First Comes Love

Gr 9 Up—Alternating between the voices of Gray and Dylan, this novel explores moving on after loss and embracing life. Gray's preferred stance is off to the side, quietly observing everything from which he's decided to separate. Dylan is his polar opposite: she enjoys the world around her with a quirky gusto akin to that of the protagonist of Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl (Knopf, 2000). "Try to see life through a creative lens" is one of the lessons she takes away from her photography class. After they meet on the grounds of Mesa Community College in Phoenix where they're both taking summer classes, Dylan slowly pulls Gray closer to her and back into the world, despite his reluctance to embrace her puppy-doglike enthusiasm. Inevitably, their friendship becomes intense love, and the tragic reason behind Gray's withdrawal is revealed. At first blush, the plot might seem a bit hackneyed, the dialogue at times contrived, and Dylan's character a tad caricaturelike. However, readers can't help but be drawn into the pair's magnetic relationship and the novel's underlying philosophy to live life to the fullest. The cover art feels romance novel-esque and does nothing to indicate the free-spirited character inside, but it does nod to the few, somewhat more graphic love scenes to come. Gray and Dylan are compelling characters who will appeal to readers in search of a good love story set on the brink of the post-high-school world.—Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