Book Review: Love at First Book | Jenn McKinlay

A librarian, a quaint Irish village, and a love story all make Jenn McKinlay’s Love at First Book a charming book that will carry you right off to Ireland!

What is Love at First Book about?

When a librarian moves to a quaint Irish village where her favorite novelist lives, the last thing she expects is to fall for the author’s prickly son… until their story becomes one for the books, from the New York Times bestselling author of Summer Reading.

Emily Allen, a librarian on Martha’s Vineyard, has always dreamed of a life of travel and adventure. So when her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan, offers her a job in the Emerald Isle, Emily jumps at the opportunity. After all, Siobhan’s novels got Em through some of the darkest days of her existence.

Helping Siobhan write the final book in her acclaimed series—after a ten-year hiatus due to a scorching case of writer’s block—is a dream come true for Emily. If only she didn’t have to deal with Siobhan’s son, Kieran Murphy. He manages Siobhan’s bookstore, and the grouchy bookworm clearly doesn’t want Em around.

When Siobhan’s health takes a bad turn, she’s more determined than ever to finish her novel, while Kieran tries every trick in the book to get his mother to rest. Thrown into the role of peacemaker, Emily begins to see that Kieran’s heart is in the right place. Torn between helping Siobhan find closure with her series and her own growing feelings for the mercurial Irishman, Emily will have to decide if she’s truly ready to turn a new page and figure out what lies in the next chapter.

What did I think?

Don’t we all at some point dream of just leaving our lives behind to take a job in a small village in Europe? I certainly do! And Finn’s Hollow is the exact type of place that I was picturing. Beautiful scenery, a community full of characters, historic castles, and mouthwatering food all lend a fairy tale quality to this book that absolutely charmed me.

We are transported to Finn’s Hollow alongside our heroine Emily when she packs up her ife in Martha’s Vineyard to move to Ireland and accept a job as the assistant to her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan. In the mornings she works with Siobhan and then in the afternoons she helps out in a bookstore. It isn’t long after arriving that she meets Siobhan’s son Kieran Murphy.

Kieran makes it clear her doesn’t want Emily there. It doesn’t matter that his mother starts writing again, this seems to make Kieran dislike Emily more. But as they say, hate and attraction are right next to one another in the brain, and it seems Kieran may be covering feelings for Emily by acting out as though he hates her. Perhaps that hate can turn to love before all is said and done!

I find enemies-to-lovers stories to be hit or miss for me. Sometimes they are great, but more often than not I find them to be tedious. Love at First Book definitely fell on the positive end of the spectrum. I didn’t find it overly manufactured the way that trope can be, and the characters had a lot of depth that made them more sympathetic. The banter between Kier and Emily was a fun part of the book that kept it light even in heavier moments. I also loved Siobhan and her relationship with Emily.

In every great romance, the characters bring out a new side of one another. Kier makes Emily more relaxed and go-with-the-flow—things that the somewhat uptight librarian did not lean into at the beginning of the book. Emily helps Kier be more open to feelings and happiness. I found the story heartwarming and the setting charming. Jenn McKinlay writes some of my favorite romance books, and this was another wonderful one!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.