What a beautiful,cozy and heartwarming read.Loved everything about this book .From writing ,plot characters and their development and to captivating storyline. Also, loved how realistic and relatable it was .Honestly I enjoyed this immensely. This was a first book to me by this author but definitely won't be my last. Definitely recommend!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Fantastic! Imagine if Harry Potter ended after book 6. That’s the cliffhanger/unfinished story that Emily is in Ireland to help with. In assisting the author, she starts forming relationships, both with the author and the bookstore owner, despite her toxic familial relationship. Don’t be fooled by the cutesy cover. There is definitely depth in this book. Both Emily and Kieran have past traumas that inform their relationships and growth. I loved how this book went to the heart and past of both Emily and Kieran and how their relationship felt naturally formed. There was one slightly open door scene but not very “spicy”. Also, have your tissues ready because a couple of later chapters will get you.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for providing this boaok for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I need someone to turn this into a Hallmark movie ASAP. I loved this story, and I adored Emily and Siobahn's relationship, I wish we had gotten to see more of it. The chemistry between Emily and Kieran was fantastic.

A book about books? Yes, sign me up! Not only is this set in an Irish book store, but it’s also about a series of YA novels that are just begging for their grand finale. Plus my favorite tropes… grumpy-sunshine and found family 🤌🏻

Another great book by Jenn McKinlay! Can be read as a stand-alone but it is a follow up to the book Summer Reading.

Thanks to Jenn McKinlay, NetGalley, and Berkley Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Love at First Book to come out May 14, 2024.

Emily is a librarian who moves to a small village to assist an extremely successful writer (and also Emily’s idol) to help her with a severe case of writer’s block. Part of the deal is that Emily also works in the bookstore in the village, which puts her in proximity with the aforementioned writer’s son, who is evidently the grumpiest man alive. First off, the things I liked about this book: love a book set in Ireland - sign me up! Also, the relationship that develops between Emily and the writer Siobhan is quite charming and my favorite relationship in the book, and how Siobhan begins to climb out of her writing deficit is fun and I enjoy that part of the plot. Other than that, I honestly don’t know what to do with this book. Keiran, grumpy bookseller/Siobhan’s son is so grumpy and mad at Emily for coming to be his mother’s assistant that is it is off-putting. It isn’t even enemies-to-lovers - it’s just weird. About page 60, I kept wondering, “did anyone edit this book?” Sentence structure is not dynamic, background information about Emily is just forced in to round out the book and it is stilted. It feels wildly unedited. About page 100, the dialogue gets really formal - none of it actually feels like how people talk in real life. Every romance trope is hit with a sledgehammer - the way the man smells, the weirdly forced nickname ( Emily wants to be called, “Em” but he demands she is called “Red” and does it in EVERY SENTENCE,) and there are so many more tropes that I wondered if someone asked AI to spit out a romance set in Ireland in a bookshop and this one appeared. I wanted to like this book more than I did. All of that being said, I did finish it, I just wanted to get my red pen out and do some heavy-edits. Great bones, it just needs an overhaul.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

I've loved Jenn McKinlay's previous books. While I did enjoy this one, it took me about 50% of the way through to really love it. The beginning felt a bit more uneven, with a focus on the main character's needy mother taking up a lot of space (and then kind of disappearing at the end). I also didn't realize until halfway through that this calls back to McKinlay's Summer Reading novel. Once the love story blossomed and the characters worked on their writing, I enjoyed the book a lot more.

I didn't care for this and frankly, Emily didn't rind true as a librarian and reader. I feel like she is written by someone who likes the idea of being a librarian but doesn't actually know one in real life. This is a real pet peeve of mine.

In Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay, Emily Allen is offered a job to work for her favorite childhood author in Ireland. Leaving behind a very toxic relationship with her mother, Emily plans to help Siobhan Riordan write the conclusion to the Tig McMorrow books, which were a lifeline during Emily's troubling childhood. Emily spends half her day assisting Siobhan and the other half working for Siobhan's son, Kieran, in his bookstore.

I enjoyed Emily's growth as she finds her voice and her strength. The loving relationship she develops with Siobhan is a wonder - so tender and supportive -something Emily never experienced with her own parents. The banter with Kieran shows they have much in common...in addition to their simmering tension, attraction and passion. Their appreciation of the power of the written word ultimately helps not only Siobhan but also strengthens her relationship with her son.

I will be recommending this book.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing, Jenn McKinlay and NetGalley for this ARC.

All I could think about when I read this book was the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and the ending of Love At First Book had me actually sobbing. The Harry Potter books were my comfort books for years, and one of the main characters in this book reminds me a lot of a J.K. Rowling-style writer. To this day, as a bright and shiny 30-year-old - I still watch them on a regular basis. WITH THE EXTENDED VERSIONS, I might add! I digress...

Back to Love at First Book, I loved the nostalgic feelings this book gave and how much our heroine, Em/Red has created healthy boundaries in her life and is taking chances. All of those things are major winners for me!!

- The only reason I'm removing a star is because I truly loathed the main love interest: Kieran Murphy. If there ever were a reason to assign a character to a word in the dictionary... his picture would sit beside the word 'implacable.'

**Implacable (adj): not capable of being appeased, significantly changed, or mitigated

Basically, everyone around him should be forced to suffer because he's a grumpy gobshite who won't go to therapy for his mummy issues. And yes... I fully realize that he changed in the end and that he had his issues, etc... but I'm a FIRM believer that how you treat others is a reflection of how you'd be in a relationship. Big gestures, in the end, when you think you might lose someone rather than change... give me the ick a little bit? So now that I've fully committed to this soapbox... I still think you should read Love at First Book -because Em's story is worth reading. And not all dark-haired tall men can be winners.

