As both a BK Borison fan and a Nora Ephron lover (You’ve Got Mail is my go-to comfort film) I knew as soon as I heard the premise for this book that I would love it and it lived up to all of my expectations. In fact, this is probably my favourite BK Borison book to date (though I say that about every new book I read by her!) and was the perfect read to end the year on.

Obviously First-Time Caller is inspired by Sleepless in Seattle, but the story still felt fresh and new. I loved all the side characters (Grayson, Patty, Jackson and the guys at the mechanics in particular!) and Aidan and Lucie’s love story was believable and richly told. Having the main male character be the one to work through his emotional trauma, rather than the women struggling with insecurity as is seen in so many romances, was a refreshing change and I hope it catches on, and I hope to see some spin offs similar to the Lovelight Farms books (I need more of Patty’s story!)

Another wonderful book from someone who is now an autobuy author for me. 10/10, no notes.

Aiden & Lucie 💕

📻As a young single mom to 13 year old Maya, Lucie has been struggling for years. Maya’s father and Lucie had her when they were very young, but her life feels full with co-parent Grayson and his partner Matteo next door and her best friend Patty across the road.

📻When Maya makes a late night call to disillusioned romance talk show host Aiden, Lucie is furious. When the recording goes viral, it’s time for both Lucie and Aiden’s lives to be shaken up.

✏️I adored BK Borison’s Lovelight Farms series, and was thrilled to be approved to ARC read her latest, First Time Caller. While the Baltimore city setting and charming female mechanic is a change from the rural farm setting from the author’s earlier stories, the romance between Aiden and Lucie is as strong as ever. I loved how the pair’s friends and family and the city residents are all rooting for the two. The message here is all about taking a chance on love, being brave and allowing the love to do the healing ❤️‍🩹

My rating 4.5/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

My last book of 2025, and my 300th book of the year!

This is easily B.K. Borison's best book BY FARRRRRR - the writing, the unique plot and the relatable characters. She absolutely nailed it!

The book has a bit of a slow start but I loved the build-up and getting to know our two characters - Aiden and Lucie. Grumpy x sunshine and I adored both of them so much!

B.K. Borison absolutely nailed the feeling of being a single woman who is fed-up of online dating. Lucie's feelings were so real and it had me rooting for her from the first few chapters. Aiden also had his emotional moments and the scene between him and his dad absolutely broke my heart, and had me sobbing quietly into my sleeve.

I'm incredibly excited to see where the author plans to take this series, because she's left it with a lot of potential!

I received an advanced copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

First Time Caller is a Sleepless in Seattle inspired story that follows Lucie, a single mom whose 12 year old daughter Maya calls a radio station romance hotline and asks the host, Aiden, to help her mom with dating because she hasn’t dated since Maya was born.
Aiden is struggling to believe in love of any form, but after speaking on the phone with Lucie, their conversation about love and magic going viral, he’s assigned a seemingly hard task: help Lucie find the magic she’s looking for, while co-hosting a romance hotline with her. As Lucie and Aiden are stuck in a tiny radio station booth together, they start to realize that magic isn’t always what we think it is.
I first saw Sleepless in Seattle when I was a young teen and it still is one of (if not THE) best movies I’ve ever seen. It really made me believe in love in all its forms . So when I first heard about this book by the incredible BK Borison (I’ve previously read lovelights farm and absolutely loved it) I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.
Lucie was one of the most likable female characters I’ve ever read. I loved her and every second inside her mind was enjoyable.
Aiden was so relatable to me. How sometimes the things that we go through twist our perception about what is important and worth it. It was so beautiful to see him change and grow. I think I’ve said the word beautiful 20 times but really, it was just so much of everything in the best way .
And of course, the supporting cast . Maya, Grayson, Matteo and everyone else felt so real and they made this book about so much more than romantic love.
I cannot recommend this book enough! Please check it out when it comes out February 11th!
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for giving me an ARC of this book to review, it was the best holiday gift i could honestly ask for !
And again , thank you to B K Borison for this book

First-Time Caller is a true rom-com from B.K. Borison, the author of the love light farm series. I loved that series, so was thrilled when I received an ARC of this!

This story was super sweet, and made me swoon, laugh and cry. It was full of heart and romance, hooking me in from the very beginning! There were so many cute scenes but also some sad stuff looking at past trauma.

