✨ Review ✨ Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows

Thanks to Avon and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

I was hooked when I saw this was about two museum professionals...(like Ali Hazelwood but in a museum!). Millie's an entomology curator, and in the first several chapters, crashes into Finn, a co-worker, REPEATEDLY. There's definite SUNSHINE-GRUMP energy for the first pages of the book.

Millie's opinion about Finn begins to evolve though when she realizes he's caring for his two nieces after his sister died. The kids, who are adorable, come to a camp, and she begins to spend time with them. Millie's getting her life back together after parting from an emotionally abusive boyfriend, and she finds space with Finn and the kids to grow in her confidence.

The book is filled with literal sweetness (almond croissants galore) but also so much sweetness between characters. At the same time, both Finn and Millie were wrestling with grief & trauma in a rich that enriches the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this, but did feel like it dragged a bit for me in places. Definitely would try another of her books!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: contemporary f/m romance
Setting: a science museum
Reminds me of: Ali Hazelwood's scientists
Pub Date: Jan 21, 2025 (originally published as an indie book)

Read this if you like:
⭕️ grumpy/sunshine
⭕️ single uncle guardian with adorable kids
⭕️ science museum nerdiness
⭕️ baking

This was my second read of Give Me Butterflies + I loved it just as much this time.
Come for the workplace romance, stay for the nerdy banter, found family, and feelings🥰 Finn is the guardian for his nieces and girls made the story even better. I also want to be looped in on the Oaks family group chats! I love the museum setting and how these two navigate being coworkers. The romance was spot on and I love how all the side characters add to the story. I definitely recommend and can’t wait to read more in this series.

Thank you to Avon for the e-arc.

What’s the Story?

Millie is an entomologist at a museum, gunning for that sweet, sweet promotion to Chief Bug Girl™️. Unfortunately, standing in her way is Grumpy Astronomer™️ Finn, who also happens to be on the hiring committee.

Through a series of not-so-unfortunate events (seriously, the “enemies” part of this enemies-to-lovers is hanging on by a thread), Millie and Finn keep crossing paths outside work. Cue the sparks flying, the reluctant attraction, and the slow realization that they actually don’t hate each other. But of course, there’s baggage.

Millie is not only fighting for her dream career but also dodging a toxic ex-boyfriend who probably spends his weekends twirling his mustache while tying maidens to train tracks. Meanwhile, Finn is deep in grief after losing his sister to cancer and is now trying to figure out how to be a functional stand-in dad for his five-year-old twin nieces.

Will they navigate their personal traumas and find their HEA? Babe, it’s a romance novel—what do you think?

My Thoughts: 3 Stars, Some Notes

After all the rave reviews, I really wanted to love this book. The enemies-to-lovers setup felt forced, but I powered through, thinking it would get better.

Dear reader, it did not get better.

Don’t get me wrong—it has its moments. Once the unnecessary rivalry fades, the romance settles into a sweet, healthy dynamic. The kids are (begrudgingly) cute, and the found-family vibes are strong. The spice? Surprisingly solid—if you can ignore the fact that a nerdy astronomer suddenly develops the dirty-talking skills of a dark romance MMC.

But here’s the problem. Actually, two.

(1) It’s kind of boring. The heavy slice-of-life vibes would be fine if the characters were compelling enough to carry it. They weren’t.

(2) The characters are one-dimensional. The good guys? Perfect. The bad guys? Ridiculous. Finn’s mom and Millie’s ex were so cartoonishly evil, I half-expected them to start monologuing about their master plan.

Then there’s the writing. Look, I can handle some cheesiness, but at one point, Millie spills coffee on Finn’s shirt, and suddenly they’re “two opposing officers waiting for surrender or blood.” Ma’am. It’s coffee. Pay for his dry cleaning and move on.

