Thank you to @netgalley & @henryholtbooks for the e-ARC. Opinions are all my own. Look for this one on pub date February 14, 2023.

My Last Innocent Year — This story has a hazy sort of tinge to one woman’s retelling of her college years in the late 90’s. There’s flashbacks and flash forwards to days in her childhood, born to Jewish parents who met at and owned an appetizing store in New York. Her mother, an eccentric artist battles cancer while Isabel is still a young girl. “Marry a man who understands you” she chides. When she finds Wilder University in New Hampshire, she carefully selects the college as the place she can reinvent herself from the low-income city girl she’s always been.
When she arrives, she passively accepts the less-than relationships and friends she stumbles into.

Themes include:
- Jewish family representation
- 90’s/Clinton/Lewinsky-era New Hampshire university
- Childhood nostalgia with New York as home
- Non-consensual sexual encounters and imbalances of power
- Writing/poetry/books/language
- What makes a girl a woman?
- What tales do we tell ourselves in order to survive?

For fans of: Vladimir, My Dark Vanessa, What We Do We Do in the Dark, Stand by Me (film)

TW: rape, victim shaming, cancer, death of a parent, domestic abuse, kidnapping

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for a review.

The cover is amazing however the story didn't hold my attention like I wish it would.

This book reminded me of "My Dark Vanessa" but overall happier and with a happy ending. Overall I enjoyed this book, and despite me having some moments of feeling like the plot was underdeveloped I recommend this book.

3.5 stars

I gobbled this up in one day. It was just the sort of book I was in the mood for after reading a bunch of thrillers / unreliable narrator-type books - I wanted something more grounded and realistic - this fit the bill.

Anything set on a college campus is catnip for me. The narrator is in the last semester of her senior year, taking a writing seminar and getting involved in a relationship with her older, married professor, while she also works through her feelings about the somewhat recent death of her mother and her friendships.

I loved how this book captured a snapshot of that one semester but the author gave little comments along they way about things that happened later in the narrator's life (or even other characters' lives). Well-written and engaging throughout - can't wait to see what comes next from this author.

NetGalley ARC - It was hard not to devour this book. It kept me up at night and I couldn't seem to put it down. I did have to take breaks because the content is upsetting. It has several dark themes that remind me of the book, My Dark Vanessa. It really forces readers to think critically about consent and its complexities. The main character is very relatable for to women who have experienced their 20s. I plan to add it to my public library's collection.

3.5-4 stars. I was interested in the time period in which the story was set--late 1990s, around the time of the Clinton sex scandal, the students of a private college campus in New Hampshire dealing with that moment in history and the school's own misogynistic past. I enjoyed watching the power dynamics filter through the main character, Isabel Rosen, from her freshman year until her senior year (which makes up the bulk of the novel). There probably could have been more depth to Isabel's defining encounters/relationships. The one that is most pivotal at the beginning of the book I had almost forgotten about by the time that character pops up again. Still, the novel does a good job of showing how life altering these experiences were for Isabel as she's looking back at it years later as a slightly older woman.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story about Isabel Rogen and her final semester at a prestigious college. It reads like a coming of age story but (obviously) explores some darker themes (such as rape). I enjoy the writing—it was rhythmic and sensible, not jarring. The pace of the story was on the slower side, and I found myself not very emotionally invested. However, I did read the book fast and I appreciated the read, it was the kind of book I was looking for. It just didn’t live up to my expectations and didn’t pack as much of a punch as I had hoped.

The sad-girl story of the summer!

This cover was screaming at me - it's beautiful!

The book tells the story of Izzy at her final year of university.

Fans of My Dark Vanessa will enjoy this one. Be mindful of triggers, this is a deep story with heavy topics.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Men are bad and do bad things.
Women do bad things to survive a man’s world.
The 90s were a very unique time to go to college.

As you expect, but well crafted.

Four 3rd wave stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

I was expecting nothing more out of this book than a love story, but I got so much more than that. While I will say the age gap romance was absolute perfection, it was also a beautiful coming of age story that gripped my heart in its relatability.

