With Valentine’s around the corner, it seemed appropriate to take trip down first love memory lane. I’ll call him J. J was smart, fun, handsome, and his British accent literally made my knees wobble. But it didn’t happen for us–I was just too young and too scared, so I pushed him away. Most first loves don’t work out. Maybe that’s why the books in the list below are not the typical books to show up on a list with the topic of first love. They are not “romance novels,” but they all have elements of romance, but they also all explore some of the darker elements of human nature.
1. Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate has two parallel storylines. One in modern times, featuring the wealthy Avery Stafford, who is being groomed for a political career and engaged to her first love. \When Avery catches wind that her grandmother might be hiding some skeletons in her closet, she needs the help of a handsome lawyer, who is not her fiance, to solve the mystery. First Love meet your nemesis. The other story follows the “river rat” Foss family children as they are stolen from their parents and adopted by strangers. The real horrifying piece of this novel is that it is based on real events. In fact, Wingate, along with Judy Christie, has written a companion nonfiction book called Before and After that chronicles the real stories of adoptees involved with Georgia Tate and her Tennessee Adoption Scandal.
2. In Everything We Keep by Kerry Londsdale, Aimee Tierney’s seemingly perfect life begins to unravel with the death of her first love, James, whose funeral she attends on what should have been her wedding day. This loss is quickly followed by the loss of her job and future inheritance. As she attempts to rebuild her life, she uncovers secrets about James’s death and past that make her question everything she knew about him and their relationship. This is the first book in a series. It is followed by Everything We Left Behind and Everything We Give (but don’t read the summaries for those until after you read the first book because they hold some spoilers).
3. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood is the most disconcerting first love story that I have ever read. In it Wavy, a young teen with a horrible home life falls in love with Kellen. When they meet Wavy is 5 and Kellen is 18. Kellen cares for her like a substitute parent during those early years. It isn’t surprising that as she enters puberty Wavy develops a crush on him. What is surprising is when he returns it. The read is quite an emotional roller coaster between rooting for the unlikely pair, anxiously waiting for all hell to break loose, and being horrified by the whole scenario. This is the kind of book that will stick with you. I highly recommend it for book clubs because there is much to unravel here.
For another first love read, check out this Literary Care Package for your Feminist Friend.