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Love at First
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
25 posts | 30 read | 11 to read
Delicious and beautiful and perfect. New York Times bestseller Sarah MacLean on Love Lettering From Kate Clayborn, the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, comes a sparkling, tender novel about bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love . . . Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling sawor rather, heardthe girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. Its a memory thats never faded, though hes put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, whos uncannily familiar . . . No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she wont let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meetingmaybe its the kind of story that can't work out in the end. Or maybe, its the perfect second chance . . . Praise for Love Lettering A novel of lush complexity, one bursting with humor, a tender melancholy, and meditations on love, friendship, and life any reader can find solace and inspiration in. Entertainment Weekly, A+ Fresh, funny, clever, and deeply satisfying. Kirkus Reviews STARRED review [A] lush, languid romance that merges the nostalgic past with the technological present. The Washington Post
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intothehallofbooks
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Pickpick

The romance is cute and predictable, but the found-family aspect is fantastic. I liked Nora and Will, but all of the older, quirkier neighbors that share their apartment building really stole my heart.

33 likes1 stack add
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Kshakal
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Marquis784
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Pickpick

It‘s fun and whimsy just like the story. Nora is a fun loving quirky woman living on the third floor of an apartment building. She meets Dr Will Sterling at the “Golden Hour” of 4am on the balcony one morning after the death of building owner, Donny. Nora has yet to learn that Will has inherited the old building from his Uncle Donny and is desperate to off load the old building. He has no idea how the long term apartment owners will react.

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WonderlandMind
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
Mehso-so

Cute, predictable, kind of boring. Fast beach read.

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tracey38
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Pickpick

Also finished this book last weekend. I enjoyed it. When Will was 16, he heard and saw Nora on her grandmother's balcony but she never saw him. Many years later, he inherits the building but doesn't want it, but finds out Nora still lives there and she is the girls of his dreams. It's a sweet story and the older residents are quite funny. Not an outstanding book but good nonetheless.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I love your lamp!! 3y
tracey38 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks took this at work. The lamp was donated by a patient. It's so cute. 3y
26 likes2 comments
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MaggieCarr
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Panpan

Pictured with my late boxer-lab-mastiff mix as a puppy art because... As much as I enjoyed the balance of the first Kate Clayborn title (Love Lettering), I can't say the same for this book but feel bad for not having some happiness in a post 😏. In hindsight, I should have abandoned it, as I sludged my way through in a slow 6 days but fell asleep at least twice only a few pages in and I never connected with any of the characters.

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ReadingRambo
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Pickpick

Imagine being a teen and having a love a first sight moment, then before you get up the nerve to speak, your life begins to come undone. That's what happens to the hero at the start of this story.
Flash forward to today and he's going back to the apt building he hasn't seen in years, and that girl he saw all those years ago is still there. And she's annoyed by his plans. They're both kinda stubborn but they work it out and get a happy ending❤

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TheAromaofBooks
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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#BookReport - Not an amazing reading week, but considering how slammed we are at work, I'm pretty pleased. Read both the Desai books - they were absolutely delightful!! Finished my ongoing read of Living in Norway for #FoodandLit & am better than halfway through the tagged book. Still chugging away through HP & Emma, as well as A Horse & His Boy, which didn't make it into the picture!! I think I may actually start Led Zeppelin tomorrow!!! @Cinfhen

Cinfhen Are you off on Monday??? 3y
TheAromaofBooks @Cinfhen - I usually have Mondays off (this one, too) but use them to help my mom as we are still cleaning out my grandpa's house from when he passed away in late 2019. This is a holiday weekend here so I'm actually working Sunday afternoon (don't usually) & Dad & husband have Mon off so we are ALL working at Gpa's & hopefully getting close to the end of that project!! It's been a BUSY spring! 3y
Cinfhen Ahhhh, so nice to have those EXTRA hands / bummer about working on Sunday but u seem cool with it 3y
TheAromaofBooks @Cinfhen - I really try to avoid weekends because my husband works long hours during the week, so Sat & Sun are our party days!! 😂 But in the greenhouse industry, I figure working some of Mother's Day & Memorial Day weekends is part of the gig. Plus husband & I are taking OFF the first full week of June so vacation week is just around the corner!!! 3y
Cinfhen Woohoo 🙌🏻 Yay!! Enjoy vacation time 💗💗💗 3y
69 likes5 comments
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peanutnine
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Pickpick

This was a fun romantic comedy. Lots of cute banter and hilarious older folks. It hits on found family and explores finding healthy ways of loving someone. Another great one from Clayborn.

