First Time Caller Summary, Characters and Themes
First Time Caller by B.K. Borison is a heartfelt contemporary romance that explores love, vulnerability, and second chances through the unlikely connection between a cynical late-night radio host and a fiercely independent single mom.
Set against the moody backdrop of Baltimore, the novel builds its emotional depth through late-night radio confessions, unexpected intimacy, and the quiet courage it takes to believe in love again. With a cast of witty, warm, and vividly drawn characters—especially the meddling, big-hearted daughter who starts it all—Borison crafts a love story that feels as real as it is romantic. It’s tender, sharp, and deeply human.
Summary
Aiden Valentine is a once-passionate late-night radio host in Baltimore, known for his romance advice show Heartstrings. But lately, Aiden is burned out and drifting, his voice smooth on-air but his heart heavy off it.
Disillusioned with love and drained by the performative intimacy of call-in radio, he hides his emotional exhaustion behind sarcasm and wit. Even his closest friend, Jackson, can see he’s unraveling. Aiden is emotionally distant, haunted by the weight of being “the guy with the answers” when he feels hollow inside.
Meanwhile, Lucie Stone is doing her best to keep her life stitched together. A single mother, mechanic, and co-parent with her flamboyant ex-husband Grayson and his husband Mateo, Lucie has long put her own desires on hold.
She’s practical, sarcastic, and fiercely independent—maybe too independent. Her daughter, Maya, sees this and decides to take things into her own hands.
One night, Maya secretly calls into Heartstrings pretending to seek romantic advice—for her mom.
The call takes Aiden off guard, and when Lucie discovers what’s happening mid-call, she barges in with fury. But what starts as an ambush evolves into something unexpected. Aiden and Lucie clash and spark, their banter sharp but layered with vulnerability. Despite themselves, they stay on the line. And then they do it again. And again.
The radio audience catches on quickly. Listeners become invested in “the mom with the cereal wall,” a nickname referencing Lucie’s architectural snack storage.
The show’s ratings begin to climb, and Aiden’s jaded monologues shift into something warmer, more hopeful. Lucie talks openly about her failed relationships and her quiet fear that real romance might not exist for someone like her anymore.
Aiden, in turn, begins shedding his radio persona and sharing his own struggles, including his mother’s recent battle with cancer and his sense of purposelessness.
Their nightly calls become personal, intimate. Off-air, they begin emailing each other anonymously, blurring the line between listener and lover. Lucie’s wit and emotional honesty cut through Aiden’s defenses, while Aiden’s empathy and attentiveness make Lucie feel seen in a way she hasn’t for years.
Maya, ever the puppet master, continues to nudge them together, subtly arranging their schedules and dropping clues on-air.
But reality is messier than on-air fantasy. Lucie struggles with being vulnerable in real life. She worries about what others will think, about her daughter, about falling for a voice. Aiden, too, is afraid.
He’s built a career on talking about love, but he’s terrified of actually living it. When Lucie misses a scheduled call, Aiden’s reaction exposes just how deeply he’s fallen. His coworkers, especially Jackson, call him out: this isn’t just radio anymore—this is real.
Eventually, a surprise meeting orchestrated by Maya and Jackson forces Aiden and Lucie into the same room at the Skullduggery Café.
The chemistry is still there—awkward, honest, and full of promise. They talk for hours, finally naming the connection they’ve both been tiptoeing around.
From there, their relationship quietly deepens. Lucie joins Heartstrings occasionally, now rebranded as a show about real vulnerability. Aiden’s outlook shifts. Listeners are obsessed.
In private, Aiden, Lucie, and Maya build something tender and grounded: dinners, conversations, even teasing kisses that Maya rolls her eyes at.
In the epilogue, several months later, Lucie and Aiden are officially a couple. The radio show thrives, Lucie contributes regularly, and Maya is both proud and endlessly embarrassed. Aiden closes each broadcast with a new catchphrase. It’s a nod to what brought them together—and a promise that love, while messy and uncertain, is still worth the call.
Characters
Aiden Valentine
Aiden Valentine, the protagonist of First Time Caller, is a late-night radio host who specializes in offering romance advice. However, over time, he grows jaded, burnt out, and disillusioned by love and relationships.