So yeah, 3 stars. Strong found family, decent spice, a few sweet moments—but also melodrama and mustache-twirling villains.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where do I start with Give Me Butterflies, because it will literarily give you butterflies as you read what Finn tells Millie. I loved these two characters so much and their grumpy sunshine vibes. Alex and Eloise stole my heart and the secondary characters were fascinating and the best friends that are supportive. The family group text gave a perfect summery to the family dynamic. I cant wait to read the next book in the series.

Ok this was adorable. Cutie single uncle father figure to little twins (and one named Eloise like my little daughter such joy) and nerdy scientists !! I mean!! It started a touch slow and wasnt sure in what trope writer was aiming for - but that’s ok, we don’t always need that defined trope but potentially just that coworker to lovers maybe a little forbidden. The slow burn starting to kick in around 30 percent with them starting to admit feeling was cute. Overall enjoyable romcom and about a 3.5-4 star for me.

— 4 stars . ۫ ꣑ৎ

This book felt like such a warm cozy hug. Going into this book I had no idea how comforting of a read it would be. I absolutely loved the scenes of Finn, Millie, Eloise, and Avery. All the characters in this book were extremely lovable 🥹❤️‍🩹. I loved the found family within this book and I was so happy with how the book came to an end. All the scenes in this book were super cute and heartwarming! There’s also no unnecessary drama + our two leads communication with each other is top tier.

I also loved the mental health representation that this book had within it. This book also has no unnecessary third act breakup which I highly appreciated. Also can we appreciate a man who goes to therapy 🙂‍↕️.

I would highly recommend this one if you’re looking for an easy relatively fluffy read (but do look up the triggers as this book deals with heavier topics 🤍).

Thank you to netgalley, for providing me with an ARC. As always, all thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

Thank you for this special edition! This was very sweet but I think a hair too long. If not too long, maybe just unbalanced. I would have liked a little more time actually spent on the relationship development and less on the ex and less of their date nights. I thought the relationship growing between Millie and the girls was very very sweet I did love that aspect! For all the grumpy/sunshine marketing of it all this really read more like insta-love to me actually. He was only truly grumpy for a very short time! All in all, very cute and wholesome and fairly low conflict. 4/5 stars!

My face hurt from smiling so hard while reading. This book is one I will be reading multiple times. Let me scream that there was NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP! I was a little too giddy while reading enjoying every characters part in this book. Had a great mental health/therapy representation, some triggering topics were discussed and handled properly.

Absolutely delightful! Kicking your heels, clapping your hands fun 🤩 A steamy STEM romance with layer characters who are kind and thoughtful with each other. I‘ll definitely read more from this author!

I liked Finn and I liked Millie in all their nerdy glory. Their chemistry was good enough to keep me inedted throughout. Finn’s nieces were adorable. A few heavy issues covered but still found it to be an enjoyable read. 3 🌟

Ugh I loved everything about this. I’m a science nerd, so the second I saw she was an entomologist I RAN to request the novel.

This is such a sweet grumpy x sunshine workplace romance. The relationship that Finn & Millie build off of trust and true friendship is so endearing. (Also, their names are absolutely phenomenal. Love it!) I absolutely tore through this book and FELT every emotion along with the characters.

The fact that this is a debut novel speaks volumes to the skill Jilllian has! I cannot wait to see what she does next!

I absolutely adored Give Me Butterflies!

This book is everything I love in a rom-com—charming, heartfelt, and brimming with sizzling chemistry. Millie and Finn’s grumpy-sunshine dynamic is pure magic, with witty banter and tension that had me grinning from start to finish. Millie’s passion for science and Finn’s quiet, aching vulnerability make them such endearing characters, and their slow-burn romance is as sweet as it is emotional. Add in a museum setting, adorable nieces, and moments of laugh-out-loud humor, and this book is an absolute delight. If you love opposites-attract romances with depth and warmth, don’t miss this one!

Thank you to the publisher at to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

What an incredibly sweet and tender love story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and every moment of these two genuinely good, kind characters finding each other and finding love in an unexpected place.

