i simply just do not think julians writing is for me. the relationship between the MCs always feels a bit shallow and then BOOM they are having very vivid and descriptive sex that doesn't match up with any of the things that we were previously seeing between the characters.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

Oh my goodness this book was so cute in so many ways. I am still unwell over the adorableness of the entire thing. From the romance itself to the platonic parental love to the familial and friend support, everything was such a warm hug.

This was one of those romances that was quick but didn't feel like it was insta love and I greatly appreciated that piece of it. They genuinely get to know one another and come to understand how their lives will fit together. They actually take time to become important to one another and it felt so much more genuine.

The anxiety rep was not super heavily at the forefront, but it was well done and I loved how it was integrated into the romance. The support from both the MMC and her family were all perfect, and I adored the way that her previous relationship was part of that story and her development both in her anxiety journey and the way she discovered herself and how she would fit into her job and her relationship.

This was a very fun, quick read that was perfect for those warm and fuzzy feelings!

This was sweet and the right amount of nerdy for me. Though I would love to have had more time in the museum. Millie and Finn are 2 scientists that work in a museum together and have the typical Ali Hazelwood "grumpy man secretly has feelings for small cute scientist" trope but it works here for some reason.

Finn is dealing with the grief of losing his sister but never really had the time to go through it because he's the guardian for his twin nieces. They take up all of his free time and he's trying to figure that dynamic out. He can't really afford distractions like a very attractive entomologist named Millie.
Millie is being considered for a promotion to director of entomology for the museum. She's nervous but ready for the next step in her career. After the 2 bump into each other and she spills her coffee on the both of them, my grumpy gils starts finding her in his orbit more often. He gets her a new coffee the next day as an apology/peace offering and they go from there. His nieces participate in a summer camp at the museum and he's relieved to find how much fun they had with Millie. Finn tells Millie he's the girls' guardian after his sister's death and their relationship changed from that point on. Millie has her own baggage in the form of a very shitty past relationship that still affects her. The 2 help each other process their issues with the extra support they need or didn't get before.

There was a potential conflict early on that was resolved pretty well/quickly and I appreciate that it wasn't drawn out. I liked a lot of the pop culture references and they didn't feel like popular things just plugged in and didn't make sense. The board games and book date was just *chef kiss* and I loved it.

Jillian Meadows, I was not aware of your talent but I am a HUGE fan now! I have been in my romance girlie era and I’m
really enjoying stories about people with cool jobs. This one fit the bill because the main character ,Millie, was an entomologist?!? Ugh be still my little nerdy heart. The romance was so good and some parts even made me a little emotional😭 I also enjoyed how sensitive issues were dealt with compassion but still realistic. And you know what really made me LOVE this one?! There was no random, stupid, pointless third act break up! The conflict that did take place was believable, real, and something that really needed to be dealt with. I enjoyed the use of therapy for the male character and how he healthily dealt with his past issues and traumas. It was great to see two characters grow in love and learn how to heal together. 4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Unfortunately, I did not get to reading this as an ARC due to the holidays and flu and work. But I do look forward to reading this as a finished book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC

I loved this book! Millie and Finn's story is absolutely charming and I wasn't ready for it to be over!

Millie is a hard working entomology curator up for a promotion. She has a series of unfortunate events leading up to her job interview, and then to her dismay, she has to deal with the grumpy astronomy director on her hiring committee.

Finn is doing his best to balance work and raising his twin nieces, but he's not exactly doing a good job of finding time to take care of himself.

Thanks to a bit of meddling from a friend, Millie winds up at Finn's house to help teach him and his nieces to make pizza. Over the following weeks they begin to grow close, but will Finn allow himself to make a relationship a priority? Will Millie open herself up to another relationship after working hard to heal from an abusive partner in her past?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book

This book was like one big warm hug on the day you need it most, it fills your heart with all the ooey gooey mushy goodness!

Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows absolutely gave me alllllll the butterflies and soft feelings 🥹

Give me a single parent/guardian and I am putty in your hands! Finn being the sole guardian of his sister’s twin girls was the cutest thing to ever happen! Avery and Eloise were so precious and wholesome, I just wanted to wrap them up and keep them with me forever. And let’s not forget about Finn and Millie! I love the way their relationship developed and grew in such an authentic way with their shared moments. The way they became a family and were just so wrapped up in each other was perfection.

Also no third act breakup ‼️ There was such healthy communication between Finn and Millie and it really added to the authenticity of their relationship and their ability to manage conflicts. I can’t deal with how Millie found herself again and Finn learned to live and enjoy life again - UGH read this please!

Sweet, warm hearted romance

Mille works as entomologist in a local museum. Her boss has just retired, and she’s hoping to be promoted to his position. Finn is the head of the astronomy department in the same museum. They don’t have much interaction at first except to annoy each other – spilled coffee, etc. Things change during camp week when Finn brings his twin 5 year old nieces. About six months previous, their mother had died, leaving Finn their guardian. With a nudge from her friend helping out at camp, Mille starts getting closer to Finn and the girls. As with any good romance, there are a few issues keeping them from getting together right away: she’s coming off an emotionally abuse relationship; he’s on the interview committee; he’s concerned about the girls, putting their safety and well-being before his.

As I said above, a sweet romance if a bit predictable. I loved the girls and how quickly Mille and they became attached to each other. The nerdy emails were fun! Overall, a perfect beach read.

Recommended. I received a copy of this from NetGallley.com that I voluntarily reviewed.

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.