His career, once a source of passion, begins to feel like a draining obligation, especially after a particularly volatile rant on air. Aiden’s vulnerability and inner turmoil are significant throughout the story.
He battles with feelings of isolation, despite being surrounded by family and having a successful career. The radio show provides an outlet for his unspoken thoughts and emotions, allowing his audience to see him as someone who is perhaps more human than they expect.
His connection with Lucie is transformative, as he slowly starts to realize that he has been hiding behind cynicism to protect himself from hurt. Aiden’s growth comes from learning to embrace vulnerability again, particularly with Lucie, which ultimately helps him rediscover the hope he lost in both his career and personal life.
Lucie Stone
Lucie Stone is a single mother and mechanic who finds herself caught between the demands of raising her daughter, Maya, and maintaining her own emotional well-being. Initially, she is portrayed as a strong, no-nonsense woman who is skeptical of modern dating, feeling that romantic love has been reduced to shallow, disappointing experiences.
However, through her unexpected and emotional phone conversations with Aiden on his radio show, Lucie begins to confront her deep-seated fears about love and intimacy. She comes to realize that her past heartbreaks have shaped her cynical outlook on relationships, making her cautious about opening up to anyone—especially someone she has never met in person.
As the story progresses, Lucie becomes more comfortable with her vulnerability, which allows her to connect with Aiden on a deeper level. Her journey is about rediscovering the magic of romance, and she learns to embrace the possibility of love once again.
Maya Stone
Maya, Lucie’s 12-year-old daughter, plays a pivotal role in bringing Aiden and Lucie together. Though young, Maya shows a surprising level of maturity and emotional insight, especially when it comes to her mother’s loneliness.
In an effort to help Lucie find happiness, Maya secretly calls into Aiden’s show, setting off the chain of events that lead to their growing connection. Throughout the story, Maya acts as both a catalyst for the romantic development between Aiden and Lucie and a source of emotional support for her mother.
Her innocent but insightful observations offer a sense of comic relief and tenderness to the narrative, and she becomes a key figure in encouraging her mother to take risks with her heart.
Grayson and Mateo
Grayson, Lucie’s ex-husband, and Mateo, his husband, provide a supportive but often humorous backdrop to Lucie’s emotional journey. They are not antagonistic figures, despite their past with Lucie.
Instead, they offer insight and perspective, especially Grayson, who can’t help but be amused by the unfolding romance between Lucie and Aiden. Their presence in the story highlights the complexities of family dynamics and the fact that people can remain connected in meaningful ways even after relationships end.
They help Lucie navigate her fears and doubts, providing her with a safe space to explore her feelings about love and the future.
Jackson
Jackson, Aiden’s best friend, serves as a grounding force in his life. He’s the one who pushes Aiden to confront his emotional exhaustion and the fact that he’s becoming disconnected from his job and his own sense of self.
Jackson sees through Aiden’s tough exterior and is one of the few people who can get Aiden to reflect on his life and his growing feelings for Lucie. Though often playful and teasing, Jackson’s role is pivotal in Aiden’s emotional evolution.
He challenges Aiden to stop avoiding his feelings and, in doing so, helps him recognize the importance of vulnerability and real connection in his life.
Patty
Patty, Lucie’s best friend, is the voice of reason and encouragement throughout the novel. She is the one who encourages Lucie to stop living in fear of opening up to Aiden, telling her that she’s already in love with him.
Patty provides the much-needed nudge that helps Lucie admit her feelings, even when the practicalities of a relationship with a man she has never met in person seem daunting. Patty’s unwavering support and friendship are crucial in helping Lucie take the emotional risks necessary for her personal growth.
Themes
The Fragility of Human Connection in the Digital Age
First Time Caller explores the delicate and often fragile nature of human connection in an era dominated by technology. The book’s core theme revolves around the idea that authentic emotional bonds are harder to cultivate in a world filled with superficial online interactions and virtual personas.
This theme is vividly illustrated through Aiden and Lucie’s relationship, which begins with a radio broadcast, a medium that, in theory, should feel distant and impersonal. Yet, their connection blossoms into something deeply intimate.
Aiden’s disillusionment with love, which stems from years of dealing with shallow and transactional relationships, contrasts sharply with Lucie’s yearning for real, unmediated human connection. The novel underscores the challenges of finding genuine intimacy when everything around you—whether in the form of dating apps, social media, or even radio—seems to mediate or distort it.
