Author: B.K. Borison
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Small-Town Romantic Comedy
Ideal for: Readers who love cozy small-town settings, slow-burn romance, found family vibes, and romantic comedies with a dash of nostalgia (think modern Sleepless in Seattle energy).
There are romances that shout and romances that whisper. First-Time Caller mostly belongs to the latter group: a soft, steady novel that wins you over through its characters, its small moments of sweetness, and the odd magic that happens when strangers speak honestly into the dark. B.K. Borison is known for her tender, community-rich stories, and here she gives us a late-night radio set-up that feels both nostalgic and utterly of the moment. The premise is simple but effective: a jaded radio host and a hopeful single mom are brought together by a viral on-air moment—and what unfolds is equal parts warmth, chaos, and earnest yearning.
Plot (Spoiler-free)
Aiden Valentine is the smooth-voiced host of Heartstrings, a late-night radio show that dishes out romantic advice to callers. He’s good at the voice-on-the-air thing but has grown weary of love in practice—jaded, occasionally snarky, and a little fractured. Lucie Stone is a single mother and mechanic whose life is a balancing act of work, parenthood, and trying not to let the world’s noise dull her optimism. When Lucie’s clever daughter calls into Heartstrings looking for dating advice for her mum, the segment goes viral and the two are suddenly thrust into each other’s orbit—on air and off. Sparks fly, feelings complicate, and the radio booth becomes an unlikely place for the kind of honest conversation that can change a life.
Why It Works So Well
Borison leans into what she does best: character work. Lucie is written with a refreshing realism that sidesteps the manic pixie cliché; she’s competent, loving, and complicated in ways that matter. Aiden’s curmudgeonly charm is familiar but carefully shaded—he’s not merely a grump with a heart of gold; his skepticism comes from real bruises, and Borison lets that history show without turning it into melodrama. The electric center of the book is their banter—radio-worthy, yes, but also surprisingly intimate. The moments where they’re only voice and vulnerability (no body language, no safety net) are the scenes that stay with you.
What surprised me was how well the book balanced humour with the weightier stuff. You get laugh-out-loud radio antics and small-town comic relief (the supporting cast is lively and well-drawn), but there are also quiet scenes that dig into loneliness, parenting pressures, and the fear of being seen. Borison doesn’t shy from showing how messy modern relationships can be—there’s a believable tension between public expectation (the station wants a fairytale segment) and private truth (two people fumbling their way toward trust). That friction gives the book its emotional backbone.
The writing is warm and accessible. Borison’s sentences are never showy; she trusts the story’s small details to do the work. There’s a nice sense of place—Baltimore and its neighbourhoods come alive in the background, with local colour that feels earned rather than performative. The radio scenes, in particular, are a delight: the rhythm of live broadcasting, the hum of call-ins, and the odd intimacy of communicating through an invisible line all create an atmosphere that’s oddly romantic. The premise’s vibe is similar to Sleepless in Seattle—that sense of ephemeral, voice-only intimacy—an influence Borison wears lightly and effectively.
Where the novel loses a little polish is in its predictable structural beats. There are moments—the obligatory second-act misunderstanding, the on-stage grovel—that feel comfortably familiar. For readers who prefer surprise plotting or darker emotional twists, parts of First-Time Caller may feel a tad too cozy. That said, cozy is not always a fault; Borison aims for comfort and connection rather than reinvention, and in that mission she mostly succeeds.
Pacing is another small quibble. The middle section hangs in place a touch too long, letting secondary plot threads meander when the central relationship could have used a bit more pressure. Still, those stretches are cushioned by charming side characters and a few genuine laugh-out-loud lines—so the slack rarely turns into boredom. The payoff at the end lands emotionally; it’s earnest and satisfying even if it’s not wildly surprising.
One of the novel’s strengths is its portrayal of parenthood. Lucie’s relationship with her daughter Maya is heartfelt and credible; you can feel the small, constant negotiations of single parenting—time, money, emotional labor—woven into the romance in a way that deepens rather than distracts. It’s a reminder that love doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and Borison’s decision to keep parenthood central enriches the story.
In terms of tone, the book’s a sweet spot for readers who like low-stakes, high-feel romance. It’s not angsty or bleak; it’s hopeful, with enough realism to avoid being saccharine. Fans of Borison’s previous work will appreciate the familiar warmth; new readers will find this an accessible, comforting entry point into her world.
Final verdict
First-Time Caller is a cozy, clever romance with a premise that charms and characters that earn your care. It’s not an audacious reinvention of the genre, and it sometimes leans into predictable beats—but the emotional sincerity, the radio-booth intimacy, and the well-observed parenting subplot give it plenty of heart. If you want a romance that will make you smile, sigh, and reach for your headphones, this is a reliably enjoyable pick. Four stars for being earnest, well-written, and emotionally generous.
