It was captivating, the first chapter immediately pulls you in, however, after a couple hundred pages the books loses the captivating factor. The subject matter is also tricky it feels like it’s questioning the morality of rape culture. I didn’t like that the character was forced into a corner by her friend and then abandoned by her friend who seemingly no longer cared. Which if that’s the message i wish there was more payback. It was beautifully written and the main character was enjoyable, It was a 3.5 but i rounded up to 4 because although it wasn’t right for me i believe its right for someone else.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for the ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #MyLastInnocentYear #NetGalley

I hate to say it was a great start to a book because of what happens, but it was a great hook. I knew the characters and got a feel for what was happening was big and then a really difficult rape scene. It was a hell of a way to get me into the story. And the lack of comeuppance was appropriate, but still frustrating.

For not a lot happening plot-wose, the story was a quick read and really captured the feels of being a girl in college. The main character makes mistakes and learns from them, but you never hate her. I really connected to Isabel and this really captured that metamorphosis females go through from being a girl to being an adult women and that it's not linear and not consistent. And the focus on female relationships was great throughout; how all women relate to each other for better or for worse. The Lewinsky scandal felt a little superfluous but also too on the nose. It gives us a time period, and what happened to Monica reflects a little in the protagonists story, and I'm glad there was one comment about how Monica was victimized, but it was a lot to juggle. There was also the abusive and dissolving marriage of two other English professors that felt unimportant to the story. But then again, this story was very much an observational, day in the life story. I read it quickly and I very much enjoyed it.

DNF

I was in the first few pages of this book when Isabel mentions that Zev -her abuser- was two years in the Israeli army "defending the Jewish homeland". So yeah, I will not be reading a Zionist author

I was fortunate to receive this ARC from Netgalley.

Wow!
This story was beautifully written and wonderfully paced. It was an emotional and impactful coming-of-age story. I am in the same stage of my life as the protagonist, and I think I felt a bit too close to the story. That being said, it's not for everyone.

It's like a beautifully crafted and woven train crash. It was vulnerable and raw.
The book was hard to put down at times.

I gave this book three stars immediately after reading it. However, once I sat with the ending and digested it all. I gave it 4 stars.

TW: sexual assault

"All I did was write stories about 'girls with feelings'"

Isabel is a girl growing into a woman throughout college, faced with the unique experiences related to being a woman in a world largely created by men.

The actions, decisions, and consequences perfectly sum up the constant need for Isabel to be the perfect feminist, student, wife, etc. The juxtaposition between being at the mercy of the men in her life and trying to pave a way for herself leads to important questions of what one truly wants in life.

The sexual assault scene and following discourse lent itself to this overarching theme, in which Isabel's "friend" Zev is somewhat pitied and claims that his culture is just "sexually aggressive". Zev feels as if Isabel's actions have ruined his college experience, and he is seen as a "social pariah". On the other end of the spectrum, Isabel's outspoken roommate Debra immediately becomes outraged and takes things into her own hands. The volatility of reactions leads to more confusion for Isabel, which is often how people in similar situations feel as well. I think that many women would be able to find themselves within Isabel in this situation.

"as small and unimportant as I mostly felt, the egotism of youth hadn’t left me, and I placed myself firmly and squarely at the center of the universe."

I found myself blown away by the way that the author was able to put these unique yet communal experiences into words that felt so spot on.

She also captured well the outside perspective of women that we notice and use to "make ourselves small", as Isabel did: "We identified with her, which should have made us kinder but instead made us mean. We felt more comfortable siding with guys like Doug because their side was safer.... Her desire made her unseemly."

Overall, I felt that this book had a powerful message, but it is not a book you look for for plot. It is, at it's best, a book about girls with feelings.

"Girls with feelings. If it had felt like a poverty before, now it felt like a gift."

It seems I'm going 2 for 2 on books read on July 1st that have Zionism! I was barely halfway through the first page and there is a line about Izzy's sexual assaulter joining the Israeli army to "defend the homeland." While being Jewish is a big part of her character, I can't help but feel as if these details were unnecessary (though maybe they are details to make him wholly unlikeable who knows).

I was looking forward to reading this as I had seen reviews comparing it to My Dark Vanessa, another book I had thoroughly enjoyed. The title and cover drew my eye originally but they aren't enough to hold my attention.

I knew My Last Innocent Year was going to be one amazing story!
Florin did an absolute phenomenal job writing her debut novel!