We follow Isabel Romen her senior year of college after an unexpected and troubling sexual encounter with one of her peers. This experience throws her into the depths between girlhood and womanhood. What does it mean to be a woman in a man’s world? When does girlhood end, and womanhood begin? What is consent? Is it really so black and white? Isabel finds that life is not so simple as she once thought.

When Isabel meets Professor Connelly, the two are instantly drawn to one another. He makes her feel special and seen and heard, a feeling she has always struggled to feel. However, she finds that Connelly has secrets of his own, and not every adult can be trusted. She learns the most valuable lesson of all— that the only one Isabel can trust is herself, a lesson we must all learn in life.

I LOVED this book. I know this will be a book I recommend to others, and one I will reflect on over the years. It was beautiful written and captivating from the beginning. I feel honored to have read it pre-publication and definitely plan on buying a copy for my bookshelf when it is available.

This book reminded me of My Dark Vanessa, but with a bit of a happier ending. I was happy to see that Isabel was able to look back on the affair for what it was and didn’t romanticize it. Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, despite feeling like there were some underdeveloped plot points. I flew through this book and looked forward to picking it back up.

4.5 stars, but rounding up to 5!

My Last Innocent Year follows Isabel Rosen at the end of senior year of college. Even though she has a tight knit group of friends., Isabel still finds herself feeling alone. She feels even more confused and unsure after being sexually assaulted by a friend (who wouldn't). Isabel ends up finding some sort of solace (aka an affair with a married man) in a stand in professor, R.H. Connelley.. We all know that won't end well.

I really loved this book. I know it's kind of sad, dark, and dreary...but I love a sad, academic-ish, coming of age book. I slightly reminded me of Writers and Lovers...the same kind of dry vibe.

Trigger warning for SA

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co.for the chance to review this!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for gifting me this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

For fans of My Dark Vanessa. This is similar but very different. ALSO WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT COVER???

I absolutely loved this book. The writing, the characters, the story. ALL AMAZING. This is a coming-of-age story set in 1988. Isabel Rosen is discovering herself and her sexuality. During her last year at college, she finds herself in a less than consensual sexual encounter with a peer. While dealing with the aftermath of that, she meets R.H. Connelly, her new, younger, and very married writing professor.

I believe this is Daisy Alpert Florin's debut novel. I cannot explain in words how good her writing is. I will be reading every other work she puts out for sure.

Continuing my journey of reading books based solely on cover and having a great time doing so.

I really enjoyed this book! I'm looking forward to purchasing a physical copy. I thought the writing was good, I loved the way the story was told as a reflection of Isabel's past. There's a lot of interesting sub plots/ events happening in the story that all come together in the end.

This is a really solid debut!

Full review: (with some spoiler-y things)
https://burkec94.wixsite.com/whatyareadin/post/my-last-innocent-year-arc-review

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I wasn't exactly sure how to review this book, because on the one hand I really liked it, but on the other it feels strange to enjoy a book that is full of such sad topics. I adored the main character and her development throughout the timeline was so interesting, and to get to see her looking back and interpreting things. This book did a great job of dealing with a complicated issue, allowing the reader to empathize with her and to wish they were there to fight for her. You could see where she would be drawn to Connelly, even though you knew she shouldn't. The part about the professor and the kid was very original.

For readers of My Dark Vanessa that don't want quite as dark of a novel. It still deals with the same content but it doesn't feel as hopeless in this one, which I enjoyed because I wanted her to be okay.

All this being said, there is SA in this book as well as the sexual manipulation/abuse of a young girl, so if these things are triggers to you then it may be best to skip this one.

I didn’t expect to relate to this book so much but I was very pleasantly surprised. this book chronicles Isabel Rosen who is going though her last semester in college when she gets twisted up in an affair with her professor. obviously, I was expecting dark romance, secrecy and bad decisions (and yes there was a lot of that in this book), I was also met with a coming-of-age story about a young woman trying to find her place in the world.

maybe the fact that I just graduated college in the spring makes this book hit so close to home but I liked this book for very different reasons than I anticipated.

firstly, this story is told from the perspective of Isabel looking back at the time in her life. and though she is involved with her professor we also see her navigate relationships with her family, friends, other professors, and peers. the story is told as though Isabel is reminiscing on a blip from her adolescence. I thought that was so refreshing because too often do books feel as if the story begins and ends on the page. Isabel’s story makes it clear that college and our early 20’s are far from our prime.

