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mehsi's review
1.0
I was hoping I would enjoy this book, and at times I did, but at most times I didn't. I think it mostly because the topics didn't match and it was just too much. We got kisses, slut shaming, rivalry, popularity, family drama, death, abuse, depressions, dating a teacher and some other stuff. Normally this all might make a good book, but it felt mostly patched together in this book.
I was just shaking my head at all the slut shaming. So someone kissed 4 guys in one night as part of a revenge thing (stupid thing to do though, I could have told her it might not work as planned) and she is a slut? While the guy who cheated on her is totally awesome and popular? Uh, what? No. Just No.
Claire, while apparently being smart (she follows AP classes), came over as really naive, really stupid and seems to have problems with making decisions and staying away from things. I also didn't get why the hell she was with Megan. Sure at times Megan was a really nice friend, but come on girl, she stole boyfriends from you, is a total b*tch when you talk to one of the guys she is interested in and various other things. If that was my friend, I am sorry, but no matter the good things, there is enough wrong there to make me just want to walk away.
That rivalry between Megan and Claire was just absolutely silly.
I didn't like Luke at all. He was highly unlikeable. Why did he never just say he didn't like Megan and just turned away from her. Why did he flirt with both of them? What kind of prick is he?
He and Megan just broke up (Finally!!!!) and what does Luke do? Go over to Claire and date/kiss with her. What kind of freaking mean guy are you? You don't just dump a girl and then date the next one. Oh and let's keep it secret. Yes, that is just the most brilliant idea ever! Not.
And of course it comes out, you could easily guess that, and I am sorry, I don't like slut shaming, but you just had almost sex with your best friend's just ex-boyfriend..... that is just wrong. What did you expect would happen? That everyone would throw fricking flowers over you and congratulate you? That everyone would be happy? And you still go on with Luke? Even after everything??? *shakes head* Sorry, but Claire must be one of the most idiotic characters ever.
*sighs*Those last few pages were urgh. So typical and so cliché. That revenge plan. *rolls eyes* Oh God, that cliché? Seriously? No, just no. I had some suspicions about it at the beginning, but I was just hoping they wouldn't use it, but they did....
Also 17 kisses? There are only 16 (if you don't count all the kissing she did with Luke or the other boys). Number 17 was just a thought, a maybe, not even a real kiss, nothing.
All in all, no I didn't particularly like this book especially after about 20/25%. The first part was ok, and I was thinking about 4 stars, then second part with all the drama it became 3, then 2, and well with that ending, sorry just a 1 is all I will give. It was a bit of a chore to get through it and I was very happy when I was done.
Would I recommend this one? No.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I was just shaking my head at all the slut shaming. So someone kissed 4 guys in one night as part of a revenge thing (stupid thing to do though, I could have told her it might not work as planned) and she is a slut? While the guy who cheated on her is totally awesome and popular? Uh, what? No. Just No.
Claire, while apparently being smart (she follows AP classes), came over as really naive, really stupid and seems to have problems with making decisions and staying away from things. I also didn't get why the hell she was with Megan. Sure at times Megan was a really nice friend, but come on girl, she stole boyfriends from you, is a total b*tch when you talk to one of the guys she is interested in and various other things. If that was my friend, I am sorry, but no matter the good things, there is enough wrong there to make me just want to walk away.
That rivalry between Megan and Claire was just absolutely silly.
I didn't like Luke at all. He was highly unlikeable. Why did he never just say he didn't like Megan and just turned away from her. Why did he flirt with both of them? What kind of prick is he?
He and Megan just broke up (Finally!!!!) and what does Luke do? Go over to Claire and date/kiss with her. What kind of freaking mean guy are you? You don't just dump a girl and then date the next one. Oh and let's keep it secret. Yes, that is just the most brilliant idea ever! Not.
And of course it comes out, you could easily guess that, and I am sorry, I don't like slut shaming, but you just had almost sex with your best friend's just ex-boyfriend..... that is just wrong. What did you expect would happen? That everyone would throw fricking flowers over you and congratulate you? That everyone would be happy? And you still go on with Luke? Even after everything??? *shakes head* Sorry, but Claire must be one of the most idiotic characters ever.
*sighs*Those last few pages were urgh. So typical and so cliché. That revenge plan. *rolls eyes* Oh God, that cliché? Seriously? No, just no. I had some suspicions about it at the beginning, but I was just hoping they wouldn't use it, but they did....
Also 17 kisses? There are only 16 (if you don't count all the kissing she did with Luke or the other boys). Number 17 was just a thought, a maybe, not even a real kiss, nothing.
