I’ve yet to read a K.L. Walther book I didn’t absolutely love - and yes, I’ve read them all. She has such a gift for creating effortlessly likeable characters, and while I’ve said it before, it’s worth repeating because it’s a huge part of what makes her stories so engaging. Bringing back Meredith and Wit—two of her best—from The Summer of Broken Rules? Pure genius. 4 stars, rounded up to 4.5… though let the record show, I would’ve docked a star (and screamed) if Mads and Marco hadn’t ended up together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A First Time for Everything

Okay as an Upper Bucks County native, my eyes popped out of my head when I read Council Rock North!🤣. My oldest and I are big KL Walther fans. We both loved Summer of Broken Rules and I read and enjoyed What Happens After Midnight (it’s on her TBR).


A First Time for Everthung follows 17-year-old Mads who is pursuing college and hopefully also invite to an Ivy League field hockey team. Her brother Austin is getting married, and she is a bit lukewarm on his fiancé Katie even though they’ve been together for years. Mads tries to be grateful when she is invited to be a bridesmaid, but it’s really out of her wheelhouse as a kid in highschool. During a game of truth or dare with the bridesmaids, she admits that she has not had a boyfriend or her first kiss, which makes the girls take her on as the latest ”bachelorette” contestant with a goal to hook her up with someone by the wedding. You can imagine how that goes. 🫣 Mads tries dating, and also grapples with her feelings for her best friend (and boy next door) and her old friend Marco.

I love Mads’ relationship with her brother and with their dads! 🥰 I also liked how one bridesmaid in particular really liked out for her. Though things became clearer As the story went on, I wasn’t totally sold on her soon-to-be sister-in-law, until the end. Her dating adventures were cringy but totally relatable. Overall, this book was a great read! I read it in an afternoon over spring break, and enjoyed it a lot!

Themes
🏑Coming of Age
🏑Boy Next Door
🏑Bucks County 😍
🏑 Dating Disasters
🏑Brother’s Wedding


Genre:
Spice: really none other than some kisses until a tiny bit of closed door at the end
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Stand-Alone
Thanks to KL Walther (@Klwalther9) and Net Galley (@netgalley) for the ARC copy! This is my honest review.

This comes out 6/3/25- def place your preorder now!!!

Madeline (aka Mads) is shocked when her brother Austin, who she’s always been incredibly close to, gets engaged to Katie in Paris. She doesn’t particularly like Katie, making things even more difficult. When Mads reveals she’s never been kissed during a game of Truth or Dare with the bridesmaids, she embarks on her own Bachelorette-like journey to find love.

This was adorable!! I loved the characters and watching them grow throughout the year. I especially related to Katie and enjoyed watching Mads gradually start to understand her. Mads felt like a true 17-18 year old so I appreciated that the author wrote this the way she did. I feel like this is good for both YA and adult audiences.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the ARC!

A fun read. A teenage Mads, on the brink of college years, dealing with the usual high school stress, plus feeling left out oh her beloved brother’s engagement. She gets pulled into the wedding planning, and as the youngest bridesmaid, feels ver6 out of place. She cope admirably with many challenges thrown her way. A good coming of age title.

BOOK REVIEW: A First Time for Everything by K.L. Walther

A First Time for Everything is the cutest, sweetest, YA romance that will take you back to being a teenager!

Madeline is a 17 year old field hockey player who is very close to her family. Which is why she is so hurt when her brother, Austin, gets engaged in Paris without them. Madeline and Austin’s fiancé, Katie, have never been close but Mads wants to change that. So not only does she agree to be a bridesmaid, but also agrees to a dating experiment that the bridesmaids concocted to find her a plus one for the wedding.

This story shows a 17 year old girls navigating her brother’s wedding, dating and just general life as a teenager and finding first love. This book has a dynamic cast of characters and is filled with humor. And the fact that we get cameos from characters in some of K.L. Walther’s previous books is a delightful bonus! A First Time for Everything is a beautiful story filled with teenage angst, family drama and wit. I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the opportunity to read an ARC of A First Time for Everything in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars

I genuinely think my favorite thing about K.L. Walther's books are the covers! They are just too cute every single time and I love that they are all coordinated with each other. I especially loved the cameos from my beloved Meredith and Wit!!! It felt seamless for them to be a part of this story and I was super excited to see that the characters from While We're Young briefly too.

For the rest of the plot, I loved how she tackled the love triangle. It can really make or break a book and I feel like the relationship that ended did so in a natural way. I was rooting for them both until the final few chapters, though I am extremely happy with her choice in the end ;)

While this was not my favorite of hers, I want to preface this next part by saying I still enjoyed the book. I think it really came down to a three key factors on why this book didn't get its typical 5 stars from me, the self proclaimed biggest fan of K.L. Walther Books.

