El Martin is an influencer in LA living her (seemingly) best life. Lately though, she wonders if anyone really knows or loves the real her. When she captures live footage of a UFO, her life turns upside down - this is not the content people want! But the Private Intelligence Sector - government sanctioned Men in Black - take note. Agent Carter Brody is assigned to El's case. He's been wanting to build his career and follow in his dad's footsteps of success. Plus, whatever El saw looks suspiciously like what he and his dad saw before a tragic accident. Now questioning everything, Carter and El work together to get answers. Their growing chemistry helps them to see what love can really look like and they become a great team. But the mystery puts them in danger and the stakes are high! An out of this world adventure romcom.

Come for the aliens, stay for the cinnamon roll Men in Black agent. I loved this one - the adventure, the total opposite love interests, the suspense. El, though an influencer, was surprisingly down to earth and Carter definitely brought out the best in her, and saw past the filters, followers, and brand deals. Both were searching for love - true and genuine, which wasn't what they knew previously. I loved El's confidence and Carter's ability to believe in himself. He was so entirely gone for her and it was adorable. If you've ever thought you needed to read a spicy romcom with an alien government conspiracy - then look no further !

In Love at First Sighting, El Martin, is a disillusioned social media influencer who live-streams a terrifying UFO encounter not expecting the type of "realness" her world has just cashed into. Unable to be deterred by Agent Brody, El quickly joins forces with him to solve the decades-old mystery of a very similar UFO-related accident that killed his father. And of course... as rom-com's go, the high octane stakes, forced proximity and general tossed-togetherness of their situation leads not only to big discoveries, but big feelings too. Marlowes sophmore novel has me snorting, snickering and groaning out loud as I tore through the pages. El and Carter's relationship is all things wholesome and sweet despite both of them living in and operating in worlds that are built on manipulation and subterfuge. If only someone would turn this into a fully fledged noir-style movie so I could replay the scenes on repeat in the background of my life...forever.

What to Expect: Forced Proximity, Opposites Attract, the Beauty and the Nerdy Government worker, Kissing as a Cover, X-Files meets MIB vibes, sexy suspenders, he falls first and harder, smexy office shenanigans 🌶️🌶️, and great banter.

Trigger Warnings: Death of a parent in childhood, manipulative stage parents, neglectful foster parents.

Rep: PTSD

Readers who enjoyed Love and Other Consiracies will want to note that while these books live in the same 'verse they are interconnected only as much as Carter references his failed case during which he tried to convince Hayden that UFO's/Alien's weren't real. 😛

This book will appeal to readers who can appreciate the tongue-in-cheek nature of some more fantastical alien-related conspiracy theories. But I'd say lovers of Lana Ferguson's cryptid-themed books, Avery Flynn's witchy wonders and Sarah Hawley's creations will thoroughly enjoy Love at First Sighting.

Instagram Review should go up about 2 weeks before pubdate @Bedsport.Books

This was super fun! El and Carter were lovely characters that just made you want to root for. El is an influencer that is tired of being someone she’s not. Carter is a literal Men in Black, who investigates El after she “sees” a UFO. This had finding yourself, action, mystery, and romance. Highly entertaining and now I want to read more books by Mallory.

This story had tension, banter, mystery, and action. Our main characters, El & Carter, had wonderful character arcs (both individually and together) and I loved all of their cutesy flirting.
What really makes this book stand out for me is how it balances the fantastical elements with real emotions.
The X-Files, film noir vibes are strong, but Marlowe does a good job of keeping the supernatural elements just ambiguous enough to maintain that "what if" feeling throughout.
Very cute and entertaining romance!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Mallory Marlowe has done it again with this paranormal contemporary romance. I loved her debut novel, Love and Other Conspiracies, so I had high expectations for this one and it did not disappoint! This story had tension, banter, mystery, and action. Our main characters, El & Carter, had wonderful character arcs (both individually and together) and I loved all of their cutesy flirting.