All in all, no I didn't particularly like this book especially after about 20/25%. The first part was ok, and I was thinking about 4 stars, then second part with all the drama it became 3, then 2, and well with that ending, sorry just a 1 is all I will give. It was a bit of a chore to get through it and I was very happy when I was done.
Would I recommend this one? No.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
abbyreads2's review against another edition
3.0
It was decent I guess. It was okay and I was expecting something more. Something different. And there wasn't any. They were a pair of normal teenagers.
christiana's review against another edition
3.0
I like that this was set in the South and definitely rang true in setting. The end unravels a little for me-I would have liked more on the girls becoming friends again and Claire realizing things about one of her most stable relationships since childhood and Mama getting better. I get though that the book would just get longer and longer (and kudos to the author, the book never dragged for me). I don't think it's time to throw around names like Sarah Dessen and Stephanie Perkins, but I do think Rachael Allen is one to watch. I can think of some teens this would be a super easy sell to (especially if you're looking for a romance with more meat to it).
mary00's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the ultimate message of this book, that teenagers are too young to settle and should decide who they are and experience life first, but I did not love the journey to get there. I read it just a few days ago and am already having trouble recalling the story, which is not a good sign.
caffeineaddict980's review against another edition
5.0
Claire is looking for love, for someone that isn't pining over her popular best friend Megan. When Claire finally finds romance, it doesn't help that Megan's falling for him too.
This was a relatable novel on many different levels and a really good read!
5 stars!
This was a relatable novel on many different levels and a really good read!
5 stars!
nagam's review against another edition
4.0
When I saw a few negative reviews for this book, I admit my guard was up. But I really enjoyed it. CJ and Megan's friendship is messy and imperfect. CJ's home life is depressing and she is so responsible for holding everything together. I liked the storytelling tactic and going back and forth between CJ's first kisses and present day. I'm a fan, and so glad I didn't let my hesitations deter me.
- - - - - -
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading
Note: 17 First Kisses is full of complicated, messy relationships, mistakes, and heartbreak. With so many thoughts running through my mind after finishing, I decided I needed to break this down Estelle-style and do a “Why in 5″ post.
1. The beauty of 17 First Kisses is that it’s focused on things that are so realistic and hones in on the complexity of relationships and life. Claire’s home life is less than desirable; her family went through a situation that was new to me in the YA world. It’s left her mother severely can’t-get-out-of-bed depressed and her father has also checked out and disengaged. Claire becomes the glue that holds everything together, but ultimately this means she’s the third parent in her family. That’s a lot of responsibility for her to carry.
2. Without the support of her best friend, Megan, Claire would be treading through her difficult home life all alone. Megan is the person Claire turns to when she needs someone to talk to. The friendships felt extremely authentic. (Even the supporting friendship between Megan and her childhood friend, Sam, who was a nice balance to the catty situations the girls sometimes wound up in. He was calm, steady, and level-headed throughout.) Megan and Claire both screw up. They’re both responsible for hurting one another. In terms of teenage decisions, I felt they were spot on — they’re sometimes too selfish and don’t think things through, but ultimately, I was pleased that their friendship always, always pulled them back together (even after the worst of situations). What two friends have never suffered from saying or doing something awful that hurt?
3. Speaking of hurt, let’s just cut right to the chase and talk about boy trouble. Luke enters the picture as someone new, charming, and automatically draws the attention of both Claire and Megan. His interests perfectly parallel Claire’s, but Megan is the striking, gorgeous, popular girl all the guys fawn over. Though the girls make a pact to stay away from him, he’s persuasive and… how could they stay away?
4. I admit that when I learned we were going to learn about all of Claire’s 17 kisses, it seemed like she’d done an awful lot of kissing. Allen, however, uses a great storytelling tactic and progressively pieces everything together with flashbacks to those middle school spin-the-bottle days. It just worked. Now, I’m not condoning that all of Claire’s kisses were worthwhile (ahem, the band members), but every flashback gives us the opportunity to learn more about Megan and Claire’s friendship, family life, and really gives us the full picture.
5. The ending wasn’t tied in a perfect bow. There’s room left for interpretation and growth and the more time I spend away from 17 First Kisses after finishing, I realize this is exactly what Claire needed. After all the drama and change that occurs throughout the course of the book, she needs some time to heal, become her own person, and not have everything figured out as she leaves for college.
♥
Final thoughts: I’ve seen a few negative reviews for this book, but felt so intrigued by the story as I was reading it. Don’t be deterred by the sometimes messy friendship or the bad decisions the characters make. To me, they were realistic depictions of everyday life. Things aren’t always so perfect, and I was so glad to have felt differently than the reviews I read prior to beginning the book.
