I've always really ejoyed KL Walther's books despite them being YA Romance. She always has a very natural and easy reading way of writing books. I was super excited to get into this one. However, this one felt really flat to me. For the first time in my experience with this author, it feels like our main character is just *too* young and immature. The first few chapters focus too much on this neediness she has with her older brother, which I understand in some ways, she's young and he has always been her hero in a way, but I just felt like she spent too much time complaining about her brother's fiance, their engagement, their wedding, and feeling left out. It's something that I just could not connect with.

I do feel like this is a book that will be really enjoyable for a younger audience though!

[Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.]

I've read all of Walther's books and this is one of my favorites! Each character was well developed but I was especially obsessed with the dynamic between Mad's family.

Prior to truth or dare, Mads seemed perfectly content focusing on field hockey instead of boys. For example, when it came to the boy next door/her best friend, it felt like she wasn't jealous but annoyed by the girls he dated.

Ignoring that detail, I loved the journey Mads went on. The story perfectly captures being a teenager, trying to figure things out while dealing with messy emotions. As Mads and the love interests were all between the ages of 17-20, the drama and maturity levels felt realistic. There were a lot of heartfelt moments and even though I knew who Mads would end up with, I loved watching her realize it for herself.

This is my first book by K.L. Walther, but it won’t be my last! “A First Time For Everything” is a super sweet YA coming-of-age book that I really enjoyed.

All the characters were so easy to love, and I was rooting for them all to get their happy endings. This book was all about the swoon, but it didn’t go into too deep romance themes, which I liked. I like when YA romance doesn’t go too deep into undying love but keeps it young, fresh, and a little fickle. The 20-year-old me would have been wishing this was my life. The 45-year-old me thought some of the bride tribe was a bit problematic in their dealings with a 17-year-old, but I’ll let that slide. The setting felt like I could have totally fit right in, even though it took place in a fancy suburb near Princeton.

This is a perfect easy beach read or for a rainy day.

I want to express my gratitude to SOURCEBOOKS Fire, for providing this book for review consideration through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

A First Time for Everything by K.L. Walther is a young adult, full length romance novel, charming and literally unputdownable.
Mads is a 17 year old highschool junior with 2 dads and an older brother who just proposed to his girlfriend.
Mads is rather a tomboy, loves playing field hockey and excelles at it.
Roped into the wedding planning and with blooming interest to boys and romance, her life becomes a bit complicated. And I was along for the journey and loved every minute.
A wonderful story that deserves all the stars.

the first k.l. walther book i am nottt obsessed with 🫣 this is a dnf for now, but maybe i will come back and give it another try during the summertime. currently im not connecting with our two mc’s or the plot thus far 👀

This book had all the charm of every other K.L. Walther book: complex characters, fun vibes, cute romances, and plenty of Taylor Swift mentions!

Mads’s brother is engaged to Katie, and Mads is not a fan. But when Katie asks her to be a bridesmaid, she agrees in an attempt to bond with her soon to be sister in law. The bridesmaids play Truth or Dare and end up creating a Bachelorette esc game in which they each set Mads up with guys to try to find her a date to the wedding. However, Mads has two friends, Connor and Marco, who she may just have feelings for…

I really loved Mads and her family. All of them were fleshed out and felt realistic, even if no one was on the page as much as Mads herself. I also liked all of the main side characters, like Connor, Marco, the bridesmaids, and Mads’s other friends! Katie’s character eventually grew on me too, despite not liking her much at first (though I think that was intentional).

I absolutely loved seeing Meredith and Wit from The Summer of Broken Rules! As well as a brief mention of Charlie from MMTB and Isa from WWY. Super fun little cameos.

The romance is a bit of a love triangle, but it’s not nearly as messy as they usually are. I was personally #teammarco the whole book, but I won’t spoil anything! There was also a fun set-up game going on throughout the book, where Mads went on a few blind(ish) dates!

As for “serious topics,” covered in the book, the main one is alcohol/sobriety, similar to in TSOBR. It wasn’t a HUGE thing, but it was mentioned throughout the book.

Overall, this book is perfect for fans of YA and of course if you have read K.L. Walther’s books before! I will for sure be buying a physical copy when it comes out.

A First Time for Everything was such a charming read and a great addition to K.L. Walther's growing collection of heartfelt stories. I love when books have subtle connections to an author’s previous work, so the callback to the characters from The Summer of Broken Rules and What Happens After Midnight was a fun touch. The way the character arcs intertwine feels effortless—it adds depth without taking over the story, which I really appreciate.

The romance in this book is something special. The way the love interests connect feels so real, like you can actually feel the emotions between them. It’s the kind of relationship that makes you wish you had something like that, and it left me feeling giddy in the best way.

