I really loved this book, I finished it so quickly and I am now unnaturally obsessed with Finn. 🥵 Finn being so down bad and feral for Millie had me down bad and feral for Finn in response. 😅

I am typically not someone who picks up books with a single dad trope (he becomes the guardian of his nieces) but this book seriously had my heart bursting.

This cover is also SO CUTE?! I can’t wait to get a physical copy when it comes out in January.

Thank you to NetGalley & Harpercollins/Avon for sending me this ARC! 💖

3.5/5 stars

I wasn't entirely sold on this story at first. The characters felt a little flat at first and there was a bit of telling instead of showing over the course of the first few chapters (we were told more than shown that Millie and Finn were enemies of sorts). However, I am glad I stuck it out because it ended up being a really feel-good story overall and the characters felt much more dimensional as the relationship between Millie and Finn progressed. I am not usually a fan of stories where the main characters have kids, but Finn's role as guardian to his late sister's kids was so sweet that I didn't mind it so much. I will say that the portion of the story featuring Millie's ex as the villain could've used some more exploration. The conflict felt hollow because it ended with very little action on the part of Millie or Finn. Overall though, this was a solid read and perfect for someone wanting lighter fare with found family and a MMC that is respectful, communicative, and only mildly grumpy.

Very cutesie. Very demure. I loved the premise and how fun this was. Gave the vibes I was looking for and honestly so glad to have read it.

I loved this book! The characters had such depth, the story had so many layers and I didn't want to stop reading. The cover is beautiful and I loved reading this!

Tropes: Stem Romance, slow burn, found family, he falls first, no 3rd act breakup, MMC is a single guardian, grumpy MMC/sunshine FMC

I was very excited to get this book. I love both Ali Hazelwood and Tessa Bailey and this book stated it was for fans of these two authors. The cover is also so beautiful I’d want to read it just for that. Give Me Butterflies did not disappoint. I got the best Ali hazelwood’s vibes with the stem aspects of this book. The banter was really good. The romance is sweet however this book had a deeper layer as Millie deals with life after her abusive ex. Finn deals with the death of his sister and taking care of her daughters by himself.

What I didn’t like:
I’m not a big fan of epilogues. I just finished this whole book I don’t want a large chapter that’s telling me ‘oh look how happy they are.’ If the book had a happy ending I know that. This book has two. TWO Epilogues. If it’s that important to the story it should be part of the actually story.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Avon books for giving me an ARC of this book for a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for sending me this book before it re-enters the world!

I thought the idea behind this book was super cute and, when I requested it, I was super excited to read something a little bit romantic and sciency and maybe even a bit cheesy. It was all of these things, but I still don't think it worked all that much for me. I think the characteristics of this book were a little too in-your-face. By this, I mean that everything just felt over exaggerated. For example, Finn's "grumpy" personality to Millie's "sunshine" personality were a bit too on the nose and overly stated by the characters. I'm the kind of person who would rather decide who a character is based on action and not their own words or perceptions of themselves, so when describing the main characters I just felt like it wasn't as believable. And, in my opinion, the entire book (from plot, to characters, to everything else) was set up like this and it was super disappointing.

I think this book will be for some people, just not me.
Still thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for sending this advanced copy to me!

I adored this! Millie, the cheerful entomology curator, is determined to snag the department director job and nothing, not even her grumpy astronomy colleague Finn, will stand in her way. But as she digs into Finn’s grumpy shell, she finds a softie underneath, juggling grief, two nieces, and a demanding job. When Finn ends up on the committee deciding her fate, things get complicated in the best way. Millie’s optimism and confidence shine, and Finn’s gruff exterior hides a heart of gold. Their relationship unfolds naturally, with sweet moments that had me rooting for them the whole way. Bonus points for no third-act breakup!!!! Just solid communication and lots of warm fuzzies. THIS WAS GREAT!

I’m eagerly waiting for Jillian’s next book! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a charming and cozy read that blends grumpy/sunshine dynamics, workplace romance, and found family beautifully. The new cover and engaging blurb drew me in, and the book did not disappoint. The romance between Millie and Finn is heartwarming, and his adorable twin nieces add extra charm. The low-drama, supportive relationship between Millie and Finn, combined with a welcoming found family, makes this a perfect read.


