It has been over a week since I DEVOURED and I mean DEVOURED 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛.

Did I stay ups way too late finishing this book? Yes
Did I swoon? Yes
Did I kick my heels and giggle? Yes
Did I cry? Yes
Did I highlight most of the book? Yes
Did I fall even more in love with Bec’s writing even though I didn’t think it was humanly possible? Yes, 100% yes
Did I immediately start listening to the audiobook (ALC) after I have finished my e-arc? Yes - and did I binge listen to it in about 24hrs absolutely!!
Would I give anything for a physical copy from XX / XX? Absolutely

I honestly don’t know how to start because Bec has encapsulated all the feelings of your favourite 90s romcoms and bundled it up into this fabulous book!

Lucie and Aiden both spoke to me on different levels and I love how their story came together. Honestly, watching them fall in love was a joy!

But it was wider than that - the ENTIRE supporting cast were just fabulous and I think I fell in love with each and everyone of them - cannot wait to see what they get up too!

Tropes: 
☎️ grumpy/sunshine
☎️ workplace romance
☎️single mom
☎️ opposites attract
☎️ forced proximity
☎️ red string

Phew
I was really invested in the story for first 40% but after that it just went to nothing, the spice didn't work out for me, it was too cringe for my liking and then there is weird reasoning for 3rd breakup act. Aiden should have communicated better!! I liked lucy a lot, the things she said on the first call were so relatable , it straight hit home but idk where did I lose her on the way as story proceeds. I had a hard time rating this book bcoz I was still contemplating what was that?? Bcoz I was so so excited for this book and has been dying to read it since November.
This was like trying too hard to give that the perfect cheesy romance but failing midway at it.
Now about the part I loved, literally all the side characters were amazing!!! I loved each of them. Grayson, Mateo, maya, patty, jackson, maggie and the garage crew😍✨ They really brought such a heartwarming vibe to the story. Even though I didn't have a good experience with this one, I'm excited for the other books set up in Baltimore world❤✨

Basic info:
- Contemporary Romance.
- 1st person, double POV, single timeline.
- Part of a series of standalone books.

Tropes & hooks:
- Inspired by Sleepless in Seattle.
- She is a hopeless romantic, he stopped believing in love.
- She is an auto shop mechanic. He is a radio show host.
- Forced proximity. They have to work together to save his radio show.
- FMC has a daughter, FMC is not with the father of her child, but they are friends and maintain good and healthy relationships.
- Slow burn.
- Who did this to you?
- F*ck it.

Quick premise:
Aiden hosts a love advice show on a local radio station. Unfortunately, this show basically made him disappointed in love and lately, his show isn't doing that great. One evening a little girl calls his show on behalf of her mother and asks for advice on how to make her mother fall in love. This call goes viral and the radio station invites Lucie (the little girl's mother) to participate in Aiden's shows and answer calls with him. Little by little they get to know each other and inevitably fall in love.

My thoughts:
- I love Lucie's daughter. She is so much fun and she is so tender. Lucies relationship with the father of her daughter is a total green flag for parents who are not together. Talking about the father, can we have his book?
- There was a little bit of lust between them straight from the beginning, but they never acted on it and it ended up a slow burn.
- To say Lucie and Aiden are cute together is to say nothing. They literally made me believe in love again. We all need a man (out-of-context mention of MMC's romantic gestures until the next full stop) who brings us a pizza with pineapple when he hates it, who remembers everything we say, who holds our favorite things in his glove compartment. Many conversations between Aiden and Lucie literally warmed my heart. The tension and banter between them are delicious.
- Both Lucy and Aiden deal with some difficult family situations and it gives them more dimensions and development.
- The third act break up might not be convincing to everyone.
- I have a feeling the next book in the series is going to be an enemies-to-lovers between Aiden's friend and the weather girl from the news station. I'm so in for that.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks to everyone involved in ARC's distribution.

