Absolutely charming and perfect for those who love Ali Hazelwood but are a little fed up and looking for something new!!

A nerdy astronomer who is a Star Wars fan and takes care of his nieces after his sister died and a redhead who studies INSECTS, clumsy and happy with life, never seemed SO RIGHT to me!!

The two work in the same museum in different areas, they don't get along but they start to get to know each other and develop a friendship when she decides to teach him how to bake cookies for his nieces.

MY FAVORITE SO FAR!!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! I just couldn't get in the mood for this one, but I do love this author!

I hate leaving bad reviews but honestly I don't know what happened in this book. I feel like there was no conflict to give this book a plot. I know it's supposed to be a romance but it never seemed like these 2 actually disliked each other.

A delightful love story rooted in deep emotion. Finn’s relationship with his nieces is perhaps the most moving part of this story.

Quick Synopsis: Millie is going for a promotion at work after her boss retired and Finn is just trying to get by. He's parenting his twin nieces because his sister passed away and his parents are terrible. And now, he and Millie keep having some slightly negative encounters. But somehow the two go from antagonists to friends and then more.

This was my first book by Jillian Meadows, but it absolutely will not be my last. I absolutely adored this single dad romance with two main characters that work in science, at a museum, where their jobs play a role in the overall plot. I felt like Meadows perfectly balanced the adorable twins, the work place drama, and building the romance between Millie and Finn. Honestly, there's not really anything I didn't love. I mean, I could have done without the toxic ex-boyfriend because I find that type of content a little triggering, but I did feel like it was handled with a deft touch and somehow it was done in a way that didn't fully send me spiraling into a crisis about how everything is terrible. So, a bunch of gold stars for that. (But really, fewer abusive in any way exes in romance would be great for me.)

I'm constantly in awe of indie authors who decide to go traditional; Jillian Meadows is the latest in a long line to blow me away. Give Me Butterflies is a phenomenal debut about finding love after loss and trauma. Millie and Finn have a meet-disaster and find themselves in a work place, hate-to-love romance when Finn is put on the hiring committee for the position Millie is applying for. I've always been endlessly fascinated by behind the scenes museum happenings, so this book really delivered on that.

The communication pushes the chemistry past hot and right into sensual. They are honest with each other about mental health, grief, life events, trauma, and dreams. There are so many soft moments between the two and Finn's nieces that make it impossible not to fall in love. Overall, this was a wonderful, steamy, STEM romance debut. I'm looking forward to reading more from Jillian Meadows soon.

Read this if you like workplace, hate-ish-to-love, single guardian romances, stellar communication, found family, a bit of grumpy sunshine, and butterflies.

This is such a sweet story! It's adorable, slightly sad, ultimately very heartwarming tale of how Millie and Finn find everything they didn't know they needed.

Finn is figuring out how to care for himself and his nieces after the loss of his sister. Millie is finding herself again after a manipulative, emotionally abusive relationship. Watching them slowly come together and find happiness for themselves and with each other is such a treat!

Every time I thought I knew how the tropes would play out, the story twisted deliciously in a different direction. Is it workplace rivals? Nope, just a slow-burning workplace romance. Does it feature the miscommunication trope in an annoying way? No, it's very grounded in Finn and Millie's realities. Is there a third act break-up? No, just life being chaotic.

This is the perfect bite of sweet escapism I think we can all use once in a while. And I'm very much craving an almond croissant from Maggie's!

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

4/5

This book is a very sweet and heart warming romance between two coworkers who both work at a museum. One is an entomologist (bug scientist - Millie), another an astronomer (star scientist - Finn).

It is not a true enemies to lovers and they are not rivals either. Finn has two nieces that he is the sole provider/caretaker for. The girls add a little bit of humor to some tense scenario without the story focusing too much on them. I personally do not always like stories with kids but this one had just the right balance.

Millie loves croissants and Finn is very supportive in her baking endeavors but also makes sure she has plenty from the coffee shop she loves. This is one of those details in the book where Finn shows he cares for Millie without having to tell her.

There is light mention of a past death of a family member, and Millie has an atrocious and controlling ex-boyfriend.

I recommend picking up this book! If you like earlier Ali Hazelwood books and want a dash of science, this will be up your alley.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for the honest review.

Give Me Butterflies is the perfect read for nerdy girlies who love STEM and unique novel settings. A workplace romance in the most unlikely of places, this book really captured my attention from the very beginning with the entertaining banter and characterizations of the FMC and MMC.

For fans of contemporary romances à la Ali Hazelwood, Christina Lauren, and Abby Jimenez, this is a great place to kick off your 2025 reading journey!

I hope to see more from this author and series soon!

I love love loved this book! I was so excited to read this book I dropped everything to read it I’m hoping it has an audiobook when it comes out that will be the icing of the cake! I’ll have a more detailed review closer to the release date!

Updated review

Book/Audiobook review!
There’s so much praise I have for this book but I don’t want to spoil it for you because you need to listen and read it for your self to truly understand the beauty in this book.. I loved this book so much I read and listened to it twice. This book was so real and raw. I couldn’t help but swoon and cry. This book had my emotions all over the place. I love a book that can get you in the feels because of how utterly real it is! Now let me get down to the audiobook to say that Jason and Victoria were these would be an understatement because they truly embodied them. As your listening you can feel the tension, the chemistry and the emotion they bring to these characters! Them along with the Jillian’s writing makes this audiobook a masterpiece. Everything from the spicy to the romance was pulled it off beautifully!

This book was very sweet! I loved watching the relationship between Millie and Finn blossom, and I really loved the little ones (which says a lot because normally I don't like kids!). This was a fun and sweet read!

***Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC ebook***
“Give Me Butterflies” by Jillian Meadows, a thoroughly wonderful stem romance. Rating 100 STARS. NO…a whole universe of stars! This book was so precious—I laughed out loud several times and actually kicked my feet (a first). The banter was wonderful, and the story itself was so sweet and romantic. (The spice is open door which is win to me, but not for everyone—my only spoiler!) I loved all the characters and don’t want to give anything away. The audiobook is also very well done, I enjoyed the multiple POV’s and the bonus snickerdoodle recipe at the end.
I currently have a book hangover after finishing this, and I need the other Oaks’ sisters to have their spotlight soon. Meadows absolutely knocked this out of the park.

POV: Dual
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

This book is just the sweetest and has all the heartwarming feels. I enjoyed the STEM part of the plot, and I feel like it takes a lot to surprise me and even I didn’t see the little twist coming! There were laughs and few tears, and overall I just wanted all the good things for both Finn and Millie, and I’m so glad they worked on themselves to get to their HEA!

unfortunately, i don’t think Jillian Meadows is the author for me (which makes me sad because i was highly anticipating her trad pub debut!m). i tried reading this (as well as her holiday romance) and just couldn’t get through it. i do want to say that Jillian Meadows is by NO MEANS not talented at her craft. i 100% see the appeal of her books, but there’s just something missing for me??? i so badly want to love her books, but they just don’t keep me invested or entertained :( for that reason, this book is unfortunately a no for me. DNF’d @ 69%

I really expected more of a grump to be honest, and he just really really wasn't. He was nice to everyone after exactly one moment of misunderstanding things. Otherwise, I liked this really sweet story of two people building their little found family together. I loved Millie's family and friends, and I'm glad that they all ended up happy in the end.

Make way for a new five-star grumpy/sunshine STEM romance. This is one not to miss!

✨ Five Star Book Review: GIVE ME BUTTERFLIES by Jillian Meadows ✨

🐞 Book Synopsis: Millie is a successful but self conscious natural science curator up for the director role at work. She’s been working over the past year to rebuild her confidence after a horrible past relationship. So, when the grumpy astronomy director at the museum that she can’t take her eyes off of is on the hiring committee, her nerves skyrocket. Finn isn’t all that grumpy though, he’s grieving his sister and trying to find his way while now caring for his adopted twin nieces.

🌟 My Take: This story has depth, so much tension and tenderness, steam, and nerdy banter. So, yeah, I loved it. Finn is a swoon-worthy book boyfriend and Millie is so relatable. The added layer of her past, Finn’s family drama, and each of their searches for balance make this story extra compelling. Highly recommend!

Read GIVE ME BUTTERFLIES for
🏛️ Science museum workplace romance
💫 Grumpy astronomer
🦋 Upbeat entomologist
🍕 Cooking lessons
🥐 Almond croissant reverence
💣 Family dynamics
🥰 Sweet dates
🔥 Slow burn steam

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

😘 Thanks to @AvonBooks for the gifted eARC. All opinions my own.

I really enjoyed this story. From the very beginning I was intrigued by Millie and Finn’s working relationship as well as where all of their tension came from. The writing style was really lovely and I think the heavier topics were handled with care. I loved the romantic relationship growth but also the relationships between Millie and the girls, as well as Millie’s family. The side characters were so much fun and I’m excited to read the next installment of this family.

I loved this book so much. The relationship between the two characters was so well molded and the mention of grief throughout really felt like it was handled with care. The two MC’s really made sure they communicated with each other and worked through their doubts.

while this was a cute, lighthearted cozy romance between two museum employees — finn, who works in the astronomy department, and millie, who works in the entomology department, and is rife with fun banter, sizzling tension, and popular tropes, this ultimately fell quite flat for me, to the point that i found myself setting the book down before finishing it.

on one hand, the bones of the story are great — finn is a grumpy, grieving single guardian to his late sister’s two daughters, and millie is a bit of a happy-go-lucky mess gunning for a promotion. the story starts out with finn and millie as ‘enemies’ — which rarely works well in a contemporary romance setting, and less so here as the enmity fades the minute finn remembers she has a nice body — which is to say, by like, chapter 2. it then somehow pivots from enemies-to-lovers straight into insta-love, which is a rather jarring adjustment, even for the yearniest of readers.

the ‘enemies’ part of the dynamic was underdeveloped and rushed, and the ‘lovers’ part of the dynamic felt cheap to boot, as finn’s POVs were dominated mostly by boring, one-dimensional thoughts into how hot she was. millie, meanwhile, functionally steps into the role of helpful coparent before even officially dating finn, which felt backwards and frustrating.

while both finn and millie were quirky and had potential, and finn’s nieces absolutely adorable side characters, this was ultimately not a very enjoyable read for me, lacking the romantic dimension and realistic character development that makes a contemporary romance book relatable and fun.

pick this up if you’re looking for something easy to read, though, with solid spice and a fun STEM setting, and a BEAUTIFUL cover — especially if you love a grumpy single guardian with a tragic backstory.

In this swoony, steamy STEM romance, two museum curators—Millie, an optimistic entomologist, and Finn, a grumpy astronomer—discover they're the perfect match despite their differences. Millie is focused on securing a director position, but her grumpy coworker Finn keeps distracting her, even though she's determined not to notice his blue eyes or nerdy charm. Finn, dealing with personal grief and life stress, isn't looking for a romance. However, when Finn is on the interview committee for the job Millie wants, the two are forced to confront their growing attraction, realizing that their hearts are more in play than they expected.

I really enjoyed how well the two main characters communicated and how they were on the same page about everything. I loved the two children in this book - they added so much depth to the story. The grief was handled really well. Overall, this was such a great story to read! If you're a fan of Ali Hazelwood, you'll be sure to love this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion/review.