Thank you, Jillian Meadows and NetGalley for the ARC

Jillian Meadows has written something special with "Give Me Butterflies". It had so many things that I love (all the tropes AND a strong heroine in STEM, supportive hero, banter for days, steam, and an elderly dog) and the writing was gorgeous.

Millie was a perfect heroine for me. She had some emotional baggage to work through from her ex, but didn’t shrink into herself or become a wallflower. She was strong, capable, and funny/sassy when she needed to be. I loved the friend group and absolutely adored her relationship with her parents and sisters. Their texts were hilarious but it was so great to read about a supportive, loving family.

And Finn - the work he is putting into getting over his grief and being a good guardian for his nieces made him absolutely delicious. I loved the open therapy talk and how mature their whole relationship was handled - the way he went about proving his love and committing Millie was so sweet. He was all in from day one, and communicated the crap out of that. The subtle way he propped Millie up without stepping in to save the day - I melted. And he made her soup! 🫠

Their tension was incredible and there were so many scenes where it was so heart-wrenchingly palpable . I adored seeing them fall for each other, working through their attraction with healthy communication. And I absolutely LOVED Millie and her whole fantastic family also taking on Finn’s nieces as their own.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! This was such a cute and heartwarming workplace romance!! There is alway something so special about a single guardian book, Finn with the girls was precious and adorable. I also love a grumpy sunshine, and seeing Finn's grumpiness being no true match to the sunshine that was Millie... I was smiling and kicking my feet at their banter. Perhaps what I loved most about this book was how supportive Millie and Finn were of each other. I appreciated that this book was low drama, and that the drama that did exist had more to do with concerns of how it would look in the workplace rather than any issues amongst the two of them. This story also comes with a strong found family in the friends of Millie's who immediately welcome Finn and his nieces into their fold. I had the absolute pleasure of first reading this book when it was independently published by the author previously and was so honored to be able to read it again ahead of its rerelease. I can't wait for more people to read about Finn and Millie.

RUN- DON'T WALK.
This book is so damn good! It literally had me kicking my feet.
The characters are charming, hilarious, and easy to love.
In case you're wondering- it is very spicy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet romance. I was swooning while reading this book.

This book was a warm and cozy read with grumpy/sunshine, workplace romance, and found family. The new cover grabbed my attention and then the blurb had my whole attention and this book did not disappoint. Who doesn't want to work at a museum and fall for your grumpy colleague!! No THIRD ACT breakup should convince you enough to pick up this book and if not how about some adorable twin girls that just stole my heart. Pick up this book it is the perfect read for fall coming up!!

Thanks netgalley for the arc!

Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows is the first book in the Oaks Sisters duet. This is Millie and Finn‘s story.
 
These two both work in a museum together and I absolutely love the STEM aspect of the book. Millie is a curator for the Entomology Department and the butterfly and bugs girl. And Finn is the director of the Astronomy Department. They have a bit of a hate to love work rivalry going on and that was quite funny to follow along and their bickering is great. They slowly became friends and then so much more and I loved following along their story. It’s definitely slow burn but I loved all the little and tender moments.
 
Millie is working hard to get a new position of a director and I loved how passionate she is about her field of study. Her family is lovely as well and I loved the scenes at their farm. She is caring and loving and that was exactly what Finn needed.
 
Finn really likes his job and he has a stable life, but it  turns upside down when his sister dies, and he becomes the guardian of his twin nieces. I liked how this book portrayed grief in a raw and realistic way and how they work on it. I always love a found family story and this one was just so precious, and I melted away with all the scenes with the nieces.
 
Overall, Give Me Butterflies totally gave me butterflies and was such an amazing and heartfelt STEM friends-to-lovers romance. 5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶🌶 / 5

✨ Grumpy / Sunshine
✨ Office romance
✨ Forbidden romance
✨ Single dad (/uncle)
✨ Found family

➕ Mental health rep
➕ LGBTQ+ rep in side characters
➕ Women in STEM

👏🏼 MMC with alllll the green flags!!

