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A review by naiadqueen
First & Then by Emma Mills
3.0
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.)
"falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself"
IS THERE INCEST??
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.)