I was thrilled to receive this book. I absolutely adored Love Lettering and have become an even bigger fan of Kate Clayborn due to the Fated Mates podcast. I’m usually a very fast reader but found myself slowing down to read this so I could savor the characters, descriptions, and dialogue, which is a sign of a really good book. This is the first book in a long time where I literally have no complaints. None.

I loved both Nora and Will. Both were complex, full people who were written in a way that that provided the perfect amount information at the correct time to pack the perfect punch. At times what was revealed was absolutely devastating. In addition to Will and Nora, their neighbors and friends were all delightful in their own ways. Everyone just felt very very real.

I will say that while this book does check all the boxes of a typical romance it does go a few levels deeper which could easily put it in the category of women’s fiction. I’ve seen some people refer to it as a easy romcom, and to someone who a lot of literary fiction or suspense it probably is, but this book is not haha funny. Yes it’s warm and has a happy ending, but the topics of loss, community, change, and friendship explored in the book are not taken lightly. To me this was the story of two people finding healing through each other and found family.

I’m trying really really hard not to spoil the book so I think I’ll stop writing. This is one that I will likely come back to again and again. I can’t wait for whatever Kate Clayborn has next.

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

Love at First, written by Kate Clayborn and to be published February 23, 2021, is a delightful read – a hug in a book! Sometimes what we need most is just to press pause on our busy lives, get rid of all the noise, and listen to our heart. This book did just that for me this week.

Will Sterling first meets Nora Clarke when he’s a teenager, a lost soul with poor eyesight. He didn’t actually meet her, he heard Nora from her apartment balcony while he was outside waiting for his mom. He never forgot her. It wasn’t until he inherited his uncle’s apartment 16 years later that he realized the girl next door was ‘her.’ Unfortunately, clearing out his uncle’s apartment is the least of his worries. The owners are up in arms once they learn of his plans to do upgrades to their building prior to listing his suite for short term rentals. He didn’t make a good impression with Nora and now she’s spearheading a campaign to prevent him from listing with the rental agency. Will he patch things up with Nora before the renters arrive? Is it worth it? Perhaps being an overworked doctor is all he can handle at the moment. He certainly doesn’t need an apartment full of bickering neighbours. Oh, but her laugh….maybe he should make the time.

This is my first Kate Clayborn novel and I really loved her writing style. This isn’t just a romance novel, it’s about community, grief, family, belonging, second chances, and the mysterious power of love. I loved that she created a strong cast of secondary characters. The other suite owners, a delightful, eclectic, yet loveable, cast, are as important to the storyline as Nora and Will. The sense of community is tight, and readers soon begin to see that they are Nora’s chosen family and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect them. This is a sweet, quick read that will leave your heart full and put a smile on your face.

Thank you, Kate Clayborn, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book. The romance between Will and Nora is so sweet to watch unfold. I really enjoyed the journey the main characters took to find love. The host of characters that Kate Clayborn has written to help them along were so fun. I highly recommend this book. It's a run, easy read with a rewarding end.

Will and Nora, a pair you meet early on in this novel and can't wait to see where the story is going to take you. I was instantly taken with Will and the heartache of his childhood circumstances. I just hoped Nora wasn't going to be taken along as his crutch, thankfully she is delightful all by herself.
I loved the wide array of characters in this novel and the gradual growth that both Nora and Will showed with each other, From the pranks to the hesitant help to the need to have each other around, the story was beautifully held together by a sense of community and meant to be that this year needs in a feel-good book.
I will admit that I still struggle with the author's style of writing, that it sometimes still feels a little bit too prose-like, however I felt this was much improved on Love Lettering, where I barely felt I got the story at all. I sometimes felt I was having to jump to the end of a paragraph and then back because there was so much,
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the a stay very late to finish kind of book. Take that for a warning and a high praise. 

Nora has lived in the same building for a long time, it was her grandmother's home, the people there became her family. Her world is disturbed when a new tenant arrives. 

Will had just inherited an apartment in the same building, his uncle,  who he had only seen once, left it to him. He doesn't want to move in there but he could use the extra income by renting it for short periods. 

Nora doesn't want the building's dynamic to be affected, she doesn't want anything to change. Her plan is to make Will see this by any means necessary.

Their relationship begins with them sparing and trying to win the other. The romance is gratuitously developing and it is the peak of the book. It is a bit of a slow burn giving them both time to know each other and develop feelings long before they act on them. 

The writing is very clever, full of witty remarks which made me laugh more than once. The side characters are very loveable and you want to see them being happy and get another look in to their lives. It is a book about love, friendship and the family you choose. 

