Emma Mills

Devon is a high school senior, wondering if she really wants to go to college, what to do with her cousin Foster (a freshman) who has moved in with her family in Florida, and whether she likes Ezra, the stuck-up football star at her school, or cannot stand him.

First & Then

alya adlina

okay so this book is fun and quick read i guess. this is my first time reading emma mills’s book and it’s enjoyable and i can’t believe i quite liked this one. the first few chapters is a lil bit sloww…but after halfway through it became fast paced and i really enjoyed it. this book is about a girl who doesn’t know what she wants, a girl who falls in love with her best friend, a girl who doesn’t need anything more in her life but suddenly she had a brother and there’s one man that came on her life changed everything. what the most thing that i can’t believe is i cried a lil bit even though it’s not that sad SAD… you guys need to read this book once in your life.

the characters Devon Tennyson, she’s an intelligent girl but she had no idea to do with her next life. AND YES THE WAY I COULD RELATE TO HER 😌 She’s funny and had a great humour and suddenly there’s two person came in to her life and she was misunderstood about them. 
Next, we got Ezra, he’s an all-star. A great football player. But he’s quiet, not good with words and mind his own business. No but i found him adorable FOR REAL. Devon always tried to talk to him but he’s an awkward person that didn’t know how to make a words. He got a lot to say to Devon 😌.
And last but not least, there was Foster. He’s a cousin of Devon. He’s so innocently cute i really liked him. He’s thoughtful and amazing character. Sometimes i want to hug him when he feels sad. If you guys want to know more about the characters GO READ THIS BOOK. YES I RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE. 

This book is simple, lovely and heartwarming. You can feel the connection towards the characters. The last few pages literally makes me smile nonstop. But the only thing that bothered me and the reason why i didn’t give it 5 stars was because the ending felt a little abrupt and oh god how i wish there had been more few chapters AND MORE ROMANCE.

★★★☆ // a lot of potential to be really great, but chose to take the easy route in terms of solving the problems surrounding its characters and plot. cute, but forgettable.

Victoria

I don't even know where to begin with this one.

I started reading this book 2 years ago (May 2018). I put it down and never looked back until 2 days ago when I decided that it's probably time I actually finish the damn thing. I had to start from the beginning though cause I couldn't remember what happened prior to where I actually left off. 

But I digress.

So this book is basically about Devon and the people around and in her life. It's honestly incredibly confusing because even after finishing this book, I still don't know what it's about (like I said on my status update yesterday).

The author threw in all these things that the whole story ended up not having a point anymore. Is it about Devon? Or is it about Foster, Devon's cousin? Or is it about Cas, the best friend? Or is it the broody and mysterious football player, Ezra?

Is it a love story? Is it a story that tackles mental health or societal issues? Who knows. I, for sure, do not as it's just all over the goddamn place.

I don't.... I don't even know, honestly.

Isadora Cal

I expexted so. much. more. This isn't Jane Austen-like at all. It's just a protagonist who likes Jane Austen. It seriously lacks depth. Since the book is in first person, we are always inside the mind of a girl who is not that smart or funny or interesting... and there are so little conversation or real observation of others to actually know other characters. You know then too fast and right at first and then it's all so... superficial. It's the cliché of clichés. Nothing breathtaking about the romance on it, no development... meh.

Beatrix Haase

Super quick read
Really enjoyed the story
It was cute and entertaining

xoxo,
Bebe

Siya S

Did I just finish yet another Emma Mills' book in one go? Yes. Yes I freaking did.
4 Jane-Austen-Would-Approve Stars! 

You gotta love Emma Mills. This was her third book that I've finished in a row under the course of like, 2 weeks. The solid banter that left you snorted like a dork? The unexpected feel train that lets you sniff back a teardrop? The slow-burn romance that escalates to shinkansen-speed around the last 15 pages? You bet it's all here. 