- - - - - -
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading
Note: 17 First Kisses is full of complicated, messy relationships, mistakes, and heartbreak. With so many thoughts running through my mind after finishing, I decided I needed to break this down Estelle-style and do a “Why in 5″ post.
1. The beauty of 17 First Kisses is that it’s focused on things that are so realistic and hones in on the complexity of relationships and life. Claire’s home life is less than desirable; her family went through a situation that was new to me in the YA world. It’s left her mother severely can’t-get-out-of-bed depressed and her father has also checked out and disengaged. Claire becomes the glue that holds everything together, but ultimately this means she’s the third parent in her family. That’s a lot of responsibility for her to carry.
2. Without the support of her best friend, Megan, Claire would be treading through her difficult home life all alone. Megan is the person Claire turns to when she needs someone to talk to. The friendships felt extremely authentic. (Even the supporting friendship between Megan and her childhood friend, Sam, who was a nice balance to the catty situations the girls sometimes wound up in. He was calm, steady, and level-headed throughout.) Megan and Claire both screw up. They’re both responsible for hurting one another. In terms of teenage decisions, I felt they were spot on — they’re sometimes too selfish and don’t think things through, but ultimately, I was pleased that their friendship always, always pulled them back together (even after the worst of situations). What two friends have never suffered from saying or doing something awful that hurt?
3. Speaking of hurt, let’s just cut right to the chase and talk about boy trouble. Luke enters the picture as someone new, charming, and automatically draws the attention of both Claire and Megan. His interests perfectly parallel Claire’s, but Megan is the striking, gorgeous, popular girl all the guys fawn over. Though the girls make a pact to stay away from him, he’s persuasive and… how could they stay away?
4. I admit that when I learned we were going to learn about all of Claire’s 17 kisses, it seemed like she’d done an awful lot of kissing. Allen, however, uses a great storytelling tactic and progressively pieces everything together with flashbacks to those middle school spin-the-bottle days. It just worked. Now, I’m not condoning that all of Claire’s kisses were worthwhile (ahem, the band members), but every flashback gives us the opportunity to learn more about Megan and Claire’s friendship, family life, and really gives us the full picture.
5. The ending wasn’t tied in a perfect bow. There’s room left for interpretation and growth and the more time I spend away from 17 First Kisses after finishing, I realize this is exactly what Claire needed. After all the drama and change that occurs throughout the course of the book, she needs some time to heal, become her own person, and not have everything figured out as she leaves for college.
♥
Final thoughts: I’ve seen a few negative reviews for this book, but felt so intrigued by the story as I was reading it. Don’t be deterred by the sometimes messy friendship or the bad decisions the characters make. To me, they were realistic depictions of everyday life. Things aren’t always so perfect, and I was so glad to have felt differently than the reviews I read prior to beginning the book.
merkyr's review against another edition
4.0
Stayed up far to late to finish this delightful YA contemp. It felt so very close to a modern high school experience without being preachy, judgy, but still discussed serious issues while remaining an engaging, character driven story.
ebralz's review against another edition
2.0
It was a quick teen read and started off well, but the climax and ending was too rushed.
maggiemaggio's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I said in My Week in Books post last week that there were things about 17 First Kisses that I really liked and things about it that I really didn’t like. And that’s definitely the case with this book, but in the end I decided that the good outnumbered the bad and I would definitely recommend it.
My favorite part of this book was the main character, Claire. For me, and maybe it’s just because I liked this part the best, the book is really about Claire figuring out who Claire wants to be and I love that. It’s something that seems to be popping up more and more in YA and even though this book puts a lot of focus on boys, Claire’s strong, interesting personality manages to make the story really about Claire.
Basically the idea of the story is that Claire is trying to find the perfect guy and we get to see her quest for the perfect guy, mostly for Luke, a fellow soccer player who she’s really into, and also flashbacks of the other guys she’s kissed. I always worry about flashback books, will I be more interested in the present? Will the flashbacks make it drag? At first I was worried here, the story goes back to when Claire is pretty young and some random boy kisses her while they’re playing. But then the flashbacks become about more than Claire’s history with boys. Through the flashbacks we see the boys, but we also see her friendship with Megan develop and also get to learn more about Claire’s family and why her mother is so depressed.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually enjoyed the Megan/Claire storyline. Megan is kind of a witchy popular girl who, in middle school, takes Claire under her wing. Claire has always been a soccer-playing tomboy, but Megan, and Megan’s friends, who are part of this ridiculous clique, which I think is called the Crowns (such a stupid part of the story), give Claire a makeover and get her interested in boys, but Claire is still strong enough to maintain her love of soccer and her own personality. Claire and Megan’s relationship isn’t always smooth sailing, but Rachael Allen did a good job of making Megan more than just a vapid, mean girl and knowing more about Megan made it easier for me to see why Claire wanted to be friends with her, which saved me a lot of frustration.