I just want to say that I completely loved this book! 

* I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley.

Love Lettering was on of my very first Netgalley approves when I first started this reviewer journey. I knew I absolutely have to devour this one by Kate Clayborn.

Clayborn has such a unique writing style. I appreciate how we are able to truly get into the character's heads that she creates.

This plot started with a view of a fifteen year old boy's point of view. We see a small snippet into this adolescent before we dive fully into the present. Sixteen years later we find Will is an adult, but we are still vague on the details.

He meets Nora, again. His past becomes his present as he tries to understand what he needs to move forward. I realize this is vague, but I do not want to give any spoilers.

Obviously, we are going to see Will and Nora navigate a path towards love. The path is a bit tricky however. There will be shenanigans, family drama, and some home improvement tensions.

I personally struggle with the long awaited pace in build ups in romance novels but I feel this one was appropriately paves. I did take a bit, and I was anxious for this.

Clayborn invested us well in their past and present lives and allowed us to fall in love with their falling in love.

Thank you Kensington Books and Netgalley for an advanced reviewers copy of this book for my honest opinion. if you are a fan of slow burn romances I fully believe you will love this one!

Once again Kate has written this super sweet book that just makes me swoonsh and go "awww" in many parts. Will and Nora were great! From the prologue where we see a young Will who doesn't even see Nora but falls for her laugh, I think I was hooked.

Then they meet again, sixteen years later, and he realizes it's balcony girl! Things soon take a turn because Will is branded the enemy since he's gotten their apartment building from his uncle, who left it to him in his will, and the tenants are not on board with Will's idea to fix up is uncle's place and us it for short-term rental space. It just isn't done!

This leads Nora to exact some light sabotage which was so perfectly funny. Will isn't please but it makes for some great moments between them and the other tenants.

There's a strong theme of family in this one and we see that for both Nora and Will family holds different meanings. For Nora's it's everything while Will's relationship with his was fraught.

I loved seeing how everyone went from "who the heck is this man?? why is he here??" to really falling for Will just like Nora did. The tenants grew on Will too! He didn't stand a chance quite frankly.

There were so many cute scenes in this, le sigh. And I will say that the sex scene were perfectly balanced between being sweet and packed with emotions and hot! He gripped her plait, and I was here for that ;)

A few qualms I had: I feel like Nora's best friend, Deepa, could have had a deeper characterization. Now I'm assuming from the name that Deepa is Indian and yet I don't think we get a single indication of what she looks like or much about her. Only that they work at the same place but Nora is now working remotely in Chicago so we get scenes with them taking online then she visits her later on in the book but we get whole descriptions of Nora and Will who yes are the MCs but I needed more for Deepa. And not just have it feel like we know the barest of things about her.

Also, Will randomly calling Nora baby didn't feel natural for him? It didn't seem to ring true for his character and came across as clunky to me and not cute. I don't know man try another pet name or something lol

But overall I enjoyed this book!

If Kate Clayborn can write something I don’t like—well, I don’t ever want her to do it. Clayborn’s writing style just does it for me, and Love At First is no exception. I gobbled this book up like my favorite dessert despite election 2020 anxiety and general dread about the state of the world. It made me laugh, swoon, and brought tears to my eyes (which for me is the highest praise, cuz this bitch doesn’t cry over books).

I was a bit hesitant while reading the prologue. I wasn’t sure where we were heading or what kind of story was being set up. Just a couple chapters later, though, I was IN IT. The instant snack-crackle-pop of mild-mannered enemies with instalust when Nora and Will meet as adults...oof, it’s my favorite. Clayborn does a great job of navigating the enemies to lovers balance. The reader understands each character’s baggage and we know that neither one is the bad guy, making the struggle between them that much more heart-achy. Nora deals with her grief by holding on to the past too tightly; Will would rather ignore it entirely. It was moving to watch them learn from each other so they could move forward together.

A standout scene for me (apart from all the doorframe leaning Will does, holy hotness) is the conservatory. I ached along with Will as he realized the depth of his feelings and longed to reach out and touch Nora. It just got me in my feels, dug in the angst claws and tore my solar plexus to shreds (again, this is high praise from me).

I love this book a whole lot. A great romance and a great cast of secondary characters (found family alert)—I highly, highly recommend this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This is the second book by Kate Clayborn I’ve read. I really like her books because while they are sweet and romantic they also have a little heat to them. It’s quite nice to read a contemporary romance novel that feels plausible and has the right amount of drama to keep you interested but not flustered.

