Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for a copy of this book.

Once again, F.T. Lukens did not disappoint. Love at Second Sight was a fun and enjoyable YA paranormal romance that follows Cam, an ordinary human starting a new highschool with plans to fly under the radar (easy when your fellow students comprise of witches, werewolves, sprites and psychics) that is until he starts to have psychic visions that start with a murder. Cam forms a group of friends, which includes his crush, and sets out to try and find a way to stop the murder from happening while also navigating the new paranormal world he has found himself thrust into.

It is overall a cute and fun read! The world was very fun and the friendship group that Cam formed was so cute! And the chemistry between Cam and Mateo was so natural and awkward, I was hanging out for them to confess their feelings.

I can't wait for the next book F.T Lukens releases!

I loved this! Perfect for fans of Voyage of the Damned. Really solid teen voice, strong representation, enjoyable twists and turns in what is ultimately a murder mystery style story. Great blend of genres

i loved the representation in this! but otherwise the book was kinda slow and i found myself getting distracted a lot whilst reading. the premise was super interesting but the book just felt messy.

This book is everything I love about YA.

The friendships and found family were just so beautiful .The romance was adorable, I loved that there weren't many major romantic conflicts, that was definitely refreshing. And the conflicts that did happen made sense and weren't dragged on too long.

This book was able to touch on some really serious topics while still being cute and fun. I really appreciated the focus on codependent friendships and how that was handled. I know a lot of teens go through that (especially queer ones) and I think this book could help them process those feelings. (it definitely would've helped me).

This was my first book by F.T. Lukens but I will definitely be reading the rest of their books!

This was an okay read for me, not amazing, but I know I’ll keep picking up books by F.T. Lukens because the covers always lure me in like the marketing sheep I am. I see one, I click "want to read." Every. Single. Time.

The title here feels a bit misleading, this isn’t really a romance-centred story. It’s more of a paranormal coming-of-age about 15-year-old Cam, who suddenly discovers he’s clairvoyant after having a vision of a murder that hasn’t happened yet (and ideally won’t). In a town like Shady Hollow, where paranormal is the norm, Cam’s psychic ability turns him into the new "it" kid, even though all he wants is to fly under the radar. Cue every paranormal faction in town trying to win him over while he just wants to avoid the spotlight.

The premise is fun, and I liked the casual queerness and paranormal elements of the world. But the story often leaned into that "special snowflake" trope, which felt unnecessary in a town full of witches, fae, and werewolves. Also, the pacing and character dynamics felt a little off. Cam loses his best friend early on, only to instantly form a whole new squad of loyal, quirky friends. It was... a bit fast, even for high school drama.

Romance-wise, it was subtle and sweet, though I didn’t fully buy the chemistry. And the plot? Kind of predictable, with a final act that felt weirdly rushed after a more laid-back buildup. Still, the ending brought some unexpected emotional depth that I appreciated.

Overall, this read more like younger YA, and while it wasn’t totally my thing, I get the appeal. It’s a quick, entertaining book with a likable cast, a light mystery, and a world I’d happily revisit, especially if there’s another eye-catching cover to pull me back in.

I really enjoyed this book, the plot was well paced and the characters were well written. I look forward to reading more from this author.

After a lot of horror recently, reading this queer YA supernatural mystery was a breath of fresh air. Cam is a teenager who discovers he is a seer/clairvoyant—the first in several decades. This book had me HOOKED. A murder mystery, a romance, and a found family narrative. So many great themes, done well. Scratched an itch and read the thing civer to civer so damn fast.

I have a few F.T. Lukens books on my shelf but had not had the pleasure of reading any of their books and wow do I regret that!!

'Love at Second Sight' follows seemingly un-supernatural Cam as he tries to find his place at his new high school alongside before his life is turned upside down when bumping into a stranger causes Cam to realise he was not as boring as he thought - he has sight. This vision however shows the murder of a stranger which sends him on a mission to prevent this crime, and along the way he finds himself building connections with new friends as well as Mateo, a werewolf he has had a long time crush on. How will Cam deal with his new powers? Will sparks fly between Cam and Mateo? And will they prevent the murder before it happens?

I had such a fun time with this book, the mystery had me locked in the whole time and I absolutely loved our quirky group of friends from various supernatural backgrounds. Watching Cam come into his powers and build confidence in himself was also really enjoyable. F.T. Lukens writing is so easy to read and engaging, with each character adding a fun new layer to the book and the plot was so well paced, I didn't want to put it down! This book also threw me back to my younger years, the feelings of inadequacy and fear of losing friends felt so relateable and I was really rooting for Cam and his friends to succeed.