I was expecting a romance, a love story. but this is not one, at least not in the traditional sense.

now i’ve given the book nothing but praise, why the 3 stars? the reason being this book has very little plot. there seemed to be a big potential for a plot towards the end, but it happened too late for any real development to occur. while I loved reading the inter-workings of Isabel’s mind, that’s all it is. a look into a young woman’s mind.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Where do I begin? Isabel Rosen is attending a prestigious college in New Hampshire. She has a close knit group of friends, and is a literary major. Unfortunately she has a nonconsensual sexual encounter with a Jewish boy who she had trusted.
She is struggling with the passage from youth to adulthood when she crosses paths with Professor Connelly, who only makes matters more difficult.
Thank you Net Galley for this wonderful ARC that will stay with me for quite some time.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of My Last Innocent Year.

I have so many thoughts and feeling about Isabel and her story. This is an amazing debut novel by Daisy Alpert Florin.

Set during the late nineties you follow a young women entering into her last semester of college. After having a nonconsensual sexual encounter Isabel begins processing the events of that night. In the midst of processing her abuse she begins to have an affair with her English professor who sees her as an equal. Isabel is also starting to see there is very thin line between youth and adulthood.

This is a character driven, true coming of story and something I would love for every college aged person to read. Isabel is truly searching for her place and voice in the world during her last semester in college. Throughout the story you can tell this is someone recounting their own life events. The author adds in information about characters as they come and go. She builds that feeling we all have in college, young, connected and almost invincible but fragile.

This could have easily become trauma-porn for the author to write. Instead they took a time in history when sexual assault was finally being addressed in colleges and a character who represented women who were learning how to process their abuse.
Isabel's abuse and affair opens her eyes to gray reality of life. Even the commentary Daisy (the author) has about the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal can be compared to Isabel and her own affair.

Isabel begins to question life markers on when girls become women. Are there milestones? How can we tell if we truly have agency over our lives?

I have far too many thoughts on this book. I truly would have loved reading this at age fifteen or seventeen just like I did reading it now at twenty-two, a college grade.

This book is something I wish I would have had when I was younger, the way it addresses so many topics and you just feel like you’re talking to an older friend and being told her story.
I wish I had this book when I was younger because of the way she talks about this nonconsensual sexual encounter. I feel like that is so important for young people to read. The way she took so many years to realize that it wasn’t okay and that it was wrong, it’s something that happens so often but isn’t always addressed.
I have so many thoughts and feelings about this book, first of all W O W.
It’s beautifully written and has a lot of important topics. One of my favorite things is that it’s written in the perspective of her older-self reflecting and talking about her life.
I feel like I read something important, something that could make an impact on the people who really truly read it and understand it.
I feel like her friends, specifically Debra, are amazing additions to the story. The time frame it’s set in adds so much to the background and really is just very symbolic of the young woman’s journey. Read it!! I devoured this story in two days, it was beautiful and amazing and overall just WOW.

My Last Innocent Year is a riveting, coming of age college novel set in the pre-Me Too late 90s (disclosure: my favorite decade for contemporary literary novels) when Monica Lewinsky is being scapegoated for her affair with Bill Clinton as women across the country argue about culpability and power. Months before graduation, Isabel navigates her last semester at an elite college her father cannot afford, facing an uncertain post-grad future where she wants to be a writer but doesn't know how to pursue that type of creative life, and where the dreams of her appetizing store-owning father and artist mother (dead since Isabel was a teen) weigh against Isabel's own. Within these last months of college, she is involved in two sexual encounters that explore the concept of consent--before most women had the language to articulate confusing experiences that didn't fit into the narrow definitions they understood about rape and assault and abuse of power--that shape much of who Isabel will become. Both propulsive and reflective, I read this through in one morning and look forward to discussions once this book is published.

This was a really stunning debut. Because they share a very similar premise, it was hard not to compare it to <i>My Dark Vanessa</i>, however, I thought this novel was successful where MDV was not. The MC was much more fleshed-out, the central relationship more organic, and the overall execution more understated (in a good way), which, overall, made the whole novel feel more natural and realistic.

Thanks to Henry Holt & Co. for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!