I can tell that she wrote this book before This Adventure Ends and Foolish Hearts even without looking it up beforehand. There were a bit "meh" elements to it here-and-there (brace yourself for the HS stereotypes...), but I read the aforementioned 2 books before so I appreciate her development as a YA writer so much! I love Devon Tennyson and I see she was indeed a prototype of Sloane and Claudia, whom I love dearly :) 

This is a retelling of Jane Austen's beloved Pride & Prejudice. Devon Tenny had been desperately in love with her BFF Cassidy since time immemorial, but this semester things would change a bit. First, it was the fact that she found she wasn't an only child anymore...? Her cousin Foster lived with her now and Devon had to adjust a ton, but before anyone could blink, the awkward kid Foster ended up joining the TS High's Varsity Football Team and well, things were just going to get weirder. Second, her path has crossed with Ezra Lynley's, the football star whom not everybody seemed to like. His quiet nature made him a but strange and egotistical, but now that Ezra and Foster became fast friends (like, how??? Devon wondered) then well, as said, things were just going to get weirder this year. 

The story was cute and left the butterflies in my stomach fluttered like crazy (I like I'm a 30-year-old grown-ass woman, but still). The drama and the breaking point left me devastated (in a good way) but everything was kind of ok in the end (of course it was). I thought I didn't like it as much because I felt like there's something missing...but here I am going on and on about it for so long it doesn't seem like I'm gonna stop anytime soon. So it's all ok I guess. Go read it, YA/ Jane Austen enthusiasts, you would be disappointed!

brooke

ezra is just like me fr, i too don’t know how to conversate with people

Lillian

look were there questionable elements yes but I had a fun enough time and there were Jane Austen references so

Lauren Tabor

Christina Rae Lu

It's a good short read. But every time I recall all the books I have read this 2016, this one book I always seem to forget what's it about. So what I'm trying to say is... It doesn't really have an effect on me. It didn't struck me as anything.

Alexa Jade

There were a few parts in this read that had me thinking it wouldn’t be a 5 star read for me but I just can’t give it less than 5. 

I loved this read SO MUCH and it’s one of my fastest reads to date. 

-The characters were great. 
-The story went somewhere unexpected. 
-I felt all the feelings.

Nicole Footer

Such a good read. Devon is incredibly relatable with her conversational awkwardness and fast witty comments.

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.

Logan Dittbrenner

This is my first Emma Mill's book and overall I am very pleased. I really enjoyed the characters in this story as well as the family dynamics. I also quite enjoyed the romance because it was not all lovey dovey. I also thought the character development was good. However I was not a fan of the slut shaming in this book. I liked it but it did not give me a wow factor.

Sahi K

This was a wonderful read. Not the kind of book that blows your mind away from page one but one that subtly worms it's way into your mind and heart. The blurb presents this book as Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights but I won't comment on that because I've never watched FNL. It's also not an exact retelling of P&P but the vibes are definitely present and the understated writing is very similar to the way Austen talks about issues without making a big deal out of them.

Devon is a very relatable teenager. She believes she is average and boring, doesn't have the talent for anything nor the work ethic to make up for it and is pretty apathetic towards most things. She knows she has to go to college but is not sure what she wants to do and doesn't seem very interested in working on the essays for her applications. Only when she is compelled, she decides to become a TA and an assistant photographer for the sports section of the school newspaper.

Devon is also slightly resentful of having to deal with her cousin Foster who is now living with them. He is a sweet, adorable, nerdy kid but is emotionally closed off and never talks about his issues, especially abandonment by his mother. He can be awkward, probably has some form of anxiety, goes to therapy and can be found sitting in the bathtub or under the kitchen table when he feels overwhelmed. Throughout the book, we see their relationship develop from being slightly thorny to a tentative closeness to deeply caring about each other and it's absolutely beautiful. Foster becoming a part of the football team also helps them bond and he gets to form friendships with his teammates.

Ezra is the new football star of the town, All-American, fawned on my everybody but also resented for his popularity, broody nature and not getting on well with others. Dev initially dislikes him, but when he befriends Foster, sort of like a mentor, she starts understanding how loyal, caring and sweet he can be. He is as awkward as her in putting his thoughts into words, but they form an unlikely friendship. Their feelings are obvious to us but misunderstandings, tempers and silences abound and it's a very slow burn before anything happens. But it's a lot of fun to watch it happen. The romance takes it's time to develop and it's sweet and has a very Austen feel. And Ezra is definitely a great Darcy-esque love interest whom I couldn't help falling in love with.

