ABOUT THE BOOK
In this warm and witty romance from acclaimed author Kate Clayborn, one little word puts one woman’s business—and her heart—in jeopardy . . .
In this warm and witty romance from acclaimed author Kate Clayborn, one little word puts one woman’s business—and her heart—in jeopardy . . .
Meg Mackworth’s hand-lettering skill has made her famous as the Planner of Park
Slope, designing beautiful custom journals for New York City’s elite. She has
another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Like the time she sat
across from Reid Sutherland and his gorgeous fiancée, and knew their upcoming
marriage was doomed to fail. Weaving a secret word into their wedding program
was a little unprofessional, but she was sure no one else would spot it. She
hadn’t counted on sharp-eyed, pattern-obsessed Reid . . .
A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out—before he leaves New York
for good—how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to
implode. But with a looming deadline, a fractured friendship, and a bad case of
creative block, Meg doesn’t have time for Reid’s questions—unless he can help
her find her missing inspiration. As they gradually open up to each other about
their lives, work, and regrets, both try to ignore the fact that their unlikely
connection is growing deeper. But the signs are there—irresistible,
indisputable, urging Meg to heed the messages Reid is sending her, before it’s
too late . . .
MY THOUGHTS
LOVE LETTERING by Kate Clayborn is the kind of book that
enters your life with little fanfare. You might pick it up to read immediately,
you might set it aside for a while, but when you open those pages and fall into
the story, you feel as if you are seeing the world through an entirely
different lens. Well, that’s what I got out of it, in any case.
The attention to detail and sharp observations Clayborn
brings to her characters made me want to revel in the words on each page. The
story is told from the point of view of Meg Mackworth, who we meet when she’s
at a personal and professional crossroads; it’s a time where she is questioning
her creativity, her seemingly rootless existence, and her reliance on the small
circle of people in her life.
When Reid Sutherland enters her life for a second time, he
is a disillusioned version of his former self, yet Meg is intrigued and to
begin with, a little fearful of Reid. Meg reaches out to Reid, and invites him
on her journey to try and reconnect with her creativity and her love of her adopted
home of New York City. As they walk the streets of the city, Meg and Reid
slowly open up to one and other and reveal their vulnerabilities. It’s certainly
not smooth sailing, as the taciturn Reid and contemplative Meg often clash. Ultimately, it’s the smallest of words, the
looks, the touches, and the gestures that unhurriedly build a connection
between them. So utterly dreamy!
Secondary to their romance, there’s this wonderful theme of rediscovering
a forgotten New York. While the books are nothing alike, reading LOVE LETTERING
had me feeling some of the same things as when I read Lillian Boxfish Takes a
Walk by Kathleen Rooney. It’s a love letter to parts of the city that have
at best been overlooked or at worst, forgotten altogether. This parts a bonus
for lovers of New York City.
LOVE LETTERING is a slow-burn romance at its finest. It’s one of my top reads for 2019.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kate started writing stories on the extra wide-ruled
notebook paper her first grade teacher passed out for handwriting practice,
dreaming up everything from fairy princesses to secret agents, to fairy
princesses who were also secret agents. She got gold stars for her handwriting,
and side-eyes for the secret agent stuff.
Those stories were packed away in a memory box while Kate
grew up and did lots of things—a master’s degree, a PhD, work, travel, home
renovation, life in general—always with a book at her side.
A jolt in the form of a great romance novel reminded her to
start writing stories again, but this time on a laptop (though she still has
excellent handwriting).
These days Kate’s favorite stories to write are the ones
that make people snort-laugh and happy-sigh—stories about smart, strong
heroines who face the world alongside true friends, complicated families, and
good men who recognize exactly how amazing the women they love are.
Kate is lucky enough to spend her days reading and talking
about all kinds of great books. When she’s not doing that, she’s writing them,
thinking about writing them, or remembering edits she needs to make in them.
There’s also the thing where she takes long walks around her neighborhood and
makes her handsome husband and sweet-faced dog listen to her talk about books
and writing. They’re never bored and she’s not single-minded at all.
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