I read up to 60% of the book really wishing that it would change its course but I decided to DNF this book unfortunately.

The premise of the book was so interesting - I personally hardly believe in love at first sight and I was hoping this book would prove me wrong. The beginning of the book was so cute and I had high hopes for Cal and Jessie. Tbh the twist in the beginning of the book (between Cal and Jessie's boss, Ali) wasn't a deal breaker for me, and I was looking forward on how that would complicate the main characters' lives. I wished there was a better resolution that happens quickly by the middle of the book, but it kept going.

There are also a bunch of other conflicts that befall Jessie. There's family drama, a second guy who's interested in her, her prospective new business, the kid that she babysits which is Ali's kid... In addition to those, there's also some drama between Ali and her ex-husband. I lost interest quickly.

The book has so much potential, especially because of Cal and Jessi's meet cute. But unfortunately, that's all I liked about the book.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. It was my first time reading this author, and the blurb promised a hilarious and heartfelt romcom—exactly what I was in the mood for. Unfortunately, the story didn’t quite deliver on that promise.

The story is told from the POV of the FMC, Jessie, a London gal in her mid-thirties who is navigating life while constantly putting others’ needs before her own. Her backstory—being abandoned by her mother at 18—gives some depth to her need to feel needed, which she fulfills through her job as a full-time nanny. But while she cares deeply for others, she seems stalled when it comes to pursuing what she truly wants: love and a family.

Things take a turn when Jessie has a spontaneous, whirlwind day with a charming stranger she meets at Whole Foods—only to later discover he’s her boss’s boyfriend. That twist had potential for some romcom chaos, but instead it led to a messy love triangle that didn’t make much sense to me. Then, out of nowhere, a friend of Jessie’s suddenly steps into the role of love interest, but it felt forced and unconvincing—like he was always second-best compared to who her heart really wanted.

There was just too much going on—drama from every direction—and instead of being funny or emotionally resonant, it felt overwhelming. The last 20% of the book was especially rushed and left me feeling unsatisfied.

That said, the writing itself was strong. There were some genuinely witty moments and fun banter sprinkled throughout. With a bit more focus and character development, this could have been the charming, thoughtful romcom I was hoping for.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Oh, how I enjoyed Joni and Ren. I love a good friends to lovers trope and this absolutely fit the bill. Taking place in Oregon made me enjoy it all the more. Joni and Ren have been best friends since they were three and their families co-own a beach house where they all gather. Joni gets her dream job in NYC and so she and Ren decide to be each other’s plus-one for all weddings they are invited to as a way to make sure that they still get to see one another. We learn that something happened at a wedding two and a half years earlier that has resulted in the breakdown of their friendship. We get snapshots of the weddings they attend together interspersed with the week of the wedding that they are forced to be at together. We eventually learn what happened as they start to let each other in again. Definitely an enjoyable read!

I was very excited to read this book based on the premise and the meet cute (10/10), but unfortunately, it kind of went downhill from there for me.

What I liked:
The writing: LJM had some wonderful one liners and I definitely LOL'd in several parts.
The setting: The London descriptions were fabulous.

What didn't work for me:
Too many plotlines: I felt like there were about 10 tropes rolled into the book - Daddy issues, commitment issues, communication issues, employment issues...which brings me to the next point,
FMC: Jessie, you've got to make at least one mature decision in your life. Girl.
Love triangle: It was gross, and it took about 65% too long to tease out.

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!

Probably my favorite part of this was her relationship with her dad. I really felt for her when he was being a crappy parent. I liked it when she learned to stand up for herself. I’m really conflicted about the romance and will have to reflect on it for awhile.

Jessie can't believe her luck when she has the meet-cute of all meet-cutes at the local Whole Foods. What starts as a fun chat during a sudden evacuation turns into the perfect day-long date complete with dancing along the river...until an emergency takes her mystery man away with nary a phone number. And maybe she would have eventually moved on from that day if Cal, the perfect man of her dreams, didn't show up as the new boyfriend of Jessie's boss, Ali. As Jessie tries to navigate this new normal, she tries to live normally - seeing her friends, spending time with her dad, and "enduring" the flirty nature of the hot butcher, Leo.

