I enjoyed reading this book and on many occasions just read that 'little bit more' before bed or on the bus or wherever I happened to be because I wanted to know what happened next.
It did fall into the trap that most YA seems to and that being lack of communication. Drama is built up and up just because the character lie or don't speak to each other and, given that it happened in about 70% of this book, it can get a bit frustrating and you want to yell "JUST TELL THEM ALREADY!"

I think it would have been great if we could have seen the story from the perspective of Brandon and Chase too and been given the experience of the other side as well.

Overall,. an ok and easy read.

4.5 STARS!
This is the second book I've read of Abigail Johnson's, the way she wrote the story was amazing, I was hooked from the very first page!

This is about a girl named Dana who has a DNA test done for her father hoping to find some long lost family of his, instead she finds something that hits much more closer to home, a half brother that's only a few months older than her.. and facing the fact her father had an affair.

Dana has a hard time dealing with this new information throughout the book and then meets Chase, her half brothers cousin, and they immediately hit it off & spend a lot of time together.

This overall was an amazing read and sure was one emotional rollercoaster, I will admit, i cried at least once reading this, I felt connected to the story and to Dana & her situation. It was written amazingly and was an absolute page turner!
At the beginning I felt a lot of hate towards her father for what he had done, but the ending was beautiful.

I did like the romance, I did however feel it could have been a little better, I felt like it happened so quickly and then just halted a little.
I loved the story it told of love and family, I'm glad I read this, would recommend it to others for sure

Once again I am left utterly speechless by an Abigail Johnson novel. How does she do it!?!! Because The First To Know is the most incredible, agonising, rip-your-heart-out-and-then-sew-it-back-together, amazing book. Asdffdhngikaldnvj....I hope the publisher wasn't expecting a put-together, coherent review, because all they are going to get is swooning, sighs, exclamation marks and fan-girling. Because it really is just. that. good.

When Dana decides to surprise her father with a birthday present to beat all birthday presents, she could never have expected the bombshell she would unleash. The DNA testing kit was supposed to unveil some long-lost family members - parents or cousins perhaps - for her father who grew up in foster care never knowing anything about his heritage or family. Instead, Dana discovers that her father has a son. A son who is not that much older than she is...and not that much younger than her sister. Confused and devastated, Dana keeps her secret while desperately trying to learn more about her brother, even if it means getting close to Chase, her brother's cousin, a guy who is starting to mean so much to her, a guy she really shouldn't be lying to.

This book put me through the emotional wringer. It tore my heart out. I was literally reading some of it peeking through my fingers. I knew that the big unveiling of the truth was going to come, you know from the summary that this secret is going to blow up, big time, but it was still agonising to watch. The part about the DNA testing tearing Dana's family apart didn't really hit me until I got a good look at her family. And while things aren't perfect, while Dana might have problems with her relationship with her Dad, there is no doubting the close bond between her parents, between their whole family. It's really sweet but also sad knowing where the book is going.

And then there is the romance.... I don't know what to say, I really don't. Except maybe, amazing and incredible and breathtaking and....aghhh!

There are so many layers to this book. While Dana is wrestling with her family secret she is also trying to lead her softball team to state championships, balance the love she has for her sister with the resentment she feels about their respective talents and choices in life, and also navigate the unrequited feelings of one of her best friends. So the themes of sport, family, friendship, and romance all give so much depth to this book.

The time Dana spends with Chase is everything she needs and everything she knows she can't have while she is hiding the truth from him. He is so up-front, honest even when he is hurting, and sure about what he wants. Determined, hurting, kind, sweet (and did I mention incredibly attractive). I was a little unsure about the ending as I was nearing the final pages. Surely I wasn't going to be left with a broken (read: wrecked, totally devastated, I-need-ice-cream) heart? But Abigail Johnson not only delivers an emotionally overwhelming book, but one that is also hopeful, loving, forgiving and (sorry, if this is getting repetitive, but) totally AMAZING!!

In case my review is not already clear, I absolutely loved this book. I can't wait to shove it into the hands of my readers, can't wait to share the reactions and love that this book will inspire. I highly, highly recommend this book for readers who enjoy realistic fiction, contemporary novels that seamlessly combine romance, friendship, relationship breakdown and the importance of family in one incredible book.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.