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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A First Time for Everything
Okay as an Upper Bucks County native, my eyes popped out of my head when I read Council Rock North!
Okay as an Upper Bucks County native, my eyes popped out of my head when I read Council Rock North!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This novel centers around Madeline, a teenager whose close-knit family is thrown off balance when her older brother suddenly announces his engagement — without so much as a heads-up. Mads, already skeptical of his bride-to-be, Katie, reluctantly agrees to be part of the wedding party in hopes of smoothing over tensions and honoring her brother. As she navigates the pre-wedding chaos, an impromptu game with the other bridesmaids exposes that Mads has zero dating experience — a revelation that kicks off a whirlwind mission to find her a wedding date. Cue a string of misadventures in dating, involving awkward setups, romantic near-misses, and a bit of emotional whiplash as she finds herself torn between multiple possibilities: a childhood friend, an old classmate, and a few new faces. At the same time, Mads is juggling family dynamics, college dreams, and the pressure to play along with the "excitement" for the wedding. As the big day approaches, she’s forced to confront what — and who — she really wants, and whether she can trust that everyone else is making the right choices too.
Honestly, I came into this book with high hopes after loving The Summer of Broken Rules. That one had charm, heart, and a setting that just clicked. But this one? It felt like being stuck in someone else's drama, and not in an entertaining way. The biggest issue for me was the main character herself. Mads' headspace was not a fun place to be. She spends the majority of the book irritated by everything — the wedding, her future sister-in-law, dating, her own lack of experience — and it started to wear thin pretty fast. It’s one thing to write a conflicted character, but it’s another to make their internal monologue so dominated by complaints that it drags the mood down. I didn’t expect sunshine and rainbows, but I also didn’t sign up for what felt like a never-ending rant. Her relationship with Katie (her soon-to-be sister-in-law) was a huge part of the story, but honestly? Katie was just as unlikeable — cold, dismissive, and borderline rude for most of the book. She never really made an effort with Mads or the rest of the family, and it’s wild that she waited until basically the week of the wedding to finally address any of that. She’s the older one in the situation, and if she had issues, she should’ve gone to Austin — her fiancé — and worked through it long before this point. I kept waiting for her to take some accountability or even just apologize, but it never came. And it’s hard to root for any reconciliation when one side refuses to admit they’ve done anything wrong. Also, Katie not knowing how to spell Mads’ name after four years?? Wild.
The dating plotline also felt kind of meh. There were a bunch of random guys, but the real focus was on two dudes from her past: one had zero personality outside of being the “nice guy” best friend, and the other gave major “emotionally unavailable” energy. I didn’t feel much chemistry with anyone, and Mads seemed way more into ranting about how much she hated dating than actually being in a romance. There were also a couple moments that made me cringe a bit — particularly when the author dismissively explained that a girl’s first time having sex is supposed to hurt and be kind of awful. What was even the point? That’s a damaging trope, and I wish it hadn’t been treated so casually.
That said, not everything was bad. The side characters were great — especially the bridesmaids and Mads’ dads. Their family dynamic was sweet and probably the one part of the book that actually felt warm and supportive. I wish we’d gotten more of her brother, though. For someone whose wedding was the whole reason this story existed, he barely showed up, and when he did, he didn’t seem to notice or care that his fiancée and sister couldn’t stand each other. In the end, I just didn’t have a good time with this one. The setup had promise, but the execution left me frustrated. I know a lot of people might still enjoy it, especially if you’re into messy family drama and secondhand awkwardness — but for me, this was a miss.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of A First Time for Everything in return for my honest review.
Honestly, I came into this book with high hopes after loving The Summer of Broken Rules. That one had charm, heart, and a setting that just clicked. But this one? It felt like being stuck in someone else's drama, and not in an entertaining way. The biggest issue for me was the main character herself. Mads' headspace was not a fun place to be. She spends the majority of the book irritated by everything — the wedding, her future sister-in-law, dating, her own lack of experience — and it started to wear thin pretty fast. It’s one thing to write a conflicted character, but it’s another to make their internal monologue so dominated by complaints that it drags the mood down. I didn’t expect sunshine and rainbows, but I also didn’t sign up for what felt like a never-ending rant. Her relationship with Katie (her soon-to-be sister-in-law) was a huge part of the story, but honestly? Katie was just as unlikeable — cold, dismissive, and borderline rude for most of the book. She never really made an effort with Mads or the rest of the family, and it’s wild that she waited until basically the week of the wedding to finally address any of that. She’s the older one in the situation, and if she had issues, she should’ve gone to Austin — her fiancé — and worked through it long before this point. I kept waiting for her to take some accountability or even just apologize, but it never came. And it’s hard to root for any reconciliation when one side refuses to admit they’ve done anything wrong. Also, Katie not knowing how to spell Mads’ name after four years?? Wild.
