Book Review: “Love at Second Sight” by F.T. Lukens

“Love at Second Sight” by F.T. Lukens (2025)

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction. LGBTQ

Page Length: 368 pages (hardcover edition)

Synopsis:

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 things: 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.

Review:

After being introduced to Lukens through their previous novel Otherworldly, I knew I would be in for a entertaining reading experience in Love at Second Sight. This novel mixes a coming-of-age narrative that will connect to its teen audience and other readers along with the supernatural. There’s high school drama, a potential murder mystery afoot, romance, and newfound friendships. All of these elements combined made for an enjoyable reading experience especially those who are fans of the Fantasy genre.

What I enjoyed most about this novel besides the thrilling scenesa and suspenseful plot, was its characters and overall relatability. I grew to love the rag-tag “Scooby gang” (as the characters call themselves) and though they come together from different magical factions they develop a strong friendship. It was heartwarming to see how the characters connect and watch them grow on their individual journies. It was cool to see them in action with their powers and overcome obstacles one step at time.

The romance was very cute and I also appreciated while that it was a major part of the story that it didn’t take it away from the novel overall. (It is more of a mystery novel, in my opinion, than as the marketing states). Most importantly I appreciated the message of the novel being about having good friends, acceptance, and the effects of bigotry.

Final Verdict:

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.