Romance • 2026
First-Time Caller
By B.K. Borison • ★★★
Technically I’d give this 3.5 stars, but since Goodreads hasn’t evolved to half-star ratings yet, here we are. This book is honestly the best argument for why half stars need to exist.
This has been everywhere on BookTok, and I love Sleepless in Seattle — Nora Ephron can do no wrong — so my hopes were high. It also took months to finally become available from my library holds, which only added to the anticipation. The verdict: mildly good. It was a little too long and slow at times, with little to no character depth to justify four stars. And yet I enjoyed it significantly more than most romance books I’ve read lately. The spice was good, it moved along well, and it kept me turning pages even when I wasn’t fully invested.
That’s the thing — mostly I didn’t care about the characters’ successes or losses. They just didn’t land for me the way they needed to. It’s a book I liked more than I connected with, which is exactly why 3.5 feels more honest than either three or four.
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison. 📌 This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Marin Robinson 
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