years ago. Will and Nora grew up though without actually meeting until Will's uncle Donnie dies and leaves Will the apartment in the building where Nora is living. It is full of sweet moments with kittens and bathroom renovations, not to mention the funny feud they had going when Will announced he was going to be renting out his inherited apartment. I must say I laughed when the welcome train arrived while Will was trying to clean up the apartment, or when Nora and Marian organized a super big poem night.

The story flowed very smoothly and ended so sweetly that it left me with a smile on my face. A very well written book and I think I will definitely read some more of her works. The cover is really inviting too and I like the colors.