That said, there were a lot of characters to keep track of. It wasn’t overwhelming, but the side characters—especially the bridesmaids—kind of blended together. They had little details to set them apart, but nothing major, so I found myself losing track of who was who at times.

I also wish we got to see more layers to Mads’ character development beyond just her journey of exploring her sexuality. That was an important part of her story, but the ending focused so much on her personal relationship "firsts" that it didn’t really dive into other aspects, like sisterhood or her transition into young adulthood and college life.

Overall, A First Time for Everything is such a heartfelt, fun read. The romance is swoon-worthy, and the story pulls you in. I recommend this for anyone who is looking for a lighthearted, cozy read!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this book before it's release!

I enjoyed a lot of different aspects of this book! I liked how it was split into different seasons of Madeline's life, and I really enjoyed how family oriented the whole novel was. Seeing the wedding come together throughout the story with the bachelorette party, the bachelor party, and then the big day was so fun to read!!

On the other hand, I'm not a huge fan of love triangles, and that was definitely a large part of this. (I also wish she would have ended up with the other option). Regardless though, this was sweet!

What a perfect, fun spring break read! A sweet coming of age novel about Mads. I love the strong family bonds and friendships displayed throughout this book. Bonus points for the cameos from The Summer of Broken Rules!

I was thrilled to get an opportunity to read K.L. Walther’s latest book A First Time for Everything, which featured appearances by the protagonists of one of my favorite young adult books ever, The Summer of Broken Rules.

A First Time for Everything is Madeline’s story; Mads is super close to her family - especially her brother Austin, she’s a field hockey superstar, she’s never had a boyfriend, and she’s not so close to her brother’s long-time girlfriend and now new fiancé, Katie. Determined to change the status of her relationship to Katie, Mads throws herself all into being a good bridesmaid for the upcoming wedding.

When her fellow bridesmaids find out that Mads has never had a boyfriend nor has she ever even kissed a boy, they come up with a plan to get Mads her plus-one for the wedding. Their quest results in Mads going on several not so stellar dates while trying to figure out her feelings for her best friend boy-next-door, Connor and sort-of-crush former classmate, Marco.

A First Time for Everything was a delightful and sweet coming of age story in which we get to experience Mads’ journey of emotional growth and self-discovery. I loved it and I look forward to reading more from K.L. Walther.

I wish I liked this book more. The love triangle felt too obvious from the beginning, I'm not even sure you can call that a love triangle. I appreciated the pop culture references, even though some felt forced. (props for the Maisie Peters reference though) I din't find any of the characters particulary interesting, they had little depth and there was no development from the main character, which I felt was necessary. I really enjoyed the overall vibes and I loved seeing Meredith e Wit from "The summer of broken rules". Overall, I feel like the story wasn't as explored as it could have been, which is a shame, since it had a lot of potential. 2,75 stars.

This book was absolutely adorable. I don’t even know what else to say. I simply loved all of the characters even if I didn’t like them at first I loved them by the end. Mads and her relationship with her dads is what every teenager wants. I wish I had a sister in law like Katie. Also, being able to see a family workout misunderstandings and to truly forgive is so nice. Such a cute read!

A First TIme for Everything was a fun YA romance. We follow Mads in her journey to find love and to find herself. I liked that we didn't know who she was going to end up with until the end, although I had my suspicions. The side characters made the story even more fun, as they helped Mads to find the perfect boyfriend to be her date to her brothers wedding. One thing I didn't like was that she didn't get along well with her future sister in law Katie. She was always icy and seemed uncaring towards Mads. We find out at the end that the reason Katie acted that way was because she was introverted, which doesn't seem like a good enough reason to me.

Spiciness: 1/5 🌶️

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC!

Okay, it is solidified - I LOVE YA novels. I love the innocence and the time captured between high school and college. Madeline and Marco Álvarez are such fun, adorable MCs. All the side characters have so much depth - I love the plot ....Mads dating, navigating feelings for a best friend, an almost sister-in-law and the pressures of college on the horizon. Solid 4 stars - such an easy, bingeable read!

And can we talk about the Meredith & Wit appearances, LOVED!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh. My. Gosh. A First Time for Everything by K.L. Walther is an absolute gem of a book! I devoured it in one sitting because I literally could not put it down. The story is so heartfelt, sweet, and just the perfect blend of romance and self-discovery. It gave me all the feels—like, I laughed, I swooned, and I may have teared up a little (okay, a lot).

The characters are so relatable and real, especially Madeline. Her journey felt so authentic, and I found myself rooting for her from the very first page. And don’t even get me started on the romance—it’s the kind of slow burn that makes your heart ache in the best way possible. The chemistry between the characters is off the charts, and every interaction had me grinning like an idiot.