This beautiful coming of age story is just heartbreaking but yet so beautifully written.
The characters are so believably raw and real. Instantly they draw you into the story.
I was hooked once I opened the book. The story kept me turning the pages.
A story about manipulation, feeling lost and confused, overcoming some rough shit and finding hope.
A captivating read with a fantastic build and details, I was completely pulled in.
This was fantastic, I was so excited reading it and rushed through it in a few hours…
One of my favorites so far this year!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Henry Holt and Co,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I normally love a book that focuses on vibes rather than plot but something about this just didn't connect. Florin wants Isabel to be the newest disaffected woman main character who's stumbling through life, and while novels like this are usually my thing, this doesn't work. Florin is a skilled writer, so it isn't an issue with the prose. Isabel is relatable, and what happens to her is INCREDIBLY relatable. I don't think Isabel is my issue with this. Ultimately, I find this difficult to believe on a more personal level -- the emotional connection between characters just isn't there, which makes it hard to understand Isabel and her thoughts/feelings on her peers and relationships as the novel progresses. But, at its core, this is a well-written piece.

This handles such a heavy topic. It was handled in such a great way. I, however, had a hard time connecting with the characters. Other than that, I enjoyed it.

I must say since the pandemic and retirement I have been struggling with reading but this book was quite simply fabulous. The author gave us a real feel of what it was like to be an Ivy League college, what it felt like to make those friendships that would last or not last a lifetime. I loved the relationship between her and her professor. This is a real A+ book and in my mind Daisy Alpert Florin is Someone we will be hearing a lot from. I simply could not put it down. Thank you so much for my advance copy and I will look forward to hearing more from this author

Going into this it is important to note that this is a character driven story with very little plot. I did not know that so I was very disappointed in the read. While I think the writing flows well, it lacked the emotional touch I would have hoped for from a book that addresses such sensitive topics. I did not find myself excited to pick the book back up or to hear more of what the character was going through.

🌱𝐌𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫🌱



𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Daisy Alpert Florin

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Coming of Age

𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 304

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: Feb 14, 2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



🌱𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 (Amazon):



It’s 1998 and Isabel Rosen, the only daughter of a Lower East Side appetizing store owner, has one semester left at Wilder College, a prestigious school in New Hampshire. Desperate to shed her working-class roots and still mourning the death of her mother four years earlier, Isabel has always felt like an outsider at Wilder but now, in her final semester, she believes she has found her place―until a nonconsensual sexual encounter with one of the only other Jewish students on campus leaves her reeling.

Enter R. H. Connelly, a once-famous poet and Isabel’s writing professor, a man with secrets of his own. Connelly makes Isabel feel seen, beautiful, talented: the woman she longs to become. His belief in her ignites a belief in herself, and the two begin an affair that shakes the foundation of who Isabel thinks she is, for better and worse. As the lives of the adults around her slowly come apart, Isabel discovers that the line between youth and adulthood is less defined than she thought.

A coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, My Last Innocent Year is a timely and wise portrait of a young woman learning to trust her voice and move toward independence while recognizing the beauty and grit of where she came from.



🌱𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:



I didn’t really know what to expect when I started this novel but I fell in love with it. It was such a different read than I’m normally drawn to; a woman’s narrative about finding her way through her most transformative years. The writing was so beautiful and felt poetic at times.



I read someone’s review and they felt there wasn’t really a plot. I think the plot was Isabel’s journey and reflection how how her relationships shaped her as a person. Another reviewer had also stated they felt the author should’ve put more focus on the many issues presented in this book such as women’s sexuality, mental illnesses and sexual assault; however, I think the combination of those issues is very representative of what young adults experience and didn’t need more exposure in this particular novel.



Thank you @netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.
My Last Innocent Year is a coming-of-age story about Isabel Rosen, a New York girl in her senior year at Wilder College. She is sexually assaulted by a friend then over the course of the story ends up having an affair with her professor.
While reading this book, I felt vulnerable and uncomfortable and like I was reading from my own emotions and experience. I felt connected to Isabel and could imagine myself in her place or as her friend.
This book was thought-provoking. I have never highlighted more on my kindle. The writing and the plot were great. The other characters and the historical context in the background added to the story.
Overall, I loved this and can’t wait to get my hands on a hardcopy when it is published!

I went into My Last Innocent Year expecting something similar to My Dark Vanessa. And while the two did share similarities - the obvious being that the main character is a girl sleeping with her teacher in both - I thought My Last Innocent Year was so much more than that.

Izzy is in her final year at Wilder College when she’s raped by a fellow classmate who she’d previously considered a friend. A few months later, she begins an affair with her married professor, and the rape falls somewhat into the background of the story. Alpert Florin did a beautiful job of blending these two experiences - along with the current events of the time surrounding Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, her friendship with her two roommates, her mother’s relatively recent death, and the intense divorce of two other professors in Izzy’s department - into a coming-of-age story of a young woman in the 1990s realizing what it means to be a woman in this society, all the dangers and violence and beauty that comes with that.

My Last Innocent Year was absolutely gorgeously written. It managed to capture a lot of the nostalgia of a woman looking back on her college years along with the fear and anxiety that dominated that experience at the time.