As a Jessie who was also a nanny in a past life, I had high hopes for this story based on the description, but I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. Jessie is frustrating at times, particularly in her interactions with Ali. I guess in fairness, Jessie's love for her charge, Henry, is endearing and provides some much needed depth to her character. I also appreciated her drive to start her dream business and the fact that she demonstrated skill and capability as she took steps to do so. It would have been easy to make her stumble along the way, but that wasn't the case, and it was to the benefit of the character.

Leo was both too good to be true, but thinly characterized. It was easy to fall for him as a possible love interest, particularly following the slow exposure of Cal's personality, but it was because Leo was so perfect. Exactly as supportive as Jessie needed. Never a bad word against anyone. No flaws that were ever mentioned or outlined. It was never clear if Jessie's impression of Leo being a ladies' man was real or assumed based on his personality and appearance.

The biggest concern I had about the story was with regard to Jessie's dad and his engagement to Simone. This would have been a far more interesting story if Jessie had to confront her incorrect assumptions about Simone, rather than having her turn out to be the quintessential evil step-mother. There were already so many things happening in the story that the fallout between Jessie and her father was not only short-lived, but under-developed.

Overall, this was a pleasant story and way to pass time, but was not without its flaws.

When Jessie meets-cute with Cal during a fire alarm incident at Whole Foods, her day and her life are turned upside down. She spends a magical afternoon and evening with him, but hasn't gotten his number when the evening ends abruptly and she isn't sure how or whether she'll see him again. But she does, and it's because he has shown up with flowers--for someone else!--on the doorstep of the house she nannies for.

Promising start, right? But oh boy, does this book drown in the telling and not the showing. So much of its substance is thoughts rattling around in Jessie's head, which quickly become repetitive and frankly just not that interesting. I struggled to get into this book and struggled to really care or invest in any of the characters--except for Leo, an alternate love interest, who seemed so perfect for Jessie but whom Jessie kept labeling as a "player" without any real proof of such playing. The book bogs down with health and safety inspection details and workout details and food details and man, a lot of this would have been better as dialog or plot, not description. I will grant that the ending was a pleasant surprise because I had low expectations for this book, but it was also abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying as a result.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I DNF this book and that is saying a lot because I will read any book set in London. The story was just not fully cohesive. The suthor had so many great ideas and is a great writer. I loved the meet-cute but there were too many subplots that weren't well woven together? Maybe too many ideas that were trying to be squeezed into one book when perhaps they could have been fleshed out into other books and not crammed into one. Keep Going Laura Jane- You have a gift!

Love at First Sight is a slow burn contemporary romance centered on Cal and Jesse, though the pace and side stories often blur the main romantic focus. The story kicks off with a chance meeting between the two at a grocery store, where they spend an entire day together—but Jesse never gets his number. Weeks pass with Jesse obsessing over the encounter, eventually leading to a fruitless flyer campaign led by her best friend, India.

While the story improves as it goes, Jesse as a protagonist can be frustrating. Her passive, indecisive nature makes it hard to root for her, despite being realistic in portraying a kind of person who lets life happen to them. On the other hand, Henry—the child Jesse nannies—steals the show with his personality and interactions.

It’s only around the 70% mark that Jesse begins a real journey of self-discovery, realizing that the most important relationship she needs to nurture is with herself. Ultimately, the story suggests that love can be right in front of you all along—but you have to take the long, winding road to realize it.

This was such a cute read! I adored Jessie’s back story and her relationship with Henry, and her idea with Stray Kids. I will say I feel like there were many issues throughout the book that Jessie had problems dealing with, example A being Ali and her dad… a lot of different plotlines. Overall, it was a cute read but sometimes was hard to follow.

Loved at First Sight was such a fresh take on a romance novel! It had a twist in it that I was not expecting and I feel it will encourage reader's to be very reflective of their own choices and prospectives. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I wanted to love this, but it felt a bit disjointed. The premise was really promising for me, but the chemistry was not there. I didn’t personally feel connected to the characters at all. They were hard to root for, especially the main character. The ending wrapped up ridiculously quickly. I would have loved a little more banter and romance. This is my first book from this author.

