Trigger Warning: suicide, bereavement, mental health illnesses.
Nell is a telephone operator at a mental health charity. One lunch time chance leads Nell to meet Charlie in a cafe. They both feel a spark but regrettably don’t exchange numbers. After leaving the cafe and heading back to work Nell does a u-turn, as she rushes back to the cafe in hope that Charlie is still there. When she realises he is not, she accepts she will not see him again.
Fate has a funny way of bringing people together and that is exactly what happens to Nell and Charlie when the next day Nell’s work phone rings and Charlie is at the other end of the line. He needs Nell’s help.
At First Sight is beautifully written and heartwarming but is like no other romance story I have ever read as it delves into some of life’s darkest moments as it centres around themes such as suicide, mental health, depression, grief and finding love after bereavement.
Having been recently bereaved by suicide myself, I thought that the book was written in the most sensitive way, with an aim to break surrounding stigmas and raise awareness, and you can tell that Hannah Sunderland had researched the themes very thoroughly.
The pace of the book felt right and I felt fully invested in all the characters. Whilst, as a reader you want Nell and Charlie to live happily ever after, I really appreciated that the author didn’t include romantic cliches. I found this emphasised the difficulties those who have been bereaved, and those who support them, face and that these things are never a straight line.
Overall, a really emotionally rewarding book, which is very different from anything I have read before.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Reads Must 