O Primeiro Último Beijo

by Ali Harris

Um livro sobre a luta para manter o amor da sua vida, mesmo quando o futuro é incerto

O primeiro último beijo conta a história de amor de Ryan e Molly, de como eles se encontraram e se perderam diversas vezes ao longo do caminho. Na primeira vez em que eles se beijaram, Molly soube que ficariam juntos para sempre. Seis anos e muitos beijos depois, ela está casada com o homem que ama. Mas hoje Molly percebe quantos beijos desperdiçou, porque o futuro lhes reserva algo que nenhum dos dois poderia prever... Esta história comovente, bem-humorada e profundamente tocante mostra que o amor pode ser enlouquecedor e frustrante, mas também sublime. Na mesma tradição de P.S. Eu te amo e Um dia, O primeiro último beijo vai fazer você suspirar e derramar lágrimas com a mesma intensidade.

Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Fiction, Adult, Drama, Love

448 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

Ali is a magazine journalist who has worked in the world of glossy magazines for ten years.

She grew up in deepest darkest Norfolk, where she spent her formative years dreaming of the bright lights of the big city. At 18 she swapped sheep for show tunes and moved to London to do a degree in performing arts. After three years of 'studying' (read: doing jazz hands) she became.... a waitress. In her spare time she started writing a book (about a frustrated waitress, of course) and soon realised that writing was her true passion. After many rejection letters she decided just getting paid to write for a living would be a step in the right direction. One work placement at a celebrity style magazine later and she'd found her spiritual home. Surrounded by clothes, shoes and celebrity gossip she threw herself into her new career and was ecstatic when she bagged a job at Company magazine.

Ali was soon given her own dating column but then, she met 'Email Boy' and her column became focused on their blossoming relationship - she even won an industry award for her efforts. She left Company in 2005 to broaden her horizons as a freelance journalist, writing for Cosmo, Grazia and ELLE, amongst others. She also got married to Email Boy (now going by his official name of Ben) and then got lured back to the world of glossies with a job at number one women's magazine, Glamour. She left in 2009 to write books and have babies.

Ali's debut Miracle on Regent Street was published by Simon & Schuster in October 2011. Her second novel The First Last Kiss was published in January 2013. Her latest novel, Written in the Stars, is out now.

You can follow Ali at facebook.com/aliharriswriter and twitter.com/aliharriswriter or discover more about the author at her website aliharris.co.uk

Reviews

[Rosalinda *KRASNORADA* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do me a favour will you? Break a rule today, go crazy, live in the moment. Open your heart. Now open it a little more. Love big, love even bigger. Don’t be afraid to stand up, to shout it out, to be heard. Say I LOVE YOU. Give it what for. Give love what for. For me.



This heartbreaking, amazingly beautiful love story is about stop doing and start being. That's what this book taught me. That's why I loved this book so much.

Ryan and Molly are meant to be together. Even if this book is not told in chronological order, you can feel their connection from the beginning. Molly is not your typical teen and Ryan is the hot football player who can have whoever he wants. But he wants Molly, he really likes her and so he proves her that in more than one occasion. That moment in 1994 at the end of the book! OMG I loved it!

But Ryan is not only hot, he’s a special guy. He’s a guy in love who would do ANYTHING for the love of his life, for his Molly.

This is a book about making decisions, about making mistakes, about having doubts and about having regrets. It’s a book that will make you stop and think if you are doing it right or not.

"Loving someone means having the confidence to know that you won't be happy all the time, that they can't make you happy all the time. It's a totally unrealistic expectation"

This book will make you appreciate what you have in your life, you can learn from Molly’s mistakes. Not only Molly makes mistakes, so does Ryan but it doesn’t matter because this book will teach us to stand up and fight as much as you can to get what you want.

It's the memories that stay with us forever, not the stuff that's attached to them.

And this is a book about friendship and family. Sometimes you might think you don’t fit in your family but if you take the time to listen to them, if you give them the attention they need you might realize they are there for you, to hold your hand. Don’t be shy, just take it!

And yes, Ali mentioned this song and I think it fits Molly and her doubts/insecurities so damn well.

When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
So she ran away in her sleep
Dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Every time she closed her eyes
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh

READ. THIS. BOOK! Please!!! If you like heartbreaking stories give it a try because not only the story is stunning, the writing style is even better.

Why didn't I give it 5 stars if I loved this story so much, you ask? First of all, promise you WILL NOT OPEN SPOILERS if you haven't read this book. Don't do it for me, do it for you, because it will ruin this story for you and you deserve to go blind and experience the magic in this story.

This being said, my reason for not giving this book 5 stars is because of the last pages. Not because of the ending per se - you all know what I am talking about if you have read this- but because of the way the author wanted to leave us with the feeling that Molly's life was going to be 'awesome' from now on. I didn't need that, I wanted to cry until the end. Because my heart, my emotions and my soul were with RYAN who is the most important character in this story. I know years will pass and people move on, I just didn't need to read about it to be honest.

ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW UNEXPECTED, HOW MAGICAL, HOW LIFE-CHANGING LOVE IS.

Thanks Marta for telling me about this book!

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine. It strikes me what a beautiful word it is, full of hope, possibility and belief.

I'm writing this review with a huge lump in my throat. The story is so beautiful that I just want to break down and cry all over again. It's the most beautiful and most meaningful book I've read in a very long time and it will stick with me forever. I know it's a book that I will always want to reread, even 10, 20 or 30 years from now. This book completely changed me. I am so much like Molly, it's not even funny. It's like it was written specially for me. Real eye-opener. It's so realistic and just real. It's a story about childhood, parenthood, adulthood, love, loss and life.

This is the story of Molly and Ryan. They're both so very different and want very different things in life, but they've got their love for each other, gluing them together like nothing else could. This is the story of love and compromise. The story of life and dealing with the hardships. It's not a cheesy book. It's the most realistic one I've ever read. It's one full of life lessons. Ones that I really needed.

We catch glimpses of Molly as a teenager, Molly in her early twenties and Molly in her late twenties. The changes she went through were like a reality slap to me.

Molly as a teenager doesn't believe in love. She doesn't believe in happily ever afters and she doesn't want to be held down by a guy.

I want a career instead of being stuck at home being someone's wife. Cleaning up after someone doesn't seem like much of a happy ending to me.

This is totally something that I would say. In fact, I was still saying it until I read this book.

I swore I'd never give myself wholly to a guy, that I would keep my independence, retain the biggest part of me for myself, my career and my best friend. My main concern in life was to have freedom, excitement, adventure and travel - not love.

I loved how the author also used a lot of movie and music references.

I hate that movie anyway, I mean, look where it got Kate Winslet; clinging on to a floating bit of debris in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. And if that isn't a fitting metaphor for love, then I don't know what is.

You don't know the draw that love has until you experience it for yourself. No matter how big her dreams were and no matter how strong her resolution to stay single was, when Ryan happened, all that flew out the window. Her big mouth was a result of not knowing love rather than not wanting love.

You could have offered me a flight to the moon and I wouldn't have gone if it meant being apart from him.

Ryan is probably the best thing that could've ever happened to her. He was such an amazing, sweet, caring, loving and thoughtful guy.

This here, is Ryan, a man who has never wanted anything more than what he's got, who's lived a full life by living simply. He's never chased ridiculous dreams or put emphasis on anything other than being a good friend, son, brother, boyfriend, teacher and husband. I've learned so much from him but he is still teaching me. And I know he'll be teaching me for a long time to come.

Even though they were very different, together they were perfect.

