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Love at Second Sight
When a teen has an unexpected vision about a future murder, he must juggle newfound interest from the supernatural community with trying to prevent the murder from happening in this new romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author F.T. Lukens.
Tired of being known as the artsy oddball, fifteen-year-old Cam Reynolds hopes to fly under the radar when he changes high schools as a sophomore. It shouldn’t be too hard, considering he’s a human going to school with kids who have super-cool paranormal powers, like his best friend and witch, Al, and longtime werewolf crush, Miguel.
Then Cam has a psychic glimpse of the future in front of most of the student body, seeing a gruesomely murdered teen girl from the point of view of the killer. When Cam comes to, he knows two someone he goes to school with is a future murderer and his life is about to change. No longer a mere human but a clairvoyant, one of the rarest of supernatural beings, Cam finds himself at the center of attention for the first time.
As the most powerful supernatural factions in the city court Cam and his gift, he’ll have to work with his friends, both old and new, to figure out who he can trust. Because the clock is ticking, and Cam and his friends must identify the girl in the vision, find her potential killer, and prevent the murder from happening. Or the next murder Cam sees might be his own.
Tired of being known as the artsy oddball, fifteen-year-old Cam Reynolds hopes to fly under the radar when he changes high schools as a sophomore. It shouldn’t be too hard, considering he’s a human going to school with kids who have super-cool paranormal powers, like his best friend and witch, Al, and longtime werewolf crush, Miguel.
Then Cam has a psychic glimpse of the future in front of most of the student body, seeing a gruesomely murdered teen girl from the point of view of the killer. When Cam comes to, he knows two someone he goes to school with is a future murderer and his life is about to change. No longer a mere human but a clairvoyant, one of the rarest of supernatural beings, Cam finds himself at the center of attention for the first time.
As the most powerful supernatural factions in the city court Cam and his gift, he’ll have to work with his friends, both old and new, to figure out who he can trust. Because the clock is ticking, and Cam and his friends must identify the girl in the vision, find her potential killer, and prevent the murder from happening. Or the next murder Cam sees might be his own.
357 pages, Paperback
First published April 29, 2025
127 people are currently reading
13483 people want to read
About the author
F.T. Lukens
13 books3,691 followersF.T. Lukens is a New York Times bestselling author of YA speculative fiction including the novels Otherworldly, Spell Bound, So This Is Ever After (2023 ALA Rainbow Booklist; 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards nominee), In Deeper Waters (2022 ALA Rainbow Booklist; Junior Library Guild Selection), and the forthcoming Love at Second Sight (2025) as well as other science-fiction and fantasy works. F.T. resides in North Carolina with their spouse, three kids, three dogs, and three cats.
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October 28, 2025
Ready my blessin', now I'm ready how I wait / Never let a friendship get in my way / Never let a blog get in my way / Make the whole song do whatever I say (Summer Friends – Chance the Rapper).
F.T. Lukens has always been a hit-or-miss author for me, and now with Love at Second Sight, I’m afraid they’ve now had more misses than hits. Like with most of the books I read, I totally went into this book without reading the synopsis, so I originally figured that the story was about a second chance romance, but when I realized it’s actually about an ordinary shy teen who gains visions That’s So Raven style and then decides to try his hand at solving murders that haven’t happened yet, at first I was a little disappointed, but then excited. This could work, right? It could be something, it could! Yeah well, this is another time where I feel like the book gets bogged down by the trappings of its genre, because while I was reading Love at Second Sight, I felt like I could see through The Matrix as all the mandated tropes became as clear as day. The passive main character, the high school drama, the dealing with bullies and overbearing parents, it all felt so by the numbers that I almost forgot that the characters were supposed to be stopping a murder several times throughout. The operative word here being “almost,” because at the back of my mind I kept wondering when Cam and the gang were going to start investigating! Where’s Nancy Drew when you need her! Honestly though, I’m actually a big fan of low-key stories that don’t have to rely on big action scenes or heightened characterizations (a few of my favorite books include Circe and Ari & Dante), but when you give us a hook where the main character gains the Minority Report powers, then I just don’t think the narrative should practically forget about said hook in favor of small issues like dates and gossip! They feel so trivial, don't they? I don’t care whether or not a video they post goes viral, I just don’t care! And when have YA protagonists started caring about being influencers? That's a new thing, right? Sheesh, all I know is that once the kids in books start using Chat GPT, then I'm done with the genre for good. I'm not kidding. So the thing is, I didn’t love the first two F.T. Lukens novels that I read, So This Is Ever After and In Deeper Waters, because while they were nice and fun enough, I found the stories to be incredibly under baked compared to the urban fantasy stylings of later books Spell Bound and Otherworldly, and I have this opinion despite the fact that I’ll almost always love a pure fantasy over a contemporary book with a little bit of fantasy added to it any day. This is Infinity Son shade, by the way, that book sucked! I think my biggest problem with this book is that it doesn’t have an easily accessible emotional core, because I believe that it's cool for stories can get as wild as the writer wants, but if they don’t have something there to keep them grounded and relatable, then things fall apart pretty quickly.
Take the Alien movies for example, even though they’re mostly horror slasher films with a sci-fi flair to them, the original three are still mostly about how nobody listens to women when they absolutely should. With Love at Second Sight, I thought it would be about two best friends having a falling out amidst a murder mystery with a That’s So Raven twist, but neither of these aspects of the story stuck around long enough to keep me interested. Oh yeah, this is probably just an issue with me, but I feel like I should give you a synopsis so you won’t be blindsided by all the left turns like I was! Cam is starting a new school year and he feels like there’s a growing distance between him and his magical bestie, Al. Tired of being a wallflower, Cam decides to start branching out, and in the process immediately gets caught in the middle of a Spider-Man (2002) hallway fight and violently finds out that he has the Nicholas Cage Next powers that can only be activated by touch. He then finds that the has a Rogue from X-Mendilemma where he can't kiss the boy he likes unless he wants to flop around on the ground for a couple seconds while he vision's out." Were there too many references in bunched together right there? Absolutely, but how else am I supposed to paint a picture, with my words!? But yeah, with newfound abilities, comes new friends, and Cam has to navigate through all the clout chasers while also trying to hold on to his most important relationship; his friendship with Al. Anyway, let me stop you right there because I know what you’re thinking, this book sounds just like that Proud Family episode where Penny and her rich friend are having a birthday party on the same night but everybody abandons Penny to go over to the rich girls mansion while a bunch of people she doesn’t even like goes to hers. She then spends the whole episode pouting until she starts getting along with these people she didn’t even see as friends and then the mansion party has a bunch of things that go wrong until all of Penny’s fake ass friends come crawling back to her, to which she slams the door in their faces. The end. Well, I wish that was the end, because the whole episode is actually about forgiveness, and her mom forces her to let the fake ass friends enjoy Penny’s party as well. And just like in that terrible episode, Cam forgives Al even though they abandoned him to hang out with their magical coven and started getting salty when he joined other social groups! Friends, how many of us have them? Friends, ones we can depend on?
“I didn’t want to find new friends. Socializing was exhausting and really flew in the face of my plan to blend into the wallpaper for the entirety of the school year.”
Another issue I had with the narrative is that outside of Cam seeing visions, I didn’t really see a point this being a fantasy book, especially if it was just going to follow a by-the-numbers YA plot anyway. That’s why I feel like That’s So Raven is the best comparison for Love at Second Sight, because the whole "seeing the future" bit really is the most important part of the story, and outside of magical set-dressing, there’s no reason this story couldn’t have taken place in a totally normal setting. Sure, they’ve got werewolves and faeries and whatever walking around like it’s nothing, but they didn’t add anything to the plot outside of giving this book a Riverdale vibe with a Wednesday skin. I mean, they’ve got a werewolf love interest and he didn’t even rip off the heads of the homophobic… oh sorry, my bad, magic-phobic parents! I don’t know, that’s just wild to me, it’d be like if you made an It spin-off show called Welcome to Derry and didn’t put Pennywise the Clown in the first episode and instead had an ugly CGI monster calling the shots. Can you imagine? Anyway, I did like how Cam becomes one of the first seers to be able to actually correctly predict the future three times (called “glimpses” in universe), which is pretty funny to me because, like, doesn’t that just mean that every other seer is just a bad guesser? Hey, maybe I could make it as a clairvoyant dude in this book’s universe, I make plenty of incorrect guesses! I was just thinking, pondering even, that it’s actually just as well that the book didn’t go too hard on the mystery angle, because I’m not so sure it could have been pulled off well anyway. I love a mystery and I love a fantasy, but in my experience, they don’t often go well together because there are too many variables that could happen in a fantasy book that takes away from the “audience participation” aspect of a mystery. Every mystery fantasy that I’ve read are always talking about, “Oh and the killer was this guy because he was able to use the amulet to hide his presence, I bet you didn’t guess that one, huh!?” and it’s like… no? How could we? So yeah, even if this book had thrown away the magical world altogether and just went full into the “future seeing mystery aspect,” then I probably would have had a whole new set of things to complain about! Like the fact that this book also has the same kind of suspenseful prose as The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar, which could be a good or bad thing, but I’m just comparing because most of the chapters in this book end with Cam fainting and then waking up with all the action having passed when he was passed out. Boo~ooo!
