(Goodreads)
Seventeen-year-old Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only if the guy fulfills a specific criteria: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward, fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time- the kind Mercedes never had herself.
Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy- so far. Her absentee mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won’t even say the word “sex” until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn- or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.
When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her reputation and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process. Funny, smart, and true-to-life, FIRSTS is a one-of-a-kind young adult novel about growing up.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press at NetGalley for providing me with an eARC!
Oh Mercy.
Mercedes Ayres means well. But for a seventeen year old who has her fair share of troubles and secrets, the meaning of 'meaning well' might be more than slightly skewed.
And that's exactly what I enjoyed about Flynn's debut novel. The characters in Firsts are naïve, resentful, emotional, sexual, contradicting, flawed, and about a dozen other things; in other words, they're humans, and more specifically, teenagers. (And I feel like I just used my comma quota for my review with that sentence lol).
Mercedes' extra-curricular devirginizing activity is definitely strange but it's her own, it's something that gives her power and keeps her afloat. One of the aspects that I think makes her a strong character is how carefully she crafts her image to the outside world. Others only see what she wants them to see and I think that's really powerful for a teenage girl. And even though I have an almost non existent interest for chemistry, I really enjoyed Mercedes' love for it. It's a theme that I felt really bloomed in the novel and went well with her journey.
I definitely think that one more draft of this novel would have made it unforgettable. It's definitely a great debut for Flynn, there's no doubt about that; but I would have liked to know more about (possible spoiler alert) Mercedes' relationship with her father, her friendship with Angela, and her MIT aspirations (end possible spoilers). It's the little snippets inserted here and there that would have made a world of a difference.
Nonetheless, I devoured about 75% of the book after a lazy start (mostly on my part) and I would look forward to seeing a film adaptation one day.
Mercedes Ayres means well. But for a seventeen year old who has her fair share of troubles and secrets, the meaning of 'meaning well' might be more than slightly skewed.
And that's exactly what I enjoyed about Flynn's debut novel. The characters in Firsts are naïve, resentful, emotional, sexual, contradicting, flawed, and about a dozen other things; in other words, they're humans, and more specifically, teenagers. (And I feel like I just used my comma quota for my review with that sentence lol).
Mercedes' extra-curricular devirginizing activity is definitely strange but it's her own, it's something that gives her power and keeps her afloat. One of the aspects that I think makes her a strong character is how carefully she crafts her image to the outside world. Others only see what she wants them to see and I think that's really powerful for a teenage girl. And even though I have an almost non existent interest for chemistry, I really enjoyed Mercedes' love for it. It's a theme that I felt really bloomed in the novel and went well with her journey.
I definitely think that one more draft of this novel would have made it unforgettable. It's definitely a great debut for Flynn, there's no doubt about that; but I would have liked to know more about (possible spoiler alert) Mercedes' relationship with her father, her friendship with Angela, and her MIT aspirations (end possible spoilers). It's the little snippets inserted here and there that would have made a world of a difference.
Nonetheless, I devoured about 75% of the book after a lazy start (mostly on my part) and I would look forward to seeing a film adaptation one day.
Memorable Quote
My hands start to shake uncontrollably. The sound of my own heartbeat is everywhere, the sound track to my failure. Thump, thump. Coward. Weakling. Thump, thump. Victim. Liar. I told myself that nobody would ever control me, not after Luke. But here I am, in a heap on the floor all over again. Nothing has changed. I haven’t changed.
.5
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