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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Okay this was another potato chip book for me. Like for what it was, I enjoyed it! Kier and Emily both annoyed TF out of me in the beginning (but if I’m being real, I also remember being completely non-functional when I had crushes) but I really came around to everyone. Siobhan I loved from the very beginning, and as someone with a significant amount of hurt between my own mom and me, I quickly felt attached to her as a mother figure. I also loved their border collie (having just lost my own a few months ago). The story tied together in a really nice way, and I kind of LOVED Emily’s healthy boundaries with her mom and with Kier after they fought. Might be the first romance book I’ve read where people acted like actual adults and it was refreshing!
I will say, I was not the biggest fan of the sex scene. It just didn’t do it for me at all. But I’m picky about things like that. It was just kinda meh.
Another thing I didn’t love is that Emily was very insistent that Kier was like the hottest man to ever walk the face of the earth, but she was pretty self-deprecating when it came to her own looks. On one hand, that was relatable. I think it’s normal to feel self-conscious or think poorly of yourself. But on the other hand, it made me feel like she didn’t think she was worthy of Kier, and that disparity just didn’t sit quite right with me, especially when she had a lot of other really good and healthy aspects about her character. Emily deserved to feel pretty! But maybe that will be part of her arc as she continues to grow and heal. She became noticeably more confident and sure of herself throughout the book after making a big life change and building a community and strong relationships in a new place! I loved that.
I will say, I was not the biggest fan of the sex scene. It just didn’t do it for me at all. But I’m picky about things like that. It was just kinda meh.
Another thing I didn’t love is that Emily was very insistent that Kier was like the hottest man to ever walk the face of the earth, but she was pretty self-deprecating when it came to her own looks. On one hand, that was relatable. I think it’s normal to feel self-conscious or think poorly of yourself. But on the other hand, it made me feel like she didn’t think she was worthy of Kier, and that disparity just didn’t sit quite right with me, especially when she had a lot of other really good and healthy aspects about her character. Emily deserved to feel pretty! But maybe that will be part of her arc as she continues to grow and heal. She became noticeably more confident and sure of herself throughout the book after making a big life change and building a community and strong relationships in a new place! I loved that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent
Literally all of these are spoilers, sorry in advance! Sexual content: yes, they do eventually have sex! Death of Parent and Cancer: Siobhan is a breast cancer survivor, but it comes back and has metastasized and she does pass away at the end of the book. Child abuse: a brief description of Kier’s stepmother hitting him with a belt and her hand for an incredibly minor transgression is shared twice back to back (a vague hint at the abuse by Siobhan, who caught the stepmother in the act and removed kier promptly) and subsequently by kier. Grief: everyone mourns Siobhan after her passing! Toxic relationship: Emily’s mother is a narcissist and very controlling and manipulative towards her, but Emily sets and holds good boundaries with the help of her therapist. Kier’s stepmother was volatile and abusive. Panic attacks and disorders: Emily discloses she has an illness anxiety disorder. She works through thoughts surrounding this several times in the book (with the help of her friend Sam and her therapist).
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Cried several times! I loved the characters, I loved the cute and cozy bookshop, I loved the slow burn and I loved the emotional wreaking ball that the last 25% put me through. SO good. If you love a cozy bookshop vibe with authors as main characters, MC's who discover their true selves through each other, slow burn and found family vibes amidst a gorgeous Ireland backdrop, this book is for you.
Finished it out of obligation. It wasn’t bad per se, but I had a hard time getting into it.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
This was so cute, and a very fun read. I love a good bookstore romance trope, and Love at First Book met my expectations. I really liked the emotional depth to Emily and Siobhan’s relationship as well as their backstories. I do agree with other reviewers that this was more a woman’s fiction book than a romance novel, however I did like the romantic aspects too
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
🎧⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🎧
What a book, I didn’t really know what I was getting into, and it's lovely to be thrust into a story you didn’t know you needed.
Emily Allen sent a letter to her most favourite author, Siobhan Riordan, who hasn’t been able to write for 10 years. She has a series that left the main character in purgatory, and readers have been begging for the last book. Only Siobhan couldn’t write it, it wouldn’t come to her, so when she received Emily’s letter, something in her knew she needed to hire her.
Emily needed to get out of her situation, and this was the best way forward for herself and her life. Only she didn’t expect to fall in love or to become part of something that she could never walk away from. The people became her home, and she became theirs.
It’s an incredible story of overcoming obstacles and shining in the dark. I loved everything about this book.
The narrator was perfect, just perfect.
What a book, I didn’t really know what I was getting into, and it's lovely to be thrust into a story you didn’t know you needed.
Emily Allen sent a letter to her most favourite author, Siobhan Riordan, who hasn’t been able to write for 10 years. She has a series that left the main character in purgatory, and readers have been begging for the last book. Only Siobhan couldn’t write it, it wouldn’t come to her, so when she received Emily’s letter, something in her knew she needed to hire her.
Emily needed to get out of her situation, and this was the best way forward for herself and her life. Only she didn’t expect to fall in love or to become part of something that she could never walk away from. The people became her home, and she became theirs.
It’s an incredible story of overcoming obstacles and shining in the dark. I loved everything about this book.
The narrator was perfect, just perfect.