SPOILERS(ish) AHEAD!

1. The ages of the characters.
- Most of the time, I have no trouble connecting with Young Adult characters. For some reason, this book felt juvenile. Maybe it was the prom plotline or Mads applying to college, but it really impacted my experience this go around. Plus, Mads and Marco were made out to be immature at times (for their own reasons) which frustrated me. Their age gap was a huge factor too. I know they grew up together, but as someone the same age as Marco, I would never be remotely interested in junior/rising senior in high school. It nagged the back of my mind the entire book and was the largest factor for the rating.
2. Katie and Mads
- Something about this really bugged me too and I think it was the pacing. The big reveal of their reasons relationship dynamic came too late in the book (it made me a bit misty eyed though) for me to feel like it was actually resolved. There were plot points that happened that were never discussed again that felt like elephants in the room throughout the book. I really sympathized with Katie and wish she had more time to shine outside of the things left unsaid about her true personality.
3. The ending
- The final scene felt wholly unnecessary in Marco and Mads' relationship. The I love yous were said and they were happily dating. Mads got her fireworks first kiss and having the ending as her losing her virginity felt out of left field for the tone of the book thus far.

That being said, I still enjoyed reading a new book from K.L Walther. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC!

I’ve loved KL Walther since reading summer of broken rules. A first time for everything was so cute. The book had YA romance as Madeline navigates between Connor and Marco and I fell in love with her family dynamic. Mads definitely grew up throughout the book and I enjoyed seeing the relationship with her soon to be sister in law Katie.
Bonus was I loved seeing cameos from Meredith and Wit in addition to mentions of some of my other favorite characters from all her other books ie Nick, Lily and Grace as well)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Queen K.L. Walther does it again! Mads’s heart is made up of two things, field hockey and her family. So when her brother proposes to his girlfriend, Katie, without so much as telling them, Mads is shocked. But ever the loving sister, she will paste a smile on her face and pretend to love her new sister in law. This turns to reluctantly agreeing to becoming a bridesmaid, which leads to a late night game of truth or dare where Mads admits she’s next been in a relationship, or even had her first kiss. Now we have a game of who can find Mads a wedding date. There’s a first time for everything when it comes to love, and Mads might just learn she doesn’t have to look very far. WE HAVE ANOTHER AMAZING ROMCOM ON OUR HANDS !! it’s no secret i love K.L. Walther and will gladly read whatever she writes, so when i got approved for an ARC i was bouncing off the walls. i really enjoyed so many things about this story, but i think my favorite is the difficulties of dating as a teenager !!! it can be so hard and scary and u can feel like you HAVE to be in a relationship. but at the end of the day, your person is out there, and you will find them eventually. and who knows? maybe you’ve already found them. all in all i really enjoyed this book. i found the characters witty and i loved seeing all the cameos from past books. i also loved all the swiftie easter eggs🤭 anyways i loved this book and THANK YOU NETGALLEY AND SOURCEFIRE BOOKS FOR THE ARC
Songs i thought of while reading:
frances - ROLEMODEL
water fountain- alec benjamin

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

This is the second book by KL Walther that I have read and I really enjoy her writing style. This was a really cute book about family, friends, and falling in love. I enjoyed a bit of the back and forth with the main character and the two main men in her life but also the evolving relationship with her brothers fiancé.

While the book takes place over the course of about a year, it felt very summery with talks about playing sports outside and going to the shore. My only quip with the book is the main character felt a little immature for her age. She was about to turn 18 and go to college but she felt more like a 14/15 year old than someone going to college with a sports scholarship but that could just be me outgrowing my own youth 😂. I think this is a great YA book and would make a great read while hanging out during the summer.

K.L. Walther just gets it—every messy, beautiful, heart-racing moment of growing up and falling in love. A First Time for Everything is charming, nostalgic, and full of the kind of magic that makes you want to hug the book when you're done.

It’s a story that captures all the “firsts” in a way that feels both familiar and fresh. I laughed, I swooned, I maybe cried a little—and I never wanted it to end. The characters are vivid and full of heart, and the emotional beats land just right.

K.L. Walther has quickly become one of my favorite authors, and this book is yet another reason why. So far, I haven’t read a single one I didn’t fall head-over-heels for.

If you love stories that feel like summer sun and young love, this one’s waiting to steal your heart.

This book captures the dating life of a high schooler, but it also captures the ups and downs of a relationship with a family member. We get to see and meet so many different characters throughout the book and I feel like every character got their time to shine, not spending too much or too little on any. I absolutely LOVE the main character, Mads. her filed hockey recruitment process is so interesting and I found myself wanting more. She had such a unique personality. She seems like such a fun person to be around. The romance had me grinning and kicking my feet. And the Humor had me laughing out loud. and the angst oh. my. god. don't even get me started. I would recommend with book to anyone who loved K. L. Walther's other books, as it follows the same writing and reading style.

