Name: Kim's review of Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
Item: Love Lettering
Rating: 5
Author: Kim

Kate Clayborn

“The perfect quarantine read. It’s funny, sweet, and beautifully written. The romance is so perfect it made me ache." —Alisha Rai, Bustle Kirkus Best Fiction Book of 2020 PopSugar Crazy Popular Books of 2020 Amazon Best Romance of the Month Top Ten Best Romances of 2019—Entertainment Weekly Kobo Best Romance of the Year Bustle 17 Best New Books Of December 2019 SheReads’ Most Anticipated Books of 2020 HelloGiggles 8 Best New Books To Read In December One of the most beloved romantic comedies of 2020, Love Lettering is a heart-melting and touching story that fans of Tessa Bailey, Jen DeLuca, and Emily Henry cannot miss. In this warm and witty romance from acclaimed author Kate Clayborn, one little word puts a woman’s business—and her heart—in jeopardy . . . Meg Mackworth’s hand-lettering skill has made her famous as the Planner of Park Slope, designing custom journals for her New York City clientele. She has another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Knowing the upcoming marriage of Reid Sutherland and his polished fiancée was doomed to fail is one thing, but weaving a secret word of warning into their wedding program is another. Meg may have thought no one would spot it, but she hadn’t counted on sharp-eyed, pattern-obsessed Reid. A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to implode. But with a looming deadline and a bad case of creative block, Meg doesn’t have time for Reid’s questions—unless he can help her find her missing inspiration. As they gradually open up to each other, both try to ignore a deepening connection between them. But the signs are there—irresistible, indisputable, urging Meg to heed the messages Reid is sending her, before it’s too late . . . Praise for Love Lettering "I can't wait for the whole world to fall in love with Love Lettering!" —Jasmine Guillory “Delicious and beautiful and perfect.” —New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean “This book will wake you up in the middle of the night aching for these perfectly imperfect characters.” —Sonali Dev, author of Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors

A Witty and Heartfelt Love Story

Love Lettering

Colleen

3.5 Stars
 
*Cute, nerdy, and quirky but missing that special spark*


I picked up Love Lettering because it was the Together We Read pick conveniently chosen for Valentine's Day. I was a little dubious about it being in present tense, but I try to support any of the library programs. And although I hate present tense in novels, because Love Lettering is told from a single point of view in an almost epistolary stream of consciousness, it didn’t bother me as much as some novels.

The story is about a calligrapher named Meg who sometimes left hidden messages in her work. She thought no one knew her secret until a former client named Reid showed up demanding to know why she left a pointed message for him. 

This story has a ton of nerdy talk about letters and signs. And I have a feeling most people are going to love or hate that. Although it did slow down the story, I still enjoyed the meandering descriptions. It fit perfectly with Meg’s character, unlike some characters that are quirky just for the sake of it. And it was interesting that Meg’s descriptions and the way she visualized words almost sound more like a form of synesthesia. Or at the very least, a coping mechanism for dealing with the world. Nevertheless, it made for an interesting narrative. This is the story of story that would appeal to visual people. 


  “I love that word, enjoyed. It sounds small and polite, but it contains something big, passionate. In my head I see it as it should be, I think. The en- and the -ed should be small, but sturdy. Like bookends, or like hands, supporting something that’s lean and tall, but fragile and new. A fawn’s legs. J-O-Y.”

There was a little bit of steaminess, although at the start it did feel more like instalove than genuine, organic chemistry. It was that feeling when two people are drawn together because of what they are missing rather than a true connection. But their relationship grew on me as the story progressed.


  “Yes, but it’s, you know—every year, you’re all, ‘March! This is going to be great! Start of spring!’ But it’s definitely not, right? Because there will be a weird, freak snowstorm, and it’s like winter’s started all over. Unexpected things happen in March.”

Or, you know, a pandemic lockdown… March makes me awfully nervous now.

The story also delves a bit into discovering purpose and finding inspiration. I liked the parts about creativity and self-growth. The other sub-plot with Reid kind of felt thrown in at the last minute, but I did enjoy the story overall. It wasn’t an unforgettable, swoon-worthy tale for the ages. But I appreciated the creative twist the author put on the traditional Chicklit format as well as focusing on some unique characters.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