I guess a lot of new-age writers seem to think this style of action is subversive and clever, because this is the exact same thing that happens in the Moon Knight show, where Oscar Isaac would be about to kick some ass and then immediately go into a trance and wake up surrounded by beat up bad guys, and let me tell you, it was entertaining once, but if you make it a pattern then it becomes trite and stale in record time. I guess my point here is that technique is best used for comedy, as it’s so silly and anti-climactic that it’s only useful for garnering a couple laughs rather than building suspense. Also, I didn’t love how the fake friendship angle gets thrown out the window in two chapters, because for the longest time I thought that this was the main source of conflict at the novel's core, so to just up and solve it in the middle of the book was certainly a choice. On a positive note, I really enjoyed Cam’s new cast of friends (outside of Al) because they reminded me of one of those old ghost hunting Anime’s from the 90’s where each one of them had a defined trait that helped them stand out from the rest. And even though it sucked how everybody spoke like they’ve had decades of therapy under their belt despite being teenagers, it was sweet how caring and thoughtful they were towards each other. Every time it looked like there would be a classic John Hughes type high "school bully trope," this book quickly averted it. I suppose if this book had one theme, it would be about how religious fervor can poison one’s mind and blind them to how they’re adhering so strongly to tradition that they’ve hurt the people they’re supposed to love, with fantasy races used as a shorthand for topics around parental abandonment through a queer lens. And despite my griping, that is a powerful message to center the narrative around, one that’s important in helping young readers feel seen where they otherwise might not. I feel like I should reiterate that I didn’t hate this book, quite the contrary actually, as Love at Second Sight boasts another magical adventure full of wonder and imagination that most will absolutely love. Besides, while this may have broken my F.T. Lukens winning streak, I have no doubt in my mind that I’ll still read each and every one of their books. I mean, just look at the covers!
Our summer don't, our summer, our summer don't get no shine no more / Our summer die, our summertime don't got no time no more.
F.T. Lukens has always been a hit-or-miss author for me, and now with Love at Second Sight, I’m afraid they’ve now had more misses than hits. Like with most of the books I read, I totally went into this book without reading the synopsis, so I originally figured that the story was about a second chance romance, but when I realized it’s actually about an ordinary shy teen who gains visions That’s So Raven style and then decides to try his hand at solving murders that haven’t happened yet, at first I was a little disappointed, but then excited. This could work, right? It could be something, it could! Yeah well, this is another time where I feel like the book gets bogged down by the trappings of its genre, because while I was reading Love at Second Sight, I felt like I could see through The Matrix as all the mandated tropes became as clear as day. The passive main character, the high school drama, the dealing with bullies and overbearing parents, it all felt so by the numbers that I almost forgot that the characters were supposed to be stopping a murder several times throughout. The operative word here being “almost,” because at the back of my mind I kept wondering when Cam and the gang were going to start investigating! Where’s Nancy Drew when you need her! Honestly though, I’m actually a big fan of low-key stories that don’t have to rely on big action scenes or heightened characterizations (a few of my favorite books include Circe and Ari & Dante), but when you give us a hook where the main character gains the Minority Report powers, then I just don’t think the narrative should practically forget about said hook in favor of small issues like dates and gossip! They feel so trivial, don't they? I don’t care whether or not a video they post goes viral, I just don’t care! And when have YA protagonists started caring about being influencers? That's a new thing, right? Sheesh, all I know is that once the kids in books start using Chat GPT, then I'm done with the genre for good. I'm not kidding. So the thing is, I didn’t love the first two F.T. Lukens novels that I read, So This Is Ever After and In Deeper Waters, because while they were nice and fun enough, I found the stories to be incredibly under baked compared to the urban fantasy stylings of later books Spell Bound and Otherworldly, and I have this opinion despite the fact that I’ll almost always love a pure fantasy over a contemporary book with a little bit of fantasy added to it any day. This is Infinity Son shade, by the way, that book sucked! I think my biggest problem with this book is that it doesn’t have an easily accessible emotional core, because I believe that it's cool for stories can get as wild as the writer wants, but if they don’t have something there to keep them grounded and relatable, then things fall apart pretty quickly.
Take the Alien movies for example, even though they’re mostly horror slasher films with a sci-fi flair to them, the original three are still mostly about how nobody listens to women when they absolutely should. With Love at Second Sight, I thought it would be about two best friends having a falling out amidst a murder mystery with a That’s So Raven twist, but neither of these aspects of the story stuck around long enough to keep me interested. Oh yeah, this is probably just an issue with me, but I feel like I should give you a synopsis so you won’t be blindsided by all the left turns like I was! Cam is starting a new school year and he feels like there’s a growing distance between him and his magical bestie, Al. Tired of being a wallflower, Cam decides to start branching out, and in the process immediately gets caught in the middle of a Spider-Man (2002) hallway fight and violently finds out that he has the Nicholas Cage Next powers that can only be activated by touch. He then finds that the has a Rogue from X-Mendilemma where he can't kiss the boy he likes unless he wants to flop around on the ground for a couple seconds while he vision's out." Were there too many references in bunched together right there? Absolutely, but how else am I supposed to paint a picture, with my words!? But yeah, with newfound abilities, comes new friends, and Cam has to navigate through all the clout chasers while also trying to hold on to his most important relationship; his friendship with Al. Anyway, let me stop you right there because I know what you’re thinking, this book sounds just like that Proud Family episode where Penny and her rich friend are having a birthday party on the same night but everybody abandons Penny to go over to the rich girls mansion while a bunch of people she doesn’t even like goes to hers. She then spends the whole episode pouting until she starts getting along with these people she didn’t even see as friends and then the mansion party has a bunch of things that go wrong until all of Penny’s fake ass friends come crawling back to her, to which she slams the door in their faces. The end. Well, I wish that was the end, because the whole episode is actually about forgiveness, and her mom forces her to let the fake ass friends enjoy Penny’s party as well. And just like in that terrible episode, Cam forgives Al even though they abandoned him to hang out with their magical coven and started getting salty when he joined other social groups! Friends, how many of us have them? Friends, ones we can depend on?
“I didn’t want to find new friends. Socializing was exhausting and really flew in the face of my plan to blend into the wallpaper for the entirety of the school year.”
Another issue I had with the narrative is that outside of Cam seeing visions, I didn’t really see a point this being a fantasy book, especially if it was just going to follow a by-the-numbers YA plot anyway. That’s why I feel like That’s So Raven is the best comparison for Love at Second Sight, because the whole "seeing the future" bit really is the most important part of the story, and outside of magical set-dressing, there’s no reason this story couldn’t have taken place in a totally normal setting. Sure, they’ve got werewolves and faeries and whatever walking around like it’s nothing, but they didn’t add anything to the plot outside of giving this book a Riverdale vibe with a Wednesday skin. I mean, they’ve got a werewolf love interest and he didn’t even rip off the heads of the homophobic… oh sorry, my bad, magic-phobic parents! I don’t know, that’s just wild to me, it’d be like if you made an It spin-off show called Welcome to Derry and didn’t put Pennywise the Clown in the first episode and instead had an ugly CGI monster calling the shots. Can you imagine? Anyway, I did like how Cam becomes one of the first seers to be able to actually correctly predict the future three times (called “glimpses” in universe), which is pretty funny to me because, like, doesn’t that just mean that every other seer is just a bad guesser? Hey, maybe I could make it as a clairvoyant dude in this book’s universe, I make plenty of incorrect guesses! I was just thinking, pondering even, that it’s actually just as well that the book didn’t go too hard on the mystery angle, because I’m not so sure it could have been pulled off well anyway. I love a mystery and I love a fantasy, but in my experience, they don’t often go well together because there are too many variables that could happen in a fantasy book that takes away from the “audience participation” aspect of a mystery. Every mystery fantasy that I’ve read are always talking about, “Oh and the killer was this guy because he was able to use the amulet to hide his presence, I bet you didn’t guess that one, huh!?” and it’s like… no? How could we? So yeah, even if this book had thrown away the magical world altogether and just went full into the “future seeing mystery aspect,” then I probably would have had a whole new set of things to complain about! Like the fact that this book also has the same kind of suspenseful prose as The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar, which could be a good or bad thing, but I’m just comparing because most of the chapters in this book end with Cam fainting and then waking up with all the action having passed when he was passed out. Boo~ooo!