**Thank you to Berkley & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

I love this. I love the writing, I love the originality of the plot, I love the character development. This was the first Jenn McKinlay book I've read, and I can say with certainty that this will not be the last. There was just a tad of spice, a lot of swoon, but the storyline is what had me hooked. The MFC had the typical librarian persona, except when it came to Kier, the MMC and also her boss. She turned fiesty and fiery when he was around. Both of the MCs have a past with toxic parents, and that led to the demons they were still fighting in this story. It was all around a good book. I love the message it gave in regards to some psychological battles people might face due to past experiences. I love that it did not promote toxic relationships, too. I'm unsure if that was intentional or unintentional, but it was appreciated.
I look forward to sharing and promoting this book on my bookstagram page @steph.overbooked. I will be posting this on its pubdate and I will be sure to tag the publisher and the author in the post.
Thank you again for this opportunity. I know it is difficult at times to get a book from Berkley, but I want to convey my message of appreciation.

This book was ok. The background characters were one-dimensional and cookie cutter supporting characters. The romantic pairing was well done and I enjoyed how much time the characters spent together developing their relationship. However, some of the descriptions were repetitive and there was more telling what characters were doing or thinking than showing character through dialogue and action. Again, this book was ok, but nothing special to the genre.

I can't explain how much I loved this book. The setting was perfect, the characters were great, and the writing was beautiful.

Emily, the female main character, felt so realistic. I loved the fact that she wasn't perfect because it made her so relatable. The way she also fangirled over Siobhan felt like something I absolutely would do with some of my favorite authors too. And oh my god, Kieran was so swoon-worthy. The way he called Emily "Red" was *chefs kiss*. Their banter was so good, and I loved every interaction between them. The author did a great job describing the tension between them.

This book just became my favorite cozy bookstore romance.

4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Emily Allen's life takes an unexpected turn when she leaves her job as a librarian in Martha's Vineyard to work for her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan, in Ireland. Little does she know that her new adventure will involve not only helping Siobhan write her final novel but also navigating the prickly demeanor of Siobhan's son, Kieran Murphy. Despite Kieran's initial resistance, Emily finds herself drawn to him, sparking a playful banter that gradually deepens into something more profound. As Emily immerses herself in Siobhan's world and the charming bookstore managed by Kieran, she discovers the complexities of love and family secrets that threaten to unravel everything she holds dear.

Love at First Book is such a sweet story with a stunning landscape and darling characters. Reading about readers and establishing a kinship with characters is always a warm experience, and this, against the backdrop of Irish castles and YA fantasy, is peak cozy. My only complaint is that Emily’s mental health journey gets lost in the fray quite early on. I really wanted to see some strong conflict resolution but it felt like her IAD (and her mother) just sort of disappeared and never came back.

This is a book full of emotional moments that may leave you with many reactions. The plot has the protagonist fleeing in search of a better life. An author fighting her own battle and deadline and a protective son who has quietly handled his own struggles. This story covers love, death, mental abuse, spice, neglect, and characters you can connect with. I rate it 4 stars and recommend it to others.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this title through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is an absolutely adorable, tugs-at-your-heartstrings rom-com that had me laughing at loud as well as tearing up. It is very rare that I give 5 stars, but this book is a standout. Emily could have been me in an alternate universe! Loved that the female protagonist is a librarian and the male protagonist owns a bookstore. A wonderful, heartfelt story that I will recommend time and time again!

I loved this book! It made me laugh and cry. I loved the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

3.5/5 Set in a bookstore in small town Ireland - I’ve already been sold! I absolutely adored the cozy village atmosphere and family-owned bookshop aesthetic. Emily running off to Ireland to help out her favorite author is literally a booklover’s dream!! Kieran’s nickname for Em made me giggle every time 🤭🤭 This book took a sad turn and I was very emotional by the end. I loved the incorporation of family trauma alongside found family. Such a sweet, wholesome read.

Okay, I LOVED THIS BOOK!
This is the first Jenn McKinlay book I've read, but it won't be the last.
I loved the characters, the scenery, and the writing.
It was one of those books you can't put down and if you are silly enough to put it down, you just think about it all day!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing a DRC of this title for review.

When American librarian Emily Allen accepts a job in Ireland to help her favorite writer, Siobhan Riordan, complete Siobhan's best-selling series after a decade of writer’s block, she finds herself at cross-purposes with the author's broody son, Kieran, who's grown leery of Siobhan's demanding fans. When the true reasons for Siobhan’s stalled series come to light, Kieran and Emily must band together to help Siobhan complete her final book-- and may find feelings in the process.

As a librarian myself, I may be biased, but I was so charmed by this book. The characters, romance, and story were all well-written and engaging, a true love letter to readers and the way that books can make us feel. Will definitely look forward to recommending this one to patrons looking for a sweet, poignant contemporary romance! 4.5 stars/5.

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an early read of this book.

At the beginning of this year, I read "Summer Reading" by Jenn McKinlay which was easily my first five-star read of the year. So when I saw that McKinaly wrote another book with Emily as the main focus, I was drawn in. This book was such a cute and heartwarming book. From the banter to the bookish elements to the wonderfully descriptive language McKilnely uses to talk about Ireland. Can't wait to see what else McKinlay will write.