Have you ever wanted to move to an adorable village in Ireland and work in a bookshop that has three floors, its own cafe (with whiskey shortbread), a hot boss, and a writer-in-residence who wrote your favorite (ever!) books? Welcome to Love at First Book--total wish fulfillment. I, personally, fell in love with the setting the moment Em stepped onto the page, and my love for the characters quickly followed. This is a Romance, but even more so is UpLit--full of quirky characters and meaningful connections that leave you crying at the same time you feel like they're your own community. Perfect read for a rainy afternoon (or a sunny one!)

I fell in love with Jen McKinlay’s books with Paris Is Always a Good Idea. Her writing is swoony and romantic, they draw you in a just don’t let go. Love at First Book is very much the same. Emily is so lovable you just can’t help but root for her as she travels to Ireland to start her life fresh working as an author’s assistant. And prickly Kieran wins you over quickly once you understand why he’s so grumpy all the time. The story is a bit slow at take off as it sets the scene and you get to know the characters, but a couple of chapters you feel as if you live in Finn’s Hollow and you’ll be popping into the bookshop for a cup of tea each day. I laughed, I cried, I swooned, and I absolutely loved Em and Kier’s story.

Not having read Summer Reading, I could tell this was somewhat of a sequel, but I can attest that reading Summer Reading doesn't seem necessary to enjoy Love at First Book. I really enjoyed this and appreciated the depth that it had. I went into it expecting a cute little Irish romance that would be a fun time but not particularly emotional, and boy was I wrong. This book had me WEEPING for the characters, which isn't something I expect from a romance except from like, Emily Henry. I thought it was really well written, and I think I'll definitely go back and read some of this author's backlist.

When a librarian moves to a small Irish village where her favorite novelist work, the last thing she expects is to fall for said author's grumpy son! Emily Allen is a librarian on Martha's Vineyard. She dreams of adventure and traveling, so when her favorite author offers her a job in the Emerald Isle, Emily immediately says yes. Emily then gets a job at a local bookstore, owned by said author's grumpy son who wants her to stay away from his mom. Emily begins helping Siobhan write her final book in her acclaimed series, after a 10 year hiatus, she begins to also spend more time with the author's son and her new boss, Kieran. Emily and Kieran are completely different yet they begin to fall for one another... but as Emily helps Siobhan she discovers a secret that could ruin her new relationship with Kieran if he finds out and she didn't tell him. Can she make this new chapter in her life work or was it a doomed romance from the start. This was a book that featured anxiety and hypochondria representation, but it just didn't feel really well fleshed out. I was really hoping to love this one as I adore small town romances and cute bookshop tropes, but this one just kind of felt bland and boring and I just didn't really see the romance as being that convincing. This one fell flat for me and despite that, I think that if you enjoy small town romances then you should give this a go!

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay is a delightful and emotionally rich novel that is filled with passion. This enemies-to-lovers tale is a must-read for any romance enthusiast. It is both hilarious and deeply moving, making it a truly captivating read. The book is sdazzling and willleave a lasting impression on readers.

a cute and sad and heartwarming story. the two main characters chemistry build up wasn’t really there and then it happened so that was a tad off. banter was a bit aged it felt like? but a really sweet book nonetheless, i really enjoyed it. thanks netgalley for giving me the chance to review this ARC!

𝟹.𝟺 ͙͘͡★
"𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘙𝘦𝘥, 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨."

I wanted to read a cute quick romance book, so why am I lying on my bed at midnight bawling my eyes out????🥲🥲

If you want to read a cute romance book but also bawl your eyes out, this book is perfect for you!!!😭🫶🏼

"𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘙𝘦𝘥. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶."

!!𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 & 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗲𝗻𝗻 𝗠𝗰𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄!!

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

4.25

A hot, well-read Irishman in a close-knit Irish village is pretty hard to mess with in a romcom and Jenn McKinlay certainly didn’t mess this up!

When I first started reading, I realized that this was a continuation of last year‘s “Summer Reading”, but even though I went back to refresh my memory, you don’t really need to have read it. And that’s coming from me, the spokesperson of reading books in order.

But first, you should know that you need to have a box of tissues next to you. My family thought I was having some sort of sinus problem and wanted to give me nasal spray.

Emily is a bookworm librarian who goes to Ireland on a supposed one-year work visa. I think those really only exist in college for summer jobs, but anyway. She is the number-one fan of a series writer reward who left readers hanging, having not finished the last book in the series. Her son Kieran is the owner of the bookshop where Emily will work part time after helping his mother. It’s partly formulaic, but the characters are sweet and there’s another storyline to invest in rather than drawing out the will they, won’t they? Of course they will!

If you like Jenn McKinlay, especially the romcoms (misnomer from what I have read lately), then this will probably be one of your faves. The only thing that bothered me is how all mention of her mother and any interaction seemed to vanish when other stuff picked up.

I usually go to warm places in the winter but I’m tempted to choose freezing in Ireland rather than freezing at home next winter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

This is my first book by Jenn McKinlay and she did not disappoint! It was a little predictable but I loved the emotion it evoked and the story of Emily. I laughed, I smiled, I got teary-eyed. You'll get all the feels reading this one. It was nice to see Em's growth. AND the banter between Kieran and Emily?! SO GREAT. Librarian and bookstore owner, name a better combo.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for an ARC of this title!

