Thank you Random House for the ARC. I really liked this one. It was a good story about a gay man in his 20s. The characters were likable and the story was easy to follow and engaging.

It’s exactly what you expect from the synopsis which is great.

Danny Scudd is uncomfortable. His coworkers are too much, his boss is an embarrassment, he's afraid of having honest conversations with his partner, and he doesn't get along with his straight, engaged roommates. He doesn't think much of himself, but he doesn't seem to think much of anyone else either -- except for his noninary activist/artist best friend, Jacob.

(Un)lucky for Danny, his situation is turned upside down almost immediately, forcing him to find new ways to adapt and really face finding himself.

In an almost comical chain of events, Dannny is kicked out of his apartment, dumped by his boyfriend, hanging on by a thread at work, semi-begrudgingly forced to move into Jacob's queer commune, and actually begrudgingly forced into therapy. While these events sound like the start of a rebirth, for Danny, they're more of a reckoning. Instead of finding his center, his instability grows while he flounders to find out who he is -- and who he's meant to be.

Now. Do you ever watch a classic movie once you're quite a bit older than all your pals were when they first saw it? I'm thinking, like, you've heard Donnie Darko is life changing since you were 15, but you don't get around to watching it until you're 29 and when you do you cannot even BELIEVE all your friends thought this was life changing? This novel gave me that kind of feeling.

It's a fine debut, but I felt very old-man-yells-at-cloud as a reader. I could not get on Danny's side at all, and the language was a mix of not connecting with the London slang and cringing at reminders of being 19-20 years old and being so absolutely set on fitting in and being A Real Adult and trying out roles within the queer community. The pace dragged somewhat until it was all wrapped up very quickly and neatly in the blink of an eye.

HOWEVER, I very much believe this will be a novel some people have a blast reading and perhaps even find meaningful connection within Danny's journey. The characters are colorful, there's plenty of comedy written in, and plenty of heart to accompany it. I do think this is something that is perhaps more likely to be enjoyed by someone just finding their footing within the queer community or in those early stages of adulthood after finishing school/leaving their parents'/working their first real grown up job sort of zone.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC provided for review.

A young, gay man in the city, Danny is down on his luck. He lost his apartment, his job is in a rut, and he’s just found out his monogamous boyfriend was not so monogamous. He moves in with his flamboyant, non-binary, artist best friend and their unique cast of roommates.

This was a fantastic read looking into a young man’s journey to find himself and his identity. It was a dive into the young, urban LGBTQIA community. I loved every part, every character; although there were several references I didn’t understand (probably more so due to my age than my Cis identity). It was clever, witty, funny, but also true to life. I enjoyed the therapy sessions as the main character worked through internalized homophobia and finding himself.

“I’ve always made myself invisible. Well, not anymore. They’ll know who I am today… even if I’m still working it out.”

First Time For Everything comes out 5/10.

I thought this was a very introspective look into the mind and life of a gay man who is trying to come to terms with what that means for his life. Many different LGBTQIA+ characters and friends in this book- Jacob is definitely one of my favorites. An intriguing read!

The story of a white cis gay guy learning to love himself by punching down and realizing that that’s wrong? Groundbreaking.

Publishers, just because a white cis author includes people of color, trans people, etc, doesn’t negate the fact that it’s a book about a white cis gay dude having some personal problems, which is basically a lateral move from “Guy Harms Women, Learns From It,” or, “White Woman Screws Over Black Woman, Learns From It.”

Not to mention, this book will date dreadfully. It doesn’t capture a moment - I’d already forgotten the Kombucha Girl meme by the time I read this, and the book doesn’t even come out til later this year. And a Lady Gaga reference! Everything just really missed the mark as far as being current or relevant.

There’s no proper ending to this review because I’m not even that mad about how bad this book is, just disappointed.

I adored this. As a gay person in their mid to late 20's, so much of this felt like it was directly speaking to me. It's HARD out here! Danny is fleshed out and interesting, and generally he's really likable. It's so hard to not root for him as he goes through his journey of self-discovery. Honestly, everything about this book just works.

