First Time

by Meg Tilly

While her best friend drifts away, fifteen-year-old Haley must fight off the unwelcome advances of her mother's new boyfriend.

Genres: Young Adult, Teen, Realistic Fiction, Abuse, Fiction

124 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Also see Sara Flynn

Meg Tilly may be best known for her acclaimed Golden Globe-winning lead performance in the movie Agnes of God. Other screen credits include The Big Chill, Valmont, and more recently, Bomb Girls, and Netflix's movie War Machine, starring Brad Pitt. After publishing six standout young adult and literary women's fiction novels, the award-winning author/actress decided to write the kind of books she loves to read--romance novels. Tilly has three grown children and resides with her husband in the Pacific Northwest. She is currently at work writing the next Solace Island novel.

Reviews

[KillerBunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg ! I just felt too much emotion for a little book like that. Can Meg Tilly write a bad book? I don't think so. Wow! My heart is still in a rollercoaster.

[Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Time by Meg Tilly was an excellent read. I am not a big reader for the most part, so I appreciated a short and “straight-to-the-point” book. One reason why I really enjoyed this book is the story line. In the beginning of the story it explains everything that happens and all the events that eventually lead to the climax. I must say the climax was a huge part of the story and it shows the reader why it was called First Time. The rest of the story was all about the aftermath of what happened to Haley, the main character, which was a terrible and tragic event that took place. It truly shows the reader that this is something that can actually happen, so I really liked how realistic the story was as well.

One thing that I didn’t like about the story was how it was written. It seemed like the author was trying too hard to relate to the young teenage characters by using slang terms that teenagers (like myself) don’t even use anymore. It came off as really cheesy, and I think the author should have just stuck to normal English. Other than that, I think it was a really good read. The beginning started off slow, but once I got to the climax, the story was exciting the whole way through. You really didn’t know how the main character was going to handle the situation or how it was going to end. I recommend this book to anyone who likes short and exciting reads.

[Westcoast_girl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt like it was written from a lecture-y adult.
Tilly tried to hard to use teen slang: 'I didn't want to piss on her parade.". And though her book was about sexual abuse, she never really cut to the chase. The topic was always there in the back, not to be touched quite yet. She paced around the topic through way too many ways: the too old boyfriend, the creepy boyfriend, the overbearing yet underbearing mother.
I don't know, maybe I read it too fast. But to be honest, I was just trying to finish it.

[Owen Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book that I chose to read was First Time by Meg Tilly a story about a young girl named Christine who faces the realistic realities of growing up. As she encounters her first love, heartbreak, and struggles with her self image, Christine learns a lot about herself and her friends and family surrounding her. The book explores the emotional ups and downs of new experiences and how confusing they can be. Tilly, the author, a great job of making Christine’s emotions feel real and relatable.
First Time Is a great book because it talks about relationships and important things in our teenage years.. The characters are realistic and easy to understand, and the story makes you think on your own first experiences. It’s a book that helps you understand how life happens through the things we go through for the first time. The emotional plot of the story makes it a book that you will always remember even after you finish it.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Margaret Waterman for TeensReadToo.com

FIRST TIME is a fast-paced, intense novel that is sure to keep you guessing and turning its pages.

In 112 pages, the protagonist retells a shocking story with vivid detail and shocking honesty. The story builds slowly at first, crescendoing, coming to an abrupt halt when Larry, Haley's mom's boyfriend, enters her room, when her mom isn't at home.

The plot quickly spirals, while Haley is left alone to fend for herself. She battles with the idea of telling her mother the truth about Larry, but has nobody she can turn to for advice in the meantime.

Her best friend has been swept off her feet by the popular, high school grad who works at the local Dairy Queen (who doesn't even remember her just a day after they meet, after they exchange numbers).

Filled with conflicting emotions, ice cream, and a particularly lonely Teen Night at the local ice skating rink, FIRST TIME is sure to get your pulse going and is definitely worth a read.

Meg Tilly is an up-and-coming author you'll be sure to want to check out.

