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A review by avamortier
Firsts by L.E. Flynn
3.0
I'd like to start off by saying Firsts is not a type of book that I normally read. I am a hard-core fantasy gal. ALL THE WAY. But I'd heard good things from bloggers I trust, so I requested it on Netgalley, and got approved, so of course I read it! And flew through it in two hours.
At first, I thought I wouldn't be able to connect with Mercedes because of what she chose to do, and sometimes she came off a little harsh, but a lot of the time I just felt sorry for her. I didn't agree with Mercedes's reasoning. I mean, to sleep with a guy who's a virgin to give his girlfriend a chance to have a perfect first time. Okay. Why don't you see this is going to end badly, Mercedes? You can't sleep with a bunch of people and expect no one to find out.
I loved Zach. Ugh, he was perfect! He even made Mercedes soup. Aww. *heart eyes*
I loved the theme of friendship in this book.
Angela. Well, she was a bit cliche. The extremely religious best friend that's waiting to have sex after marriage, and so Mercedes had to hide everything she was doing from her. But I did love the friendship that her and Mercedes had, and how despite all that happened, their friendship only grew stronger after the difficult parts.
Zach and Faye were exactly what Mercedes needed when she was at her lowest, and I loved how they supported her.
The plot was kind of predictable. I guessed what was going to happen before it did, but it was still heartbreaking to read about.
The "big reveal" of what happened in Mercedes' past was tragic, but then what happened to conceal it was unrealistic.
I flew through this book, mainly because of the writing.
final thoughts
I really liked how this book was so bold as to feature sex as part of the main plot, and also not as a bad thing. It's something we don't see very often in YA. It also dealt with some very heavy issues (such as slut-shaming, parenting, teen life, abuse, sexuality, double-standard, and friendship). It wasn't something I loved, but I think a lot of people would like it, so if it sounds interesting, I encourage you to pick it up! I liked this book, but there wasn't anything special to make me adore it.
At first, I thought I wouldn't be able to connect with Mercedes because of what she chose to do, and sometimes she came off a little harsh, but a lot of the time I just felt sorry for her. I didn't agree with Mercedes's reasoning. I mean, to sleep with a guy who's a virgin to give his girlfriend a chance to have a perfect first time. Okay. Why don't you see this is going to end badly, Mercedes? You can't sleep with a bunch of people and expect no one to find out.
I loved Zach. Ugh, he was perfect! He even made Mercedes soup. Aww. *heart eyes*
I loved the theme of friendship in this book.
Angela. Well, she was a bit cliche. The extremely religious best friend that's waiting to have sex after marriage, and so Mercedes had to hide everything she was doing from her. But I did love the friendship that her and Mercedes had, and how despite all that happened, their friendship only grew stronger after the difficult parts.
Zach and Faye were exactly what Mercedes needed when she was at her lowest, and I loved how they supported her.
The plot was kind of predictable. I guessed what was going to happen before it did, but it was still heartbreaking to read about.
The "big reveal" of what happened in Mercedes' past was tragic, but then what happened to conceal it was unrealistic.
I flew through this book, mainly because of the writing.
final thoughts
I really liked how this book was so bold as to feature sex as part of the main plot, and also not as a bad thing. It's something we don't see very often in YA. It also dealt with some very heavy issues (such as slut-shaming, parenting, teen life, abuse, sexuality, double-standard, and friendship). It wasn't something I loved, but I think a lot of people would like it, so if it sounds interesting, I encourage you to pick it up! I liked this book, but there wasn't anything special to make me adore it.