I guess a lot of new-age writers seem to think this style of action is subversive and clever, because this is the exact same thing that happens in the Moon Knight show, where Oscar Isaac would be about to kick some ass and then immediately go into a trance and wake up surrounded by beat up bad guys, and let me tell you, it was entertaining once, but if you make it a pattern then it becomes trite and stale in record time. I guess my point here is that technique is best used for comedy, as it’s so silly and anti-climactic that it’s only useful for garnering a couple laughs rather than building suspense. Also, I didn’t love how the fake friendship angle gets thrown out the window in two chapters, because for the longest time I thought that this was the main source of conflict at the novel's core, so to just up and solve it in the middle of the book was certainly a choice. On a positive note, I really enjoyed Cam’s new cast of friends (outside of Al) because they reminded me of one of those old ghost hunting Anime’s from the 90’s where each one of them had a defined trait that helped them stand out from the rest. And even though it sucked how everybody spoke like they’ve had decades of therapy under their belt despite being teenagers, it was sweet how caring and thoughtful they were towards each other. Every time it looked like there would be a classic John Hughes type high "school bully trope," this book quickly averted it. I suppose if this book had one theme, it would be about how religious fervor can poison one’s mind and blind them to how they’re adhering so strongly to tradition that they’ve hurt the people they’re supposed to love, with fantasy races used as a shorthand for topics around parental abandonment through a queer lens. And despite my griping, that is a powerful message to center the narrative around, one that’s important in helping young readers feel seen where they otherwise might not. I feel like I should reiterate that I didn’t hate this book, quite the contrary actually, as Love at Second Sight boasts another magical adventure full of wonder and imagination that most will absolutely love. Besides, while this may have broken my F.T. Lukens winning streak, I have no doubt in my mind that I’ll still read each and every one of their books. I mean, just look at the covers!
Our summer don't, our summer, our summer don't get no shine no more / Our summer die, our summertime don't got no time no more.
January 1, 2026
“I wouldn’t allow myself to be diminished for the comfort of others.”Cam Reynolds lives in a world of supernaturals...kind of. He's fascinated by them - who wouldn't be, when your best friend is a witch - but he hasn't really been around too many.
But that's all going to change.
Cam is transfers to a new high school and at first, he's super excited.
He and Al will be sharing a school for the first time, his crush (Mateo the werewolf) is also going to be there AND he's totally ready to rebrand himself and live his authentic (but under-the-radar) life.
BUT all his plans are quickly derailed.
Al says that they want to make sure Cam has other friends, the crush seems to be a bit odd around him, and worst of all, Cam has a vision on the very first day of school, marking HIM as a supernatural being as well.
Oh, and that vision? It was of a girl dying. Now he has to solve that too - or risk ending up just like her.
Okay, so it wasn't the worst book I've read but...I was bored. So bored. I bumped the audiobook to 3x speed just so it would feel like something was happening.
Let me back up a little - on paper, this book is exactly my type.
I love a supernatural high school, a normie finding out they are the 'chosen one' and sprinkle in a bit of high school drama and lgbtq+ elements and I'm set!
Only...I feel like this one leaned toward being formulaic rather than fresh and exciting.
There was no real tension or drama, every time something felt like it would build to an exciting plot point, it felt like we went along the easy route and whatever energy was being built flatlined.
The main character seemed to have an instalove relationship which can work but the interaction between the two love interests felt very brief and shallow. I wanted more development - more layers - but all I got was a heaping spoonful of superficial icing.
The friendships came together super fast in the book - one minute Cam had no friends and he blinks and suddenly has a huge ride-or-die group.
Which...felt just like too much too soon. I would have loved to see these friendships form with more thought and deliberation but it felt like they just popped out of no where.
And the powers? Don't get me started on those. He is granted powers and almost immediately is able to use them properly. We didn't even get a training montage.
So basically, this kid all without breaking a sweat.
Oh, and the cardinal sin: I pieced together the ending about 50% of the way through and had to wait and wait for the characters to catch up. (you have no idea how bad I am at figuring out the endings ahead of time - so take that information and put it in your pocket)
July 14, 2025
It was an okay read for me, but I just know that I will keep picking up books by F.T. Lukens, because these covers ALWAYS lure me back in and I'm a sheep, apparently. I just need to take a quick look at one and I click "want to read", I can't help it. The title is a bit misleading this time, though, because it's hardly a romance centered book. It's more of a paranormal coming-of-age story with 15-year-old Cam learning that he unexpectedly has clairvoyant powers. But paranormal is normal in the town of Shady Hollow, so that's not the problem. The problem is that Cam had a vision of a murder and it would be better if that doesn't actually happen in the future of course. His clairvoyance is a pretty rare ability, and all the local paranormal associations now want to recruit Cam and bribe him with gifts and promises while he rather wouldn't be the center of the town's attention. It gave special snowflake protagonist to be honest, and that is just so unnecessary in a town full of witches and werewolves and faeries and sprites and psychics. The book is about Cam navigating his new ability and trying to prevent the future he saw, even though all his other visions came true so far. He makes a lot of new friends along the way and that sure is nice for him, but it read very strangely to me. He starts the new school year with his childhood best and only friend Al, but they have a falling out almost immediately and Cam has this whole group of new people right after that? Maybe I just can't deal with high school stories anymore, because these chaotic friendships and crushes and the teen drama of it all was really not my thing. It's not a bad story by any means and I'm sure the actual target audience will easily like it. The queer normative and casually paranormal town was pretty neat and it's a straightforward story that's quick and easy to read. I predicted one of the reveals pretty early on, but things got intense near the end in a way that was unexpected and also a bit unfitting for the rest of the story. Still, it was good that the book handled heavier themes as well. Overall not bad, but just not really for me (anymore).
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s UK for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s UK for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
April 19, 2025
3.5 ☆
“For a while during the whole mess I was scared of being the main character, when I should’ve realized I wasn’t. I was merely part of an ensemble cast, and I couldn’t have done it without them.”
I’ve always wanted to read something by this author and this book was a cute introduction to their work. we follow Cam, who has believed his whole life that he was an ordinary human. until one day, he gets a vision of the future where someone gets murdered. turns out Cam is actually a psychic and this makes him popular with the other supernatural factions who want the assistance of his powers. Cam has to race against the clock to find out the identity of the girl in his vision, all while trying to stop it from happening. i liked the friend group here and was curious to unravel the mystery. Cam’s love interest Miguel, was kind of flat though and it could’ve done without the romance all together. the reveal towards the end was so random and the last 20% felt really rushed. this read on the younger side of YA, but i still had fun.
➥ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Simon & Schuster Publishing for the arc, all opinions are my own.
“For a while during the whole mess I was scared of being the main character, when I should’ve realized I wasn’t. I was merely part of an ensemble cast, and I couldn’t have done it without them.”
I’ve always wanted to read something by this author and this book was a cute introduction to their work. we follow Cam, who has believed his whole life that he was an ordinary human. until one day, he gets a vision of the future where someone gets murdered. turns out Cam is actually a psychic and this makes him popular with the other supernatural factions who want the assistance of his powers. Cam has to race against the clock to find out the identity of the girl in his vision, all while trying to stop it from happening. i liked the friend group here and was curious to unravel the mystery. Cam’s love interest Miguel, was kind of flat though and it could’ve done without the romance all together. the reveal towards the end was so random and the last 20% felt really rushed. this read on the younger side of YA, but i still had fun.
➥ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Simon & Schuster Publishing for the arc, all opinions are my own.
