I have so much respect for this book. It's special. The writing about Sabina is smart, aching, sharp, and emotional without feeling trite or cloying, a difficult feat when writing not just an intoxicating friends-like-sisters bond, but especially so when it ends in such deep grief and trauma. This book really embraces friendship (and especially close female friendships) as a means of forming a family, and it's radical--teenage girls showing up for each other when no one else can or will, raising babies and dropping out of school, and waitressing to get a flight to Europe.

Dancyger's first book, largely about the loss of her father and her parents' addictions, is referenced here both thematically (we revisit her parents' heroin addictions, moving across the country, etc) but we also get a glimpse into how writing that book changed Dancyger's life--including her relationship with her mom, who, as Danycger writes so delicately, is a kind o first love, herself.

This book comes with trigger warnings, so definitely venture lightly if those topics could be hard for you; Dancyger isn't over the top, but she is clear and honest, giving some of the more gruesome details the effect of reading journalism. For me as a reader, this ultimately works and serves the book, but I can also imagine having to put it down at other points in my life. Like a first love, the book will be there, with all its strange and wonderful healing and despair.

I admired Lilly's anthology, Burn it Down, as well as her memoir Negative Space. This is an incredible collection that builds nicely on her other work. These essays are moving, funny, heartbreaking, and poignant. She has packed so much into these pages. The cover and portraits included within are a nice addition.

Approaching "First Love" by Lilly Dancyger, I harbored uncertain expectations. However, with every essay, a sense of kinship with the author blossomed within me, as if she was transcribing the narratives of my own friendships. Lilly and I share a similar vantage point in the tapestry of life, our generational context fostering a profound resonance.

Countless times, I've paused to appreciate the bonds of my own friendships in my life, yet Dancyger's essays acted as a poignant reminder of the pivotal role our female friendships play. They are the vessels in which we refine ourselves, sculpting our characters and our journeys. Each friendship etches its own indelible chapter into the book of our existence, weaving together tales of triumph and tribulation.

I wholeheartedly extend this recommendation: "First Love" is a compelling testament to the significance of our female friendships, a literary embrace of shared experiences and heartfelt revelations that you cannot afford to miss.

Reading about female friendships interests me. My friends are dear to me and I always like to think about the ones I've had at different stages in my life. Lilly has written a stunning book about the love of friendships. Most perspectives are from her but also those close to her - with some twists! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.

I have never cried while reading a non-fiction book until this collection. The absolute heart wrenching feeling of growing up, gaining friends, losing friends, finding old ones again and learning that you'd have to visit graveyards to see others was so incredibly well done and also, painful.

I smiled and felt chilled by the reminder of girlhood and teenage angst while having my heart ripped out of in the same sentence while being reminded I and my friends will never be those girls again, we'll only have the "remember when-" instances to tie us to that past,

A must-read- bring tissues- and go hug your friends, our first loves were really always them anyways.

I will start off by saying I wasn’t sure this collection would reach me the way it might be others and was a little wary, but even with my hesitancy I found myself absolutely adoring every word on every page in these essays. I found myself laughing out loud and tearing up, and ultimately resonating with it way more than I ever could’ve imagined.