First & Then

Devon Tennyson is entering her senior year, yet she still has no idea what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Does she really want to go to college? To make things even more difficult, her family recently took in her young cousin, Foster, who is starting his freshmen year. Foster is sweet and likable but socially awkward, and Devon wants little to do with him. Worse yet, Devon must endure physical education as a senior. Could things get any more difficult? Luckily, Devon isn't the lone senior in the class, Ezra, the star football player who is also a senior and a recent transfer is enduring P.E. with her. Devon is surprised when Ezra takes Foster under his wing when he learns that Foster has talent as a kicker. Between school, football, a new little brother and an unrequited romance with her best friend, Cas, Devon has a lot on her plate. Will she survive her senior year?
What I Liked:
*First, I can tell you going into this one that it isn't really a Pride and Prejudice retelling, so if you are not a big Austen fan, I know gasp, but that would be me, you can easily read this and enjoy the simple tale. This is a light contemporary romance with some interesting characters and a realistic story line.
*At the heart of the story is Devon. As a senior, she has not a clue as to what she wants to do with the rest of her life. I liked that she came across as realistic. There were things that I didn't always like about her such as she was a bit judgmental and she avoided talking things out. I did appreciate that she was struggling with those first steps into adulthood. She does a lot of growing and she has much to learn, and in the end, I liked her transformation. I loved the change in her relationship with Foster, she came through for him when he needed her.
*One of the highlights for me, was the adorable Foster. Foster's father died when he was young, and his mother struggled with an addiction problem. Now he is settling in with a new family and starting over, but you know what? He never lets things get him down. He almost always has a positive outlook, and he isn't intimidated. He is sweet, genuinely kind, and socially awkward, but that made him even more endearing. I loved watching him grow and change.
*The romance is a bit difficult. Even though it hints at a love triangle, I can assure you, there is never a love triangle. Instead a relationship develops out of an unlikely friendship, and then it turns into something more. There are some stumbles and some miscommunication, but in the end, it left me smiling.
*I appreciated that this book had a strong focus on family. Devon's parents are very much involved and present throughout the story, and the relationship between Devon and Foster is a big, important part of the book.
And The Not So Much:
*Where did this book go wrong? For me, there were too many loose ends, and underdeveloped characters and plots lines. First, you have the whole story line involving Devon and her future, but then the books ends before Devon truly settles on what she is going to do. I hated that. Second, I didn't like that there were numerous secondary characters that drifted in and out, and they remained underdeveloped and many of their story lines were unfinished. For instance, Devon and Foster are friends with a young, fifteen year old, pregnant girl, and I was expecting something to come of that relationship, but alas, it never developed. I was left wanting to know so much more about her, who was the father? How did she get pregnant when she seemed so clueless? Then there is Samir, a brief mention in the beginning, and then he suddenly shows up at the end to play an important part. Didn't get that. What was the deal with Jordan? Who was he destined to be with? This book needed to tighten up the story lines and flesh out some of the characters.
*For me, the whole Jane Austen thing was a gimmick. In the beginning, Devon professes a love for Jane Austen, and she often compares her life to an Austen novel, but then all the Austen stuff disappears for awhile in the middle section, only to resurface toward the end. To me it felt forced, thrown in and it just didn't work.
*The romance was a big stumble for me as well. First, it sets up to be a love triangle, but thankfully that isn't the case. Yes, Devon does find herself caught, sort of, between two boys, but one has never been romantically interested in her, and the other struggles with expressing himself. This is a romance that struggles with miscommunication and lack of communication, until it works out at the end. There is a nice little scene near that finale, that ended up being the highlight. For me, there was never really any butterfly in the tummy, or sweet moments, it was more stumbles and irritation. I really wanted to like this, but it lacked the light and fluffy that I enjoy in YA contemporary.
*The ending is ridiculously abrupt. It just cuts off and that's it. No mention of what happens down the road. Does Devon go to college? What happens with the romance? What about Foster? Does Ezra finally deal with his emotional past? I was extremely disappointed in the end.

First & Then is billed as a Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights book. Yes, there is plenty of football, but the Jane Austen parts were gimmicky and they didn't work. The book also suffers from lack of development with characters and story lines, an abrupt ending, and a romance that fails to impress. I really wanted to like this one, but unfortunately, there were too many glaring issues that made this just an average read. I would recommend this as a library book if you are apt to pick it up.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

First & Then by Emma Mills
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: October 13, 2015
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

What I Liked:

There is only one way to describe this book that comes even slightly close to how I feel, and that is OMG! I loved this book! I'm not usually a YA contemporary person, but this book turned up the feels. P&P meets Friday Night Lights? Yes. Yes, that is a good comparison. Usually the ____ meets _____ in _____ are crap, but this one was very accurate, and lovely!

