First & Then

I wanted to read First and Then because I liked the premise of Devon, watching and crushing from the sidelines, and happy until life throws unexpected people into her life.

From the start I liked her friendship with Cas. They go well together, and support each other. But the other characters like

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her cousin Foster, and even another girl are really some strange sorts. They seem young, or naive, or something. Maybe I am just not remembering the degrees of social awkwardness in this form. But they all served to show us something about Devon, and help her to learn things about herself through the interactions with them.

She is a pretty ordinary character and I liked that. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life and she was easy to relate to. She is smart though, and has a quick wit, and that def added some humor. She likes Jane Austen a lot, and she does this thing where she tries to imagine how she would write about the things Devon is going through in her life, and its a neat touch.

As I got to know the characters though their idiosyncrasies made more sense. I learned much more about foster and how much he really cares about Devon and the rest of the family. He is considerate and thoughtful, he makes a lot of jokes which is what at first made me think he was immature.

The romance was interesting and took awhile to develop. I was all for them especially after he began to open up and share more about himself.

I liked her growth and that she realized that she wanted more for her life, that college was worth it, and even though she didn't have concrete answers, things were on a different track.

The ending wrapped things up well, and it gave me closure and hope for the characters and what their future might look like.

Bottom Line: Well written and paced with enjoyable characters.

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Most of the synopses say that this is Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights. Of course, that’s what caught my eye, I can’t often resist a good P&P retelling. But that’s where Mills differs from some other stories. Although Devon is a huge Jane Austen fan, the parallels are softer in

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this contemporary teen novel. Devon and her family have gone through many changes as she begins senior year. Unsure if she even wants to go to college, Devon is still meeting with the school counselor, working on her application essay and looking for that elusive, perfect extra-curricular. Her family has grown by one, as her freshman cousin Foster has come to live with the family. It’s Foster who really seems to hold everything together here, as Devon watches over him like a sibling, almost without realizing it. And his march onto the varsity football team via the freshman line is how legends are made. Foster is befriended and mentored by standoffish Ezra, a recent transfer to Temple Sterling, a transfer many believe was just to pad his stats for college. It was quick read because I was so caught up in the story and the good characters.

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I got this in an Uppercase box and was horrified by the description (Jane Austen meets Friday Night Lights sounded like trying too hard). I was wrong; it was actually pretty amazing. I liked the Jane Austen references, the Foster/Devon dynamic; how even minor characters had important roles to play

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in the wider story and in the development of Devon; Ezra and Jordan were also great characters. I'm probably doing a terrible job articulating why I liked it but it turned around an awful day so for that alone I loved it.

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I got this in an Uppercase box and was horrified by the description (Jane Austen meets Friday Night Lights sounded like trying too hard). I was wrong; it was actually pretty amazing. I liked the Jane Austen references, the Foster/Devon dynamic; how even minor characters had important roles to play

Show More

in the wider story and in the development of Devon; Ezra and Jordan were also great characters. I'm probably doing a terrible job articulating why I liked it but it turned around an awful day so for that alone I loved it.

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I got this in an Uppercase box and was horrified by the description (Jane Austen meets Friday Night Lights sounded like trying too hard). I was wrong; it was actually pretty amazing. I liked the Jane Austen references, the Foster/Devon dynamic; how even minor characters had important roles to play

Show More

in the wider story and in the development of Devon; Ezra and Jordan were also great characters. I'm probably doing a terrible job articulating why I liked it but it turned around an awful day so for that alone I loved it.

Show Less

I got this in an Uppercase box and was horrified by the description (Jane Austen meets Friday Night Lights sounded like trying too hard). I was wrong; it was actually pretty amazing. I liked the Jane Austen references, the Foster/Devon dynamic; how even minor characters had important roles to play

Show More

in the wider story and in the development of Devon; Ezra and Jordan were also great characters. I'm probably doing a terrible job articulating why I liked it but it turned around an awful day so for that alone I loved it.

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Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: An exceptional retelling of a classic, First & Then.

Opening Sentence: My college essay was titled “School Lunches, TS High, and Me,” and it was every bit as terrible as you’d expect.

The Review:

I have been a fan of Emma Mills since she her

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early days of YouTube. Throughout the years, I gravitated towards her videos. I always felt she had something substantial to say, whether it is through a funny anecdote or through a witty song. When MacMillan told me that she was going to be published with a young adult novel, First & Then, I was ecstatic! And when I read the synopsis? It blew me away. Who wouldn’t want to read a Pride and Prejudice retelling from one of my favorite people?

First & Then follows the lives of Devon, her cousin Foster, and star running back, Ezra. Like many in high school, Devon is unsure of the direction of her future. She is sure of a few things, and one is her best friend Cas. But like in high school, things can change overnight. Now Devon finds solace with the last person she least expected. Cue romance theme music.

Devon is someone that I related to. I saw myself in her, in her goals and hopes. Her voice is well written, allowing for quick-wit humor and and a very loyal personality. Foster is adorable. He is my favorite. He is the guy you will always want to root for – no matter what. Ezra is the bright light with a courageous heart.

I thoroughly enjoyed the relationships formed between the characters. It was a good example that they had something alive and vibrant. The voices were wonderful, the pacing was superb, and I loved everything that happened with the pages of this story. Mills was passionate about this story, and it definitely showed. It was easy to bring myself in this world, put myself in the shoes of every character. And that’s a huge testament to Mills as an author.

It was refreshing to read a story that made me feel good from beginning to end. I laughed, I cried, and I definitely swooned. It was easy to become involved, to be invested. Mills made it simple to just read each page and enjoy.

Notable Scene:

He grinned. “I love you.”

I got into the car, half wanting to tell him not to say stuff like that and half wanting to say it back.

“Drive safe for real, okay?” he said before I could reply.

“Well, I was going to give it a go blindfolded, but I guess I could wait on that. For you.”

I knew that was just as stupid as Cas’s As long as you save me a dance. And I knew that sometimes around Cas my voice turned strange, too, some sort of gravel jumped into it, trying to sound cool and sexy and cavalier but really sounding just as idiotic as Cas had talking to Lindsay. But I couldn’t help it.

He rapped the roof of the car. “Night, Devon.” And then he shut the door, moved onto the curb, and watched me pull away.

FTC Advisory: Henry Holt & Co./Macmillan provided me with a copy of First & Then. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

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Come on guys. That cover is adorable.

Story-wise, I guess the word I'd use to describe this is sweet. It seemed like a light read - nothing too tragic or heartbreaking - it was a sweet contemporary novel.

First & Then is about high school, (American) football, rereading Jane Austen, embracing change and making new friends.

As Devon enters her senior year, she’s uninspired about writing college applications, unimpressed about having to do PE with a bunch of freshmen, uncertain about having her 14

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year old cousin Foster come to stay, and holding onto unrequited feelings for her best friend.

This is a hopeful, deftly handled story. I really enjoyed this.

As far as I was concerned, physical education was evil.
You take a bunch of teenagers, make them strip down in front of each other in a locker room, have them don hideous matching uniforms, and then measure their worth based on their ability to chuck balls at a net, into a hoop, or at each other. It was just. Evil.

Also:

House parties weren't my favourite, but because it was the first one of the year, I felt obligated to go. As I made my way over to Martin Lahey's house, I wished it could be more like how it had been in Jane's time: ordering a carriage, wearing a gorgeous gown, having your name announced when you came into the room. Real dancing to real music. Some sense of decorum. In short, nobody throwing up in the bushes.

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