Review: First Love and Rock n Roll
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 1, 2013
**3.5 stars**I've literally been waiting on First Kiss for over a year. I read the prequel, Skid Out, in March of 2012, and loved it. I loved Jake, loved Alyssa, and was so, so excited --and anxious-- to see their new and fragile relationship develop.Take away the fact that Jake is an up-and-coming musician, and First Kiss is essentially the story of a first love. Now that's not to say that Jake's music doesn't play a role in the story and relationship --it does-- but for me, the focus was simply Jake and Alyssa. And that was more than enough considering that she is only fourteen (I think) and Jake is eighteen. And here's what the author did so well: she portrayed all of the emotions, questions, frustrations, elation, confusion, and heartache of a first love. The story took me back to that age and reminded me of those feelings of being so overwhelmed by feelings that are hard to name, much less to control and express. This aspect of First Kiss was so well done.First Kiss, as you might be able to tell from what I've given thus far, is a character-driven story, and not plot-driven. Other than a few parties and the beginning of the school year, there is not a lot that drives the story forward, other than the impending pull of Jake's career. So given that, the story does tend to focus on every little moment with Jake and Alyssa, and their feelings that come from that. When you take into account that First Kiss is nearly five hundred pages (including Skid Out) the story does become a bit long and drawn out. I did feel that the book could have been shorter, and still have the same impact. But still, I did truly appreciate the honest, not overly romanticized, portrayal of teens and relationships.First Kiss went to places that I didn't see coming, and covered a much larger span than I anticipated. I felt so bad for Jake and Alyssa. Their lives, and the people around them, were pulling them in different directions, and they have no choice but to follow their paths and hope for the best. The ending really caught me off guard. At first I was more than a little sad and upset at what had gone down. But the more I think about it, I am starting to see that this is what had to happen, and it makes for an excellent set-up to the next book in the series, Broken Notes.