First Time for Everything is a story of a young gay man coming of age. A very readable and empathetic novel that can be devoured in a single afternoon.

I just reviewed First Time for Everything by Henry Fry. #FirstTimeforEverything #NetGalley
[NetGalley
it took me awhile to get into the book and the first couple sentences were rough in language so it took me by surprise.. Still give this book a chance.

I like it and the character is likeable .
a gay man in his late 20s, has just been dumped, kicked out of his apartment, and is struggling to find himself. He has a lot of likeable qualities . He deals with internalized homophobia and trying to find out who he is. once i got into the writing it was a quick read

This is a coming of age book about finding and embracing yourself and your purpose in life. 



Danny has been through a lot. This story follows him as he navigates new terrains, fights against new struggles, and pushes against his insecurities.



I appreciated how this story also includes and sheds some light into mental health and too real struggles that the LBGTQ community faces on a daily basis.

First Time for Everything......when I read the first few pages I was pretty sure I was not going to like the book. In fact, I stopped reading it and set it aside for a couple of weeks. I knew I was going to read it, but it didn't grab me right away.

Yesterday I picked it back up again and read for hours. And tonight after work I finished it. And I loved it. It's definitely part of the new gay fiction genre that Less started. But it's also Bridget Jones and Tales of the City and every gay television series and...well, it's good!

Dan, the main character, is going through a crisis/coming of age. He gets dumped, enters therapy, becomes a monster, learns some stuff, becomes a human, and cares for some plants. And he knows lots of interesting people. Like Jacob- who is every muse ever- and the other intense and fascinating housemates.

I would definitely read a sequel to this book. HINT HINT, Henry Fry!

Oh, and my favorite line from Empire Records is quoted. Come ON, how can I not love a book that quotes my favorite line from Empire Records?

This isn’t a typical genre I read but I’ve heard good things. It’s just not my thing but I can definitely see why people liked it

Danny, a gay man in his late 20s, has just been dumped, kicked out of his apartment, and is struggling to find himself. There were many elements that made Danny a great character. He loves plants, Dolly Parton, and my favorite, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He is uncomfortable with some parts of himself and this novel was a look into what it means to feel ok in your own skin.

I found this to be a quick read. It definitely pushed me as a reader as this was not a book I normally would have read. There were parts that were funny and I was rooting for Danny to figure things out but this really was not a book for me. It was well written but I am not the target audience for this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for this advanced copy.

I could not put this book down. It is wonderfully written, witty, charming and describes the coming of age intensely. Danny is an gay 20 something year old finally figuring out who he is. After leaving a toxic relationship, he is enlightened to be his true self and navigates his purpose in life. Between standing up for LGBTQ rights at work, to advocating in the world, and finding a whole new set of housemates to lean into. Our relationships are constantly evolving and this book shows the true meaning for friendship by building each other up.

Thanks to the publisher and the author, Henry Fry, and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a wonderful coming of age book. Daniel Scudder's life is turned upside down in the opening chapter when he is told he may have a STD, contracted from his boyfriend. This begins a wild journey of self-discovery, filled with rage, recklessness, heartbreak and friendship challenges. Daniel is a believable and relatable character and he is surrounded by big personalities and friends that try to support him, though he does not make it easy.

Recommended for readers looking for believable LGBTQ romance novels and to all who want to better understand what many LGBTQ people go through as they look for love and acceptance.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

I got this arc off of Netgalley and these opinions are my own. I found this book really interesting. Danny’s life gets a little scatter when his roommate kicks him out and his boyfriend dumps him, on top of that there’s the STI! He moves in with his best friend Jacob, Danny deals with internalized homophobia and struggle to find his identity as well as not feeling gay enough. I struggled with connecting to Danny as a character, not because I didn’t think he was relatable. Maybe that was the problem for me he was too relatable! I think many of us have dealt with not feeling gay enough or struggled with our own negative views of who we are and how being gay fits into that. Henry Fry wrote a good book, I think it maybe just hit a little to close to
home for me.

