First Love

by Sheeja Jose

About the Book

Tina is seventeen. Wonderful! Fell in love at thirteen. Amazing! She is no longer a virgin. So cool! But she is still in love with her first love. To say that Tina has the perfect love story will be no exaggeration. But her love loves her back only in her dreams. In real life, he is busy skirt-chasing every single girl except her. Years pass, and Tina finds it impossible to get over him. She is determined to make her first love her last, even if she gets hurt again and again. Will Tina get the happy ending she so desperately wants? A passionate love story, first love journeys through the love of two youngsters as they get hurt, suffer heartbreaks, and love with an unending passion.

About the Author

SHEEJA JOSE is the author of two bestselling crime thrillers—Goodbye Girl (2015) and Gone with the Bullet (2016). She was the creative director of some of the successful TV shows such as Adalat before she found her calling in writing. A fan of Tarantino and Christopher Nolen, she enjoys studying psychology and physics. She believes that the best learning happens by travelling and strangers are the best teachers. Sheeja lives in Mumbai and is currently pursuing her Masters in literature. To know more about and to connect with Sheeja Jose, contact her at: sheejasthoughts@gmail.com https://twitter.com/sheejasthoughts https://www.facebook.com/sheeja.jose.96 https://www.facebook.com/Sheeja-Jose-... Insta: authorsheejajose.

272 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2019

Reviews

[Aryan Sarath · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic story which would take you back your teens. You may or may not have experienced the phenomenon called "LOVE" but this would rekindle the memories of your past. They say that the "First Love" is always special and remain etched in the memories forever. This is what happens with the protagonist Tina, only daughter of the single mother Rachel.



Tina was a happy to go girl. She had her friends circle and was quite popular in her apartment called Daffodils. This name is special to me because my first blog site(which is still functioning bears its name - daffodilstouch)until one day Aditya Kapoor alias Adi arrives.



Coming from an affluent family, he has this attitude in himself by default. He ridicules Tina. However, Minu, Adi's sister likes her. As they say, "Love is blind", Tina starts loving Adi but Adi who has dated many girls like Dia, Shruti, Riha never approved her love though they had sex.



This book is straight forward in establishing the fact that there is no need to be ashamed of Sex and it would be good,if it is discussed with the parents. Of course, not everyone would take it the same way as Rachel. On the other hand, if it is kept hidden, it would invariably lead to lot of consequences.



The story is set to happen during two different timelines - 2012 and 2016. While Tina keeps failing in impressing Adi, she tries to make her single mom happy in all aspects. What she does is something revolutionary. She gets enrolled in tennis class and Rohit who is Tina's tennis partner, falls in love with her.



What happens to this Triad Love?

Which one emerges successful in the end?



Read this beautifully portrayed novel which would keep you captivated till the end.

[Chetana Thakur Chakraborty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheeja Jose's book, First Love, is a passionate love story which journeys through the love of two youngsters as they get hurt, suffer heartbreaks, and love with an unending passion.

The protagonist of this story is a young girl, Tina. She is seventeen. When she was thirteen she fell in love with Adi, her neighbour and classmate. But Adi doesn't reciprocate the feelings. For him, she is only a friend. Things get more complicated when Rohit, who plays tennis with her, falls in love with her. And thus, twist in the plot - a love triangle!
The story is narrated in the first person. The story shifts between two different timelines - 2016 and 2012.
Read the book to know if Tina succeeds in getting the happy ending which she so desperately wants.

The book is very well written. All the characters are quite well developed. I generally do not like reading typical romance novels, but this has a different touch in it. The author has done a really commendable job in penning this book down. In the beginning, I felt a little bored but as the story proceeded, I started getting engrossed in the novel. It is written in a simple and lucid language and is an easy read. The narrative pace was also on point.

Altogether, it was a nice and easy light read for me. I enjoyed reading this book. If you like reading YA fiction and romance novels, you can give this book a read.

[Sumith Chowdhury · Rating 1 out of 5]

All I've to say about this book is I'm utterly disappointed. The very fact that I'm unable to say much as how to feel after reading this book makes up for a very pathetic & miserable moment of my life. The only thing which I liked about the book was the first 2 pages of prologue which seemed sweet. However, the moment sexual gratification started all my hopes started fading away. Only the starting 20 pages showed somewhat considerable promise with a romantic story onshore. But beyond that, I felt cringy & gagged upto the point where there's no turning back.
As soon as the premise started looking good it all faded away when the central protagonist comes off as a creepy female stalker who's obsessed with her crush oppressor who's only after carnal desires. She's even ready to go upto the extent as to sleep with him, lose her virginity to make the guy her boyfriend. The very concept of sex being used so casually, virginity being thrown around like it doesn't mean anything made me more flummoxed. And I encounter this strange problem here likewise.

