Love at First Set

A Novel

By: Jennifer Dugan

Narrated by: Lori Prince

Sometimes true love takes a little heavy lifting

"The most hilarious disaster bisexuals you’ll ever meet.” —Dahlia Adler, Buzzfeed Books

This irresistible adult debut from beloved YA author Jennifer Dugan is a queer romcom for fans of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and Written in the Stars, in which a gym employee accidentally ruins her bosses’ daughter’s wedding, then even more accidentally falls for the runaway bride...

The gym is Lizzie’s life—it’s her passion, her job, and the only place that’s ever felt like home. Unfortunately, her bosses consider her a glorified check-in girl at best, and the gym punching bag at worst.

When their son, Lizzie’s best friend, James, begs her to be his plus one at his perfect sister Cara’s wedding, things go wrong immediately, and culminate in Lizzie giving a drunken pep talk to a hot stranger in the women’s bathroom—except that stranger is actually the bride-to-be, and Lizzie has accidentally convinced her to ditch her groom.

Now, newly directionless Cara is on a quest to find herself, and Lizzie—desperate to make sure her bosses never find out her role in this fiasco—gets strong-armed by James into “entertaining” her. Cara doesn’t have to know it’s a setup; it’ll just be a quick fling before she sobers up and goes back to her real life. After all, how could someone like Cara fall for someone like Lizzie, with no career and no future?

But the more Lizzie gets to know Cara, the more she likes her, and the bigger the potential disaster if any of her rapidly multiplying secrets get out. Because now it’s not just Lizzie’s job and entire future on the line, but also the girl of her dreams.

©2023 Jenn Dugan (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Hilarious and Heartwarming

Jennifer Dugan’s foray into the world of adult fiction with Love at First Set is nothing short of a delightful surprise. Known for her exceptional work in the young adult genre, Dugan seamlessly transitions into the world of adult romance, delivering a side-splitting, heartwarming tale of two mismatched souls finding love in the most unexpected places.

Romance author Dahlia Adler aptly described this book as “The most hilarious disaster bisexuals you’ll ever meet,” and this sentiment couldn’t ring truer. Love at First Set is an uproarious romantic comedy that will have you laughing, sighing, and cringing in all the right ways. It’s like watching a car crash unfold, one that you can’t tear your eyes away from, all while rooting for the chaos to turn into something beautiful.

The story introduces us to Lizzie and Cara, two bisexual women from entirely different backgrounds and life paths. Lizzie dreams of owning and running an inclusive gym, and while she currently works at a gym’s front desk, her ambition burns brighter than ever. Her connection to James, a personal trainer at the gym and the owner’s son, sets the stage for a fateful encounter that leads Lizzie to James’ sister’s wedding. And that’s where the real fun begins.

Jennifer Dugan has a remarkable knack for crafting scenes that elicit a warm smile from her readers. The pre-wedding bathroom scene, and indeed every scene that follows, is a testament to her storytelling prowess. She injects humor, heart, and charm into every page, making it impossible not to be drawn into the lives of her characters.

Without giving too much away, Love at First Set takes an unexpected turn when we discover that Cara, James’ sister, and Lizzie find themselves entangled in a playful game of one-upmanship (that neither of them realize the other is playing). The dynamic between these two characters is a rollercoaster of emotions, ranging from hilarious misunderstandings to genuine moments of connection. The chemistry between Lizzie and Cara is electrifying, and watching them navigate their differences is an absolute joy.

If you’ve previously enjoyed Jennifer Dugan’s work in the young adult genre, you’ll be thrilled to see her unique storytelling style seamlessly transition to the world of adult romance. Love at First Set is a charming, feel-good read that leaves you with a heart full of warm fuzzies. It’s a testament to the fact that love, no matter how chaotic or unconventional, can bloom in the unlikeliest of places.

Overall, Love at First Set is an irresistibly entertaining romance novel that perfectly captures the essence of opposites attracting. Jennifer Dugan’s transition to adult fiction is a resounding success, and her ability to craft endearing characters and witty, heartwarming stories shines through. This book, much like Some Girls Do, is an absolute gem that will leave you with a book hangover and a heart full of love. Do yourself a favor and move this one to the top of your TBR pile—it’s an absolute must-read for fans of romantic comedies and heartwarming love stories.

I enjoyed the narration, and the inner dialog was hilarious

Great book. I was not disappointed with my purchase. I read it in 2 days!

Finally finding her voice and self confidence

Lori Prince another fantastic performance good story . The character took a huge step forward in finding her confidence

loved it

Storyline was great. Lori Prince is as always great to listen to. Characters' build-up was great. Very funny and entertaining.

The gym-girl cadence is giving me life

I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and this is by far one of my favorites. There is something very special about to the gym-rat swagger/cadence that is perfect with the female lead. As a gym rat myself cannot get over how awesome it is to have that is part of the character's voice. This is such a great story!

the chaotic energy and love is everything

A great narrator, a chaotic, but adorable relationship and high stakes throughout this cute romcom story. 10/10.

Emotional gymnastics

This starts with one of the funniest meet cute scenes I've ever listened to--one stranger sobbing in a bathroom stall at a wedding and another, slightly tipsy, or very tipsy, trying to comfort her as the rules of "girlcode" require. One woman comes from the wrong side of the tracks and the other from lots of money. Lizzy's passion for gymn life is moving. The story is heavy on the class warfare theme but both characters are engaging and manage, after a lot of ups and downs, to come together. The narration is excellent in bringing both Lizzy and Kara to life. The story has excellent narrative drive and brings us to happily ever after.

I love this story

Excellent story. I love everything about this book. The characters and the whole storyline. Jennifer Dugan writer. I especially love Lori Prince reading this book. Excellent narrator always.

Loved it

Lori Prince brings the brilliance of this story to life with unmatched comedic and passionate flair.
Loved every word of it even if it did make me question why lesbians are stereotyped about needing to talk about everything when all the drama in lesbian romances comes from them NOT talking. lmao

Great story, but one-sided

I really enjoyed the cutesy, classic romcom formula of this book, and I loved the narration. However, it was all from one perspective, Lizzy. I would've enjoyed it more if we got the internal dialogue and thoughts for Cara, too. It would've added much more depth to her character (which she needed, though not terribly so). Still, it was an enjoyable sapphic romance.