If this was the first student/teacher affair I had read, I think I would have given this five stars. But ultimately, this isn’t a new story, which is absolutely fine with me, but there also isn’t anything to make it stand out. Towards the end, I started to really strongly dislike the narrator because she does not seem to have actually grown at all. She’s still a spoiled brat unable to examine her uncertainties, despite constantly pretending to self evaluate. Ok, she has a “do the right thing” moment (I won’t say which situation she is addressing to avoid spoilers), but she doesn’t do it because she has a grand realization. She does it because her father attempts to teach her a lesson that she blindly follows without seeming to actually learn anything. I am not a person that feels like a story has to have a teachable moment or a larger metaphor, I just didn’t want to end this still hating what a little narcissist the narrator is.

There is a moment that for me was a standout towards the end of the text where Isabelle describes the way the affair planted a seed that would always be there, and that was a situation/scene that I greatly appreciated. It felt different from other books like this, as it created a sort of self acceptance, which doesn’t seem to frequently be the resolution in this trope.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt for the ARC

This was a beautifully written debut. I thought it was well thought out and it kept me hooked from the beginning.

My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin.

This is a book that will keep me thinking long after I’ve finished it. It’s layered with meaning and I feel like I’ve only brushed the surface.

The story flows effortlessly and before I knew it, I had listened to it all. This is going to be a polarizing book, because it deals with sensitive subjects through a main character who has a detached stream consciousness. I can see people loving it as I did or being turned off by the way Isabel is able to keep her emotions locked off when she needs to. I still found her emotive, and thought that she mostly kept her emotions at bay as a way to protect herself.

Isabel experiences a nonconsensual sexual encounter, one that she hesitates to call an assault but knows that she wasn’t comfortable with. She has a relationship with her professor that was consensual, but the power dynamic is skewed. This book brings up a lot of questions on morally grey eras and when we victimhood vs informed participation in many regards. Where is the line? How do we know if a line has been crossed? This all leads to a few different roads throughout Isabel’s life and I found this novel fascinating. The writing is gorgeous and I was finished with the audiobook courtesy of @macmillan.audio in record time. This is the first book I’ve listened to that Sarah Bierstock narrated and I am always please when a voice actor makes it effortless for me to put the speed up without missing a word. Clear enunciation, plenty of differentiation between voices, and entertaining enough that paired with the words Florin wrote, my thoughts never strayed while listening.

Hauntingly beautiful writing. Reminds me of all the #SadGirl, character-driven novels — My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Sweetbitter, etc. — but with a much more likable character, in my opinion, and a little less sad. I related to the main character, Isabel, way way way too much, tbh. Less of what she did in the novel and more about how she thought of things — I remember having the same questions and observations as she did when I was in college. I thought this book was deeply introspective, smart, and it will resonate with any woman who reads it more than she would like to admit.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the setting (mostly at a college), and the timeline. The writing flowed from 90s, past and present. And it wasn’t confusing, the jumping back and forth, sometimes it can be. She took us through time and it was beautifully written. It just flows. The story itself just needed more plot. It’s very character driven. It’s a story of a girl’s last year in college. It’s like she’s in the room with you and telling you about it and then she adds in what she feels about it now or what she learned later on, and that I loved. This is a debut and I’ll definitely be looking for her next book.
The narrator was wonderful to listen to.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt and MacMillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review of the debut novel, My Last Innocent Year, by Daisy Alpert Florin and wonderfully narrated by Sarah Bierstock - 4 stars!

It's 1998 and Isabel is a senior at the prestigious Wilder College in New Hampshire. Isabel has never felt like she fit in with her peers - she doesn't come from wealth, she's Jewish, and her mother died shortly before Isabel started school. When a nonconsensual sexual encounter with one of the few Jewish boys in school creates fallout, Isabel is more confused than ever. When her charming and married English professor starts paying attention to her, they begin an affair.

This was a very well-written coming-of-age story, set in the time of the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal, bringing up the discussion of consensual/nonconsensual sexual encounters. The end of college and being forced to make adult decisions about the rest of your life is such a fragile time. Isabel was vulnerable to the attentions and promises from her professor, as well as not feeling she had a strong enough voice to override her own thoughts above those of her friends/lovers. I liked how we got to see Isabel's growth after school. A fine debut - looking forward to more from this author.