The mystery, friendships and coming of age journey were definitely the main focuses of the book which I really enjoyed, however I found that the marketing really centered the romance angle, which while present was not as prominent as the themes I mentioned above. To me, the romance was the perfect amount to balance with all of the other themes, I just want mention this so that people know what to expect going in! I would definitely recommend picking this book up if you are looking for a fun, supernatural mystery with a sweet romance and wholesome friendships.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with an eARC.

This is only my third time reading a novel by F.T. Lukens, but it is safe to say I’m already well on my way to being a career-long fan of theirs.

In Lukens latest YA fantasy romance, we follow fifteen-year-old high school junior Cam Reynolds, who thinks he’s very much human and very unpopular at his mixed species high school—that is, until he discovers he has a very rare, highly-coveted psychic ability that allows him to see glimpses of the future, overnight making him (reluctantly) quite the teen-aged celebrity in his small-but-supernaturally-populated-town.

His abilities are cool and all, but Cam doesn’t much enjoy the fact that his first major premonition is one of an unidentified female teenagers brutal murder, which becomes a personal obsession for Cam to solve and hopefully prevent, with the assistance of his witchy best friend and their growing new group of supernatural friends, which happens to include Cam’s long-time werewolf crush, Mateo.

I slid so effortlessly into this story, warming quickly to Cam as our somewhat shy, quirky, fairly unpopular MC who suddenly experiences some major life changes due to his burgeoning psychic abilities and rising public interest. I especially loved the rag-tag group of supernatural misfits that slowly but surely became Cam’s found family through school. They were such a fantastic YA cast of characters that I’m pretty sure 80% of my love for this story came from this ensemble cast alone.

As per usual for me, I loved this kind of alt-universe world-building, where humans and supernatural beings co-exist in a similar social reality to our own. I enjoyed discovering all the different factions of the supernatural community, as experienced through Cam’s eyes as a new psychic and, therefore, a hot commodity for any group he would choose to align himself with in the future. We’re talking werewolves, fae, sprites, witches and even a psychic community, among others—it was a hodge-podge of all my fave fantastical beings and I ate it up!!

The mystery of the unidentified “soon-to-be-killed” girl was a cool focal plot, which propelled the story forward at a solid pace, even if it was perhaps a bit predictable as to who in town was up to no good. This arc added a nice bit of excitement and significant emotional stakes, as Cam and his friends grew closer to one another, while growing closer to identifying the girl and eventually the culprit.

The romance between Cam and Mateo was super sweet, too. I loved, loved, loved that it was not only a reciprocated crush, but I daresay I was even more smitten with the intensity of Mateo's feelings for Cam, especially in the way it manifested with his uncontrolled hormonal werewolf changes. Honestly, these two were cuteness personified, giving the reader a nice slow-burn romance to root for, while never truly stealing the limelight as the larger mystery plot and the ensembles friendship goals played out in brighter and fuller focus.

It’s safe to say Love at Second Sight was a big hit with me. I (once again) thoroughly enjoyed Lukens signature storytelling style, delivering another memorable, well-drawn fantasy story to life, featuring great representation and diversity in their full-cast ensemble, and bringing lots of heart, humour, romance, and plenty of adventure to the table to make it one hell of a joyful reading experience.


***A special thanks to the publishers and the author (via Netgalley) for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am slightly ashamed to say that this is my first F.T Lukens title, I have a few of their other books on my physical TBR. However ‘Love at Second Sight’ has definitely convinced me to bump them higher up that list.

Cam is about to start high school alongside his childhood best friend, who just happens to be a witch. His parents disapprove of this friendship and the paranormal in general. However, that is about to be the least of Cam’s problems as he gets thrown into the middle of a mystery that could change several lives forever.

I loved the diversity of the cast, as well as the found family that was presented in this story.

While the cast were 16 and their choices and thoughts generally reflected this, the themes of trust and true friendships/relationships lasting and thriving with clear communication and boundaries, were executed really well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, a nice cozy change of pace to read in between some heavier titles.

Thank you NetGalley and F.T Lukens for allowing me access to this title, it has been a pleasure to read.