What I liked:
Finn is truly blessed with every green flag imaginable. He is already in therapy *swoon* working on his trauma from having a shit family, losing his sister to cancer, and overnight becoming the sole guardian of his twin nieces. There is NO miscommunication trope because this is an adult man who has gone to therapy and is working on himself. That's not to say the relationship isn't without hiccups, but it is NOT because of miscommunication. Over and over again Finn proves that he supports Millie and will continue to support her in the way she needs support. This is a man who will ask you if you want to vent to him or want advice because he knows sometimes you just wanna vent about your shitty day while eating a pint of ice cream and sometimes you want someone who will pull out the blue prints to a casino and help you plan a heist.

There's also great rep (women in STEM, LGBTQ+ side characters, FMC has anxiety and trauma from her emotionally abusive ex).

Forbidden romance! Finn is her coworker and on the hiring committee for the her (recently retired) boss's job. So she has some (understandable) concerns about the optics of being in a relationship with him.

What I didn't like:
🚫 OATMEAL RAISIN HATE 🚫
I am concerned with all of y'all on team chocolate chip because you are missing OUT.

Also, Star Trek > Star Wars and this is a hill I will die on. The author clearly has questionable taste and I almost DNF'd for the characters having such awful taste so early on in the book. I did not need to have Finn's ONE red flag come out at 3% into the book??

TLDR - cute, no miscommunication trope, a man with so many green flags he'll never get pinched on St. Patty's day, and women in STEM!! If you enjoyed The Love Hypothesis, I think you'll enjoy this one too.


For the publisher/author - the book had several continuity errors (e.g., Finn mentions that he got rid of the twins' smaller beds and got them one big bed, yet later on Millie mentions their beds) and could benefit from an additional round of editing to identify and correct those continuity errors.

This book was amazing. I loved the start of their office romance. Him coming off as super grumpy and the friendship that started between them and how it transformed into more. It was perfect for this set of characters.

OH MY GOD, oh my god. This book was SO so so so good. I devoured this book in one sitting and was shocked at how much I loved it. I pre-ordered the book immediately after finishing it! This book was witty, emotional, adorable, and HAWT HAWT HAWT my god. I was blushing and giggling and kicking my feet like a fool the entire time. It also shows such a healthy relationship between the main characters and the MMC nieces it made me cry so much. I LOVE this book. I'm going to go reread it lol. I cant wait for pub day!

This is an absolute gem of a feel-good novel. I thoroughly enjoyed delving into the lives of Millie and Finn, both as individuals and as they come together. Millie's journey of rediscovering herself after an abusive relationship and Finn's process of navigating grief were handled with such care and depth. The book beautifully balances scenes from work, home, and family life, making the characters and their experiences feel real and relatable. The found family theme was particularly heartwarming, especially knowing that Finn and the girls finally got the love and support they deserved. Finn's unwavering support for Millie was a highlight—it's a testament to the strength of their connection. Overall, this is a wonderfully written story with compelling characters. I’m already looking forward to reading more about Fable and Tess!

this book was like one big warm hug on the coldest of winter nights oh my god, so much ooey gooey mushy goodness 😭🥰🩷

this book first captivated me with the cover, then the synopsis and lastly by the end of the chapter when millie called our hot, grumpy, glasses wearing head director of the astronomy department “Dr. Black Hole”. i knew after all of these things that i was about to discover a new favorite book of mine and i was right!!!

there were so many aspects of this book that i just wasnt expecting and the biggest being that Finn is the sole guardian to his sisters twin daughters, how i missed this? i have no idea BUT OH MY GOD, avery and eloise were the stars of the show for me 🥹 everything about these two little girls and the way both finn and millie loved them was so heartmelting.

i absolutely LOVED the way there was no unnecessary drama in this book and only what was necessary for plot development. its been awhile since ive read something that was able to captivate and keep intrigue in their story with minimal drama and it was done to perfection honestly.

AND NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP *chefs kiss*!!!!

all of the side characters in this book were so damn lovable, i truly couldve read hundreds of more pages with every single one of them ESPECIALLY her family 🥹

there are so many things i wanna gush about but dont want to give too much more away but trust me if you love fluff, spice, minimal drama, found family and the best of friend groups, you will love 🤭

I loved this story about finding yourself and everything else along the way. Well written and a great read!