Book Review: First & Then by Emma Mills

Title- First & Then

Author- Emma Mills

Publisher- Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group

Amazon- http://goo.gl/cNxgvb

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.

First & Then was a very enjoyable read, but I wanted a little more from it. The good, I love Jane Austen and all the references to her and her books. I also liked Devon as a main character. She had some issues and was working through them just like all high school seniors. A lot of her problems felt real; friendship, family and relationships. At first I really wanted to see her with Cas, but as the book went on and he disappeared a little I lost my love for him. He did and said something that I just wasn’t a fan of. However, I was team Ezra, he was such a sweet guy and I wish I had read more about him. In the beginning he was there, but not a lot. That was just one thing that was missing for me, more Ezra. I also, wanted more from the secondary characters; I would have loved to see more of a friendship with Lindsey, and Jordan (I can see him having a book). Foster was adorable and such a great character. There was so much too him and he was going through a lot. Which leads me to the next thing that was missing, there were so many great issues spoken about in this book, but not fully explored. I would have seen a little more with these issues.

Again, this was an enjoyable book with great characters that YA fans will enjoy reading!

Emma Mills is a debut author better known to her subscribers as vlogger Elmify. She is also cocreator and cohost of the “life skills” channel How to Adult.