'Lyrical and engrossing . . . bursting with humour' - Entertainment Weekly The thing is, the letters don't always tell me truths about myself. Sometimes they tell me truths about other people. And Reid Sutherland is - was - one of those people. In the last year, Meg Mackworth's beautiful hand-lettering skills have seen her rocket to social media fame, and now she has a booming business crafting stationery for the stars. But she has a secret: sometimes, she just can't resist hiding messages in her work. Slightly unprofessional, maybe - but harmless. Right? Analyst Reid Sutherland and his gorgeous fiancée had their future mapped out. Until he noticed a pattern in his wedding invitation that made him think twice. When Meg looks up from her desk one day and sees Reid standing in front of her with no wedding ring, holding the invitation she created, she thinks that her career is over. But her life may be about to begin . . . Escape into a beautiful world of craft and romance that will grab hold of your heart and never let go. Praise for Kate Clayborn 'Clayborn is a thoughtful, very talented writer' - BookPage 'Hilarious and moving and sexy' - Buzzfeed 'A warm and lively romance' - New York Times 'Clayborn's characters are bright and nuanced, her dialogue quick and clever, and the world she builds warm and welcoming' - Washington Post 'A layered and memorable love story . . . smart, sexy and sublime' - USA Today

The charming feel-good rom-com that will grab hold of your heart and never let go

Sheena

2nd READ
: I didn't love this as much as the first go-around. It didn't speak with me and overall became almost too tedious to finish. I regret picking this up again.


  

  1st READ
: "Love Lettering" is an original piece of work filled with secret codes and messages (my favorite portions of the book), flawed characters and symbolism that made this downright unputdownable.

It's like wow. I am pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this. No joke. I had previously read some reviews and anticipated the worse with this one but I was nearly knocked off my feet with this uniquely written contemporary romance concept. The characters' storyline was refreshing and the pace was painful on the intake but gradually started to improve chapter by chapter. I kid you not, my eyes glued to my screen, taking all the words to heart and then without missing a beat, I found myself in a whimsical journey of self discovery and as the story unfolded, Reid and Meg great character development. 

In addition, if you're looking for a whirlwind romance, this is not the book for you. This slow burn novel can either make it or break it for most readers, and the romance aspect to Meg and Reid relationship didn't start until a little after the halfway mark but the wait was worthwhile. 

This is a must have, must read, must everything book for any reader looking to close the year on a high note.

Kimberly

Cute story set in NYC. Listened to this on a whim since my local library was doing a spotlight on it.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


Kate Clayborn is one of those authors who has been on my TBR for ages. I own more than one of her books, but somehow never made time to read any of them. I'm pretty sure I fell half in love with Love Lettering from the minute I saw the cover. I was lucky to get an early copy but didn't get a chance to read it until a few days ago. I understand why so many folks rave about Kate's writing and why Love Lettering was on the "best of" lists of so many readers. I'm aware it's only January, but this book is destined to be on mine here in about eleven and a half months.

Love Lettering was an absolutely gorgeous book. It's been a couple of days since I finished reading and I'm still struggling with how to put my thoughts into words. I just loved it so, so much. It was a story of self-discovery, personal growth, friendship, and love. I laughed, cried, and swooned. My feels had feels and I loved every single minute of this emotional roller coaster.

I fell head over heels for both Meg and Reid early on. It did take me a little bit of time to get fully into Meg's head, however. Her thoughts were a little hard for me to follow at first. But it didn't take that long. I ended up with a major girl crush on her. Can we be best friends? And Reid? Oh, my Reid. He's a new favorite swoony book boyfriend for sure. These two gave me all the delicious slow burn goodness I could handle. I loved the pace at which everything developed between them. I especially enjoyed how it happened as he was falling for New York and she was finding her spark again. They brought out the best in each other.

Generally speaking, I am not a book savorer. When I'm totally enamored by characters and a story, I want to read it as quickly as I possibly can. But, I took my time with Love Lettering. If I'd have read it on ebook, I probably would've highlighted every other page. As it is, I flagged several quotes. Kate's words were just so lovely. As was everything about this book. I can't wait to tackle her backlist this year. I love finding new-to-me authors to love.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Favorite Quotes:

"I think anyone would want to be your friend."
"Even you, huh?"
"Even me. Especially me."

"I could barely breathe for how much I missed you."

"I hide things. My feelings about things in my life, or in the lives of people I care about. I hide them in my letters, and I hide them when I'm talking about the weather or Frisbee or whatever other thing I fill up the space with—"

Simran Armstrong

Michele G

Ashley Pennington

Cindi Coan

Kate Lillie

Reiko Fu

Jasmine Bell

Mariane Ferrantino 

Amanda K

Kathleen Mullins

Becky

Paige Morgan

Meg Mackworth's hand-lettering skill has made her famous as the Planner of Park Slope, designing custom journals for her New York City clientele. She has another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Knowing the upcoming marriage of Reid Sutherland and his polished fiancée was doomed to fail is one thing, but weaving a secret word of warning into their wedding program is another. Meg may have thought no one would spot it, but she hadn't counted on sharp-eyed, pattern-obsessed Reid. A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to implode. But with a looming deadline and a bad case of creative block, Meg doesn't have time for Reid's questions--unless he can help her find her missing inspiration. As they gradually open up to each other, both try to ignore a deepening connection between them. But the signs are there--irresistible, indisputable, urging Meg to heed the messages Reid is sending her, before it's too late ...

Kim &
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

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