3.5 Stars!

Love and First Sight was an enjoyable contemporary that was very quick to get through.

Will was an interesting character and quite unique in how he sees the world. Before and after his surgery, he has an amazing way of describing everything. I like that the author chose to introduce the option of surgery a third of the way through the book rather than right at the start. By delaying the surgery storyline, it gives the reader more time to get to know Will as a character and to see how he interacts with the world.

Will manages to find a great group of friends who are very accepting. Of the side characters, Cecily is the one I found the most interesting. I love how she took the time to try and come up with ways to describe what she was seeing in ways that Will would understand. It shows how compassionate she is and how she has more of an understanding of how it feels to be seen as different and wants to make things easier for Will. Cecily and Will had a lot of interesting conversations about colors, art, and sight in general that were wonderful to read.

There were a few moments in this book that made me uncomfortable which lessened my enjoyment a bit. One incident mentioned in the blurb, Will's thoughts immediately after accidentally groping a girl at school were not ok.

Overall, this was an enjoyable contemporary and I'd recommend for fans of YA contemporary looking for something a bit different.

** I received an advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

My Review

Love and First Sight is the first I've read by author Josh Sundquist. I read it in less than a day because I just couldn't put it down. It is a gripping story with fabulous characters and an even ore fabulous story.

So much of YA fiction focuses on girls so I was happy to read this novel, one that focuses on a guy. Will is not your average teenage guy, either. He is blind and has spent most of his life sheltered from the visual world. He has always gone to a school for the blind, and much to his mother's distress, he has chosen to spread his wings and prove to her that he can thrive in the rest of the world, too.

The descriptions of the world as Will "sees" it are vivid and they only become more vivid after Will undergoes surgery. The author really captures his journey and all of the emotionally charged aspects of it. The emotional side of it all is something I never would have considered before reading Will's story and it really was eye-opening.

The story is a wonderful blend of humor, stark reality, and adult choices. It is as much a story of friendship as it is one of growth and coming of age. It is also a story that makes you think. Being in Will's head makes you, as a person with sight, see the world in a different way. It made me reconsider friendship and honesty and how differently even non-vision-related issues can be experienced by someone without sight. And as Will goes through the experience of having to make a potentially life-altering decision, it made me think about all the implications of that kind of choice. Choices that seem like easy ones on the surface, but really aren't. I enjoy a book that forces me to take another look at life and see it from an entirely different perspective.

Overall: This is a great read that will make you think. The story is incredibly engaging and it is one that I won't forget for a long time. This is a book I highly recommend!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have not had the time to read very many YA novels lately, so I was very excited about the opportunity to read Love and First Sight by Josh Sundquist. I am not familiar with Sundquist’s work on YouTube, but YA is one of my favorite genres, and the description piqued my interest.

Will Porter is a visually impaired teenager who is fulfilling his desire to attend a regular high school instead of the school for the blind that he has attended up until now. After some awkward encounters, Will makes some new friends, including a girl named Cecily who is in several of his classes.

Just as Will is adjusting to his new life, he learns about an experimental surgery that could give him sight. As he weighs the pros and cons of receiving eyesight, he begins to question his relationship with Cecily and whether they are just friends- or if there is perhaps something more.

Love and First Sight is a cute story, and a quick read. Will is a very funny protagonist, and he deals with people’s preconceptions about blindness by using sarcasm to educate people when they say something ignorant. It’s clear that Sundquist spent a great deal of time researching the subject of visual impairment.

I would absolutely recommend Love and First Sight. This book is vaguely reminiscent of a John Green novel because it’s heartwarming and quirky. I think this will definitely appeal to the target genre. The ethical aspect of the surgery is very thought provoking, and I thought that Sundquist handled the matter gracefully. This is Sundquist’s debut novel, but I am certainly looking forward to reading more fiction from him.