Isabel never really feels as if she fits in - at her wealthy college, back at her dad's store, or even with her friends she has grown with through uni. This results in some uncomfortable situations in where Isabel doesn't have the courage, maybe even the thought, to get herself out of.

difficult to read, hard to rate. definitely recommend for fans of A very nice girl by Imogen Crimp.

I normally love a book that focuses on vibes rather than plot but something about this just didn't connect. Florin wants Isabel to be the newest disaffected woman main character who's stumbling through life, and while novels like this are usually my thing, this doesn't work. Florin is a skilled writer, so it isn't an issue with the prose. Isabel is relatable, and what happens to her is INCREDIBLY relatable. I don't think Isabel is my issue with this. Ultimately, I find this difficult to believe on a more personal level -- the emotional connection between characters just isn't there, which makes it hard to understand Isabel and her thoughts/feelings on her peers and relationships as the novel progresses. But, at its core, this is a well-written piece.

I went a little crazy and got a few ARCs from Netgalley so thank you to them for this.

So im definitely going to buy the book when it comes out because I truthfully cant stop thinking about this.

Basically this is a coming of age story about Isabel Rogen and her experience going through her last semester of college. The story brings up how someone has to be the one to write the things that everyone else is to scared to say really set the vibe for this book. its so dark but it really had me thinkin about relationships and insecurities and how we view things like our boundaries and emotions. It felt like I could feel the highs and lows of a twenty two year olds life (speaking of someone who is also 22 LOL).
One thing I didnt really like was just how the timeline is explained? Nearing the end of the book we cant tell the timeline of how things like her divorce or babys birth or even her friends baby’s birth aligns with her own and it made the story feel hard to follow (maybe she did that on purpose and if it is I have so many questions like is that on purpose because Isabel is unraveling? or is she feeling content with her life? or all of this im complaining about is made to tell Isabel’s story in the same way that the peer reviews were criticized in the beginning of the book?)
Im gonna give it 4 stars because the more I think about it the more I feel affected by the story and I just want to think about it all the time.

This handles such a heavy topic. It was handled in such a great way. I, however, had a hard time connecting with the characters. Other than that, I enjoyed it.

I must say since the pandemic and retirement I have been struggling with reading but this book was quite simply fabulous. The author gave us a real feel of what it was like to be an Ivy League college, what it felt like to make those friendships that would last or not last a lifetime. I loved the relationship between her and her professor. This is a real A+ book and in my mind Daisy Alpert Florin is Someone we will be hearing a lot from. I simply could not put it down. Thank you so much for my advance copy and I will look forward to hearing more from this author

Going into this it is important to note that this is a character driven story with very little plot. I did not know that so I was very disappointed in the read. While I think the writing flows well, it lacked the emotional touch I would have hoped for from a book that addresses such sensitive topics. I did not find myself excited to pick the book back up or to hear more of what the character was going through.

🌱𝐌𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫🌱



𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Daisy Alpert Florin

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Coming of Age

𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 304

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: Feb 14, 2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



🌱𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 (Amazon):



It’s 1998 and Isabel Rosen, the only daughter of a Lower East Side appetizing store owner, has one semester left at Wilder College, a prestigious school in New Hampshire. Desperate to shed her working-class roots and still mourning the death of her mother four years earlier, Isabel has always felt like an outsider at Wilder but now, in her final semester, she believes she has found her place―until a nonconsensual sexual encounter with one of the only other Jewish students on campus leaves her reeling.

Enter R. H. Connelly, a once-famous poet and Isabel’s writing professor, a man with secrets of his own. Connelly makes Isabel feel seen, beautiful, talented: the woman she longs to become. His belief in her ignites a belief in herself, and the two begin an affair that shakes the foundation of who Isabel thinks she is, for better and worse. As the lives of the adults around her slowly come apart, Isabel discovers that the line between youth and adulthood is less defined than she thought.

A coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, My Last Innocent Year is a timely and wise portrait of a young woman learning to trust her voice and move toward independence while recognizing the beauty and grit of where she came from.



🌱𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:



I didn’t really know what to expect when I started this novel but I fell in love with it. It was such a different read than I’m normally drawn to; a woman’s narrative about finding her way through her most transformative years. The writing was so beautiful and felt poetic at times.



I read someone’s review and they felt there wasn’t really a plot. I think the plot was Isabel’s journey and reflection how how her relationships shaped her as a person. Another reviewer had also stated they felt the author should’ve put more focus on the many issues presented in this book such as women’s sexuality, mental illnesses and sexual assault; however, I think the combination of those issues is very representative of what young adults experience and didn’t need more exposure in this particular novel.