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TheAromaofBooks
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Quite the busy #BookReport !! 100 Years of Color & Unicorn Famous were both fast reads, but it felt good to get two extra books checked off this week!! Happiness Hill & Jeeves were rereads & just as enjoyable this time around. I started Love at First & got about 2 chapters in... & then accidentally put it in the book return with my other library books!!! WHOOPS! So I'm on to Second First Impressions instead 😂

My chapter-a-day books are going ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) well. I've remembered why I hate Emma - I just want to strangle her constantly; she's such a spoiled, self-entitled, self-absorbed little brat. I love the Quidditch World Cup aspect of Goblet of Fire - just a fun look into the wizarding world beyond Hogwarts. In the Silver Chair I had forgotten just how much I absolutely love the disconsolate Puddlegum. All in all a solid week!!

@Cinfhen
4y
Roary47 Your Emma has such a pretty cover. 😍 3y
Clare-Dragonfly Puddleglum is the best and if anyone disagrees they are simply wrong. 3y
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Cinfhen I liked Emma (on audio )but she was exasperating!! And my expectations were literally basement level😘 3y
TheAromaofBooks @Roary47 - Thank you!! I splurged on the Chiltern editions & have absolutely no regrets! Not only are they beautiful, they're just perfectly bound with gilt page edges and they lay flat when I'm reading them. They're soo pretty!! 3y
TheAromaofBooks @Clare-Dragonfly - Right?? I had forgotten how perfectly hilarious he is!!! 3y
TheAromaofBooks @Cinfhen - Many people have much more patience for Emma than I do, or find her officiousness entertaining (probably because she does get her comeuppance in the end) but I just find her too annoying for words 😂 3y
Cinfhen I hear ya!!! Still it‘s a gorgeous edition 3y
79 likes8 comments
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GinaKButler
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Up next on 🎧
Something a little lighter.
#bookspinbingo

12 likes1 stack add
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Michelle505
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
Mehso-so

This was a cute book and similar to the authors first one but a little too predictable. The apartment building neighbors were funny to read about and made it more interesting.

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LaytonBooks
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
Mehso-so

I really wanted to like this book. I am fan of happily ever after romances. I loved the cover of this book and I loved the first impression that I got from reading the first few chapters. Unfortunately, after I started reading, I felt let down by my high expectations. There wasn't anything wrong with Love at First. It's a typical romance that will satisfy many readers. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

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JustReadingJess
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Pickpick

Love at First by Kate Clayborn is a cute second chance romance with great characters. When visiting his uncle Will saw the girl of his dreams and now sixteen years later, he moves into his uncle‘s old apartment. Nora and Will have an instant spark that Nora refuses to admit.

Thank you Kensington, Edelweiss, and Goodreads Giveaways for Love at First.

Full Review: https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com/2021/03/18/book-review-love-at-first/

60 likes1 stack add
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Read_By_Red
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Mehso-so

Love at First was a novel that started out great, but seemed to fizzle out as it went on. It seemed like some of the events became a little redundant, and I began to lose interest. The characters really were the saving grace for me. There were some sections that were a little too descriptive for me, and honestly I kind of glanced and skipped over them. Plus, I didn‘t feel like they added much to the narrative.

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Julsmarshall
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Pickpick

Oh my goodness! This is one of the most heart warming, beautiful and remarkable books I‘ve read all year. Start with complicated families, both made and found, add a memorable almost meet-cute, throw in a little Shakespeare, and mix liberally with poetry and love-what a wonderful result. Every scene is meaningful, every word perfect. Just phenomenal. I‘m so happy this story is in the world. Max liked it too!