In a world that’s increasingly focused on convenience and efficiency, the story’s exploration of vulnerability and the slow, delicate unraveling of walls around the heart speaks to the deep human need for something more meaningful than just surface-level engagement.
The Redemptive Power of Vulnerability
Another key theme in the novel is the redemptive power of vulnerability. Aiden and Lucie, both of whom are emotionally scarred, gradually open themselves up to each other despite their fears of rejection, disappointment, or failure.
Aiden, a radio host who once used sarcasm as a shield, finds himself forced to confront his own emotional burnout and cynicism. These walls, which have prevented him from truly connecting with others for years, begin to crumble.
Lucie, on the other hand, has spent years building emotional walls around herself to protect her from the pain of failed relationships. As they share more personal stories on air and off-air, their vulnerability becomes the catalyst for a profound emotional connection.
Through their evolving conversations, both characters experience a form of emotional healing. Aiden learns to let go of his fears of inadequacy, while Lucie discovers that it is okay to hope for something genuine and real, despite the possibility of failure.
Their emotional opening allows them to bridge the gap between them, turning what initially felt like a fleeting connection into something deeper and more enduring.
The Complexity of Love After Heartbreak
The novel also delves into the complex nature of love after personal trauma or heartbreak. Both Aiden and Lucie have suffered emotional wounds—Aiden’s stemming from years of exhaustion and cynicism, and Lucie’s from her past relationships and the struggles of being a single mother.
Their journeys highlight that love isn’t always an easy or smooth path but is often marked by hesitation, fear, and doubt. As both characters work through their emotional baggage, they grapple with the idea of opening their hearts again.
Aiden’s vulnerability on air, where he admits to feeling burned out and disconnected, is a poignant example of how love, in its most authentic form, requires acknowledging one’s own pain and imperfections. Lucie, too, has to reconcile her fears of losing herself in a relationship while balancing her responsibilities as a mother.
The theme of love after heartbreak in the novel doesn’t offer a rosy picture of instant healing but rather emphasizes that true emotional connection requires effort, self-reflection, and the willingness to take risks, even when the past casts a long shadow.
The Role of External Forces in Shaping Personal Growth
Another significant theme is the impact of external forces—friends, family, and even the public—on an individual’s journey toward self-discovery and personal growth. Aiden and Lucie both undergo significant transformation throughout the story, but these changes aren’t purely the result of their introspection; they are heavily influenced by the people around them.
For instance, Aiden’s friend Jackson plays a pivotal role in pushing him to confront his emotional burnout, while Lucie’s best friend Patty urges her to embrace her feelings for Aiden. Their influence helps Lucie realize that she might actually love him—even without seeing his face.
Furthermore, the involvement of Lucie’s ex-husband Grayson and his husband Mateo highlights how personal relationships are often shaped by ongoing emotional ties, even after they seem to have ended. The novel illustrates how even the most private of journeys—like falling in love or rediscovering one’s ability to trust—are influenced by those who are close, both physically and emotionally.
These characters, in their own unique ways, help the protagonists navigate their paths to healing and self-acceptance.
The Intersection of Professional Identity and Personal Life
The tension between professional identity and personal life is another thought-provoking theme in First Time Caller. Aiden, who has spent years as a late-night radio host providing love advice, becomes increasingly disillusioned with his job as he realizes he no longer believes in the advice he dispenses.
His professional persona as the voice of romantic wisdom is at odds with his internal struggles and emotional exhaustion. Lucie, too, wrestles with her own identity—balancing the demands of motherhood, her career as a mechanic, and her desire for a romantic connection.
Throughout the book, the characters’ professional identities often bleed into their personal lives, creating both comedic and poignant moments. Aiden’s on-air advice becomes increasingly reflective of his own emotional journey, while Lucie’s identity as a mother and a self-reliant woman constantly clashes with her desires for love and companionship.
The novel raises important questions about how much of who we are is shaped by our roles in society and how difficult it can be to reconcile our public selves with our private desires. This theme speaks to the struggle many individuals face in modern life, where the demands of work, family, and personal aspirations often conflict, and finding harmony between them is an ongoing challenge.