First-Time Caller was such a fun, charming, and witty romance that had me giggling like a kid! Aidan and Lucie were so easy to fall in love with, and they had such great banter. Overall, this was such a feel good read!

B.K. Borison does it again! *First-Time Caller* is the perfect blend of heartfelt emotion, sizzling chemistry, and the kind of swoon-worthy romance that lingers long after you turn the last page. The connection is electric, and the late-night radio call-ins add a touch of magic to their love story. Borison always outdoes themselves, and this one is no exception—absolute perfection!

Guys, I cannot express just how much fun this book was. This is absolutely an audiobook read and not an eyeball read kind of book. The radio show call ins were so much fun. Definitely going to be a top read for me this year.

Lucie and Aiden’s chemistry is absolutely unmatched. I was giggling and kicking my feet throughout this whole book.

I've heard some lovely things about Borison's writing, but this one just didn't hit all the buttons for me. I liked our FMC a lot and our MMC feel short for me.

The romance was reasonable and the tension worked alright. Overall, a fine romance but I'm not sure if I get the hype.

I’m so happy that Aiden and Lucie are officially out in the world. Sleepless in Seattle is one of my all time fave movies so I knew I was going to love this one and I can officially say it’ll fall under one of my top 10 reads of the year. I’m ready for so many rereads and I'll buy every edition of the book I can get my hands on! The only thing I can’t relate to is Lucie liking pineapple on her pizza. Sorry but no. If you haven’t read this one yet you MUST! Many thanks to Berkley Romance and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. I'd read a few of the Lovelight farms series, so I knew that BK Borison writes Baltimore area romances. I was so excited to read one that was actually set in the city itself. The plot line is really cute, Lucie's daughter calls Aiden's romance hotline radio show to try and get her mom some help with her love life. Lucie opens up on the air and Baltimore (and Aiden) start to fall for her. Adorable. Here's where I ran into problems. BK Borison goes the entire book talking about only white neighborhoods; only businesses frequented by majority white customers; and from what I can tell, only white characters (except for maybe Mateo who might be Latino). Baltimore is a majority Black city. I've lived here for 11 years, and in the greater Baltimore area for my entire life. I was so excited to read a romance set in my home, but this was such a deeply segregated narration that whitewashed a beautiful, diverse city. I still gave it three stars because the story was great, but it would have been a five star read if not for this glaring issue.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️

Well, this is how you write relatable emotions. I'm both the hopeless and reluctant romantic.

I have zero experience with romantic love, but i believe it is a very hard thing to find. And when you do you still gotta work for it, so i relate to everything Lucie said she wanted when it came to romance yet in action i related to Aiden.

Of course, First Time Caller isn't just about romantic love, but also parental love, and friendship. Which is what made it interesting to continue. The abundance of characters involved in one person's life is both a curse and a blessing when it comes to pursuing anything in life. Because do i want to show them i have what they want for me or do i disappoint them by taking so long to find what truly makes me happy?

Overall this was cute. Had me thinking more about my own life than the character's as you can see from all of the above. Though i lost interest in the MCs once they found interest in each other, it still was a great romance. Just didn’t feel my mind blowing,
Extra points for them not touching until after 60% and the balanced spicy scenes.
I will say though the aura of mystery that comes with one POV -the fmc's only i mean- was needed here. I found myself wishing i was getting to know Aiden and him developing feelings for her through her pov only.

Who knew skee ball and the Thong Song could be so romantic? This book was everything I love in a romance. The ode to Sleepless in Seattle was done so well. The slow burn between Aiden and Lucie was perfection. I loved getting to fall in love with them as friends before lovers. All the little things that Aiden did to make magic for Lucie had me swooning. I literally smiled throughout this entire book. It will be one I'm recommending for a long time. Easy five stars! I can't wait to read more of this series!

Read if you like:
Sleepless in Seattle
friends to lovers
grumpy sunshine
witty dialogue
dual POV

"What she needs is to see her mom prioritizing her own happiness for once. So she can learn to do the same."

