From the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer of Broken Rules, A First Time for Everything is a fun new coming-of-age romance full of dating disasters, powerful firsts, and the importance of family.

Madeline, or Mads, has always been close to her family, so she’s shocked when her older brother gets engaged without including them in his plans. Not only that, but she’s never been a fan of his fiancée, Katie. Determined not to be left out of her brother’s life, Mads reluctantly agrees to be a bridesmaid and get to know Katie better before the wedding.

During a late-night game of "Truth or Dare," Mads is forced to admit she’s never been kissed or even been on a date. Katie and her bridesmaids make it a mission to find her the perfect plus-one for the wedding. What follows are a series of hilariously disastrous dates that leave Mads confused and torn between a range of very different boys: Connor, the boy next door who knows her best; Marco, the former classmate who drives her crazy; and some unexpected new suitors.

With the wedding approaching, Mads has to decide who she really wants to be with, while also making sure her brother isn’t about to make a huge mistake.

Friends-to-lovers may just be my favorite trope. Walther has perfected the perfect balance of flirty tension needed for the slow burn. And come on, how cute is the nickname “sweet tart”?

Honestly, what I loved most about this was the family dynamic between Mads, her brother, Austin, and their dads. I love how open and honest they are with one another and I think this sets a wonderful example of healthy family values, boundaries and communication for YA readers.

I rated this one four out of five stars. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

As always, our queen KL Walther transports you into a perfectly magical, ordinary world. Best part about this book? Proving friends to lovers doesn’t always have to be used. It plays a part when done well, but certainly has been over done.

I spent half the time screaming at Mads, upset she couldn’t see what was right in front of her, and then reminding myself she’s 17 and I’m now 25 and I probably had the same thought process she did at that age.

This book was perfect, and I need more from her asap.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
A First Time for Everything releases June 3, 2025

Pop a bag of popcorn because this book is <b>messy</b>! I haven’t read a YA romance that was this messy in a while, and it was honestly quite entertaining.

Madeline’s older brother, Austin, has just proposed to his girlfriend of five years, and now Madeline is reluctantly a bridesmaid.
Soon, the bridal party makes it their mission to treat Madeline as their Bachelorette, aiming to not only help her find a date to the wedding, but to set her up on her very first date with a guy.

I loved all of the Meredith and Wit crumbs, but I had a really hard time warming up to Madeline and Katie, and I’m still on the fence as to whether I was actually won over by Katie.

It was pretty obvious who should and shouldn’t have been endgame, so the amount of cat and mouse happening put me in a tailspin.
There was this recurring theme where women were intimidated or threatened by other women when the OW happened to be the male’s best friend, and I got frustrated that the narrative fed into that with every couple that was cycled through the story, which also further amplified the insecurity and jealousy that kept popping up.

Ultimately, I think Walther left Katie’s character arc and emotional vulnerability a little too late in the story to achieve the desired payoff, and while I liked the overall ending, putting an open door sex scene with a virgin at 98% felt more like an 11th hour checklist item, especially with the absence of an epilogue to bookend it.

Thanks to Netgalley & Sourcebooks for the E-ARC! Really enjoyed! Great characters & fun small-town setting. Excited for the next one!

3.5 ⭐️
I really enjoyed this book, it wasn’t my favorite of K.L Walther but still really good, the FMC was a little pick me but hey we’ve all been there, I loved the writing style and all the side characters, I would definitely recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the eARC

K.L. Walther's A First Time for Everything is a captivating and emotionally resonant YA romance that masterfully blends humor, heart, and personal growth. Through the eyes of 17-year-old Madeline "Mads" Fisher-Michaels, readers are taken on a whirlwind year filled with first experiences—first dates, first love, and first steps toward understanding herself and her evolving family dynamics.

The novel's structure, divided into seasons, mirrors the passage of time and the changes Mads undergoes, adding a refreshing layer to the storytelling. The pacing is spot-on, keeping readers engaged without feeling rushed or bogged down.

Mads is a refreshingly strong and relatable protagonist. Her witty, smart, and kind nature makes her journey of self-discovery and romance both entertaining and inspiring. The chemistry between her and her love interests, Connor and Marco, is palpable, and the romantic tension adds a delightful spark to the narrative.

Beyond the romance, Walther delves into the complexities of family relationships, particularly Mads' evolving bond with her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Katie. This subplot adds depth and nuance to the story, highlighting themes of acceptance, growth, and the importance of communication.

Fans of Walther's previous works will appreciate the subtle cameos and references to beloved characters, adding an extra layer of enjoyment for long-time readers.

In summary, A First Time for Everything is a beautifully written, emotionally rich novel that captures the essence of young adulthood—the excitement, the challenges, and the transformative power of first experiences. Highly recommended for fans of heartfelt YA romances.