Ryan's view of the world is like a sunny holiday snap. He's bright, uncomplicated and completely exposed. Whereas I am black-and-white, heavily laden with emotion and complex in composition. But I guess when those photographs are placed next to each other, they become a perfectly balanced album.

But love can only keep you away from your dreams for so long. When you've been dating for a while and life slowly takes on a routine, sometimes you can't help but think that maybe there's more. Molly fell in love before she could make her teenage dream to travel the world and have a huge career come true. That's when reality comes crashing down and you start thinking, was love enough?

Loving someone means having the confidence to know that you won't be happy all the time, that they can't make you happy all the time. It's a totally unrealistic expectation. (...) No matter how frustrated I sometimes feel, I've always been very sure that I didn't want anything else, because he has always made me far more happy than unhappy. I'm not a maths teacher dear, but I think that's the best possible equation you can hope to get.

Sometimes you have to lose someone to realize that you've never wanted anyone or anything else.

I knew that I could have it all with Ryan - he made me feel like I could touch the sky - but I also knew he'd never, ever let me fall.

I know that no matter where I am, I want to be with him forever.

Even in her twenties, Molly still had a hard time figuring out who she was. Watching her go through the process of growing up, making mistakes and finally setting her priorities straight just broke my heart. Only when it was too late did she realize what was the most important thing.

He was the home I'd been looking for my whole life.

There's no doubt she loved him. And Ryan's love for her was so pure and so big, it just brought me to tears.

This girl, this amazing woman, took my heart and soul with her first kiss. She's taught me so much about love, life and culture. She's also taught me a different way to see the world, and showed me what a beautiful place it is.

He always knew who Molly was and what she wanted. He knew her better than she knew herself and he supported her in everything. I wish I could just make him climb out of my Kindle and hug and kiss him for being so amazing.

My awkward Molly, trying so hard to stand out all the time, often pulled in two directions, between what you think you should want and what you actually want.

Life's not always what you want it to be and this book is also about learning to cope with that.

I've learned the hard way that emotions can be as disposable as the old plastic Kodak cameras we used to take our holiday pictures with. Happiness is as transient as sadness.

This book is about making every kiss count and appreciating what you have.

Savour every single moment, every word, every kiss.

About love that lasts forever.

I'll love you forever, even if we're not together.

And about love being bigger than life itself.

Both love and art can last forever, because they have the power to transcend everything - time, age and indeed, life itself.

It's about knowing that love is not always enough, but it is always worth it.

In life it begins and ends with you.

It's about knowing that every kiss is a countdown to the last. So hold it, cherish it and never waste it.

Mum's always said that parenthood is one long kiss goodbye and, sometimes, I can't help feeling that's how I feel about life.

Travels and careers will fulfill you temporarily and in the end the most important thing in life is to love and be loved. It's to just be.

Always remember how unexpected, how magical, how life-changing love is.

[Jennifer Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 First Last Kiss Stars



“Kiss till you can't kiss any more, kiss on the street in front of everyone, kiss as if each one were the last.”

This story is a well written, realistic, slowly told love story. Be warned that the last 30 percent turns into a full blown sob fest. Think Fault in Our Stars by John Greene story line and ending.

The story goes from present to past but the past story line doesn’t flow chronologically. I found this slightly confusing as I was constantly trying to figure out where I was time wise.

I absolutely loved the characters, I felt connected to them from the get go. I just loved Molly and Ryan and those kisses, each and everyone one of them!!

"I'll savour every single kiss from now until...not the end...until forever."

Ryan and Molly’s love story is told imperfections and all. From the worst first kiss ever to the many amazing ones that followed. I also loved the course Molly’s relationship progressed with her own parents.

I loved how this couple had different goals learned to compromises.

The Cooper and Carter clans are fantastic, the story felt so real that I have a strong need to send a mass card/condolence card to each of them.

There are two reasons why I didn’t give this book a 5 star rating which had nothing to do with the writing (I had most of the book highlighted). It had to do with the way the past was presented and the other was because the overall story left me gutted and sad.



I like the happy high after a book and this just didn't leave with one. It does however end on a positive note.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Popsugar challenge 2020 - A Book with a Main Character in their Twenties.

This is the story of Molly and Ryan, their first and their last kiss which span around 15 years.

Each chapter is a random moment in their lives and it's all out of order, it's like the romance book version of Pulp Fiction. Honestly all this time hopping was unnecessary. I enjoy multiple timelines if they have a point and now I'm at the end I feel that I would have enjoyed this way more if it was in chronological order. It added no value at all, if anything it stopped me from being fully immersed in their story.

Very character focused which is my preference for big books, i went into this thinking it would be a nice relaxing chick lit but actually its sick lit so just be aware of that if that's not your jam.

Pacing issues, waffling, time hopping aside it did make me cry, a well deserved 3 stars.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a heart-wrenching story. The love story of Molly and Ryan, who first met as teenagers and fell in love and married. It was cleverly written with little paragraphed interludes about all kinds of kisses and their meanings. It is a reflection of a great love but also a very sad story. I went through a couple of tissue boxes and this book has really stayed with me. There is a happy ending of sorts but not quite what one wants.

[Anna]

So I finally located this in paperback !! Waited 3 weeks for it to arrive.



The cost of blowing my heart to smithereens
80 cents !!!!! ❤❤
Reading this dedicated to Anyone who had ever loved, lost and loved again

PRICELESS

Let the weepfest begin .......

[Jln · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Last Kiss is one of my favorite books of all time, I absolutely loved it. I can't say a lot about it, because it's one of those books that just has to be experienced.

Ryan and Molly's journey is a story about real life and real love. Their differences complement each other in the best way. Molly is someone who aspires to travel and have big experiences in life, where Ryan prefers to live simply closer to home. My favorite part of their relationship is that Ryan shows Molly that sometimes the best part of life is to just be. Be happy, do what you love, appreciate the time you spend with loved ones, and enjoy the small moments in life that sometimes become the most important.

This is one of those rare books for me that is extra meaningful, and definitely unforgettable. I still get emotional when I think about it, but it is so worth it.





I can't recommend it highly enough, I just wish it were available on amazon kindle in the US so more people would read it. It's so worth buying in paperback though. I bought a used copy from amazon for under $5 and it was delivered from the UK in less than a week:)

[Sharon ∞❥ is an emotional book junkie ❥∞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly and Ryan met in high school and they both wanted to be together but they never let the other know. After running into each other several times over the years, they finally get together, break up and then get married. Everything is perfect, right?

First things first, I really don't like the way this book was set up. Each chapter talks about a different kiss - that I liked. What I didn't like was the constant going back and forth in the timeline...it was sooo confusing. The good thing is that once you become more familiar with when things happened, it becomes easier to read.

And right from the start, you know that Ryan and Molly are not together at the end and along the way, you get all these little clues. Some stick with you and some don't. If I could summon up the courage, a reread would help but I won't be going there for a while!

Why you ask? Because...this book is hella emotional!! I was not prepared for it and I definitely wasn't prepared for all the crying I did!!

It's funny because I was just going to say that I really liked both Molly and Ryan but I'm not too sure that I liked them in the beginning when they were both a little rough. Molly was Goth and Ryan was a little too full of himself. The story is told in Molly's POV so we get to know her quite well. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Ryan and that's just really sad.



There is a lot of drama as well. Because of how the book is set up, we don't always get the full story. We'll get a day and then the story will move forward or back even further. Then later on, we might get the next day of the same story. It was just a little unfulfilling.

The book is not really steamy. There are some sex scenes but I think with the way it's written, it just doesn't allow for it. There is A LOT of good romance though. Ryan is pretty romantic and just some of the things he does is so sweet. It's a really sweet LOVE story.

