I’ve read several dark academia slash teacher/student affairs books and this one was enjoyable and not as depressing. The late 90s setting + the small liberal arts college made it feel really believable (easier to get away with things pre social media). I liked reading from Isabel’s POV and was impressed with her handling of the situation considering her age. I would recommend if you liked the Secret History, My Dark Vanessa, Prep.

Thanks to Henry Holt & Co and Netgalley for the ARC!

Isabel Rosen is in her last semester of her senior year at Wilder College in New Hampshire. Isabel is not from a wealthy family, like most of the other students, so she's always felt out of place there. She's dealing with the aftermath of a nonconsensual sexual encounter with a fellow Jewish student. Then Isobel meets Professor R.H. Connolley, her new, married writing professor. Connolley praises her writing, makes her feel good about herself, and accepts her for who she is. They end up having an affair, but Isobel feels like he's hiding something from her.

My Last Innocent Year was an amazing debut novel by Daisy Alpert Florin. This novel delves into some heavy topics, so make sure to check out trigger warnings before reading. This story is told from the first person pov of Isobel as she navigates her senior year of college, relationships, her future, and early adulthood. The writing in this novel was absolutely addictive. It was so beautifully written that I could not put it down. Isobel's story just sucked you in and didn't let go. I like that there's added foreshadowing in the story, so we know early on the path that Isobel's life ends up taking. The other characters weren't as well developed as Isobel, but that's okay because everything else makes up for that. This novel leaves you with a lot to think about after you finish reading. I enjoy reading these types of deep thinking, well written academia novels.

I really loved this book. The writing is beautiful, first of all, while also being compulsively readable. The story follows college student Isabel as she navigates her senior year at prestigious Wilder university. One of the college's few Jewish students, Isabel has a confusing "nonconsensual sexual encounter" (what I would absolutely call rape) with another Jewish student early on in the book. Her friend, a kind of riot grrl feminist tries to avenge her, with mixed results. Isabel later begins a relationship with an older, married professor. Simultaneously, she is struggling with the dynamics of her thesis advisor who is crumbling before her eyes as his marriage to another professor dissolves.

Set against the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, this book is a beautifully subtle exploration of consent and the myriad ways that we violate it and each other. It could so easily have been heavy handed, but it never is. I loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you enjoy beautifully written stream of consciousness noting the life lessons of a Jewish girl in college, this is for you. If you want plot or anything of the such, maybe don’t pick this one up. This story has explicit scenes of sexual assault, yet (as a survivor myself), it didn’t pack an emotional punch. I’m not saying I wish it had been gruesome or it isn’t a possible trigger, I just think there was a better way to depict it and get the right feelings across to the reader.
The writing is where this excels. It is rhythmic. You know that almost weightless feeling you get when floating on water? That’s kind of what the writing was like for this. I usually love and adore that, I just wish there was more depth and emotion put into it. This has the potential to be a tragically beautiful book but ultimately left me unfazed.

It's the winter of 1998 at a prestigious college in New Hampshire and Isabel Rosen has one semester left before graduation. Still reeling from the recent death of her mother, Isabel is adrift in the sea between being a teenager and being an adult. In the tradition of novels like Lolita or My Dark Vanessa, an older, handsome poet, and stand-in professor waltzes into Isabel's life, making her feel seen and feel as though she has value. However, it's a disservice to this novel to say this is the story of their affair. Rather, this is a story of a young woman chewing over the tough questions we inevitably run into at this cusp of adulthood; who are you without the influence of friends, family, or society? What choices will you make? What is love, actually?

I personally requested an early copy of this novel from NetGalley with high hopes after hearing comparisons to some of my favorite books, and if I'm honest, I was underwhelmed by this one. While technically well-written, I never found myself particularly empathetic or drawn in by any of the characters. The progression of plot points is sometimes meandering, sometimes abrupt -- toward the end, I had the overwhelming sense that there was just too much left to be said and not enough pages to do it in. There were too many thoughts competing for their time in the light.

This book is neither good nor bad in my opinion, it just... Is. I wanted to be emotionally damaged from the journey but came out with a clean bill of health. I think it'll find its people, it just wasn't enough for me.

3.5 rounded down.

I was very excited for this as someone who loves campus novels, coming of age novels, and Jewish representation, but overall I was left a little disappointed in this one.

Our protagonist, Isabel Rosen, has left her father in NYC to attend Wilder College in New Hampshire. We discover that her mother passed away right before she graduated high school, but of course, her legacy and memories live on with Isabel. Isabel narrates the story of her final year of college, including a sexual encounter with a fellow Jewish student that is messy and largely nonconsensual, her friendships with her roommates, the divorce of two famous professors in the English department, and the affair she has with her professor. I really liked the writing style of the book, and the fact that Isabel is narrating this from decades later means the reader gets occasional insights into the future that I found worked very well and kept me engaged.