[Tigrish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Remember kids, talk to your parents.

[Shadi Latif · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shadi Latif

Mrs. Megan Schemenauer

English 9A

27 September 2019
The First Time Book Review
The First Time by Meg Tilly interesting very good because of the multiple plots it tries to pursue.The book is supposed to be a teen drama. My main problem with the book is its multiple plots leading nowhere. The book stars the main character of Haley, a female sophomore who only has one friend, Lynn. Lynn has a car but Haley doesn’t so Lynn drives Haley from home to school and vice versa. Haley stumbles across a boy named Chad she’s interested in mating with. Haley, on the other hand, never talks to boys because she has to worry about her moms creepy boyfriend. The climax of the book is about Haley and it’s the worst execution of a book climax I have ever read I honestly thought something else was occurring the moment the climax was taking place. I only realized after the climax when the character repeats the actions in her mind and even this is poorly executed, the climax is restated like 10 times. The climax for Lynn’s story. Is when she’s not in it. This book really feels like the author came up with 30 different ideas while writing the book and nothing that happens in the book has backlash or momentum after it. I would not recommend this book to anybody.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I think Tilly approached this story of abuse the right way (that is, from the perspective of the girl experiencing it and in a stream-of-consciousness format that doesn't span too long of a period of time) I found a lot of peripheral elements unrealistic. The way her mom talked, for example. No one says "Come here, young woman" - like, what mom says that instead of "Come here, young lady"?

And there was just an overall feeling of stilted pointedness to everything that I couldn't quite figure out.

I don't know enough about Orca as a publisher to know if all the books they publish are a) so short and b) so clearly designed to spur discussions, but if that's the point of the book it does it extremely well. For my taste, however (which, I know, is a weird thing to discuss when the subject matter is so disturbing but I digress), the book just didn't have enough life in it to make it more than a question-and-answer provoking book that would be the perfect basis for a high school health class but not for making this book one I'd recommend to those looking for novels that discuss trauma in empathetic ways.

[Lydia R · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't as good as I had hoped. I liked that it wasn't too long, but because it wasn't that long, we couldn't see as much of Haley's reaction to the assault. I would have loved to see Haley feel even more anger and resentment. Maybe see her make some rash decisions. (We sort of get this with the vegetarian scene, but I'd love a bit more)

I like that Tilly showed the two faces an abuser can present: love bombing vs inciting terror. Perhaps it was because I knew what was going to happen, but it felt a bit too obvious.

Another thing is that I feel like it normalizes or even glamorizes relationships between 16 year old high school students and 20 year old high school graduates. It was just a bit unsettling.

Overall, I didn't think the book was bad or anything, it just wasn't super interesting.

[howsoonisnow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar in flavour to Tilly's more famous book, of the same childhood sexual abuse theme, Gemma. But improved, more nuanced, more subtlety; less gratuitous in its violence and shock factor. Tilly artfully blends the protagonist's increasing sinister homelife, against the backdrop of her friendships at school, particularly that of a very shallow, indifferent and self-absorbed school friend; and their shared banal interests (boys, make up, clothes). Unfortunately, the protagonist was superficial and dense. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, an empty vessel, with very limited interests. I would've like to step into the head of a more imaginative and intelligent character. That aside, the ending was great - polarising, abrupt, thought-provoking, bittersweet. An improvement from Gemma.

[Abby Mcnish]

Haley and her mom live together and her mom got a boyfriend that usually comes and stays with them on the weekends. Larry sent her mom to get something and Haley was in her room Larry knocked and Haley just assumed it was her mother because why would Larry need her? Haley said "Come in" and Larry did so, but then he wouldn't leave he was demanding and Haley tried to move but she tripped... Haley didn't think her mom would believe her so she kept quiet. Haley and Lynn her best friend went to school and Lynn fell in love with this guy named Chad. Haley would always get ditched by them but finally, Lynn invited her to a party and they met a guy, Haley returned back home and her mom was not happy but Haley finally let it all out and told her mom what had happened in her room that night.