Fans of the X-Files will surely love this one! The expected publication for Love at First Sighting is August 12, 2025, so go ahead and add this one to your pre-order list! Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Mallory Marlowe, please do not stop writing these books. This was so cute. This is the second book in recent memory to make me love a blond man. Carter is the sweetest, green flag mmc from beginning to end. El was cool, but I was a bit aggravated with the constant reminders that she’s an influencer. However, her last line at the climax of the book? It was cheesy and incredible, made me laugh for a good few minutes. Skipping this read would be a mistake. Absolutely stoked for Entities to Lovers.

Love at First Sighting delivers exactly what you expect from Mallory Marlowe, a mix of romance, mystery, and just enough supernatural intrigue to keep you guessing.

When LA influencer, El witnesses what she thinks may be a UFO sighting, she finds herself up against Carter, a government agent investigating her claims. What starts as a professional encounter quickly becomes something much more personal. Marlowe has crafted a story that manages to be both lighthearted and surprisingly deep, exploring themes of grief, self-discovery, and finding genuine connection in a world full of surface-level interactions.

What really makes this book stand out for me is how it balances the fantastical elements with real emotions. The chemistry between El and Carter feels natural and earned, and I found myself rooting for them from their first awkward encounter. The X-Files, film noir vibes are strong, but Marlowe does a good job of keeping the supernatural elements just ambiguous enough to maintain that "what if" feeling throughout.

Very cute and entertaining romance!

I loved the first book, so I was really expecting to adore this one. Sadly, that was not the case. Like others, the influencer vibes of the main character were too prominent for my taste, and I really didn't care for the love interest, who seemed more a teenager than a member of a Men in Black type organization. It wasn't bad, just not at all what I hoped.

oh my god i absolutely loved this book!!! it was sooo fantastic and i need more from this author immediately

Loved it as expected!!! This was both super similar to and super different from Mallory Marlowe’s first book, Love and Other Conspiracies. If you loved the conspiracy/cryptid theme of that book, I think you’ll also enjoy the conspiracy/ufo theme of this book!

El and Carter have very different lives but I really liked them together! They balanced each other out really well and gave the other the emotional stability they needed. They both grew a lot throughout the book and I enjoyed following their journey to solve their mystery. Overall it was a super sweet mystery & romance all in one!

Another winner from Mallory Marlowe! Carter and El are just the best. Mallory writes the most unique and fun romances and LAFS is top tier!

I freaking love this series! Mallory described this one as “what if a girl who saw a UFO fell in love with her hot Man in Black”, and honestly if that doesn’t convince you I don’t know what will. El and Carter were the hottest couple and I loved how different they were - El is a Los Angeles influencer who is getting tired of curating every inch of her life, and Carter works for the Private Intelligence Sector which unfortunately for him is not as impressive as it sounds.

This book is romantic, funny, and mysterious with just a hint of the paranormal. El and Carter were the perfect partners in crime and I had so much fun following them around on their quest for answers. I thought the mystery was really interesting and things actually got pretty intense at the end! It also had all of the emotional and heartwarming moments that you want in a romance. Can’t wait for the next one!

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

I DNFed Love at First Sighting at 22% and will not be writing a formal review as a result. There’s a huge emphasis on life as an influencer in this book. Instagram follower counts, content creation, dodging paparazzi, being cancelled over having a rough day, lying to your followers in order to not get cancelled, sponsorships, etc. There’s lots of gen z references. I’m rolling my eyes all over the place at this poor little rich girl who has such a hard life and this super green special agent who acts like he has no clue what he’s doing. It’s just too silly and unbelievable. I love UFOs and aliens, so this is disappointing.

I love this new niche that Mallory Marlowe is writing into with weird girl alien books. This one is a great follow up to her first one and I really enjoyed the action in this one!

I would call myself an alien aficionado so I ate up this book in one day! I loved the setup with El being followed by, what appears to be, a UFO, then followed by a Man in Black to discredit her experience. I really enjoyed the author’s debut novel and this fell right in the same category. I adored all the little callbacks to Love and Other Conspiracies, secretly hoping for an overlap in another book.

The characters are fun and relatable, I appreciate the emotions and history built into their lives. El was multi layered, shedding her influencer persona in real time. A girl who just wanted to be loved. Falling for the sweetest (and handsome) secret agent Carter. They had great chemistry and banter, I loved that they were able to find love and comfort in each other.