Not to say I wasn’t flustered in this book. There were a few times I wanted to yell at Nora and Will to tell them to stop being so stubborn but isn’t the mark of a good book one where you’re emotionally invested?

Anyways, Clayborn’s books are really fun to read. I did enjoy “Love at First” a little bit more than “Love Lettering”. I thought the main characters in this book were a little bit more likable than the ones from Lettering. I would like to see her do a book that’s not the “enemies to friends to lovers” troupe but if she put out another book I’d be first in line to read it.

Love at First by Kate Clayborn
.
.
Will Sterling has inherited an apartment that he does not want. He decides to fix it up as a temporary rental unit.
Nora Clarke cannot allow Will to turn the apartment into a temporary rental. It will ruin their community. Her neighbors are her family and having strange people moving in and out with disrupt everything.
.
.
This book was so much fun to read! The pranks that Nora pulls are hilarious. The enemies to lovers trope is my favorite. And this book delivered on that for me! I laughed out loud, I cried, I grinned and I pouted. I loved the main characters but also the supporting characters were so fantastic and hoe they helped the MC to grow was so beautiful.
.
I gave this book 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you very much to netgalley and kensington books for this didgital arc to read! This book is available 2/23/21.

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!

I enjoyed this one even more than Love Lettering (which I also quite liked). It’s one of the few contemporary romances I’ve read with two point of views lately, that worked really well.

Both Nora and Will have faults, but they are realistic based on their pasts, and it’s just great to read a book in this genre that’s got a different setup than normal.

I don’t want to go into any spoilers, but I would definitely recommend this one.

3.5 Stars

A sweet and gentle frenemies to lovers story about love, community, grief and fate.

Told from a third person dual perspective, 'Love at First' was a cosy, romantic tale which felt a bit like getting a warm hug! It was comforting, heartfelt and made my heart feel tender at times!

This was essentially a girl meets boy story, but somehow Kate Clayborn made it feel like much more. It was full of genuine and loveable people, who had delightful relationships and connections, and yet the main characters had flaws, baggage, and were complex. The secondary characters definitely elevated this story, from Nora's quirky neighbours, who were adorable, to Nora's fun best friend Dee. Most of all though, I loved Gerald! Will's boss Gerald Abraham was just the cutest man! I loved how supportive he was of Will, and how their friendship blossomed, despite their apparent differences! And I loved his little side plot with his ex wife Sarah! The assortment of people in both Nora and Will's life were like a kind of found family, and after both not having ideal childhoods, this was so wholesome and good.

'Love at First' was about self discovery, learning to be yourself, whilst dealing with losing someone, and all the grief, heartbreak and sometimes resentment that comes with that. It was a quiet look at healing, and moving on after losing someone close. Even though Will and Nora didn't get off on the right foot, and had some differences of opinion, they both learnt to start taking risks, showing some vulnerability.

"You don't have to love people the way you learned to love first."
This line kind of broke my heart a little bit! It was perfect for this couple, who after the initial mild pranks, developed respect for each other, were good for each other, and fit well. There was even the odd steamy moment! And that first kiss....

However, even though I enjoyed this, I cannot give it top marks, as I felt there was something holding me back from the main characters. After falling in love with 'The Switch' and 'Dear Emmie Blue' recently, this one didn't feel as emotional? I didn't connect with the main characters as much, and sometimes they felt a bit flat.

Nevertheless, I liked this easy and comfortable read, and would like to try 'Love Lettering' by this author 🍅🍅🍅 1/2

I've read all of Kate Clayborn's books within the past 30 days. In every one, in addition to being entertained, I've learned a little something. In this one, I didn't figure out what it was till close to the end, when Will makes a confession that broke my heart. I learned something from that. I guess you'll have to read the book to find out.

Will and Nora are opposites - he's avoiding his past, she can't break from hers. Somehow, they find each other and figure out how the pieces fit together, until they don't.

There's a sort of sadness to this book through most of it. There's also a few laugh out loud moments. One of my favorite characters ended up being Wil'l's boss, Gerald. Did not see that one coming.

Cute and sweet and overall happy. Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this preview in return for an honest review. If Kate Clayborn keeps writing them, I'll keep reading them!

