I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first time reading something by Alex Kelly, and I didn't realize that this was a second book in a series. I enjoyed the story, but the pace was a little slow for my liking. I valued the mature contemporary M/M romance representation, it was a breathe of fresh air. Overall I would recommend this series to others.

Thanks to Netgalley for sending me the ARC to Alex Kelly's "The First Man". In this, we get a glimpse into Shane's life and the secret he has kept to himself for years -- his love for Andy, one of his best friends. But this love isn't unrequited, just impossible considering that Andy has no intentions of going further than a few one night stands and longing glances with Shane. In their smalltown, with their small population, the thought of two men in love is just a bad idea.

From the first page, we are introduced to the longing and frustration Shane lives with. We see him alone at a bar, waiting for a date that never shows, but Andy has been there, keeping watch, reminding Shane that even if he tries to move on, his feelings for the former will always be present. Truly, the heartache of this impossible love propelled me into turning the pages again and again. This wasn't a new feeling for Shane; he had been in love with Andy since his teenage years and I wanted to discover what was their first stolen moment, what changed, when did they realize they were attracted to the other?

When did they discover they were in love?

I kept having to stop in my reading because these characters made ME feel. I was clutching my chest, praying they just got to their HEA already because the raw emotions were tearing me up inside. To me, THAT is phenomenal writing -- being able to not only have your readers sympathize but feel what the characters are feeling, too.

However, my only hesitance with this book was the issue of Shane and Andy having to hide their love. While their concern for their smalltown knowing about them seemed valid, considering that small towns often produce small-minded people, the people in Shane and Andy's lives did not feel restrictive. They had their banter as brothers, but not once did it feel like they would be the type of people to hate or abandon Shane and Andy for being gay. So their we-can't-do-this-think-of-what-people-will-say felt flat and instead seemed like mistrust of each other, as well as stubbornness.

This book was well-written and well intentioned. I was able to understand where the author was trying to get plot-wise with the novel, but I was not invested the characters and the pacing did not help. While this is the second in a series, I just didn't buy into the plot or characters or know why I should care about them. This book felt like there were almost no stakes to keep me hooked. I honestly, nearly didn't finish the book because I couldn't understand why the main characters were taking any actions they were taking. What I needed from this book was more in terms of character development, motivations for the actions they take, and more investment in the setting and "world" of the novel. I had hoped that a translated fiction work, which I usually love, would have a different take on the Romance and Contemporary genres, but here, I'm sorry to say, I was sadly mistaken.

Maybe if I read the first book first it would've been a better reading experience, but I did like it. I would definitely read the first and reread this one.

This felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story and I had no idea which way was up. I'm assuming (hoping) if I had read the first book in the series that I would have felt a little less lost. There's no indication in the summary that you needed to read the first one before, but I'm feeling it was necessary. Each of the first 4 or 5 chapters felt like a prologue, with the last sentence referencing an event of the past that you think will be flashbacked to in the next chapter... but it just kept moving forward. I think if I can find the first book and it references what's going on a bit in The First Man, I'll come back and give this one another try.

*I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So since Shane was my spirit animal in the first book, I was very excited to dive into The First Man. I loved Shane and Andy, like so much. Yet, the whole push/pull thing for them still weren't vibing with me. Plus seeing Alex and Ellie throughout this book just kind of annoyed me all over again because of how they were in their own book.

Don't get me wrong, Shane and Andy had their ups and downs too. The drama was kind of predictable but I just had a feeling that they would get their own little HEA. I would also like to mention that Justin was completely adorable and I will eat his broccoli whenever.

In the end, I'm definitely intrigued to dive into the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this e-arc!

This is my first book by this author and I don't think it will be my last. The First Man is the second book in a series about Andy and Shane, two men who have been in love with each other essentially their whole lives, but they struggle with who they are and being together. Did I also mention they both are each other's brother's best friends!? Andy is afraid to love because, given his family history, he does not feel worthy, and all Shane wants to do is not hide who he is and for the man he loves to love him back. They are concerned about coming out to the people they love, as they live in a very small conservative town in Ireland and that definitely impacts their relationship.

Things I really liked about this book:
- There was good amount of angst given the tension between the two men! It was present from page 1 and it stuck for most of the book.
- The obvious love between these two men who wanted each other so much, it almost destroyed them. I can genuinely sit here and say I loved reading from both of these men's POVs and I was routing for them the whole time! Also, there were some good steamy scenes!
- Their families and the bonds they all have with each other (this is a tight-knit group of friends/family present in the storyline) - there was some pretty good banter in here!
- Fast-paced storyline that definitely kept me intrigued/interested while reading.

Things I struggled with:
- The plot line was a little confusing in the beginning for me. I struggled with who all the characters were (partly my own fault since I jumped into the series with Book 2!) and felt like it was not very fluid. There were also flashback chapters throughout the book that I felt could have been placed a bit better to make the storyline more fluid and to help the reader better understand each character's inner monologues and why they both struggle with their relationship so much.
- I felt like both character's backgrounds could have been explored a lot more. It was evident that Andy's background heavily weighed on him and impacted his thoughts/actions with Shane. Alongside this, there was a lot of "telling" why they loved each other, but no real showing how all these feelings came to be so early on in their lives.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable M/M romance!

I received a copy of the e-book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

3 stars//This was an okay book. This was the first book I have read by this author and a second in the series. The problems between the two main characters were very drawn out. I feel like the story could have been significantly shorter, if the problems were stretched so far. I enjoyed the ending and thought it was resolved well within the epilogue. I would definitely be interested in seeing stories about the other characters in the book, as there were several of them mentioned throughout the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alex Kelly for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked most of this novel, but I did find right off I'm confused by who is who and who is related to which character. It took me quite a while to get used to each character and for the most part, I really only liked the two main characters. It made me really uncomfortable seeing some of their family members trying to push them to come out, even though I'm sure it happens. Overall, not my favorite romance, but enjoyable!