Have you ever read a book and connected with a character that no one really likes? You wonder why …. Meanwhile people are routing for another love interest all while your screaming…. You’re not giving her a chance. This is how I felt with Katie, she’s the books most misunderstood character with the biggest heart.
This author has truly blossomed into a favorite…. While leaving Easter eggs in her books that always capture you. Not only does she create relatable characters she makes you squeal in delight when they return in a book to make you laugh outloud and then long to return to the book you first found them.

Not a big fan of this one, I didn’t connect to any of the characters they were all quite annoying to be frank. And why are 20yr olds so invested in a teenagers love life? Not my cup of tea

Loved this one! Author K.L. Walther continues to absolutely knock it out of the park with every new release!

I was fully invested in Madeline’s dating journey and the year leading up to Austin and Katie's wedding. This was such a great coming-of-age story, as Mad wades through first dates with new people, and bridesmaid shenanigans with a group of ladies a little older than her. I also really liked how close she is with her parents and brother, and how supportive the family is of one another. Her perfect friendship with the boy-next-door, and the witty banter with an acquaintance who suddenly seems to be everywhere, are charming and a joy to read.

Was delighted to see cameos from across the KLW Universe! Mer and Wit get speaking roles, and several other beloved characters are mentioned.

This was a quick and easy read that held my attention throughout. There was great character development—I thought I would never like Katie but she grew on me and I’m glad we got to see her true self. I wish this happened slightly earlier so the reader would get more time to see who Katie really is and why Austin loves her, but other than that it was well-written.

I love how close the families are! Mads, Marco, and Connor all seem to have great relationships with their family members and this closeness is nice to read about.

One element that I enjoyed is the exploration of platonic male/female relationships and how two people really can be close friends without loving each other romantically.

Also, the cover of this book is so cute—I think it’s fun when little details from the story are incorporated into the cover design!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys character-driven YA romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC!

read if you like:
👩‍❤️‍👨 friends-to-lovers tropes
👰🏻 being a bridesmaid
🤵‍♂️ the Bachelorette

summary:
In a funny turn of events, I met this author’s fiancé at a work event and immediately snagged this ARC to check it out — and loved it! It follows 17 year old Madeline “Mads” Fisher-Michaels, who is shocked when her older brother, Austin, announces he’s engaged to his girlfriend, Katie. Feeling bummed their family was left out and despite her reservations about Katie, Mads agrees to be a bridesmaid, hoping to get to know her future sister-in-law a little better. During a bridesmaids game of "Truth or Dare," she reveals that she has never been kissed or dated, and her fellow bridesmaids decide they will be on a mission to find her the perfect date for the wedding.

As Mads has a series of awkward and funny first dates, she finds herself torn between Connor, her longtime best friend, and Marco Álvarez, a former classmate who challenges her and makes her push herself. While she tries to figures out who is right for her, Mads also struggles with making sure her brother isn't making a mistake in his upcoming marriage to Katie. Who will Mads end up with, and will she finally have a sister she can love?

This book is a cute romcom that I binged in just a few days. It digs into the challenges of family relationships, between Mads and her brother, her fathers and her friends’ families. The characters are just amazing — Mads is an incredibly likable protagonist who brings sensitivity, humor and honestly to every situation, and her family dynamics are fun to explore. Katie is unique in of herself, and I actually grew to love her, even though we spend most of the book trying to figure out how we feel about her. The characters are so well described that you feel like you’re a part of their world, and the bachelorette felt SO similar to so many I’ve been on (girls can you relate?!)

Overall this is a quick beach read with fun characters and I can’t wait to read the rest of Walther’s books! Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the advanced copy, and check this out when it releases on June 3!

Another great summer romance from K.L. Walther. Fun and light-hearted, you will be rooting right alongside the characters for Mads to find her true love. Who will it be? Someone new? Someone old?

--I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.--

For a YA book, this was enjoyable. I haven't really read this kind of plot before, so it was a refreshing read. I liked how close the family was and how it all came together at the end. The main character did make some interesting choices, but that's what a teenager does.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for this ARC.

Okay, A First Time for Everything totally charmed me!!

First of all, the A Summer of Broken Rules cameos?? I was LIVING for them—seriously squealed out loud. Emily Walther knows how to sprinkle just the right amount of magic from her past books to make longtime fans feel right at home.

In this one, Maddie’s world gets turned upside down when her brother proposes in Paris (dreamy, right? except... plot twist) in front of only his fiancée’s family. Cue awkward family vibes, especially since Maddie barely knows the bride-to-be. But then she's asked to be a bridesmaid (despite being the youngest by a whole five years), and things get interesting. Think: Bachelorette-style blind dates, chaotic wedding planning, and a swoony slow-burn romance with two potential love interests—her longtime bestie-next-door and the mysterious family friend who’s suddenly everywhere 👀.