Writing style is okay. Language is simple. Narration is okay. Characterisation is okay. As the book progressed it became more & more deteriorating upto the point where one would literally abandon the book altogether. I felt like Dnf-ing many times but I braced myself to finish it anyhow.

I'll be listing the domains which links to the downfall of this book. Firstly, there's this overextensive usage of sex. We live in a country called India where there're copious amount of traditions & customs to be followed. I'm not talking about stereotypes or prejudices here. There's something that we call as 'modesty'. Yes, I understand this is 21st century & world is changing in a progressive manner. However, there're still many who decency over lewdness. And this book crosses all limits of decency in the form of lewdness because here most of the characters are children in the range of 14-19. They're in their teens & they're blatantly discussing about sex types in a very shameless manner. Even their parents indulge in the discussion. I mean how preposterous & outrageous it is. It has been been used shamelessly & predominantly throughout the book. The fact that the central character herself encourages & employs it in every situation portrays a very sad yet miserable state of our society where we see every man/woman falling prey to various heinous crimes. And not to forget, men have mostly treated women as mere objects of sex. But it is also the other way around & it has been presented here very beautifully.

Secondly, there's this opportunity for the author to present us with a totally perverted book. These topics are very sensitive, hence must be dealt with utmost caution & secrecy. Because they might have some serious repertoire repercussions on the minds of the readers considering most of them are teenagers. However, to the contrary we find it totally amusing here.

Even the storyline & plot was poor. The very concept chosen was illogical, irrational, irrelevant & irritating. Too many clichéd references. Also, ending & climax was another letdown. There wasn't any plausible or possible explanation given to the questions which arise at the end of the book. This book got me hugely disappointed. The way everything has been presented, it may have serious consequences & repercussions on the minds of the readers. Overall, not worth recommending to anyone.

[The Bookish Elf · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Love by Sheeja Jose was my blackout read and it served its purpose incredibly well. I was utterly absorbed by this story of Tina – much more than I ever expected to be. This book reminded me that I am a closet romantic and I really do enjoy romance when it’s done well. Even when prickly Tina and coquettish Adi were saying some pretty cheesy things to each other, my cringe level stayed surprisingly low. But then, Author Sheeja Jose does such a wonderful job of bucking the typical YA romance roles.

The book is about first love, the one you remember for the rest of your life. Tina, a happy-go-lucky girl and the only child of single mother, has a thorny personality, and has to deal with some extreme situation at very young age. Tina falls for Aditya Kapoor who is busy chasing every single girl except Tina.

I had a smile on my face from beginning to end. There are some serious topics dealt with, but Tina handled them with a strength that is rare at that age. This book should be on the reading list at school for teens. It has some adult language but is so in context with the characters and story that it seems insignificant. This is the story of two teens who individually are so different from each other, that they are either ignored or scorned almost constantly. 

This book can be enjoyed by adults as well as teens for there are lessons within that can be learned by all. I loved how the characters weren't your typical love story characters and how they were so unique. This book is real. The people are real, flawed, awful, wonderful, beautiful, ugly and real. What happens is real. It's fun, and it's real, and the way that Author Sheeja has captured this truth, this reality, is magnificent. 

I have never seen warts-and-all humanity and relationships, both romantic and familial, captured so well in a YA book. I not only loved Tina and Adi, but I loved their friends, and I loved Tina' mother Rachel. I loved Rachel's character so much I would read an entire book just about her. 

First Love is a typical rainy day read. It's cute, easy to read, you don't have to think a lot about the story, no big dramas or plot twists. You just read and suddenly you finish it. The story is cute and witty, I laughed many times over the course of 270 pages. The ending was satisfying.

[Nikhil Talwar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished Reading "First Love" by "Sheeja Jose" and here are my honest reviews:-

Sheeja Jose's book, First Love, is a passionate love story which journeys through the love of two youngsters as they get hurt, suffer heartbreaks, and love with an unending passion.

The protagonist of this story is a young girl, Tina. She is seventeen. When she was thirteen she fell in love with Adi, her neighbour and classmate. But Adi doesn't reciprocate the feelings. For him, she is only a friend. Things get more complicated when Rohit, who plays tennis with her, falls in love with her. And thus, twist in the plot - a love triangle!
The story is narrated in the first person. The story shifts between two different timelines - 2016 and 2012.

Read the book to know if Tina succeeds in getting the happy ending which she so desperately wants.

The book is very well written. All the characters are quite well developed. The author has done a really commendable job in penning this book down. The story seems fast paced and the places where emotions needed to be explored have been explored well. The characters are well developed, I felt as if Tina is my friend and is narrating me her story through this book. This story has everything- happy moments, sadness, heartbreaks, intimacy and of course emotions.