A fantastic read. Even though I had some doubts and issues with the first book in the series, this one completely won me over. Shaun and Andy are definitely the best.They are honest, serious and are madly in love. Their love is one for the books. What a ride! Thanks for the advanced copy.

Can't wait for Reid's story. I hope there is one.

I did receive an ARC through net galley.

When I first started this book I didn't really know what to think. It was very angsty from the start and I never really knew why. By the end of the book I understood why Andy didn't want to be together but I do not think that it was very clear throughout the book. I was halfway through the book and still didn't understand why they couldn't be together.

I also didn't like the age difference when they were younger, it was fine when they were adults but the fact that it started when they were that young made me feel a bit icky.

In the end though I did really like this book. Once they were finally together it made all of the angst worth it. I also really loved the epilogue and how cute it was.

The beginning of this book was really hard to get into. It was so much angst and zero happiness for a long time. Which I understand their situation was hard for them to get around. But we were kind of thrown these characters and I didn’t really understand how everyone was related for a long time. I realized this is the second book in a series, so perhaps I missed out on all of the explaining there.

I was not a fan of the fact that they first got together when one of them was 16 and the other was 21. I know they’ve know each other for their whole lives, but it still wasn’t right to me.

I also just really wasn’t a fan of the way that Andy treated Shane. Constant yes then no, then leave me alone, then come back. It’s bad enough if it was for a couple of months but this went on for 17 years. Just not healthy at all.

This was such a sweet sweet story. These two gives you all the feels. I had no expectations going into this one, and I was so happy I got to read this. It’s super cute. I think people will really enjoy it like I did

I struggled to get into this book at first. I'm all for a cold opening to a novel but it felt like we were shoved into the pining intense romance without much character context or development. Once I got passed this, I overall enjoyed Shane and Andy. It made me curious enough to go back and check out book 1 in the series.

Absolutely fantastic book cover. It was my main draw to the book!

Andy and Shane have been connected to each other for most of their lives, thats what happens in a small town like the one that they live in. They are even more connected than people think and are trying to make sure people don’t find out that there is more between them. In a small town people talk, Andy and Shane are making sure they don’t have anything to say. Can their love grow if they are determined not to let their relationship into the light of day?

The first chapter of the book leaves the reader wanting more, there are two men who have a mysterious past and all that is revealed is that they want to be together, but there is something in their way. The authors writing style set the scene while giving most of the information later on, and while this left me wanting more in the first few chapters and built intrigue eventually it did lead to some confusion as the book continued .

I tried several times to read this, but am struggling with getting through it.
Thus, for now it's a DNF..
I just didn't connect with the characters at all and their story just seemed too unreal.

DNF at 30%

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this e-arc.

This book was okay for a while. The writing was a little clunky in places and rather repetitive. There was a lot of mutual pining and internalized homophobia, but I'm sure that would get better by the end.

I DNF'd this book because the whole relationship was based on the fact that 17 years before, a 21 year old man had had sex with his brother's 16 year old best friend. So rape. I couldn't continue reading a book where the characters I was supposed to be rooting for had gotten together that way.

My goodness. The First Man is heartbreak wrapped up in beautiful cover. This story follows Shane and Andy. Two men that have known each other their whole lives, who have loved each other for most of them, and who feel like they have to hide their relationship from everyone around. I am utterly heartbroken. Andy had a rough childhood, if you can all it that, and doesn’t think he deserves anything. He doesn’t have any hopes or dream and aspirations, he takes what life has given him. The only thing he wants is Shane, but he doesn’t think he deserves Him. He’s also terrified that everything in his life will fall apart if anyone ever found out how he feels about Shane, his brother’s best friend, his best friend’s brother.

There is something about me that loves broken people, painful relationships and really difficult true fucking love that devastates. And that’s what this book is. It’s painful and beautiful and heart breaking and wonderful. I am so thankful that I got approved for an ARC, I am overwhelmed by this book. I absolutely loved it.

Alex Kelly's "The First Man" is a novel that captures the pains of dating in a small town with such precision. In this case, Shane and Andy have been keeping their relationship from the residents of their tiny Irish town of 192 citizens for well over a decade. There are a number of layers when it comes to why Shane and Andy have not let anyone know about their quite deep love for another. As a romance novel, it's refreshing that there is no question about how much they care for each other, it's a matter of how they will dig the hole they've dug themselves in through other means. The fact that neither has come out as gay actually doesn't break the top three reasons why they've waited once you get into the thick of it. It's a lot to unpack, but Kelly handles it with a deft hand by keeping the plot moving forward and presenting a fun bench of side characters (many who appeared in the first book in the series, which is fun to see in this context but not mandatory reading) to entertain the reader. Some of the angst and moments of the characters waxing poetic at the beginning is not for everyone, but it's worth staying the course to see how the final act unfolds. .

The writing in this book was so good. I was invested in these characters from the first chapter. This is a MM romance book and a friends to lovers. The longing, the love, the desire that Shane and Andy felt leapt off the page at me. I could feel their turmoil in my heart. So many emotions.
I also really enjoyed the dynamic between the group of friends. The way they ribbed each other and gave each other a hard time, but were always there to support and care in their own special way, made the friendships seem more like family. They got along they way I would picture a group of guys in a very small town would. It felt natural and real.
This book had me laughing, crying, and loving. I enjoyed this from beginning to end.