Loved this book, and Leo the most!! Thanks so much for this early, cozy read. Love the setting and characters. I think I really liked the depth of the storyline qirh Stray Kids too!

This story was a great look at how important self confidence is. The FMC struggles with feeling like she is enough and important. She grapples to enjoy the goods that she not only has been cultivating for herself but also the goods life has thrown in her path. Her character development is one I enjoyed seeing develop.

I was intrigued by this from the summary, premise, and cover of an iconic London monument (if you know me, then you know it's my bookish weakness!), and I was pleased that I was not let down. There's a ton of compelling language that draws me in. I liked how the ending wasn't a traditional, cookie-cutter, expected HEA because this was anything but. It was completely unexpected, with twists and turns that I actually enjoyed more than if everything worked out as I imagined it would.

I really enjoyed this romance story and thought the writing was clever and funny! These characters had so much chemistry and I would definitely recommend this story

This book was a little hard for me to get into. Once I did get into the story, it turned out to be a cute read. This is my first from this author. I think that I was expecting more from the description of this book, but it wasn’t a bad read.

This book started slow but hooked me about 1/4 of the way through. The book has twists and turns that remind the reader that, like real life, first impressions are not always the whole story.

Laura Jane Williams gives readers all the feels in Love at First Sight, where we follow Jessie, a career nanny, as she navigates the downs and ups of family, employment, and love.

On page 1, Jessie meets Cal, and there's a fantastic supermarket meet-cute. Things take off from there, until they are separated and Jessie goes back to her everyday life - flirting with the butcher, Leo, avoiding her Dad's new fiancée, spending time at the gym, and caring for Henry, the son of a movie star.

As the story progresses, Jessie learns to have faith in herself, and to embrace those who have faith in her.

I truly enjoyed the depth of the characters, their humor and honesty, and their growth throughout. Also, I love a story set in London!

I give this enjoyable read 4/5 stars. It has so many enjoyable moments and characters. I'm looking forward to reading Laura Jane Williams' other work.

Thank you to Penguin Group, GP Putnams Sons for the gifted ARC. #NetGalley #LoveAtFirstSight

What a fun story! The premise was interesting to me and I loved the way the story built. I was definitely worried about the love triangle at times but it turned out well and the character development was incredibly strong.

I’ll be recommending this to everyone!

Rating: 3.5 rounded up

Love at First Sight begins with a delightful meet-cute: Jessie, a professional nanny, meets Cal while shopping at Whole Foods. When a fire alarm forces them to evacuate, they end up spending a spontaneous, wonderful day together. But just as quickly as their connection sparks, it ends abruptly—with no exchanged contact info, leaving Jessie wondering if she'll ever see Cal again.

The setup was undeniably charming, and even though the pacing felt slow at first, I’m glad I stuck with it. Jessie’s life soon gets complicated when she discovers that Cal is actually dating her boss, Ali. Stunned, they pretend to be strangers, adding tension to an already layered story. Meanwhile, Jessie is also dealing with struggles in her relationship with her father, who is engaged to a woman close to her own age and clearly doesn’t like her.

As Jessie navigates the turmoil of her personal life, she begins spending time with Leo, the local butcher, who seems interested in her—though she doubts his sincerity. On top of everything, Cal encourages her to pursue her longtime dream of creating a program for children, and she secures a grant to bring her vision to life. Jessie finds herself pulled in several directions—between her father, Ali, Cal, Leo, and her career—until she finally chooses herself and what truly makes her happy.

The book had a lot going on, sometimes too much. The love triangle dragged out longer than necessary, and Jessie’s back-and-forth made her frustrating at times. Some subplots, like her friend India’s love life and Ali’s relationship drama, felt like extra layers that didn’t need as much focus. However, the writing itself was beautiful, especially in how the author captured the essence of London and Jessie’s work as a nanny. Henry, one of the children in her care, was especially lovable!

Overall, Love at First Sight is a unique and engaging story about self-discovery, love, and finding clarity amid life’s chaos. While some plotlines felt excessive, Jessie’s growth made the journey worthwhile.

Thank you Netgalley, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the opportunity to review this ARC!

This book starts pretty slow, but gets better through the read. it's a feel good romance but looking for a little more depth. Looking forward to checking out another book by this author in the future!

This book gives that warm fuzzy feeling that you search for on a rainy day. The story line, and its twists, will have you turning the pages wanting to know what will happen next.

I loved the story. It has everything—humor, romance, empowerment, and personal growth. It keeps you on edge, wondering what might happen next. I loved the main character: a very determined woman with a great sense of humor and a big heart. I loved the ending—it really took me by surprise.

This book had a strong start with a great meet-cute and a premise that drew me in. The setup promised a fun and heartwarming journey, and at first, it delivered. However, as the story progressed, it became weighed down by too many subplots. Additionally, several of the supporting characters were, honestly, quite unlikeable.

That said, I appreciated the development of the main character, Jessie. Toward the end, the story picked up again as she began to believe in herself and prioritize her own happiness. Overall, while the book had its ups and downs, it finished on a stronger note.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

Do you believe in Love at first sight??? Jessie is a non believer until a fire alarm brings her face to face with Cal. Enter a double identity, a famous boss, a cute butcher and you have this cute Rom-Com book by Laura Jane Williams. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for this advanced ARC for my honest review.
#Netgalley #LoveatFristSight #laurajanewilliams #penguingroup

I enjoyed reading this book. I loved the cover of the book because it reminded me of my husband and I. Also how we met.

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 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.