First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison has been floating through bookish social media feeds for me over the last few months, and after a patient wait I finally got my hands on the novel from the library. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one but I knew that the premise was promising and contemporary romance books have done pretty well by me so far this year.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he’s fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, 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 scrutinising 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. Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending, even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. 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.

For some reason, I was expecting Lucie’s daughter to be younger than she is. It isn’t so off-putting that it makes the novel feel weird, and in retrospect this age works better for a lot of reasons. I do want to shout out this great family dynamic going on here because it is one of the best displays of co-parenting I have seen in books, not to mention the friends-to-co-parents-who-live-next-door pipeline. I haven’t seen a strictly platonic co-parenting situation like this before, and it is so lovely to see given it also creates space and opportunity for these characters to live their lives and find love that is right for them while still being their for their daughter. 10/10 family dynamics.

I really liked the discussions about love, what one wants out of a relationship, how weird it is to approach the dating scene these days, and the general vibe of being sick of trying so much when it comes to love. This is a great topic for a romance book in my opinion, not only because it can encourage some stellar conversations and interactions, but because there are so many people who feel similarly about love yet still want love. I think I’ve come across novels that kind of veer into that territory a bit as a detail or one layer to a whole wardrobe of concerns and thoughts going on in their heads, but not one where that is the key focus. The fun and light-hearted possibilities are touched on, as well as the unfortunate truths about the dating scene, women looking for love, and the whole digital conversation aspect of dating in the 21st-century. There are also the serious chats, and I think that starting bit between Lucie and Aiden really set the plot rolling in terms of the depths this topic has to offer, especially in this context.

If you are a contemporary romance fan, I would recommend adding First-Time Caller to your tbr list at the very least, maybe picking it up from the library or bookshop the next time you see it if you know you’re going to dig into it as soon as possible. First-Time Caller is a cute, warm romance with a few pinches of spice to keep the reader engaged – like a chai latte! While the book is set across February to March, you can really read it any time given it’s light, easy feel and the cosiness of the plot and character interactions.