The Very First Bite

by Cynthia Langston

The Very First Bite chronicles the toils and triumphs of Lanie Albers, who has just ten weeks to mentally and physically prepare for the ultimate day of reckoning: her high school class reunion.

With twenty pounds of extra weight, a dead-end job and a boyfriend who won’t commit, the prospect of revisiting old classmates has Lanie reeling with panic. Not to mention the loose ends she’ll finally have to face, like Chad, her first love, for whom she suspects she might still have feelings. And Candace, her lifelong best friend, who abruptly ended their friendship seven years ago with no explanation.

By examining the ghosts of her past, Lanie begins to prepare for the revelations and confrontations of the big night. She also launches a desperate campaign to lose weight: an uproarious battle with fad diets and disastrous workouts, most of which lead her right back to the cookie jar.

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance

327 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2012

About the author

Cynthia Langston grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from Northwestern University. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she owns and operates a company that researches consumer trends and insights.

Reviews

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cynthia Langston's The Very First Bite is a fun and entertaining novel that many women will easily relate to. Every year across the United States, women receive their High School Class Reunion invitations. When Lanie received hers in The Very First Bite, she immediately felt a mixture of excitement, dread, curiosity, and depression. Excitement and curiosity to see where her old friends (and enemies) were in life, yet dread and depression knowing that she is still somewhat single with no engagement in site and 20 pounds overweight. With ten weeks to go, Lanie decides that she is NOT going to be that loser that everyone gossips about to make themselves feel better. She is going to lose that pesky 20 pounds that snuck up on her and dress to impress everyone. Lanie's life may not be perfect on the inside, but she wants it to seem like everything's great to those she reunites with.

My hunch is that many reading The Very First Bite will see something of themselves reflected in Lanie. Cynthia Langston really does a terrific job in making Lanie the poster child for every lady that has self esteem and body image issues. Lanie is desperate to lose her belly jiggle and fat rolls, and will do just about anything to get rid of them. She quickly flies through diet after diet that all ends badly. How many reading this has tried fad diets? I have to raise my hand! Atkins- check. Weight Watchers- check. Hydroxycut- check. Slim Fast- check. When nothing else works, hitting the gym for exuberant amounts of time and pain- check. All the while congratulating yourself with a bowl of ice cream for doing well that day. Crash diets are all the rage these days. Nobody wants to make a permanent lifestyle choice that will lead to weight loss and healthy living, they instead want a quick plan that will leave them looking like Jennifer Lopez in two weeks. You can admit it, I know that you've been there! And because you know what I'm talking about, you are going to LOVE Lanie and her various dieting catastrophes.

At the Very First Bite is not just about Lanie's war with food. Cynthia Langston creates wonderful friendships for Lanie. Throughout the book, Lanie flashes back to her high school days with her bff Candace and boyfriend Chad. College and miles broke up her courtship with Chad. Years later, Lanie still views him as 'the one that got away.' Lanie hopes to see him at the reunion (rumor has it he is divorcing) and knock his socks off.

Candace is another story altogether. Lanie and Candace quickly became inseparable as teenagers. Throughout grad school they shared an apartment together. However, one day Lanie arrived home to a cleaned out house with all of Candace's belongings gone. No bye, see ya later, nice to know you, or explanation was left. For seven years Lanie has wondered what went wrong and why Candace lost interest in their friendship. The Class Reunion is a way for Lanie to show Candace that she is doing just fine without her...even though the wound remains fresh.

Cynthia Langston's The Very First Bite is a witty and funny story about one women's struggle with life in general. I definitely recommend it and dare you not to laugh and cringe at Lanie's crazy antics!

I received a complimentary copy of 'The Very First Bite' for the purpose of review.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review posted at Hesperia Loves Books

The Very First Bite is a fun & light read that follows Lanie Albers during her quest to lose weight for her upcoming high school reunion, her desire to make things more permanent with her boyfriend and as she deals with a friendship that abruptly ended seven years ago. Lanie tries several different diet programs, diet supplements, fat burners & exercise plans. The road she travels is one we’ve all been down before and I enjoyed the funny and light-hearted voice that Ms. Langston gave her character.