There are also many other kids at the high school who are all not very fleshed out but still play a significant role in Devon's personal growth throughout the book. Cas has always been her best friend and unrequited crush and theirs is a very easy dynamic - they live in their own bubble because it's convenient. But slowly, because of a slightly pushy Mrs. Wentworth, the effortlessly charming and very good at heart Jordan, highly ambitious and driven Rachel, the sweetest ever Lindsay, mysterious Emir and lots of others, she bursts her own bubble and is on her way to finding herself. Her college visit also gives her a sense of purpose and some confidence about her future.

The writing in this book is truly wonderful in a very effortless way. The story just flows through and you never want to put the book down. There are many instances where Devon compares what's happening in her life to the situations in Sense & Sensibility or other Austen books and this warmed my heart. There is even a nod to the infamous Colin Firth’s swimming scene from the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. This is a story of love and loss, friendship and family, the high school experience. It's also about a town and it's love for football and tradition. It's about the effects of drunk driving and addiction on the lives of those left behind. It's a beautiful story of a girl who becomes less judgemental, more assertive and finds love.

If you love YA or Jane Austen or Football or all of them, just read this book. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Alexis 

Honestly, I don't have much to say about this book, it was very average. There wasn't anything too much that has stuck with me after the fact. It wasn't at all memorable. This is the second or third novel by Emma Mills that I've read. I think I'm started to decide this author may just not be for me. The writing, the plot and the characters are very simplistic and I just don't think that her books are for me.

Samantha Seney

wooooow.

Not only is the book beautiful, but so is the writing! Devon is a great character and I loved her story.

Recommended in John Green's Book Giving Guide for the Holidays 2015 Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy 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, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive jock, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them--first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life. With wit, heart, and humor to spare, First & Then is a contemporary novel about falling in love--with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


First & Then is another book I honestly should've read far before I did. It's about football. It's a Pride & Prejudice retelling. Most of my friends loved it. It pretty much had my name written all over it, but it still got shoved aside on my shelf. That's sad and all, but I'm still glad I read it when I did — in that awkward time right before football season starts up again and I'm in the mood for ALL THE FOOTBALL THINGS. 

This was a super cute, swoony book. It did start off just a little slowly for me, but once it picked up speed, it was totally worth the stumbles in the beginning. I do love a good grumpy hero, which I suppose is why P&P is my favorite of Jane Austen's books. It's also why I liked Ezra as much as I did here. There was so much more to him than met the eye. If I was the type to find fictional high school aged boys crush-worthy, he'd be near the top of my list for 2016. Oh, wait... I'm exactly that type. Don't judge. I adored Devon as well. I found her fairly relatable, despite the age difference, and I loved watching her grow and really come into her own, figuring out which relationships were the best and which needed to be left behind. It doesn't hurt that Devon and Ezra together were too freaking cute for words. 

My only complaint about First & Then was that it ended far too abruptly for me. I'm not saying I need to know if they lived happily ever after, because they are teenagers and all, but what I would've liked was an epilogue. Even a short one. Honestly, it was a wholly unsatisfying ending after a book that I found otherwise totally adorable, charming and swoon-worthy. But, all in all it was a great debut! I'll certainly be looking for more from Emma in the future!

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

  When I was a freshman, I had braces and more pimples than I could count. I didn't wear makeup. I didn't own short-shorts. I had never tasted alcohol, and I certainly didn't know how or why you would ever want to blow anything.

"The star football player's supposed to be all charming and winning and stuff. Not surly and mean-spirited." 

Football was something everyone had in common—like a mutual religion. We all believed in touchdowns and field goals. We were all baptized in the floodlights. 

"I don't know how to talk like they do," Ezra continued after a moment. "But... I feel about you they way they feel in those books. The way those guys feel about those girls that they don't always deserve." 