I have sat with this story for a few days before writing my review. Isabel’s story was kind of all over the place, but I think it was supposed to feel that way. It centers around her senior year of college. During this year she experiences sexual assault and has an affair with her much-older, married professor. At its core, this is a coming-of-age novel. Beyond that, this novel addresses consent, gender, feminism, and female friendship. One situation that has stayed with me is the conversation between Isabel and her roommate concerning Isabel’s best friend Debra who was depressed. Debra struggling with cleanliness, motivation, relationships, etc. The roommate (whose name evades me) makes a comment to Isabel basically saying that Debra is not her responsibility and that she shouldn’t feel the need to help her so much. Isabel replies by saying something along the lines of “if your female friends won’t help you, then who will?” (I really want to get a print copy of this book. There were so many situations that I felt I needed to ruminate over further and quotes I wanted to highlight that the audiobook did not allow for.) I feel like this situation really cracked open a theme of “girls girls” vs. “guys girls” (or “pick me” girls if you will). This situation alongside the situation of Tom & Connelly and what Isabel ultimately does for Igraine really puts into perspective the stark difference between female friendships and male friendships. It paints the picture that males often blindly support each other no matter what with no thought for how it will affect others. While women must actively choose to support each other after years of conditioning to fall at men’s feet. The dehumanization of Igraine really put into perspective how so many men feel about women. Igraine was just a pawn in a scheme. To contrast all of that feminine rage, there are also characters that make you have hope for the future (namely Igraine, and Abe and occasionally Debra). In the end, I was mostly left with the feeling that men hurt (by lying, cheating, stealing, hiding, oppressing, misleading, etc.) women (sometimes unknowingly, sometimes for their own sick pleasure, sometimes because they just don’t care) and never think about it again, women enter into situations with men that they know will hurt them and it integrally effects the rest of their entire lives. Much like the book, this review has meandered immensely. That aside, I really loved this book. I will be reading it again in a print format. All around an amazing debut from Daisy Alpert Florin.

I really enjoyed this author’s debut novel and I love dark academia novels. I listened to this in one day, so it was easy to give it 4 stars. I’m really excited to see what the author will write next.

A cliched story about a young Jewish woman's last year of college and all the travails that come with it. Of course she ends up having an affair with her professor/advisor. Of course she wants to be a writer when college is all said and done. But first some growing up to do.
The writing in this novel is beautiful but I just couldn't connect with Isabel Rosen. Even going through some of the same sequences and graduating college in the late 90s, I just couldn't relate. The pacing is good, however, and there's enough going on that interest is kept.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-arc.*

A coming-of-age novel set at a posh university in New Hampshire where our main character has an affair with her married professor. Definitely got My Dark Vanessa vibes from this and I’m amazed that this is a debut novel! I was so enthralled the entire time I read.

My Last Innocent Year is an excellent debut novel, even if the plot felt a bit disjointed to me. I like books about college students sleeping with their professors because, does that ever go the way we plan? Also the setting at an elite east coast school, was good but the story sort of meandered and although it touches on so many things it lacks depth. For example we know it's set during the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal but the author doesn't follow that story line or bring it into the plot so why even mention. Also, there is a key encounter at the beginning that is practically dropped throughout the story. We know that the main character and her friend spray paint something vile on a door, but they are barely held to account and the encounter has little to do with the story.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This is a poignant tale about a young girl who grows up and looses her innocence, the way we all eventually do. She has to come to terms with life and all its gray areas. It is a beautifully written novel, with well developed characters.

My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin is a great debut! I listened to this audiobook in one day! I was totally sucked into this story of Isabel as non consensual sexual encounter starts her final semester at college. And then she enters into an affair with a married professor. High drama unfolds as Isabel deals with her complicated feelings towards her lovers and friends. Set in the late 90s there’s that nostalgic quality that’s mirrored in Isabel’s retelling of events. I liked the singular focus on her character and the expansive timeframe as travel to the end of the book. I found this one to be quite moody in a good way and an engaging coming of age novel. Sarah Bierstock as narrator was excellent!
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Thank you to Macmillan Audio via NetGalley for my ALC!

I think My Dark Vanessa ruined me, as my expectations for this novel were matched to the absolute genius that MDV was.