I hadn't expected to love this book as much as I did, but oh my goodness, it pulled at my "heartstrings" completely. I was so emotionally invested in both Lucie and Aiden. Their story was brilliantly told through a dual narrative. I loved how both characters were depicted as tough from the outside, but completely vulnerable from the inside. Their banter was fun and their chemistry was off the charts. The side characters were also quirky and entertaining.

I really enjoyed this book! It was exactly what I look for in a romance read. I liked the alternating POVs because I prefer getting into the minds of each character rather than seeing it from only one perspective. Lucie and Aiden are both likeable characters and I was rooting for them the whole way through. Don’t get me wrong there were times when I wanted to bang their heads together and make them tell each other exactly how they feel, but it also added to the tension between them. I also liked that Lucie was a mechanic and it was nice to read about a female character who was thriving in a male-dominated field.

And don’t get me started on the spice in this novel: dayum 🥵 Defo one of those you don’t wanna be reading on public transport if you get what I mean.

I will say I would have liked to have seen more of Lucie’s experiences on her dates with the radio callers, and maybe a bit more with Colin but I think that’s more from the expectations I brought to my reading rather than a comment about how it turned out. But overall, First-Time Caller is a really good romance read and if you’re looking for something to read with Valentine’s Day coming up then I’d recommend you read this.

I don't even have the words to describe my love for this book 🥹

One of my top reads of 2024 and a new favourite to add to my list of recommendations for anyone who asks!
I was gripped from the start and the banter between them both made it such a fun read

So if you’re in for a fun, cozy rom-com, this one is for you 😍

Everything this was immaculate and I could not stop reading. I loved Aiden and Lucie's relationship so muc and had so much fun. BK Borison is definitely a new favorite author for me and her next release sounds absolutely wonderful too. First Time Caller is a must read for romance fans and I highly recommend it. I would like to thank the publisher for my E ARC all opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

And she does it again! Another book by B.K. Borison that I couldn’t put down! I loved it! It started off a little slow but once I got into it I literally couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The characters were all so loveable and also very relatable. The banter between the two MCs was great, and there were so many great supporting characters. I found myself giggling and kicking my feet quite a few times never mind bursting out in laughter!

Definitely recommend this book if you’re feeling for a cute Rom-com

This genre isn’t necessarily a go to for me, but I like to dip my toe in from time to time. The change and pace acts like a palate cleanser.
This one fit the bill, in fact, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
It’s a comfy hug from a friend, it’s a cosy, fun read about opposites attracting and even the cheesy parts add to the vibe.
Thoroughly enjoyable read, I’d absolutely recommend if this is your genre. And if it’s not, definitely worth giving it a go.

First- Time Caller feels like a hug from your favourite person in the entire world.
Comforting, wholesome and refreshing in all its awkward and imperfect moments.
The vibe is totally different from the Lovelight Series, but equally addictive. The story and the characters felt familiar, yet original all thanks to B.K. Borison's expertly crafted cozy and nostalgic writing style that speaks directly to your heart. Can't even tell you the number of lines and paragraphs I've highlighted while reading...but her words deeply resonated with me in this one.
Lucie and Aiden's chemistry was palpable and their banter had me giggling all throughout the book. Their yearning for one another felt so real that I got 'second-hand' butterflies in my stomach watching them fall in love. Prepare yourself for a painfully slow slow-burn...but so so so worth it when they finally get together.
The found family aspect was amazing...I just wish we got a little bit more of Maya and her wholesome teenage sassiness. I truly loved her character!
Do yourself a favour and add this gem of a book to your TBR.

Thank you Pan Macmillan and Pan for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

First-Time Caller by BK Borison introduces an interesting premise—a hopeless romantic meets a grumpy radio host. Aiden, the host of Baltimore’s Romance Hotline, has fallen out of love and become disillusioned with the idea of romance. Lucie, on the other hand, has a stable life with a great job, an incredible family, and a smart kid, but she begins to question if she’s truly happy, especially after her daughter calls the hotline seeking dating advice for her.