However, I didn't realize that the affair with her professor would be the main storyline of the novel, which maybe was my fault, but it was so hard for me to empathize with Isabel as she keeps making very naive decisions and remains obsessed with the professor many decades later. I would've found the naivete more palatable if she had grown out of it in the final chapter, but she doesn't, which I found very frustrating as a reader.

Overall, I'm glad I read this one, but I was left wanting. Nothing objectively wrong with the book, and again, I enjoyed the writing, but it just didn't quite work for me.

I ABSOLUTELY loved this book! This was one of those reads that just stuck out to me, I HAD to get my hands on it and I am so excited and thankful to NetGalley for that!

This book reminds me so much of myself when I was younger, always wanting something or someone that didn't belong to me or fighting for someone to love me and being completely delusional with everything going around me.

I loved Isabel because I was Isabel, I loved her story, I loved how she had some really high highs but also mentioned her really low lows. I loved how real and how raw this story was.

I think My Dark Vanessa ruined me, as my expectations for this novel were matched to the absolute genius that MDV was.

My Last Innocent Year is good--in a similar fashion, it follows a woman who has a consensual relationship with a college professor, and shares the profound effects the affair, and its ramifications, left her with.

This was more than just the affects of the affair: it was also the effects of a relationship and friendship with the professors contemporaries.

I enjoyed this, but going in with MDV expectations is my own fault--that book was an absolute work of genius, and it isn't fair to compare, but unfortunately I did. I still definitely recommend.

Parts of this novel I really liked, but overall - I did not like tone of it. I felt like the sexual assault read as dark comedy. I think the author's writing is good, but it's very odd as well. There was just something about it that rubbed me the wrong way. And the whole relationship with the older man was so contrived and run-of-the-mill. It was so predictable. It's a mixed bag for me.

I thought the writing in this was top notch. I really loved the style Alpert Florin has. It was easy to understand and also poetic, but not like it was trying too hard to be. Her writing had substance, not just flowery language. Story wise, this one felt more like a reminiscence than a plot, but I kind of enjoyed that. It made it a bit more personal in some ways. Isabel, as a narrator, was really spectacular. Her feelings towards her upbringing and losing her mother, her relationships with her friends and Connelly, her insecurities as a writer all came across very relatable and real. I did really enjoy the subplot of Joanna and Tom and also the way the Lewinsky/Clinton scandal was brought up throughout the book. There were a lot of really good points made about power dynamics and victimhood. Overall, I was very impressed with this one.

TW: sexual assault, domestic violence, mentions of eating disorders, depression, death


Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this novel in just a couple sittings - quick and well-written. Although a few parts of the novel were a little messy, overall I really enjoyed the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-copy.

the year is 1998 and we follow isabel who after a troubling and less than consensual sexual encounter starts questioning first herself and then the even bigger discussion of how it is to navigate life as a woman in a man’s world.
all of this leads to her jumping headfirst into an affair with her married professor who sees her as the woman she longs to become rather than the one she currently is.

this was a beautiful coming-of-age story, exploring conflicts such as identity, consent, privilege, and power dynamics. it’s a portrait of a young woman allowing herself to take up more space and finding her place in the world. the book is written in an extremely confessional and realistic way, and the entire story felt so real and authentic which to me made it that much more captivating and gripping.

the publisher kindly provided this arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Isabel has never really found herself in her prestigious New Hampshire college. Until a non-consensual experience with another student. Reeling and confused, Isabel finds solace in her married professor.

This was an amazing read. I had chills at the end. The author truly knows how to write. It can be a bit slow moving at times, but is well worth it in the end. The main character, Isabel, is very well-developed and you really get a great sense of her mind and emotion behind her words; the first person narrative also helps with that. I also liked the mentions of the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal and how it occurred simultaneously with Isabel’s college experiences.

“Even then, I could taste the shame that would follow me for a lifetime.”

My Last Innocent Year comes out 2/14.

I can't exactly explain what this novel was about yet I was glued to it. The main character, Isabel Rosen is a young woman who lost her mother shortly before leaving for college. It's evident as the story progresses that she is trying to "find herself" and her place in the world. Her mother was an artist and her father a business owner. They were on very opposite ends of the spectrum as far as personalities go. So, naturally, Isabel is a combination of the two of them which makes it confusing for her. It's hard to combine an artistic personality with a practical one. Her heart's desire is to be a published writer, but she also understands the necessity of money to function.

Before you venture into this story, you should read the trigger warnings. There are serious issues at play in the book such as consensual sex versus lack of consent/rape, suicide, mental health struggles, infidelity/cheating, abuse and more.