Thank you @netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.
My Last Innocent Year is a coming-of-age story about Isabel Rosen, a New York girl in her senior year at Wilder College. She is sexually assaulted by a friend then over the course of the story ends up having an affair with her professor.
While reading this book, I felt vulnerable and uncomfortable and like I was reading from my own emotions and experience. I felt connected to Isabel and could imagine myself in her place or as her friend.
This book was thought-provoking. I have never highlighted more on my kindle. The writing and the plot were great. The other characters and the historical context in the background added to the story.
Overall, I loved this and can’t wait to get my hands on a hardcopy when it is published!

I went into My Last Innocent Year expecting something similar to My Dark Vanessa. And while the two did share similarities - the obvious being that the main character is a girl sleeping with her teacher in both - I thought My Last Innocent Year was so much more than that.

Izzy is in her final year at Wilder College when she’s raped by a fellow classmate who she’d previously considered a friend. A few months later, she begins an affair with her married professor, and the rape falls somewhat into the background of the story. Alpert Florin did a beautiful job of blending these two experiences - along with the current events of the time surrounding Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, her friendship with her two roommates, her mother’s relatively recent death, and the intense divorce of two other professors in Izzy’s department - into a coming-of-age story of a young woman in the 1990s realizing what it means to be a woman in this society, all the dangers and violence and beauty that comes with that.

My Last Innocent Year was absolutely gorgeously written. It managed to capture a lot of the nostalgia of a woman looking back on her college years along with the fear and anxiety that dominated that experience at the time.

I loved this book!! It should be made very clear it is "new adult" not "young adult" because many of the themes, language, and situations are mature. However, it's obviously this author did a lot of reflecting, putting herself in the mind of a new college student. The protagonists felt so REAL, like the people I knew in college.

It would be helpful to have trigger warnings in the beginning of the book especially given the subject matter of some of the chapters and the ambiguity of what 'new adult' really means.

All I have to says is, wow. What a heartbreaking, and beautifully written story to read. Isabel is a senior at a college in New Hampshire. She is soon thrown into a chaotic and messy year. A non-consensual sex act has her reeling and lost. She now has to find herself through all the pain, and manipulation of those around her.

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this book. But I don’t want to give away too much. I want all readers to experience this going in with an open mindset. This book was so well written, and really impacted me. I know this story will stay with me and I won’t be able to forget it. Isabel is a strong character and I genuinely liked her. Don’t hesitate to pick this book up and read it! 4 stars out of 5. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first ever ARC and boy did it not disappoint. This story was devastatingly beautiful and the kind of read that you simply just can’t seem to put down. The type of story where you feel the words sitting heavy in your chest, days after you turned the last page. This was an icreadibe coming of age story that will make you relive all the feelings you thought you had put to rest, but in the best way possible. As a women in her mid 20s, I found the deeper tones of this novel disgustingly relatable; to the point where I know I will think back on this book for years to come. My Last Innocent Year is show-stoppingly brilliant and I will continue to recommend. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I enjoyed it! It was exactly what I was hoping it to be. It was moody and had a darker vibe and atmosphere. It was the academia style that I gravitate to. I was excited to be approved and knew the trope would be psychologically interesting and keep my attention.

I would research any triggers if there are some you avoid. Our main character Isabel is in her final year at an elite prestigious New England college in New Hampshire. Shortly before leaving for college she loses her mother and is having a hard time finding her place and feeling as if she fully fits in. Isabel is then faced with a nonconsensual sexual encounter and it spirals her into a not so stable state of mind. She then ends up entering into a relationship with a married writing professor who encourages all her deepest inner hopes and dreams. Goodreads tells us “My Last Innocent Year is a coming-of-age story about a young woman on the brink of sexual and artistic awakening, navigating her way toward independence while recognizing the power, beauty and grit of where she came from. Timely and wise, it reckons with the complexities of consent, what it means to be an adult, and whether or not we can ever outrun our bad decisions.”

It was hard to believe this was a debut. I thought our protagonist was very well developed and the story itself was good. It had a slow steady burn like a lot of dark academia books but I didn’t mind that at all.

Many thanks to our author and Henry Holt & Company Publishing for providing me with an advanced eGalley copy of the book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This will be published on February 14th, 2023. I hope if you choose to read it you enjoy it also.

This was a great debate book and I really want to thank Netgalley for the ARK. This book starts with a non consensual sexual experience that begins to shape a young womens life while she is away at school. I honestly had a hard time reading this book but the writing was beautiful I just personally related a little too much to the novel.