Devon doesn't really have a plan for her future, in terms of college, She knows she wants to go, but she isn't driven. She's comfortable as is, with her best friend Cas (who she has had a crush on for forever) and the Friday night football games. Her cousin, Foster, is now living with her and her parents, which has been a change. And a new change arrives as well - the star running back of the school is in her PE class, and soon he is everywhere. Things were a lot more simple without Foster, or Ezra, or her conflicted feelings about Cas, but Devon's life won't be simple again.

First, I'd like to say that there ins't a love triangle in this book. At least, not in my opinion. Devon has had a crush on her friend Cas, who is on the football team. But they're best friends, and Devon would rather be friends with him than speak up and ruin what they have. She knows how he is - he hooks up with whoever he wants to - but she loves being his friend.

Ezra is a new guy, in that he is a transfer student to their high school. He is a star football player, a running back with insane stats from his old school. Cas and other football players don't like him, because they think he has some sort of agenda. Ezra is quiet, always scowling, focused on football. He is intense, in a mysterious way.

So anyway, No love triangle. There is romance, and I absolutely love watching it develop. Devon's crush on Cas is surprisingly not a huge part of this book. Like, the author doesn't keep bringing it up. Sometimes you forget that Devon likes him like that. And then when Devon and Ezra's interactions start to pick up, you can't help but sigh happily.

The progression of several relationships in this book is so well-written and well-paced! Devon's relationship with Ezra is very slow - in a good way, in my opinion. She thinks he is a jerk at first, probably because he doesn't talk to anyone, like a silent arrogant d*ckhead. But slowly, they start to get to know each other, and Devon doesn't even realize that she has feelings for him. The amount of times their relationship made my heart flutter, made me swoon... there aren't ANY physical romantic interactions between these two, in this book. And yet, the romance is one of the swooniest I've read!

There is also Devon's relationship with her cousin, Foster. Foster is a freshman, and he is really strange. He is naturally curious, always chipper, and just strange. His father died and his mother is in rehab, so he's living with Devon and her parents. Devon has to have a lot of patience with him, and this is something she understands as the story goes on. I love her relationship with her new "brother". And I love how Foster gets along with Ezra, and vice versa.

The story is so lovely! It moves at a bit of a slow pace, and it might not feel like much is happening, but it's amazing how quickly the pages went. I couldn't read this book fast enough! It's one of those magnetic reads, you can't let go of it. There is so much football in this book - with Ezra, Cas, and several friends of Devon's on the team. I love football, and I love how important it was in this book!

I really like Devon. She and I are so different - she has zero ambition, no involvement in extracurricular activities, no desire to be better. And yet, I understand her. I love how she treats Foster. I like how she handles Ezra (especially in the first scene in gym class!). Devon is loyal and kind, and she sticks up for herself and Foster. Her character growth is so well-developed; she becomes a much more mature character by the end of the book.

Overall, I absolutely adored this book. There was something powerful and moving about it, and I definitely had a case of intense feels while reading it. It seemed like a retelling of Pride and Prejudice! And a good one, at that. Lots of Jane Austen references in this book. I was a fan!

What I Did Not Like:

I personally would have liked to see more physically swoony scenes between Ezra and Devon. While I can definitely see that not being their style, or the book's style (P&P didn't have a lot of physical intimate scenes), I would have liked that! The one physical interaction comes at the last few pages. The book is swoony, but not in a physical way! Having both would have been icing on the cake. Of course, this is totally an Alyssa thing, so carry on!

Would I Recommend It:

I would soooo recommend this book! Definitely one of my favorite YA contemporary books for the year. This book was all sorts of amazing, with a kind heroine, a swoony romance, and great development of relationships. And there was a certain side of tough issues in this book that gave it that much more depth, without it being ridiculously angsty and annoying! So, non-contemporary people (like me), or contemporary lovers, will enjoy this book, I just know it!

Rating:

4.5 stars -> rounded down to 4 stars (not for any specific reason, just that it didn't quite feel like a 5-star read. I cannot wait to read more from this author! Hopefully she writes more contemporary (wow, I can't believe I'm asking for more contemporary!), and swoonier romances, too!

Maybe it's because I listened to the audiobook and didn't read it (author's voice and inflections just didn't translate well as an audiobook narrative) but I felt like something was missing. It was almost as though every time something started to actually happen, the chapter would end and the scene would abruptly change. I also did not feel the romance between Devon and Ezra was sufficiently developed. Their interactions seemed limited and sparse before they were supposedly obviously in love. I did really enjoy the way Devon and foster's storyline was developed. I think that was done very well. Foster really kept me into the book. His character was endearing, and I enjoyed following his journey.

I would suggest reading the text version over the audiobook. It's very difficult to follow who is speaking when listening to a conversation. Oh and to call this Friday Night Lights meets anything is, to put it frankly, an insult to Friday Night Lights.