October 26, 2025
i was so excited seeing this book bc i've loved almost all ft lukens books i've read?? but this was honestly super disappointing :(((
the premise is always interesting, but the execution just didn't deliver 💔 my biggest issue is how surface-level everything was. i couldn't sense the chemistry between mateo and cam; they hung out alone like, twice, and mateo is always present, but his character never gets developed properly. same with his friends - yuh, they're paranormals, what else? nothing.
and it's how randomly everything happens. cam and al were like 'noooo we can't be friends' and they had a whole crying scene, and then 2 days later they're like 'let's be friends again'!! 🙄 then the long-disappeared brother makes an appearance 😱😱 and is barely mentioned again!! and then mateo is suspected to be the murderer and cam runs away, and the same night he's like 'omg i'm SURE you're not the murderer' without any basis. just trust ✨ cuz he's my friend of 2 weeks!!
and then the murder randomly happens (i thought it was gonna be the climax but it's not???) and resolves really quickly. which, as it's the big event in the book (or so i was led to believe), is insane.
and then the plot twist isn't really a twist, bc you basically can predict it from the start of the book!!
oh, also, as a high-schooler, nobody says BFF or jazz hands...like what??? 🤨
well, rant over. this book sucked. i hate that it sucked, but my opinions stand.
the premise is always interesting, but the execution just didn't deliver 💔 my biggest issue is how surface-level everything was. i couldn't sense the chemistry between mateo and cam; they hung out alone like, twice, and mateo is always present, but his character never gets developed properly. same with his friends - yuh, they're paranormals, what else? nothing.
and it's how randomly everything happens. cam and al were like 'noooo we can't be friends' and they had a whole crying scene, and then 2 days later they're like 'let's be friends again'!! 🙄 then the long-disappeared brother makes an appearance 😱😱 and is barely mentioned again!! and then mateo is suspected to be the murderer and cam runs away, and the same night he's like 'omg i'm SURE you're not the murderer' without any basis. just trust ✨ cuz he's my friend of 2 weeks!!
and then the murder randomly happens (i thought it was gonna be the climax but it's not???) and resolves really quickly. which, as it's the big event in the book (or so i was led to believe), is insane.
and then the plot twist isn't really a twist, bc you basically can predict it from the start of the book!!
oh, also, as a high-schooler, nobody says BFF or jazz hands...like what??? 🤨
well, rant over. this book sucked. i hate that it sucked, but my opinions stand.
January 14, 2025
1 Sentence Summary: Cal has always flown under the radar as a human in a paranormal town, but when on the first day at a new school he passes out and has a psychic vision of the future in which a teenage girl is gruesomely murdered, his life changes completely and he is determined to find the murderer before the vision comes true.
My Thoughts: This is probably my favorite F.T. Lukens book so far (although Spell Bound will always hold a special place in my heart).
It felt like less of a focus on the romance than their previous books, which I liked. The romance was still super sweet, but it was more subtle. I loved all of the characters; there was such a fun cast in this book! The worldbuilding was cool, too. This is one of my favorite F.T. Lukens universes, with the mix of human and paranormal and all the politics that go along with that.
The real star of the show, though, was the mystery! It was so great with lots of twists and turns and suspense, and was a huge page turner. I read it all in one night because I couldn’t put it down. I said I was just going to read a couple more chapters before bed and then before I knew it, it was 2 am and I had finished the book LOL.
Recommend to: fans of YA paranormal mysteries.
(Warnings: swearing; blood)
***
I received an ARC from a goodreads giveaway; all thoughts and opinions are my own!
My Thoughts: This is probably my favorite F.T. Lukens book so far (although Spell Bound will always hold a special place in my heart).
It felt like less of a focus on the romance than their previous books, which I liked. The romance was still super sweet, but it was more subtle. I loved all of the characters; there was such a fun cast in this book! The worldbuilding was cool, too. This is one of my favorite F.T. Lukens universes, with the mix of human and paranormal and all the politics that go along with that.
The real star of the show, though, was the mystery! It was so great with lots of twists and turns and suspense, and was a huge page turner. I read it all in one night because I couldn’t put it down. I said I was just going to read a couple more chapters before bed and then before I knew it, it was 2 am and I had finished the book LOL.
Recommend to: fans of YA paranormal mysteries.
(Warnings: swearing; blood)
***
I received an ARC from a goodreads giveaway; all thoughts and opinions are my own!
July 25, 2025
5 Stars
This is only my third time reading a novel by F.T. Lukens, but it is safe to say I’m already well on my way to being a career-long fan of theirs.
In Lukens latest YA fantasy romance, we follow fifteen-year-old high school junior Cam Reynolds, who thinks he’s very much human and very unpopular at his mixed species high school—that is, until he discovers he has a very rare, highly-coveted psychic ability that allows him to see glimpses of the future, overnight making him (reluctantly) quite the teen-aged celebrity in his small-but-supernaturally-populated-town.
His abilities are cool and all, but Cam doesn’t much enjoy the fact that his first major premonition is one of an unidentified female teenagers brutal murder, which becomes a personal obsession for Cam to solve and hopefully prevent, with the assistance of his witchy best friend and their growing new group of supernatural friends, which happens to include Cam’s long-time werewolf crush, Mateo.
I slid so effortlessly into this story, warming quickly to Cam as our somewhat shy, quirky, fairly unpopular MC who suddenly experiences some major life changes due to his burgeoning psychic abilities and rising public interest. I especially loved the rag-tag group of supernatural misfits that slowly but surely became Cam’s found family through school. They were such a fantastic YA cast of characters that I’m pretty sure 80% of my love for this story came from this ensemble cast alone.
As per usual for me, I loved this kind of alt-universe world-building, where humans and supernatural beings co-exist in a similar social reality to our own. I enjoyed discovering all the different factions of the supernatural community, as experienced through Cam’s eyes as a new psychic and, therefore, a hot commodity for any group he would choose to align himself with in the future. We’re talking werewolves, fae, sprites, witches and even a psychic community, among others—it was a hodge-podge of all my fave fantastical beings and I ate it up!!
The mystery of the unidentified “soon-to-be-killed” girl was a cool focal plot, which propelled the story forward at a solid pace, even if it was perhaps a bit predictable as to who in town was up to no good. This arc added a nice bit of excitement and significant emotional stakes, as Cam and his friends grew closer to one another, while growing closer to identifying the girl and eventually the culprit.
The romance between Cam and Mateo was super sweet, too. I loved, loved, loved that it was not only a reciprocated crush, but I daresay I was even more smitten with the intensity of Mateo's feelings for Cam, especially in the way it manifested with his uncontrolled hormonal werewolf changes. Honestly, these two were cuteness personified, giving the reader a nice slow-burn romance to root for, while never truly stealing the limelight as the larger mystery plot and the ensembles friendship goals played out in brighter and fuller focus.
It’s safe to say Love at Second Sight was a big hit with me. I (once again) thoroughly enjoyed Lukens signature storytelling style, delivering another memorable, well-drawn fantasy story to life, featuring great representation and diversity in their full-cast ensemble, and bringing lots of heart, humour, romance, and plenty of adventure to the table to make it one hell of a joyful reading experience.
***A special thanks to the publishers and the author (via Netgalley) for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is only my third time reading a novel by F.T. Lukens, but it is safe to say I’m already well on my way to being a career-long fan of theirs.
In Lukens latest YA fantasy romance, we follow fifteen-year-old high school junior Cam Reynolds, who thinks he’s very much human and very unpopular at his mixed species high school—that is, until he discovers he has a very rare, highly-coveted psychic ability that allows him to see glimpses of the future, overnight making him (reluctantly) quite the teen-aged celebrity in his small-but-supernaturally-populated-town.
His abilities are cool and all, but Cam doesn’t much enjoy the fact that his first major premonition is one of an unidentified female teenagers brutal murder, which becomes a personal obsession for Cam to solve and hopefully prevent, with the assistance of his witchy best friend and their growing new group of supernatural friends, which happens to include Cam’s long-time werewolf crush, Mateo.
I slid so effortlessly into this story, warming quickly to Cam as our somewhat shy, quirky, fairly unpopular MC who suddenly experiences some major life changes due to his burgeoning psychic abilities and rising public interest. I especially loved the rag-tag group of supernatural misfits that slowly but surely became Cam’s found family through school. They were such a fantastic YA cast of characters that I’m pretty sure 80% of my love for this story came from this ensemble cast alone.
As per usual for me, I loved this kind of alt-universe world-building, where humans and supernatural beings co-exist in a similar social reality to our own. I enjoyed discovering all the different factions of the supernatural community, as experienced through Cam’s eyes as a new psychic and, therefore, a hot commodity for any group he would choose to align himself with in the future. We’re talking werewolves, fae, sprites, witches and even a psychic community, among others—it was a hodge-podge of all my fave fantastical beings and I ate it up!!
The mystery of the unidentified “soon-to-be-killed” girl was a cool focal plot, which propelled the story forward at a solid pace, even if it was perhaps a bit predictable as to who in town was up to no good. This arc added a nice bit of excitement and significant emotional stakes, as Cam and his friends grew closer to one another, while growing closer to identifying the girl and eventually the culprit.