The plot had an interesting mystery, with El and Carter chasing leads around LA, it was charming, funny, and mysterious. I wish there were more aliens and UFOs but I had a great time with the book and will be reading more from the author in the future!

Thank you to Berkley for the review copy.

A hot influencer who’s grown wary of her shallow existence survives a UFO sighting and gets semi-cancelled after she posts about it. The only person who believes her is a gen z government agent for the antiquated Private Intelligence Sector (pronounced P-I-S not Piss) who dresses like an extra on the set of Boardwalk Empire. El and Carter band together to uncover the extraterrestrial mystery, but not without some lusty gravitational pull between them. There’s a mini age gap! He’s emotionally available! Sex on a desk! Not as many aliens as you might hope for, but plenty of government conspiracy and flirty banter to keep things interesting. He falls first and hard, which feels a bit instalove, but not unexpected the title of this book. Social media culture is cringe AF, but it worked here and afforded some much needed character growth for the FMC as well as some funny promo bits like the vodka in bottles shaped like dicks and the guy whose wellness routine is 6 ears of corn a day.

Rating : 3.5

This was a really fun one to read. The concept and cover were so interesting to me, and the plot did not disappoint.The romance between our characters was really sweet and so fun to read. The build-up was also very believable, which added to the enjoyment.

While I liked the main characters, there were a lot of unlikeable characters, which in a small way affected my enjoyment a small amount.

The author's writing was very easy to read, which is great for times where you just want to sit and enjoy a short, fun read.
My only big con on this book is the level of modern dialogue. There were a lot of social media preferences on here, which was honestly the only reason this book was brought down to a 3.5.

Thank you netgalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Love at First Sighting is no ordinary romance. You might say...ahem...it's out of this world.

Just kidding. It takes place on Earth. But it is tightly wrapped up in a mystery that has more at stake than broken hearts. It's fun, it's a little bit silly, it's tender-hearted, and absolutely worth a read.

Mallory Marlowe is also the author of Love and Other Conspiracy Theories, so I think she's nicheing down into a pretty distinctive brand here, and I love that for her.

A close encounter of the romantic kind?

Come on. Pure gold.

El is an influencer who encounters something she cannot explain. An Unidentified Flying Object. Naturally, she livestreams it following her. Carter is the agent assigned to her case, but this time it's different...because it's the very same thing Carter saw the night his father died. Together they uncover the truth of what it really was up there.

So it's a little cheesy, but this book will leave you with a full heart by the time you're done turning pages. Carter's story is tragic, and completely entwined in the plotline. It's El's background and profession that is honestly kind of hilarious. There is certainly some mild commentary about the career of an influencer, but when it comes up in the climax crisis, it just had me rolling.

The best part of this novel, as all romances should be, is the budding romance between El and Carter. Their connection is genuine and so sweet, and is what will bring me to pick up this book again in the future for a reread. It's exciting, it's action-packed, and it has a big, mushy, heart at it's center. Can't go wrong!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is such a fun and quirky romance. I love the concept and the storyline. From beginning to end it kept me hooked and made me laugh throughout. I really enjoyed this one.

Well, that was fun. Carter (24) is working at PIS, as a real life man in black tasked with covering up UFO/alien sightings. Aliens are real, and the government doesn’t want anyone to know about it. El (28) went for a hike to take content photos, lightly trespassed, and was chased by an unidentified flying object. She saves herself with a great arm and a giant metal water bottle, but was live-streaming the entire encounter and catches the attention of the MIB.

Love at First Sighting follows Carter and El as they work to uncover what really happened. He had seem the same UFO as a child right before he lost his father, and she was being discredited and harassed in the media. Their partnership starts off with a few hijinks, but they slowly build trust and find they can count on each other when things get dicey. El and Carter realized they’d found someone that was safe, that would allow them to be fully themselves, and that would be there when things are less than fun.

Expect- a little suspense, some tender moments, grief, trauma, government conspiracies, a magic show, a car chase, and a fun time.