There are some great family members and friends of Ryan and Molly. I really enjoyed Molly's friends, Mia and Casey as well as all of Ryan's family.

I was happy with the ending even with the little twist. I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a good emotional read.




Favorite quotes

♥ "I’ll always be here for you, Molly, always. I’ll love you forever, even if we’re not together."

♥ "I’ve been waiting for you," Ryan whispers at last.

"For how long?"

"All day, six months, a lifetime . . ."

[Cátia · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOW... DO... YOU... WORDS?!



*deep breathes 135454 times to regain composure*

Ali Harris, I want to bake you cupcakes.

How many kisses do we waste, brush away, throw away, and then, when they are no longer there, how many times do we wish that we could relive them all a hundredfold?

You find this book right? And then you're like "Oh, let me read the blurb see what is about", and it kind of feels like an okay book and your life is busy and stressed so you pick it up and start reading because you have the idea it will be an easy reading. Well it's not. IT IS SO NOT! If you manage to not be spoiled, I can assure you, you have no idea what kind of story you're about to read.

I'm going to create a new shef called books-that-made-me-look-at-life-differently-and-that-I-wish-could-have-the-form-of-a-teddybear-so-I-could-cuddle-in-bed-while-crying-my-heart-out. Or something shorter.

This is the story of Molly and Ryan. A story about wasted kisses, cherished kisses. A story about a love that is found early but that crumbles because life always gets in the way of love.

We start the book with Molly packing her things, preparing herself to move out of her house. Before you know it, Molly takes you back to past moments in her life. With Ryan of course. The whole book is set this way, alternating between the past, fastforwarding months or years, the present, then back to the past. I thought this would be confusing but it was what made the book so utterly moving and emotional.

You know when you are reading, and part of your brain keeps saying "AHA! This is how this is going to end!"? It happened a lot when I was reading this. And guess what, I was wrong every single time. You feel like you're going to read A but what you read is B. I never loved being wrong like I did here.

I love this book. I bet it will be my favourite of 2013. And considering Me Before You was my favourite of 2012, I really need to start paying more attention to the Brits. You people love abusing my poor heart.

A secret though, *whispers* I wouldn't want it any other way.

If you want to cry, well go ahead. Buy this book and have fun ugly sobbing. Manage to buy some cookies or ice cream too. You'll need comfort.

[Lucia · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Molly and Ryan:


What happens when you meet The One when you are too young, when your dreams have not been fulfilled yet? You make mistakes. A big ones. And this is exactly what this story is about. Is Ryan the best thing that has ever happened to Molly? Is love strong enough to overcome unlike dreams and ideas about life? Or has destiny chosen completely different path for Molly?

"When you've been through what I have, gambled everything on love - and lost - you're never the same again. Not really."

The First Last Kiss is story about life and love, about dreams and reality, about mistakes and lessons, about growing up and learning through the way.

Readers know that something happened between Ryan and Molly. Was it good? Bad? Expected? Wanted? Sad? Author kept me guessing all the time. But unfortunatelly, I couldn't get into the story. I kept reading, hoping I would click with characters, but it never happend.

What was my problem with this book? Unusual formating of chapters. Main storyline was set in present, but heroine kept reliving and remembering her past. Out of chronological order. How can I feel compassion towards character when I am thrown into his/her turmoils without proper intro? In such a case, most of actions are misunderstood and I feel disconnected with character since there was no time for me to get to know him/her. I definitely prefer "slow burn" stories!

I can't deny that this is beautiful and sad story with important message for readers. Unfortunatelly, style of writing didn't work for me at all.

MORE REVIEWS ON MY BLOG Reading Is My Breathing

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

“You could have offered me a flight to the moon and I wouldn’t have gone if it had meant being apart from him.”

Molly and Ryan are two people who fell in love - the epic, flawed and once-in-a-lifetime kind. Their story is about life and compromise, with adorable moments that made swoon but also with such profound sadness that my heart broke.

“Well, that’s good because I know I love you, Molly Carter.”

My favourite character was by far and away Ryan. He was so sweet and caring, and came without the unnecessary and stereotypical arrogance usually accompanying male leads. The love he had for Molly was so great, I was filled with joy just reading about it.

"It's impossible for anyone to understand the complete lure of love until you’ve been in it."

The reason this wasn’t a 5 star is because Adult Contemporary books that progress beyond the HEA stage are completely unrelatable to me. Most topics dealt with in this genre – kids, marriage, divorce, family vs. career etc.- are things I have yet to experience. My lack of life experience is obviously to blame here and definitely not the book.

Also if I could give one piece of advice, Go In Blind. Do not read reviews. Don't even read the blurb. The few reviews I’ve read were full of spoilers and the ending is heavily implied in the publisher’s description. I was lucky I didn’t put it together.



My chronological playlist of Molly and Ryan’s relationship:

I’m In Love – Lionel Richie
Let Her Go – Passenger
This Love – Johnta Austin
OK Here’s The Truth – Javier Colon
Mirrors – Justin Timberlake
Because You Loved Me – Celine Dion
Rule the World – Take That
Here Without You – 3 Doors Down
Tears in Heaven – Eric Clapton

[MK~ Picky Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Have you ever kissed someone and felt them slipping away from you even as you did it?
Have you imagined the day when their lips are not yours to kiss anymore?
Have you ever closed your eyes and tried desperately to hold on to that kiss, that moment in your mind and in your heart so you can remember it forever?”

There are so many books that I’ve read that lack substance, feeling, and character development. So many books that others loved and I find myself feeling “meh” about. Then a book comes along and changes everything. A book so stunning, realistic, amazing that you know in your heart of hearts that you will be changed forever! The First Last Kiss was that book for me. It was beautiful, emotional, and realistic. I know that I will never come across another story even close to this. As a result, The First Last Kiss has made it to the coveted Favorite Books of All Time shelf.

Molly is a strong, fiercely independent young woman. She has ambitions, aspirations and dreams that reach far beyond her hometown of Essex, England. Dreams and aspirations of becoming a nationally recognized photographer.

Molly has the image of what she thinks is “the perfect man”, her ideal but she is not ready for him yet. Traveling and experiencing everything London, New York and the world have to offer is at the top of her list. There is no time for love, no time to tie herself down to a relationship. But Ryan Cooper, her school girl crush, is the guy she just can’t seem to move past. He is everything that she is not looking for or maybe he is everything she is looking for but just hasn’t realized it yet…

“A big part of me wants to run as far away as I can because I’m not ready to find him. I’m only just beginning my life plan. But at the same time I’m utterly paralyzed by him. When I’m with him I can’t imagine wanting anything other than him, forever.”

Ryan Cooper is the epitome of fun. He makes everything fun, always has. He is stable, loving, carefree and never takes life too seriously. The simple things in life are what he cherishes. Family, friends, sports, and teaching are his passions. He wants a simple life in his beloved hometown of Essex but he also wants the complex, deep, passionate love of Molly Carter.

“He is bright, uncomplicated and extremely exposed. Whereas I am black and white, heavily laden with emotion and complex in composition”

Molly and Ryan may be opposites but when they come together they are completely and utterly magnetic. They are so deeply drawn to each other that you the reader can’t help but feel the profound love they have. The differences between them aren’t really differences. Their differences balance each other and you see and feel all the beauty and love they have for each other.

“I feel like the world has stopped turning and that it is we who are swirling around and around, totally at one with each other and the sea that encompasses us, I feel like I am drowning but I’m not scared.”