Lanie hated the weight she’d gained but she hated, even more, what she had to do to lose it. Her obsession with food, weight gain/loss & exercise are at the forefront of this story and, at times, drove me a little insane. There were a few times when I felt like screaming, “Enough already! That dead horse has been beaten quite thoroughly.” Her internal monologues were constant and just reiterated the same point over & over. What I wanted & needed was more of her relationship with Mark, but since this more a Chick Lit genre book instead of Romance, that did not take center stage and I really missed that interaction. I wanted more interaction with any of the secondary characters.

About halfway through the book, the story did pick up for me because, that interaction was introduced. The storyline finally progresses nicely and we get a sugary sweet ending that I did enjoy. If you are a fan of Chick Lit, this is definitely a book for you. However, if you are a true romance fan - just know that while there is romance, it plays a small part but it’s enough to still be somewhat enjoyable.

*Review copy provided by Author in exchange for an honest review

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book talks a lot about food and dieting, a subject I know quite a lot about -LOL. The star of the book, Lanie, has a class reunion that is 10 weeks away and she is being encouraged to go by her friend. Yet she has gained 20 pounds and she has to get that off. So we are taken through all of her trials and tribulations of a classic yo-yo dieter. Much of the time I was hungry reading all of the issues about food, but I could so relate to every diet trick in the book that she tried.

Lanie is also dealing with guy issues. Her on again off again romance with her non committal boyfriend make me want to smack them both. At 30, something you really think she would have learned how not to get sucked in by guy that use you by now, but you continue through the book to hope that he really does the right thing.

Plus she is still pining for her old high school flame that she had a lovely moment with at her last reunion that she attended. Is he going to be there this year too?

This book had me frustrated at times and laughing at times. You follow Lanie through her emotional roller coaster of her life but in the end you are still smiling! I really enjoyed this book overall. The beginning was a bit of a frustration to me with all of the dieting issues, but it picked up quickly. I enjoyed her relationships for the most part and really enjoyed reading this chick lit book. It is light, easy reading for any time.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Once · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Very First Bite. It is a delightful and insightful look in to the mind of a contemporary woman struggling to fit into society's description of perfect. As I read the pages I laughed out loud and thought, " Oh my gosh that's so true"!!! I have often thought to myself that if anyone could actually see all the insecure thoughts that bounce through my head in a given day there would be enough material for a sitcom. Cynthia Langston put all these thoughts down in the continuously and humorous flow that is Lanie's life.

Lanie's is a typical woman who happens to be single. She is in a monogamous relationship with a great guy, Mark, but she struggles with why he can't seem to commit. She has great friends, Sara, Lance and her younger sister Libby that she loves. She also has great job that affords her the luxury of working from home. She is attractive, despite the fact that she is 20 pounds over her ideal weight, and she is on the look for the perfect fad diet to instantly and effortlessly make those pounds virtually disappear. Like so many of us that strive to attain that great fit body but find that a bigger pair of jeans is the easier answer, Lanie bounces from one promise of the perfect diet to another. And to add to the pressure, she has only 10 weeks to lose said 20 pounds before her 15th year high school reunion where she will undoubtedly see her ex boyfriend and first love, Chad Michelson.

Now the latest gossip on Facebook (that Lanie accesses though her younger sisters account) has Chad either divorced or separated. Hmmm, with Mark unwilling to commit to even being labelled her boyfriend, Lanie wonders if the reunion could be the catalyst to renewing her relationship with Chad. She also has unfinished business with Candace, her childhood through college best friend that walked out of Lanie's life 7 years ago without any explanation. She gave up trying to reach out to Candace after months of no response but she still feels immense pain over this abandonment. Candace didn't show up to the 10 year reunion but, again through Facebook stalking, she knows that Candace is in a relationship and has a great job. She is more determined then ever to lose the weight, which she feels will give her the confidence she needs, to face the questions of her past.

