Love at Second Sight by F.T. Lukens: Review

Welcome to my review of Love at Second Sight by F.T. Lukens! I’ve read In Deeper Waters and Otherworldly by this author, so I eagerly requested this book from Simon Teen.

Cover of Love at Second Sight by F.T. Lukens

Title: Love at Second Sight
Author: F.T. Lukens
Genre: YA Romantic Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pub Date: 04/29/25

Description

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 “riveting” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) New York Times bestselling romantic fantasy from F.T. Lukens.

Fifteen-year-old Cam Reynolds wants to spend his sophomore year flying under the radar. That shouldn’t be too hard, considering he’s a human going to school with kids who have paranormal powers, like his best friend and witch, Al, and his longtime werewolf crush, Mateo.

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 and who might be a werewolf in sheep’s clothing. 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

I’ve loved every F.T. Lukens book I’ve read, so I was excited to read Love at Second Sight, especially because of the premise of a normal teen gaining powers and trying to navigate faction politics while also having to contend with school, new friends, and a potential murder.

This one didn’t pull me in as much as their other books, but I still enjoyed it. I loved the effect Cam’s new group of friends had on his understanding of his abilities and what it looks like to not depend on one person for all his friendship needs. There was some good tension between Cam’s old life and new life, especially since his parents were not fans of the paranormal. Cam had to toe the line with how much to be honest and express his true self while also not trying to fan his parents’ disdain. By the end of the book, it became even more clear that Cam’s abilities were also an allegory, and I loved how the author used that to draw attention to problems in real life.

Overall, I always enjoy the way Lukens writes about the paranormal and fantastical, and this book is a good read for those who enjoy high-stakes drama and budding romance.

*Thank you to the publisher for sending an ARC. All opinions are my own.*

Author

F.T. Lukens is a New York Times bestselling author of YA speculative fiction including the novels Spell Bound, So This Is Ever After, and In Deeper Waters (2022 ALA Rainbow Booklist; Junior Library Guild Selection), as well as other science fiction and fantasy works. Their contemporary fantasy novel The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic was a 2017 Cybils Award finalist in YA Speculative Fiction and won the Bisexual Book Award for Speculative Fiction. F.T. resides in North Carolina with their spouse, three kids, three dogs, and three cats.