Devin’s cousin Foster has come to live with them, and introduces new and exciting changes into Devin’s life. Including which are football and Ezra, the high school’s star football player. As she is pining away for her best friend Cas, Devin discovers that maybe unexpected relationships may be the best ones of all.

Love Love Love.

What is there not to love?

I am not a football fan and sadly, I have never seen Friday Night Lights. But I hear it’s good.

First & Then is a fabulous contemporary story of Devin who’s life changes drastically when her cousin Foster comes to visit. Devin is a great narrator. She’s nice enough to want to be her friend, but not a pushover. She’s sympathetic to her cousin Foster’s feelings, but still feels annoyed and sometimes embarrassed by his awkwardness, resulting in these two quickly taking on sibling roles more than cousins. And of course, who can’t relate to poor Devin’s ultimate crush on her best friend Cas. Star, handsome and not into Devin at all like that.

Foster is sweet and weird and my heart really twisted for him. He’s stronger than people thinks he is and I liked his development as a character the most. It starts with a new school, a new family and then new friends and expectations. His journey is handled with care and finesse.

Of course our Ezra is perfect for Devin, even if she doesn’t know it. Socially awkward, yet popular due to his athletic achievements, Ezra is abrupt and guarded and just plain grumpy. Mills adds nuances to Ezra’s character that makes him stand out as the perfect Mr. Darcy in her world, but also adds a touch of heart early on by playing into Ezra’s vulnerability at being a public figure.

The story is more than a Pride & Prejudice retelling. It’s heartwarming and charming, adding the excitement of homecoming and football and discovering family means many things to many different people. The characters all go through organic changes, allowing them to find their own way through the book, misunderstandings and all.

I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy so I can read it again!

(Also, that cover is eye grabbing! I wanted to read the book based on cover alone!)

First & Then tells the story of a young woman, Devon, 17, who is in her last year of high school and who still doesn't know what she wants to do with her life or what college she wants to attend. She lives a pretty normal life, nothing tragic has ever happened to her, her parents are still married and happy together, she doesn't have siblings, she never had a boyfriend, and she only has one friend, Cas. Her life starts to change when Devon's parents take in her 14-year-old cousin Foster and she has to hang out with him at school and everywhere else.

I absolutely loved Foster from the very start, he's such a good kid, sometimes I'd even forget he was 14, because boys that age can be pretty complicated to deal with, but Foster was so sweet, kind, honest and mature in a childlike way, and just the way he looks up to Devon and wants to hang out with her and protect her from jerks when, really, he's just this scrawny kid with zero meanness in his body—seriously, Foster is the definition of adorable and his story broke me into so many little pieces that I’m still trying to put them all together again.

It was also very easy for me to love and relate to Devon, she’s no Mary Sue and she has flaws, but she’s a good person and even though she’s still adjusting to having Foster around and maybe resents the whole situation a tiny little bit, she never really complains about it or is mean to him, on the contrary, she’s very protective of Foster and I love the way he slowly and naturally becomes part of her life and routine, how he becomes the little brother she never had. It’s heartwarming.

This book is inspired in Pride & Prejudice, and Devon herself is a Jane Austen fangirl to the point of comparing situations that happen in her life to scenes in Jane’s books throughout the story, I also had fun trying to compare scenes and characters myself. That said, the Mr.Darcy of this book is Ezra, who I wanted to throttle at some point--I mean, that stupid Prom scene... duuude, if you don’t want to go then don’t go. Why say yes just to be kind or polite and then make yourself miserable?? I don’t get it.
Anyway, of course that being P&P inspired the romance in this story is a slow-burn, which is just the way I like it. I just wish that Prom scene could have happened in a different way, because it killed my mood a little bit. (Ezra is an idiot, pass it on.)

I’m conflicted about marking this one with the love triangle red flag or not because it’s not really a love triangle—and this coming from a person who hates them with a fiery passion—even if Devon has had a crush on Cas all her life and still does when she meets Ezra and starts to have feelings for him. Honestly, I think it didn’t bother me because nothing romantic has ever happened between Devon and Cas, and it’s not like she’s moping around because of him, so, in my opinion this book is safe territory for love triangle haters (like myself).

This was a very emotional read for me, a fantastic debut and a fantastic Pride & Prejudice retelling, I love how the story has lots of layers, how it’s not just about the romance, but about family and Devon’s relationship with her cousin, and how it's also a journey of constant self-discovery and character development for this heroine who is so easy to like and relate with.

I recommend this one for fans of YA contemporary books such as Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West.