As beautiful as it all is, life can become complicated and challenging. Sometimes there are too many differences to overlook. Sometimes love isn’t enough and we waist precious moments, precious kisses as we live life unaware of what the future holds. Molly and Ryan’s relationship is tested in so many ways I can’t even begin to explain. Nor would I ever dream of spoiling this emotional, character driven story.

“Loving someone means having the confidence to know that you won’t be happy all the time, that they can’t make you happy all the time. It’s a totally unrealistic expectation.”

There were many tearful and gut wrenching sobbing moments. Moments where I became so overwhelmed with what was happening, I forgot I was reading a fictional story. Yes it was that good, that realistic. But for all the sad moments, Ryan and Molly’s happy moments outweighed them all. The ending was poetic in so many ways.

“Savor every single moment, every word, every kiss”

The writing was exquisite! I was hooked from the very first page. There were many flashbacks that were not in sequential order that some may have difficulty with, but I think it worked. Ali Harris kept me guessing with what was going to happen next. For those who get easily confused, I suggest taking notes. I didn’t feel the need to take notes and was able to keep track of the timeline with very little difficulty.

So, I’m giving The First Last Kiss 100+ stars for its exquisite characters, beautiful writing, and emotional depth that I rarely experience in books. It will hopefully become a classic, at least in my opinion it already is. A must read from this very picky book snob.

My favorite quote: “To be, not do”

*************************
Buddy read with my girl and sis Bren!

[Jx PinkLady Reviews ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand and even enjoyed the sentiment this story aims to convey. Live in the moment, enjoy what you have, don't take it for granted. It was emotional and I did enjoy the latter stages of the novel but to be blunt, the heroine irritated me to distraction. I understand that her character develops but even when she matures, I still found her inner thought process to be selfish and I did not really warm to her. Having said that, I did shed the odd tear so that is a plus point for me.

(I listened to the audio)

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Last Kiss opens with Molly packing up her house in Essex, ready to move to somewhere new. As Molly puts items into the boxes, she re-lives her memories of the items and her life with Ryan, her first love. This is the story of Molly and Ryan, charted through their kisses. Each kiss comes with a memory, a time and a place in their lives, but soon Molly begins to realise just how important and valuable each and every kiss is. Molly takes the reader on a beautiful and moving journey of true love, life, and how memories can last a lifetime…

“Think about how often we kiss to celebrate the new: new job, new baby, new house, newly married couple. So many kisses to revel in, so many ‘new’ things. But shouldn’t every kiss be a celebration? Old or new, snatched or savoured. We should be throwing a party for every one.”

I LOVED this book! I think one thing I liked most about the story was that it was very real. It portrayed a real life between two people, a real relationship with real feelings and realistic scenarios. The love that Ryan and Molly had for each other was true to life, it was genuine and had strong emotion behind it at all times.

I enjoyed delving into Molly’s memories and re-living important moments of her life with her. I will say that at the start this can become a bit confusing because the story does jump about a bit in the timeline, covering Molly’s time as a teenager, her first jobs, and the various stages of her relationship with Ryan. If you find yourself having trouble with keeping up, please persevere because it is a brilliant, emotional story that everyone should read!

The characters in this story are fantastically written. There is the perfect blend of personalities woven into the book and it makes the story that much more enjoyable, adding a bit of fun and humour to the book along with the serious parts. Casey and Mia were brilliant as Molly’s best friends. The friendship that Molly has with them is very realistic and relatable, and I enjoyed reading about their nights out and holidays together! Nanny Door is just spectacular, she made me smile and laugh, and provided light-heartedness where it was needed – I only wish she could have featured a bit more! Ryan was wonderfully portrayed as a kind man who cares so much about his family and friends, even if he does have a cheeky side! It was such a pleasure to read about him and I really felt that I knew both him and Molly on a personal level after I had finished the story. I went on such a journey with them and it was lovely to have an insight into their life.

This is not just a chick-lit book – it is SO much more than that! The First Kiss is one of the most moving stories that I have read recently. Molly was a likeable character from the start, I warmed to her instantly and my heart reached out to her as she went over her kisses, her memories, both the good times and the bad times. At some points I laughed with her as she and Ryan had fun together, and other times I wanted to reach out and hug her.

I will warn you all now – This is a book where tissues are essential! I was fine until the last half of the book and the tears started flowing. By the end I was a blubbering wreck! The First Last Kiss moved me so much, I’m sure that one way or another most of us will be able to relate to the story in some way. Long after I had finished reading, the book and the characters stayed with me.

The First Last Kiss is a captivating story documenting the many kisses that occur in life, from the first kiss, passionate kisses, apologetic kisses, greeting kisses and I’ve-missed-you kisses. I finished this book wanting to run and kiss everyone that I hold dear to me. This beautiful book not only tells a story, but it is a moving reminder of how important it is to love, and to be loved – to cherish those around you and to never waste a moment. A truly enchanting book.

[Fabulous Book Fiend · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review comes with a warning… I LOVED this book, so it might get a bit gushy in parts, you have been warned!

“Do kisses fade like Polaroids if you don’t pay attention to them?”
This is the beautifully written story of two people, Molly and Ryan, and their journey together over the course of twenty years told through Molly’s memories of kisses they share, and also the kisses they don’t share. Both main characters are very likable, even though they are so different. Molly isn’t your typical girly girl; she loves her Converse and dislikes public displays of affection. Ryan is the typical lads’ lad, good at football, but much more likely to cry and slushy movies than she is! I think it is because they are so different that I found it so easy to like them.

The book isn’t written in chronological order. The chapters are interspersed with Molly’s kiss memories and the tale of her packing up a house somewhere in the year 2012, but each chapter rewinds to a different period in her life and a different memory of her and Ryan. I think that this structure gives the book a great pace. I found myself uttering the immortal lines ‘one more chapter’ because I had to find out what happened after the memory that I had just read. I think that fact that it is told in the first person also makes the book very easy to read, but it will make you fall in love with Molly and our Hero Ryan! You become so easily invested in the characters you will definitely find yourself experiencing the highs and lows of their lives right alongside them.

For me the book had a definite turning point about two thirds of the way through. The first part lets you into the lives of Molly and Ryan. You get to know them and the host of supporting characters, all of whom are so well developed they will begin to feel like your own friends and family. There is plenty of fun and frolics, as one would expect from a couple in their twenties, but then the last part of the story takes you deeper into the emotions of the young couple. I enjoyed both parts equally and I thought it was really cleverly written that there was such a turning point to the story similar to a turning point that one might experience in the course of everyday life.

I so enjoyed reading Ali Harris’s second novel, it is as full of wonderful description and well-crafted writing as her Miracle on Regent Street, but I found it so hard to review without giving away any of the major events of the story! All I can say is that you will laugh, you will cry but I have complete faith that you will enjoy every single page of this delicious fictional journey over twenty years, two hearts and countless memorable kisses!

[Sandy Ⓢ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Last First Kiss Stars

Estos son de esos libros que son bellos, tristes pero que no sabes en qué va a parar todo. Cuando crees que es esto, no sale eso sino lo otro. Había leído un spoiler antes de acabarlo, lo cual influyó en mi demora en terminarlo y la desordenada estructura cronológica del mismo, que al final me rendí y no leía cada titulación. Confieso que odié a la chica, no me gustaba esa indecisión de "quiero esto, quiero lo otro para mi vida", cuando tenía una vida preciosa, al lado de un chico que la amaba y fue capaz de dejar parte de su vida para seguirla a ella, pero no ella estaba "quiero experimentar esto, quiero experimentar lo otro y lo otro", realmente la detesté, cuando tenía dudas con respeto a Ray, *Spoiler* y beso a otro chico *fin del Spoiler*, la odié más.