[Kathrine Follows · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it. it was a good book. parts of it was funny. I thought that chad would have used Lily. but it turns out that he ended up really liking her. Hailey was pretty smart and funny. the book was to short. they should have made it where Hailey told her mom about Larry. and her mom had him charged and dumped him. I liked Hailey. she was my fave.

[Brigitte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Haley. Haley has a mom who is divorced and is dating another man. Haley does not mind this, but this man is always acting a little weird. Then one day the mad comes into her room, pushes her onto the floor and molests her. He tells her that it is her own fault. He says that she invited him in and was sending her singles. Haley does not believe this of course. Yes she invited him in, but not like that. But Haley is afraid for her live and does not tell her mother. She must live with that incident in her mind until she gets the nerve to tell her mom about what happened.
This book connects to a lot of things in the real world. Many people in the world have been taken advantage of. They have been molested, raped, and even killed. That is the same experience that happened to Haley. People all over the world don't think it will ever happen, but it does. That is what connects this book to the world.
I would rate this book three stares. I would rate it that because the book was very interesting and cool. But at some times where a little strange and boring. I also did not like the ending and I thought it ended to fast. I would recommend this book to all people who like suspenseful books with a cliff hanger ending.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

We see a stark contrast between Lynn, whose teenage hormones have her giggly and wanting experiment sexually but still afraid to act as an adult vs. Haley whose mom's creepy lawyer boyfriend molests her. Haley is obviously the adult one in the friendship, and this quick read addresses the fear and flashbacks associated with hiding something so awful.

I picked this book up because (well, because it was short) I wanted to see if it would provoke any memories or PTSD symptoms. I know 900% my therapist would kill me if I told her about this. I did identify with a few of the statements in there in a general sense. I'm glad topics such as this are being written about for teenagers to experience, but I couldn't decide if it was a book a teenager would seek out or if it would get flung their way because (it's short) its someone who has been through it, someone the reader might be able to relate to, something to try and get a kid to talk.

One thing that disturbs me greatly, both from an educational/national reading scores and also "what the hell why would this be written for a little kid to comprehend" sort of way is the reading level is 3.1. A fucking 3.1! Kids that young shouldn't need or have books like this.

[Viviana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story builds slowly at first, with a normal teenage life, coming to an abrupt halt when Larry, Haley's mom's boyfriend, enters her room, when her mom isn't at home. She tries to get him off of her but his weight was squeezing her body. After that Haley is left alone to keep the secret for herself. She battles with the idea of telling her mother the truth about Larry. She has nobody to talk to except keep the horrible secret to herself.

I connect this to a book I read which was about a girl that gets raped in a party but doesn't want to tell anybody because she is afraid the guy will do something to her. She keeps this secret until she can't hold it any longer.

I rated this book 4 stars. It was intriguing and fun to read. At the start it was inapropiate scenes that made me not want to read the book anymore, but once I kept reading it showed how she struggled. I recomend it to anybody.

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good, promising plot (the subject matter was why I decided to read the book in the first place) that unfortunately amounted to nothing. Why? Was it lazy writing? It sure seems like it.

There were several subplots with potential to develop further into something exciting e.g. Haley's friendship with her useless and awful best friend, the best friend's dangerous and fast relationship with Chad, a new relationship with the seemingly sweet Mike and of course, the creepy Larry. Except that all of them ended abruptly and was never properly resolved. I would have been interested to find out more about them.

The book could do with at least 50 more pages. I get what the author is trying to convey by the sudden ending and final conversation, but it is simply too lousy of an ending. What a disappointment.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remember Meg Tilly? Her sister has had an illustrious (read: odd) career but Meg seemed to have just dropped out of orbit. Didn't know she could write so well!!

The book moves at a very fast pace and is directed at teens. Haley and her best friend Lynn are 11th graders in British Columbia, Canada. Lynn is attracted to Chad. Once Chad notices her, she has little to no time for Haley, which upsets Haley to no end.