I don't usually read these types of books, and I had never heard of Kate Clayborn. I now want to read her other book "Love Lettering" because this one was so good, and I really enjoyed it! I didn't realize it, but I truly needed this type of reading, and it was comforting, like binge watching beloved episodes of Friends. You really fall in love with all the characters and especially the neighbors with all their quirks.The author really knows how to capture your heart, and it was a feel-good book to read. It had me grinning and chuckling throughout. I even cried, which I wasn't expecting because I don't usually cry easily. People talk about hugging their kindles during this book, and they're not lying--it really will happen! I highly recommend this book if you want to read a sweet, uplifting, funny, romantic, feel-good story!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this amazing eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

My first Kate Clayborn book (can't believe I didn't read love lettering ) . This book tells the story of Will and Nora who met when they were teenagers but didn't really see each other's face only to meet 16 years later at the same building . Instead of being lovey dovey and let's get into it they are bickering . It goes from an almost relationship to a frenemies kinda situation and eventually becomes a friendship . After a stressful week this book was calming and much needed. Highly recommend it

‘Love at First’ reads like…a story written in fanfiction style—albeit well-written fanfic, so this is in no way a slight—from start to finish. I couldn’t put my finger on it and puzzled about Kate Clayborn’s writing style for the longest time until it hit me that there’s so much there that takes up your concentration just to get into the story. It’s ultra-descriptive, very introspective when it comes to the protagonists’ brooding thoughts and in many ways, filled with understated charm that I can see appealing to many fans who go for this type of contemporary romance.

The introduction to Nora and Will was odd, to say the least, involving the vanity of a 15-year-old boy refusing to wear glasses, the briefest of a (blind) meeting involving shouting and tomatoes and some family issues that faded to black before moving to the events of the present day. But the start of the book went rough for me—from the intricacies of their lives to the storm in the teacup spat over the unit and its lease—and I found myself skimming, impatient to just see the whole point of the story (even though it’s got kittens!), only to realise I was thumbing through what was really supposed to be the story.

It definitely got better though the further I went on. There was a lingering cosiness that Clayborn attempted to build here: the idea of a block-apartment family, the relationships they had, the disagreement between Nora and Will, the secondary cast of characters that surrounded them as they journeyed towards their HEA. Clayborn also worked towards a resolution between Nora and Will in a mature way (no shenanigans here) which I could appreciate, ending up with a picture-perfect tableau that at times felt like a side-skip of the heavier issues that Nora/Will faced in favour of a lighter, more warm-hearted conclusion.

It’s a rare thing to find a book that keeps a big smile on my face through out every page. Love at First is so much more than a love story. It’s about found family. It’s about being a little bit reckless instead of playing it safe. It’s about going after what you want. It’s about learning that love isn’t the same for every person in your life, and that love doesn’t have to be the love that you were first taught. Love at First is an extradorinaiy story that will warm your heart.

I love Kate Claiborne's writing and "Love Lettering" was one of my favorite romance novels that I read in the last year, so I was excited to read her new one. I'm happy to report it is a solid follow-up. In a world (and a dating landscape) that is particularly unkind, her characters are all relatively good to each other, even in conflict. Her writing is gentle with the characters' quirks and emotions and somehow allows the plot and the love story to unfurl slowly while never being tedious. My best comparison points are a modern Jane Austen or adult Jenny Han.

What a delightful slow burn romance! Everything about Love at First was charming. I loved the enemies vibe it gave off from the beginning. I could feel the spark Will and Nora had through the tension from the moment they met. All the ways Nora tried to fight Will's determination to rent out his apartment were clever and entertaining. I loved seeing how their attraction turned to more despite their difference of opinion on the apartment. Once it grew from enemies to more, I fell even more in love with the story. Will and Nora were so good together!

I also loved all the side characters. Nora's "family" was hilarious. Each apartment owner had such a distinct personality that added so much to the story. Same with Will's doctor friend and his ex-wife. I loved how well they all fit into the story and made Nora and Will stronger characters. 

There wasn't anything I didn't love about this book. Kate Clayton is one of my new-to-me favorite authors of 2020. I instantly fell in love with her writing in Love Lettering and it became even stronger with Love at First. I would highly recommend this book to romance fans.

I really love this author and her newest book only reinforced that! This story gave me all the tender feelings. It made me feel like I was walking through nature, quiet and profound. The main characters, Will and Nora, are growing throughout the book, both learning to let go of the past and embrace what comes next. This story includes a delightful cast of side characters, as I would expect from any Kate Clayborn book, and vivid descriptions of the apartment building they call home. I especially loved the depiction of male friendship between Will and his boss. Both men benefited from the connection and it was really lovely to watch unfold. As an extra bonus, the title of the book comes around in a very poignant and unexpected way at the end.