Love at First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe is a charming romance infused with adventure, humor, and a slow-burning connection between its leads. El Martin, a social media influencer, finds her world turned upside down after a chilling UFO encounter, which is not good for her brand. Enter Carter Brody, a real-life Man in Black assigned to investigate her case. As the two delve into the mystery, their partnership evolves, working to uncover not only the truth behind what El witnessed but its startling link to something Carter saw years ago.

While I would have loved even more UFO and alien intrigue, the blend of mystery, action, and romance made for an engaging read, El and Carter’s banter was a highlight, adding charm to an already entertaining story.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest rev

i really couldn't do this one. ended up dnfing a third of the way and skimming through. listen, it's cute, it's silly, just not something for me. the modern/slang dialogue felt very forced and i could not for the life of me truly connect with the characters, cute if you just want a silly story. not something of substance for people like myself. that said, thanks anyways

Mallory Marlowe described this as what would happen if an influencer who saw a UFO fell in love with the Man in Black sent to investigate her and that's exactly what we get. However, we also get a super nuanced look at influencer culture with El's life, plus grief and loss with Carter's backstory.

Were there some kitschy and cheesy moments? Yes, but in the vein of your favorite early-2000s TV paranormal TV show that you love dearly.

I love Mallory Marlowe's books because she straddles the line so well between real life and the supernatural. Maybe we never get to really see anything on-page, but the supernatural is never actually ruled out.

I am so sad to say that this one didn't work for me. I absolutely LOVED Love and Other Conspiracies and how refreshing of a concept it was. This one is too, but I just didn't feel connected to many things that were going on. I liked El, but our introduction to her I think was tricky for me. I think this is largely due to the influencer aspect of her story. It is realistic in many ways, especially since she's quite popular, but that particular narrative also didn't help me feel connected to her. I felt similarly to the UFO part of the plot too. I wasn't hooked but that could just be a me thing!

The romance and the character development was definitely the highlight. Carter is extremely adorable and I think fans of romance books and The X Files may really vibe with this!

Thank you so much to Berkley for my ARC and I look forward to reading what Mallory Marlowe writes next!

3/5

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't too sure about it at first. I am not into influencers so I wasn't sure where the book was going. It took a minute to really get into the book but once I did I didn't want to put it down. I loved how the two main characters evolved emotionally within themselves and with each other. A great light read.

2.75 rounded up. Unfortunately everything I loved in Love and Other Conspiracies was missing in Love at First Sighting. I couldn’t connect with our FMC El (Ariel). I felt like she didn’t have a good backbone and truly was just unrealistic as an influencer. Maybe I’m just not a fan of reading about influencers. Her mom hits her up for money but that’s all you hear about her, it’s kind of a plot hole. And Carter, he was fine but so young and green. Neither of them excited me as MCs or felt super deep.

I also couldn’t stand the amount of gen Z references in the book, I almost DNF’d very early on but since I loved Mallory Marlowe’s first book I gave it the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately it was just a big miss for me.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was a DELIGHT. I loved Love and Other Conspiracies, but I actually enjoyed this one even more. It was so quirky and strange and perfect. This book had me giggling so hard and it was just so fun.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a perfectly good romance novel. I didn't connect much with El, but I'm sure that was likely a personal thing as influencer culture doesn't appeal to me at all. She was likable enough. Carter’s backstory and growth had more depth and was endearing. The mystery surrounding the UFO and Carter's father's death was a little implausible and the resolution wasn't very surprising, but since I don't come to a romance novel to get absorbed in a mystery or action plot, it served its purpose fine. A government cover-up/UFO sighting still adds a unique element to your typical rom com. El and Carter’s romance and chemistry was believable, and I very much appreciated that there was no third act breakup in this! I liked that El and Carter didn’t take too much time to figure out they liked each other. This book gave plenty of time for them to be happy without focusing too much on insecurities or angst surrounding their relationship.

To her millions of followers, social media influencer El Martin has an enviable life. Every aspect of El is tailored to perfection, and she's not one to ruin her brand aesthetic. But when she livestreams what she thinks is a UFO, everything changes. Agent Carter Brody was hoping to walk in his late father's footsteps by becoming an ace agent at the Private Intelligence Sector, but instead of going out in the field, Carter spends most of his time fixing the office printer. When Carter gets assigned to El's case, he's supposed to debunk what she saw, but as the pair dig into the flying object, Carter realizes that it ties into the worst night of his life. As Carter and El work together, they can't deny their simmering attraction and find themselves over their heads as old secrets come to light.

I thought Marlowe's previous book was so fun, so I couldn't wait to pick this up. I loved the premise of a social media influencer and an MIB agent working together to find aliens. It's so ridiculous, but it worked perfectly. El had this goofy personality that she kept hidden because it didn't match the curated aesthetic she was going for, and I loved seeing her loosen up after being around Carter. And Carter? What a sweet, soft boy. He had so much trauma in his life, and watching El care for him like no one had before just tugged on my heartstrings. Their relationship was incredibly insta-lovey, but it was cute. The plot gets a little far-fetched, but I was entertained the whole time. I can't wait to see whatever she comes out with next.

This book was so much fun and the exact pallet cleanser I needed after reading a fantasy! Sometimes you just want that super cutesy, happy little rom-com and this fits the bill. The best part is that it was even better than I expected.

In Love at First Sighting, we start off following influencer model El when she encounters something very otherworldly during a photoshoot for a sponsor. Fearing for her life, she goes live showing the UFO behind her. While this totally tanks her online clout, it draws the attention of PIS (pronounced with individual letters, not "piss") agent Carter whose job it is to keep people quiet about these exact phenomena.