Para mi concepto, la moraleja está en no planear un futuro, o querer esto, lo otro... O tantas cosas cuando se desperdicia el presente en ello, sino disfrutarlo, bailar, gozar, llorar, reír, besar, amar. Por qué de qué vale llegar a un futuro tan vacío cuando se pierde un presente tan certero. La protagonista lo perdió en tantas idas y venidas en su cabeza, entiendo que quería vivir, experimentar, ¿pero a costa de qué?, ¿de tomar las mejores o peores decisiones?, ¿de desaprovechar el tiempo en los "pero" o "y si"? No, creo que hay que estar agradecidos con lo que tenemos, y claro está, luchar por nuestros deseos pero siempre tomando en cuenta el "¿ganaré más de lo que ya tengo?"

Aún sufro con ésta historia, ¡¡¡por qué son tan crueles, autores!!!

P.D: creo que merecía una calificación más alta pero me desánimo, aburrió y me entristeció muchas partes de la historia.

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is going to be a difficult review to write as I don't want to ruin the story if you are considering reading this book. I would certainly recommend you do so, as it is beautifully written and stirs every emotion.

Childhood sweethearts Molly and Ryan are wonderful, endearing, loveable characters. Whilst I worked out quite early on the route the story was taking, it totally absorbed me and I felt their happiness and their sorrow. Their journey is romantic and heartwarming with moments that made me cringe, smile, laugh and sob (actual gut-wrenching sobs that resulted in my poor husband watching me in utter panic!) The secondary characters are as wonderful, they bring great content and lift the story when it is needed. The flashbacks to the mid/late nineties and references to the music, fashion and films are great and I reminisced; I was their age at that time and it brought back memories of what my life was like!

Seldom do I discover a quote so poignant that it will stay with with me, until now; "Don't throw away your kisses, not a single one. The future isn't promised to any of us, so kiss till you can't kiss any more, on the street, in front of everyone! Kiss as if each one were the last."

I wouldn't have missed reading this for the world.

[♡ Sasha - TEAM ELLIE. ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow...
5★★★★★ This Was A Beautiful & Special Story that I will forever remember

Full review to come...

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite simply one of the best love stories... No scrap that. One of the best books I've ever had the honour of being able to read.

[Dee Montoya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who would've thought that there are so many different types of kisses; the first kiss, the last kiss, the lets make up kiss, the hello kiss, the sexy kiss, the Till' death do us part kiss, and I can keep going on and on, because the truth is that we all have give, take or share one everyday, some times, so many that we don't stop to think and value how important all those kisses really are.

This book is the Love story of Ryan Cooper and Molly Carter, they are from the same town and have known each other since childhood; Ryan is the handsome Jock, the boy that all the girls want and all the boys want to be, but he is also sweet, kind and very genuine, well as Molly is the school misfit , the outcast, always trying to be different, her dream is to grow up and leave her small town behind. One day they run into each other and have an afternoon together that will leave them wanting more , and later in the night they will share what would be their first kiss, one that will be absolutely terrible, but a kiss that neither of them will forget for as long as they live.

Years later destiny will bring them together again, and Ryan will make it up to her, giving her; her first Real Kiss, and after that Molly, simply can pretend anymore, she can't fight the truth that they belong together. Molly is a girl full of dreams and expectations, she wants everything, a successful career, to travel the world, and she is convince that she can plan it all, and create lists to help her achieve all her goals, but she wasn't counting on love to come and show her different, but finally she surrenders and gives Ryan her whole heart, and they get everything they always wanted, a life together; but love isn't always enough and its not easy, but if its strong it will always conquer all.

...It's better to have loved and lost, Than never to have love at all.

This book was so genuine and felt so real, Molly's and Ryan"s story, could very well be anybody's, we all go thru ups and downs, but as she says in the book, Life isn't about the destination, its about appreciating the journey , and I promise you if one thing this book will leave you with, is that lesson, and also it will make you pay a little more attention the next time you kiss a loved one, and you will probably will hug them a bit tighter too. When in love we make mistakes, we dream, share, cry, compromise, and its a beautiful thing, but this book tells a story that is not only about all those things but about how sometimes we can also drift apart, and hurt ourselves and the ones we love the most.

Another great thing about The First Last Kiss, is that is not just about the love between Ryan and Molly, but their friends, family and their home town, because all of those will also represent love and heartache for them. I found myself taking notes almost desperately while reading this magnificent book, happy and sad notes that I will keep forever close to my heart. I have been deeply touched by it, because like I said before it could be anybody's love story, but the author did a terrific job at writing it in such a compelling and beautiful way, and I was consumed and affected by every single word. there were so many unexpected twists and turns, that kept me guessing and wondering until almost the end of the book.

I absolutely recommend this book to anybody who isn't afraid to cry, and loose themselves in a hearth wrenching story with a beautiful message that will help you remember to Make every kiss count...

Three great songs that will make me remember this book: Paradise by Cold Play, Kiss me by Ed Sheeran and Young and Beautiful by Lana del Rey. Enjoy...

[Aleksandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prvi posljednji poljubac je knjiga koju sam veoma željela pročitati, bila presretna kada mi je konačno dospjela u ruke, a onda sam čitajući prvih gotovo dvije stotine stranice bila blago razočarana. Zašto tako dobre ocjene i recenzije na Goodreadsu kada je pitanju jedna “obična ljubavna priča” o Moli i Rajanu, o tome kako su se upoznali, sastajali, rastajali… Sve mi se činilo toliko puno klišea, njihovi stalni “slučajni” susreti, on savršen, šarmantan, sportski tip, bezuvjetno voli i predaje se. Ona nesigurna u sebe i puna sumnji u sve i svakoga, sa stalnom potrebom da nešto mijenja u svom životu, pa čak i one stvari koje treba dobro čuvati i njegovati. Tu je naravno otkačena najbolja prijateljica koja se samo želi zabavljati i nikako ne nalazi srodnu dušu, tu su i neobični roditelji kakvi samo u znaju biti u britanskim romanima…Dodatno je zamorno što se radnja svako malo prebacuje par godina unazad, pa još par godina unazad, pa onda vraća sadašnjost... a zapravo ova velika priča je jedino tako mogla i biti ispričana Međutim neosjetno ta obična ljubavna priča ti se zavuče pod kožu i počneš je osjećati, počneš se preispitivati, prepoznavati. A onda te samo zapljusne, ne val nego čitava plima emocija, a da se zapravo ni ne snađeš. Tu skidam kapu autorici jer je napisala izuzetnu životnu dramu, a samo takve knjige za mene spadaju u kategoriju onih za koje kažem “da su mi promijenile život”. A to zaista nije samo olako rečena fraza, ovaj roman te kao blagi zemljotres protrese i natjera da shvatiš vrijednost onoga što imaš u životu i uživaš u svakom trenutku tog života. Kao što Moli kaže: “Život nije samo odredište nego i uživanje u putovanju.” Izvrsno i istinito...

[Bella Scotia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apologies for the length of this. It's split into two parts. The first part has no spoilers but the second part does (I give fair warning where you should stop reading if you haven't read the book)

This is a hard one to rate because I feel like it took forever to get going and if I'm being honest the constant to-ing and fro-ing through time is quite frustrating to begin with. The story begins with Molly packing up her home to move elsewhere. Her circumstances are very ambiguous and she starts to reminisce on her life up to this point.

