"Emily Allen, a librarian on Martha’s Vineyard, has always dreamed of a life of travel and adventure. So when her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan, offers her a job in the Emerald Isle, Emily jumps at the opportunity. After all, Siobhan’s novels got Em through some of the darkest days of her existence.
Helping Siobhan write the final book in her acclaimed series—after a ten-year hiatus due to a scorching case of writer’s block—is a dream come true for Emily. If only she didn’t have to deal with Siobhan’s son, Kieran Murphy. He manages Siobhan’s bookstore, and the grouchy bookworm clearly doesn’t want Em around."

Love at First Book was a love story for booklovers. Who wouldn't want to end up in a cozy bookstore working for a favorite author? I enjoy a good Gumpy/Sunshine romance and this had those vibes. I sped through this book because it felt so enchanting. I will say though, I cried. I was reading at work and my coworkers saw me crying at the hands of a novel once again. It was a good cry, but Jenn McKinlay knew just how to pull my heart strings. A sweet, well done novel that made me want to reread a few of my favorite childhood books. Thank you for that.

Love at First Book
by Jenn McKinlay
Pub Date: May 14, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
When a librarian moves to a quaint Irish village where her favorite novelist lives, the last thing she expects is to fall for the author’s prickly son… until their story becomes one for the books, from the New York Times bestselling author of Summer Reading.
Triggers: Toxic relationship with parent, hypochondria (researching illnesses, spiraling, etc), death (off-page but it’s happening throughout the book), breast cancer relapse
Love at First Book completely took me by surprise. While there were some parts of the story that I struggled with, I did find this book to be an enjoyable read. I thought Em and Kieran were great together. I enjoyed their banter. I liked the complexity and drama of Kieran's relationship with his mom. All in all, a sweet and enjoyable romance.

This is my first Jenn McKinlay romance, and I am in love. This is not my typical genre, (I tend toward horror/thriller) and there was just enough whisley drinking and fiesty banter between the two main characters to hold my interest. I was invested within the first couple of chapters and thrilled when there were twists! I fell in love with the whole cast as well as the setting of the cozy Irish village. I do wish the cover had Shackleton on it instead of the cat (no offense to cats!)

This book was quick to read with likeable characters and an interesting story line. Though I love to read mysteries and thrillers, I wanted to read a book that had no terrorism, murders, etc. for a change. I enjoyed this book.

I loved this book from the cover to the very last page. From reading this book I know author Jenn Mckinlay is very witty because I caught myself smiling through the first half of the book. The banter between the two main characters reminded me of my husband and I and I was all for it. I loved that the story was set in a bookstore in Ireland and that the main character was doing something for herself for the first time ever. There is a handsome bookstore owner with an accent, a mangy loveable dog, nice coworkers, afternoon tea...I mean the only thing I didn't like was when it ended! As soon as I finished I knew I would pick Love at First Book for my book club!
Emily has left her job as a librarian to take on a job as a personal assistant for her favorite author in Emerald Isles. The town, the bookstore, her cottage...everything is so charming until she comes face to face with the bookstore owner Kieran Murphy. This man exudes grumpiness and if Emily lets him get to her he will surely steal all of the excitement she has for meeting her hero Siobhan. Being able to work closely with Siobhan and help her get the spark back for writing is a dream come true because these books basically helped Emily have hope when she was a young girl dealing with her parents martial troubles. Emily will split her day working at The Last Chapter doing inventory and spending time with Siobhan on her final book. Emily is a little confused when Siobhan takes her to tea At Hazels Tea Shop and off to get yummy desserts instead of making a writing schedule to stay on task. If Emily didn't know better she'd think that Siobhan has an ulterior motive to bringing her biggest fan to her town, but whatever the reason Emily loves her even more now that she's met her in person. The bookstore,the town, Siobhan, and maybe even Kieran....Emily didn't realize in the beginning but Emerald Isles feels like the home she always wanted.

One of the sweetest romances I've read in a while. The characters feel well-rounded with real interests, dislikes, quirks, and struggles. You want to root for Emily and Kieran and Siobhan in each of their respective journeys.

When a librarian moves to a quaint Irish village where her favorite novelist lives, the last thing she expects is to fall for the author’s prickly son…

Love at First Book is a cute and heartwarming romance. I adored Em and her introverted awkwardness. At first glance, Kieran appears to be a total grump and brings out the worst in Em. In the beginning, it seems as though they are destined to be enemies, but as time passes, the tension between them quickly turns into something more.