I could relate to Lucie’s internal struggle, but unfortunately, her character didn’t feel like it evolved throughout the story. Her arc felt pretty flat, which was disappointing, as I had hoped to see her grow or change in some meaningful way. The same can be said for Aiden—he didn’t quite live up to the swoon-worthy character I anticipated. Instead of being charming, he came off as frustrating with his constant "I’m not good enough for you" mentality. Honestly, I’m so over that trope. It feels tired and overdone in romance novels. It adds unnecessary angst, but not in a way that enhances the relationship—just in a way that stressed me out.

Another major issue for me was the grand gesture at the end. While romantic gestures can be sweet, this one put Lucie in a really uncomfortable position, forcing her to be the first to say "I love you," when Aiden had been the problem all along. It just felt forced, and there was no real yearning between them to make it work. Where’s the build-up, the emotional tension? I wanted more depth, not just a surface-level romantic gesture.

I was enjoying the book at first, but as it went on, I lost interest. The early chapters were engaging, but after that, the story started dragging with little to no excitement. The slow burn I was expecting never really caught fire—it just felt slow and a bit boring. And as for any cute moments between Aiden and Lucie’s daughter? There were none. They barely interacted until the epilogue, which was a missed opportunity, especially given the premise of the book.

Ultimately, while there were some redeeming moments, First-Time Caller didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It had potential, but it didn’t fully deliver on the romance I was hoping for.

O my god, immediate 5 stars!! I absolutely loved every single thing about this book and honestly, I'm still a bit surprised by that. I started reading Lovelight farms by this author but honestly didn't like it at all at the time. After reading this book, I'm definitely giving it another chance. I might have even cried a tiny bit, which honestly never happens!!

This was a really great rom-com!! It was super sweet, very funny and had such a fun plot 🩷. I did find it a little bit long and cheesy at times, but overall I really enjoyed reading it!

This book was such a great read! I loved the little nods to Sleepless in Seattle—such a fun touch. Lucie's relationship with her daughter was so heartwarming; the love between them really stood out. Aiden’s backstory was so compelling, and I loved seeing how he overcame everything. Just adored it!

A cute little romance nothing special. Found myself bored at times and was a bit cheesy. The MMC is called valentine. FMC is a single mom. Grumpy sunshine. Not the best but still fun and sweet

4,25/5

This was adorable. I really enjoyed this book. It might have been slightly too long in same places but I loved it.

I'm not a fan of public love confessions or anything like that so reading about Lucie telling everyone her dreams on a radio show as weird for me, I was waiting for the to hang up. But that's what I would have done. And later when Aiden and Lucie finally talked at the very end - I wouldn't have come to the radio station in the first place, but it felt very in character for both Lucie and Aiden.

I loved them. Both characters were amazing. Maya was a little mastermind. My favourite moment was when she said she hadn't found anyone who would compare to Aragorn. Same, kiddo. Absolutely same here.

I like how observant Aiden was and THE NOTE IN HIS GLOVE COMPARTMENT! The picnic! I loved that so much!

I'm glad that Lucie found him and they both finally accepted what was happening. It took Aidan longer (I hate third act breakups, why did it have to be here too) but they got there in the end.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for providing me the ARC for my honest opinion.

3.5 Stars

I had seen some amazing reviews for this book so I was very excited to read it but sadly it didn't blow me away.

The concept is very Sleepless in Seattle, in that Aiden our lead male works as a host for a small radio company and runs their romance section where he answers callers questions about love. Our lead female Lucie is a mechanic and shares her daughter Maya with her ex Grayson and his husband Matteo. Maya rings into the station to sneakily get romance help for her mum, Lucie takes over the call and the podcast goes viral...