First & Then by Emma Mills is an unrepentant retelling of Pride and Prejudice, and indeed, the main character, Devon Tennyson, is a hardcore Jane Austen fan. Devon has been drifting through life, never really taking an active role in her life at all. But suddenly she's saddled with a 14 year old geeky cousin, Foster, a grim and barely talking football star, Ezra, and last and possibly least, Cas, her best friend that she's been in love with forever who has never shown any interest in her romantically. But eventually, Devon needs to take control of her life, and when she does, everything changes.

I'll be honest, this book didn't really grab me in the first few pages. Devon is a main character that I had a lot of trouble relating with, probably because I have always been more like her kind of scary go-getter friend, Rachel, who aims to get into all the Ivy Leagues. I just don't understand people like her, not taking an active role in making a difference in the world. In addition, she's a jerk to Foster, and really rather pathetic when it comes to Cas. That said, all of these characteristics are completely deliberate by Mills. My initial reaction was more personal taste, as I know a lot of people will resonate with this character. The only times I see a bit of her that I can relate to, is when she interacts with Ezra, as she has a lot more backbone with him and stands up for herself and her opinions. Again, this is totally deliberate by the author.

While I feel that I'd have liked to see a transition a bit sooner, something completely changes for me on p.177. Suddenly, Devon is a character I'm really rooting for, and she's developed these relationships (somewhat against her own will) that are achingly real and compelling, and she's standing up for herself, and becoming a much more active character. The way the book all comes together makes the entire thing way worthy of the read, and I'm glad I stuck with it because the ending was more than satisfying.

I'll admit, while the main set of characters are interesting and well developed, for me, the side characters are the true stars in this novel with their own arcs, which I loved. First is Rachel, the snarky and exhausting Type A friend, who is scary, ridiculous, and over the top, but steals every scene she's in, and made me laugh out loud more than once. There's Marabelle, who is ethereal and hauntingly beautiful, and makes an impression even if she says nothing. There's Lindsay who is the all around beautiful popular girl, who is sweet and kind and just almost overwhelming perfect but shows she too is only human. And finally, my favorite character in the whole bunch, Jordan, the other football star, possibly the most popular boy at school, who I totally have a crush on now. *MINOR SPOILER ALERT: In fact, there's a moment in the book when Devon asks him why they aren't dating, and to be honest, I was asking the same question.*
Overall, even though the start was slow for me, this is a contemporary YA novel with a lot of heart, and all the characters are well-developed and realistic, but it's the secondary characters that truly shine.

Devon Tennyson is sarcastic. That's all we really know about her. Also, she doesn't think too highly of herself and has a penchant for Jane Austen novels. So when her parents decide to take in their godson, Foster, because his own parents are going through things, Devon is initially annoyed to have Foster constantly around. But when Foster displays prime football skillz, it impresses one of the star players and their coach, and they're vying for him to be on the football team as the team's kicker.

Like Cait said, this is a football YA. Like, football is a really huge thing in this town. The football players are given divine treatment. Okay, I get it. I like football. I watch the Super Bowl every year. I'm a Patriots fan. You know, the like. But there's all these statistics and centimeters and "if he kicks the ball too high through the goalpost, it'll be a foul, etc." Where I got all: "???"

Devon also has a crush on her lifelong best friend, Cas. Not that I get the infatuation. He flirts with every girl inexistence and displays Grade-A gross tendencies.

Ezra, on the other hand, is cute. Ezra is so cute. Gimme him immediately. I love him. He's already mine. He's one of the star football players. He's socially awkward and he and Devon are awkward together all through the beginning. The romance isn't rushed. There's no automatic instalove. I love the relationship he has with Foster as well. Ezra treats him like a little brother and my heart is too fragile. I wanted them to kiss more, but at the same time, I loved it?!?!

Devon's pregnant friend, Marabelle, is fiercely annoying. Okay, so you're pregnant, right? Why are you always at school parties? Are you not tired? She acts like she's literally the hottest thing around and she's pregnant and like, "Go home." But, if anything, that's something exceptionally minor.

My only problem, I felt the novel was rushed around the end. There was an accident, a quick apology, and a few kisses. I would've preferred something more solid, but that's just me. Nonetheless, I enjoyed 95% of the novel and the cover is gorgeous. An obvious recommend.

I pre-ordered this book, but then when it came I procrastinated actually reading it. I think I was deterred by the length-- it was shorter than I'd anticipated-- but everything that needed to happen to make this a full-fledged story did. This was one of the best contemporaries I've read, not just recently but in general.
Pros: I really loved the characters and the romance. There was good character development despite the length. The pacing was just right, no slow parts.
Cons: I'm sure there were negatives but I really can't think of any right now (maybe some of the background characters could be fleshed out better??). It's just a really nice lighthearted read--perfect for a book-hangover or a book slump!

I really liked it. I totally recommend it

Emma Mills is an incredibly underrated author. Her writing is funny yet profound, and I’ve loved every single one of her books