Review: The First One by Tawdra Kandle

Ali and Flynn were high school sweethearts. Eager to see the world and leave behind their small Georgia hometown, they’d planned for an exciting new life together after they finished school. But on graduation day, only one of them hit the road. Eight years down that road, an unexpected loss brings Flynn home again. He’s a big-shot photo journalist, and he’s made most of his plans reality. But he’s done it alone. Is it too late for his biggest dream to come true? Ali’s spent those years working hard, raising a daughter and helping her brother keep their family farm alive. Thinking about Flynn and what might have been is a pain she tries to avoid. . .even when it’s impossible to forget. Flynn’s return brings back feelings Ali thought were long dead and hopes she’d abandoned. Finding their way back to each other will change them forever, opening old wounds and stirring up memories. Can the first love be the one that lasts forever?

4 Stars!

Review by Natasha Gentile 

When I read the blurb I was caught right away.  I mean who doesn’t love stories about high school sweethearts? 

Meet Ali and Flynn -high school students looking forward to taking on the world.  Flynn is the photojournalist for the high school paper.  Little did he know that when he would be meeting the reporter for the school's paper she would bring along her friend. It all started with a look and in the end a look is all it takes, right?

She’d turned toward me, and for the first time, I looked at her.  Really looked.  Huge, gorgeous brown eyes gazed back at me, and I was gone.

And with that history was made.  The friendship quickly escalated to love and let's be honest, at 16 you think that you will be with that person forever.  They had all their plans laid out for them; go away to college together, travel the world together, get away from their small town.  It was going to be all or nothing. 

Except on graduation day, only one of them left.  Flynn would not be stuck in this little town no matter if he left his heart there.

Eight years later, eight long years later, Flynn is coming back to town.  He comes back to town the big honcho photo journalist, he made all his dreams come true.  The only problem is that he did it all alone.  He has it in his mind to get in and get out, just one problem.  Actually it’s an eight year old problem!

“You weren’t here.”  I covered my face with my hands.  “You were gone, and you’d told me that night that nothing and no one was going to hold you back.  When I asked you to stay with me, you told me that if you did, you’d end up hating me.  Resenting me.  So strangely enough, the idea of asking you to come back was not very appealing.”

When he comes face to face with Ali and her eight-year-old daughter, he is shocked and utterly speechless.  For eight years he thought that she didn’t love him, he thought she didn’t choose him.  For eight years she thought he forgot all about the girl who held his heart.

So now lays another dilemma, does he leave everything behind again or does he finally choose the girl who he loves, does he chose the first one; the first one he gave his heart to, the first one he spoke about his dreams to, the first one who loved him and can give him everything!