THIS WAS SOOO CUTEEE!!! Her and Marcus were everything to me, I love them so much. We got to see so many different cameos with characters from her other books which was SO fun. Some parts of the books did feel a little weird, i really did not like Katie for most of the books, we did get reasoning for why she acted the way she did so that made up for it a bit! I also really loved Madeline’s dads they were so so funny, also Marcus’ friends reminded me so much of Colin and Finn from Gilmore Girls hehe🤭
Some of the characters didn’t feel as fleshed out as they could have been which was kind of sad cause a lot of them had a lot of potential!
BUT I WOULD STILL RECOMMEND TGIS SO HARD CAUSE IT WAS SO AMAZING AND K.L. WALTHER IS A GENIUS

Review: To sum up my reading experience: I strongly disliked the MC so it made it difficult to enjoy the story over all😅

I had previously read The Summer of Broken Rules by this author and loved it. The romance, setting, and characters were all excellent and created the best vibes for a summer book. By contrast the vibes of this book are sour and discontent.

This book follows Mads as she’s participate in being a bridemaid in the lead up to her brothers wedding. The bridesmaids also work to set up Mads on various dates to help her find a man for the wedding.

Mads does not want to be a bridesmaid. So instead of a fun wedding story like SOBR we are in the head of someone that 80% of the time would rather be doing anything else than participate in wedding activities and I just don’t find that a fun vibe to be in. Mads also does not like the bride and while she tries to get closer to her she also complains about her all the time. Personally I found Katie maybe a bit stiff at times but also far from as terrible as Mads paints her. There’s growth in this but not until the very very end of the book.

As far as the dating goes I wasn’t really that invested. She dated some random people but the focus was mainly on two guy friends she had. One of them didn’t really have a personality past best friend since childhood and the other was in and out of a situationship that made him look like a jerk at times. I didn’t feel a lot of fun chemistry but that could also be because I felt like mostly what Mads did was complain about dating or the wedding. She just kind of across self absorbed a lot of the time.

As far as the writing goes there where a few weird moments were it felt like the author anticipated readers judging something and tried to write an explanation in but it read awkwardly. But other than the story kept up a good pace and I liked the parts of the book being in season.

This book contained one of my new bookish pet peeves, where the male love interest does something sexist but the MC excuses it for them. Just write something else please. We don’t have to sprinkle in the sexism then give them a pass like it was actually a cute or funny thing they did.

Its last offense came right at the end of the book when it perpetuated the idea that a women’s first time having sex would hurt and it would be normal for her to not enjoy it. I could go on and on about how that narrative is so harmful to young girls but I trust that info can be googled.

Overall through it was a miss from me. Thanks to NetGalley and Source Books Fire for a copy of this book, I appreciated the chance to read it!

✨4.5 stars rounded up ✨

I absolutely LOVED reading A First Time For Everything!! Mads was such a likable character and I found myself easily rooting for her with all of the things! I loved reading every single page and didn’t want to put it down. If you liked The Summer of Broken Rules, like I did, you’ll probably like this one too!

A First Time for Everything was a very cute read by K. L. Walther. This is my first time reading one of her books and I loved it so much! What I loved most about this book was all of the characters! This book focuses on Madeline and all of her family, close friends, and new friends! This book is about Madeline who is super close with her family especially her older brother Austin. She is surprised and shocked to find out that Austin proposed to his long term girlfriend Katie without having her family present. She’s not Katie’s biggest fan so when Katie asks her to be a bridesmaid she reluctantly agrees for the sake of her brother and to hopefully get to know Katie better. While she’s at a sleepover with the bridal party she and the girls play a game of truth or dare where everyone finds out that she’s never had a boyfriend or a first kiss. The girls are on a mission to set up dates for her and act like she’s The Bachelorette. I absolutely love that nod since I’m a fan of the show. She has great and not so great dates, while trying to discover herself and what she wants. She’s also trying to get to know Katie better and whether she’s the right person for Austin. Thank You Sourcebooks Fire for this early copy in exchange for my honest review! Definitely a 5 star read and can’t wait to read more of K. L. Walther! Publishing date of June 3, 2025.

K. L. Walther has done it again! “A First Time for Everything” is the kind of story that makes you want to hug the book to your chest when you finish. It’s full of heart, swoony moments, and characters that feel like old friends by the time you’re done.

This book took me straight back to that in-between phase of growing up—where everything feels like the biggest deal, and every little moment holds the potential to change your life. The nostalgia? Immaculate. The emotions? So real. And the romance? I was smiling, blushing, and maybe yelling “just kiss already” more than once.