Lanie plays out so many humorous, self deprecating scenarios in her head and on paper with her daily diary writings that she finds it hard to stay focused. Throughout the story Lanie is finding her way, amidst very funny detours, to the only real thing that reduces weight permanently....the dreaded reduction of calories and regular exercise. Once on the right path she starts seeing the results on the outside of her body but is still struggling with some of the same challenges with confidence internally.

I loved following Lanie in the course of her journey and found myself routing for her success. I related as she doubted, questioned and wavered. I marveled with each of her epiphanies. I loved the end but I was sad to let go of my new friend. I look forward to reading more from Cynthia Langston.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten weeks and four days. This is how long Lanie gives herself to lose 20 pounds for her high school reunion, after all, her friend Sara can lose all her baby weight in six months, easy right??
Lanie soon discovers its not as easy as she initially thought, with a last meal of Pizza and Ben & Jerry's she wakes the next day determined to make a start, only to discover her breakfast and mid morning snack are all the calories she I allowing herself to eat. ;The battle of wills begins, frustrated and upset takes Lanie straight back to the junk food. Will she ever lose the weight she wants or is it a futile effort?

The Very First Bite was a quick read, but one that had me entertained. I laughed so much, not only in the funny places and the constant diet changes, but also how realistically truthful the story is. Anyone who has ever had issues with their body, either too skinny or too fat, not liking parts of their body, can relate to Lanie, everything about her is makes her a more realistic person, and not like a character in a book. Even the attempts at finding the perfect sex position that won't show how droopy, wobbly, fat etc certain parts of her body are had me in stitches.

Lanie was instantly believable to me, on paper she has the perfect life, but when we actually get to see what's beneath the paper and see the true Lanie, I could easily relate to her. Her boyfriend is unwilling to commit, her best friend no longer speaks to her, she is unhappy with her body image and the lack of social life. While we do get to see flashes of her past with Chad (old boyfriend) and Candace (ex best friend) The Very First Bite focuses mainly on Lanie's current situation, but these flashbacks help us piece together her past, and why she is how she is now.

I love her relationship with her family, especially her sister, as it just reminds me so much of my relationship with my own siblings.

"You disgust me," I tell her. "Can you please say or do one thing to remind me of why I love you?"
"You love me because you have to," she spits. "I'm your sister. It's not an act of choice."
(Lanie to sister page 49)

While they don't get along perfectly all the time, her sister is there for her when Lanie needs advice and ideas to lose weight.

The Very First Bite had me hooked from page one, right to the very end, and while I am not going to say what happens in the end, just know that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, the high school reunion! For some people, just hearing those words can put your mind into overdrive. This is exactly what happens to Lanie. She's thinking about the person that she used to be in high school. She's thinking about her crushes and her best friend from high school that stayed her best friend through college and then suddenly seemed to walk out of her life for seemingly no reason.

"The Very First Bite" follows Lanie through the months prior to her high school reunion. This year will be my ten year high school reunion (where the heck does the time go???) and I loved reading about some of Lanie's thoughts as she goes into going to her reunion. Some of it resonated with me and some of it did not (thank goodness but more on that later). It's a fast read with a good dose of fun.

So part of the book had to do with Lanie's feelings about going to the reunion and reuniting with the people of her past. The other part has to do with how Lanie is feeling and looking going into her reunion. Lanie is worried about the weight that she has gained but she's by no means fat. She tries just about every fad diet in the book, which annoyed me. Why not just eat healthy and exercise? Any diet that requires you to eat a special diet cookie is probably really bad for you (not to mention gross! Just imagine how many chemicals there must be in there!). I didn't like these parts of the book at all. Yes, I understand wanting to lose weight. I totally get that. I wish that I could be as fit as I was in high school but that would mean going back to swimming 5-6 times a week (ain't gonna happen these days). Lanie's obsessing just got a little grating.

