loved diving into this book by K.L. Walther—it's such a delightful YA read perfect for summer vibes. The story spans a year, culminating in Mads' brother Austin's wedding to Katie. Getting to know Mads and her lively family was a joy—they're such a lively bunch! While some characters, like Kate, took time to grow on me initially, by the end, I found myself really rooting for her. The nods to characters from "A Summer of Broken Rules" added a nice touch, offering a glimpse into their lives a few years later. Mads' dating experiences were heart-wrenching, and I wished she didn't have to endure so much, but the ending was simply perfect. It was heartwarming to see her and her family find happiness in the end!

A First Time for Everything
Rating: 4 stars
Audiobook

Thank you Netgalley and RBmedia for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

A First Time for Everything by K. L. Walther was such a delightful surprise! I loved getting to see Meredith and Wit again—revisiting them after The Summer of Broken Rules felt like catching up with old friends. Walther does such a great job weaving in sweet, genuine moments and creating that warm, nostalgic YA feel without it being overly predictable or feeling immature.

The story had a perfect balance of light-hearted romance and personal growth and the setting created the feeling of love in the air. It’s one of those books that makes you want to relive your own firsts all over again. Definitely recommend to fans of contemporary YA romance!

Madeline wanted to bond with her brother's fiancé in order to stay a big happy family so she agrees to go ready set date when other bridesmaids suggest that Madeline to try dating and find a date for her brother's wedding.
We get to see her going on different dates and trying to be out there. Which was interesting but overwhelming at the same time because there were a lot of guys and I was kind of bored by the time we reached halfway through the book.
I liked that she tried to bond with Katie, her brother's fiancé and took a lot efforts for that.
Overall the book was perfect for YA or NA readers as they would relate to a lot things.

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy this, especially as it falls under the Young Adult genre—but I was pleasantly surprised.

I absolutely loved the characters. While Katie was a bit confusing and hard to figure out at times, that complexity added to the story in an interesting way. I especially enjoyed following Mad on her dating journey, and I was really happy with how things turned out for her.

Overall, this book felt incredibly heartwarming. It struck a great balance between serious moments and light, funny ones. A perfect, feel-good listen.

I really liked the narrator of this book too!
3.5 stars

First thing’s first: thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!

I loved A First Time For Everything by K. L. Walther! This author has a great way of writing YA in a way that feels like reminiscing on your youth.

A First Time For Everything follows Madeline (Mads), a 17 year old who’s incredibly close to her dads and older brother. When her brother proposes to his girlfriend (that the family isn’t entirely sold on), Mads reluctantly makes it her mission to bond with her after being asked to be a bridesmaid. Surrounded by Katie’s older friends, it comes out that Mads has never been kissed. The bridesmaids make a game out of trying to find her a wedding date. Suddenly Mads has a lot of things vying for her attention: field hockey, her long term best friend, the older family friend, and many blind dates.

I really liked so much about this book. Mads was a likable main character. I was rooting for her the whole book, and not just in the romance department. I loved how the whole cast of characters was well fleshed out. They were entire characters, not just a backdrop for Mads. The love interests were easy to root for, and I liked who she ended up with in the end. This was a lovely coming of age story that explored some of the more complicated facets of adding to your family.

4⭐️

4.25
Ya romcom
Coming of age
Friends to lovers
Family centered

If you know me you know love a KL Walther YA feel good coming for age story. They are a perfect pallette cleanser and always such a great time! This was no different. Thank you @rbmedia for this ALC/arc The audio was so well done and kept me interested the entire time!

A First Time for Everything is a really enjoyable audiobook that’s perfect for fans of YA romance and coming-of-age stories. While it has some predictable moments, it’s still a heartwarming and fun listen. Mads’ journey of first experiences and learning to step out of her comfort zone is something a lot of people can relate to, especially in high school. If you’re looking for a light yet meaningful story to get lost in, I definitely recommend giving it a listen. Also, the audiobook is narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya, and I think she did a really good job. Her voice is clear and expressive, and she really captures the personalities of the characters.

This author is generally a go-to for me--while her books are generally YA, I love the pick-me-up attitude they bring. I had the pleasure of listening on audio and the narrator was wonderful! Read if you like: great family connections, wedding planning, LGBTQ+ rep. **I received a complimentary ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

A First Time for Everything is a cute Teen/YA novel. I listened to the audiobook and I enjoyed the narrator's voice (Jennifer Jill Araya) but found that I turned up the speed a bit. She was able to changed her voice to differentiate characters. The story was a little thin but by the end I found myself routing for the characters and wanting to know what would happen next for them. This is a good YA summer read or listen.

Thank you Net Galley, K. L. Walther and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
A First Time For Everything is available.

This book was such a funny and wholesome read. It definitely portrays the awkwardness of being a teenager well and what it’s like going through a lot of new experiences during this age. This made the main character feel very relatable. I appreciated the Harry and Taylor references 😆. I also liked that there was diverse representation with the main character having 2 dads. The main character also had a lot of friendships with guys such as the Princeton group that weren’t toxic and only platonic which I appreciated. I feel like this book had a semi unexpected ending compared to other romances by not following certain tropes when it came to the love interests which I liked. I listened to the audiobook version of this book and it had me laughing out loud and I was very entertained from start to finish.