It’s heartfelt, authentic, and filled with those little firsts that stick with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Walther knows exactly how to capture the magic of youth and turn it into something unforgettable.

If you’re looking for a book that reminds you of the thrill of first love and the beauty of finding your voice, this is it.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC—I’ll be thinking about this one for a while 💕📚

Thank you to K.L. Walther, Sourcebooks Fire, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review (unpaid).

First of alll, it took me FOREVER to make the Reese connection. I screamed when Charlie was mentioned. I also screamed every time Mer and Wit were on page. The Grace and Lily cameos got equal enthusiasm.

This book dug a hole into my stomach and lives there now - to be clear, that's a good thing. I love Mads, I love Katie, I need Austin to get his shit together, and even though I am still super confused because I'm shit at geography, I love all the Pennsylvania and New Jersey references in this book (seriously how long was Marco driving from the shore?)

LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD

The part I loved most about this book was Mads and Katie's relationship because I could tell very quickly that Katie desperately wanted to be Mads' friend - the Prosecco Pong scene hurt my soul (Mads and Katie are prosecco pong partners for life now, that's canon, don't argue with me). I love the ending so, so much and I just wish I got more time with them as friends (fingers crossed for a special epilogue with Katie as Mads' bridesmaid 🤞)

"You overwhelm me. You overwhelm me in the most amazing way, but I wasn't ready to embrace that. "

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for access to this eARC in exchange for my completely honest review.

This book was a very cute YA contemporary read. It follows Madeline who is really close to her family, but somehow had no idea her brother was proposing to his girlfriend (who she doesn't really vibe with). Madeline feels obligated to bond with her before the wedding, even if that means joining the bridal party. When a game of truth or dare reveals that Madeline has never been on a date, the girls in the bridal party are determined to set her up so she has a plus-one for the wedding. When Madeline finds her heart stuck between two people, her friend Connor and her former classmate, Marco, she is forced to make a decision.

"I feel like I'm in a dream." ...... "'But it's not," he pointed out, then smiled and murmured, "I've never been so happy to be awake.'"

I have loved other things by K.L. Walther but ever since "The Summer of Broken Rules", I think I have been searching for a book with all the raw emotions that that one has. However, all of this author's other work tends to be more lighthearted and fun. This was okay; I don't love a love triangle (especially when it becomes clear who the right choice is). Overall it was cute and lighthearted and would be great for a YA audience. It just wasn't for me.

A First Time for Everything is a classic YA, young love novel. 2.5 stars.

Madeline's brother gets engaged across the world, and she must navigate a difficult relationship with her future sister in law. On top of this, the bridal party is on a mission to get Madeline a plus one for the wedding. Will it be her childhood best friend, Connor? Marco, a wild card? Or one of the guys she's set up with on dates before the wedding?

Overall, it was a cute story of finding love, but I didn't feel invested in the plot. Mads was an interesting character to follow, but there were a lot of moments that fell flat, leaving me unimpressed by the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Rating it a 3, but really would be a 3.5.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to read this eARC! All opinions are my own.

This book was really enjoyable and such an easy read! I absolutely adored all of the characters! And was just a cute read with the boy next door and the guy thats always been there, plus a few other just fun and goofy dates!

I feel like Mads is the best kind of typical over-achiever high schooler. She is focused on college and field hockey, but she's also so excited to be a little older and loves to hang out with her friends. Never thought about dating, but once she does she sticks true to herself in the process.

I'm glad her an Connor gave it a chance, but the ending of it felt too abrupt.

That being said I LOVED every moment with Marco. He was easily my favorite from the beginning. Even when we learned Katie sent Marco to protect Mads a few times, I wasn't mad about it at all because I was just so glad he showed up at all.

I also really enjoyed learning more about Katie through the eyes of her friends, and Austin (Mads' brother). It really helped us start to love Katie as Mads does, if not even a little before. I should have figured, but didn't realize these books were interconnected stand alone's, so I loved catching up with Meredith and Wit! And now really need to go back and read the others from her.

Another thing that felt really person to me was how drinking was talked about. My husband doesn't drink so having Austin be sober and it not being a main talking point really made me smile. And while I can honestly say I didn't drink in high school, I really appreciated how thought out it was that her dads allow her to drink on special occasions so she really thinks through those moments first. Because when you are in high school and everyone around you is drinking, its so easy to want to.

There were just a few moments where things seemed like there was no follow-through, or the resolution was kind of just "oh, we are moved past it now."

I will say as much as there was so much cute in this book and the plot really was so good, the ending felt rushed and a bit out of place. The resolution felt so spur of the moment and was so involved I would have loved to have more to read about it. Even if it were more pages because I did enjoy the rest of it as well!