If you're familiar with Kate Clayborn's works, you know for a fact that you'll be in for a good time. Kate's writing is incredibly immersive, she pulls you in with delicious descriptions and the tiniest actions you wouldn't expect to be described in a novel. She fleshes out her side characters such that you come to care about them too, your attention is as much on the main characters as it is on the world they belong to.

Love At First was all that, and more. It left me gasping and sobbing by the end, and every single word added to the experience. On first glance, Kate delivers a classic rivals to lovers story, some pranks, banter that has you swooning, and a hero who seems to be a man made out of our dreams (He LEANS. A LOT). And when you keep reading more, you see that she has illustrated some great lessons about impressionable childhood and attachment patterns, about our parents impacting how we will love as adults, about how you can unlearn and re-learn how to best love. Kate offers comfort, both to her characters (main and side), and to the reader. There is a message of hope here, that there is always a person for you out there who you can learn to love and who shall love you in healthier, and in more exquisite ways than you ever thought possible. Never have I read a sex scene that has been so tender, so intimate, so joyful. So relatedly, if I ever have to recommend a book to someone young about the kind of love they should aspire to, it would be Nora and Will's story.

This one will be on my recommended list for years to come.

Last year I started the year with Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn and while the year soon crashed and burned it became my number one pandemic rec to people. Now I'm recommending you preorder Love at First. Clayborn writes warm, emotional romance with surprising And intelligent prose. Absolutely gobbled this up last year ( lol. Funny to say last year )She's one in a million with the kind of talent that makes you giddy such effervescent and natural talent exists. I want more Will and Nora. Their hiccups. Their slow chemistry. Their wonderful understanding of each other


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When I first read the summary of Love at First I was really intrigued about the story. But right from the beginning I could tell this story wouldn’t be what I thought. The first let down was the first “meeting” if you can even call it that. It was a bit disappointing to see that there wasn’t an actual interaction between them at all. Just Will overhearing Nora, literally. I thought there’d be more to it for him to have such a lasting memory of the moment. But I guess I miss where the connection was from him. That bit of backstory seems so minor I don’t get how it was so significant for him when he realized she was the girl...

Then I couldn’t get myself to care about the actual romance after that. I hoped something would make me care but it missed the mark for me which I’m sad about.

Thank you netgalley for providing this arc for me to read and review.

3.5 stars, rounded up. I struggled with how to rate this one as I found it cute and endearing but also found myself bored throughout. It could be I just wasn't in a romance mood, so I didn't let it affect my rating. I found the secondary characters all well developed and I enjoyed both protagonists. This was an upgrade from Clayborn's first novel, and I look forward to reading more from her.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“You don’t have to love people the way you learned to love at first.” Oh this book was so good and this was my favorite quote. Nora and Will meet on their balconies when Will inherits his uncle’s condo. It’s an enemies to lovers story because Will decide to do short term rentals on the condo. Nora loves this building and it’s other residents so much and she is opposed to change. She just recently inherited her unit when her Nonna died. Nora sets about sabotaging Will’s plans and the sparks start flying. They both have some work to do on themselves while they figure out their feelings for each other. There is some major steam and the build up is just right. I really enjoyed this book!

To be honest, this book would have been excellent if Will and Nora had met as teenagers with the type of parents they had. Their backstory was more intriguing than the current story.

I read and enjoyed Kate Clayborn's earlier work (Love Lettering and the Luck series), but Love at First feels like a huge leap forward for her. Her prose feels intimate and urgent, even when she's describing mundane details.

Will and Nora have been hurt by distant (and worse) parents, but the healing they experience feels natural and gradual to the reader, even as a cast of well-drawn secondary characters force them into sudden epiphanies. The story follows a familiar romance trajectory, including a separation near the end, but it never feels trite, forced, or formulaic.

I've read a lot of good books this past year, a lot of good romance novels, and this ranks as one of my favorites. I received and read and advance reader copy from NetGalley. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f enemies to lovers
-close proximity
-elements of second chance and forbidden romance
-found family
-a glasses wearing, grump of a cinnamon roll, pining away.
-a sunshine leader of a condo association
-slow burn
-sick/comfort
-flirting through home improvement tasks

Kate Clayburn writes so delicately and intentionally. The small details in her writing, it's almost like reading poetry. This was my first book of hers and it will not be my last. What a storyteller.

I adored this book. Nora was complex, dealing with her grief, defending her found family. But my favorite was Will, my latest book boyfriend. His story revealed itself throughout the book. How he pined away for Nora, dealing with his past, trying to be a grump but really taking care of her. But he wasn't pushy, giving Nora exactly what she needed and helping her. These were two people who figured out how to love the other person in the sweetest way. A fainting couch is required to read this book for the amount of times Will makes you just sawooon.