A thousand electric cars could run on how you feel when you know that the person you like likes you back. It feels incredible. Like it shouldn't be possible. Of all the happy coincidences to ever exist, it's one of the happiest.

Kaele Perkins 

Definitely my favorite Emma Mills book. I did love ‘this adventure ends’ though. Ughh her books are cute. Ezra Lynley, I absolutely love you. Great male lead character. The main protagonist’s is very very relatable- facing after school decisions, changes in her family and friends and a new ‘brother’. Some conflicts I felt like weren’t really needed, but I enjoyed having a main character who is aware of what she should and shouldn’t have said or done and tries to do better. Overall, great story, love the characters!
Infp and esfj I think.

Sally Salinas

This is cute feel good story. Easy fast read. Loved the characters Dev & Foster.

Carla Aquino

Uppercase monthly book:

Such a cute book that gives you warm and fuzzy feeling. Foster is so quirky and funny without meaning to be it reminds me of my own little brother...Well, except my little brother can be a complete douche bag and most of the time he means to be that way...lol. Little jerk! I really enjoyed the building of Devon and Foster's relationship, and Devon and Ezra's too!

Oh it also brought back memories of my high school days of me not knowing what I was going to do with my life because college didn't seem like it was within reach. Mostly because I was just another inner city Philly girl who didn't have lots of choices to make it out (So thankful I did though...but that's only cause I'm smart as shit...lmao!).

Thank you UpperCase Box for an awesome pick and goodie bag!

Hayley 📖🌈💜🌸

Despite it taking me approximately 14 years to finish reading it, I really loved this book. Such great character development and growth and I JUST WANT TO GIVE DEVON A HUG, OKAY?

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

4.5 stars!


  "You don't want to make yourself different for a boy," she said. "You don't want to make yourself different for anyone."


At first glance, I was extremely interested in reading this book. The references to Pride and Prejudice and Friday Night Lights, though intriguing, didn't really affect me too much as I've never read/watched either one. (I know, totally unacceptable!) So as far as that comparison goes, I cannot comment on the similarities. I did, however, think back to The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock and thought it had a lot of similarities to that movie. A less than popular kid who finds he has a hidden talent for football. I always love a story with the underdog coming around full force!

Devon is happy spending her Friday nights sitting on the bleachers watching her best friend, Cas, who she also has a major secret crush on, play football. When her cousin ends up living with her due to unforeseen issues in his own family, Devon is forced to accept the fact that Foster is now going to be in her life... and thus very much in her presence, at school AND at home. His quirky personality, nerdiness, and lack of verbal filter causes quite a lot of embarrassing moments for Devon. What they didn't realize was Foster's hidden talent for football. He's an incredible kicker, and as soon as the football catches a glimpse of his kicking abilities, he's immediately wanted on the team. This means Devon will also be spending more time with the team... and with the new, incredibly talented, football player, Ezra.


  "Why are you such good friends with him?" I asked, watching Ezra scramble for the key chains. 
He shrugged. "Why are you such good friends with Cassidy over there?"... "Why are any of us friends with the people we're friends with?" Jordan went on. "They've got qualities we like - maybe some we see in ourselves. Maybe some we want to see in ourselves."


This story has SO MUCH going for it. A wonderfully strong family component, the friendships are topnotch, the crises and drama-filled events these characters experience are extremely realistic and relateable (and not just added to the story for the sake of adding some drama), the story is smooth and flows effortlessly, and there isn't a single moment during the story where an eye-roll, sigh, or groan of "ugh!" is necessary. It's simply a story you will enjoy from beginning to end. Sounds perfect, right? It is!

First & Then is the perfect book for me to recommend to EVERYONE! Let me stress this point... there is NO love triangle, NO insta-love, NO cheating... and the list goes on and on! I don't there's anything in this story that would completely turn people off. It's one of the few YA contemporaries that I truly think almost anyone would enjoy. It will leave you feeling giddy and all kinds of mushy inside. And who doesn't love that kind of story?!

 


  


(Thanks to Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

First & Then

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