This book really resonated with me. It's funny how things change in your mind, especially after the Me Too movement. The book starts with the main character having a sexual experience and not really consenting to it. It's vague, because it's not the typical rape "scenario", but i think as women we can relate to have experienced something like this at least once in our lifetime. It's not black or white, it's in fact very gray. She then proceeds to have a very consensual relationship with her married professor, and that brings on a new wave of issues. He's married, a lot older than she is, and although consensual not necessarily and evenly paired relationship. She is telling the story as if she's remembering it so we do get to see her life unfold and how that relationship really effected her. Overall i really enjoyed it.

Thank you Henry Holt for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always

PSA: 3 stars does not equal bad.

Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 2.5/5 | Ending: 3/5

THE PLOT

Isabel is a senior English major at Wilder College. Navigating friendship, a sorta rape, and an affair with her professor, Isabel explores what adulthood really means.

MY OPINION

Let me address the 2.5/5 plot score first. I don't really think there was a plot. Imagine your mom writes you a long ass letter explaining all her life lessons through anecdotes, that's what this book was like. It was just one fluid, stream of consciousness about a period of personal growth. I enjoyed learning more about Jewish cultural dynamics and college life in the late 90s.

I felt like this book was driving the speed limit and I really wish Daisy Alpert Florin had just put the pedal to the metal at some point and careened around a corner. It lacked the emotional punch that a story tackling sexual assault, mental health, and inappropriate relationships should have.

For example, her affair with the professor "haunts" her for the rest of her life, yet this relationship didn't even start until the 40% mark in the book??? I didn't sense an emotional connection between the characters that would cause Isabel to be so tethered to this moment in her life. I'm not downplaying the fact a relationship at 21 with a 40+ yr old man is life-altering, but there was no deep professions of love that validated her lifelong obsession with the 8-ish weeks of sex with a professor—especially considering she had several sexual encounters before so it wasn't like a virginity snatcher thing.

The writing was flowing, sometimes a bit over-baked, but very comforting and rhythmic. The theme was clear: men are bums but women pay the price for their bummitude. This coming-of-age story is a niche read.

PROS AND CONS

Pros: fluid writing, tackled sensitive topics appropriately, introspective at times

Cons: lacked emotional punch... I wasn't left wrecked, which I expect from this type of story

Beautifully written coming of age story. Isabel is flawed, often stumbling and incredibly naive. But you feel it. You feel her confusion, her need for validation, her lack of confidence. At one point or another every woman has been Isabel. In the one final semester of college she begins to grow up, stuck in between that sliver of time between girl and woman. That last semester she learns things about who she is and who she needs to become. Everyone that surrounds her has an impact on her life going forward - her friends, her father, her mentors and her professor (as illicit as it was). The author winds you through her life during those 5 months and beyond showing you the trajectory her life took. Wonderful story.

Although My Last Innocent Year is a coming of age novel, it is not your typical tale. As the reader follows Isabel through her college years at the exclusive Wilder and in her reflections from years after, we are drawn in to her relationships; with parents, roommates, professors, friends, and acquaintances. As Isabel is forced to make life choices, or not to make them as the case may be, we endure the repercussions with her. While there is not a fairy tale ending in the traditional sense of the word, the ending is satisfying and appropriate; we see adult life that Isabel has "consented" to live and see her as satisfied with what she has created for herself, right or wrong.

Characters are believably drawn and the setting of an upscale university setting is authentically presented. At times, the references to the Clinton/Lewinsky case seemed out of place, the point about responsibility and choices resonate and ultimately, interesting parallels are drawn.

This story will keep the pages turning; I completed it in a single sitting and my interested never wavered. Author Daisy Alpert Florin expertly captures the uncertainties of life as we navigate unfamiliar circumstances and as people come and go.

The best part of reviewing ARCs is getting a novel like this to read. Beautifully written, this is the story of Isabel, during her senior year at a thinly disguised version of Dartmouth (Wilder). Like so many coming of age novels, Isabel is drawn into the orbit of manipulative professors and classmates.

She questions her own sexual decisions and her talent. She witnesses the messiness of other people’s marriages. Ultimately, she becomes the prey of one of her professors. Isabel is a product of a difficult home, an aloof mother who died when Isabel was 12, and a father who was mired in work.

This is a story of grit and determination, getting past all the negatives. Ultimately, Isabel is faced with many decisions during the time of lost innocence and she has triumphed.

I loved this little treasure, thank you Netgalley!

As much as I believe that not everything an author writes in fiction is their personal belief, I can't let this one go. I don't actually know Florin's opnions on Israel, but I know I don't support an estate that is the cause of deaths of innocents in Palestine and are currently commiting war crimes against its residents, and I won't support a book that will talk about it as if it is a "saviour" estate. Free Palestine.