First Love by Sheeja Jose takes you on an emotional ride and makes a great fast read which would definitely remind you of your first love.

The title and the cover are in complete sync, first love is clearly portrayed on the cover.

It is a must read book. Will take you back to your memory lane. Writer has put very minute details in story telling which makes it hard to put down the book.

I would like to give 5 out of 5 stars to this book.

[Sidharth K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a first person narration by the protagonist,Tina, in two separate timelines - when she's 13 and when she's 17.

Living with her divorced mother Rachel, 'Captain' Tina spends her days with her gang of friends from her building and school - Krish, Rahul, Dia and others. Into her happy life enters the rich, charming Aditya Kapoor.
Tina and Adi's relationship changes drastically over the years. This contrast in the nature of their relationship in the separate timelines is striking. How a once-popular Tina and her crazy teenage hormones try to pull through a shattered social life, a love triangle and her personal sorrows forms the story.
Waves of nostalgia arise from the pages when Tina finds out how quickly loyalties change, friends turn into mindless, cruel foes and vice versa. And when that happens, we alongwith Tina realize the value of family and the importance of teachers to guide us in those formative years. And of course, the meaning of friendship, love and the blurry lines separating them which all of us can relate to.
The characters, all well-developed, are flawed and realistic. They stay with you long after you're done reading. The first few pages seem dull but they quickly change to an absorbing read ending with a big reveal.

Like Tina seeing 'all the colours of love', Author Sheeja skillfully fills the book with all the colours of human emotions including the darker ones, through a breazy narration and some lovely poetry.
Definitely one of the better ones in the genre. 5/5, in my books! :)

[Priyanka Jayaraman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tina, a.k.a Angel is a 17 year old girl who goes through all the teenage problem like all of us have(or are going through)

She proclaims to have fallen in love with an obnoxiously rich , knows all the celebrities Adi at the age of 13. While everyone around her convinces her that first loves are often not the last ones, she is convinced otherwise.

She finds her love unrequited and her only solace are her mother and her teacher Miss. Rose. I absolutely loved both these character sketches as I truly believe that parents and teachers help in shaping a kid's future, especially during the formative teenage years.

I found the book to be a little dragging at some places since it keeps switching between present and past events. Also I kind of found the concept to be a little unreal since I personally could not relate to a lot of the things discussed. Not at the age mentioned most definitely.

I liked the fact that important topics such as stalking were actually discussed in a matured way and I feel thats very important for people to know especially the teenagers who read this.

It was still a good read through it reminded me of the movie/book "One Day" where they kept coming back to each other despite everything.

Might recommend this book to late teens. Dont know if people older might be able to relate as much.

[Rashmi Pai-Prabhu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book review 73:
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First love by Sheeja Jose
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About the book:
Tina is a quintessential teen and this story tracks the progress of her first love right from when it starts and spans across three years to when it culminates.
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Adi, her love interest , is a bonafide romeo who dates anything in skirts.
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This story is about how Tina's love progresses, and whether it is eventually reciprocated or not. .
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Review :
The title and the cover are in complete sync, first love is clearly portrayed on the cover.
The language is simple and easy to understand without grammatical errors or spelling mistakes
The fonts are of a good size and spacing and paragraphs are well defined to make it easy on the eye.
The characters and protagonists are well developed and there is no confusion .
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Opinion and Ratings :
The book is a little cliched and borders on unbelievable .
Yes, there is a feel good factor due to the happy ending but it appears unrealistic given how the entire story proceeds initially.
One time read especially for teens and dreamers. .
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Rating :⭐⭐⭐ good

[Tanusri Reddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this passionate love story. Initially I thought it's an one sided love story of Tina who failed to achieve her true love , on the other hand it was Adi who was always there with his beloved Tina fulfilling her dreams.Whether it was Adi or Tina ,they made a beautiful love story to read and feel all colours of love.thanks to Sheeja Jose for making First Love successful at the end of the story otherwise most of the first love stories remains unsaid & unheard.

[Siddhi Palande · Rating 4 out of 5]

On some level this book evoked a sense of nostalgia in me. And I am sure it will certainly remind the readers of their first love. But at the same time it evoked a whirlpool of uncanny emotions and bottled up feelings. I found myself teary eyed. And I can say that the book left me a tad rattled but still made me smile.

More about the book is updated on ofbookbabiesandmore.wordpress.com

[Praveenkumar Balasubramaniyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A soulful love story from a women point of view.

[Samara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This made me cry ;-;

[Rishwanth R · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and simple read with not so game changing features but still a pleasant read to have a comfy evening and time.

[Anjali Singh]

Nice book

[Mahima · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about teen love. It was easy to read and the concept was quite good.