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midnightbooklover's review
medium-paced
3.0
I love a good short story anthology. Even though the stories are never enough to satisfy me. Make it make sense.
I will say this one was a little different 😅
Some of the stories were really out there. Like having a dinosaur pet out there.
I will say for the most part I enjoyed these. I could have done without some. But I still recommend it if you’re looking for a quick read.
I will say this one was a little different 😅
Some of the stories were really out there. Like having a dinosaur pet out there.
I will say for the most part I enjoyed these. I could have done without some. But I still recommend it if you’re looking for a quick read.
brooke_review's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
This isn't the first YA short story collection edited by Laura Silverman that I have read. I love a good theme, and I especially love how these anthologies always revolve around one. In the case of Firsts and Lasts, this coming of age collection explores the first and last experiences of teens as they set off to embark on their adult lives. Divided into two sections - Firsts and Lasts - these stories cover a wide variety of experiences - both those grounded in reality and others sprinkled with fantasy.
As for my personal reading experience, I definitely preferred the "Lasts" collection of stories better than the "Firsts." The "Lasts" stories were more creatively done and explored a variety of experiences, whereas the "Firsts" stories primarily featured LGBTQIA relationships. While relationships are certainly an important part of any teen's life, multiple stories on the same general subject get stale when you are fed them one after another. The stories in "Lasts," however, included everything from dinosaurs, to arena fighting, to purity balls, to murder.
FIRSTS
The First Time I Dated a Vampire by Julian Winters (2 stars) - A gay teenage movie buff who is grieving the loss of his father, finds acceptance, and possibly love, by way of the literal vampire who works at his local movie theater.
Unfortunately, there is nothing entirely memorable about this story. It feels like it was written to check off a social issues checklist, rather than to tell an engaging story.
-----
The First Day of College by Monica Gomez-Hira (4 stars) - A Colombian American college freshman with her family in tow, moves into her dorm and learns about family ties and heritage.
This is a touching coming-of-age story about looking to the future, but also remembering everything we leave behind. Authentically-written, it also includes a vibrant cast of characters.
-----
The First Kiss by Nina Moreno (3 stars) - A witch casts a spell to find love on her birthday (which also happens to be on Halloween), but things don’t play out quite as expected.
I enjoyed the Halloween/spooky vibes of this story, but questioned why Moreno chose to make her female lead bisexual, yet her crushes were all male. Why not just make her straight?
-----
The First Time We Buried a Body by Tess Sharpe (4 stars) - When a teenager commits murder to protect her friend from assault, the two girls are left with a body they need to bury.
This story is engaging and entertaining, but I am a bit worried about how the story is written as if resorting to murder was the only choice in this situation.
-----
The First Breakup by Anna Meriano (3 stars) - A girl navigates her first breakup in the search of something more.
A bit of self-discovery as the main character learns what it is she wants out of life and love is what unfolds in this story. While good, the story is pretty vanilla fare and is not quite memorable enough.
-----
The First Time I Saw the Stars by Shaun David Hutchinson (2 stars) - When an alien lands on a future Earth, it connects with a boy who has been struggling with his mental health.
Despite many readers loving this story, I just couldn’t get into it! I found it confusing to be thrown into an unfamiliar setting right off the bat, and it took me awhile to gather what was going on in this story. There were also a few distasteful sexual references that I didn’t care for.
-----
The First Crush by Keah Brown (2 stars) - A girl grapples with a way to fell her friend that she has feelings for her.
This story is all about friendship, but also falling in love with your friends. Unfortunately, it had to much going on for a short story and I kept losing interest.
-----
The First Job by Yamile Saied Mendez (3 stars) - When her long-time high school boyfriend makes out with her best friend, a girl struggles to navigate her small town on her own before finding her place.
I felt like this story was written with all of the angst and immaturity that scorned teenagers possess. I like that the main character’s first job ends up being a haunted house - it adds a fun Halloween vibe to this story.
-----
LASTS
The Last Dinosaur by Laura Silverman (5 stars) - When a young girl encounters a lone dinosaur while hiking the Appalachian Trail with her family, she makes a friend for life.
I always really enjoy Laura Silverman’s contributions in these short story collections. This story was a breath of fresh air. I was so glad that it didn’t deal with relationships and identity. Just a poignant, yet at the same time, fun, story involving a girl and her dinosaur.
