Synopsis
Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy- so far. Her absentee mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won’t even say the word “sex” until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn- or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.
When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her reputation and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process. Funny, smart, and true-to-life, FIRSTS is a one-of-a-kind young adult novel about growing up." (Goodreads)
Let's Talk About...
There's no skirting around the topic at the center of this YA novel: sex. I don't feel that I'm spoiling the book by telling you that the main character has sex with two different partners in the first 20 pages of the book. That certainly sets the tone. However, this book is definitely not meant to be sexy. Though it is a bit more frank in addressing sex compared to other YA books that occasionally touch on this topic, it also handles it with honesty and consideration.
This book will 100% not be for everyone and I understand some parents being skeptical of letting their teens read it, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good story to have in the YA world. Our main character, Mercedes, has a sort of secret "business" going on. The virgin boys in her class approach her and they make a secret deal: they lose their virginity to Mercedes (to get over the awkwardness of the first time) and she helps them map out the perfect first time for their girlfriends. Mercedes sees this as helpful, but you can obviously see where it can be problematic (cheating, lying, secrets, hurt feelings, etc.).
Sex is an undeniable part of life...it's how we got here, after all! To have a book like this, that speaks openly about the expectations people set for the relationship, the pressure they feel to give in to something they might not want to, and the precautions one needs to take if they truly feel ready for that experience, is something that I feel a lot of teens would find informative and relatable.
Lagging and Dragging
The plot of this book is explained in the description so the reader knows what is going to happen before they even read it. There are obviously lots of characteristics and interactions we need in order to put it all together, but I found myself waiting for the other shoe to drop and being a bit bored in the process. Mercedes is a smart girl, but she is also distant and it was frustrating for me. Though she's fully aware of what she's doing, she sort of loses touch with why she's doing it. That's the real dilemma of the story, but I still felt that she wasn't honest enough with herself until I had already sort of lost interest.
Villainy
MINOR VAGUE SPOILERS
Mercedes's secret is threatened to be released by someone she least expects, and this person is attempting to blackmail her into having sex with him. The situation is upsetting, especially when the guy attempts to attack her for not complying with his terms of agreement. This guy is clearly a bad person in many ways. I was embarrassed to read a page where the guy almost becomes comically villainous. There's one scene, after the attack, where Mercedes fights back and I think he actually says something like "bad kitty" and licks blood off of his lip. It's creepy and calculated and it felt like something out of a bad 80s movie. I just didn't find that believable and it ruined the story for me.
Overall
I was excited to read this book because I think that we need to see all sides of teenage life. Sex, drugs, alcohol...these are things people want to keep their children from reading about, but it's a serious part of their reality. I appreciated the honesty, but the story itself just didn't keep me interested enough to carry it with me after closing the book.
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