I liked the whole story line about Lanie's crush and her best friend. There is a great twist that I did not see coming. I love being surprised!

Bottom line: A great book for when you want a light read!

[Romancing the Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewer: Angie
Source: Publisher
Angie's review was first posted at Romancing the Book's blog.

Losing weight is difficult for so many of us. Many of us fail in our goals, while those with steel wills can manage to lose the majority of the weight they need/want to lose. But like Lanie Albers, very few of us ever learn to love the person who looks back at us in the mirror even after we’ve lost weight.

I disliked Lanie a lot and found her too obsessed with losing weight so that she didn’t look like she’d let herself go to high school classmates she hadn’t seen in over five years since their ten year reunion. She was trying to please everyone else, and that’s when I realized the reason why I disliked her was because she reminded me of me. You should never, ever lose weight to please anyone but yourself.

The Very First Bite will have you laughing, crying, seething in anger, and reaching for a bottle of water and a cheeseburger. You’ll find yourself holding your breath each time Lanie steps on the scale and rolling your eyes as she flits from one diet to the next.

I didn’t much care for her sister, Libbie, at all. Sara proved to be a great friend, even when Lanie pushed her to her breaking point. Lance was amusing and the twist at the end involving him had me giggling. Candace and Chad were an interesting – and somewhat surprising – mix. And Mark…I spent half the book shaking my head at him and the other half shaking my head at Lanie.

Overall this is a really good book that makes you really think about yourself and food and how you can coexist.

Warning: There are several uses of a derogatory word depicting homosexual males.

[Charlotte Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lanie Albers has ten weeks until her class reunion. She has twenty pounds of extra weight, a job she doesn’t like, and a non-boyfriend. Lanie is panicking. She knows her ex, Chad, from high school will be at the reunion and they never really settled things. Candace, her best friend from high school, who moved out and never talked to her again, might be at the reunion. The Very First Bite tells all of Lanie’s struggles to get a handle on everything.

While reading The Very First Bite, I saw some of myself. The self esteem and body images issues are something most readers will relate to on some level. Watching Lanie bounce from diet to diet and not get the results she wants and then seeing her realize that hard work, not the easy answers, are the way to get the results she wants, just made her seem so much more real to me. But I will say there were times I wanted to skip parts and move on, a little too much dwelling on food for me.

I did enjoy the romance part of the story. Mark, who won’t commit, and Chad, who never really broke up, were lovable. The hope of getting back together with Chad, although they haven’t talked in years and have no clue if there is still an attraction between then. With Mark you could feel he just needed a little push and that he really did love Lanie, and he loved her as she was. Which made him perfect to me.

The Very First Bite is a witty and funny story that all women will relate to. I definitely recommend it.

[Jenifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Cynthia Langston's second novel, The Very First Bite, follows the main character, Lanie, as she prepares for her high school reunion by attempting to lose twenty pounds. Over ten weeks, we see Lanie try a different diet each week and also look into the past as the reunion forces her to face two losses in her life: her best friend, Candace and her high school boyfriend, Chad.

The story was sweet and I really enjoyed some of the interactions between Lanie and Mark. The story moved along at a good pace, although at times it felt like poor Lanie would take two steps back for each step forward.

As whole I liked the book but at the same time felt like I had a love/hate reading relationship with The Very First Bite. I had a hard time believing that an intelligent thirty-something year old from Los Angeles (not to mention a college sorority sister) would be so clueless about diets. There were a number of typos throughout the book including the fact that Lanie's boyfriend, Mark is described as a Fed Ex driver on page 34 and yet for the rest of the book he is a UPS driver.

Problems aside, I did think this was a cute story and can recommend it to fans of chic lit.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Angieleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come at romancing-the-book.com.