Then an incident occurs in Haley's bedroom between Haley and her mom's boyfriend Larry that spooks her. Larry is a creep, plain and simple.

I was impressed with the book, especially with it tackling such an issue. It was done in a very tasteful manner, and it was done with a lot of respect toward the reader.

The only thing I DIDNT like was the open ending. That's just something personal. I hate open endings.

I do recommend the book though.

[Ivka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jednou vetou: dobre napísané, ale bez pointy.

Haley a Lynn sú najlepšie kamarátky, ale Lynn zrazu začne myslieť len to, ako zbaliť staršieho Chada, ako kúpiť kondómy a prísť o panenstvo, začne sa Haley cítiť trochu úplne odstrčená. V tej chvíli ju začne ešte aj sexuálne obťažovať priateľ jej matky a Haley je už úplne zúfala. A vtedy to skončí.

Je to dobre napísané, to je asi najsilnejšia stránka. A autorky si nikdy nenechajú ujsť možnosť napísať trápne-vtipnú scénku o kupovaní "tej veci" na "tú vec," takže je to ešte aj tak trošku pubertálne milé. A sexuálne obťažovanie je desivé, fakt desivé.

Ale to je všetko. Akoby sa kniha skladala z troch dlhších scén. Dobre napísané, ale bez pointy. 6/10

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than I anticipated, given that it's written by an actress- forgive me, Ms. Tilly, for thinking of Jewel when I picked up the book.

This book is clearly a one-issue book, written on spec. It is absorbing, immediate, and has the requisite amount of tension. The intentions of the evil man are telegraphed from the get-go. The ending is just unresolved enough to satisfy. But it's clunky. I think it would have been better had it been about twice as long.

ETA a star- this book has a mission (to bring more mature themes to teens who don't read as fluently as their age might suggest) and it succeeds quite well at this.

[Shawn Bird · Rating 3 out of 5]

These short little Orca Sounding books are easy to read and have active plots. I thought Tilly did an excellent job capturing the youthful voices in this book. There were some very entertaining scenes that rang quite true, and Larry was very, very creepy. I did, however, find the ending extremely abrupt, such that I actually checked that pages hadn't been ripped out of the book. On the other hand, I could use this in a class room to promote discussion because "What happens next?" is wide open.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a short read. As is the case with stories about sexual assault, there is intensity by p. 45 that propels the text. Unfortunately, our protagonist never really takes charge of her life; she accidentally makes tough decisions leading to the ambiguous end. Anderson's Speak is richer, but this can work if that title is too long.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really quick read at only 112 pages. It was a simple story about two girls and their friendship during the tween years. It had a twist in the plot when Larry the mom's boy friend made a forced advance on one of the girls. Overall a good read that ended leaving the reader imagining the conversation between the mom and daughter.

[James T Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Early memories revisited

full of crystal clear descriptions of that special period when sex becomes a part of growing up! written so it recalls our first exposure to opposite sex chemistry. made me remember that time I was I was in high school and was interested in exploring a physical experience!
ut

[Natosha Washington · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is underdeveloped, disappointing and just not worth reading. The story doesn't really go anywhere. The author tries too hard to use teenage lingo/thought processes and makes the main characters seem stupid instead of young. It's really annoying to me when books do that, confuse youth with stupidity. So, I give this book one star.

[Alisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had the worst ending! It ends right as it is starting to get good. I honestly thought my book was missing pages so I bought it again digitally only to find out that was the ending and that I paid twice for a terrible book.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, quick read, that would appeal to female reluctant readers. The title keeps you guessing as to whose "first time" it is ... if anyone's. Teens and up.

[Tiffanyric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very good book. I liked this book. It was pretty interesting.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.monniblog.com/2008/09/firs...

[Rivkah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is a good book, it deals with a mom's boyfriend- he dosn't just like the mom.

So if you don't like the type of almost-sexual-abuse books, I wouldn't read it.

[Betsy Hooks]

Another great story by Tilly. Too short though.