My Last Innocent Year is good--in a similar fashion, it follows a woman who has a consensual relationship with a college professor, and shares the profound effects the affair, and its ramifications, left her with.

This was more than just the affects of the affair: it was also the effects of a relationship and friendship with the professors contemporaries.

I enjoyed this, but going in with MDV expectations is my own fault--that book was an absolute work of genius, and it isn't fair to compare, but unfortunately I did. I still definitely recommend.

With themes about consent and power dynamics in relationships in a New England academic setting in the 1990’s, I expected a bit more depth from this book. The writer clearly has talent and I thought it was well paced. I appreciated the contextualization with events of the time (the narrator sharing her reactions to how Monica Lewinsky is portrayed in the media) but ultimately the main character and most of the supporting characters felt a bit flat to me. In the end I felt like the story leaned too heavily into tropes (insecure writer girl meets married professor in a “dark academia” setting) and I wish it had pushed a little further.

I wasn’t as invested in this story as i thought i would be. A lot of it was hard to read, especially as a young woman who just graduated college last year. I wanted the whole book to be just a little…more?
I was a little irritated by her views on money. I thought this would be an aspect of her that I related to, but it ended up mostly being whiny, not about the difference in experience. Yes she was poor, but also she was very obviously someone who was poor who Grew Up Around Rich People. Which is very different, and her views on loans kind of rubbed me the wrong way.
Also that last interaction with Connelly should have absolutely been a part of the main story, not just tacked on at the end.
Overall 3.4

The amount of situations they went through is amazing. Yet they overcame most of them. From tragic to succes but not without issues in between.

I want to start by thanking the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I was very interested in reading this book after reading the synopsis. It had all of the qualities that I look for when looking for a good book. I wish I could say that it was as thrilling and scandalous as I thought it was going to be but unfortunately it came in a little short for me.

The writing was great. The author has a strong voice for storytelling. I think this type of writing just isn't for me. I didn't really see the purpose of the story. I was never bored but didn't finish the book with the feeling that the author wanted probably readers to feel. I honestly didn't feel much when it was over at all. I was just like, "ok", and went on with my life.

It was intriguing when the narrator was having an affair with the professor but when things went downhill, we didn't get much info. I also felt like the main character had such a sad life. It dealt with a lot of harsh topics which usually isn't detrimental to a story for me but I felt like the whole story gave off a really depressed vibe because of it.

I can't exactly explain what this novel was about yet I was glued to it. The main character, Isabel Rosen is a young woman who lost her mother shortly before leaving for college. It's evident as the story progresses that she is trying to "find herself" and her place in the world. Her mother was an artist and her father a business owner. They were on very opposite ends of the spectrum as far as personalities go. So, naturally, Isabel is a combination of the two of them which makes it confusing for her. It's hard to combine an artistic personality with a practical one. Her heart's desire is to be a published writer, but she also understands the necessity of money to function.

Before you venture into this story, you should read the trigger warnings. There are serious issues at play in the book such as consensual sex versus lack of consent/rape, suicide, mental health struggles, infidelity/cheating, abuse and more.

The book basically follows Isabel in her last semester of college, with some flashbacks to her past. In addition, the author gives you a look to how Isabel's life plays out after college with marriage, becoming a mother and so on. Through it all, you see the impact that the events of her last semester at school had on her for years after graduation.

This book may not be for everyone, but I found it intriguing. Sometimes I just like to read a story like you're seeing someone's life unfold and see where it goes to. That was what this book felt like. In addition, I confess it did sometimes feel like a train wreck where you just couldn't look away.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I was also gifted with an early audiobook copy. The narration was perfect for this book and helped me to feel even more immersed in the storyline. I felt that the voice for Isabel really lined up with what I expected. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC and ALC. I voluntarily chose to read, listen to and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Another great “dark academia” read! The New England liberal arts college theme is a favorite of mine, but rarely is the student a Lower East Side Jew: a voice I am so glad was finally portrayed in this genre! I enjoyed how Isabelle's story unfolded, there was mention of not just her childhood and present college age, but also her adulthood. This gave the story a very realistic feel and a full-circle wrap up instead of leaving the reader at the edge of the millennium. I think many women will enjoy this novel, especially those who are interested in Jewish fiction and academia.