The romance between Cam and Mateo was super sweet, too. I loved, loved, loved that it was not only a reciprocated crush, but I daresay I was even more smitten with the intensity of Mateo's feelings for Cam, especially in the way it manifested with his uncontrolled hormonal werewolf changes. Honestly, these two were cuteness personified, giving the reader a nice slow-burn romance to root for, while never truly stealing the limelight as the larger mystery plot and the ensembles friendship goals played out in brighter and fuller focus.
It’s safe to say Love at Second Sight was a big hit with me. I (once again) thoroughly enjoyed Lukens signature storytelling style, delivering another memorable, well-drawn fantasy story to life, featuring great representation and diversity in their full-cast ensemble, and bringing lots of heart, humour, romance, and plenty of adventure to the table to make it one hell of a joyful reading experience.
***A special thanks to the publishers and the author (via Netgalley) for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
July 29, 2024I need this more than I need air in my lungs!!!
EDIT 7/29: WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL COVER
EDIT 7/29: WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL COVER
March 2, 2025
I’m sorry, okay … actual rating 3.5 stars.
Until 80% of the story, I was sure this would be a glorious four-star read. And then it wasn’t because F.T. Lukens decided to throw 80% of the plot into the last 20% of the story.
But let’s start with the lovely things.
I always love F.T. Lukens’ stories, especially the contemporary, speculative ones. Even though Love at Second Sight starts with a glimpse of a murder, it’s overall a light, witty lower YA story with a great friend group and a sweet romance. What I liked the most that all that lightness covered a far more serious theme, the acceptance of being different and that it’s okay to be different instead of wanting to be normal. The friend group was an excellent example of very different people who always had each other’s back.
I adored Cam and Mateo, and they were such a cute couple, but to be honest, I wanted way more time with Mateo. He was a pretty shy boy who was more in the background, and I’d have loved to have more time alone with them.
And then came that last 20%, and my eyebrows braided together. I just didn’t like that rushed ending where suddenly the villains took the upper hand, villains that shouldn’t be villains this late in a YA story. It’s like an unnecessary third-act break-up in a romance. So yeah, that’s why I rounded my 3.5-star rating down to a sad three stars.
Thank you, Simon and Schuster Children’s Books and Edelweiss, for this ARC!
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Until 80% of the story, I was sure this would be a glorious four-star read. And then it wasn’t because F.T. Lukens decided to throw 80% of the plot into the last 20% of the story.
But let’s start with the lovely things.
I always love F.T. Lukens’ stories, especially the contemporary, speculative ones. Even though Love at Second Sight starts with a glimpse of a murder, it’s overall a light, witty lower YA story with a great friend group and a sweet romance. What I liked the most that all that lightness covered a far more serious theme, the acceptance of being different and that it’s okay to be different instead of wanting to be normal. The friend group was an excellent example of very different people who always had each other’s back.
I adored Cam and Mateo, and they were such a cute couple, but to be honest, I wanted way more time with Mateo. He was a pretty shy boy who was more in the background, and I’d have loved to have more time alone with them.
And then came that last 20%, and my eyebrows braided together. I just didn’t like that rushed ending where suddenly the villains took the upper hand, villains that shouldn’t be villains this late in a YA story. It’s like an unnecessary third-act break-up in a romance. So yeah, that’s why I rounded my 3.5-star rating down to a sad three stars.
Thank you, Simon and Schuster Children’s Books and Edelweiss, for this ARC!
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April 29, 2025
Oookayyy this was so fun and enjoyable. Something completely different for me and I was surprised by how good it was.
A YA paranormal romance about Cam Reynolds who is 15 and starting at a new school. He just wants to fly under the radar and blend in with the other students (who have paranormal abilities). Well …things don't go exactly as he'd hoped. He ends up getting a glimpse into the future. A gruesome murder of a teen girl, through the eyes of the killer. He comes to the realization that someone at this school is a murderer. He sets out to find out WHO ..and STOP IT. He forms a great group of friends and they all help with this mystery.
Overall this is just a cute read. I really enjoyed this great cast of characters so much. The romance is on the light side and the mystery of the murder was more center stage. I loved watching this group grow and connect throughout. The way the book wraps up happens much more quickly than I'd hoped. I definitely wanted more with the ending but I still fully loved this one. If read more by this author in the future for sure.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
A YA paranormal romance about Cam Reynolds who is 15 and starting at a new school. He just wants to fly under the radar and blend in with the other students (who have paranormal abilities). Well …things don't go exactly as he'd hoped. He ends up getting a glimpse into the future. A gruesome murder of a teen girl, through the eyes of the killer. He comes to the realization that someone at this school is a murderer. He sets out to find out WHO ..and STOP IT. He forms a great group of friends and they all help with this mystery.
Overall this is just a cute read. I really enjoyed this great cast of characters so much. The romance is on the light side and the mystery of the murder was more center stage. I loved watching this group grow and connect throughout. The way the book wraps up happens much more quickly than I'd hoped. I definitely wanted more with the ending but I still fully loved this one. If read more by this author in the future for sure.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
October 4, 2024
4.5 ✨️
Oh, to be fifteen and in love with a cute werewolf who likes you back!! that's the dream
Oh, to be fifteen and in love with a cute werewolf who likes you back!! that's the dream
October 10, 2025
It’s a hard choice that no one asked for, but this may be my favorite FT Lukens book so far. With all of the found family of a TJ Klune book, Love at Second Sight features a queer normative world filled with paranormal creatures living together in a small town. Of course, there are also humans there. And if there is one thing a human is good for, it’s hating people who are different from them.
From the very first page we know that Cam’s family is very wary of anyone who isn’t like them. They hate that his best friend is a witch and discourage their relationship entirely. Wanting him to live a normal life. Foreshadowing is always strongest at high noon when the sunlight is at its peak and I knew from that moment that he was definitely not going to be “normal.”
When a fight breaks out in the hallway at school, he’s knocked into a locker and it unlocks his powers for the first time. Think Peter Parker getting bit by a radioactive spider, but he doesn’t get to shoot webs out of his wrist. I know… disappointment. But not really, because he’s clairvoyant. He has the power to see the future. Too bad the first thing he sees is a girl’s death.
This was a little different than most of the author’s backlist. Whereas most of their books have a strong romance centered focus, this one reads much more like a mystery with a little bit of lovey dovey stuff. They spend 90% of the book trying to find out how to stop Cam’s fortellings from coming true that they don’t have as much time for all the kissy kissy face. Plus, with one touch, he gets a vision. So it’d be hard to kiss him without his eyes rolling back in his head and the quiet gibberish from leaking out.
I love that Cam was surrounded by characters from all kinds of paranormal backgrounds. His bestie is a witch, the love interest is a werewolf, there are friends who are psychic, a Sprite (not the soda, the forest kind) and even a human. Call it a full house, because every seat was filled. What I loved about this larger cast is that everyone had a reason for being there. Sometimes the characters feel like they’re just there to add a token BIPOC or queer person to the mix. There is no quota getting met. This felt incredibly important and intentional.
I loved this book and as I’m writing this, I’m realizing that I want to give the book more stars. But I’m only allowed this many. 😭
From the very first page we know that Cam’s family is very wary of anyone who isn’t like them. They hate that his best friend is a witch and discourage their relationship entirely. Wanting him to live a normal life. Foreshadowing is always strongest at high noon when the sunlight is at its peak and I knew from that moment that he was definitely not going to be “normal.”
When a fight breaks out in the hallway at school, he’s knocked into a locker and it unlocks his powers for the first time. Think Peter Parker getting bit by a radioactive spider, but he doesn’t get to shoot webs out of his wrist. I know… disappointment. But not really, because he’s clairvoyant. He has the power to see the future. Too bad the first thing he sees is a girl’s death.
This was a little different than most of the author’s backlist. Whereas most of their books have a strong romance centered focus, this one reads much more like a mystery with a little bit of lovey dovey stuff. They spend 90% of the book trying to find out how to stop Cam’s fortellings from coming true that they don’t have as much time for all the kissy kissy face. Plus, with one touch, he gets a vision. So it’d be hard to kiss him without his eyes rolling back in his head and the quiet gibberish from leaking out.
I love that Cam was surrounded by characters from all kinds of paranormal backgrounds. His bestie is a witch, the love interest is a werewolf, there are friends who are psychic, a Sprite (not the soda, the forest kind) and even a human. Call it a full house, because every seat was filled. What I loved about this larger cast is that everyone had a reason for being there. Sometimes the characters feel like they’re just there to add a token BIPOC or queer person to the mix. There is no quota getting met. This felt incredibly important and intentional.