It was an okay read for me, but I just know that I will keep picking up books by F.T. Lukens, because these covers ALWAYS lure me back in and I'm a sheep, apparently. I just need to take a quick look at one and I click "want to read", I can't help it. The title is a bit misleading this time, though, because it's hardly a romance centered book. It's more of a paranormal coming-of-age story with 15-year-old Cam learning that he unexpectedly has clairvoyant powers. But paranormal is normal in the town of Shady Hollow, so that's not the problem. The problem is that Cam had a vision of a murder and it would be better if that doesn't actually happen in the future of course. His clairvoyance is a pretty rare ability, and all the local paranormal associations now want to recruit Cam and bribe him with gifts and promises while he rather wouldn't be the center of the town's attention. It gave special snowflake protagonist to be honest, and that is just so unnecessary in a town full of witches and werewolves and faeries and sprites and psychics. The book is about Cam navigating his new ability and trying to prevent the future he saw, even though all his other visions came true so far. He makes a lot of new friends along the way and that sure is nice for him, but it read very strangely to me. He starts the new school year with his childhood best and only friend Al, but they have a falling out almost immediately and Cam has this whole group of new people right after that? Maybe I just can't deal with high school stories anymore, because these chaotic friendships and crushes and the teen drama of it all was really not my thing. It's not a bad story by any means and I'm sure the actual target audience will easily like it. The queer normative and casually paranormal town was pretty neat and it's a straightforward story that's quick and easy to read. I predicted one of the reveals pretty early on, but things got intense near the end in a way that was unexpected and also a bit unfitting for the rest of the story. Still, it was good that the book handled heavier themes as well. Overall not bad, but just not really for me (anymore).

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s UK for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

First off, thank you Netgalley for this arc and thank you F.T Lukens for writing this book!

UHM EXCUSE ME? THERE BETTER BE A SECOND BOOK TO THIS. TELL ME THERE WILL BE A SECOND BOOK 😭

I need more Matteo and Cam so badly, like honestly my only complaint about this book was them not having enough scenes together.

The plot of this book was so great, I mean seriously, it's about Cam (a ordinary human being in a world of paranormal ones.. or is he?) who touches someone, triggering a vision into the future, where he is about to murder a girl. After this vision, he has no idea who the murderer is, who the girl about to be murdered is or.. anything.

In my honest opinion when the actual crime happened, it did fall kind of short on my expectations (to be expanded on in my goodreads review which is linked below!), and a lot of things happen in the last 50 pages which had my jaw dropping further and further to the floor.

This book was so great, I so recommend checking this out once it's published (my review will also be put onto amazon once this book is out) I just adored the dynamics between all the characters, their friendships was literally EVERYTHING.

I'll definitely be buying an actual copy of this off amazon or a local bookstore! 4.2 stars!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7710756639

I absolutely devoured this book! It is the perfect addition to any YA readers collection, as I was hooked from the very beginning and thoroughly enjoyed every chapter. Despite what the cover/title implies, 'Love at Second Sight' is far from just a love story. It is a story about friendship, and the struggles that arise within both new and old friendship dynamics. It is a cosy fantasy novel with different supernatural beings all coexisting within the same universe and neighbourhood. It has a quiet and slow queer storyline, where the majority of the plot has no romance involved. It is also a book that is a suspenseful mystery with danger lurking throughout the events of the novel.

I found Cam's fears of being left behind by his best friend Al, as real as if his worries were my own. Additionally, I was questioning whilst reading alongside Cam, whether in the absence of the ulterior motives for befriending him, would they still be friends? The doubt that overcomes Cam and the group when feelings of great betrayal are experienced, is the logical conclusion to draw from the situation. Usually it's the opposite and I spend time begging the characters to do the reverse of what they are; so reading a protagonist who follows his logic and instincts, is such a relief and makes a far more relatable and enjoyable to read character.
I worry that the cover and title of this book will mislead readers and end up disappointing those who assumed they were getting a romance heavy plot. This story is well and truly more heavily focused on the plot, rather than Cam and Mateo; thus I really hope it finds its audience despite the way the cover markets it. The romance is cute and queer and wholesome, and proves its strength considering it is only a side plot of the major events of the book.
I loved this!! read it asap please and thank you!!