The reason I'm giving this book 3 stars is because I did feel like there were a few things that went unresolved. For example, the situation with Em's mom plays a huge part in why Em is the way she is and I just felt like that plot point never saw any resolution. Also, while I don't hate the singular point of view, I do think if we had Kieran's point of view, it would have really added to the story; helping readers see his struggles with his mom and wanting to overcome his fears. My only other issue with this story is the overall writing. Don't get me wrong, I do think this story was written well, however, there were quite a few moments that felt rough, like it needed to be fleshed out more.

Love at First Book completely took me by surprise. While there were some parts of the story that I struggled with, I did find this book to be an enjoyable read. I thought Em and Kieran were great together. I enjoyed their banter. I liked the complexity and drama of Kieran's relationship with his mom. All in all, a sweet and enjoyable romance.

Cute story about a women who wants a first start and loved to Ireland for a job. I wanted to love this one but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t connect to the characters. I’ve learned I’m not a fan of grumpy characters , lol. This is my first book by McKinlay, but I’ll definitely check out more by her
.

LOVE AT FIRST BOOK follows librarian Emily Allen from Martha's Vineyard to the small Irish town of Finn's Hollow. While she is excited about her new job at a small local bookshop and the opportunity to finally travel, those aren't the big draws for Em. Rather, it's the opportunity to be an assistant to the author of a book series that was a vital lifeline to her younger self that has Emily eagerly relocating halfway around the world.

Faithful readers of the Tig McMorrow series have been waiting for ten long years to learn how their favorite character's story will either evolve or end. Unfortunately, Tig's creator, Siobhan Riordan, hasn't written a word in all those years. Both Em and Siobhan are eager to get to work, and both have personal reasons driving their desire. But a big obstacle stands in their way: Siobhan's son, Kieran, who seems set on foiling any progress. In fact, he actively tries to get Em to return home to the U.S.

In many ways, LOVE AT FIRST BOOK is a typical romantic dramedy. The story has moments of laughter and cringe-worthy awkwardness from Em that are endearing (at least to me!). There is family drama and romantic tension, and even scenes that seem to poke fun at themselves, calling out the Great Misunderstanding and the Grand Gesture that are staples of the genre. I let myself get swept into this story on St. Patrick's Day weekend, and it was the perfect tale for the time. It's a story of love, heartbreak, loss, redemption, and hope, all wrapped up in the package of a sweet and funny book.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Berkley, for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

I could not get into this one, no matter how much I tried. I ended up DNFing at 38%. I found myself dreading going back to it. I’m not even sure why, I enjoyed her other books. I know others loved this one, so be sure to check their thoughts on it! I think it just wasn’t for me.

Oooh. I’m thinking this is a case of wrong audience for me, because I didn’t get along too well with this book.

I’m not one to shy away from writing style, but this one threw me off. I felt like it was old English trying to be hip (I don’t know how to explain) and it made a lot of the dialogue a little awkward. Chemistry wise, I just didn’t see an adequate enough build up, and I felt like some of the plot points were there just for convenience—not so much because they made sense. I also think so many of the two leads’ issues were brought up only in passing at the start, only for any discussion to fall off the face of the earth.

Just didn’t work for me, and that’s okay!

Book Review
Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay

Tropes
Small town
Book lover, bookstore, librarian AND an author
Ireland
HEA
Abuse
Mental Health rep
Toxic family
Cancer

Characters
Siobhan- le sigh, a bittersweet storyline for this immensely creative presence
Em And Kieran- They stole my heart from the first “Red” and “Murphy”
Sam- BFF
Dog -Shackleton (cause every village needs a dog)
Brigid- Reading this book made me want a scone soo bad
Niamh- saw a bit of my childhood self in her
Oisin and Eunji- work wives and the best of colleagues- they felt familiar and welcoming

Quote
"Are you telling me that if I met you on top of the Empire State Building, holding an overly large radio above my head playing 'In Your Eyes, whilst saying 'As you wish, you'd forgive me anything?"

Thoughts
I adored the inclusion of book quotes, the literary references, “romance book handsome” and the predictable but absolutely required third act break up followed by a grand gesture. This book is a book lovers dream, from the plot , the characters, the narrative, Hell even the setting includes a bookstore.
I am easily head over heels in love with book. Each blush, every swoon worthy moment, the chemistry, the gallivanting around the countryside, the game of literary consequences- all of it- its like McKinlay reached into my head and took all my favourite things about romance and eloquently put it between two covers so I could read it again and again.

Thanks to @netgalley and @Berkeley
Romance for my digital ARC in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own

By far my new favorite book by Jenn McKinlay!! I fell hard for grumpy Irishman, Kiernan Murphy and shy but secretly quite feisty librarian, Emily (Em). This grumpy/sunshine romance set in a small Irish village bookshop was perfection for me.

