Inspired by Sleepless in Seattle, B.K. Borison’s First-Time Caller is sweet but lacks some of the magic of its muse. My First-Time Caller review and thoughts are below!
First-Time Caller Review
First-Time Caller is a kind of ode to Sleepless in Seattle. Aiden Valentine is a radio/podcast host of a romance show who has fallen out of love with love. Most of his callers have petty complaints about their romances, and Aiden no longer really feels like love is right around the corner. But when he gets a call from a young girl who would like her mother to find love, Aiden ends up connecting with the mom, Lucie. All of Baltimore falls for Lucie’s desire to find a little magic in romance, and Aiden’s boss soon invites Lucie to join Aiden in the booth as the city invests in her journey for romance. Only problem is that Aiden has feelings for Lucie too.
Sleepless in Seattle is of course a classic and a great idea for someone to update. I think what makes that movie so special is the many moments of kismet that bring Annie and Sam together–crossing paths and near misses–across the United States!–until they finally FINALLY find each other on top of the Empire State Building. Tom Hanks’s Sam is so sweet and reluctant to get himself back on the market that you can’t help but root for him. And Meg Ryan is of course adorable as Annie, the journalist who is dating the wrong guy but can’t shake the feeling that she’s meant for someone else.
I wish First-Time Caller had embraced some of these romantic notions of kismet and just had more fun with the idea of romance. While I really liked both Aiden and Lucie, for me the story feels like it is missing some of that magic. The author does a nice job building out the side characters here. Lucie and Aiden’s individual worlds are vivid, but I never felt that their love in particular felt pre-destined. They’re a nice fit, but where’s the magic?
That said, I did enjoy the main characters. Lucie’s world in particular is really fun. She is mechanic, which is nice to see a female character in a typically male profession. The guys at the body shop are adorably sweet. As are Lucie’s ex Gray, his husband Mateo, and the daughter that Lucie and Gray share, Maya. All of these characters feel really rooted in wanting the best for Lucie, even when she doesn’t know what she deserves.
Aiden is a more closed off type, which stems from his having dealt with his mother’s cancer at a young age. He sweetly falls hard for Lucie. It’s also fun hearing how he deals with the callers who call into his show as he has a sweet curmudgeon personality. I liked him, as well as his relationship with his co-workers at the station.
The reason I didn’t rate this higher is both the feeling of wanting the romance to have a bit more spark but also I didn’t entirely buy into the radio show premise in 2025. While that set up worked in the 90s for Sleepless in Seattle, this felt a bit harder to buy. Does it really feel believable that all of Baltimore is obsessed with Lucie’s romantic journey on a radio show? Maybe if the show felt more like it was entirely a podcast this would feel more current. But even then it’s hard to buy the intense public interest in it. These elements just sort of took me out of the story as they felt inauthentic to today’s world.
Still, I do think that there is fun to enjoy here for romance fans. The spice level is fairly high, but I do think that Lucie and Aiden have a nice romantic chemistry. The writing here is good too. I just ultimately didn’t entirely buy into the premise, which I think I could have overlooked if I had just felt a bit more swept away by the story.
My Rating
4 out of 5 stars
My Romance Recipe Pairing
First-Time Caller is sweet but with a kick–pair it with my delicious Blood Orange Rosemary Martinis for a sweet/savory match!
Synopsis for First-Time Caller
Synopsis (from Amazon):
A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle–inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.
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 scrutinizing her love life—or lack thereof—she begins to question if she’s as happy as she believed. 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 decision between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.
Buy First-Time Caller on Amazon
