Saying this is for fans of Emma Cline and Melissa Broder is very misleading. Yes, it’s a book about a mess of a girl with daddy issues who makes poor choices, but it’s more a frustrating read rather than what the other two authors do, which is fascinating.
I didn’t care for any character in this book, I felt no connection to anyone or what happened to them.
Maybe having the author read this wasn’t the best idea, her narrating it made it hard to follow.

*3.5 stars*

It was genuinely difficult to rate this book. I got the messy main character with major daddy issues and a whole host of emotional baggage. I even appreciated the attempt to dive into those layers. But the narrative took so many side paths and flashbacks that it started to feel like the book was actively avoiding its own plot.

The main thing which was teased in the book blurb doesn’t fully come into picture until around 60% in, which left the earlier part feeling a bit like filler. Still, despite all this, I was enjoying the ride and kept hoping it would all tie together beautifully in the end.

Unfortunately, the resolution felt incredibly rushed. Everything wrapped up in a single chapter like a brief summary of what should have been several emotionally grounded scenes. It felt convenient and undeserved, and honestly, made me roll my eyes.

If the author had spent less time on the repetitive flashbacks and more on fleshing out the ending, I think I would have rated this higher. There was potential but it just didn’t land the way I hoped.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

4 stars ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

I loved reading this book.
I love complex characters and books that let us in their heads.
If you’re a lover of characters this book is for you, it’s definitely more character based than plot based but still extremely enjoyable.

Amy Silverberg as the narrator did a beautiful job of bringing her own story to light. I truly love to hear authors read their own work for the audiobook.

My only critique is that I wish this was short story just for the simple reason that I think it would help with the book’s pacing.

This book was much different than I had imagined in my head. I found that I have many similarities with Allison so some parts of the book felt very real. I’m usually not a huge fan of age gap romances (coming from someone who was in one at one point in my life), as they feel predatory and gross typically but I didn’t find that to be the case in this book. Reid seemed to genuinely care for Allison and I felt that he wasn’t just with her because she was young but because she made him feel important. There were parts that made me feel uncomfortable with the relationship dynamics but I really enjoyed the style of writing and the pieces of Allison’s thoughts that came out from the book.
Rated 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

As the story goes, somehow that mirroring my personal life. The point of view from a girl who is the first child makes me relate to how her life goes.

Allison is a college professor and at the age of 28, her mother is being very annoying about her singleness. Allison is a relatable character, she has other side hustles like facilitating book clubs. She met Reid at a bar, he is close to her father’s age. He is a successful shock jock and inspired by Howard Stern. She teaches creating writing and is a writer herself. Allison’s divorced parents are interesting side characters.

I struggled with how to rate this- some of the lines of dialogue are so purely and cleverly written. This is true witty banter and a “slice of life” story. Amy Silverberg is a talented writer and has keen observations of life. My favorite character is Reid’s daughter Emma (she is incorrectly called Maddie in the blurb).

In the acknowledgements she mentions that this started as a 30 page short story and damn I bet that was amazing. I kept thinking “this would work better as a short story” as it was a strangely paced story. Also the blurb gives away a LOT of the story that doesn’t happen until 66% through the novel.

Like many of my favorite short stories, it ends with just an image, rather than a conclusion of plot. If you are looking for a lot of plot, you will likely be disappointed; but if you love observational dialogue, this is some of the best I’ve read.

Audiobook review: This is voiced by the author, which is good and bad. Good because I liked the internal Allison dialogue and she was energetic and funny. Bad because she is a writer, not an actor, so she uses the same voice for all the characters. No shade, that is exactly what I would do, I am not good at doing voices and leave that to the professionals. So in some ways dialogue was harder to understand. But that said, I think she knows the material very well, it is a debut novel that she probably wrote and edited for years.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC. Book to be published July 22, 2025.

When I saw there was an audio version of “First Time, Long Time” by Amy Silverberg, I was excited to hear it. Amy Silverberg narrates this novel. that explores various forms of relationships—those between parents and children, divorced couples, siblings, friends, and romantic partners, among others.

The protagonist, Allison, is a late-twenties creative writing teacher who is struggling to cope with the sudden loss of her comedian brother. She unexpectedly meets Reid, a famous shock jock radio personality she grew up listening to with her dad. In person, Reid turns out to be much softer than she expected, and a relationship begins to develop between them.

Despite their age difference, things seem to be progressing well. Allison even forms a friendship with Reid’s daughter, Emma. Throughout the story, readers witness Allison grappling with her grief, navigating complicated family dynamics, and pursuing her writing aspirations, all while becoming increasingly drawn to Emma.

Fans of flawed protagonists will likely appreciate this novel. If you enjoyed Jen Beagin’s "Big Swiss," this book will probably resonate with you! Amy Silverberg does an excellent job at narration. Thank you to Grand Central and NetGalley for the advance reader's copy (ARC).