-----
The Last Purity Ball by Joy McCullough (5 stars) - A girl who is attempting to plan a Purity Ball while also juggling her ever-intensifying feelings for her boyfriend, has to juggle both what she wants to do with what she feels is expected of her.
I found this story to be really engaging, and I was entertained throughout. It was a bit stereotypical and predictable, but overall, it contained some good lessons.
-----
The Last Bout by Amanda Joy (5 stars) - Two girls with mystical powers battle it out in an arena event.
This was the first story that I thought would work really well as a full-length novel. I appreciated Joy’s ability to world-build and layer on detail in just a few pages. Didn’t care for the romance side of things, but the battle and character attributes was really neat.
-----
The Last Days in the Only Place That Felt Like Home by Adi Alsaid (4 stars) - A teenage girl with a transient family is tired of always having to start over, but thinks she has found something worth holding onto when she discovers a magical time-warping fountain.
This was a touching story about trying to make a home for one’s self. I really enjoyed the magical element included in the story as well - it added a nice touch of fun.
-----
The (Hopefully) Last Demon Summoning by Kika Hatzopoulou (2 stars) - A group of friends about to diverge on their own paths accidentally summon a demon during their last hurrah.
I almost skipped over this story because I just couldn’t get into it. The characters end up being supernatural beings, which threw me off and just made things confusing. There was too much superfluous detail involved in this story, in my opinion.
-----
The Last Goodbye by Loan Le (3 stars) - A young girl connects with her mother over a drug addiction death in their past.
This story had a bit of a supernatural element to it, which isn’t my favorite. I had a hard time getting into this story, although I do think it was well done.
-----
The Last Concert by Rachel Lynn Solomon (4 stars) - A group of high school friends in a band prepare for their last performance.
This story was fun and nostalgic all at the same time. It gave off good vibes, and I enjoyed the friendships among the band members.
-----
The Last Time I Saw Her Alive (5 stars) - A girl contemplates the last time she saw her best friend alive, before she stole her boyfriend.
Holy plot twist - I did not see that one coming! I had to re-read parts of this story more than once because it completely took me by surprise.
As for my personal reading experience, I definitely preferred the "Lasts" collection of stories better than the "Firsts." The "Lasts" stories were more creatively done and explored a variety of experiences, whereas the "Firsts" stories primarily featured LGBTQIA relationships. While relationships are certainly an important part of any teen's life, multiple stories on the same general subject get stale when you are fed them one after another. The stories in "Lasts," however, included everything from dinosaurs, to arena fighting, to purity balls, to murder.
FIRSTS
The First Time I Dated a Vampire by Julian Winters (2 stars) - A gay teenage movie buff who is grieving the loss of his father, finds acceptance, and possibly love, by way of the literal vampire who works at his local movie theater.
Unfortunately, there is nothing entirely memorable about this story. It feels like it was written to check off a social issues checklist, rather than to tell an engaging story.
-----
The First Day of College by Monica Gomez-Hira (4 stars) - A Colombian American college freshman with her family in tow, moves into her dorm and learns about family ties and heritage.
This is a touching coming-of-age story about looking to the future, but also remembering everything we leave behind. Authentically-written, it also includes a vibrant cast of characters.
-----
The First Kiss by Nina Moreno (3 stars) - A witch casts a spell to find love on her birthday (which also happens to be on Halloween), but things don’t play out quite as expected.
I enjoyed the Halloween/spooky vibes of this story, but questioned why Moreno chose to make her female lead bisexual, yet her crushes were all male. Why not just make her straight?
-----
The First Time We Buried a Body by Tess Sharpe (4 stars) - When a teenager commits murder to protect her friend from assault, the two girls are left with a body they need to bury.
This story is engaging and entertaining, but I am a bit worried about how the story is written as if resorting to murder was the only choice in this situation.
-----
The First Breakup by Anna Meriano (3 stars) - A girl navigates her first breakup in the search of something more.
A bit of self-discovery as the main character learns what it is she wants out of life and love is what unfolds in this story. While good, the story is pretty vanilla fare and is not quite memorable enough.
-----
The First Time I Saw the Stars by Shaun David Hutchinson (2 stars) - When an alien lands on a future Earth, it connects with a boy who has been struggling with his mental health.