But Gerald. He gave me all of the laugh out loud moments, another grump, hiding his cinnamon roll sweetness. All of the secondary characters in this book were so fun and added to the whole of the book in the best way. Just a gem of a book.


Rating: 5 stars
Steam: 3



CW: grief, parental abandonment

My last read of 2020! Which feels very thematically appropriate for this read. This romance was very different from Love Lettering, though not in a bad way? It was very sweet and soft and just a good way to send off the year!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for giving me the chance to read this lovely story, but I would have to say that it was not my thing to read. Yes, I loved its hero Will, and his story, how he fell in love with the heroine Nora...but then after 16 years later that chemistry lacked several times, to me. No idea about other reviewers who I hope you like this story because it is not that I did not like it or enjoy it, I just fell out of love with the love story, I found some moments that were amazing, I laughed out loud, but I also kept hoping for more of Will's story and I kept thinking he could have done something to at least say "hi" to Nora. This could have brought more chemistry when they finally met each other or when he saw her years later. I honestly loved the good times in this story, but I ended up not caring at all. I am sure it is a lovely story, but not for me and I have to accept that even though I am a romance reader, not every love story is for me. For me this story was 3.6 stars. Very well structured main characters, but not chemistry at all.

Kate Clayborn’s Love at First is a great read and will be a must read in 2021.

Will spies his Uncle’s neighbor above him during a big moment in his life at sixteen years old. He has poor eye sight but it’s love at first sight. The teen above is Nora, who lived with her Nonna every summer in that Chicago apartment building.

I won’t tell you much about the plot because it’s just a delicious, beautifully built story full of rich unfolding layers.

We are able to see and hear about each of the MCs lives as they breakdown their walls and find friendship. There is a romance that is a slow burn with a lot of connection.

During this isolating time of covid I sometimes felt PROFOUND loss and joy while reading this book. For anyone who misses their community or being apart of a neighborhood this book will bring that feeling right back to you.

This is my first read of Clayborn’s work and I will be going back to read Love Letters and more!! I’m a historical/contemporary romance reader and loved this book. I think fans of Katherine Center or Jojo Moyes will love this book!

Thank you so much to #Netgalley and #Kensington Books for the eArc in exchange for a fair review. #KateClayborn #LoveatFirst

This is the first Kate Clayborn book I am reading and I have to say I really enjoyed it and I’m considering reading some more! I read about one or two contemporary romances each year, one is always by a good friend and favourite author, so I now know where to look for a second!

This whole story started sixteen years ago, when a fifteen year old Will Sterling, kind of saw, but mostly heard the girl of his dreams. It was a brief encounter, as he stood beneath her apartment. This memory stayed with him throughout the years, as he never had a chance to talk to her. But he tried not to cling on it. Now, out of the blue, he finds himself back in that apartment complex. He just inherited an apartment there, which he doesn’t plan to use. Instead, he plans to either sell it or rent it out. But he finds himself talking to a woman two balconies above, in the middle of the night, after one of his very demanding shifts in the hospital.

Nora Clarke has a habit of getting up at 4 o’clock in the morning to enjoy what she calls the golden hour. At on of such occasions she notices a handsome stranger standing at the balcony of her late neighbor. They start a conversation and before she has any chance to get to know his plans about the apartment he rushes back to the hospital. Despite her hopes that the tall doctor will appreciate his neighbors and the building, she receives news about short term rental plans that makes everyone unhappy. Not wanting to let down the people she considers to be her family, she sets out to sabotage his efforts, falling in love with him in the process.

This heartwarming story is the best thing to read after all the unpleasantries we went through this year! It surely takes your mind away from all of that, from the reality and sends you away on a journey through love. Reading about the relationship Nora has with her neighbors one can only realize that we actually chose the people that are close to us, the ones we consider to be family, even if we don;t share the same blood. And these people, or chosen family, will always be there for us, as we will be for them. They will always look at for us and they will support us in every decision we make, trying also to help us see what is best for us, without really forcing us on to something.

The characters are so real and so loveable you cannot not feel something about them. I was really emotional with Will’s story. This is something no child should be living and, maybe I am a dreamer, but I really believe this is not many children have to go through. The background with his parents and his relationship with them is not something common, not something you would read in many books about and that made it unique. Even though I was not happy at all with it, I really liked how it was all brought up, bit by bit, through Will’s memories and everyday scenes that really tied up with the rest of the story. And most of all, how it affected Will and his response to that. Self preservation took hold and helped him bare what was coming his way. On the other hand, Nora was so attached to her late grandmother that she almost forgot to live her own life. She lived through her Nonna, one of her most favourite people on earth, that was not with her any more. This is somewhat more relatable, as we usually don’t like changes and we feel more comfortable with life as I knew it so far, even though it doesn’t make our everyday easier.