There is a lot going on in this book, but it was one of my favorite reads of the year so far! First of all, Madeline’s older brother is getting married and Mads is asked to be a bridesmaid, which is totally awkward for her as she is only 17 and everyone else in the wedding party is in their mid-twenties. Then during a bridal party game of truth or dare, Mads is roped into a dating contest, since she hasn’t ever been on a date or been kissed yet. So between the blind dates for Mads, the bridal party shenanigans, and the relationship tension between the bride and groom, this was a book I couldn’t put down! I loved the characterization, how they were super easy to relate to, and the situations all seemed very realistic. The writing style was easy to read/listen to, and I never got lost and had to back up a few seconds. 4.5 stars, highly recommended for high school and up (lots of drinking references but pretty much a 0 on the spicy scale except for one instance where she almost gets taken advantage of at a college party).

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
First Time for Everything by K.L. Walther
🎧 Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya
Thank you to NetGalley, K.L. Walther, Dreamscape Media, and the publisher for this ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Starting right off the bat with the audio: stellar. Jennifer Jill Araya was so good, I kept forgetting there was only one narrator. Her delivery was seamless, and her ability to bring each character to life—especially the more masculine voices—was seriously impressive. It felt like an entire cast.

Now let’s talk about the writing. Walther paints scenes that feel vivid enough to be a Netflix movie. I felt fully immersed from the very first chapter—and my emotions were all over the place. I adored Mads, even when I wanted to shake her for being so oblivious. And there’s one character I swore I would never like. Famous last words.

This book is an emotional rollercoaster. About halfway through, I got so anxious I started scanning for clues about how things would end. Spoiler: I found nothing. This book kept me guessing till the very end, and that never happens for me.

I’m 37, but I teach high school, and maybe that’s why this felt so relevant. Mads captures the strange in-between space of almost-adulthood—hopeful, terrified, deeply unsure. It hit. And honestly, I think everyone, regardless of age, can relate to the sweeping, confusing, completely romantic mess that love can be—especially when it hits you like a Hallmark movie but messier and realer.

I’ll admit: I was initially disappointed about the 80% mark. I was really close to screaming into a pillow. (I’m dramatic. Really dramatic.) But after sticking it out, I got it. When you’re 17 or 18, the world doesn’t always look the way you think it does—and maybe that’s okay. The final chapters wrapped everything up in a way that felt authentic. I was left satisfied and smiling….and a little teary. That earned the book 5 stars from me.

A solid YA contemporary!

While not my favorite of K.L. Walther's books it was still enjoyable. I really loved the last 20%.

for the pros: I loved the narrator for the book, Jennifer Jill Araya does an awesome job with the book. I also really loved how realistic the characters and the story felt, it's something I love about all of Walther's books. I do have a couple of favorite characters, I loved Marco and all his friends, friendship goals for sure. I also rally loved Meredith she was an icon.

as for the cons: I didn't like our main character. She was incredibly annoying. I also wasn't a huge fan of Katie or the whole conflict surrounding Katie. The book felt like a lot of complaining. The book feels like it was trying to be a new adult but kept forcing itself to be YA. The sex scene at the end is a little cringe. It took me a while to really get into the book but once I did I enjoyed it.

The behavior from a lot of the women in this book makes me sad. There is so little communication or support, and the rivalries over men are just hard to read. As much as I want to like the plucky heroine, her whining and anxiety were a little much for me.

I very much enjoy KL Walther and have loved some of her other books, but this one just wasn’t quite up my alley.

2.5 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second K. L. Walther that I have seen. I think this author is simply not for me. I didn't enjoy this one, but I definitely believe it has an ideal audience! That audience just isn't me.

A First Time for Everything by K.L. Walther is an interesting, fun read about a High School Field Hockey Player finding her place in the world of dating, college applications and athletics, and her family as they prepare for her brother's wedding to someone she doesn't quite mesh with.

I really enjoyed the relationships in this book and seeing how Mads' view of Catie evolved throughout the book. It was definitely a YA book--the voices and storylines weren't overly complicated, but in a way I think that made it more fun. It was easy and not too wild. I loved the relationship Mads developed with the bridal party and their attitudes towards her and acceptance of her. I also thought the bits about field hockey and recruiting were fun--it's not a sport that's often written about, so I think that added a great element to it. Finally, I think her dates with all of the boys showed a great variety of experiences by women, especially when they're in high school. It was a fun and quick read and I quite enjoyed it. 4.25*

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

This is a cute YA romance. I listened to the audiobook and Jennifer Jill Araya did a fantastic job. She has such a nice voice.

Mads is a seventeen year old whose brother just recently got engaged. She has been asked to be a bridesmaid in the wedding. This is an opportunity for her to get to know her future sister-in-law.

Mads has never dated or even been kissed. She goes on a series of dates to try to find her plus one for the wedding. The bridesmaid brigade helps her along the way.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audiobook. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute read, this is the 2nd K.L
Walther book I’ve read, just as good as the summer of broken rules.

This was full of family dynamics and friendships filled with tension, drama and laughs along the way. The story was an easy read & I binged it in one sitting! Lovley audiobook! I will now be trying out some more contemporary reads on audio.

I am such a fan of K.L Walther and the books that she puts out. This was such a fun story of firsts for a young 17 year old Mads. This book was a wonderful YA romance filled with tension, friendship, drama, friends to lovers and a really good plot.

I feel like each character was well developed and unique. Mads is asked to be in her brothers wedding as a bridesmaid and she is the youngest one. All the other bridesmaids want to help her find a date for the wedding and starts trying to set her up with different boys. Through these dates and talking with her brother she really begins to understand what she is looking for in a partner and she realizes she already has that!

I wont spoil this for others, but this was such a fun read! I was given the opportunity to listen to the audio for this book and I enjoyed it. The narrator was really great! I am always so surprised how one person can come up with so many different voices for the characters and continue that throughout the entire story! It was really well done!

DNF. This book is not for me. I Read another book by this other and I liked, but this one I couldn’t finished.