It's been a while since I've read a radio romance😍😍😍

Lucie Stone has the perfect life where she has everything she's ever wanted. Her super smart daughter, her childhood friend who she enjoys coparenting with, and her best friend who she loves spending time with at the café. She does not need romantic love in her life, because her life is perfect just the way it is. But, that all changes when Lucie's daughter gives Heartstrings, a romance hotline, a phone call stating that she wants her mom to find love. Meanwhile, Aiden Valentine, the host of Heartstrings, has stopped believing in love for a while now. Therefore, his job as a host for a romance hotline...let's just say, hasn't been going that great for him. BUT, the phone call with Lucie's daughter brought in a lot of listeners that night. During that call, Lucie talks about how it would be nice to have some romance in her life, and how she wants that happily-ever-after. So, what does the team behind Heartstrings decide to do? To bring in Lucie and help her find her one true love. Lucie gives in and decides to be on the show alongside Aiden, so that not only does Heartstrings gets more listeners, but Lucie can also find her soul mate that deep down, she has always wanted. BUT, what happens when Lucie starts falling for none other than her co-host Aiden? That was not supposed to happen. She was supposed to go out with a listener, someone WILLING to go on a date with her. Not Aiden. But on Aiden's end, he's also falling for Lucie. But, he doesn't want to fall in love. He's seen the pain love can bring, hence the reason that he's fallen out with the idea of love. Despite all of this, Aiden and Lucie find it harder to deny the feelings that are growing each day. So what happens next? Does Lucie date Aiden, or one of their listeners who is willing to give her her happily-ever-after?

SUCH A CUTE ROMANCE BOOK. I LOVED READING THIS FROM START TO END.

Major modern day Sleepless in Seattle vibes to start this one off! And then, who knew two people in a radio booth could be so hot?? I absolutely loved both main characters and especially the close knit family that Lucie has created 🩷 My only issue with the book was that Aiden’s reasons for not wanting a relationship seemed odd and dragged on too long for me.

What to expect::
•Baltimore setting
•Self made family
•Mechanic FMC x radio host MMC
•Radio show scenes (forced proximity)
•Bad dates
•Single mom
•Sloooww burn
•Text messages
•Friends first
•List of favorite things 🫠
🔥Open door

Aiden Valentine is the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline radio show, Heartstrings. Unfortunately he’s “fallen out love with love”, definitely a problem for a romance hotline host.
The show isn’t doing well until Lucie Stone’s daughter calls Heartstrings looking for romance for her mom. Lucie thinks she’s doing fine, but all of Baltimore is rooting for her as she goes on dates.
The listeners can sense that Aiden and Lucie have serious chemistry but they don’t admit it to each other. Aiden thinks he’s not good enough for Lucia and sets her up on one last date.
I loved the banter between Aiden and Lucie, and following along as their feelings blossom made the book go by quickly. 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!
I love that the MC is a mechanic & she has the best unconventional family dynamic with no scorned ex looming in the background. It is super relatable and still gives the reader that special magic romance books do, while being grounded in more real life situations. I felt for Lucie and I loved watching her Aiden's relationship evolve and grow. It was a real relationship, one that took work and courage. I definitely cried a little at the end!!

She's a mechanic, he's the radio host of a show about romance. Her pre-teen daughter calls into his show looking for romance for her mom.
Lucie, a 29 year old mechanic, the mother of a 12 year old daughter, becomes guest/co-host of a radio romance program after her daughter calls in to Aiden Valentine's show hoping to find romance for her mom. Fun, sweet, good romance.

Wow this book had all the feels from start to finish. The storyline was perfect, the characters were perfect and the romance was perfect! I loved it so much and will be thinking about it for days to come.

I lived Lucie’s backstory and her relationship with her daughter, Grayson and Matteo. That family dynamic really did a lot for the storyline and created super fun side characters who were invested in what happened.

Obviously Aiden was a great MMC and I really liked the way he grew throughout the story. His and Lucie’s relationship developed at a believable pace which made their story that much better. I also loved the radio show aspect of things as it was so unique and nostalgic!

Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5/5

Read this if you like:
💞 90’s soft rock nighttime shows (I’m looking at you Delilah)
📞 Single mom with a good relationship with the dad
💞 Meddling Side characters with tons of personality

This book was not at all what I was expecting. I was hoping for a longer drawn out phone relationship before they met and maybe a mistaken identity situations, but alas. However, this book was good. I loved the FMC's kid and her found family! Writing was good, but overall the story just lacked a little something for me.

Easily one of my favorite books so far this year, and I am sure that at the end of the year it will be a top book. This book felt so comforting and nostalgic. Romantic, funny, sweet and tender. A book I will be revisiting over and over again.

I wanted to start by thanking NetGalley, Berkley Publishing and B.K. Borison for the ARC of First Time Caller.
I did not know quite what to expect going in, but I ended up falling in love with Lucie and Aiden. I enjoyed that their character dynamics were almost opposite of traditional gender roles, while still maintaining personalities that were lovable and endearing.
I was hooked from the very beginning. It gave such 2000's romcom vibes which are my absolute favorite! The premise of the book was intriguing and I think Borison delivered on it very well.
My one drawback, and a big reason it is sitting at a 4.5 rather than a 5 for me is the extreme insta-love aspect of it. Which I know fits into that 2000's romcom vibe that I love, but I wanted them to dance around each other a bit more before they truly went for it.
Overall, obsessed with this book and I am very excited to read more books by B.K. Borison!

This book was a breath of fresh air! So sweet, so smartly written—a very compelling romance. This book has taken off in popularity and I believe will become the reason a lot of readers turn to the author's back catalog. I know I'll be revisiting her earlier works to get a taste of this magic again. Also, so excited to know this will be an ongoing series and we'll get to revisit this world again. In all, a stellar romance.

While this book started off on a high note for me, I came to find the romance tedious and the male love interest a bit toxic.

What I enjoyed:
- The found family dynamic
- The snippets of radio transcript between each chapter
- Jackson, the male love interests best friend
- Lucie’s monologue on the radio call that kicks off the story had me highlighting almost every sentence for its relatability
- True to the Sleepless in Seattle comp, this felt (especially in the beginning) reminiscent of old 90s and early 2000s rom-coms
- Building of pillow forts

What I disliked:
- Aiden’s “grumpy” personality gets old quickly and I didn’t find his temper tantrums endearing. The fact that Lucie was always wondering what she said or did wrong to upset him is not romantic and to me veers a little too close to emotional abuse
- The second half of the book feels tedious and there is a lot of back and forth after they have seemingly already expressed their feelings
- The dialogue felt pretty cliche and a lot of the book just wasn’t interesting
- The sex scenes felt awkward to me in relation to the story beats and where the relationship development was. Perhaps I just didn't feel their chemistry enough

Thank you Berkley, B.K Borison, and Netgalley for a digital copy of First-Time Caller in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me this ARC!

Oh my god.

Oh my GOD.

This is easily one of the best romance books I have read in a long LONG time. First of all, every single character in this book is incredible. Grayson and Mateo and Maya are so SO iconic. Grayson and Lucie’s co-parenting is like modern day Harry and Evelyn.

Also can we get a round of applause for the absolute refusal of this book to have the miscommunication trope??? Like we had to moments where is was edging there? And then it was like NO WE ARE ADULTS!!!!!

Aiden Valen. The man that you are. Who is a simp for Lucie. Who keeps a list of what she wants. WHO CHECKS IN WITH THE FAM FIRST!!!! And asks her over the PHONE.

Lucie. Oh my god. Another iconic woman. AN ASSERTIVE ASS WOMAN WHO IS COMMUNICATIVE AND A BADDIE AND KNOWS SHE CAN MAKE HER OWN MAGIC!!!! YES YES YES!!!

Needless to say. You need to read this. I CANNOT wait for the next one in this series, and I’m hoping that there will be a BOOK BETWEEN MAGGIE AND COOPER!!! IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.