Esperaba muchas cosas de Firsts pero realmente no esperaba ese tipo de historia pero mi problema en este momento es que contiene tanto cosas que me gustan como otras que no tolero.

El libro comienza con Mercedes, quien le quita la virginidad a hombres de su escuela y les enseña cómo hacerlo bien para cuando lo hagan con sus novias. Y ése es mi primer problema con el libro: La protagonista; sin embargo, la autora se las arregla para que simpatices con ella a pesar de que no te gusta. Segundo, se acuesta con hombres que tienen novias y yo tengo tolerancia cero a la infidelidad aunque no la puedo culparla completamente. Tercero, tiene temas como abuso, relaciones tóxicas, promiscuidad, pornografía infantil y realmente no tengo ganas de especificar cuánto me molestaron cada uno de ellos.

Puntos extras por los personajes secundarios que aportaron todo lo positivo sobre este libro; desde anti slut/victim-blaming y sex positive a la amistad y el perdón.

Lo que en realidad me gustó fue el mensaje que capté de la historia y espero que sea el que la autora estaba tratando de transmitir. Que sí el personaje principal tiene muchos problemas, la cuestión es darse cuenta de que está mal y hacer un cambio sobre eso.

E-galley received for review through Netgalley.

Maybe I'm more than a little early reading this now, considering the publication date is three months away. But once I started this, I had to finish it. Loved it to pieces.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book will be published on the 5th January 2016.

I'm not too sure what to say about this apart from the main character was completely stupid and it really got on my nerves. But at times, she did remind me of me (no, not the promiscuity of it all, just her 'do what you want and don't give a **** what anyone thinks' mentality). She made a lot of poor decisions and I definitely think half of them were completely unnecessary.

I think the biggest thing for me about this book was that it was really hard to relate to her. She had a super unconventional home-life, so I guess it's understandable for her to do what she did but other things weren't so easy to understand, and it was frustrating as hell.

Full review on my blog!:
http://originalbooker.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/firsts-laurie-elizabeth-flynn.html

The book starts slow, then gets repetitive. Then around 60% of the book it starts getting better. The plot becomes more interesting. Then start getting better.

Overall it was a good book, but for me it was just a little too boring or it was just very repetitive.

I mean it took me 7 months to finish the book. The story line was good, but again just too repetitive.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Some things more than other. But I thought it was actually great. It definitely proved to be more of what I thought it was going to be. Bigger review to come.

pensavo di avert trovato il primo libro da bocciare ma non è successo, certo la protagonista è davvero incasinata e ne combina davvero di ogni tipo, ma non è certo tutta colpa sua e amo quando le cose prendono la strada giusta, per cui quattro stelle ci stanno... alla luce di questo dovrei alzare qualche stella ad altri libri ma vedrò...

4.5.
I’m surprised that this got published and as a result didn’t generate more buzz.
This is about Mercedes, who sleeps with other peoples boyfriends. It’s an open door policy, as long as they are virgins. Mercedes teaches them how to have sex so the girls get good first times, since she didn’t get one. The guys are just as nervous as the girls, but the onus is on them to make sure their first time is good and to act like they know what they are doing the whole time. In Mercedes mind, she really is helping these people out. Her reasoning somehow makes sense in her mind and works for the reader, even if it’s not justifiable.
Mercedes likes sleeping with the virgins because it gives her a sense of control. The boys are nervous and awkward so she can set the pace and kick them out after. Even her relationship with Zach is all her keeping him at arms length and her being in control. This goes for friendships with Angela and Faye as well. Her dad is absent, her mom is more concerned with teaching her daughter to be attractive to men. I liked seeing how Mercedes felt about herself and her sleeping around came across as self-destructive, in it made her feel worse about herself and touched on hyper-sexuality. Most of the time girls don’t get that shown in that way. Somehow it was also sex-positive by showing it was okay that Angela wanted to wait and by Mercedes sleeping with 15+ guys it wasn’t an issue either. Only the fact that they were other peoples boyfriends was the issue (which it should be).
The secret obviously gets out and she gets a lot of backlash. I’m all for sex positivity and my friends are as well. But I’m struggling to think of any that would be okay with a girl who’s going around sleeping with other peoples boyfriends. I understand why she got the backlash and think that was justified.
I had two issues with the book, which is why it wasn’t 5 stars for me.
1.) I didn’t like how she told the guys not to ask for permission. I think it should’ve been worded as “once you’ve both consented to being there, just be bold”. But I think consent is important to mention. But that’s a small nitpick since the books were presenting the situation as consenting. I just assumed after her first time, she be concerned with both parties giving consent for their first time.
2.) everyone (Zach) forgave her too easily. I’d be so hurt if I was Zach and wouldn’t have forgiven her so easily.
3.) I wish we would’ve explored more into the issues that her mom’s lack of parenting and dad’s absence had for lasting effects. It seemed like she worked through her hyper sexuality issues and attachment issues too easily. It takes a lot more to work through attachment issues, when you’re struggling to let people in.

3,75/5

La sinopsis de este libro me llamó desde un primer momento, pues es difícil encontrar una novela juvenil que hable del sexo tan abiertamente, pero lo que me encontré dentro de él me sorprendió aún más.

La protagonista, Mercedes, ve el sexo como algo totalmente natural que se puede practicar libremente y, desde su punto de vista, nos habla de la doble moral existente con respecto a este tema, según seas hombre o mujer. La trama, en general, está muy bien llevada; hasta mitad del libro, estaba un poco perdida y no sabía muy bien donde quería llegar la autora, pero en la segunda mitad todo empieza a cobrar sentido y se explica a la perfección la situación de Mercedes.

Otro punto positivo es que, aunque se habla abiertamente de sexo, no resulta un libro vulgar o soez; hay escenas explícitas, pues son necesarias para la trama, pero en ningún momento me han molestado. Todo lo contrario, me han aportado información para entender mejor a los personajes.

En definitiva, un libro con una protagonista diferente y un romance atípico, que engancha y que recomiendo, pues lanza un mensaje que me parece muy necesario.