I adored Lucie, she was so likeable and real. I loved her relationship with her daughter Maya, and with her support system of Grayson, Matteo and Patty, plus the other mechanics she worked with! Aidan was a complex guy but I liked him, struggling with his job as he had fallen out of love with love-bit of an issue if you host Baltimore's romance hotline... I loved his support system too, of Jackson and Maggie. This book really showcased the different types of love 💕

The whole radio show was so nostalgic for me, it reminded me of being a kid, secretly listening to a radio show called late night love with my little radio under the covers at night! 😂

The chemistry between Lucie and Aidan was great, and there was just one quite spicy sex scene.

Honestly, I just love Bec's writing, and this was like a love letter to her home of Baltimore! The only thing stopping me giving it the full five stars is that it felt a little too long. Despite obsessively reading the start, I began to feel a little impatient in the last part. But I'd still read it again, and definitely recommend this for the romance lovers, when it comes out on February 13th 2025!

I’m gutted I didn’t love this, I had such high expectations for it. I found that it was a little bit too cringe for me and I don’t know if that’s because I didn’t really relate/become obsessed with the two main characters.

It’s a really sweet story full of romance and it’s extremely wholesome however it was just a bit long winded for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC!

4.5 ⭐️

BK Borison is one of the most underrated romance authors I’ve read. I love love loved the Lovelight Farms Series and First Time Caller is no exception. I was hooked from the start. Talk about meet cute?????? So cute. Maya is the real Cupid here. Calling a romance hotline for her Mum, Luci. Aidan on the other side of the line. Working together to find Luci’s other half, when he was sitting right next to her from the start!

So wholesome, so cute, this book genuinely felt like a warm hug. I loved every moment of it. The vulnerability to put yourself out there like Luci and Aidan did. The people in their lives that constantly supported and loved them unconditionally…….unmatched. Perfection.

Luci and Aidan’s chemistry was through the roof!! I could feel it through the pages. I cannot wait for BK Borison to continue the series!!! And do I smell a Delilah and Jackson book coming next…. I hope I do….

THIS WAS SO CUTE! Oh how I longed for a cute rom-com and this deliver everything that I needed.

In this we follow Lucie as her daughter calls a romance hotline over the radio to help her mom find romance after a decade of being single. The host is Aiden who’s struggling with his personal life and that is also reflecting in his job. Lucie becomes the new star of the show as both MCs start a new show trying to help her find love. But will love blooms over the radio or in the booth itself?

Personally I loved Lucie as a protagonist. She was so loving and caring and just extremely likeable overall. Her entire family was also extremely cute, and I already have an hunch on who one of the next books will be about. Aiden was great as well, I was not really a fan of the third act conflict, but it is what it is.

I thought their relationship was really cute and natural, the setting was also quite interesting. The list. The phone call over the radio. The date. I don’t think I need to get into that. Overall I loved this story. I think it’s a great rom-com, it was super fun and super easy to read. If you’re looking for a cute and fun romance, you don’t need to look no further.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for this ARC!

I'm in love.

This book was so magical and got me in my feels. Everything was a hit with me - the pacing, the plot, the characters, the various relationships represented - it was all perfect (despite me never even watched Sleepless In Seattle).

I loved reading about all the different types of love that was included - it was so refreshing and heartwarming, especially the relationships involving the 'baby daddy' and the FMC's daughter. Also Jackson was a standout character too, I loved reading his scenes and am so excited for his book!

This is my first B. K. Borison book but it won't be my last. The writing flowed effortlessly and the way in which she writes about self-love and the character arcs was realistic and touching. I genuinely connected with the characters and their unique personal journeys.

I am also swooning with the main leads' romance. Could literally see these book scenes as movie scenes with how well rounded and cinematic the writing was. I could literally feel their chemistry jumping off the pages so I could imagine how the Heartstrings listeners felt.

Would read again, as well as anything else B. K. Borison writes! I've found a new auto-buy author. So keen for the next book!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book.

I was thriller to get an ARC of this, after loving Lovelight Series, I knew I'd love this. And it did not disappoint.
This was such a beautiful story. I loved both Lucie and Aiden, as well as the side characters, especially Grayson, Maya and Patty.
This is a story of finding the one, the magic in love. It's a story of no longer believing in love and keeping yourself isolated to protect yourself. It's also a story of adjusting your expectations of love and you fall and learn more. It was so incredibly beautiful. I sobbed for about 20 mins 80%-ish through.
I actually cannot wait to get a physical copy of this and reread it with the audiobook while tabbing and annotating because I have so many thoughts and there was so much I related to. I think, if done well and produced well, it could be an incredible audio. There will be a missed opportunity here if they'd don't do duet narration, especially with the radio/podcast/conversation elements. Fingers crossed they nail it!