Full of heart, lots of book quotes and a great cast of secondary characters, including Kiernan's mother, a famous writer struggling to finish the last book in a best-selling series. When Emily writes to her about when the last book might be coming, Siobhan, asks her to come and be her assistant.

What follows is a lovely story about found family, love, and letting go of the ones you love. It also had great mental health rep (Emily has an illness anxiety disorder). Be prepared to cry reading this one friends! It will break you but the ending is worth the journey for the fantastic grand gesture not to mention all sorts of my favorite Ireland tourist spots.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: mentally abusive and absentee parents, death of a loved one from cancer

Emily Allen (Em for short) needs a restart to her life. With an absent father, emotionally abusive mother and a job that just lacks the spark she yearns for, Em writes a letter to the world-renowned author who inspires her. What she never anticipates, however, is an invitation to visit the author in Ireland with the possibility of helping as an assistant while working at a local bookstore. For the first time in life, Emily takes a chance, flies to Ireland and shows up at that small bookstore.What follows is an absolutely delightful, cozy story filled with the love of all things Ireland, books, friendship, and romance - lost and found.

The focus of the story is as much on Ireland as it is on the overall story-line, as the author deftly and lovingly imbues the beauty and spirit of the emerald isles, both of it's people and with its lifestyle. The romance develops at a very believable pace and the characters are realistic and likable. Although the story is obviously formulaic and one can pretty much guess what happens next throughout the book, the rich emotion and depth that Ms. McKinlay so eloquently infuses keeps the reader loving every minute! There are giggles and tears, sighs and, ultimately, happy smiles when that final page turns.

oo, quite disappointed coming off the high of the first book ([book:Summer Reading|62339069]). 2.5 stars. :(

The FMC is the best friend from book 1. She gets some nice development in this story, working through her neglectful/abusive relationship with her mother as well as her anxiety and hypochondria. There's a lot more telling rather than showing, a lot of narration that's mostly reporting. Characters' responses are often summarized rather than quoted. It definitely affects the pacing and pull of the story.

The book gets off to a not-great start with the MMC. He's abrasive, purposefully rude, and calls the FMC (his employee!) by a non-preferred name. The reader is supposed to understand that he's distant and stand-offish out of fear and a desire to protect. However, it comes across more as the trained-misogyny of girls being told that having their pigtails pulled means a boy likes them.

Big fans of the author can enjoy this as an airplane-read, but it's not required reading. Readers looking to try this author for the first time should start elsewhere.

eARC from NetGalley.

Gahh...thisbookissocute!!!!. 

I was a big fan of Summer Reading by Jenn McKinley and knew this one would be just as good, if not better, and it was!  
I was pulled in from the very beginning - I mean...a book about a book..yes, please!!  

I laughed, I cried then laughed and cried some more.  The relationships in this book were so special.  Not only in human form but within Siobhan's book series.  How helpful it was for Emily during some difficult years.  This is what books and special characters are for many of us.  A special friend or a therapist, if you will.  

The setting in Ireland was also super fun to read about.  The bookstore and cafe.  Ahh, it's like a dream.  

Read If You Like:
Books about Books
Hot Irishmen 
Mother/Son Relationships
Witty Book Banter/Literary Quotes

I was excited for the MFC to get away to Ireland. She had never been outside of Massachusetts, and she was more than ready for an adventure. She would be getting away from her narcissist mother whom she still lived with. Once in Ireland everyone was welcoming except for Kieran, the handsome grump.
With plans to stay in Ireland for a year, things had to change between Kieran and herself since she would be working in his shop and for his famous author mother.
The gradual flow from enemies to friendship to lovers was beautifully written. The book also takes place mostly in a bookstore. There are trips to a castle, tea shops, and friends’ homes.
Emily’s life in Martha’s Vineyard mostly revolved around her and her mother. In Ireland, her circle of friends grows bigger, and she grows stronger, learns about setting boundaries, taking chances, and maybe lands exactly where she is meant to be.

A bookshop/bakery in Ireland, a beloved author with writer's block, and her handsome, brooding son -- what's not to like about this book? I think many readers will be very happy to be introduced to these characters and the charming town where their story takes place -- and the subplots that give it real texture and depth.

I was happy to have read this one, and I'll be recommending it widely.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the chance to read an electronic version in advance of publication.

Such a cute romance! I love that it was set in a small town in Ireland and that the Emily, who is from the US, was starting over there because of an opportunity with her favorite author. I would do the same!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so good and an emotional Rollercoaster. I love books about books and you just fall for both characters so fast