The romance between them was so beautiful. It was build on bits and pieces of every day and every action and every little thought or discussion. It was a realization of sorts through time and experiences and it came so easily and unrushed that it was most enjoyable! It’s a slow burn romance that I totally recommend to lovers of the genre!

The book comes out on the 23rd of February, so do keep an eye on it!

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Books for an advance copy of this book. The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.

4.5 stars - This is another fantastic read for this newish to me author. Hands down, the most special thing about Love at First is the characters. It’s an ensemble of mostly older, outspoken, and opinionated individuals. The hero deserves so much more than life has dealt him. This family of neighbors and the cute girl upstairs are just what the doctor ordered. Also, the romance and sexy happens much sooner than it did in Love Lettering, another huge plus!

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

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not going to recap the plot here, but I'm going to remain in awe about how Clayborn builds the characters Will and Nora and layers them in such beautiful ways. I fell right into this world she creates and it's a world filled with community and human connection that really resonated at the end of 2020-the covid year.

I started and finished this on Christmas Eve at a time when I was really missing human connection from family and friends and Clayborn's book brought it back to me about how much those ties fulfill our lives.

Will and Nora have an intense connection from the start and I love that we see them as teens and get that sense of how their experiences of familial love have shaped their personalities and choices. We are in Will's perspective as much as Nora's-maybe a little more. Their first real physical connection occurs from Will's point of view and it is gorgeous and sexy.

There are friendships that develop and change in this book. There is a sense of place and time. Nora and Will fall in love, yes, but they also learn from each other and from their friends. They do not have to experience and express love the way that they learned while young. You can learn to love differently and thoughtfully. And what a beautiful idea at the end of this year of isolation.

I really loved this book. Get a copy in February and sink into it.

This book was extremely engaging and I read it in less than 24 hours. I loved all the characters who lived in the building and the way they formed a community to support each other. I especially enjoyed that Will was able to become a part of that community and to experience support and love in a way he had not found from his own family growing up. Often in romance at least one of the main characters will struggle with their feelings because they have not had healthy love modeled for them throughout their life, but it rarely takes this particular form. As such, I deeply appreciated the way Will's parents were portrayed by Clayborn; that type of selfish love is often shown as being destructive for those within it, but so rarely do we see (in books) the impact it has on those along the periphery. The neglectful damage done to Will was heartbreaking and I appreciate that it was included here. I think that took this book into territory different from other romance novels and gave us a more interesting perspective on the heroes motivations. I wish we'd had similar insight into Nora's childhood, which I felt was slightly lacking. But in all, it was a delightfully engaging read and I would not hesitate to recommend it to others.

Following up Love lettering, her first book, this novel provides an immersive story that drags you in and makes you not want to put the book down and wanting more. Great story and love the details of the lives of all characters intertwined

This was sweet, funny, and tugged at something deep in my heartstrings the way Kate Clayborn’s writing always seems to do.

This sweet story will warm many hearts this coming February.

Here’s the description from Kensington Books:

“Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar . . .

No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can't work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance . . . .”

My thoughts: This was sweet, and I love Clayborn’s writing. I definitely didn’t get as invested into this story as I did with Clayborn’s previous book, Love Lettering.

Rating: 3.5 stars rounded up for Clayborn’s writing. Contemporary romance fans will love the characters in this sweet story.

**Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an eARC of this book. My opinions are my own.**

Love at First by Kate Clayborn is a charming and sweet romance. If you enjoyed Clayborn's previous romance novel, Love Lettering, then you will also enjoy this story. Will and Nora "met" 16 years ago, and now they've ended up meeting again at that same apartment building. Will wants to rent out his apartment, but Nora doesn't approve of that because the other people that live in the building are like family to her; and she isn't sure what kind of people would be living in Will's apartment. A little bit of a battle ensues, but Will and Nora grow closer to each other and closer to all of the neighbors so that they become a kind of dysfunctional family. This story was so heartwarming, and I loved it! Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

There was a point when I was worried that I wouldn't like this book. That the main lady would be considered the free spirited character who opens the main man's world. Instead, it acknowledges that the main lady does live in a tomb. That she has flaws. The main man does have issues regarding his parents but he's not blind to this. Together they try to be a better version of themselves.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.