This book is wonderful!

It's pitched liked a Hallmark movie but there is so much more under the surface. It's about starting over, relationships with parents, traveling and falling in love.

I would recommend this if you're in the mood for a grumpy x sunshine romance. I really liked Emily and Kier. Both are going through rough times and initially don't have a great start. But they are forced to work together and closed proximity allows them to bond and romance develops from that. I think the romance was done well. I couldn't wait for them to get together. The romance also felt believable.

I adored the Ireland setting, especially the bookshop. It gave cozy vibes.

Highly recommend this heartwarming love story!

Loved how lowkey and quaint this one was! I felt like I was THERE, in Finn’s Hollow with the characters in their small town and their famous author. I loved the connections and friendships of the characters and seeing how they grew to know and care for each other.

A slow burn enemies to lovers with a hypochondriac heroine coping with the trauma of a narcissistic mother, and Kier has his own childhood demons.
A great setting for book lovers—and as a former librarian I’m biased. The main conflict is clear a mile away and the ending is rushed, but I could not put this down. Great character development and banter. Top tier banter, friends!

I am a sucker for a story set in Ireland and Love at First Book was no exception. Emily is running from her suffocating life and possibly psychotic mother on the small island of Martha's Vineyard. Her destination is Ireland to work as an assistant for her favorite author and in a bookstore. This book is full of little nuggets of Irish culture, found family, friends and romance.

Mandy Harris
Angel Wings Bookstore

We first met Emily in the book Summer Reading as a librarian. She’s ready for some adventure and this adventure takes her all the way to Ireland. Oh, how I adore the setting in this book! She moves to Ireland, gets a job in a bookstore and starts working for her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan. There’s truly a special relationship between a young child and their favorite book series. Emily’s love and attachment to Siobhan’s series got her through a difficult childhood. Siobhan’s series is beloved by all but she’s had writer’s block for the last ten years and needs Emily’s help.
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Kieran, Siobhan’s son is protective of his mother and nervous and the newcomer, but it’s not long before him and Emily start to bond. I loved the two of them and the way they recite book quotes to each other is seriously adorable. I love the writing in this book but be prepared to cry.
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I first started this book I was definitely in a reading slump and could not finish a book to save my life lol but with this book I got right out of that slump real fast! This story was so unique and unlike anything I have read. This book gave angst and tension between Emily and Kier which I absolutely loved. This book is honestly a perfect for us romance book lovers. A hot grumpy boss, working with your favorite author ever and having a cafe nearby with the tastiest food sounds like an absolute dream. The relationship between Shioban and Emily was so beautiful and I loved that it helped heal Emily's inner child because of what she went through with her maternal mother. When Shioban had that last talk with Kier before she passed away it had me so emotional. You could tell the love that she had for her son was so pure. I also loved that Tig was basically Kier and how they ended the last chapter very relatable to his current situation he was in with Emily. This book was everything I needed so thank you Jenn McKinlay.

This book is everything. I loved it.

The idea of a romance centered around a bookstore has been done before with mixed results. But I am happy to report this one of a rousing success. It was well-paced, the characters perfectly endearing, and the found-family aspect was well done.

Emily is a librarian who journies to Ireland to meet her favorite author and escape her mother's stifling narcissistic tendencies. Once there she truly comes into her own and makes a place for herself, surrounded by people who actually care about her.

She finds her perfect match in Kieran Murphy (whose name I just now realized sounds a lot like Cillian Murphy). He's a bit of a grump at first, but it's not overdone. The two share a love for literature and trading quips in the form of book quotes. They're always trying to stump each other. And honestly, I adored them. They were hesitant to pursue anything, given Emily's position as Sioban (Kier's mother) assistant and that Kier was technically her boss. But once they gave in to their obvious connection and attraction they were open and honest about their feelings. It felt realistic and mature, rather than some of the more silly pitfalls rom-coms sometimes fall into.

This book is like the perfect cup of tea on a dreary day. It's warm and delightful.

Absolutely adorable book. I loved the small village vibe and loved the Ireland back drop. Definitely related to having a narcissistic mother, who enjoys ruining trips. The reason for the 3rd act break up was absolutely predictable but I also feel Red made the right choice.

Fairly standard romcom featuring an American librarian looking to figure out her life (and escape her overly demanding mother) and an Irishman who owns a bookstore in a quaint tourist trap village (example? the pub, firmly in the valley, is named Top of the Hill). Obviously there are a ton of literary references and quotes, as well as lots of life in the bookstore, community building and, yes, romance. Oh, and did I mention that Emily (Em, or Red) is not just working in the bookstore but is the assistant to the author of her all-time favorite books, who is suffering a decade plus long case of writer's block? Nothing surprising, but that's ok in a romcom!

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay. I liked the previous book in the series Summer Reading and while they can be a standalone I do recommend reading that one first, though this can be a standalone..

I loved the Irish setting, especially at the cutest bookshop. I didn't love the two main characters Em or Kieran that much or really feel their chemistry. I liked the overall plot but just found this one kinda meh