Finn and Millie are not friends when this book begins. Finn is standoffish and Millie is sunny, but before too long Millie learns there's a lot more to Finn's life, as well as who he is beneath the grumpy exterior. Millie also has plenty of her own past life experience that makes love and a new relationship scary, but they start a strong friendship nonetheless. It's up to them to decide if it can be more.

This book deals with some heavy issues in a very compassionate way, and really felt like a comfort read. I never felt like there was a moment that it had me on the edge of my seat or worried about what would happen, but it didn't need that to be a compelling story about love, family, relationships, and self-worth. If you're looking for a romance with both humor and depth that won't stress you out, this is the book for you.

I absolutely love this sweet and tender love story between Millie and Finn! Their tension, kindness, and growth was so fun to watch unfold amid the watchful eyes of their family, friends, and coworkers. Jillian Meadows can write some steamy fun and tender longing with plenty of banter! I absolutely can't wait for more from this author!

I ran to this one because it reminded me so much of Ali Hazelwood with the FMC being in STEM and boy did it not disappoint!!!

Give Me Butterflies was the perfect swoony, grumpy X sunshine, workplace romance. It had me blushing and kicking my feet with each page!!! It had me completely drawn in and captivated the entire time!!!

4.5 stars!!! I have LOVED every single Jillian Meadows book and of course this was no different. Her words make me feel so SAFE, and she has a way of writing the most relatable characters that feel so REAL. Between the grief and responsibility thrust upon Finn, and Millie navigating life post-abusive relationship and a new job, the way the relationship between Finn and Millie bloomed was so beautiful. It was gradual and slow and so romantic.

I cannot wait to read everything Jillian Meadows ever writes because I am always filled with so much love when I am finished. I cannot recommend enough!!!

This was SO GOOD! I was totally in love with both our main characters, and their friends and families. I'm always looking for romances between relatively normal people with jobs and normal difficulties in life. The responses to Kyle healed a part of me heart, and I'll be talking about and recommending this book for forever.

A warm hug of a book! This book was the perfect combination of sweet, fun and romantic. Millie and Finn embodied the grumpy x sunshine trope so well and they complimented eachother so well! In my head Finn is very much the nerdy Clark Kent type and IM HERE FOR IT 👏🏼 when he took of his glasses 😮‍💨 whooo call the fire department!

I went into this expecting a fun romcom and I very much did get those vibes but this one also had really important discussions about self growth and grief. Finn and you g his nieces, Eloise and Avery, are mourning the lost of Clara, Finns sister and the girls mother. They had alot of important discussions about dealing with grief that were really beautiful.

I am such a sucker for found family trope and this one did it perfectly! Avery and Eloise were ADORABLE and they stole my heart on page one!
I loved seeing Millie slide seamlessly into their lives and the way Finn loves Millie unconditionally for exactly who she is warmed my heart. These two had so much fun banter between them I was giggling and kicking my feet!

"I decide it should be illegal for handsome men to wink. It might give an unsuspecting woman a heart attack"

This was such a fun read!

Thank you Avon for the eARC!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for the copy in exchange for a review.

Returning to Finn and Millie was like getting a warm hug from an old friend. GMB is the perfect combination of sugar, spice, and everything nice. You can't help but root for Finn and Millie to get together and be happy. Finn's nieces (yes, single guardian) are cutest balls of sunshine, and you can't help but want the best for them too. I'm so thrilled that the whole world gets to love this book now.

I had no idea what to expect when picking up this book and I was pleasantly surprised. The writing was sharp, the main characters were swoon-worthy and it dealt with grief and loss in such a gentle, caring way. It’s a wholesome workplace romance that was marketed as grumpy x sunshine, but there isn’t a grumpy bone in Finn’s giant body. I thought the romance between the two MC’s was so healthy - the way they built trust, understanding, and love was so beautiful to behold. I also loved the way Millie cared for Finn’s nieces as if they were her own. Millie’s gentle and nurturing nature was exactly what Finn and the girls needed and I ate it up. This novel gave me the same Hiddy feeling that Out On A Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young gave me and that’s the highest of praise!