I loved this book!! It should be made very clear it is "new adult" not "young adult" because many of the themes, language, and situations are mature. However, it's obviously this author did a lot of reflecting, putting herself in the mind of a new college student. The protagonists felt so REAL, like the people I knew in college.

It would be helpful to have trigger warnings in the beginning of the book especially given the subject matter of some of the chapters and the ambiguity of what 'new adult' really means.

All I have to says is, wow. What a heartbreaking, and beautifully written story to read. Isabel is a senior at a college in New Hampshire. She is soon thrown into a chaotic and messy year. A non-consensual sex act has her reeling and lost. She now has to find herself through all the pain, and manipulation of those around her.

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this book. But I don’t want to give away too much. I want all readers to experience this going in with an open mindset. This book was so well written, and really impacted me. I know this story will stay with me and I won’t be able to forget it. Isabel is a strong character and I genuinely liked her. Don’t hesitate to pick this book up and read it! 4 stars out of 5. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed it! It was exactly what I was hoping it to be. It was moody and had a darker vibe and atmosphere. It was the academia style that I gravitate to. I was excited to be approved and knew the trope would be psychologically interesting and keep my attention.

I would research any triggers if there are some you avoid. Our main character Isabel is in her final year at an elite prestigious New England college in New Hampshire. Shortly before leaving for college she loses her mother and is having a hard time finding her place and feeling as if she fully fits in. Isabel is then faced with a nonconsensual sexual encounter and it spirals her into a not so stable state of mind. She then ends up entering into a relationship with a married writing professor who encourages all her deepest inner hopes and dreams. Goodreads tells us “My Last Innocent Year is a coming-of-age story about a young woman on the brink of sexual and artistic awakening, navigating her way toward independence while recognizing the power, beauty and grit of where she came from. Timely and wise, it reckons with the complexities of consent, what it means to be an adult, and whether or not we can ever outrun our bad decisions.”

It was hard to believe this was a debut. I thought our protagonist was very well developed and the story itself was good. It had a slow steady burn like a lot of dark academia books but I didn’t mind that at all.

Many thanks to our author and Henry Holt & Company Publishing for providing me with an advanced eGalley copy of the book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This will be published on February 14th, 2023. I hope if you choose to read it you enjoy it also.

This was a great debate book and I really want to thank Netgalley for the ARK. This book starts with a non consensual sexual experience that begins to shape a young womens life while she is away at school. I honestly had a hard time reading this book but the writing was beautiful I just personally related a little too much to the novel.

This book really resonated with me. It's funny how things change in your mind, especially after the Me Too movement. The book starts with the main character having a sexual experience and not really consenting to it. It's vague, because it's not the typical rape "scenario", but i think as women we can relate to have experienced something like this at least once in our lifetime. It's not black or white, it's in fact very gray. She then proceeds to have a very consensual relationship with her married professor, and that brings on a new wave of issues. He's married, a lot older than she is, and although consensual not necessarily and evenly paired relationship. She is telling the story as if she's remembering it so we do get to see her life unfold and how that relationship really effected her. Overall i really enjoyed it.

Thank you Henry Holt for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always

PSA: 3 stars does not equal bad.

Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 2.5/5 | Ending: 3/5

THE PLOT

Isabel is a senior English major at Wilder College. Navigating friendship, a sorta rape, and an affair with her professor, Isabel explores what adulthood really means.

MY OPINION

Let me address the 2.5/5 plot score first. I don't really think there was a plot. Imagine your mom writes you a long ass letter explaining all her life lessons through anecdotes, that's what this book was like. It was just one fluid, stream of consciousness about a period of personal growth. I enjoyed learning more about Jewish cultural dynamics and college life in the late 90s.

I felt like this book was driving the speed limit and I really wish Daisy Alpert Florin had just put the pedal to the metal at some point and careened around a corner. It lacked the emotional punch that a story tackling sexual assault, mental health, and inappropriate relationships should have.

For example, her affair with the professor "haunts" her for the rest of her life, yet this relationship didn't even start until the 40% mark in the book??? I didn't sense an emotional connection between the characters that would cause Isabel to be so tethered to this moment in her life. I'm not downplaying the fact a relationship at 21 with a 40+ yr old man is life-altering, but there was no deep professions of love that validated her lifelong obsession with the 8-ish weeks of sex with a professor—especially considering she had several sexual encounters before so it wasn't like a virginity snatcher thing.

The writing was flowing, sometimes a bit over-baked, but very comforting and rhythmic. The theme was clear: men are bums but women pay the price for their bummitude. This coming-of-age story is a niche read.

PROS AND CONS

Pros: fluid writing, tackled sensitive topics appropriately, introspective at times

Cons: lacked emotional punch... I wasn't left wrecked, which I expect from this type of story