I loved this book and as I’m writing this, I’m realizing that I want to give the book more stars. But I’m only allowed this many. 😭
June 1, 2025
LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOO
April 21, 2025
thank you to margeret k mcelderry books and simonteen for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
as with all ft lukens books, these characters truly captured my hearts. i know i can trust them to write a found family story amongst a group of queer (and often out-casted) teens and know they will guide me well through their stories. and it has become a welcome yearly tradition each april to dive into these fantastical worlds and get lost in them. something i think they truly do so well.
cam, like many of the past main characters i’ve followed in lukens' works, is so damn relatable. he’s just doing his best to survive a new year, a new school. to fly under the radar. but when he learns he has future-telling abilities it turns his plans (and his identity) upside down. to me, cam has the most understandable response to being thrown head-first into a paranormal world, one he’s only ever really glimpsed into via his witch best friend. he’s confused, he’s searching for answers, and ultimately a bit hesitant at the beginning. but as he meets new paranormal classmates (collecting his paranormal yahtzee as gemma would put it), he begins to accept and embrace his situation. and these interactions with his friends, as they help cam out, figuring his new found abilities, that is what kept pulling me back to the story.
i think love at second sight is easily lukens’ least romance heavy story. there’s intentions and declarations by the characters that they like each other and want to date each other. but it’s truly not a main facet of the story. and honestly, while i wasn’t expecting that, it was a nice change. i think it made sense with the story that they’d be much more focused on solving the main murder mystery. and for any lacking romance plots i know most people love to see in their books, this one definitely had a lot of platonic love. like i said, it’s what truly kept me hooked into the story (beyond, of course, learning what happened!).
my only qualm with this story is the structuring of the main plot. i think the last 50 pages had SO much happening, it almost felt like whiplash. it’s one of those stories i wish we had another 50 pages tacked on so we could go through the ending to the murder plot with a little more grace. it felt like we went from so much learning throughout the majority of the book, to everything in the vision (and more) happening over the course of the night and only taking 3 total chapters. this is something i wish had been further developed unfortunately. because i think we could’ve have had more focus on the group’s dynamics (mainly kaci’s growing abilities being hinted at), on cam’s recovery after everything, and the overall fall out with what happened. and i definitely wish we had one final interaction with cam and “the victim” (not to spoil by naming who!) as well as some more with cam and aiden reconnecting. tldr, i definitely needed more time for the resolution portion.
overall, ft lukens knows how write my perfect stories and i hope to continue my april tradition for many years to follow.
as with all ft lukens books, these characters truly captured my hearts. i know i can trust them to write a found family story amongst a group of queer (and often out-casted) teens and know they will guide me well through their stories. and it has become a welcome yearly tradition each april to dive into these fantastical worlds and get lost in them. something i think they truly do so well.
cam, like many of the past main characters i’ve followed in lukens' works, is so damn relatable. he’s just doing his best to survive a new year, a new school. to fly under the radar. but when he learns he has future-telling abilities it turns his plans (and his identity) upside down. to me, cam has the most understandable response to being thrown head-first into a paranormal world, one he’s only ever really glimpsed into via his witch best friend. he’s confused, he’s searching for answers, and ultimately a bit hesitant at the beginning. but as he meets new paranormal classmates (collecting his paranormal yahtzee as gemma would put it), he begins to accept and embrace his situation. and these interactions with his friends, as they help cam out, figuring his new found abilities, that is what kept pulling me back to the story.
i think love at second sight is easily lukens’ least romance heavy story. there’s intentions and declarations by the characters that they like each other and want to date each other. but it’s truly not a main facet of the story. and honestly, while i wasn’t expecting that, it was a nice change. i think it made sense with the story that they’d be much more focused on solving the main murder mystery. and for any lacking romance plots i know most people love to see in their books, this one definitely had a lot of platonic love. like i said, it’s what truly kept me hooked into the story (beyond, of course, learning what happened!).
my only qualm with this story is the structuring of the main plot. i think the last 50 pages had SO much happening, it almost felt like whiplash. it’s one of those stories i wish we had another 50 pages tacked on so we could go through the ending to the murder plot with a little more grace. it felt like we went from so much learning throughout the majority of the book, to everything in the vision (and more) happening over the course of the night and only taking 3 total chapters. this is something i wish had been further developed unfortunately. because i think we could’ve have had more focus on the group’s dynamics (mainly kaci’s growing abilities being hinted at), on cam’s recovery after everything, and the overall fall out with what happened. and i definitely wish we had one final interaction with cam and “the victim” (not to spoil by naming who!) as well as some more with cam and aiden reconnecting. tldr, i definitely needed more time for the resolution portion.
overall, ft lukens knows how write my perfect stories and i hope to continue my april tradition for many years to follow.
March 30, 2025
“You have an amazing gift. You’re destined to be the center of the local paranormal community. You have main character energy. Why would you hide it?”
2.5 stars
I was mostly enjoying this, nothing great or anything, until the 55-60% mark when it all went downhill. At least it took me a while to see who was behind the mystery aspect of this, so I guess there’s that.
Cam was a fucking idiot. I can’t even describe how much he annoyed me. Everything had to be about him. I didn’t like Al at the beginning because I thought they were just leaving Cam behind because he was human, but then I was like, nah, Al is right, Cam is super annoying and selfish. I mean, Al wasn’t great either, I don’t consider them a good friend to Cam. lmao just overall not nice people
Gemma and Kaci were nice, no real issue with them. Mateo was just a blank love interest. Absolutely nothing to him.
Every other character was mostly one-dimensional, and I’ve forgotten them already.
This was so young 🫠🫠 I know that’s a me problem but I was cringing a lot with how…cringy… all the high school scenes were and some of the things they said and thought. The way everything was handled, the reveal, it was so young. So stereotypical evil or so easy to follow along with, no thinking required. There was especially no thinking on Cam's part BECAUSE I-D-I-O-T.
If you are a under 14 year old human, you may enjoy this more than I did. So take that into consideration.
If you are 14+, eh, maybe don’t bother 🥲
A big thank you to Simon and Schuster for an eARC and a physical ARC!
2.5 stars
I was mostly enjoying this, nothing great or anything, until the 55-60% mark when it all went downhill. At least it took me a while to see who was behind the mystery aspect of this, so I guess there’s that.
Cam was a fucking idiot. I can’t even describe how much he annoyed me. Everything had to be about him. I didn’t like Al at the beginning because I thought they were just leaving Cam behind because he was human, but then I was like, nah, Al is right, Cam is super annoying and selfish. I mean, Al wasn’t great either, I don’t consider them a good friend to Cam. lmao just overall not nice people
Gemma and Kaci were nice, no real issue with them. Mateo was just a blank love interest. Absolutely nothing to him.
Every other character was mostly one-dimensional, and I’ve forgotten them already.
This was so young 🫠🫠 I know that’s a me problem but I was cringing a lot with how…cringy… all the high school scenes were and some of the things they said and thought. The way everything was handled, the reveal, it was so young. So stereotypical evil or so easy to follow along with, no thinking required. There was especially no thinking on Cam's part BECAUSE I-D-I-O-T.
If you are a under 14 year old human, you may enjoy this more than I did. So take that into consideration.
If you are 14+, eh, maybe don’t bother 🥲
A big thank you to Simon and Schuster for an eARC and a physical ARC!
March 19, 2025
Gosh this was such a fun time! Paranormal is BACK, baby (don't come for me if it has been back... this made me feel like I did reading paranormal romances in high school, but it was more humorous).
This world was so fun! It felt very contemporary but with magical beings in society (faeries, sprites, vampires, werewolves, witches, etc.). Cam's plight realizing he is clairvoyant and having to deal with the initial ramifications of that all on his own was so interesting to read. I loved seeing his friend group form (and also each friend is so distinct?! I want more books about this group!!!). The romance was cute, but more on the back burner than I was expecting (maybe it could be more of a focus in potential future books?? O.o).
This book is about accepting yourself for who you are and coming to terms with cutting out people who don't. I wasn't expecting the message to have such a punch to it, but I was crying near the end. These characters deserve everything. I hope there will be another book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
This world was so fun! It felt very contemporary but with magical beings in society (faeries, sprites, vampires, werewolves, witches, etc.). Cam's plight realizing he is clairvoyant and having to deal with the initial ramifications of that all on his own was so interesting to read. I loved seeing his friend group form (and also each friend is so distinct?! I want more books about this group!!!). The romance was cute, but more on the back burner than I was expecting (maybe it could be more of a focus in potential future books?? O.o).
