Cute cute cute cute

4.5 stars for this one!! When I started it, I didn't think much of it, I just thought that it was going to be a cute and easy read. And it was that, but it was also a lot better than I was expecting, especially once I got to the middle and just could not stop reading it! The only read it is 4.5 is because I wish there was a little more at the end! full review is up here!!!

4.5 Stars

4.5 stars

cw: mentions of death due to drunk driving

the last 25% always gets me :’)))

3.5 stars

I thought the family moments in the story were really what shined. Devon and Foster's growing relationship was so sweet and I loved seeing them together. The romances worked and I liked how they slowly built over the course of the story, so nothing ever felt rushed or forced. The smalltown, Friday Night Lights football vibes were excellent and I was so here for it. Star runningback Ezra is a great love interest.

I want to read this but:

"falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself"

IS THERE INCEST?? (tbh imma still read it lmaoo)

After reading

HIGH 3

Okay, so my pre-review was sightly juvenile. This books transcends that original judgement! This is a great look into a teen's life once they are thrown a curve-ball. That curve ball being the adorable Foster (omg Foster is such a cutie).

First & Then deals with sensitive subjects (teen pregnancy and child neglect) and handles them beautifully. It was never preachy, nor insensitive. It just was, and I appreciated that.

Devon is... lazy. Indifferent, if you will. I don't normally like an inactive MC, but I have to (grudgingly) admit that I saw echoes of myself within her, which simultaneously made me feel motivated and guilty.

The romance is executed wonderfully. It is not insta-love, thrown in your face, center stage, or reciprocated! It was realistic, which is something I appreciate in contemporary YA (*coughcough* [b:Dumplin'|18304322|Dumplin'|Julie Murphy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424189465s/18304322.jpg|25795642] *coughcough*). Ezra is a terrible conversationalist. I love him. And Cas, like all boys, is so freaking oblivious. Also, the "love-rival" was not 2D and was pretty awesome.

I think this book is more than the romance, though. As I've said, Foster plays an endearingly big part in the story, and his relationships with others was one of my favourite things to read. Watch him and Devon grow made my heart feel things. I think that, once again, the blurb is misleading. This isn't about Devon finding love, but about Devon finding her own happiness. (OK so the blurb is not entirely misleading.)

The writing style of this book is unimpressive and the pacing did not encourage me to keep turning pages.

This book is written in a very stilted style, almost as if a middle or high school student were writing this for an assignment. It didn't flow well, and good writing could easily have carried me through the non-plot aspect of this book. I did not feel any sympathy or attachment to Devon and didn't really care what happened to her.

That being said, there are teens for whom this would be the perfect book, especially teens who are generally interested in books categorized as "chick lit" or "light reads." My library doesn't circulate many of these kinds of books, so we will not be purchasing this one unless someone specifically requests it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley for the purposes of review.

I've been so excited to read this, because I love Elmify and have been so excited for her! The book didnt disappoint. I loved the characters and the writing style, and it was exactly the kind of book I needed at the beginning of this winter break - fun and cute and quick and easy to get into. It was fun and cute and quick, but touched on something more and deeper, so all around great YA book that managed to give your standard high school/football-centric plot a twist.

4 stars

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights. I mean, did you really need anything more than that to be like OH MAN I WANT THIS NOW? I sure didn't. Though the positive reviews from fellow fluff-loving friends certainly didn't hurt. First & Then was exactly what I expected - a delight.

Now, first off, you shouldn't expect this to be a Pride and Prejudice retelling, because it definitely is not. I kind of made that mistake at the start, and so I was looking here and there trying to draw comparisons between the characters, but it's not a retelling. There are similar themes though, because Ezra is quite like Darcy. He's not very approachable, and he may come off as arrogant and self-centered at first, but he actually has a heart of gold and is deeply protective of the people he cares about. Devon obviously doesn't quite see that at first, and after their first couple of interactions she's not very impressed by him. Hence the link to Pride and Prejudice. There's not a day in my life where I won't fall for these relationship dynamics.

So, yes, the shipping is real. I loved picking up on the little moments as the two kind of started feeling things for each other. I loved seeing them gradually become close friends, with Ezra letting his guard down, and Devon's curiosity and protectiveness steadily growing. There were quite a few butterfly-feeling moments, and the end of the book just had me aww-ing out loud. (The confession? Pure gold.) I did not so much love the arguably convoluted but perhaps realistic romantic drama that came in the latter half of the book, which seriously was looking like an elaborate love square at a certain point. But like all romantic comedies (or even dramas) it turned out okay in the end. (But seriously I could live without misunderstandings like this keeping a ship down because it's kind of really cliché.)

First & Then also happens to capture so many nostalgic feelings. I feel like Mills accurately depicted the whole high school setting, and it just felt so real. I loved seeing the football games, the parties, the classroom dynamics... Devon was pretty relatable to me when it came to that. And I loved how much of a Jane Austen nerd she was. She would think all the time about how a certain character in one of Jane's novels would react to a situation or say what they're feeling, and I had all of the giggles.

And despite this being a really short book, there was a heartfelt message about family too. Foster comes into Devon's family, and he's, well, lame - is the first word that comes to mind. He just experiences the world around him a bit differently, and that leaves Devon both scared that he's going to get bullied and resentful that she has to look out for him. But honestly, Foster turns out to be a super lovable character that everyone is drawn to. He's so pure and open-hearted, and by the end of the book I just wanted to give him a huge hug.

Summing Up:

First & Then made me happy. The Lizzie/Darcy shipping dynamics grabbed me instantly, and the setting felt so vividly realistic (and nostalgic). I also loved the message about family. The book is short, and arguably some of its aspects are pretty cliché, but it was a breeze to read, and like I said: it made me happy. When it comes to contemporary romance, that's basically all I want.

GIF it to me straight!



Recommended To:

Umm, fans of Lizzie/Darcy? Because, yeah.