My Last Innocent Year is a thought-provoking story about growing up and reflecting on the choices you’ve made in your young-adult years. We meet Isabel in her last year of college as she is making decisions for her future. Her father owns an appetizing store in the Lower East Side, her mother is dead, and she wants to be an author.

The pacing of the book is a bit slow at the beginning, but once it picks up, it’s up. She has an affair with her (married) professor which causes her to believe in herself in ways she didn’t before. It is interwoven with updates on the Lewinsky/Clinton affair. I enjoyed the fact that the story was written from a future perspective with Isabel looking back on this time. It was nice to read how the relationship impacted the rest of her life after it happened.

Overall, it’s a beautifully written and complex novel that I know I’ll be thinking about for a while.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a wonderfully compelling read about a young woman’s last semester at an elite college. Even though most of the book revolves around the relationship with her married professor, it felt so much more than that. It was a story about the hardships of friendships, boys in general, and a very personal look into daughter/father relationships. I enjoyed this debut novel so much. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about this book. It was well written and makes for a great debut but it just didn’t work in my opinion. This book deals with some heavy topics that didn’t bother me but please make sure you check out the tw’s just in case. This book talks about consent which is an important topic to discuss. I think my main issue with this book was the main character. She obviously went through some traumatic situations, but I never felt like she reflected or gave anything any real thought. I wish the author gave her character more depth. I also didn’t care for any of the side characters; they felt too one note and almost just like generic college kids. I almost DNF this one and part of me wished I did because there was no payoff in the end. The ending left me unsatisfied. While I found the writing to be good the pacing was all over the place. It started out strong but then became so slow. It stayed slow and repetitive for the majority of the book. This book will definitely make you think and ask questions, but it won’t give you any answers. Overall, it was okay. It’s a book that I’m not sure if I would recommend but I’d say give it a try for yourself. Just because I didn’t vibe with it doesn’t mean you won’t.

Thank you so much @henryholtbooks for the gifted copy on Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loved this book! The campus trope is a fave. I was rooting for the character and enjoyed the mystery aspect of the book as well. I would read more from Alpert Florin.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy for the purpose of this review.

Thank you Netgalley and Henry Holt & Co for allowing me to read the digital arc of My Last Innocent Year in exchange for my honest review.

1/5 ⭐️

I didn't finish the novel as one of the characters was a member of the Israeli Army and the use of women (which is almost exclusively used in TERF rhetoric).

I didn't feel comfortable continuing with this book.

Will be reviewing a physical copy of this one. Thank you again for the ARC and hopefully this opens up a space for someone else.

For me, setting is everything. The story line itself, a coming-of-age, isn't usually what I'd crack open. But I am so glad I did. The author did an incredible job placing us in a 1998 small liberal arts college, both in characters and setting. And then, the setting of a Jewish family still running an appetizing shop in New York's Lower East Side! I'm sold. I love the Jewishness of this story set amidst a setting that historically hasn't been welcoming to Jews - the waspy exclusive school. And then you up the ante by making her family very relatable to this secular Jewish New Yorker. Make no mistake, this is a story about being a woman. But it is also very much a Jewish story. And we don't often see that without it being pigeonholed. Excellent writing on a word and sentence level. I was riveted from the get go.

The situation Isabel was in is one many women have seen themselves in. They are put in an intimate position with a man, and they have sex with them, not necessarily because she wants do, but because that's what she feels she has to do. And it feels icky, but we wonder if it was rape, because did we really express that this isn't what we wanted? That part was really relatable and well done. The last 100 pages felt like it kept trying to wrap things up. Things were summarized and I thought it was the end, but then it would move on to something else and then go back to the part that I thought we had wrapped up. That could have used some additional editing because it felt unfinished, and maybe it will be for the final copy.

Content warnings for assault, domestic violence, and suicide. This was a tough read for me. I wanted to be strong and power through the difficult moments, but it was a struggle. The story is hard to describe, and I didn’t feel like any of the life-altering moments really affected the narrator.

I thought this story was a beautiful debut, but I feel like it lacked the "emotional punch" it needed to really be great. It was really good, and I enjoyed it, but kind of felt like the narrator was describing an experience from a numb perspective. I think the pacing was off a little because Isabel and Connelly didn't even develop a relationship until almost the middle of the book which made it hard for me to really get into their connection.
There were some beautiful lines in this story and the ending was almost perfect in my opinion. I think this book could really impact people, but I just felt like it was missing something.

My Last Innocent Year is one of the most engaging and thought provoking novels I've read this year. In the same vein as Isabel Kaplan's NSFW, this book explores the complexities of power, ego, consent, and class. There is so much to talk about and so many moral dilemmas to unpack. It's a coming-of-age story that I thought was extremely readable – a mixture of great writing and a compelling plot. I like how the main character's (Isabel's) story was told with flashes of future Isabel's perspective. It's a clever way of illustrating these formative moments of Isabel's life and it left me as the reader wanting more.

very quiet kind of novel, not flashy, but does what it does with skill and nuance. I really liked this novel, I think this was such an immersive campus novel. That being said, I don’t know if it’s something I would ever come back to, but made for a great afternoon read.