Despite many readers loving this story, I just couldn’t get into it! I found it confusing to be thrown into an unfamiliar setting right off the bat, and it took me awhile to gather what was going on in this story. There were also a few distasteful sexual references that I didn’t care for.
-----
The First Crush by Keah Brown (2 stars) - A girl grapples with a way to fell her friend that she has feelings for her.
This story is all about friendship, but also falling in love with your friends. Unfortunately, it had to much going on for a short story and I kept losing interest.
-----
The First Job by Yamile Saied Mendez (3 stars) - When her long-time high school boyfriend makes out with her best friend, a girl struggles to navigate her small town on her own before finding her place.
I felt like this story was written with all of the angst and immaturity that scorned teenagers possess. I like that the main character’s first job ends up being a haunted house - it adds a fun Halloween vibe to this story.
-----
LASTS
The Last Dinosaur by Laura Silverman (5 stars) - When a young girl encounters a lone dinosaur while hiking the Appalachian Trail with her family, she makes a friend for life.
I always really enjoy Laura Silverman’s contributions in these short story collections. This story was a breath of fresh air. I was so glad that it didn’t deal with relationships and identity. Just a poignant, yet at the same time, fun, story involving a girl and her dinosaur.
-----
The Last Purity Ball by Joy McCullough (5 stars) - A girl who is attempting to plan a Purity Ball while also juggling her ever-intensifying feelings for her boyfriend, has to juggle both what she wants to do with what she feels is expected of her.
I found this story to be really engaging, and I was entertained throughout. It was a bit stereotypical and predictable, but overall, it contained some good lessons.
-----
The Last Bout by Amanda Joy (5 stars) - Two girls with mystical powers battle it out in an arena event.
This was the first story that I thought would work really well as a full-length novel. I appreciated Joy’s ability to world-build and layer on detail in just a few pages. Didn’t care for the romance side of things, but the battle and character attributes was really neat.
-----
The Last Days in the Only Place That Felt Like Home by Adi Alsaid (4 stars) - A teenage girl with a transient family is tired of always having to start over, but thinks she has found something worth holding onto when she discovers a magical time-warping fountain.
This was a touching story about trying to make a home for one’s self. I really enjoyed the magical element included in the story as well - it added a nice touch of fun.
-----
The (Hopefully) Last Demon Summoning by Kika Hatzopoulou (2 stars) - A group of friends about to diverge on their own paths accidentally summon a demon during their last hurrah.
I almost skipped over this story because I just couldn’t get into it. The characters end up being supernatural beings, which threw me off and just made things confusing. There was too much superfluous detail involved in this story, in my opinion.
-----
The Last Goodbye by Loan Le (3 stars) - A young girl connects with her mother over a drug addiction death in their past.
This story had a bit of a supernatural element to it, which isn’t my favorite. I had a hard time getting into this story, although I do think it was well done.
-----
The Last Concert by Rachel Lynn Solomon (4 stars) - A group of high school friends in a band prepare for their last performance.
This story was fun and nostalgic all at the same time. It gave off good vibes, and I enjoyed the friendships among the band members.
-----
The Last Time I Saw Her Alive (5 stars) - A girl contemplates the last time she saw her best friend alive, before she stole her boyfriend.
Holy plot twist - I did not see that one coming! I had to re-read parts of this story more than once because it completely took me by surprise.
bethfishreads's review
3.0
A short story collection written by multiple YA authors, each focusing on the space between childhood and adulthood.
First a personal note: I didn't read all 16 stories, yet I don't want to mark the book as DNF because I may read more when the mood hits. In fact, I rarely review collections because I usually don't read them front to back without a break. I tend to read a story or two between longer books or when I have an appointment that may include time in a waiting room. Note too that I have no problem skipping stories that don't catch my attention on the first couple of pages.
Things I liked in general about the stories I read: Diverse characters (in many senses) placed in emotionally authentic situations, even if the specific situation was uncommon (vampires & dinosaurs, for example). The stories were well-structured and complete with relatable characters.
Unfortunately, because I'm older than the target audience, I didn't connect to the collection to the depth I suspect younger people (young adults & new adults) will. Still, I recommend you give the collection a try.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
First a personal note: I didn't read all 16 stories, yet I don't want to mark the book as DNF because I may read more when the mood hits. In fact, I rarely review collections because I usually don't read them front to back without a break. I tend to read a story or two between longer books or when I have an appointment that may include time in a waiting room. Note too that I have no problem skipping stories that don't catch my attention on the first couple of pages.
Things I liked in general about the stories I read: Diverse characters (in many senses) placed in emotionally authentic situations, even if the specific situation was uncommon (vampires & dinosaurs, for example). The stories were well-structured and complete with relatable characters.
Unfortunately, because I'm older than the target audience, I didn't connect to the collection to the depth I suspect younger people (young adults & new adults) will. Still, I recommend you give the collection a try.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
analenegrace's review against another edition
emotional
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I picked up this collection because Rachel Lynn Solomon is one of my favorite authors but I decided to read all of the stories and I'm glad I did. Below are reviews of each story and a rating for each which I generally averaged out to reach the 4 star rating for the overall collection!
The First Time I Dated A Vampire:
4.5 Stars
This is an unexpectedly gorgeous representation of dealing with parental grief and also fun vampire lore
The First Day of College:
3.75
This was a very sweet story about the complicated nature of the mother-daughter relationship, although it felt a little too short/underdeveloped
The First Kiss
3.0
This one was a very sweet first kiss story but not much characterization for any of the characters
The First Time We Buried a Body:
3.75
This captured the anxiety of the moment really well, giving us background when we needed it and easily making us root for the MCs
The First Breakup
4
This was a fun moment in the middle of the MC’s life that really feels like we dropped into a peek into her life and that it will continue on past the short story, especially with all the possible love interests!
The First Time I saw the Stars
4
This is definitely one of the most interesting sci-fis I’ve read, with a very similar but very different world, aliens, and a serious internal look at teenage depression
The First Crush
3.5
This was a super cute sapphic first crush/first kiss story with some of my favorite tropes and chronic pain rep, which I love, but it was awkwardly written at times
The First Job
3.75
This one was super interesting and spooky in a very silly way! I was so confused by the ending, though!
The Last Dinosaur
4.5
Another beautiful story of grief and overcoming with a sweet story of dinosaurs and family behind it
The Last Purity Ball
3.75
This is a really interesting approach to a YA about religion, with a compelling narrator and I appreciated that it ended with the understanding that religion is complicated rather than being cut and dry
The Last Bout
3.25
This is a cute Sapphic fantasy but not particularly engaging
The Last Days in the Only Place that Ever Felt like Home
3.5
Captures the longing experience of moving with magical realism but is a little boring
The Hopefully Last Demon Summoning
3.5
This is a very silly reckoning with growing up in a magical world with very fun world-building
The Last Goodbye
4
This one is an incredibly sweet story of the mother-daughter relationship as well as dealing with grief with interesting magical elements
The Last Concert
4.5
RLS captures yearning like no other, and this was no exception. The characters were lovely and so reminiscent of the experience of finishing something important to you and having to move on and forward with a sweet little hint of a romance.
The Last Time I Saw Her Alive
4
This one caught me off guard, and i didn’t expect the twist at all! A very good mystery ghosty story!
the_cover_contessa's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you to Penguin Workshop for sending me a copy of this book to read and give my honest review.
I love anthologies. Especially those with authors I may not have read yet. It gives me a good idea of whether or not I might like an author's writing and if I'd like to read books they have written or may write in the future. I will say anthologies are a bit hard to review. I find it hard to remember each story, so good notes were a must with this. I did get the overall theme from this book of diversity, which was a breath of fresh air.
For this review, I'll do things a little differently, I'll list each title with a rating and my thoughts about what that story explores.
The First Time I Dated a Vampire by Julian Winters
Three stars
This one was fun, a bit of romance and it had a paranormal aspect.
The First Day of College by Monica Gomez-Hira
Three stars
A fun story that explores family, heritage, and starting on something new
Three stars
This one was fun, a bit of romance and it had a paranormal aspect.
The First Day of College by Monica Gomez-Hira
Three stars
A fun story that explores family, heritage, and starting on something new
The First Kiss by Nina Moreno
Three stars
This one had fun witchy vibes that I really enjoyed and a cute romance
The First Time We Buried a Body by Tess Sharpe
Three stars
Probably my favorite story in the book which explores a bit of girl power in a disturbing way
The First Breakup by Anna Meriano
Three stars
The characters in this one are fun and relatable who show great friendship!
The First Time I Saw the Stars by Shaun David Hutchinson
Five stars
This one explored the aspect of mental health and the use of a stereotype (mental health patients see small green men) which turns out to be more true than not!
The First Crush by Keah Brown
Two stars
This one explored first love but fell short for me and I wasn't a huge fan of the writing
Three stars
This one had fun witchy vibes that I really enjoyed and a cute romance
The First Time We Buried a Body by Tess Sharpe
Three stars
Probably my favorite story in the book which explores a bit of girl power in a disturbing way
The First Breakup by Anna Meriano
Three stars
The characters in this one are fun and relatable who show great friendship!
The First Time I Saw the Stars by Shaun David Hutchinson
Five stars
This one explored the aspect of mental health and the use of a stereotype (mental health patients see small green men) which turns out to be more true than not!
The First Crush by Keah Brown
Two stars
This one explored first love but fell short for me and I wasn't a huge fan of the writing
The First Job by Yamile Saied Méndez
Three stars
This gave me Halloween vibes and made me want to feel all fall like, plus reminded me of college when we used to go to haunted houses in the fall!
The Last Dinosaur by Laura Silverman
Five Stars
This one was adorable with its dinosaurs and special friendship while exploring the idea of letting go and moving on.
The Last Purity Ball by Joy McCullough
Two stars
I appreciated the message in this one and it was interesting how the author worked in the religious aspect.
The Last Bout by Amanda Joy
Three stars
This one was cool because it had a bit of world building bordering on sci fi
The Last Days in the Only Place That Ever Felt Like Home by Adi Alsaid
Four stars
I loved the idea of how this one explored the idea of uprooting and how this can skew a point of view on what happens in life
The (Hopefully) Last Demon Summoning by Kika Hatzopoulou
Five stars
LOVED this one, I adore the paranormal and this one hit them all with it's school for magical beings. I was totally getting my Harry Potter on with this one that explored the importance of friendship.
The Last Goodbye by Loan Le
Two stars
This one was a bit difficult for me with it's dealings of drug culture but I did enjoy the Vietnamese aspect as I've not had a chance to explore that before
The Last Concert by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Five stars
This one gave me Daisy Jones and the Six vibes and having grown up in the 80s with music being such an important part of my life, I loved the idea of a band made up of high school friends,
The Last Time I Saw Her Alive by Diana Urban
Two stars
I'm just confused with how this went down
Three stars
This gave me Halloween vibes and made me want to feel all fall like, plus reminded me of college when we used to go to haunted houses in the fall!
The Last Dinosaur by Laura Silverman
Five Stars
This one was adorable with its dinosaurs and special friendship while exploring the idea of letting go and moving on.
The Last Purity Ball by Joy McCullough
Two stars
I appreciated the message in this one and it was interesting how the author worked in the religious aspect.
The Last Bout by Amanda Joy
Three stars
This one was cool because it had a bit of world building bordering on sci fi
The Last Days in the Only Place That Ever Felt Like Home by Adi Alsaid
Four stars
I loved the idea of how this one explored the idea of uprooting and how this can skew a point of view on what happens in life
The (Hopefully) Last Demon Summoning by Kika Hatzopoulou
Five stars
LOVED this one, I adore the paranormal and this one hit them all with it's school for magical beings. I was totally getting my Harry Potter on with this one that explored the importance of friendship.
The Last Goodbye by Loan Le
Two stars
This one was a bit difficult for me with it's dealings of drug culture but I did enjoy the Vietnamese aspect as I've not had a chance to explore that before
The Last Concert by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Five stars
This one gave me Daisy Jones and the Six vibes and having grown up in the 80s with music being such an important part of my life, I loved the idea of a band made up of high school friends,
The Last Time I Saw Her Alive by Diana Urban
Two stars
I'm just confused with how this went down
Overall the stories were fun and I can see how they could be relatable to teens who may be experiencing similar things.
courtsbooknook's review
medium-paced
3.0
The one thing I can always count on with these short story anthologies is the collection of diverse characters and love stories. It's always so nice to see how each author dives into the story they've chosen to include. But I think after trying to read so many different anthologies, I've come to the conclusion that maybe short story collections aren't really my thing. I always end up like the authors I'm familiar with more than the rest of the stories, and even though they're quick I feel I get stuck on some. The idea of firsts and lasts was really cute and I think that was done well. This collection just wasn't my favorite. Thank you to Penguin teen and Netgalley for the ARC.
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