A review by illstoptheworldandreadwithyou
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison

5.0

There’s nothing quite like a B.K. Borison book to reaffirm my faith in love. In First-Time Caller, the “love guru” radio host who doesn’t believe in love meets the hopeless/hopeful romantic single mom mechanic who has been out of the dating game for too long. Cue the warm fuzzies, y’all. 

 

It all starts with a late-night phone call from twelve-year-old Maya to the Heartstrings radio show hotline. Soon mom Lucie finds herself opening up to show host Aiden about love and how she wants magic. 

 

Lucie’s earnest confession strikes a chord with listeners across Baltimore, and she soon finds herself in the recording booth, next to Aiden, seeking out Mr. Right. 

 

As often happens with books I absolutely adore, I’m vacillating between, “What can I say to truly capture how I feel about this one?” and  rambling on endlessly—and most likely incoherently—until everyone has for sure tuned me out. To save us from that latter experience, I’m providing a list of some of the reactions I had while reading: 

• “fallen out of love with love” 😢
• Doesn’t “know how to be a hopeful person anymore” 🥺
• I love the concept of “emotional support cookies”
• BANTER
• These text messages!
• And the radio show transcripts!
• I sure do love a forced proximity + workplace situation
• WARM FUZZIES
• Y’all, this man’s half-smiles 
• I will never think of the “Thong Song” the same way again
• Ahhhhhh this tension 
• REDACTED
• Chosen support family 🥹
• Fans self
• Fans self again
• Yep, still fanning self
• Oh my gosh, I love them

 
I received an advance copy of the book from Berkley. All review opinions are my own.