First Day

Yearbook Trilogy #2

by Ally Condie

Jobs. Missions. College. Love. In the sequel to Yearbook, the characters are in the middle of it all. Two and a half years after we left off, Andrea Beckett is a junior at Cornell University in New York. She's caught up in the whirlwind of finals, decisions about jobs . . . and decisions about love, too. Dave Sherman has returned home from his mission, and they will have to decide where their romance is going. In addition to everything else, Andrea just received the assignment to teach early-morning seminary to a group of eight high school students, who all have their own decisions to make and challenges to overcome. Meanwhile, Andrea's brother Ethan is serving a mission in Brazil. The language is new, the culture is different, and sometimes being Elder Beckett is harder than he expected.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Lds, Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2007

About the author

Ally Condie is a former high school English teacher who lives with her husband, three sons and one daughter outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. She loves reading, running, eating, and listening to her husband play guitar.

Reviews

[Nicole Mercer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this novel because it is one of the few books, perhaps only book, about a Mormon student at Cornell University—where I also attended college. But it often felt like a Mormon writing about the experience from the outside. Instead of describing what it was like to be an undergrad at Cornell, it sounded like what a Mormon would expect the experience to be like. Examples of this are that the only descriptor given to other undergrad students as drinking-obsessed and there are few references to classes or to the main campus itself.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book in jr high or high school. And I loved it. 5 starts.

I just reread it and it is not my favorite. I think the biggest reason is that I am in a different place in life with the church. But I like that the characters feel real to me and are dealing with average problems. I won’t be keeping this book.

[Becca Stephenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe because I knew the characters a bit more, but I enjoyed this second installment of the series more than the first. Some laugh out loud parts as well!

[Megan Olds · Rating 5 out of 5]

See review for Yearbook (the first book in this series!)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute, relatable characters and situations, good advice and thoughts thrown in. Would love to read the other 2 in the series

[Marci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. This is the sequel to "Yearbook." I was excited to read it so that I could see how the characters developed and changed. However, I didn't feel like this book was intriguing or well-rounded as the previous one. It fell more in the lame-LDS-fiction category.

The dialogue often felt fake or forced, characters talking in a mature and developed manner that I don't think fits the average human being. Or maybe I was just really good at fumbling my words in high school and college ;) Anywho, I still liked the setup of having each chapter focus on different characters. There was one character, I think named Steve, that totally reminded me of Snotlout in the movie "How To Train Your Dragon".... I really liked his humor and it was one of the better, more realistic characters in this book.

I'm still going to read the 3rd book in this trilogy though I'm not expecting it to be anything mind-blowing.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Day is a sequel to Yearbook. I read the first book awhile ago, so it took me a few minutes to remember which character was which. The story follows a couple of people and their lives over the course of about a year and a half. Each chapter is a different character's point of view, but it was easy to follow (the top of each page told who was "speaking" for the chapter). There were also a few new people--ones who were not in the previous book.

I really enjoyed getting to know Andrea better. Everyone always considered her a snob and I really liked the part when she said something about being shy and unsure of what to say, so she stays quiet and people automatically assume she's a snob. That's so true. I LOVED Joel!! A perfectly imperfect guy. And Cate Steve were a lot of fun.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

AUTHOR PRESENTATION CATEGORY

Condie takes the formula from her first novel Yearbook and greatly improves upon it. Rather than it following many different teenagers, it hones in on two of the characters from the first book while exploring two new ones, as they adapt to the changes of life after high school or the final year of it in the case of Caterina Giovanni. I liked this even better than the first because her characters were even more fleshed out. Those who didn't give Ally a chance with Yearbook should really reconsider giving First Day a shot. Again, it is Mormon-friendly fare, but still powerful in its prose and character development.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrea Beckett has been attending Cornell and focused on school and her future. Brother Ethan is on an LDS mission in Brazil. HS boyfriend Dave Sherman has just returned from his mission to Australia and Andrea has high hopes for their Seattle Christmas reunion. By March, the distance between Ithaca and Seattle has further stretched that relationhip and by spring break they call it quits. Andrea returns to Ithaca in the fall and is called to teach early morning Seminary with Joel Hammond. They become very close to their students and each other. Ends with their marriage and a new crop of students ready for college and missions.

Better than the 1st.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize that this is part of a series until I got into it, but, it stands on it's own, so it didn't matter.

This is a cute, very Mormon story, following a few different people on their paths of decision making during that difficult young adult and mission time. It was fun to read, and pretty realistic for what a Mormon youth might go through, if you're just focusing on those parts of your life. But, it was just that, sort of a cute little read. I probably won't read the rest of the series.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not one of Ally's best. (The best being the matched series) However, I can't be too judgmental because she was writing for an LDS teen audience and the expectations for that audience are very different from the expectations of the wider market.