Each chapter is preceded by a page or two describing a particular type of kiss and then the chapter begins with a date and tells the story of a time in Molly's life where she experienced such a kiss. Like I already said, the jumping back and forth through time is quite frustrating in the beginning because we just want to know what's going on and I felt there was a little bit of a lack of cohesion in the jumbling of the time line. There wasn't really any rhyme or reason to it at times. Not like in The Time Traveller's wife where each chapter fed a little bit of the story in a way that was satisfying and consolidated what we had already gleaned from preceding chapters.

I will admit that I started to skim read in places because I wasn't interested in how fifteen-year-old Molly felt about her mum and her friend and the boy who fancied her. It felt a bit like reading my own embarrassing diary from when I was fifteen.

Once the story got going though and I started to get a grip on the plot things improved a lot. So on to the positives that I liked : Molly is flawed, she seems to be constantly berating herself for not sticking to a life plan she thought up when she was at University. She is a little bit ungrateful and a lot self-absorbed, but that's okay because she's not a bad person and is a character who is completely relatable. She's human... warts and all.

Ryan is the hot boy in town who takes a shine to her and she spends a lot of the book feeling unworthy of him. I love Ryan. Even though he is described as the guy that most girls want, he is written in such a way that he is the complete opposite of how these types of 'heroes' presented. He is in love with Molly, he is romantic without being sappy or 'wet'. In some ways he is a typical Essex lad who loves his hometown, his football and his family (not necessarily in that order) but he is ultimately committed to Molly and will do anything to make her happy.
I love Ryan. It has to be said twice.

The other characters are well written and add a nice layer to Molly's life story, but at times I did feel like maybe the author had drawn very strongly on Gavin's family in Gavin and Stacey... I could picture The Shipman's house and Gavin's parents even though the physical descriptions of them differed in the book, there was a lot of similarities. But that's maybe another Essex thing.

The emotions in this book are very real and very vivid and extremely thought provoking. There are some major red herrings thrown in so I was forming a picture in my head of what had happened in Molly's past to bring her to the point of packing up and moving on... I was wrong. So so wrong.
This book broke my heart in so many ways but I couldn't stop reading it (apart from the times when I had to put it down so I could sob for a while and replenish my tissue supply).

So that's the end of the unspoiler review. What will follow is full of spoilers so please don't read beyond this point if you haven't finished the book.





Okay, so I finished the book this morning and cried for a long time after I put it down. I've walked around all day thinking about it and feeling very very sad. It's Mother's day here in the UK and I couldn't even face going out for dinner with my kids because I wouldn't be much company. That may sound sad, but this book held a lot of triggers for me. Firstly in the beginning of the book there is a lot of stuff about the deterioration of a relationship and the strong feelings of failure that come with it. My 23 relationship ended almost a year ago and I'm still coming to terms with it. This book brought a lot of memories back, especially since I had been with my husband since I was a teenager. I thought it was really well written in that respect. Ali Harris totally captured a lot of the insecurities I myself was feeling towards the end of my relationship. I saw a lot of myself in Molly in that respect, I've always been reaching for more while my husband was far more content with his lot. That was a difficult thing to face up to.

As for Molly's relationship with her friend Casey, I was never comfortable with it. I think Casey and Molly's friendship was built on two misfits coming together because they didn't fit with anyone else. It was always apparent that they didn't have a lot in common and didn't really understand each other. Molly was the better friend because she always forgave CAsey's failings. Casey just seemed bitter and jealous most of the time and even when she was being supportive it was almost as if she was enjoying Molly's pain.

I felt like the first half of the book gave us the red herring that Casey had possibly had some kind of affair with Ryan. However as the story progressed this seemed unlikely because Ryan was clearly doing everything he could to make Molly happy. But there was always the nagging doubt in the back of my mind because I expected him to become resentful of Molly for making him leave Leigh and his family and the job he loved.

I loved how Ryan was written. He was adorable without being cringeworthy, romantic without being weak or sappy, sexy without being arrogant and completely swoonworthy in terms of the things he said to and did for Molly during romantic moments. When he gave her the shell and said 'this is the first precious thing I'll give to you and I want to give you lots more' (paraphrasing). His proposal, when he asked her to move in with him etc. I just felt warm and fuzzy in those moments.

His family was great too. I love how they pulled together and accepted Molly as one of their own straight away. It was frustrating at times how uncomfortable Molly was with this and how unworthy she seemed to feel, but I liked that she wasn't perfect.

Ryan's illness took me by surprise. The warning signs were all there, moles and sunbeds were mentioned in earlier parts of the book and then the swollen abdomen, the lethargy etc started to worry me but it still came as a shock. I have a friend who died of skin cancer five years ago so it was very difficult when things I've had direct experience of were described. AT one point I thought I might not be able to continue reading, but I did.

I thought this part of the book was exceptional. The emotions were so real and heartbreakingly vivid. Like I said before, I had to frequently put the book down and sob into my hands. Even now I have tears in my eyes thinking about Ryan's thirtieth Birthday party and the kiss he and Molly shared.

This book didn't just break my heart, it shattered it. It has taken me all day to shake some of the emotions off, but I'm still deeply affected by it.

I'm only giving it three stars because I think there was way too much backstory about Molly and Casey which really wasn't doing it for me. I enjoyed the parts with Molly and Ryan and their respective families so much more.

I found myself skimming large portions of the middle chapters because there was a frustrating lack of forward movement and I really didn't care at that point to get another snapshot of Molly and Casey's teenaged angst.

The ending felt a little bit rushed too. After lingering so long on the past we finally got to the crux of what happened and after Ryan's birthday there was barely a page devoted to the fact that he had died and Molly had grieved for two years before starting to move on. Then we got another quick run down of how she met her new husband and a quick update that she was having a baby girl and moving to Australia.

I did like the visual regarding the two planes in the end making a kiss on the sky. And I loved this quote:

But if there’s one thing Ryan’s cancer has taught me it’s that it’s the memories that stay with us forever, not the stuff that’s attached to them. I used to think that taking photographs would make me see things better, freeze the moment, remember it forever. But I realise that the only way to do that is to LIVE in the moment , not behind a lens. We don’t actually NEED pictures or endless videos of keepsakes or engagement rings to recall these special moments, because they’ll always be there. Even if they fade a little over time, one day the sun will shine in the sky on a particular morning in a particular way , or we’ll discover a long-lost item , a shell, perhaps , or a card will arrive in the post… and it’ll all come flooding back. And the memories will be good, and we’ll know that we are blessed to have them. And then we’ll feel lucky to have been given the chance to make more…

I completely agree with this sentiment and it was so beautifully conveyed.

Sorry for rambling.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly and Ryan are one of my favorite book couples! I absolutely loved their story. This book had so many valuable life lessons and I know I will be rereading this book more than once in the years to come. It is going right on my favorites shelf!

When we start the book we encounter Molly in the year 2012. We know she is not with Ryan, and we don’t know why. She is in the middle of a move and she is packing up her life, and while doing so encounters a lot of reminders of her and Ryan’s time together. Molly and Ryan’s love story is told in a series of flash backs. These flash backs are not in order, but I did not feel that they took away from the story at all. In fact, they were very important to the telling of the story and how it unfolds.

Molly and Ryan are polar opposites. Ryan is Mr. Popular, everyone loves him, and he is a happy guy who is perfectly content with his life. Ryan lives for the now and family is the most important thing in the world to him.

Molly is a couple of years younger than Ryan, has her own sense of style, is fiercely independent, and knows exactly what she wants from life. She wants a career as a photographer and wants to move away from the small town in which she and Ryan live. The last thing she wants to do is fall in love and become tied down in a relationship. That is until she meets Ryan.