4 stars

I love the idea, I love the characters, and I love the execution. A radio station like Heartstrings should be available everywhere because it’s genuinely the cutest thing I’ve ever heard about. Baltimore as the backdrop of this story just adds to the coziness, so it all comes together perfectly. Aiden and Lucie are amazing main characters. I really enjoyed how their relationship develops but also think where they were both coming from was very well thought out. The characters universe around them made it all the better. Lucie’s family and support system is the cutest thing ever, and I liked how everyone at the station had Aiden’s back. The writing and pacing were great, and yeah, I just really enjoyed this one. Definitely give it a read if you’re in for a funny and cozy contemporary romance with a side of spice.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read First Time Caller via Netgalley.

First Time Caller follows Lucie, a single mum with a 12 year old, Maya, who decides her mum needs romance in her life. So Maya calls into a radio station with a programme called Heartstrings, where they give out romance advice. Aiden, who runs the show, has been struggling and the show is not doing great, until Lucie catches Maya in the act of calling and the show goes viral.

Lucie and Aiden had such brilliant chemistry and I was rooting for them the entire time! I loved seeing the story play out, I loved that we saw Lucie at her job too, as a car mechanic! I loved all the characters back stories, and that they had more to them and their lives other than this radio show, I loved that they had their own personalities and that I got to know them throughout the book, even small things.

I flew through this book and read it in two sittings - only because I had to sleep inbetween! This was a really addictive, page turning read and I am very excited for the next one in this series! I’ve read Lovelight Farms and enjoyed it, but this was so much more enjoyable for me!

I am giving First Time Caller 4.5 stars, and I loved the fact that the title was included in the book too, always a nice surprise when reading!

Damn okay I really really liked this one!! Casablanca and Parks & Rec references like… was this written just for me? I loved the pacing and I genuinely think Aiden and Lucie are some of my favorite book couples ever. They just worked and I love how the book actually spent some time on trauma and how tough it can be working through it. I definitely recommend it if you’re in the mood for a cute Sleepless in Seattle romance!

“Do you think I'll get my magic?”
“Nah, Lucie. I think you're the magic.”

THIS BOOK! THIS ABSOLUTELY BOOK! OH GOD!

hello y’all and be ready for me because this book was truly everything to me and more than i ever expected and needed!! am i surprised tho? no because in becca we trust but also YES bc this easily became my favourite book from her and from the crumbs of the next book well i’m so SAT! this book’s the definition of a perfection romance and u know why? because i was giggling,kicking my feet while smiling like a damn idiot and these feelings were ( and are ) the same feelings i feel when i watch one of my old fav romcom and trust me that it doesn’t happen a lot because it’s a rare vibe u can’t feel with any movie or book u watch but only with the best ones! so do yourself a favour and put in your tbr this book! aiden and lucy were so relatable and the chemistry was on fire 👏🏻 . this book made my heart feel so many things seriously becca’s such a truly amazing author and u can feel her writing every time you read one of her books because she’s magic like her characters!! give me everything and more especially book #2 because the crumbs???

this book’s such a cozy book that’s the type of book that just feels like a warm blanket 💌 i truly devoured it and can’t wait to have the physical copy with me soon!

many thanks to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book was beautiful! The ultimate comfort read for those who love love in many forms, a love letter to romcoms & appreciation of romantics.

B.K. Borison is a master at writing love stories, that feel like the warmest hug and that quickly become my comfort / feel-good books.

First-Time Caller literally felt like watching a favourite, comfort romantic film, wrapped in a cozy blanket, with cozy lightning, feeling fully content, kicking your legs when the male lead does something swoony and adorable and when they can’t stop touching each other in even the smallest of ways!!! 😮‍💨

Lucie is a romantic, trying to navigate the difficult world of dating, looking for sparks and magic.

Aiden is a host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, a secret swoony boy, who feels burnt out and out of love with love.

These two collide, when Lucie’s daughter - Maya, calls the radio in an attempt to help her mom.

Both Aiden and Lucie (and all side characters) were written in a way that felt perfectly natural, realistic and relatable. As a romantic myself, I think a lot of our expectations are laughed at, and eventually we hide these parts of ourselves, but Lucie was brave enough to still try to find what she wanted and for once in her life, put herself first. She was committed to finding magic, but sometimes we find magic in ways we didn't expect or it's something we create.

