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spearly's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Hm hm hm... this is an interesting review to write.
SPOILERS. You've been warned.
I started off this book with a near certainty that it was a bust. And the first half totally was. Honestly, it was nearly a DNF for me until we finally got to some juicy bits and things started to pick up.
So, in the end, a solid 3 stars. Nothing special, not the worst book I've ever read, and certainly not the best.
I feel a little mislead by the blurb. We get a total of ONE whispered 4am conversation from Nora's and Will's balconies before they come face to face. That was one of the things that drew me to this book - that these two might be having deep, lovely conversations at 4am before ever coming face to face. Actually, the whole 4am Golden Hour thing is abandoned pretty quickly, too, until the end of the book where it's suddenly relevant again.
Also, the whole feud thing just fell short. I could have gotten behind some sort of instant attraction turned full-out rivalry over Will's plans to rent out his unit. Nora could have been a little more cut throat. I like the idea of an unwitting attraction, a need to one up each other, to win, to battle it out. Then slowly, we see them soften up, open up, turn all that hot-and-bothered attraction into something deeper.
Everything here just felt incredibly mundane, which I'm sure was Clayborn's intention. Will was nice. Nora was nice . The main conflict of the book was fine.
And yes, I can accept that the main themes of the novel were family, community, loyalty, loss. Clayborn did all that, and well. It's just, for me, it wasn't enough to be captivating.
Honestly, the standout characters to me were the neighbours. I loved them! I wanted more of them! I wanted to see them bond with Will. We got hints of it, especially with Jonah and Marian, and that felt natural to me. I even liked Gerald, the seemingly personalty-less character who actually had quite a drastic arc in the novel.
I will give credit where it's due, though. I LOVE romance books with dual POVs, and though Clayborn captured Will's voice really well. I was skeptical of his reasoning for holding back with Nora at first, but the more we got into his history with his parents and uncle, the more it made sense. The more I could actually kind of see where he was coming from.
So, Love at First remains solely middle of the pack contemporary romance for me. Do I regret reading it? No. Will I almost certainly forget about it in a day or so? Almost certainly.
SPOILERS. You've been warned.
I started off this book with a near certainty that it was a bust. And the first half totally was. Honestly, it was nearly a DNF for me until we finally got to some juicy bits and things started to pick up.
So, in the end, a solid 3 stars. Nothing special, not the worst book I've ever read, and certainly not the best.
I feel a little mislead by the blurb. We get a total of ONE whispered 4am conversation from Nora's and Will's balconies before they come face to face. That was one of the things that drew me to this book - that these two might be having deep, lovely conversations at 4am before ever coming face to face. Actually, the whole 4am Golden Hour thing is abandoned pretty quickly, too, until the end of the book where it's suddenly relevant again.
Also, the whole feud thing just fell short. I could have gotten behind some sort of instant attraction turned full-out rivalry over Will's plans to rent out his unit. Nora could have been a little more cut throat. I like the idea of an unwitting attraction, a need to one up each other, to win, to battle it out. Then slowly, we see them soften up, open up, turn all that hot-and-bothered attraction into something deeper.
Everything here just felt incredibly mundane, which I'm sure was Clayborn's intention. Will was nice. Nora was nice . The main conflict of the book was fine.
And yes, I can accept that the main themes of the novel were family, community, loyalty, loss. Clayborn did all that, and well. It's just, for me, it wasn't enough to be captivating.
Honestly, the standout characters to me were the neighbours. I loved them! I wanted more of them! I wanted to see them bond with Will. We got hints of it, especially with Jonah and Marian, and that felt natural to me. I even liked Gerald, the seemingly personalty-less character who actually had quite a drastic arc in the novel.
I will give credit where it's due, though. I LOVE romance books with dual POVs, and though Clayborn captured Will's voice really well. I was skeptical of his reasoning for holding back with Nora at first, but the more we got into his history with his parents and uncle, the more it made sense. The more I could actually kind of see where he was coming from.
So, Love at First remains solely middle of the pack contemporary romance for me. Do I regret reading it? No. Will I almost certainly forget about it in a day or so? Almost certainly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content and Sexual content
Minor: Blood, Death, and Death of parent
emilygigs's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
cupidities's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
*Advance review copy provided by Netgalley, but all opinions are mine.
Love at First scratches a lot of romance itches: love at first sight, enemies-to-lovers, childhood love, found family, and a truly incredible sick bed scene. The writing is really beautiful, and we get excellent interiority with Nora and Will - we spend a lot of time inside their heads, so I felt like I understood who they were and what their motivations really are. We get to really experience Will and Nora falling in love, and it's a beautiful and emotional journey.
There were a few, small parts that kept me from fully loving the book. I don't like that Will is actively trying to gentrify their building and it's totally excused--once Nora finds out why he doesn't want to live in the building, it's completely fine, as though he isn't betraying and displacing a community.
I also found Will's relationship with his boss, Dr. Abraham, really uncomfortable. Will and Nora both have really unhealthy relationships with their bosses and lack boundaries, but Dr. Abraham takes it to another level, overstepping and getting very personal, but it's never brought up as a problem. If Nora's boss is crossing a line by calling well after work hours, why is Dr. Abraham allowed to corner Will and ask him personal questions? It was a strange dynamic.
Love at First scratches a lot of romance itches: love at first sight, enemies-to-lovers, childhood love, found family, and a truly incredible sick bed scene. The writing is really beautiful, and we get excellent interiority with Nora and Will - we spend a lot of time inside their heads, so I felt like I understood who they were and what their motivations really are. We get to really experience Will and Nora falling in love, and it's a beautiful and emotional journey.
There were a few, small parts that kept me from fully loving the book. I don't like that Will is actively trying to gentrify their building and it's totally excused--once Nora finds out why he doesn't want to live in the building, it's completely fine, as though he isn't betraying and displacing a community.
I also found Will's relationship with his boss, Dr. Abraham, really uncomfortable. Will and Nora both have really unhealthy relationships with their bosses and lack boundaries, but Dr. Abraham takes it to another level, overstepping and getting very personal, but it's never brought up as a problem. If Nora's boss is crossing a line by calling well after work hours, why is Dr. Abraham allowed to corner Will and ask him personal questions? It was a strange dynamic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Medical content
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