Since my favorite part of the story was Claire it makes sense that I also really enjoyed her family. Her mom used to be the perfect, caring, doting mother, but after a tragedy, I’ll let you read it and find out, she’s turned into kind of a hermit and pretty much lets Claire’s father try to take care of Claire and her younger sister. Claire’s love of her mother and her desire for her mother to get better was really sweet and Claire’s entire family added a really well done, interesting layer of depth to the story.
Then there are all the boys. I’ll be honest and say that the boys weren’t my favorite part of the story. The whole Luke storyline, with Claire seeing him first and seeming to have a deeper connection to him, but Megan, who always gets the boy, going after him too, kind of bothered me. It’s like I thought Claire was better than all of that. I did however like the ups and downs of Claire and Megan’s friendship. As an adult it reminded me of a lot of friendships I was involved in or observed in high school.
So that’s all the good. The bad is mostly made up to two things: stereotypes and foreshadowing. As I mentioned Megan’s the leader of this clique of girls called (I think) the Crowns and a clique like that is such an overdone, silly idea. There’s also a fair amount of other stereotypes, there’s some maybe not slut-shaming, but slut-categorizing; Claire’s guy BFF who used to be fat, but lost weight and now gets a popular girl; and just kind of a lot of cliche high school roles. Then there’s the foreshadowing. Rachael Allen did a lot of things at the end of the chapters like (I’m paraphrasing) “and after that our kisses would never be the same” or “if only I knew my whole world was about the change.” I have no clue why authors do this or think it’s a good idea, it’s just totally unnecessary and lazy.
I haven’t heard anything about what people think of the end of this story, but I imagine it will be something people either love or hate. Personally, I loved it, it went along really well with the idea of the story being about Claire discovering herself, but I could also see why other people might not be into it.
Bottom Line: I really liked what Rachael Allen did with Claire’s story. 17 First Kisses is another book, like Nantucket Red and Since You’ve Been Gone, that’s a great example of a teenage girl finding her way in the world. The friendship and family secondary stories here were also compelling and gave the story a nice depth. Even though I had some issues this is the best type of debut; it left me impressed, but also excited to see how Rachael Allen continues to develop.
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
I said in My Week in Books post last week that there were things about 17 First Kisses that I really liked and things about it that I really didn’t like. And that’s definitely the case with this book, but in the end I decided that the good outnumbered the bad and I would definitely recommend it.
My favorite part of this book was the main character, Claire. For me, and maybe it’s just because I liked this part the best, the book is really about Claire figuring out who Claire wants to be and I love that. It’s something that seems to be popping up more and more in YA and even though this book puts a lot of focus on boys, Claire’s strong, interesting personality manages to make the story really about Claire.
Basically the idea of the story is that Claire is trying to find the perfect guy and we get to see her quest for the perfect guy, mostly for Luke, a fellow soccer player who she’s really into, and also flashbacks of the other guys she’s kissed. I always worry about flashback books, will I be more interested in the present? Will the flashbacks make it drag? At first I was worried here, the story goes back to when Claire is pretty young and some random boy kisses her while they’re playing. But then the flashbacks become about more than Claire’s history with boys. Through the flashbacks we see the boys, but we also see her friendship with Megan develop and also get to learn more about Claire’s family and why her mother is so depressed.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually enjoyed the Megan/Claire storyline. Megan is kind of a witchy popular girl who, in middle school, takes Claire under her wing. Claire has always been a soccer-playing tomboy, but Megan, and Megan’s friends, who are part of this ridiculous clique, which I think is called the Crowns (such a stupid part of the story), give Claire a makeover and get her interested in boys, but Claire is still strong enough to maintain her love of soccer and her own personality. Claire and Megan’s relationship isn’t always smooth sailing, but Rachael Allen did a good job of making Megan more than just a vapid, mean girl and knowing more about Megan made it easier for me to see why Claire wanted to be friends with her, which saved me a lot of frustration.
Since my favorite part of the story was Claire it makes sense that I also really enjoyed her family. Her mom used to be the perfect, caring, doting mother, but after a tragedy, I’ll let you read it and find out, she’s turned into kind of a hermit and pretty much lets Claire’s father try to take care of Claire and her younger sister. Claire’s love of her mother and her desire for her mother to get better was really sweet and Claire’s entire family added a really well done, interesting layer of depth to the story.