Young queer people moving to the big city in order to live openly and freely have long been a popular topic for fiction, from the classic "Tales of the City" and "Rubyfruit Jungle" to more recent titles like "One Last Stop." Danny Scudd, protagonist of Henry Fry's debut novel "First Time for Everything," relocated from his small town in western England to London, where he still hangs out with a couple of his old pals from back home: straight cis Laura, and nonbinary Jacob. Danny's been renting a room from Laura and her partner, but when she gets pregnant, Danny needs to find a new place to live in order to make room for the baby.

He winds up in Jacob's East London home, which is populated by a variety of artsy folks. "First Time" features a diverse slice of queer life, but a lot of Danny's struggles—being dumped by his boyfriend, entering therapy, dealing with conflicts at his job and in his relationship with Jacob—will probably resonate more with younger readers who are in the same twentysomething stage of life as Danny. I do give Fry major props for making so many references in his book to the film "Grey Gardens" (hopefully, it will convince some youngsters to check it out for themselves—the original, of course, not the 2009 remake!) and the always-iconic Dolly Parton.

First Time for Everything is a novel that depict a coming of age story for a gay man in is late-twenty's. The story depicts internal homophobia with the protagonist struggling with accepting his identity and also the struggles of creating an identity when you are force in stereotypes while also being called out not "gay enough" or the "toxicity of straight culture" . As a bisexual women that as had years of experience with being out, I was able to relate to some of the struggles our protagonist goes trough. I loved the therapy segments which I bet many readers will be able to relate to some elements and the diversity in the cast. I do have to admit that I didn't get all the references mostly because they are dedicated for an older queer individual than my eighteen years of existences. But, this made some of the jokes not humorous for me but I do see an audience that could enjoy this.

Overall, it's a story with a lot of important subject matters. that are relatable for many queer individuals but I couldn't understand the references and because of that the jokes and in consequence the humor.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Fry for the arc.

A smashing queer story for Bridget Jones fans. Or Dolly Parton fans. Or for those who want to laugh and cry at the same time. Or want to have this fuzzy feeling in their chest. For anyone, actually!

Danny is twenty-seven, lives with his friend Laura and her boyfriend, and just had his first anniversary with his boyfriend Tobbs. But when he finds out, Tobbs probably got him stuck with an STI, and Laura tells him she’s pregnant, Danny’s life is spiraling out of control. Fortunately, there’s Jacob, or Jay, his non-binary best friend.

I can’t express in words how much I loved this story. It’s so well written, incredibly witty, and so much like Bridget Jones. There’s an aspiring journalist. Who doesn’t make the best choices when it comes to men. Who tears himself down. Who’s anxious. There are so many heartwarming moments. And of course … a diary.

Henry Fry shows us Danny’s journey through life in a funny and touching way, and throughout the story, I wanted to cheer Danny on so much. Danny, who adores his Dolly Parton holographic triptych, has friends who make homophobic jokes, and wants to have a house and a boyfriend (or is this too heteronormative?). When the ground falls from underneath his feet, he needs to acknowledge his anxiety issues, learn to love himself, and find his place in the (queer) world. I laughed, and at times I cringed, and sometimes I had teary eyes, but I always kept cheering him on. There were so many side characters I lost count, but I want to put two of them on a pedestal. Raj is the sweetest thing ever, and Jacob, oh Jacob. ‘The human glitterball’ is the best friend Danny could imagine, and they were the star of this book! Funny, outspoken, showy, caring, and so much more.

I found out that the television rights have been sold and that Henry will adapt his own novel for television. I can’t wait to see Danny’s journey on screen. And Jacob's, of course. Because we all need a Jay in our lives 😍!

Ngl it’s been quite some time since I last read a queer novel. And, ugh I loved it. I loved how real and flawed Danny was. Despite their sexual orientation one could very easily relate to their struggle about finding your place and most importantly the real “YOU” in this world; as we often tends to forget or neglect amidst the hustle and bustle of our scheduled life. Also, side characters were fun too, just like having a dessert after one fabulous meal. I absolutely love the writing, pace and the word building; to an extent it reminded me of Funny boy by Shyam Selvadurai. Henceforth, it was quite an enjoyable read for me.