67 likes1 stack add
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Roxanareads
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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This arrived on Valentine's Day amidst all the crazy Texas weather ❤ #bookbookmailisthebest#loveatfirstbook#kateclayborn#betweenthechaptersbookclub#kensingtonbooks

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TorieStorieS
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Pickpick

This Chicago romance is the 2nd book that I‘ve read of Clayborn‘s & I had a lot of fun reading it! A sort of enemies to lovers story, Nora & Will come together in a classic Chicago walk-up building that Will unexpectedly inherits a unit in. Eager to offload it, this puts him at odds with Nora, who also inherited a unit but is much more nostalgic & resistant to any sort of changes to her grandmother‘s beloved building. Includes some steamy scenes!

robinb I‘m really enjoying her books too! 😊 4y
TorieStorieS @robinb I am so glad! They‘re so fun! Which ones have you read? I‘ve read this and 4y
robinb @TorieStorieS I‘m pretty sure I‘ve read them all except for a Christmas novella that was part of an anthology. I started with her first book (tagged) which is part of a trilogy. That series is really good. I‘m planning to try and keep up with her as she publishes. 4y
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FashionableObserver Okay this is going to have to be my next read. I‘m a South Side girl and I am SO homesick for my city right now! 4y
TorieStorieS @robinb Stacked!! I love a fun series-especially when no waiting is involved!! 4y
TorieStorieS @FashionableObserver I am a sucker for my hometown too!! I hope you enjoy it!! 💕 4y
robinb @TorieStorieS Yay!! Can‘t wait to hear what you think! 😊 4y
51 likes1 stack add7 comments
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YummyLibrarian
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Pickpick

If Goldielocks was a reader in search of the “just right” contemporary romance I would hand her this book.

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robinb
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Pickpick

Will "met" (or more aptly "heard") Nora from a balcony as a 15 yo boy going through a sad and turbulent period in his life and was instantly smitten by her infectious laugh. Sixteen years later Will is now a doctor who has inherited his estranged uncle's apartment in the complex where he first "met" Nora. He is captivated all over again by her adult self even though they are feuding over his subletting his apartment to strangers who she feels ?

robinb will infringe on her "family" of neighbors. As they learn more of each other's lives/childhoods, they begin to trust each other and understand each other from a different perspective.
Will is an endearing character who literally took responsibility for his family at age 15. He has skewed views of relationships because of his parents and is afraid of feeling too much and becoming obsessive and selfish. Nora, who was basically raised by her ?
4y
robinb Nonna, has trouble with change and letting go. As they both open up (both to each other and to themselves), they begin to heal and look forward to moving ahead in their lives.
I loved this story...for its heartbreak, for its poignance, for its humor and for its quirkiness. I also fell in love with the secondary characters, who are endearing and supportive in all ways. Another wonderful story from Clayborn, and I look forward to more. 4/5⭐️
4y
55 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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suvata
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Pickpick

ARC - Expected publication February 23, 2021.

This typical contemporary romance goes much deeper than most. It‘s all about the power of a compassionate community. These 10 or so, residents has been living together in the same apartments in the same building for years. They may not have a lot but they have each other. When one of them passes on, the nephew who inherits his apartment causes some consternation with his “new fangled” ideas.

62 likes2 stack adds
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Preciouz29
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
Pickpick

Kate Clayborn gets me. I can‘t explain it, but her writing style is just perfect to me; there‘s wit, sweet and awkward characters, fun friends and side characters, a realistic an believable romance, no unnecessary drama, and nothing long and drawn out. This story was so sweet and I zipped through it in a day; I basically ignored work and sleep as much as possible to finish the story.

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nitalibrarian
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Happy Election Eve to my fellow US Litsy friends. Peri is wearing her I'm Voting for Bacon bandana for tomorrow's election. I tried talking her out of voting 3rd party, but no luck.

My plan is to read as much of this book I can tonight because I probably won't get any reading done tomorrow.

CaffeineAndCandy sᴏ ᴄᴜᴛᴇ 4y
CarolynM 😂 4y
Nute Hey, Peri!🐶💜 4y
30 likes3 comments
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nitalibrarian
Love at First | Kate Clayborn
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Finished Practical Magic late last night. Back to my ARCs today. I'm really excited to read this one. I ❤️ Kate Clayborn.

18 likes2 stack adds