17 First Kisses by Rachael AllenRelease Date: June 17, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: Edelweiss
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository ● B&N ● iTunes ● Kobo
Goodreads ● Website
No matter how many boys Claire kisses, she can’t seem to find a decent boyfriend. Someone who wouldn’t rather date her gorgeous best friend, Megan. Someone who won’t freak out when he learns about the tragedy her family still hasn’t recovered from. Someone whose kisses can carry her away from her backwoods town for one fleeting moment.
Until Claire meets Luke.
But Megan is falling for Luke, too, and if there’s one thing Claire knows for sure, it’s that Megan’s pretty much irresistible.
With true love and best friendship on the line, Claire suddenly has everything to lose. And what she learns—about her crush, her friends, and most of all herself—makes the choices even harder.
Until Claire meets Luke.
But Megan is falling for Luke, too, and if there’s one thing Claire knows for sure, it’s that Megan’s pretty much irresistible.
With true love and best friendship on the line, Claire suddenly has everything to lose. And what she learns—about her crush, her friends, and most of all herself—makes the choices even harder.
It’s nice to pick up something slightly fluffier after reading books with a darker premise. I came across Allen’s debut on Edelweiss and after reading the premise, I knew I had to get my hands on this one. When I first started reading 17 First Kisses, it kind of reminded me of John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines. I liked how the story alternated between the present action and the past kisses, unraveling a little more history between the characters and the main character Claire’s background.
I enjoyed that Claire wasn’t the outcast, wasn’t the rebel, or wasn’t the weirdo. She’s already pretty popular and she really stuck out as a “real” character, even though she has flaws and her character slightly annoyed me from time to time. I liked that her world wasn’t perfect and that we see a great balance between her time at school and what goes on at home. I was a bit iffy about Megan’s character. I mean, on one hand, I did like her but then she can be really mean and snobbish when it comes to Claire or the other people around her. Especially when things get heated with Luke and the game is on...
I appreciate how much exposition for characters is given in this novel. We really do learn more about Megan and Luke, as well as some of the other characters with smaller roles. This doesn’t happen often in YA but I’m glad it did, and especially since this wasn’t a long book, it didn’t feel rushed or crammed with background information.
How things turn out in the end I won’t say, but I’m glad that my predictions came true! Things do take a turn and the unexpected occurs, leading to a sweet and satisfying conclusion. While this may start out being a fluffy contemporary it does take a dark spin, but all is right in the end, and I think how the author left it off was great as it didn’t give too much away and gives an inkling of what is probably going to happen, as well as leaves room for the reader’s imagination.
17 First Kisses was a fun read, the kind that makes you feel all gooey inside and hits close to the heart– a true reminder of high school and all the ups and downs. Boys, kissing, drama... what more could you possibly want? Rachael Allen’s debut sparkles, and I definitely can’t wait for more.
If you like this, try...
- An Abundance of Katherines by John Green ● Goodreads
- #scandal by Sarah Ockler ● Goodreads
- The Trouble with Flirting by Claire LaZebnik ● Goodreads
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RACHAEL ALLEN
Rachael Allen lives in Atlanta, GA where she's working furiously on her PhD in neuroscience. When she's not doing science or writing YA, you can find her chasing after her toddler and her two sled dogs. Her debut YA novel 17 FIRST KISSES, is forthcoming from Harper Teen. Rachael may or may not have had 17 first kisses...luckily she doesn't kiss and tell.
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