What I loved most about this book is how it captures those pivotal, life-changing moments that define growing up. It’s nostalgic, hopeful, and just so beautifully written. K.L. Walther has this way of making you feel like you’re right there in the story, experiencing everything alongside the characters.

If you’re looking for a book that’s equal parts heartwarming and unforgettable, this is it. “A First Time for Everything” is a must-read, and I’m already planning to reread it because it’s just that good. Trust me, you’ll want to add this to your TBR immediately, especially if you loved TSOBR

Thank you NetGalley and pubs for the arc

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. This was a very cute rom com. This follows Madeline who is known as Mads whose brother is engaged to get married and although Mads is not a fan of her newly sister in law to be, she decides she's going to do whatever it takes to get close to Katie. In a game of truth or dare Mads confesses to never being on a date or even being kissed by a guy. They make it their mission to set her up on all these dates. By the wedding she has to choose who is the best choice.

if you like K.L. Walther, i see no reason why you wouldn't enjoy this book. it had a cute cast of characters, good meredith and wit cameos, and some interesting family dynamics. despite this being a romance book, i was definitely most invested in the katie storyline. i don't love the way it was resolved, but overall i thought this was a fun read i would recommend if you're looking for something light.

4.5✨

I loved this book so much!

Mads, our main character, has a special place in my heart. She’s witty and fun and over protective with her loved ones. She also shows her vulnerable side at times. I know that if this book came out when I was seventeen, I would think that this author specifically wrote Mads for me.

We get introduced to so many characters throughout this book but I feel like it was done so well. No character gets overlooked and no character gets introduced just to be brushed off. I really loved a lot of the characters relationships with one another, specifically a favorite character from one of K. L. Walther’s other book😚

For the most part, I thought that I would be more focused on the dating part of the plot and not the actual wedding plot but I was actually hooked with all the problems and miscommunications that was happening with the wedding and the people in the wedding. I feel like the character development was so good and the ending of the book was very satisfying.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fun, easy, cozy read…I would recommend this book🫶🏻

I absolutely loved this book! I loved Mads and her quest for love so much, but what I really appreciated about this book was the supporting cast and how well developed they were. It was so easy to be drawn into this book because of how well-rounded everyone's story was. I also loved that I wasn't 100% sure how things were going to end up! The romance was sweet and natural, and I enjoyed following along as Mads figured out with whom she was supposed to be.

Mads is blindsided when her brother proposes to his girlfriend Katie in Paris instead of at home with his friends and family all around. It's not that she doesn't like Katie, but they've never really connected, and Mads feels like Katie just doesn't get Austin or their family. When Katie asks Mads to be her bridesmaid, Mads isn't thrilled about it, but she loves her brother and wants to be supportive, so she says yes. Little does she know that this "yes" will land her in a game of truth or dare with the bridesmaids admitting she's never had a boyfriend or even been kissed. The bridesmaids concoct a "Bachelorette"-style scheme to get Mads her plus-one for the wedding, sending Mads on a wild journey to find love all while she's trying to keep her life together and make sure her brother isn't making a colossal mistake.

I truly think Walther found magic with this book. This is the third book of hers that I've read, and I might have to say its my favorite. I can't wait to share this book with my students!

A First Time for Everything is such a charming, feel-good YA romance that had me grinning, cringing (in the best way), and fully invested from start to finish. It’s got everything I love—humor, family drama, and a romance that had me swooning.

Mads is an awesome protagonist—witty, kind, and just so real. Her journey of figuring herself out is just as compelling as the romance, and I really loved her dynamic with her family, especially her dads. The wedding chaos was just as entertaining as her romantic misadventures, keeping me hooked the whole way through.

The dating adventures? A mix of hilarious, disastrous, and unexpectedly sweet moments that gave me a solid dose of secondhand embarrassment (but in that “I can’t look away” kind of way). At first, Mads is kind of pushed into the dating scene, but I liked that she eventually takes charge of her own choices. And the love triangle… I’m usually all about best-friends-to-lovers, like Austin, but even I was charmed by Marco’s sweet and genuine affection toward Mads.

One thing that didn’t fully land for me was the whole “Katie is introverted” reveal. As someone who is super introverted myself, it just didn’t feel like enough of a reason for her to be so standoffish toward Mads all the time. You don’t consistently spell someone’s name wrong because you’re an introvert. I wanted just a little more there to make it fully click.

Beyond the romance, the book really shines in its portrayal of friendships, personal growth, and complicated family relationships. And the cameos from previous KLW books? Such a fun little bonus!

With its lovable characters, perfect pacing, and that signature balance of humor and heart that Walther does so well, A First Time for Everything was an easy five-star read for me. Highly recommend!