At any rate, I could see bits of Ally's polished style that emerged in the Matched series. The characters have some depth. Not everyone has a happy ending, but there's a lot of learning. She even managed to use some beautiful prose in places.

So, I probably wouldn't read it again, but it was worth the couple of hours I spent on it.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book. The sequel to yearbook. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. It didn't the same to me. The emotions didn't reach me as much. i felt like there were a lot of loose ends and that several of the characters and storylines kind of droppped out of the book. I still would like to read the 3rd book and see if there are some resolutions there. it was nice to see how things ended for Andrea but I think that I was looking for more.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard to chose between 3 and 4 stars for this one, but it wasn't as fun to read as the book I read before it, so I went with 3. I did like it, and it was pretty entertaining. It follows several characters as they are making important decisions in life (about college, relationships, etc.). At times I was disappointed when a chapter came up about someone I didn't care about as much as the others because it was interrupting the other stories, but overall it was good.

[Madi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could a book get better than the first?! I ADORED this book. I love stories that have flawed characters. Because, as they grow, you learn so much more about yourself. To me, this was a moving story of young adulthood, and the trials after high school. It sounds so cheesy, but I felt a big connection with these characters and I am so grateful I read this book. It taught me so much about dealing with the unexpected and being able to go through trials with an eternal perspective.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Ally again used the different points of view to tell each chapter, but there were only 4 'main characters' this time as opposed to a few more than that in 'Yearbook'. I especially enjoyed Ethan's chapters. I've read books about pre-missionaries and returned missionaries, but I think this was the first time I'd read a book where the perspective of a current missionary was shared.
I'm definitely intrigued to finish out the trilogy!

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in this series. I like the characters. It is more a book of short stories and how the characters' lives intertwine. I would really like to see a whole book about each character but it was a good book. At one point I just started to read the story line of each character because I didn't want their story interrupted.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy her writing style, and it's not just because I'm related to her. I love how she weaves the story around to include so many different points of view, as each chapter is "written by" one of the main characters. Not anything earth shattering, just a fun story that made me think about my own beliefs and how I can do better.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and it's 1st companion (Yearbook). I was worried at first with all the different points of view that I would never get the characters straight but now that the books are over--I want to read more!! I know she had to edit out many characters because it was too confusing and I wish I could read those now! These were fun reads that I wish I could read everyday.

[Madi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah! Done! So so good. I really loved the characters in this one! You can really tell Andrea has matured. I wish it had more details on her wedding and ethan's mission but that's my only complaint. This book made me realize That I would love to serve a mission, but both of my parents think I'll be married by then. We'll see. :)

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this trilogy. It's not a laugh out loud book or a high adventure book, but that's part of what makes it so good. It's ordinary people going through the normal things that life throws at them. But they do it with style. All the point of view characters are highly believable and likeable.

[Alysa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this sequel to Yearbook. It followed two of the characters, Andrea and Ethan Beckett, now out of high school. The main story focuses on Andrea. Andrea is attending college in New York and Ethan is on his mission in Brazil. A couple of other characters view points are added to help move the story along.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in Ally Condie's earlier "Yearbook" series. This one didn't change points of view so often and introduced several new characters. I think she touched on a lot of real issues that people face in regards to making decisions and dealing with trials. I liked the missionary perspective -- it felt like I was getting a more realistic glimpse of missionary life.

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this one as much as I liked the last one. The story between the Joel and Andrea was the only one that was interesting to me. The missionary story never went anywhere and neither did the teenage girl. Perhaps because I had better hopes for this book I noticed its flaws a lot more. Than the other. No language, no sex, no violence.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First day is the sequel to yearbook. This is a good book that has some interesting points but I don't think it lives up to it's predcessor. Also it takes some characters out and focus more on others which fact I didn't like.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. Ally Condie has a great style and creates a believable story about young adults moving on to college from high school and dealing with the challenges one faces in this transition. This is a great young adult fiction read!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read about college, missions and making major life decisions. It was enjoyable to read about and remember Ithaca. Side note...Ally great book; I am impressed that you have published a few books! I look forward to the next one.

[Melanie Jacobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. LDS fiction. I found the character development to be really believable and while there were several subplots going on, the focus stays on the two people it should. Just really, really well done characters. That totally makes this story work.

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt like I could realte to this book so much. Maye it is because i'm in College and the entire book is based around a girl who is attending college and is making a bunch of huge decisions. One of my favorites :).

[Maren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequal to Yearbook, and was much better! The author narrowed down the characters to only 4 or so main, so it was way easier to get into their lives. I am way excited to read Reunion, the last in the series...which ever so conveniently came out a few days ago.

[Brooklyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was the sequel to yearbook. it was good, slow in some parts and it totally left you hanging towards the end...at least on one subject, but it was altogether really good. it had good lessons in it about trust, and cooperation. i really recommend this whole series!