The book basically follows Isabel in her last semester of college, with some flashbacks to her past. In addition, the author gives you a look to how Isabel's life plays out after college with marriage, becoming a mother and so on. Through it all, you see the impact that the events of her last semester at school had on her for years after graduation.

This book may not be for everyone, but I found it intriguing. Sometimes I just like to read a story like you're seeing someone's life unfold and see where it goes to. That was what this book felt like. In addition, I confess it did sometimes feel like a train wreck where you just couldn't look away.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I was also gifted with an early audiobook copy. The narration was perfect for this book and helped me to feel even more immersed in the storyline. I felt that the voice for Isabel really lined up with what I expected. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC and ALC. I voluntarily chose to read, listen to and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

In Washington DC, Monica Lewinsky sought immunity in exchange for testimony against her former lover. In New Hampshire, I disappeared behind the locked door of Connelly’s office.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. for an advanced galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever read a book that you identify with so deeply that it physically hurts you? Yeah, that was this book for me.

My Last Innocent Year follows Isabel Rosen, a 21-year old Jewish New Yorker who is making her way through her senior year of undergrad. At the beginning of the year, she has an unwanted sexual encounter with someone she considered to be a friend. Soon after, she has an affair with a married professor and must navigate the transitions of becoming an adult. Most of Isabel’s story is set in the 1990s, against the backdrop of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Trigger warnings for sexual assault, power dynamic relationships, self harm, and violence toward women.

As someone who recently graduated college and had some not-so-smart romantic encounters during that time, this book really resonated with me. It’s about the decisions we make as we grow, how things we don’t ask for can affect how we see the world. Anyone who has ever been a young adult in a transitional period will see themselves in this novel.

What I loved about this novel is that it is truly a snapshot of life. There’s not a fast-paced plot, because the plot IS Isabel. It is a bunch of moments that tie together to paint her story, and it is captivating. It still read very quickly–the prose was compelling and viscerally real. The impact of this novel comes from the honesty of the writing. Throughout the book, we see that this story is being written by an older Isabel who is looking at the story objectively. Her actions are not romanticized or commented upon; the reader makes their own decision about whether what she did was right or wrong. I think that added a unique and refreshing quality to the novel that resonated with me.

The entire story circles around Isabel, in a revolving cast of characters that float in and out of her life. Some are more fleshed out than others based on her level of friendship with them. For her roommates, we get a lot of information about them. For fleeting friends like Ginny or Whitney, we get glimpses of them as they pass in and out of her life. It felt honest and real in a way that made my heart ache.

What I also loved about this book is that it doesn’t romanticize the affair. It presents the story objectively: “This is what happened, this is how I felt at the time.” This is not a romance novel. It paints the story against the Monica Lewinsky scandal and reflects on the backlash women receive for being in a relationship where the other person held the power. This is a novel of desire and growth and confusion.

I was very delighted by how much I enjoyed My Last Innocent Year. This book gave me a sense of nostalgia that I shouldn’t already have at the age of 23. If you are a 20-something who is still finding their place in life, navigating life after college and complicated relationships, pick up this book. I definitely will.

My Last Innocent Year releases on February 14, 2023.

My Last Innocent Year is a coming of age story about a young woman in her senior year of undergrad as an English major. The novel has hints of My Dark Vanessa, and is the story of a young woman who is discovering what she wants her life to look like. The book takes place during the same time period as the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinski scandal, and the characters refer to what is happening in Washington DC several times, drawing parallels to their own lives.

The book is a realistic portrayal of a young woman's experiences in college and young adulthood. The questioning and seeking of the main character are relatable, and I appreciated that the sexual experiences are not explicitly described. This is not as tough a read as My Dark Vanessa, in part because the heroine is older, at least in my opinion. It would make for great book club discussions, as there are a number of ethical, moral dilemmas that will be polarizing for readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt and Company for the digital ARC of My Last Innocent Year. The opinions in this review are my own.

This book is very white, liberal college.

That's about all I can say about it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read.

An important book from the point of view of a woman dealing with a traumatic experience. So many woman keep secrets from college, especially if they feel it was their fault. This story will help women in the future come forth with their own stories

While there many differences between myself and Isabel, I related so much more than I expected to her reactions to people and how she spoke about experiences. I truly could not put this book down!

My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin is a stunning debut that tackles coming of age, sexual assault, an affair, and what it means to become an adult. Set in the 90s, the Monica Lewinsky/Bill Clinton scandal is used as a touch point throughout. I found the plot to be rather surprising - as the relationships developed everything became more intertwined. I really enjoyed it but I do wish that the author had explored some of the main themes, like consent, more deeply.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt & Company for an ARC in exchange for my honest review - My Last Innocent Year is out 2/14/23.