Molly and Ryan are the perfect example of how opposites attract. They are so different, but they are two halves of a whole. They complement each other perfectly. You totally feel the love these two have for one another, even through the tough times, and Ryan and Molly have a lot of them.

Molly and Ryan fall in love and at first their relationship is great and they are so in love, but with someone like Molly who has big dreams, she starts to doubt her choices and lets her doubts get the best of her and Ryan’s relationship. Ryan is such a great guy who is so incredibly in love with Molly. He really is as perfect as a man can get, so I literally sat there wanting to shout at Molly about how stupid she was being. While I did not agree with her choices, the author does such a great job with character development, I completely understood her.

I loved many things about this book, and one of those things was that I had NO IDEA where Ryan was or why they weren't together anymore. I had my theories, but the way the book is written I literally kept second guessing myself. When it is finally revealed what happened about seventy five percent into the book I was still blown away. This book had me in TEARS, especially the last twenty percent.

This is a story about how we often take the things and people in our lives for granted. We often spend so much time griping about what we don’t have that we don’t take the time to appreciate what is right in front of us. This book teaches us to appreciate the kisses, the family dinners, and the nights spent at home watching movies with our significant other. I had to stop reading and go love on my two little boys and sent my husband a text message telling him how much I love him. This book really makes you appreciate the little things in life and makes you realize the complaints we have about our kids temper tantrums, and our husbands clothes on the floor just don’t matter.
10 stars!!!

[Olga · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Love big, love even bigger. Don't be afraid to stand up, to shout it out, to be heard. Say I love you. Give it what for. Give love what for. For me. Because I didn't. And now I can't."

What an amazing, heart-stopping, eye-opening and unique read. What I loved about this story was how real and genuine it felt. From the very beginning, the pain and feeling of unspeakable loss emanated from the pages of this incredible book. The characters were flawed and their imperfections made the story more real. This tale about mistakes, regret, forgiveness, second chances, learning and growing up touched my heart and made me appreciate the love I have in my life. I smiled when Ryan tried to win Molly’s heart, I laughed when they laughed and I cried when life threatened to take it all away. The story slowly unraveled while all the pieces of the puzzle little by little came together, and with every page I became more and more emotionally invested.

I wish I just enjoyed and cherished every moment of their story instead of stubbornly trying to put all the pieces together. Because, as Molly said in the book, “Life isn’t all about the destination, it’s about appreciating the journey”.

[Učitaj se! | Martina Štivičić · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly i Ryan zaljubili su se kao tinejdžeri, a od tih davnih dana do danas neprestano su se razilazili pa ponovno vraćali jedno drugom, mirili se i svađali. Danas, Molly i Ryan više nisu zajedno, a Molly se prisjeća svih zajedničkih trenutaka, i onih dobrih, i onih loših, želeći da je bilo više onih dobrih, i žaleći za onim lošima. Molly se prisjeća svoje i Ryanove priče, prisjećajući se svakog poljupca, od kojih je neke od njih dala bez razmišljanja i primila ih bez da zastane i uživa u njima dok su trajali - tada dok još nije znala da će jedan od njih ujedno biti i posljednji.

Mollyna i Ryanova priča počinje kao zabavni romantični chick-lit roman, sve to vrijeme u sebi skrivajući puno, puno više od toga. Jer ovo nije samo chick-lit, niti je samo obična priča o ljubavi - ovo je priča o onoj pravoj ljubavi, koju ne cijeniš dovoljno cijelo vrijeme dok u njoj uživaš, sve dok ju jednoga dana ne izgubiš.

Zabavna priča s početka postupno prerasta u dirljivu romansu, a zatim i u potresnu ljubavnu priču koja ima potencijala da vas uzdrma do srži. Ona će vas natjerati da u vlastitoj ljubavnoj priči prestanete biti tek promatrač, te da se uključite u nju kao aktivni sudionik.

Molly nam svoju i Ryanovu priču priča oslanjajući se na njihove poljupce kao ključne točke u toj priči, tjerajući čitatelje pritom da se i sami prisjete svojih vlastitih. Sama priča nije ispričana kronološki, već u različitim vremenskim skokovima, koje isprva može biti malo teže slijediti, ali jednom kad uhvatite ritam, i počnete otkrivati čitavu sliku tijeka događaja, takav vam način pisanja postane samorazumljiv i shvatite da ne postoji drugačiji način na koji bi priča mogla biti ni približno tako dobro ispričana.

Gledajući unatrag prema svakom poljupcu koji je doživjela s Ryanom, Molly nam pokazuje kako je baš svaki od njih bio bitan, i kako je baš svakog bilo potrebno sačuvati u sjećanju, za one dane kada tih poljubaca više ne bude. I ne radi se ovdje samo o poljupcima, već o svakom trenutku provedenom s dragom osobom, kojeg u tom trenutku ne cijenimo dovoljno, naivno misleći da ćemo ih imati još dovoljno kasnije. Ova priča će vas natjerati da razmislite malo o tome i da počnete više cijeniti te dragocjene trenutke, bez obzira koliko će još takvih, nakon njih, slijediti.

Molly i Ryan savršeno nam prikazuju 'život' jedne ljubavne veze: one trenutke u kojima prštimo od ljubavi i trenutke u kojima plutamo na sedmom nebu, kao i trenutke u kojima bismo najradije zadavili partnera i trenutke u kojima smo jedno drugo, manje ili više teško, povrijedili. Treba naglasiti da Mollyna i Ryanova veza nije savršena, niti su oni u baš svakom trenutku savršeni jedno za drugo, zapravo je više trenutaka u kojima se njihova veza čini kao veza dvoje potpuno nespojivih ljudi. Oni imaju različite interese, različite stvari im se sviđaju i različite ih stvari živciraju, ali u toj različitosti su ipak pronašli jedno drugo i ponekad savršeno funkcioniraju. Mollyna i Ryanova veza prikazana je zapanjujuće realno, a opet zadivljujuće bajkovito: baš kao što stvarne veze između stvarnih ljudi to često i jesu.

Mollyna i Ryanova priča natjerat će vas na razmišljanje, potaknut će vas da se zapitate i da proispitate vašu vlastitu priču. S Molly i s Ryanom ćete se prisjećati svojih prvih (i drugih, i trećih... i posljednjih) poljubaca, proživjet ćete s njima neke nezaboravne trenutke, podsjetiti se zašto volite onoga koga volite, smijat ćete se i plakati, i nadasve, uživati u prekrasnoj, potresnoj, i toliko životnoj, priči.

P.S. Mali savjet za one koji ne mogu izbjeći pustiti koju suzu tijekom čitanja doista dirljive priče: pripremite maramice. ;)

[E.M. Abel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish all of you would go and kiss your loved ones right now and savor it- and savor every one that follows it. Because when you know that those kisses are finite, that each one you share is brining you close to goodbye, you'll wonder why you wasted so many.

If I could give this book 10 STARS I would. First I'd like to say thank you to my friend, Marta, for recommending it. When she told me it was her all time favorite book I knew I had to read it. She never says those types of things lightly.

This book is so complex I'm not even sure where to begin. One thing I do know is I'll never be able to cover everything. So please just read it. You won't regret it.

Although this book made me cry... often, it also made me incredibly happy. It opened my heart and my mind to so much. We always hear sayings like, "Don't take life for granted." or "It isn't the destination, it's the journey." but how many of us really take in the value of those words? How many of us take the time to stop and appreciate the moments we're given everyday? The people in our lives that we just assume will always be there no matter what?
This book was life changing, honestly.