Then there are all the boys. I’ll be honest and say that the boys weren’t my favorite part of the story. The whole Luke storyline, with Claire seeing him first and seeming to have a deeper connection to him, but Megan, who always gets the boy, going after him too, kind of bothered me. It’s like I thought Claire was better than all of that. I did however like the ups and downs of Claire and Megan’s friendship. As an adult it reminded me of a lot of friendships I was involved in or observed in high school.
So that’s all the good. The bad is mostly made up to two things: stereotypes and foreshadowing. As I mentioned Megan’s the leader of this clique of girls called (I think) the Crowns and a clique like that is such an overdone, silly idea. There’s also a fair amount of other stereotypes, there’s some maybe not slut-shaming, but slut-categorizing; Claire’s guy BFF who used to be fat, but lost weight and now gets a popular girl; and just kind of a lot of cliche high school roles. Then there’s the foreshadowing. Rachael Allen did a lot of things at the end of the chapters like (I’m paraphrasing) “and after that our kisses would never be the same” or “if only I knew my whole world was about the change.” I have no clue why authors do this or think it’s a good idea, it’s just totally unnecessary and lazy.
I haven’t heard anything about what people think of the end of this story, but I imagine it will be something people either love or hate. Personally, I loved it, it went along really well with the idea of the story being about Claire discovering herself, but I could also see why other people might not be into it.
Bottom Line: I really liked what Rachael Allen did with Claire’s story. 17 First Kisses is another book, like Nantucket Red and Since You’ve Been Gone, that’s a great example of a teenage girl finding her way in the world. The friendship and family secondary stories here were also compelling and gave the story a nice depth. Even though I had some issues this is the best type of debut; it left me impressed, but also excited to see how Rachael Allen continues to develop.
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
thecozyreaderwbo's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book.
The layout was very original. Just like the title suggests we get to experience Claire's firsts 17 kisses. The timeline switches between present time and her kisses, in order from 1 to 17.
The characters were pretty great. Claire is part of a group of girls, most of them cheerleaders and Claire is a sporty soccer player with more muscles than curves.
I liked Claire a lot. I can't say the same about her girlfriends. Then again most teenaged females that think they are hot stuff aren't the nicest people to be friends with.
Sam and Luke and the many other male characters are also great. I really enjoy Sam and wish we could have seen more of him. I had Luke pegged from the beginning and I wish I didn't. I really wanted him to be as awesome as he was portrayed.
Claire and her family go through some pretty terrible events. The major event is so terrible that I really had a hard time reading about it. As a mother, I simply can not even think about how I might react to the event that happened. If you are not a mother or don't have younger siblings or close family then the event may not affect you as much.
As for the ending, it was a little too vague and uneventful. I either wish it would have been a longer book to give the ending more detail or the ending should have happened a bit sooner because we are lead up to the end with a lot of events unfolding. The end should have been given a bit more satisfying detail. The only thing I can hope for is a follow-up book that comes back to Claire after she graduates college or maybe there will be a mid-book that covers her years of college. I really didn't enjoy seeing her lust for some random dude as soon as she moved into her dorm room and then BOOM, THE END.
Should there be more books I will definitely read it as well as anything else by Rachel Allen.
The layout was very original. Just like the title suggests we get to experience Claire's firsts 17 kisses. The timeline switches between present time and her kisses, in order from 1 to 17.
The characters were pretty great. Claire is part of a group of girls, most of them cheerleaders and Claire is a sporty soccer player with more muscles than curves.
I liked Claire a lot. I can't say the same about her girlfriends. Then again most teenaged females that think they are hot stuff aren't the nicest people to be friends with.
Sam and Luke and the many other male characters are also great. I really enjoy Sam and wish we could have seen more of him. I had Luke pegged from the beginning and I wish I didn't. I really wanted him to be as awesome as he was portrayed.
Claire and her family go through some pretty terrible events. The major event is so terrible that I really had a hard time reading about it. As a mother, I simply can not even think about how I might react to the event that happened. If you are not a mother or don't have younger siblings or close family then the event may not affect you as much.
As for the ending, it was a little too vague and uneventful. I either wish it would have been a longer book to give the ending more detail or the ending should have happened a bit sooner because we are lead up to the end with a lot of events unfolding. The end should have been given a bit more satisfying detail. The only thing I can hope for is a follow-up book that comes back to Claire after she graduates college or maybe there will be a mid-book that covers her years of college. I really didn't enjoy seeing her lust for some random dude as soon as she moved into her dorm room and then BOOM, THE END.
Should there be more books I will definitely read it as well as anything else by Rachel Allen.