This book is about accepting yourself for who you are and coming to terms with cutting out people who don't. I wasn't expecting the message to have such a punch to it, but I was crying near the end. These characters deserve everything. I hope there will be another book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
April 27, 2025
Actual rating: 3,75
This was a cute coming off age story that shows the importance of good friends and the effects of bigotry.
I wasn’t shocked at all about how far people are willing to go to wipe out everything that they deem „not normal“.
The mixed group of friends, all coming from a different background was super heartwarming to read about. Considering our current political climate I think this is a really important and uplifting message.
I would have wished that more of the actual action would have been spread a little more across the whole book because it felt like a lot of the plot was happening in the last 15%. While the mystery kept me going I felt like some of the clues were just connected too late. No smart decision to be found in YA once again haha.
Over all this is definitely another super magical FT Lukens story with cute characters and a gripping mystery.
I honestly think the title (especially combined with the cover) is absolutely misleading though. It’s not a romance at all, there is a crush and not much else happens. The more important themes are friendship and bigotry for sure.
It’s also much more of a (murder) mystery book than a romance!
This was a cute coming off age story that shows the importance of good friends and the effects of bigotry.
I wasn’t shocked at all about how far people are willing to go to wipe out everything that they deem „not normal“.
The mixed group of friends, all coming from a different background was super heartwarming to read about. Considering our current political climate I think this is a really important and uplifting message.
I would have wished that more of the actual action would have been spread a little more across the whole book because it felt like a lot of the plot was happening in the last 15%. While the mystery kept me going I felt like some of the clues were just connected too late. No smart decision to be found in YA once again haha.
Over all this is definitely another super magical FT Lukens story with cute characters and a gripping mystery.
I honestly think the title (especially combined with the cover) is absolutely misleading though. It’s not a romance at all, there is a crush and not much else happens. The more important themes are friendship and bigotry for sure.
It’s also much more of a (murder) mystery book than a romance!
April 10, 2025
Thank you once more to the Ft Lukens for sending me the arc of this.
F.T Lukens out here constantly reminding me how much they're one of my fave authors every release I read from them. They write such good ensemble casts and found families, it's such a treat to dive into each of their new releases. I loved Cam so much as a main character as well. The mystery was really engaging and it had me constantly theorizing and always on my toes. Don't want to go much further into details because of spoilers but go do yourself a favor and pick this up!
It's almost a shame that this is releasing in spring time because this is the PERFECT book for Halloween time. All I can say now is that I desperately want FT Lukens to write a vampire book after this.
F.T Lukens out here constantly reminding me how much they're one of my fave authors every release I read from them. They write such good ensemble casts and found families, it's such a treat to dive into each of their new releases. I loved Cam so much as a main character as well. The mystery was really engaging and it had me constantly theorizing and always on my toes. Don't want to go much further into details because of spoilers but go do yourself a favor and pick this up!
It's almost a shame that this is releasing in spring time because this is the PERFECT book for Halloween time. All I can say now is that I desperately want FT Lukens to write a vampire book after this.
November 9, 2025
This was a pretty disappointing read. I was hoping for another 5 star F. T. Lukens read, but sadly this was not it :(
February 7, 2025
5⭐
Thank You F. T. Lukens, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!
𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 is about Cam Reynolds, who after getting an unexpected vision about a future murder, must juggle newfound interest from the supernatural community while trying to prevent the murder from happening, set in a queer-normative world in this new romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author F.T. Lukens.
I loved this book so much that I finished it one day! Love at First Sight had me intrigued by the blurb and I immediately hit request.
The world-building was unique and simple and the lore did not lack depth but still had enough to understand the situation. The supernatural community was uniquely set in a queer-normative world which was an intriguing setup.
I loved how relatable Cam and Matteo were. All the characters were unique and well developed, the character development for one book was well done and by the end of the book, I came to like a few characters that I did not like in the beginning.
The chemistry between Cam and Matteo was so natural and organic. The tension between them was sizzling and the execution of their relationship while juggling the murder suspects was well done.
The plot twists in this book had my jaw dropping and I needed to take a break in reading. The way the author plotted this book is amazing because the pacing was perfect and everything was unfolding and tying together perfectly towards the end. I enjoyed the revelations and watching it unfold was very satisfying.
Overall, if you enjoy reading paranormal romantic fiction, you'll enjoy reading 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 .
Thank You F. T. Lukens, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!
𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 is about Cam Reynolds, who after getting an unexpected vision about a future murder, must juggle newfound interest from the supernatural community while trying to prevent the murder from happening, set in a queer-normative world in this new romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author F.T. Lukens.
I loved this book so much that I finished it one day! Love at First Sight had me intrigued by the blurb and I immediately hit request.
The world-building was unique and simple and the lore did not lack depth but still had enough to understand the situation. The supernatural community was uniquely set in a queer-normative world which was an intriguing setup.
I loved how relatable Cam and Matteo were. All the characters were unique and well developed, the character development for one book was well done and by the end of the book, I came to like a few characters that I did not like in the beginning.
The chemistry between Cam and Matteo was so natural and organic. The tension between them was sizzling and the execution of their relationship while juggling the murder suspects was well done.
The plot twists in this book had my jaw dropping and I needed to take a break in reading. The way the author plotted this book is amazing because the pacing was perfect and everything was unfolding and tying together perfectly towards the end. I enjoyed the revelations and watching it unfold was very satisfying.
Overall, if you enjoy reading paranormal romantic fiction, you'll enjoy reading 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 .
May 7, 2025
I’ve really enjoyed every book I’ve read by F.T. Lukens so far, Otherworldly was actually one of my absolute highlights in 2024, so I was incredibly excited for their new release. And to be fair, Love at Second Sight started off strong. I liked the supernatural twist and the Urban Fantasy setting, which felt both familiar and fresh. One of the biggest strengths for me was the found family vibe. Watching Cam slowly build a diverse and supportive group of friends was genuinely heartwarming.
For the first two-thirds, I was thoroughly entertained and ready to give it a solid four stars. But then... something just went off the rails. The last 30% felt weirdly artificial, like it had been rushed or maybe even written by ChatGPT (and not on a good day). The plot became overly dramatic and lost all believability, the characters started making baffling choices, and the resolution of the mystery was so far-fetched it completely took me out of the story.
I also wish there had been more focus on the romance. Cam and Mateo had potential, but their relationship felt underdeveloped and didn’t get nearly enough space. That was especially disappointing because Otherworldly managed to deliver a romance that hit me right in the feels, even though it wasn’t front and center.
In the end, I’m just kind of disappointed. I really wanted to love this book, and for a while, I thought I would. I still have hope for whatever Lukens writes next, fingers crossed it’ll be more like their previous work.
For the first two-thirds, I was thoroughly entertained and ready to give it a solid four stars. But then... something just went off the rails. The last 30% felt weirdly artificial, like it had been rushed or maybe even written by ChatGPT (and not on a good day). The plot became overly dramatic and lost all believability, the characters started making baffling choices, and the resolution of the mystery was so far-fetched it completely took me out of the story.
I also wish there had been more focus on the romance. Cam and Mateo had potential, but their relationship felt underdeveloped and didn’t get nearly enough space. That was especially disappointing because Otherworldly managed to deliver a romance that hit me right in the feels, even though it wasn’t front and center.
In the end, I’m just kind of disappointed. I really wanted to love this book, and for a while, I thought I would. I still have hope for whatever Lukens writes next, fingers crossed it’ll be more like their previous work.
January 22, 2025
Thank you to Simon Teen for a digital copy to review!
When a teen has an unexpected vision about a future murder, he must juggle newfound interest from the supernatural community with trying to prevent the murder from happening in this new romantic fantasy
^from the publisher!
This is my first book by FT Lukens and it definitely won’t be my last! I get to meet them at Love Y’all Fest in February and I was excited to dive into their work.
I was immediately bought into Cam’s story and I LOVED the social commentary here. If you live in the US - you will immediately recognize it for what it is.
I don’t want to spoil anything but this was a delight. I loved our friend group, the casual queerness, the mystery, and the found family of it all. Just a beautiful story!
When a teen has an unexpected vision about a future murder, he must juggle newfound interest from the supernatural community with trying to prevent the murder from happening in this new romantic fantasy
^from the publisher!
This is my first book by FT Lukens and it definitely won’t be my last! I get to meet them at Love Y’all Fest in February and I was excited to dive into their work.
I was immediately bought into Cam’s story and I LOVED the social commentary here. If you live in the US - you will immediately recognize it for what it is.
I don’t want to spoil anything but this was a delight. I loved our friend group, the casual queerness, the mystery, and the found family of it all. Just a beautiful story!
