I love a cheesy romance, so was excited to delve into this. However I really struggled with the constant miscommunication in the plot, and I found Jessie's perspective lacked the emotional maturity I was hoping for.

4.5 stars rounded up!
I really like Laura Jane Williams- she has a fabulous newsletter called How to Build a Life, and she’s really honest and shares great tips from her and her friends on just being happy and healthy and managing the bonkers world as a woman. This new book really felt like an extension of that to me - I could see similarities between the main character, Jessie, and Laura, and it made it feel very authentic.

I saw on Laura’s Instagram that this story was inspired by the film The Wedding Planner, and what might happen if you met someone that knocked you off your feet only to find he’s already with someone you know.

This is the situation Jessie finds herself in. Meanwhile, she’s navigating all the other hurdles in her life - loving her job as full time nanny to Henry, but also having a dream of setting up her own unique childcare business; wanting to get her relationship with her dad back to how it used to be; and trying to figure out whether or not to trust the smooth-talking Leo.

This was such a heartwarming story. I loved how Jessie spoke to little Henry - and genuinely have come away with some new ways of talking to my daughter about feelings - it really got me reflecting! And I loved that Ali wasn’t shamed for having a full-time nanny and a lot of money, as often happens in books! She felt like a realistic portrayal of a busy mum with an unconventional job. She might be quite a flawed person, but she still loves her son and spending time with him.

A lovely, uplifting story!

Another great read from Laura Jane Williams!

Jessie is a career nanny working for a very well known actress: her career is where she thinks she wants it but her personal life is lacking romantically, until a chance encounter changes everything ... Literally, everything.

It's an easy read; the setting had enough normality to be relatable with enough bits of glamour)how the other half live to be a little bit escapist. It's funny, moving and very enjoyable.
There's a great couple of twists and turns, whilst still having a really satisfying ending.
If you like William's other books, you'll enjoy this!

I was delighted to receive an ARC of Love at First Sight by Laura Williams. I thoroughly enjoyed all her previous works. Yet this may be my new favourite. It had me gripped from the start and I couldn't put it down. The characters in this novel are well-developed, and the relationship between Jessie and Henry, the boy she cares for, will make your heart melt. "Love at first sight" is highly enjoyable and a easily engaging romantic read.

Wow I just couldn’t put this book down.
Jessie thinks she has met the love of her life while buying chicken in Whole Foods. Cal seems so perfect until things take an unfortunate turn and fate intervenes
I loved Jessie as a character and I really felt for her as I don’t think she was treated well by her boss or her father. However I loved how the story progressed she grew as a character and realised her dreams and worth. Without saying any spoilers the ending was just perfect and I actually cheered.
A brilliant read which I would definitely recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley, Laura Jane Williams and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This book had some moments where I just had to put my phone down 📱➡️🙅‍♀️. And for me, that’s a good👍🏾 thing. It wasn’t a mind-blowing🧠💥, scream-into-the-void🗣️ type of book, but it was sweet🍡, and I had a good time with it.

First of all, Leo. 🥹💖 I really liked him. He’s just so sweet🍡🍨🍰, and I found myself rooting🪵 for him the whole time. With Jessie's dad—like, I wanted a little more depth there. How did he “gather himself” exactly? 👀 I needed more!

I’ll be real, for most of the book, I was sitting at a solid ⭐⭐. It wasn’t bad, just not one of my faves💙. But THEN. The ending. THE ENDING. 🥹💫 It wrapped up exactly how I wanted it to, and that bumped👊🏽 it up for me. It was just so CUTE🐇. And if there’s ever a book two, I NEED more of Stray Kids🚸 (not the band🎸, lmao, though that’d be fun too / not that I listen to Kpop). I can't believe what Cal did.

Also, the title? Brilliant. I won’t spoil anything, but it’s such a nice contrast to the actual story. 👀🔥

Final thoughts: this book is actually making me more interested in YA books with kids👶🏻 (obviously not part of the romance) in them. But yeah, a nice, light read with some really sweet moments. 🫶

Thank Netgalley for the ARC 😘🍡💗

Laura Jane Williams has done it again! From the blurb alone, I was hooked, and as soon as I started reading, I knew I was in for a treat.

Jessie and Cal’s meet-cute is everything—fun, flirty, and packed with chemistry in such a short amount of time that I couldn’t wait to see where it would go. But this book isn’t just about romance—it’s filled with heart. Jessie’s relationships with the other characters, like her best friend India, her boss, and the absolutely adorable little Henry, were just as compelling.

I also loved that the story wasn’t solely focused on Jessie’s crush on Cal. Her emotional moments with her dad added so much depth, making it more than just a rom-com. And let’s talk about Leo—funny, cheeky, and an absolute sweetheart. He was the perfect addition to the drama!

Another hit from Laura Jane Williams—big fan of her writing! Thanks to NetGalley for the copy

I found this book to be an enjoyable quick read.

I was a bit worried it would be very predictable with the "Love at First Sight" trope, but I wasn't entirely sure what the eventual outcome would be until the end! The characters were entertaining and a nice mixture of likeable and irritating!

Literally can't remember the last time I was so OBSESSED with a book omg I couldn't put it down! Love, love, looooved it!

I was delighted to receive an ARC of Love at First Sight by Laura Jane Williams. I really enjoyed her debut novel ‘One Stop’ and am loving her newsletters on Substack. In general, I really dislike any premise based on love at first sight so really did not enjoy the opening scene where Jessie meets her perfect man, Cal, during a fire alarm at Whole Foods. I should have known that this novel would be so much more than that and is really about Jessie deciding what she wants from life and how she goes about getting that whilst dealing with the usual life complications of family relationships, work and managing her love life. There are some great characters in this and the relationship between Jessie and Henry, the little boy she cares for, is a joy to read. This is a very enjoyable, easy romantic read.

‘Love at First Sight’ is Laura Jane Williams at her best. Written in her classic beautiful, yet easy to read way, filled with characters you can’t help but get attached to and a sprinkling of ‘I feel motivated to be my best self’ after reading.

A chance meeting in Whole Foods during a fire alarm sees Jessie spend the perfect afternoon with Cal, but it’s sadly cut short and Jessie is left without any way of contacting Cal.

Conscious it might be insta-love, but also when you know, you know, (right?!) Jessie spends time trying to track him down - only to be reunited in the least convenient way.

Whilst this totally a wonderful rom com, it is also so much more. As a big follower of LJW for years, I can see so much for her love of children and childcare poured into the pages of this book. Nannying Henry and her relationship with him is my favourite of the whole novel.

I also very much enjoyed seeing Jessie explore her other relationships, the one with her family and also with her friends. Everyone needs friends like India.

Also - this might be a SPOILER - but I feel like this book was a slight love letter to Dave the Laugh and I am so here for it.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the ARC.

I love LJW and her writing style! I was skeptical about this new novel as I really didn’t like her last one but I wasn’t disappointed.

She makes the concept of love at first sight seem natural and possible. There were twists I wasn’t expecting and I frankly couldn’t put it down!

I very much enjoyed this one! It took me sometime to get into it at first, but once I got rolling I really enjoyed it! I was so curious to see how things would work out after their incredibly unexpected meet cute and was excited to see what would happen.