And Aiden, despite his grumpy attitude towards love and romance, made me swoon so many times in this book because of his actions. HE ASKS WHO MADE HER CRY!!! AND KEEPS A LIST OF HER FAVE THINGS SO HE DOESN’T FORGET!!!

B.K. Borison just doesn’t miss and her books are a must read if you’re a romance lover.

Absolutely loved it! The tensionnnn - so good. Also I don't even live in the US and this made me fall in love with Baltimore? BK Borison just has a special way with words when describing the surroundings of a story.. Would absolutely recommend ❤️

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for my arc copy of Frist-Time Caller by B K Borsion

I’m thrilled to have received an ARC from one of my favourite rom-com authors! In this charming story, Lucie's daughter, Maya, finds herself on the phone late at night with a radio host, sharing all the juicy details about her mom's love life—or the absence of one—with everyone in Baltimore and the listeners of HeartStrings.

The story is told through the dual perspectives of Lucie and Adien as they navigate working together on Lucie's love life. The banter between them, along with the palpable sexual tension, makes you root for them from the start. I loved how we got to learn about both of their backstories and how this adds depth to the narrative.

This book had me feeling a whirlwind of emotions; I found myself laughing heartily at some moments, crying during the poignant scenes, and jumping for joy as the story reached its exhilarating peaks. The author masterfully took me on an emotional rollercoaster, crafting a narrative that was both engaging and deeply resonant. I was completely captivated by the vivid characters and their journeys. Now, after experiencing such a thrilling ride, I can’t wait for the next instalment in this captivating series!
One question: And I must ask, with all the charm that HeartStrings brings to the story, where can I find my very own HeartStrings Jumper? It seems like the perfect accessory for a fan of this delightful tale!

RomComReads #HeartStrings #RomanticTension #BookLovers #ARCJoy #BaltimoreCharm #DualPerspectives #Booknerd #LiteraryLove #WittyBanter

I love how Aiden and Lucie vibe with eachother. Lucie is a badass woman that can take care of herself, a real role model mom. Aiden has some issues he has to work trough. These issues are the reason for the will they won't they, which I unfortunately found to take a bit too long. In the beginning I flew through the books but near the end it was harder for me to focus on the story. The radio show excerpts are a great addition. It takes a village to raise a kid and my does Lucie have a fun one!

"First-Time Caller", written by B. K. Borison, was a good time. I went in wanting to have a fun time and I did. There were quite a few moments when I laughed out loud, which I always appreciate in a work of fiction.
On another note, though, the book is more than comedy and romance. Lucie's and Aiden's personal lives were beautifully constructed. They both have complex personalities, which allowed them to grow as people. Lucie's struggle with living and doing things only for herself really resonated with me.
When it comes to Aiden, I wish we had the chance to see him grow more gradually. It seemed to me that his growth as a character was very rushed. We kept revisiting the reasons for his behavior, but we don't really get to see the process of him dealing with his issues so as to understand the place he's at by the end of the book. I think he deserved a bit more attention since his backstory is very emotionally charged.
In terms of writing, I was not fond of the repetition of certain similes, especially the one with the puzzle ("like I'm a puzzle she doesn't know how to solve." or "Like I'm am equation he can't ..."), but that is just a pet peeve of mine. At the same time, I loved some of the comparisons the love interest made about the female main character and vice versa. They were really sweet. I guess, by constantly repeating these, we get a clear sense of the deep connection between them. So I can confidently say that most of the clichés did not bother me at all; in fact, they rather reinforced Aiden and Lucie's dreamy pure love story.
By way of concluding my silly little review, I am going to mention my favorite part of the entire book: "Aiden." My dad sighs. "You're not broken." "It feels like it." I rub my chest. "I feel broken". "I think maybe you're just bruised."
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

B. K. Borison can do no wrong.

This book was amazing! I loved the banter between Aiden and Lucie.

Maya is Lucie’s daughter who one night calls in to Heartstrings. A radio station on 101.6 FM, hosted by Aiden Valentine. Maya spills Lucie’s love life beans on air to Aiden when Lucie walks in. Lucie ends up talking to Aiden about love and she has given up trying. Their conversation captures the hearts of not just Baltimore but many around the world, as it’s shared all over the internet.

Lucie later gets asked to join Aiden on the air to find her perfect man. I don’t wanna spoil anything so I’ll shut up because I’m getting too excited about it. This is my favorite B. K. Book so far!