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A review by lady_l
Firsts by L.E. Flynn
2.0
Received an advanced copy via NetGalley to review.
More of a 2.5. I didn't hate it. I just couldn't connect with it.
I wanted to read this because I was curious about how you make a narrator who knowing takes the virginity of other girls' boyfriends likable. And now I know: you can't.
Ok, maybe you can, but not in this instance. Not for me.
Look, I'm sympathetic to what she's been through in her past. She suffered a terrible first time so she wants to ensure that these girls are given what she was not. Ok. But is this really the way to do that? Call me crazy but I value my boyfriend not having sex with another girl way above how good they are in bed. I know that's not all that was contained in the lesson, but the rest could be taught without sex, no? . Is there any girl in the world who place sexual skill above loyalty? So much for feminism if you think girls would really be that petty. Please, guys want to be good in bed to live up to their own egos, how much of that really has to do with what their girlfriends expect from them? How, as a female, do you facilitate that bullshit nonsense? What kind of education is she really giving these guys? Obviously the guys are terrible, for doing this to their girlfriends, for letting their egos trump common decency, and should take the brunt of the blame, since they owe their girlfriends more than Mercy does. But we're not invested in their story, we're supposed to be invested in Mercy's and I just can't forgive her logic.
I don't even think it is necessarily the fact that she was the other woman. People make mistakes. I just think that her rationalizing is so hard to get behind. She tries so hard to justify it. I think I'd have liked her more, or at least respected her, if she owned that she was doing something completely F'ed up.
It seems like if she really wanted, she could have devirginized the guys without girlfriends, so that they are ready for their future girlfriends without being shitty to these girls that she's allegedly trying to help. I just really don't get it.
I understand that this is supposed to highlight the double standard that boys face, that society expects them to be Gods in bed right out of the gate while girls are supposed to be innocent virgins, worthy of a momentous first time. However, nothing here served to upend that notion. If anything, it kind of makes it worse. Girls virginity is so sacred that their first time must be special. But it's cool if guys have a trial run first? Shouldn't their first time be valued, too? Things being equal and all.
Or better yet, why does virginity matter at all? If you want me to be cool with a narrator who has lots of sex (which I am, for the record, just not when that sex is with another girl's boyfriend) then why am I supposed to care about other girl's virginity, like it's so sacred. Pick a side, is sex something to be cherished or isn't it?
And the friendships! Jesus. Her "best friend" doesn't even know her at all. Some best friend if you pretend to be uber religious when you're actually an atheist. What is that? What basis is this friendship actually built on, Angela is nice? Cool, I guess. Some connection, she knows nothing about you because you share nothing real and built yourself around a fake innocence.
I'm still not sure what purpose Faye serves. The narrator spends most of the novel being jealous and kind of catty. For why? I don't know. I don't like the way the narrator treats anyone. I know she's been treated poorly by Luke, by her mom, by her dad. And I do feel bad for those circumstances, and I sympathize, but it was hard not to dislike her anyway. Faye to her credit, though kind of ridiculously over the top in every way, is kind of a trooper about it. Sort of. Her method of problem solving needs work. None of these people seem real at all. I guess that's my problem. Everyone just seems to exaggerated.
Wait, and Luke. Look, he was a shit. But I hated that the whole novel he was dangled in front of us. By the time the big reveal came, I was so tired of hearing about him even, and it was clearly guessable, that the impact was more of a "meh" than a shock. Either reveal it upfront and stop the teasing, or if you want to hold it to the end to pack a punch, don't bombard us not-so-subtle hints along the way.
More of a 2.5. I didn't hate it. I just couldn't connect with it.
I wanted to read this because I was curious about how you make a narrator who knowing takes the virginity of other girls' boyfriends likable. And now I know: you can't.
Ok, maybe you can, but not in this instance. Not for me.
Look, I'm sympathetic to what she's been through in her past. She suffered a terrible first time so she wants to ensure that these girls are given what she was not. Ok. But is this really the way to do that? Call me crazy but I value my boyfriend not having sex with another girl way above how good they are in bed. I know that's not all that was contained in the lesson, but the rest could be taught without sex, no? . Is there any girl in the world who place sexual skill above loyalty? So much for feminism if you think girls would really be that petty. Please, guys want to be good in bed to live up to their own egos, how much of that really has to do with what their girlfriends expect from them? How, as a female, do you facilitate that bullshit nonsense? What kind of education is she really giving these guys? Obviously the guys are terrible, for doing this to their girlfriends, for letting their egos trump common decency, and should take the brunt of the blame, since they owe their girlfriends more than Mercy does. But we're not invested in their story, we're supposed to be invested in Mercy's and I just can't forgive her logic.
I don't even think it is necessarily the fact that she was the other woman. People make mistakes. I just think that her rationalizing is so hard to get behind. She tries so hard to justify it. I think I'd have liked her more, or at least respected her, if she owned that she was doing something completely F'ed up.
It seems like if she really wanted, she could have devirginized the guys without girlfriends, so that they are ready for their future girlfriends without being shitty to these girls that she's allegedly trying to help. I just really don't get it.
I understand that this is supposed to highlight the double standard that boys face, that society expects them to be Gods in bed right out of the gate while girls are supposed to be innocent virgins, worthy of a momentous first time. However, nothing here served to upend that notion. If anything, it kind of makes it worse. Girls virginity is so sacred that their first time must be special. But it's cool if guys have a trial run first? Shouldn't their first time be valued, too? Things being equal and all.
Or better yet, why does virginity matter at all? If you want me to be cool with a narrator who has lots of sex (which I am, for the record, just not when that sex is with another girl's boyfriend) then why am I supposed to care about other girl's virginity, like it's so sacred. Pick a side, is sex something to be cherished or isn't it?
And the friendships! Jesus. Her "best friend" doesn't even know her at all. Some best friend if you pretend to be uber religious when you're actually an atheist. What is that? What basis is this friendship actually built on, Angela is nice? Cool, I guess. Some connection, she knows nothing about you because you share nothing real and built yourself around a fake innocence.
I'm still not sure what purpose Faye serves. The narrator spends most of the novel being jealous and kind of catty. For why? I don't know. I don't like the way the narrator treats anyone. I know she's been treated poorly by Luke, by her mom, by her dad. And I do feel bad for those circumstances, and I sympathize, but it was hard not to dislike her anyway. Faye to her credit, though kind of ridiculously over the top in every way, is kind of a trooper about it. Sort of. Her method of problem solving needs work. None of these people seem real at all. I guess that's my problem. Everyone just seems to exaggerated.
Wait, and Luke. Look, he was a shit. But I hated that the whole novel he was dangled in front of us. By the time the big reveal came, I was so tired of hearing about him even, and it was clearly guessable, that the impact was more of a "meh" than a shock. Either reveal it upfront and stop the teasing, or if you want to hold it to the end to pack a punch, don't bombard us not-so-subtle hints along the way.