Molly is the heroine in this story and I have to say I bonded with her instantly. She's the girl that refuses to settle for the same things most girls do. She refuses to fall for a guy just because he's hot and everyone loves him. She refuses to give up her dreams just because she's fallen in love. Molly struggles between staying true to herself and all the things she dreamed about "pre-love" and appreciating the love that she shares with Ryan. There are moments that she questions which is more valuable, which path to choose. Or can she have both?
It's funny how love transforms your life, morphs it into something new and scary.

Ryan... oh Ryan. He isn't perfect but god... YES he is. If there were ever a man made for Molly, a man who was created to love her, he is it. He wears his heart on his sleeve, he's confident, athletic, energetic, positive and loves Molly in a way ANYONE would want to be loved by another. He took my breath away. Many, many times.

"I have been in love with you since the moment I first saw you, Molly Carter," Ryan says. "Now can we stop pretending that this isn't meant to be?"

This book is about kisses. About the different types of kisses we experience in our life and how just one kiss can change us forever.

A discarded kiss is a moment of love lost forever.

Loving someone means having the confidence to know that you won't be happy all the time, that they can't make you happy all the time.

"The secret to a long marriage, Molly, is to not lose yourself in it. We come into this life alone, and we leave it alone. The only true constant, is yourself..."

"You made my life perfect as soon as you showed me that I wasn't."

This book was absolutely beautiful and I would NOT change ONE THING. It's one you'll want to buy and keep on your bookshelf so you can pass it on to your kids. Absolutely, heart wrenchingly beautiful.

[Sharon Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to be honest right from the start and say I absolutely loved Ali Harris’ second novel. Her debut, Miracle on Regent Street was a ‘keeper’ for me so The First Last Kiss had a lot to live up to. It surpassed her debut for me. This review is going to be hard to write!

To begin with I loved the structure. We start on 5 January 2012 … moving day for Molly. This on its own is a very poignant scene. She’s watching a DVD and this connects with the structure as we’re taken through the journey of Molly and Ryan’s love by rewinding, fast forwarding and play. Timelines like this are full of intrigue as sometimes we know the outcome but not how the characters arrived at that place and Harris uses this structure to drop subtle clues as to what may be coming. I made assumptions too … 29th May 2007 springs to mind … and I was totally wrong. This is a very ambiguous part of the story at the time it is read but actually, when it’s fitted into the whole, you realise what and why the scene is a part of. Items being packed up during the move cause flashbacks and the different ways we use kisses are interjected at relevant points (for example The Welcome Kiss, The Snatched Kiss).

The characters are fabulous. Molly’s best friends Mia and Casey and her own family and Ryan’s give the story much colour and depth. Molly’s career, and the way she uses the camera are also an integral part of the story. It’s obvious to the reader that Harris is knowledgeable about the way a magazine operates.

Molly and Ryan’s love affair is not perfect and therefore mirrors real life. The reader spends time with them together and time with them apart. We get to experience life in London, Leigh-on-Sea, New York and Australia. Different parenting styles, childhood perceptions plus teenage angst are all a part of this story as well.

I’ve experienced the most high of emotions reading this … and the lowest. At times I was reluctant to pick up the book and carry on because I knew what was coming but it’s a compulsion, you have to pick it up because the story becomes a part of your life. That’s how real it all feels.

It’s hard to say too much otherwise I will be giving the plot away! Harris deals with the situations with so much realism that you can’t help but be affected by them. This truly is a love story that will live with you for a long time after you’ve turned that final page. This book should come with a warning * tissues required *

The First Last Kiss would make an amazing movie!

I would like to thank the publishers for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Jennifer Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Last Kiss is told in snippets, rewinding and fast forwarding through Molly Carter and Ryan Cooper's stormy relationship as well as showing Molly in the present day as she packs up her home in preparation of a big move. We don’t know where Molly and Ryan stand or how their relationship has developed over the years since they got together but there are teasing clues to keep you turning the pages to find out what happens with them. I wasn’t sure how the book would work to begin with, flipping backwards and forwards through the years and events. I thought it might prove to be confusing and difficult to keep up with but it did work and there were no problems at all with the mixed up scenes. In fact, I quite liked the formula. It felt fresh and kept me guessing as to what would happen next or how Molly ended up in certain situations.

I loved the relationship between Molly and Ryan. They're quite different in personality and their outlook on life but they seemed like a lovely, genuine couple who meant the world to each other so it was a joy to be allowed into their lives and see them grow. Their relationship wasn’t perfect, which only made it seem more real.

As well as his relationship with Molly, I also loved how close Ryan was to his mother. Jackie is a big character and in real life would probably be quite hard to take but I thought she was fantastic in The First Last Kiss and was clearly very loving and loyal. Molly didn’t have the same closeness with her own parents but there are some touching moments between them once Molly has left her teenage angst behind.

For me, one of the most complex characters was Molly’s best friend, Casey. My feelings switched from feeling sorry for the fellow outcast to feeling frustrated and even angry with her for the duration of the book. She could be fiercely loyal yet scatty or needy and immature so you never really know what you’re going to get when Casey is around.

There are amusing and light moments in The First Last Kiss, particularly the banter between Molly and Ryan and Ryan’s grandmother, Nanny Door, is a lot of fun but you should be warned that a box of tissues may come in handy along the way too. The First Last Kiss is an emotional rollercoaster of a read and is gut wrenchingly touching and heart breaking at times. I read chunks of the book with a lump in my throat and an ache in my chest but I was compelled to see it through to the end and I’m glad I did because the book is beautiful and thought provoking. The story of Molly and Ryan will remain with me for a long time.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY MOLLY!(no pun intended:))
WHAT A BOOK!!!

I loved it! Every single page of it! Seriously, I was expecting an emotional book, but this..this is..OMG, I have no words to describe how good, emotional and moving this book is.
I heard great comments about it and many of my friends here on GR have already read it and enjoyed it, but I had no idea I will devour this book in just a bit more than 24 hours.

This is a moving story about a couple, Ryan and Molly, who have been on and off for a long time, 6 years if I remember correctly. BUT they share quite a longer history, ever since their crappy first kiss, till their first real kiss in Ibiza. I admit, I didn't like Molly much, but I loved Ryan, sweet and sensitive Ryan. Molly is a rebel, an ugly duckling that grew into this beautiful (yet pain in the butt) young lady.
I wish I could say more about the plot, but I'm afraid I will spoil the book for you. Ali takes us on an emotional journey, back and forth in time, and place, Australia, UK, US, and let me tell you...she does this magnificently.

Brilliant and moving story about love, loss, hope, moving on, and oh..kissing!:)
Make sure you read this book, and never take your loved ones for granted. Hug them, tell them you care about them each and every day, and kiss them..because those kisses are something you'll never forget.

[Book-shelf Shelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really don't know how to write a review about this book, there is so much to say, but i don't want to give anything away.
It is like reading a diary for me personally, but a diary i never wrote. Ali has got in our heads and written the thoughts, fears, laughter and tears. This is a book that has made me laugh and cry ( Like Mia, I don't cry... At all). It is a book that will stay in me for the rest of my life (I cant actually put it on a shelf as re-reading some of it is especial).

But it is also a book i hated reading as it opened wounds, 3.5 years ago this was my life... now i'm waiting for my Chris. I loved reading every page and know it will be a huge seller, probably (or should) be a film very soon... It is up there with P.S. I love you and Me Before You.. and will be THE book of 2013 and not one many would want to miss. A huge thank you Ali, for bringing us such an amazing story.