While El is immediately weary of Carter as someone who is "stalking her," the two eventually partner up to solve the mystery of what exactly El saw. Turns out, there is more than meets the eye with this supposed "UFO" and they wind up digging a lot deeper into the mystery itself and into each other's emotional trauma, for lack of a better phrase.

What made this book so special for me was the development of the characters and the mystery aspect of what many would expect to just be a fluffy romance. As the reader, we really get to know the inner workings and thoughts of both El and Carter alongside a cast of quirky side characters. Additionally, trying to solve a mystery while watching a relationship blossom between El and Carter gave the story some heavier substance, which I immensely enjoyed.

While I would describe this as "insta-love," I don't say that in a negative context. Their attraction to each other made sense — not only was there an immediate physical attraction, but both characters had been through similar experiences and easily related to each other. Plus, they also worked as a yin and yang, really balancing each other out as people and encouraging each other to be their best and most authentic selves.

Needless to say, this got a solid five stars from me, and I am very excited to read Marlowe's other books in this series: Love and Other Conspiracies, which was her first release, and the third book in this series, which I don't think I'm allowed to say at this point!

A big thank you to the publisher Penguin Random House and Marlowe for allowing me to read this book as an ARC! Love at First Sighting comes out August 12,2025.

I loved Mallory Marlowe's debut, and this sophomore novel did not disappoint! It felt so nostalgic for X-Files lovers but less creepy. There are no aliens entombing themselves in walls here—if you saw that episode, then you know, lol.

Mallory Marlowe does it again! I think I liked this one even more than her debut, which is saying something because I was obsessed with her debut. Marlowe has such a knack for creating characters that feel so real, and that seem like they genuinely love hanging out with each other. Strangely, it feels rare to have romantic leads feel like they really truly dig each other, and El and Carter definitely have that chemistry! I love a pathetic simp gen z boy, so our dumpster diving special agent was like catnip to me, but I also really loved El and her journey of discovering herself. Total insta buy author, and I eagerly await the next Mallory Marlowe smash hit.

I loved this book SO MUCH! Author Mallory Marlowe really brought her A game to her sophomore novel. Both the wit and the spice were out of this world (see what I did there?), and the natural way the MCs fall for each other brought me such joy. Thanks to Berkley for the ARC.

I absolutely DEVOURED this book. It was so fun, adventurous, mysterious and romantic. It had an amazing mix of romance and suspense, and funny tales of aliens, which I loved. I truly loved how weird and different (maybe even cringy) this book was. If you love paranormal, romance and suspense, please read this book

4 stars
I loved this book!!! I love the mystery behind the ufo and how El and Carter teamed up to solve the mystery.
I do wish that when it was solved, it was more? I felt like it it wrapped up rather quickly and the closure felt off.
The romance was tastily done. I love that they helped each other with change and growth.

This is my first Mallory Marlowe book (even though its the 2nd in this series) but I cannot wait to read more!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this earc.

No one is sadder than I am that this was not a five-star read. Love and Other Conspiracies was such a hit that I went into Love at First Sight with huge expectations. The action was fun, and there were some high stakes that I enjoyed. I knew going in that insta love was a trope, the book's title makes this obvious, but it was a bit much. I loved how they were there for each other and lifted each other. Their banter was great, and I believed in their chemistry, but everything is so fast that I had a hard time buying into the progression of their relationship.

The other thing I found disappointing was the lack of actual aliens. Marlowe's first book is chock-full of cryptids, so I expected more than a few casual mentions of aliens. Also, the mystery was pretty obvious, and a bit of a letdown.

I have more, and I hate that I do, but the spice was just okay for me. I didn't feel any angst or tension. There is no buildup to the big moment. I need a bit more foreplay, give me some yearning.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was fun, quirky, and not what I was expecting! After reading Mallory’s first book, I thought I was in for a sweet romance with cryptid cameos. Love at First Sighting brought that and more - action, mystery, bad and good roommates, and betrayal. I will keep an eye out for her next book!

ADD THIS TO YOUR PRE-ORDER LIST IMMEDIATELY 🩷

I genuinely LOVED this book - the banter, the slow burn, the mystery, the action, and of course a secret government Men in Black MMC 😩

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

I loved El and her struggle to find herself in all the influencer hype. I keep seeing so many reviews saying they didn’t necessarily like this element but I personally thought it was a very good take on someone who has put her life online and started losing herself in the process. Her character arc was amazing and I loved that she was much smarter than people assumed.

Carter was the same way for me. I loved his character arc and that immediate attraction they felt for each other. His career was a bonus because I could quite literally picture this man in his hat and suspenders.

There was tension, chemistry and so much good banter. Marlowe has quickly moved up in my ranks of authors I will always preorder. There wasn’t much spice but it was done so well and as soon as he hit her with that “good girl” in the beginning I knew I was done for.

The mystery itself kept me intrigued and I needed to know what happened although I had a pretty good idea of where it was going to go. But I was still surprised by certain elements.

I will say I wished there was more alien stuff for a book that has aliens on the cover. But the overall story left me happy with how it turned out.

Deff add this one to your list of books to look out for!!

🖤 Big thanks to Mallory Marlowe, Berkley and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

This book was such a fun read! An influencer sees an alien and posts about it. Then a man from the men in Black come to investigate and they fall in love. It was such a good story. I couldnt put it down. I def recommend it. I didnt read the first hook but i plan on going back to read it now. It is stand alone! I loved this.

Mallory Marlowe won me over with Love and Other Conspiracies, so it didn't take much convincing to pick up Love at First Sighting. In this story we meet social media influencer El, and Agent Carter, who's working for the Men in Black. Brought together by an unidentified flying object, El and Carter work to get to the bottom of this mystery. There is such sweet charm and chemistry between the characters, and I love their personal growth as they investigate things together. As well, there is exciting action and adventure woven into the story (more than I expected) and it was compelling and fun to read.