July 1, 2025
3.5 rounded up
This is a prime example of why I can't judge a book based on the cover and title. I assumed it would be a YA paranormal second chance romance. And this is YA paranormal, but it is on the lower YA side (like middle grade level) and not really a romance (which is fine), the major themes are of friendships and bigotry with a little murder mystery.
The pacing is way off, so much action happens in the last 20%, and though it's not a shock what happens, it just feels thrown together quickly and would have been nice spread out more.
I like Gemma and Cam (though he's frustrating at times) but I wish Mateo had way more character development, also Cam's brother felt unnecessary, I can't even remember his name.
This is a prime example of why I can't judge a book based on the cover and title. I assumed it would be a YA paranormal second chance romance. And this is YA paranormal, but it is on the lower YA side (like middle grade level) and not really a romance (which is fine), the major themes are of friendships and bigotry with a little murder mystery.
The pacing is way off, so much action happens in the last 20%, and though it's not a shock what happens, it just feels thrown together quickly and would have been nice spread out more.
I like Gemma and Cam (though he's frustrating at times) but I wish Mateo had way more character development, also Cam's brother felt unnecessary, I can't even remember his name.
September 18, 2025
4.5⭐️
A Young Adult murder mystery romcom with a slow burn romance between a human teenager who starts to get mysterious powers and his werewolf classmate who he has been crushing on forever… sign me up.
This book was full of nostalgic joy. I really enjoyed the characters being slightly morally confusing and the element of realism from their petty teenage mistakes. I was absolutely invested in the mystery of this book and the paranormal elements flowed so easily without feeling like there was intense world-building.
Highly recommend for teens and adults who are looking for a classic magic-style book with loveable characters and strong themes of friendship. Another absolute hit from F.T. Lukens.
This book was provided to me as an ARC by NetGalley and this is my honest review.
A Young Adult murder mystery romcom with a slow burn romance between a human teenager who starts to get mysterious powers and his werewolf classmate who he has been crushing on forever… sign me up.
This book was full of nostalgic joy. I really enjoyed the characters being slightly morally confusing and the element of realism from their petty teenage mistakes. I was absolutely invested in the mystery of this book and the paranormal elements flowed so easily without feeling like there was intense world-building.
Highly recommend for teens and adults who are looking for a classic magic-style book with loveable characters and strong themes of friendship. Another absolute hit from F.T. Lukens.
This book was provided to me as an ARC by NetGalley and this is my honest review.
May 18, 2025
4.5/5 ⭐️
A little slow to start, but I ended up really enjoying it. The story was interesting, the characters were a lot of fun, and the magic was cool. It annoyed me that none of them thought telling an adult would be the best course of action, but it was understandable given the rising tensions and the fact that they’re still young. I really liked that the story keeps you guessing until the end.
A little slow to start, but I ended up really enjoying it. The story was interesting, the characters were a lot of fun, and the magic was cool. It annoyed me that none of them thought telling an adult would be the best course of action, but it was understandable given the rising tensions and the fact that they’re still young. I really liked that the story keeps you guessing until the end.
August 6, 2025
This magical paranormal YA novel, complete with paranormals, difficult family situations, acceptance, LGBTQ representation, and found family, is an absolute gem of a story that captivated and held my interest the entire way through!
I am becoming more and more of a fan of FT Lukens with every story I read!
I am becoming more and more of a fan of FT Lukens with every story I read!
April 17, 2025
Okay, this book reminds me of the first book by the author because I LOVED it so much! So much that I wish we could have a whole series with this group of friends that I fell in love with all of them.
First was our main character Cam. He was so relatable with his oddball persona, and a friend that was kind of drifting away even as they had a chance to go to school together again, because of how their lives were different. And then something crazy happened to Cam, now he was paranormal instead of just human, but it still didn’t mean he and his best friend Al were closer. They still had a distance between them because Al’s family was a coven of witches and they wanted Cam to align with them. But Cam didn’t know that he wanted to align with just one group, he wanted to use his power to help people.
Worse though is that first glimpse or vision that he had. Especially when he figures out who the murdered teen girl is. At that point he wants to know if once he’s seen something it can be changed. Along the way Cam kind of collects his own Scooby gang of paranormal group reps. Starting with the werewolf he’s had a crush on for a long time, Mateo. Mateo’s best friend Kaci, who is also a psychic like Cam, but she has a different talent. And then the other kind of paranormal, besides Cam’s oldest BFF Al – the witch, is a sprite – Reese, someone they aren’t sure at first if he is a friend or just along to make sure how things go. Finally a girl named Gemma – a human – who is the one that kind of outs Cam’s psychic power by posting a video that goes viral on her social media account where she’s all about all things paranormal even if she’s only human.
And then there is the family drama. Cam’s older brother Aiden disappeared when he went away to college and hasn’t once reached out to him. Cam’s parents are not a fan of anything paranormal, and warn Cam that he should find human friends and not pick back up with Al just because they are at the same school. Secrets come out about Cam’s family, good, bad, and ones that lead up to our moment at the end of drama.
Gah, I just loved this book so much and could barely put it down! I love the way all of our Scooby gang characters had things to grow and do with their own powers, even if they’d had them their whole lives. I love the whole parallel to being “outed” for his glimpses and it was against his will, and how that can apply to the LGBTQ community and people treating them the same way. Even how Cam’s parents treated him when he got his power was what I’m sure is reminiscent for teens who have non-supportive parents when they come out as their preferred gender or sexuality.
I have only one teeny, tiny issue, and it was at the very end, when he asked one of the elders who they thought he should align with, and their answer was good. But there was nothing at all about who he should pick or that he shouldn’t pick anyone or anything like that. And he didn’t even think anything about that? Another great book from this author!
Review first posted on Lisa Loves Literature
First was our main character Cam. He was so relatable with his oddball persona, and a friend that was kind of drifting away even as they had a chance to go to school together again, because of how their lives were different. And then something crazy happened to Cam, now he was paranormal instead of just human, but it still didn’t mean he and his best friend Al were closer. They still had a distance between them because Al’s family was a coven of witches and they wanted Cam to align with them. But Cam didn’t know that he wanted to align with just one group, he wanted to use his power to help people.
Worse though is that first glimpse or vision that he had. Especially when he figures out who the murdered teen girl is. At that point he wants to know if once he’s seen something it can be changed. Along the way Cam kind of collects his own Scooby gang of paranormal group reps. Starting with the werewolf he’s had a crush on for a long time, Mateo. Mateo’s best friend Kaci, who is also a psychic like Cam, but she has a different talent. And then the other kind of paranormal, besides Cam’s oldest BFF Al – the witch, is a sprite – Reese, someone they aren’t sure at first if he is a friend or just along to make sure how things go. Finally a girl named Gemma – a human – who is the one that kind of outs Cam’s psychic power by posting a video that goes viral on her social media account where she’s all about all things paranormal even if she’s only human.
And then there is the family drama. Cam’s older brother Aiden disappeared when he went away to college and hasn’t once reached out to him. Cam’s parents are not a fan of anything paranormal, and warn Cam that he should find human friends and not pick back up with Al just because they are at the same school. Secrets come out about Cam’s family, good, bad, and ones that lead up to our moment at the end of drama.
Gah, I just loved this book so much and could barely put it down! I love the way all of our Scooby gang characters had things to grow and do with their own powers, even if they’d had them their whole lives. I love the whole parallel to being “outed” for his glimpses and it was against his will, and how that can apply to the LGBTQ community and people treating them the same way. Even how Cam’s parents treated him when he got his power was what I’m sure is reminiscent for teens who have non-supportive parents when they come out as their preferred gender or sexuality.
I have only one teeny, tiny issue, and it was at the very end, when he asked one of the elders who they thought he should align with, and their answer was good. But there was nothing at all about who he should pick or that he shouldn’t pick anyone or anything like that. And he didn’t even think anything about that? Another great book from this author!
Review first posted on Lisa Loves Literature
June 26, 2025
FT Lukens is one of my favorites when I want to read YA books and this one was amazing too! I love fantasy books and this one was so adorable. I adored them so much 🥹 FT Lukens is the queen of found familys for sure
July 31, 2025
Always I am sucked in by the Vibes of an F.T. Lukens and always I am mildly disappointed. So it goes.
September 25, 2025
From the title and cover I thought this was gonna be a YA romance.
I was mistaken.
This is a really awesome paranormal mystery with ghosties and psychic visions.
In other words...even better than expected!
Much love to Simon & Schuster Canada for my copy!
I was mistaken.
This is a really awesome paranormal mystery with ghosties and psychic visions.
In other words...even better than expected!
Much love to Simon & Schuster Canada for my copy!
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