The dating plotline also felt kind of meh. There were a bunch of random guys, but the real focus was on two dudes from her past: one had zero personality outside of being the “nice guy” best friend, and the other gave major “emotionally unavailable” energy. I didn’t feel much chemistry with anyone, and Mads seemed way more into ranting about how much she hated dating than actually being in a romance. There were also a couple moments that made me cringe a bit — particularly when the author dismissively explained that a girl’s first time having sex is supposed to hurt and be kind of awful. What was even the point? That’s a damaging trope, and I wish it hadn’t been treated so casually.
That said, not everything was bad. The side characters were great — especially the bridesmaids and Mads’ dads. Their family dynamic was sweet and probably the one part of the book that actually felt warm and supportive. I wish we’d gotten more of her brother, though. For someone whose wedding was the whole reason this story existed, he barely showed up, and when he did, he didn’t seem to notice or care that his fiancée and sister couldn’t stand each other. In the end, I just didn’t have a good time with this one. The setup had promise, but the execution left me frustrated. I know a lot of people might still enjoy it, especially if you’re into messy family drama and secondhand awkwardness — but for me, this was a miss.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of A First Time for Everything in return for my honest review.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
I've been a fan of KL Walther's other books and was looking forward to this one. I was a little disappointed in this one. The story seemed more predictable and the conflicts were simple in that the solution was very obvious. This became slightly frustrating when the conflict dragged on. Overall, it was a nice read, but not my favorite.
I've been a fan of KL Walther's other books and was looking forward to this one. I was a little disappointed in this one. The story seemed more predictable and the conflicts were simple in that the solution was very obvious. This became slightly frustrating when the conflict dragged on. Overall, it was a nice read, but not my favorite.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a quick and easy read that held my attention throughout. There was great character development—I thought I would never like Katie but she grew on me and I’m glad we got to see her true self. I wish this happened slightly earlier so the reader would get more time to see who Katie really is and why Austin loves her, but other than that it was well-written.
I love how close the families are! Mads, Marco, and Connor all seem to have great relationships with their family members and this closeness is nice to read about.
One element that I enjoyed is the exploration of platonic male/female relationships and how two people really can be close friends without loving each other romantically.
Also, the cover of this book is so cute—I think it’s fun when little details from the story are incorporated into the cover design!
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys character-driven YA romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol
Minor: Sexual assault, Grief
RTC!
This was such a cute read, K.L. Walther really knows how to write a fun YA summer/beach read. This one takes place over the course of a year, all leading up to Mads' brother, Austin's wedding to Katie. I really enjoyed getting to know Mads and her whole family was so much fun! I had trouble with some of the characters at the beginning, especially Kate but I really ended up liking her in the end. The cameos from A Summer of Broken Rules were such a perfect touch and such a fun peek into their lives a few years later. The setup dates for Mads made me so sad, I wish she didn't have to go through everything she went through but the end was just so perfect. I was so happy for her and her whole family too!
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Madeline (aka Mads) is shocked when her brother Austin, who she’s always been incredibly close to, gets engaged to Katie in Paris. She doesn’t particularly like Katie, making things even more difficult. When Mads reveals she’s never been kissed during a game of Truth or Dare with the bridesmaids, she embarks on her own Bachelorette-like journey to find love.
This was adorable!! I loved the characters and watching them grow throughout the year. I especially related to Katie and enjoyed watching Mads gradually start to understand her. Mads felt like a true 17-18 year old so I appreciated that the author wrote this the way she did. I feel like this is good for both YA and adult audiences.
Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the ARC!
This was adorable!! I loved the characters and watching them grow throughout the year. I especially related to Katie and enjoyed watching Mads gradually start to understand her. Mads felt like a true 17-18 year old so I appreciated that the author wrote this the way she did. I feel like this is good for both YA and adult audiences.
Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the ARC!