The story for me was a very obvious one and although it was a fun read, I wished there had been a few twists that were more unique and interesting.
The romance was the ultimate slowburn and at times even felt it was going backwards. I liked the romantic couple but I just needed more, well...romance! There are a few smutty scenes but unfortunately for me, they didn't quite work and I felt their chemistry more from the excellent banter than the sexy scenes.

Lucie is a fab lead female. She is a great mum and a hardworker and really puts herself out there which I thought was brave. She has a great sense of humour and I just generally loved her and her family and friends.
Aiden is the grumpy to Lucie's sunshine. He struggles with opening up and no longer believes in love, or that it is worth the pain it can cause. I found his reasoning a little stupid and wanted to shake him SO many times. The characters were great fun though and often made me laugh.

The writing was good but the book is pretty long and sometimes dragged. It definitely needed editing to speed things up a little. B K Borison is great at humour though and I smiled a lot!

Overall, a funny and cute read but sadly for me, nothing special. It had so much potential though and so I will definitely try this author's future books.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the advance copy of First Time Caller.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's stopped believing in love. But as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, Heartstrings, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight. Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing. Lucie joins Heartstrings as a guest host on a mission to find love, and everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even Aiden. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.

Ugh, this angsty, yearning, cosy novel, where a hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host. It lives up to the hype, or perhaps is even better. Everyone and their mother has been talking about First Time Caller, and I can confidently say now I've finished this book that it is justified that they haven't shut up about it - I haven't either. Aiden and Lucie's story truly pulled on my heartstrings, and your honour: I love them. Every single thing in this book was just pure magic, and I can't find a single fault. BK Borison, please let me into your brain - I need to know how you work this magic!!! I 11/10 recommend picking up First Time Caller when it releases this Valentine's Day.

4.25 ⭐️

If you’re a 90s romcom lover, this is for you!

This is the first book of a new series by BK Borison called Heartstrings. Each book of this series is going to be modern twists of Nora Ephron movies (she was a film director who made romantic comedies). First-Time Caller was inspired by ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ and it follows Aiden and Lucie. He’s the host of a romance hotline and she’s a single mom who suddenly thrusts into the spotlight after an interview in said hotline goes viral.

BK Borison has gone for it all and she did not disappoint. This author’s writing has really evolved since her first book and this is proof of it. The communication between Aiden and Lucie was so good - it’s refreshing to read a book with such a healthy relationship between the main characters.

The solely reason I’m not giving this book 5 whole stars is because sometimes, the storyline gets dragged and I felt like the book could’ve been a bit shorter… But I really loved and enjoyed this book in more ways that I can’t explain. I really can’t wait to read the next two books in this series 💌

Read if you like:
📞 forced proximity.
📞 slow burn.
📞 single mum.
📞 found family.
📞 BANTER!!!!!
📞 grumpy x sunshine.

Thank you to the author, Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. First-Time Caller by BK Borison will be coming out on February 11th.

The bolter by Taylor Swift is Aidan's song through and through.

‘I want you to kiss me until I can't breathe'

What to expect?

🪄He doesn't believe in love, she want's magic
📞Radio Show Setting
🧑‍🧒Single Mum
💪Protective MMC
🏡Found Family
-🌶️
📻Forced Prox (kinda)
💕Yearning, so much yearning.
👩‍❤️‍👨Dual POV

'When it comes to you Lucie, there's not much I don't want'

Both our characters are very much Down Bad for each other. This book is sweet and tender to its core, and reading it felt like getting a warm hug. The chemistry between our two characters is explosive, there aren't many spice scenes which I feel added to the emotional depth of the characters. Borison captures the complexity of human emotions perfectly and the gradual development of Lucie and Aidan's relationship from strangers to friends to eventual lovers felt real and pure.
This book was also very well written, it's a joy to see how B.K's writing style has grown since her first novel Lovelight Farms - she just keeps getting better.

Huge thankyou to NetGalley and Panmac for an e-arc and audio arc in exchange for an honest review