I really enjoyed most of this book. I am a massive fan of Lukens work, though I will say the ending felt a little, I'm not sure, rushed? I'm not sure, with how quickly everyone's opinions of each other change throughout the book I would say its quite an accurate depiction of fifteen year olds, even if its quite confusing to read at times, also based on the cover I never would have guessed the characters are fifteen, nothing against the art though, its gorgeous. While this story was quite enjoyable to read most of the time it didn't seem entirely sure of itself in points and is definitely on the younger end of YA.

Cam is staring at a new school, and he and his best friend Al are finally attending the same school. They plan to embrace their true selves this year; however, Al wants some distance. After running off, Cam gets caught in the middle of a fight, where he has a very public psychic vision that thrusts him into the centre of attention. To make matters worse, his vision is dark and troubling: an unknown girl is going to die. Will Cam and his newfound friends be able to prevent it from happening?

I really enjoyed this book! Gemma is my absolute favourite character, and I loved watching her development throughout the story, as well as the development of other characters. The pacing felt perfect, and the story was engaging. I've already read one of the author’s other books, “In Deeper Waters,” but it was a while ago, and I cannot wait to pick up more books by this author.

This is an amazing supernatural fantasy that is mysterious and tense, with funny moments and just a hint of romance—perfect for those who enjoy LGBTQ fantasy with a mystery twist.

This was a really fun queer paranormal highschool mystery!
I really loved all the characters and the found family between them. They acted like real teenagers and had some very lovely conversations about heavy topics. Definitely a book I’d recommend for a younger YA audience.
The romance was cute and not as much in the forefront as I thought it was going to be.
I was hooked by the mystery and was excited to find out the resolution throughout the book. The ending was actually quite a bit darker than I expected but still a good wrap up.

I’m looking forward to any future books by this author! Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing the eARC!

3.5 rounded up.
I didn't like this one as much as other books I've read by F.T. Lukens, but it was still a really fun read. The characters are easy to empathise with and the romance isn't forced. I felt like some of the writing was a little stilted and had too much telling over showing, but it wasn't so bad that I felt like the book was unreadable or anything.
Overall, this was a fun romp with a cute romance, and a compelling mystery!

I was so excited to read this book as I have been a long time F.T Lukens fan and always look forward to reading their fantasy books!

This one was such a fun story, especially since it had a magical high school setting with different fantasy creatures mixing and all attending the same school. I always love how fun the worlds and settings of these books are, it really makes the story engaging and exciting to start.

Cam was a great character to read his perspective, especially once his powers developed and he was thrown into a new world. The use of clairvoyance or 'second sight' as a power was fantastic to read, especially as it left this really dark mystery that made the power feel hauntingly tragic. I do wish there was more of an explanation about the power, but the story does a good job developing its limitations and coming up with creative ways to use it to tell the story.

The other friends that form including Kaci and Reese also kept me interested in the story and its development. I wish there was more on these characters, especially since Al and Gemma both get a heap of story time but their actual stories felt weak and honestly confusing.

The main issues I had with this book came from the attempt at a romance plotline. The romance, despite being LITERALLY IN THE TITLE, was side-lined at best and quickly felt like instant love rather than what should have been a cute story about friends to lovers. A werewolf boyfriend possibility had me so excitedddddd but Mateo really didn't get much time in the story. Like there's a scene that gets referenced back as a point where they 'connected' but Cam literally just slept through it????

Likewise, the ending of this book confused me even more. I don't want to spoil the ending but it felt really weak in my opinion, and it lead to a common fantasy trope that I hate more than anything. Especially, when the romance was barely there, so a lot of the character moments that felt like they should've been important were just a moment.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I just felt there were some moments that needed to be expanded on to make the story feel more cohesive.

I absolutely loved this urban fantasy/murdery mystery with a good sized dollop of romance.

A human, who lives in a neighbourhood of werewolves, witches, sprites and psychics, suddenly discovers they have magical abilities on the first day of school. On top of that no one has manifested these powers in over a hundred years and suddenly everyone want him on their side.

Cam goes from nobody to popular overnight and his best friend suddenly starts acting weird around him.

He must choose which side to be on, while trying to stop the murder in his vision and trying to decide if his new friends are genuine.

Seems like a lot already right? But guess whose parents are totally racist towards non-humans as well? Thats right Cam's!

Great pacing, with a whole will-they-wont-they trope and murder what more could you ask for?

DNF @ 22%, I didn't feel connected to the characters enough to continue reading. The writing style felt a little juvenile (which is understandable since it's a young adult book). It might just be because I am not in the age range for YA books, I can definitely see people enjoying this, it just wasn't for me personally