I was immediately drawn in by the story the characters.The author has. a very strong very clear voice A young woman thrown into a disturbing sexual situation at her school.An author I will be following.and recommending.#netgalley #henryholt

I liked the idea of the book but I didn't feel like it quite lived up to the description. It didn't really deal or grapple with the issues as described. They happened but they weren't really examined or dealt with. Which may be realistic but isn't what I felt the book was being marketed as. I did feel like it all came together at the end (I was skeptical it would) but I felt like it was a very surface level look at consent and age gap relationships.

This is a summary of a full review of this novel that I will release around the time of its publication:

My Last Innocent Year is a debut novel by Daisy Alpert Florin. The beauty and succinctness of Ms. Florin’s prose demonstrates a budding talent. But her story telling needs some work. The novel is written in the first person, the narrator being the protagonist Isabel. The plot moves chronologically, although chock full of backstories, from a dorm room incident, just before senior year winter break in 1997, to a point in her womanhood in January 2017, although the last nineteen years of those events take place in the novel’s last chapter, after Isabel’s college graduation day in 1998. That last chapter ends, seemingly, in the character’s present day after a metaphoric dream of the protagonist as “a girl in dusty sandals and denim shorts, chipped nail polish and cigarette breath,” about to embark on the journey that has just been recounted to the reader. Would that the novel had ended with Isabel’s self-realization, and its accompanying equilibrium, that occur soon after the anonymous tip about Tom’s whereabouts. The last chapter adds only exposition to an otherwise vibrant story and cheapens the narrative drive of the novel. Casual readers will delight in the story’s political allusions, its sexual themes, and the happily ever after view of a successful forty year old woman. But serious readers may be disappointed with the novel’s cursory treatment of what they hoped would be the character development of a confused or disconsolate person, like Holden Caufield or Jay Gatsby, who achieves her self-revelation in the novel’s penultimate chapter.

I really liked the writing, the time, and the story. The writing is warm and approachable. I felt immersed from the start. I really love a book that dives into someone's else life - granted most books do - but you really cannot experience the turmoil or happiness quite like reading. Overall, I feel like this is going to a new 20something living life popular book!

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. Publishing and Netgallery for the digital ARC in exchange for a review!

First, I would like to say I was incredibly excited to read this novel. The cover is gorgeous and the summary is super intriguing.

I love Daisy Alpert Florin's prose. She has a beautiful way of focusing on certain details, phrasing the inner monologue in just a way that is just right for Isabel, our main character. The novel is written in first person point of view, which I normally hate, but Alpert Florin did a great job of balancing the inner commentary with keeping the plot alive.

The story does start out slow — it took me a while to get fully invested. I was along for the ride but not rushing to pick it up and continue. The story is written from Isabel looking back, her present-day self injecting commentary on the past. While Alpert Florin was clearly setting up the characters, the plot, the tension for our second act, it felt a bit like it was dragging.

However, once the secondary plot came into play, I felt like we were flying. The interweaving of the two plots worked so well and kept me on my toes as a reader. And though I was able to figure out one of the twists, it wasn't too obvious. The set up was perfect that the reader could figure it out but not feel like everything was out in the open.

Overall, I enjoyed the work a lot. It's different from what I usually read, but the prose was there and though the novel tended to drag in the first half, the second act is where Alpert Florin's prose, character development, and storyline shine.

Real rating: 3.75

*3.75 stars*
Initially going into this I expected a plot similar to "My Dark Vanessa" By: Kate Elizabeth Russell however that wasn't what this story was. While having some similaries they ranged into point of view and topic. I believe they are for the same audience however they do not showcase the same story
"My Last Innocent Year" follows Isabel, who is a college student getting a degree in writing. The novel follows her throughout her senior year of college and her relationship(s) throughout.
This book wasn't what I expected. The tone is quite melancholy and monotone in some ways. Isabel is an interesting character as even when she makes bad decisions you somewhat feel the need to route for her and/or excuse her wrongdoings. Isabel's relationship with Connelly was dynamic and unique which I enjoyed along with the conversations around it.
Overall, the plot and topics were interesting however throughout the book I had the feeling of meh. This book was very easy to put down and I never quite felt invested completely. This book has value and the writing is beautiful however there was problems within it that made it between a 3 and 4 stars.

This wasn't my favorite, but I am a picky reader. I am a bit tired of seeing this plotline - while it is an important one (and obviously one that far too many of us women can relate to), it is starting to feel trite and "done". Still, we will be getting a copy for our collection.

My Last Innocent Year is a bleak coming of age story set in the background of a prestigious New England college.

Isabel Rosen is first introduced during a seemingly nebulous sexual encounter between herself and another student. This event becomes a catalyst for further developments in her final semester of her undergraduate career.

She tumbles into an illicit affair with her professor. A relationship that she uses to shape her final months at school and later causes further conflicts in her adult life.

Florin’s storytelling is crisp and lyrical. The plot moves along diligently with no rushed urgency. Flowing beautifully. We learn along with Isabel the power of consent and strength behind your voice.

Thank you to Henry Holt & CO and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.