This one is a bit of a shift for Walther—it spans a whole year instead of her usual week-long timelines, and I honestly loved getting to grow with Mads. Yes, the romance took its sweet time (and maybe fizzled a bit at the end), but the girlhood, the sisterhood, the found family vibes?? Chef’s kiss. The dreamy descriptions of every place they visit made me feel like I was right there, sipping coffee in a cozy Parisian café or dancing barefoot at a lakeside wedding.

This book felt like a warm hug and a love letter to all the chaos, beauty, and magic of being a girl growing up with your heart wide open 💕

The KLW universe never disappoints! Ms. Walther came back with an absolute dream of a book! I felt that the premise was executed beautifully and the descriptions of the setting were so detailed that I felt like I was there with Mads through everything. I also loved the call backs to previous KLW books because I felt like I was catching up with old friends when characters were mentioned. This was such a sweet, heartfelt book, and I fully recommend anyone who enjoys a cute romance with an ensemble of characters who just want the best for the main character.

Thank you Netgalley for the digital advanced copy!

This was such a cute read, K.L. Walther really knows how to write a fun YA summer/beach read. This one takes place over the course of a year, all leading up to Mads' brother, Austin's wedding to Katie. I really enjoyed getting to know Mads and her whole family was so much fun! I had trouble with some of the characters at the beginning, especially Kate but I really ended up liking her in the end. The cameos from A Summer of Broken Rules were such a perfect touch and such a fun peek into their lives a few years later. The setup dates for Mads made me so sad, I wish she didn't have to go through everything she went through but the end was just so perfect. I was so happy for her and her whole family too!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First and foremost, the cameos in this book were EVERYTHING to me. I honestly couldn’t stop smiling every time I saw familiar names. As for the rest of the book, it was simply amazing. This book was emotional, infuriating, funny, tense, and romantic all in one. I loved it. I would definitely reccomend any K. L. Walther fan read this one!

Another fantastic read by K,L. Walther, A First Time for Everything is an enthralling feel-good story that captures the readers attention immediately! I loved the dual-plot between the looming wedding and the “Ready, set, date” storyline while Mads was still working to maintain the other aspects of her life with colleges and friendships. This book incorporated themes of family, love, and friendship all while engaging the reader in a drama-filled plot. I especially loved the way K.L. Walther designed this plot to subtly hint towards Mads and Marco having chemistry while waiting to establish their relationship until further in the book. This kept me on the edge of my seat in the best way possible while reading this book! A First Time for Everything is another five-star YA read by K.L. Walther, and I am looking forward to re-reading it in the future!

Maddie’s brother drops a bombshell when he proposes to his girlfriend in Paris—surrounded entirely by her family, and none of Maddie’s. Even worse, Maddie barely knows Katie, her brother’s new fiancée, as she hardly seems to tolerate Maddie’s family. Nevertheless, Katie invites Maddie to be a bridesmaid, and she accepts, despite being younger than the rest by a minimum of 5 years.

With the wedding set for the end of the year, the bridesmaids decide to set Maddie up on a series of Bachelorette-style blind dates to determine who she should bring as her plus-one. Maddie has never had a boyfriend (she’s very focused on her career in field hockey), and the bridesmaids bond with her by choosing boys with whom she can practice dating. But of course, Maddie has two perfectly viable options right under her nose: her boy-next-door best friend who is chronically in a relationship, and the family friend who keeps appearing everywhere Maddie looks, and who isn’t at all who he seemed to be back in high school. Hijinks, wedding shenanigans, girlhood, and romance ensues!

This latest novel diverts from Walther’s typical YA. Normally Walther loves a story that takes place over a night or maybe a week, but A First Time for Everything covers a year, from engagement to wedding, junior to senior year. I appreciated how well we got to know the couples, and as a current bridesmaid, I loved the wedding drama and bachelorette weekend (although my experiences have been much less crazy). I will say the romance was a slow burn with a slightly lackluster payout, but Walther makes up for it in strong examples of female friendship, girlhood, sisterhood, and family. This is a love letter to best friends and what it means to be a girl, and I quite enjoyed the change in pace for Walther!

Fans of Lynn Painter, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Sarah Dessen, and Becky Dean will love.

I was thrilled to receive this book and even more thrilled to read it and discover this is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year! It follows Madeline, a seventeen year old girl who is inexperienced in dating. When Madeline is asked to be a bridesmaid in her brother’s wedding, the other bridesmaids are determined to help her get more dating experience. It has the perfect amount of romance, but also a heartwarming side plot of Madeline bonding with her soon to be sister-in-law. I was so drawn in by it and it was exactly what I needed. It’s a fantastic ya romance and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre.