First Time, Long Time is an enjoyable read. It moves quickly and, while I know nothing about Howard Stern, there was plenty of context for the book to make sense. You know, things get weird in this one but life is messy and fun books help.

First Time, Long Time is an entertaining story about a 20-something woman finding her way teaching English at a community college in LA. She meets an older man with a radio shock jock career that’s past it’s prime, and they embark on a seemingly mismatched relationship. There are a few messy twists, which maybe aren’t the point, because the point for me with this book was Amy Silverberg’s observant, dry style of humor permeating every line. I liked how didn’t shy away from mental health struggles and grief, and in the end she made me really appreciate family belonging above all else. As messy as this story gets, I honestly enjoyed being in her head for it!

This started out pretty interesting but then just became more of a thought exercise than anything. In the novel, the author talks about books not being a moral compass or commentary on morality but to show people living (sorry I am butchering her actual, very thoughtful words) and while I agree to an extent, I could not stand this MC. Considering that I should have related to this person who grew up close to where I did and spoke about it in a way that I understood, I still found myself intensely mystified by decisions made in this book.

First Time, Long Time comes out next week on July 22, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.
One strange Tuesday evening my mother called and said, "The Problem wants to visit you." That's what my mother called my father: The Problem. As far as my mother was concerned, he'd always been a problem. And the worst kind too: one without a solution.
I didn't want to talk about The Problem.
"I'm on a date," I lied. I thought this would be the fastest way to get my mother off the phone-my mother, who so often worried about her only daughter being alone.
That's what my mother always said: I'm worried you're all alone.
"You answered the phone on a date?" my mother asked
"He's in the bathroom."
In the pause before my mother, Carrie, spoke, I knew she must be deciding if I'd lied, and then, if she should say, "I know you're lying." Maybe it was an act of kindness or only because she was distracted, but my mother moved on.

A very character driven novel about a woman who is just all over the place. Alison refers to her father as "the problem," falls into a relationship with Reid, one of his friends, and then realizes that she's really more interesting in Reid's daughter Maggie. She's got lots of issues. Alison is another entrant into the flailing young woman genre and can be wearying. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. While this wasn't for me I'm sure others will enjoy it.

This was an uneven debut novel. I enjoyed the pacing and conversational and smartly funny writing. A compelling premise that took a while to launch.

I related so much to the FMC Alison. This book is clever and engaging, but also messy in the ways you want a book to be. This is very much a character driven story which I often enjoy as the characters tend to be complex. A great novel!

What a weird and enjoyable book! I gave this 4 stars because I was weirdly drawn to Allison and the way she moves through life. A truly authentic portrayal of what it's like navigating life as a late twenty something. What a whole bunch of emotion that Silverberg was able to pack into this short book.

It will take a specific type of person to like this but the end was such an interesting surprise that I was stoked on.

messy gal with daddy issues moves to LA and starts dating an older man who is her dad's idol, and also starts sleeping with his daughter on the side. this was just generally pretty predictable and didn't really do much for me? this book did have some funny writing, silverberg is definitely a comedian, but that didn't make up for the lack of interesting plot.

Overall, really liked the voice of the narrator. Moments were lost on me but the overall was a really intriguing story.

I want to start by saying for a debut book I think this has a wonderful opportunity to be a deeply impactful read for the ideal reader, and when it finds its champion, it will make a big splash. As soon as I was given the arc, I was seeing this book on all kinds of upcoming queer release lists, which made me more excited to read it. I wanted to read this book because of the premise. I thought it was intriguing to be told right away that our main character was going to be in a relationship with a man but then fall in love with his daughter. I will say that took a long time to get to which made me a bit confused. This book read a bit clunky, like it was taking bites too big to fit in its mouth. There were all the asides to the family of the main character, her mother, father, and dead brother that were never fully fleshed out or finalized. Yes, this book explored family dynamics between fathers and daughters, i.e. the two romantic relationships and the main character's relationship with her own father. But there was no feedback loop as to why the brother and mother were important to this story. It was like being told something and then the person forgets what they were saying but then they never remember. I think this book could have been really interesting if it felt more polished. The short chapters, the wondering steps to get from plot point to plot point didn't feel purposeful to me as a reader. I wanted to love this book, but it had a bit too many missed opportunities for me. I am really glad I read it, especially in June with the bi representation through multiple characters, but something was missing for me. Thank you for the arc and I look forward to the release date of this book!

28 year old Allison struggles with grief over losing her brother, amplified by some complicated family dynamics, when she meets and starts a relationship with a famous radio host, Reid, who is in his 60s.

I found the exploration of the many types of different character relationships in the story very interesting, and these are the crux of the story. The age gap between Allison and Reid icked me at the start, but I think you get to see well what draws Allison to him and keeps her attached. As a character-driven reader, I didn't mind the lack of much plot and found the book engaging throughout. While there some darker topics of mental illness and grief are part of the story, it didn't overall feel like a heavy read; the lighter and funnier parts balanced out the darkness pretty well.
One thing that irked me about the writing was Allison's father being referred to as "The Problem", just a weird, uncomfortable choice for a complicated character.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the e-arc!

relatable vibes to this story about some seriously unusual circumstances. interestingly written throughout, and with a cool ending. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This book moved at such a slow pace. There was so much backstory with Allison’s character that the actual plot felt lost and disjointed. All characters were unlikeable and any time Allison said something relatable, I didn’t even really care at that point. The ending was so rushed and weird. This book just wasn’t for me.

I was so excited to dig into this debut by comedian Amy Silverberg because I love funny books and who better to deliver than a professional funny person! Aspiring writer Allison is living in LA, grieving the death of her older brother, and beginning a relationship with a very famous radio DJ who is quickly getting to be past his prime (and happens to be her father's idol).

Allison is lost in her life, her career, and in her grief. She holds a few different jobs, juggles her difficult parents, and falls into this odd relationship with ease, but she never quite comes together as a character as a whole. I think this book suffers from something I see in a lot of contemporary fiction, where the side characters are well developed, funny, likeable and unique, but our main character or narrator is a blank slate. I couldn't picture Allison in my head, found her very dull, and the way she is written feels like she's just in the ether, floating around and only has things happen to her, instead of her making big decisions about her own life.

This is an impressive debut, I just wish I could have connected with our MC more, instead of feeling bogged down by the classic sad girl character with deep thoughts that are only kept on the inside - and just a blank slate on the outside.

BOOK REVIEW

If you love when a book feels like someone’s telling you a secret over coffee, this one’s for you.

Allison’s journey—navigating loss, complicated family dynamics, and a surprising romance with an older man—is honest and deeply human. And just when you think it’s all about him, in walks Maddie (his daughter), shaking things up with an unexpected connection. It’s sharp, funny, messy, and so full of heart.

Young woman struggling and making horrible decisions while she tries to figure out her life - I will never get tired of this incredibly relatable premise. This one stands out as one of the funniest I've read in the genre.

I always enjoy slice-of-life stories, books where you truly get to know a character and what the ups and downs of their day-to-day are like. First Time, Long Time definitely fits that description! Meet Allison, who moved to Los Angeles for a fresh start, but is feeling more lost than ever. She’s feeling uninspired in her job as an English teacher and dreams of becoming a writer; she’s also dealing with her grief from the sudden loss of her brother and navigating complicated relationships with her parents. When she unexpectedly meets famous radio DJ Reid Steinman, the two quickly develop a connection, but before long, Allison starts to fall for Reid’s daughter, Emma, too. On her messy, complicated journey of identity, love, and loss, can Allison figure out what she truly wants?

Again, I just loved how character-focused this story was! I really enjoyed Allison’s internal dialogue, as well as the quick, snappy banter she had with others. Silverberg’s writing style was witty and fun to follow, and her characters were so interesting to read about, flaws and all. I also liked how the story was made up of lots of shorter chapters, which kept me hooked to see what would happen next!

One thing I will say is that sometimes the pacing of the book felt a little off, which I think is largely due to its original format being a short story. A large part of the story’s action, things that are described in the plot description, mostly doesn’t happen until well into the book. This also caused the ending to feel a little bit rushed, in my opinion.

Otherwise, I liked First Time, Long Time a lot! I would recommend it, particularly for fans of character-driven litfic. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

Have you ever been stuck in a “purgatory” like stage of your life? Well, so has Allison. She thought her dreams of making it as a writer would materialize when she moved to LA. Things didn’t turnout that well. Allison now drifts from day to day with no real destination.

Distraction arrives when she meets Reid Steinman. The two begin a romance that spins becomes more complicated when Allison also develops a relationship with Reid’s daughter.

I enjoyed many parts of this book and also flipped through many parts. This was an interesting story filled with an eclectic mix of characters. It was an entertaining book overall and I just didn’t connect with the story. It’s still worth a go, though.

I enjoyed the concept of the book and the characters. Amy has a fun voice and I enjoyed her style.
I do really enjoy more of a rom-com vibe, only doing 3 stars because I feel like some parts sort of dragged on and just didn’t seem to fit.

I'm ready to accept defeat. I do not care about these characters, and I haaaate the random time breaks that don't really add anything to the story. Putting this one down.