Audience: Adult
Plot: 4.5 out of 5
Characters 4.5 out of 5
Spice 1.5 out of 5

Keywords: Enemies to lovers, Slow burn romance, Grumpy/Sunshine, Librarians, Ireland, Books and reading, Book stores, Authors and writing
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley through Berkley Romance, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Thank you!

This novel is a contemporary romance about a librarian, Emily (“Em” / “Red”) Allen, who travels to Ireland to work for a year as an assistant to her favorite childhood author, Siobhan Riordan. Em’s year-long stay in Ireland is full of romance, laughs, and tragedy, and I loved every minute of it.
When Emily first arrives in Ireland, she meets a grumpy book shop owner, Kieran Murphy (“Kier” / “Murphy”). Em finds out that he will also be her boss, as she splits her time working for Siobhan and the book store, The Last Chapter.

This novel reminds me of a Hallmark romance movie – the story is wholesome, and there is just a little bit of spice. One of my favorite things throughout the novel is the way that Em and Kier try to stump each other with various book quotes. But they are both so well-versed in literature that they always got the references. Also, I like how the author handled the difficult relationship between Em and her mother. I thought the author really captured just how vicious and brutal those relationships can be. But as Em stays in Ireland, readers see the affectionate maternal relationship blossom between Em and Siobhan, which makes the novel so much more emotional.

Overall, I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys Hallmark-movie-esque romances, Ireland, and all things books and reading. For me this was a very fun read, and there were times when I burst out laughing, but also times when I cried. In the back of the novel, there is a name pronunciation guide, as well as a recipe for Irish Whiskey Shortbread – as tea, scones, and whiskey play a role throughout the novel. I also listened to the audiobook, and I thought the narrator, Brittany Pressley, did a fabulous job – especially with all the names and Irish accents. I will definitely be looking to pick up more of Jenn McKinlay’s novels!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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.

📍 Read if you like:
• Workplace Romance
• Rivals to Friends to Lovers
• Irish Villages
• Books About Books

I went into this book not expecting much out of it, but I absolutely loved it much more than I could’ve imagined… this book was phenomenal!

While this can be read as a standalone, there are a few glimpses of the characters from Summer Reading (which I also enjoyed). It was so fun seeing more of them!

I absolutely loved the Irish setting in this book, it reminded me so much of a previous five star book I read… am I just a huge fan of Ireland?! Could be… but ahh the setting was amazing.

Emily and Kieran have my whole hurt, I loved every second of them and the chemistry between the two! I loved the character growth in this book and seeing them develop as a relationship.

The small town setting and swoony romance had me so invested. I’m shocked I loved this book as much as I did, but I’m glad I did.

Charming, entertaining, and heartwarming, this story is perfect for bookworms and romance fans!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

I fell in love with Emily in Summer Reading and I couldn't wait to get her story in Love at First Book. Jenn Mckinlay has truly created a book lover's dream with this story. Emily travels to Ireland to escape her narcissistic mother and broaden her horizons. She gets a job at The Last Chapter bookstore where she will spend her mornings as an assistant to her favorite author and her afternoons staffing the bookshop. What she didn't plan on was the herculean task of helping write a book that doesn't want to be written or the bookshops grumpy, glowering owner. In a tale packed with romance, family, and Irish charm, Mckinlay weaves a story sure to warm your heart and make you cry a little. I loved this book.

"Love at First Book" by Jenn McKinlay is an absolute delight! This charming romance strikes the perfect balance—neither too syrupy sweet nor too formulaic—making it a pleasure for many romance readers.

The characters are wonderfully crafted, with the quirky, well-written personas I always adore. Even the side characters have depth and interest, adding to the richness of the story. The setting is equally captivating, painting a vivid and intriguing world that draws you in from the very first page.

The story of Emily Allen, a librarian from Martha’s Vineyard, who moves to a quaint Irish village to help her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan, write the final book in her series, is heartwarming and engaging. Emily’s interactions with Siobhan’s prickly yet endearing son, Kieran Murphy, are filled with chemistry and tension that keep you eagerly turning pages.

McKinlay’s narrative beautifully captures Emily’s journey of self-discovery and romance amidst the picturesque backdrop of Ireland. The book is a testament to the power of love, literature, and finding one’s place in the world. "Love at First Book" is a must-read for anyone looking for a romance that is as thoughtful as it is delightful. Loved it!

If you are looking for a cute slow burn book to take you away on a journey of self exploration and personal discovery than this is a book you will want to pick up. The concept behind this book was intriguing Emily is chosen to be the assistant to the YA author that helped her get though her youth. This position is part time working with Siobhan, who is suffering a long running writing dry spell that has left her characters in limbo, and Siobhan.'s son Kieran, who runs a bookstore. This sets into play a wonderful dynamic that leads both Emily and Kieran to deal with not only their own personal issues but also their attraction to each other and connect with Siobhan and her books. This had a great balance of drama and humor, but at times the drama was a little more weighted than the humor. This book had a lot of potential that drew me to it from the blurb, but I found this was missing the pop and sizzle that the early chapters indicated.

Thank you to Jen McKinlay, Berkley Romance and NetGalley for this ARC

Love at First Book is a sweet quick cozy romantic read. The love story takes place in a quaint Irish village filled with enchanting characters. I really liked Emily and Kieran. While romance is at the center of the story, there is plenty depth with themes of grief, mental illness, and family relations. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and characters. I think our library’s cozy romance readers will really enjoy this title. I know I did.

2 Stars

Love at First Book is a light and quick read, but it fails to stand out in the crowded romance genre. While the concept of a romance blossoming in a bookstore is appealing, the execution does not live up to its potential. The story's predictability, shallow character development, and lackluster writing make it a forgettable read. The characters in Love at First Book are disappointingly one-dimensional. The protagonist, though likable, lacks depth and growth throughout the story. Her love interest comes across as a typical romantic hero without any distinctive traits that make him memorable. The supporting characters, who could have added richness to the story, are underutilized and clichéd, failing to leave a lasting impression. Readers looking for a heartwarming and engaging romance might be disappointed by the lack of depth and originality in McKinlay’s novel.

With the Irish bookshop setting and broody male hero, this book was a guaranteed hit for me. 

There were some hilarious moments in this book that still stand out to me--they added levity to a story that could, surprisingly, be a tad bit sad. Those moments typically revolved around the mishaps or silliness of Emily, the main character. As she moves across the world to Ireland to work under her favorite author of all time (think J.K. Rowling) and to help this favorite author in finishing up her beloved book series (think Harry Potter) much to the chagrin of the author's son--and bookshop owner--Kieran.

Kieran and Emily have immediate chemistry but there's more to them than that. There's a push and pull that was quite entertaining to read. 

Again, there were more serious topics in this one--the least of which was the rebuilding and understanding between Kieran and his famous-author mother. 

I really didn't want to put this one down once I started.

I just finished reading this book and had high hopes for it. I was not disappointed. The setting was great, and the characters were likable. I do wish there were more moments between the main characters and less focus on other things. The ending was unexpected, not as light-hearted as I had hoped, but well-written and emotional. If the book had more banter and less focus on minor details, it would have been perfect. Still, it was an enjoyable read! I will recommend it.

A bookstore in Ireland?! Say less.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times; I love when romance books go beyond the romance. We learn about our characters through the struggles with family, mental illness, etc.

I also love a slow burn romance that’s extra sweet!

“I took a quick loop around the garden, stuffing my feelings back inside like the innards of a child’s well-loved stuffed animal.”

Working in a quaint bookshop called Last Chapter in IRELAND?! Yes, please. And the banter between Kier and Em was perfection. The wit and humor of Siobhan was delightful as well.

This book encapsulated all emotions. I laughed and cried and cheered all of the characters on. What a sweet ending to a heartbreaking plot.

I could not get into this book. Maybe it was the wrong time, but I just couldn't feel a connection to the main character. It felt a bit flat and so did the characters. I DNF, but maybe I should try it again another time!

This book was honestly perfect! You can't go wrong with books, books, more books, a quaint Irish village, and a super hot Irish love interest. Cute romcoms set in bookshops are my thing, and this one was an absolute delight.

I also loved that this book took on some more serious topics like grief and toxic family relationships. By the end, I was in tears. I hope everyone else loves this one as much as I did!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was really enjoyable, but it was nothing new. The plot was very predictable to me, and it didn't really keep me engaged throughout the story. I liked the characters well enough, but they didn't make a lasting expression. All in all it was a decent read, but I can't heartily recommend it.

Love at First Book is a must-read summer book that is going to thoroughly entertain you with all the feels. It was humorous, heartbreaking, emotional and loving. Emily Allen is taking an opportunity to escape the confines of her life in Martha’s Vineyard, to work for her favorite author in Ireland as her assistant, and also work in a bookshop. What librarian wouldn’t love about this job? Emily has come a long way to put herself first after caring for her mother ever since her father left her mother years ago. With the help of her therapist, she’s off on an adventure for a year and she isn’t going to let anyone or anything deny her this chance to live a little. When she finds out that her bookshop boss is the author’s son, Kieran Murphy, she’s attracted but also annoyed that he doesn’t want her there, and is given the most boring job of cataloging inventory of the bookshop. Working for Siobhan Riordan is a dream come true since her series got her through her teen years and wants to help her finish it with one last book. When she is put in the middle between mother and son, she faces a greater challenge of keeping a secret. Falling in love wasn’t in the plans, but when the idyllic small town and its inhabitants slowly creep into her heart, she finally feels what a mother’s love is and what it means to stand on her own.

Love at First Book is an enemies-to-lovers story, a story of self-love, a story I couldn’t put down and one I didn’t want to end. I wanted to re-read it as soon as I was finished because it was leaving me with a ‘book hangover.’ I first met Emily in the author’s last release Summer Reading and she is the best friend of the protagonist Sam. She’s grown so much and learned to set boundaries with her mother that you see that she needs to start living her own life and not for anyone else. The working relationship with Kieran is tense at first especially with their banter to have the last word, and the challenges they play to out-quote the other with quotes of their favorite books. I’m such a book nerd that I loved it every time they did this. I’m totally gushing over this story because I loved it that much. It is a book that is an automatically on my list of best book of 2024 for this reviewer. Jenn McKinlay has done it again and a story I highly recommend.

Very cute book, reminiscent of Jenny Colgan's books. Scotland, bookstore, main character leaving her hometown to make a new start. It's a good, cuddle up with a blanket and hot drink sort of book.

A beautiful love story set in a quaint Irish village is a sure fire way to get me interested in a book! I thought Em and Kieran were both well-constructed, honest characters. As much as I don’t typically like a workplace romance, they were so magnetic that I wasn’t upset by it. I was also absolutely dazzled by the rest of the townsfolk. I loved to see the village come together for Siobhan.

My biggest issue with the book was not the book itself but the way it was advertised. If a book is going to heavily feature dying and grief I really prefer to know that going in. However, I thought the storyline was handled well and it certainly stirred my emotions. Siobhan was the highlight of the book.

Love at First Book was so cute. I will for sure buy for the collection. I know some patrons will love this.

This book was so so cute, and it was a great book to get me back in my contemporary swing! I have been trying to dip my toes more into the small-town romance genre, and this book was a perfect addition to this subgenre for me.
I have never been to Ireland, but I thought Jenn McKinlay did a fantastic job creating mental imagery for this setting - the town, food, and ambiance were very clearly portrayed to me.
Slow-burn and enemies to lovers are two tropes that I will eat up every single time, and this book was no exception to this. I found both Emily and Kieran to be charming and easy to like, and I wanted more of them by the end! They were both very realistic and complex, and their outside relationships were very relatable.
I would definitely recommend this book as an easy contemporary read!

But for the most part, it was lovely, charming little town, overflowing with books, and just beautiful! Em and Kieran are extremely cute and well suited to one another. What a lovely love story LOVE AT FIRST BOOK was! Adorable, literary, tiny towny, Irish, humorous, sparkling, sweet, and a little heartbreaking. Reading this was so much fun!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this wonderful book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.