This was a sweet little debut! I really loved Danny and he felt so relatable! I loved the coming of age aspect so much and I feel like this is the perfect book for someone trying to find their path. I loved the message of loving yourself first but it won't be a very memorable read for me.

I couldn't get through this title. It ended up not being for me, but I hope it finds a hope with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This debut had the potential to be a gay version of Bridget Jones’ Diary. It was decent, Thanks for the review copy.

I'm trying to go through my backlog of ARCs and I'm so glad I picked this one up! Danny Scudd is a 27 year old gay man who lives in London. He feels like his friends are passing him by with their lives, moving forward with their careers and relationships. He writes for a culture app that isn't exactly what he wants. His writing career is stalled and his 1 year relationship has ended. Danny's feeling a bit lost and insecure, still trying to find his way in the world.

Danny has always hidden himself in order to protect himself. However, this has done the opposite and he's been taken advantage and tolerated bad behavior from others. You're rooting for Danny to stick up for himself and realize he deserves better. He moves in with his best friend Jacob's bohemian artists' mansion and begins to try on new identities and find himself. It does drag on a little bit in the middle, but the struggle is so relatable.

The writing is SO clever and funny. I found myself laughing out loud so often. It reminded me a little of Candice Carty-Williams' writing. Such sharp and relatable prose. The side characters are so over the top and satirical. I especially loved any scene with Jacob and with Danny's boss. I listened to the audiobook, which was phenomenally narrated by Will Watt. He perfectly nails the accents and characters. This book is such a riot to listen to on audio.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

The story opens with Danny in a clinic being tested for an STI. Since he has only been with his boyfriend, Tobbs, Danny figures Tobbs hasn't been exclusive. Tobbs breaks up with him and the friends he is living with ask him to move out because they need his room for a nursery. Jacob is Danny's best friend and they have a space in a big Victorian so Danny moves in with them.

For about 90% of the book I didn't like Danny. He feels sorry for himself, drinks too much and takes attention away from others when it's not about him. The house is filled with interesting characters but they weren't developed enough for me to distinguish who was who and what their back story was to like them enough. Except Jacob. I loved Jacob. They were fun and flamboyant and knew who they were and how they fit in the world and tried to help Danny. In the end Danny is okay but that change seemed to come so fast I felt like it happened overnight.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for providing me with a digital copy.

This was sweet, but it was also... really basic? Which honestly charms me, that we've gotten to a point where queer novels can feel middling. It felt like a gay Bridget Jones without the novelty that made the original so enjoyable. DNF about halfway through, but wouldn't encourage against it.

I was teetering back and forth between giving this book 2 stars or 3 stars, but ultimately decided that it really is worthy of 3 stars (or more for someone else) because while this book was not my favorite, I can definitely see how someone else could really associate with these characters and get lost in this story.

Danny is kind of infuriating, which is why I wanted to rank this book so low. Everything he did made me mad, even when he was definitely in the right for doing so. I understand why he acts the way he does, and honestly this might be more of a reflection on myself that I am somewhat the same which is why he bothered me so much, but I kept wanting to scream at him for his dumb decisions. There is definitely character growth, which makes me rank this book a bit higher than I initially planned on, and overall he is a pretty accurate depiction of a young, flamboyant, gay man in today's society.

One saving grace of this book was the therapist. I loved her and wish I could be one of her patients so she could passive-aggressively knock some sense into me.

The biggest detractor of this book was the amount of commentary on being social justice warriors. I think everybody should be a part of a movement towards equality and all forms of social justice, but it's incredibly annoying to read about characters preaching at each other about all their different causes that they are working towards. It just seems incredibly inauthentic to me, but maybe I just don't have a queer friend group that acts in this exact same way (which once again is a reason I leave my rating at 3 stars).

Overall, it's fine but I will not be reaching for this again and I don't think I'd recommend to my own friend group, solely because I believe they would feel the same way I do.

This was a long sweet moving book about a gay man who has a lot of things happen all at once. And they werent great wonderful things that you expect as an adult.

His relationship is OK. His job isnt what he thought it would be. But at least he has his same house and flatmates... until he doesnt.

Love this book!

A story of self awareness. Being a part of the LGQTB+ community, I can really appreciate this novel.
A must read for all.
Thank you NetGalley!

well written story but not my type. Even though I still liked the story! Many thanks to publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you loved Bridget Jones Diary, then you will definitely love this story. I absolutely loved Danny, and even though I cringed hard at some of his choices, his antics, no matter how cheesy made me laugh. And even though some parts, made me feel really old lol, I really enjoyed the mess that is Danny's life. lol

I really wanted to like this book, but I don't think it was meant for me. I would still recommend it to some people I know, but I just didn't love the main character of Danny. It is so hard to write characters that are flawed yet likable, and this is one of those instances where the author just doesn't succeed.

This is like a gay version of Bridget Jones’ Diary. Danny Scudd is a gay man trying to find his place in this world, feeling invisible until he realizes that his partner may be stepping out on him. Its funny yet poignant as it can get very real for anyone who has ever experienced inner struggles. Danny is hilarious and this is a beautiful story.

I wanted to like this book - I really did; but I couldn't get passed how hard I had to work to even slightly like the main character. Danny's world has fallen apart - breaks up with his boyfriend, loses his house, and now has an STI for aforementioned ex-boyfriend. I will say it felt like a real portrayal of a young adult just trying to figure out their life, who they are, and who they want to be with.

I was given a copy of this story to read; but thoughts and opinions are all my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for the chance to read this book!

The first half of the story involved getting to know Danny, a gay man in his 20s, who was dumped in the most cavalier way. On the same day, his roommate and friend told him he had to find a new place to live. Needless to say, Danny was up the creek and not in a good way. The remainder of the story was a bit of a drag with a lot of dialogue that was incredibly cliched.

While the writing was good, the characters left much to be desired as they were mostly awful people. I really struggled to finish as I couldn't identify with the characters and was just irritated with how they treated Danny.

Thanks to NetGally and the publishers for my complimentary copy.

Hmm, I don't think this book is for me. I'm DNFing at around 10%. I'm not as big a fan of character-driven stories as I am plot-driven, and this one is definitely much more character driven. I just find it difficult to follow characters who seem immature, especially when they are clearly adults by age. I did think the opening scene at the doctor was humorous, but the book is quite long comparatively (400 pages) and I'm not invested enough to continue.

DNF'ed--I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't like the narration style. It just seemed very crude and personally not my cup of tea. The first chapter gets quite into male genitalia and it was quite jarring for me. If I get over this I might return to the book, but for the foreseeable future it seems like a DNF for me....

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @prhaudio for a free download of the audiobook.

This is a good book about learning to be your true self. It is honest but also lighthearted at times. The author addresses topics of anxiety and low self esteem as well as being in a relationship that doesn’t live up to your expectations. Danny’s life is a mess, but I feel we can all relate to some part of his story.

3.5 stars – rounding to 4 stars for Goodreads

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This was a really good read about being true to yourself. It is very character driven, and these characters are well written, almost as if they were based on real people.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

What a great story of self discovery and accepting who you are, and another great LGBTQ+ rep.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING was an honest poignant read that was both lightheartedly funny, and endearing, and I absolutely loved the characters! Danny and Jacob were so well written.

*many thanks to Randomhouse for the gifted copy for review