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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Thank you to Edelweiss Plus and Candlewick for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This was a sweet read! The First Thing About You is absolutely a book of firsts. We follow fifteen-year-old Harris, a high school student with spinal muscular atrophy, as he navigates his way through his first party, first kiss, first beer, first concert, first heartbreak, and more. I was gushing during Harris's first date; he cannot feed himself and was so nervous that Nory would react strangely to his needing assistance. Her response? "Duh!" It was truly beautiful to see Harris begin to understand that people aren't always focused solely on his wheelchair. Rather, many individuals are focused on Harris himself and what's inside. Important to note is that the author also has SMA, which he speaks openly about through his YouTube channel. I feel like I got to learn so many pieces of Chaz just by reading Harris's story. I would love to read more!
This was a sweet read! The First Thing About You is absolutely a book of firsts. We follow fifteen-year-old Harris, a high school student with spinal muscular atrophy, as he navigates his way through his first party, first kiss, first beer, first concert, first heartbreak, and more. I was gushing during Harris's first date; he cannot feed himself and was so nervous that Nory would react strangely to his needing assistance. Her response? "Duh!" It was truly beautiful to see Harris begin to understand that people aren't always focused solely on his wheelchair. Rather, many individuals are focused on Harris himself and what's inside. Important to note is that the author also has SMA, which he speaks openly about through his YouTube channel. I feel like I got to learn so many pieces of Chaz just by reading Harris's story. I would love to read more!
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
Fifteen-year-old Harris is like any other teenager : he loves sport, playing video games, and talking about girls. Except, most of the time people don’t see Harris, but his wheelchair. So when Harris moves with his family from California to New Jersey, he is determined to reinvent himself and be more than the kid with spinal muscular atrophy.
The First Thing about you is an extraordinary debut novel from author Chaz Hayden. With such a subject, we could have expected a very sad and difficult story, but this novel is absolutely not like that. Chaz Hayden has a very unique way to share Harris's Life : it is light, it is hilarious, even during the most complicated situations.
Sincerely, I fell in love with Harris' character : he is a very smart, funny and sweet boy, who has a very unique way to see life and his handicap. He is extremely lonely and sees his moving as a new opportunity to make friends. Harris will judge you, not by your look or what you say, but by your favorite color. According to his theory, some colors are incompatible, as they are too close in the color spectrums.
Throughout the novel, we see the world through the teenager’s eyes. We meet his new nurse, Miranda, a beautiful and confident young woman who sees Harris for who he really is, but is fighting her own demons, as well as his new friends, Zander and Nory, who are very interesting and colorful secondary characters.
The First Thing about you is a very unique and authentic story that I really enjoyed. No stereotypes here. I found it to be a true, refreshing and powerful testimony about the handicap.
The First Thing about you is an extraordinary debut novel from author Chaz Hayden. With such a subject, we could have expected a very sad and difficult story, but this novel is absolutely not like that. Chaz Hayden has a very unique way to share Harris's Life : it is light, it is hilarious, even during the most complicated situations.
Sincerely, I fell in love with Harris' character : he is a very smart, funny and sweet boy, who has a very unique way to see life and his handicap. He is extremely lonely and sees his moving as a new opportunity to make friends. Harris will judge you, not by your look or what you say, but by your favorite color. According to his theory, some colors are incompatible, as they are too close in the color spectrums.
Throughout the novel, we see the world through the teenager’s eyes. We meet his new nurse, Miranda, a beautiful and confident young woman who sees Harris for who he really is, but is fighting her own demons, as well as his new friends, Zander and Nory, who are very interesting and colorful secondary characters.
The First Thing about you is a very unique and authentic story that I really enjoyed. No stereotypes here. I found it to be a true, refreshing and powerful testimony about the handicap.