I enjoyed this book! I felt that the majority of the characters were relatable and easy to connect to. After being a nanny myself i was able to empathize with Jessie on her career aspirations. I really wanted Jessie and guy 1 to work out- he seemed so genuine but there were several little red flags that i am glad Jessie noticed. Guy 2 was likeable from the beginning. He was cleaver and funny and had me cheering for him. Overall I enjoyed this book and liked that all the story lines had been wrapped up nicely by the end of the story.

Can't say this was my favorite. I wanted to like the book. Jessie is a nanny caring for seven year old Henry when she meets Cal at the grocery store. Jessie and Cal have a whirlwind date, she falls head over heels, but their date ends abruptly without them exchanging contact information. When Jessie does see Cal again, it's when he shows up at her employer's house - he's been dating her! Jessie struggles with what kind of relationship she wants with Cal, how to be there for Henry, and how to carry out her dream of having a unstructured play center for children - the same time as she's struggling with her relationship with her dad (her sole family member). Dad is dating a much younger woman, Simone, who is dating him just for his money and purposefully puts a wedge between him and Jessie. And then there's Leo, the handsome butcher who's the biggest flirt Jessie has ever met. Love at first sight might be something different altogether.

Oh gosh, where to even begin. Truthfully wasn’t expecting much from this book, but I looooooved the character development throughout. And the final little twist of who will she choose?! Like, can I have a Leo for myself?!


A more in depth review will soon publish to Goodreads

Thank you to Putnam via NetGalley for the ARC.

Admittedly this is a very fun cute-meet. The fire thing was fun, and maybe I just don’t read enough cute-meets?

I can’t say that I enjoyed the book-I’m pretty sure I spent most of it frustrated. As the synopsis states Jessie meets Cal and it’s love at first sight. HOWEVER, she finds out Cal isn’t all that he says he is, and she spends the entire book pining over him?!

I guess I just really couldn’t understand why. Sure, you can say fate and all that, but even after the universe basically shows you what he is, you still want him? This frustration is multiplied by there being an actual good dude in Leo just doing whatever he can to get her to notice him.

The best friend is amazing, and we all deserve that in our lives. I do consider this a huge plus for the book. Would have loved more of India.

It was quick and fun for what it is. The banter between characters was great, but I just can’t believe the Cal thing. I spent most of the book asking Jessie to open her eyes.

Sinopsis en español:



Jessie sabe que el amor a primera vista no existe. Pero, un sábado soleado en Londres, una alarma de incendio en Whole Foods la arroja a los brazos de un extraño. Cal es encantador y divertido: su química es instantánea.

El coqueteo rápido se convierte en el día más encantador de la vida de Jessie. Pero esa noche se vieron obligados a separarse antes de intercambiar números. Jessie está devastada, ¿y si acaba de perder al indicado?

Después de semanas de búsqueda, imagina su sorpresa cuando Jessie le abra la puerta en su trabajo de niñera a Cal sosteniendo dos docenas de rosas rojas.

Lo único es que no son para ella...



Reseña:


Uff, la verdad no me gustó, hay cosas rescatables y dentro de todo es lo suficientemente entretenido para terminarlo, pero nada más.

This was an okay book. The main character seems to have a thing for being walked on and that was very frustrating for most of the story. A lot of the characters were just eh including her boss.
I liked the idea of her main focus being starting her business.

2! DNF. I honestly did try to complete this book but I was just not a fan! I was very much intrigued by the book description however I don't think it was executed well. There also could have been a warning about the love triangle as I am not the biggest fan of that trope.

shoutout to the assistive reader thing on kindle because i listened to basically this entire book while i was driving back to college so... go robot voice!

as for the story itself, this was not good i'm so sorry. i wanted to love this so bad, like it is literally set up to be the cutest cheesiest romcom ever but it's so terribly done while simultaneously being overdone. the characters are next to impossible to root for. especially the fmc, who reminds me of me when i was 13 years old. not a compliment. none of the side characters gave anything, the plot was flat, and the writing was fun at first but got old eventually. so yeah, this is a no for me. cover's kinda cute tho.

thank you to netgalley & penguin group for the arc! all opinions are my own <3