I Loved You First (Coming of Age Love Story) [Kindle Edition]

Reena Jacobs (Author)

Book Description

My best friend was more than just a best friend to me. Three words summed it up: I heart him. I'd never tell him though. I wasn't stupid. Besides, what he'd told no one, but me, was a little something I wished I could forget... or ignore. He was gay. I guess gay wouldn't be bad if I wasn't so in love with him. Now it was just cruel.

Stereotypes run amok in this college love story: Parties, alcohol, hookups, and breakups. Alexandria Carmichael may find it a bit much as she deals with the unreturned love from the boy who completes her. When all is revealed, not only does she risk losing her best friend forever, but also herself. Without her childhood companion for support, Alexandria takes a journey of self-discovery but fears what she'll find at the end.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Reviewed by Lisa McCombs for Readers Favorite
Alex and Seth have the perfect relationship. They are best friends since grade school. They do everything together. They practically read one another's thoughts and now they are beginning a new life chapter together as they begin college. It should be the perfect continuation of their perfect relationship and one that could possibly change Seth's perspective on his own sexuality that would allow him to see how much his female BFF loves him. Unfortunately, college only brings the two friends closer to the reality of Seth's homosexuality and the consequences of being part of a ridiculed population. As Alex continues to cover for Seth in helping him keep his secret exactly that, she battles with the fact that her protection is costing her more and more heartbreak. She is absolutely devoted to Seth, so much so that she has never experienced a life without him. Enter Dink, the massive football player who vies for her attention. Will Alex dump her BFF to have a relationship outside their isolated world? Can she do that?

Reena Jacobs has presented an exploration of a theme that is not always popular in the world of our youth, but is a common occurrence in the collegiate arena. Young people often question their own sexuality and experiment in order to discover their true purpose and "I Loved You First" brings home the heart-wrenching consequences of choosing to be different. I really enjoyed this book. It is a quick read that won't allow the reader to put it aside until the final page.

About the Author

Reena Jacobs is just an author who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog.

Product Details

• File Size: 251 KB
• Print Length: 214 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1463529686
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Ciquette (July 29, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005F9QR58
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #568,464 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars IndieReader Review December 21, 2011

By Amy Edelman

Format:Paperback

Alex is a typical college freshman with a crush on a guy. The only problem is that Seth has been her best friend since high school and, he's gay.

Alex Carmichael has been Seth Richard's sidekick, lackey, almost-invisible gossip buddy at all the good parties and his faithful standby through high school, hoping that one day he will feel the same way about her that she feels about him. Even though Seth begins to date cheerleader Cheyenne to keep up appearances, he is not supportive of the time that Alex spends with Dink, the football player interested in her, and Alex is hesitant to accommodate anyone other than Seth into her schedule.

Apart from a couple of typos and lack on consistencies in events, author Reena Jacobs Jacob's writing is natural and the story flows. Jacobs' inspiring message about the beauty of accepting yourself and others for whom they really are is perceptive and touching. Alex is a believable heroine, hiding in the shadows of the one she loves, and reluctantly realizes that her best friend is not making the best choices for her, but for himself alone. Alex learns to readjust her priorities so that she is no longer an unappreciated sidekick, but an individual who surrounds herself with people who like her for who she is in her own right. Alex learns that she can be a loyal friend without sacrificing her dignity. Seth is the credible closet homosexual trying to juggle the stereotypical football player image with his sexuality. By releasing his hold over Alex, he not only allows her to flourish, but he is left to reveal the truth of his identity to his friends and loved ones and learn true self-acceptance.

I Loved You First is about love, loyalty and acceptance of others, but also of oneself. An encouraging read for young adults.

Also by the same author: Shadow Cat (The Striped One)

Reviewed by Maya Fleischmann for IndieReader

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story September 28, 2011

By Donna McBroom-Theriot

Format:Kindle Edition

I Loved You First was a beautiful book about unconditional friendship between a boy and girl, although Seth seemed to be a little more self-centered than Alex. He was the drama queen of the relationship. The book aptly depicted how some friendships keep you confined in a very small place, never allowing "you" to be "you".
Seth was, plain and simple - a drama queen. He came across as self-centered person caught up in his masquerade, seeming not to notice that he was suffocating the one person who cared the most for him.
Alex, devoted in every way to her BFF, Seth, did not mind being Seth's sidekick until college. After a football/frat boy begins paying attention to her and telling her that she is noticed. She cannot appreciate the attention because she is love with Seth, her gay friend. Alex begins to want the individualism she has denied herself through the years. She begins to explore dating and realizes that she enjoys the male attention.
Alex also befriends a girl from one of her classes. Seth has consumed her world and this is all new to her - as many young adults figure out once they begin college.
College is a time of discovery, a transition time from childhood into adulthood. It is a time where we discover who we are; a time when new friendships are forged and we begin to blossom into the adults we are meant to become. The book was a good depiction of college life and the growing pains and changes that we go through. It was a good story and I think many people will enjoy the book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely coming of age story! October 11, 2012

By sarabara081

Format:Paperback

When I first saw the premise behind I Loved You First, I immediately was intrigued. A story about a girl in love with someone who could never love her back in the same way, an almost forbidden love? I needed to know more!

What I didn't expect was how the story felt like more than just a heartbreaking `love' story, but instead a coming of age story about a girl, Alex, who was afraid to come out of her shell, meet new people, and separate from what was comfortable and easy with her best friend, Seth. Alex starts to get a little sick and tired of hanging back and watching Seth pretend to care for other girls in an effort to stay in the closet. Slowly she makes steps to become her own person. She makes mistakes as she goes, but they are such learning experiences for her. A new friend she meets along the way is a spitfire girl named Trinity. OMG I loved her! She had some serious balls and boy did she crack me up! She wasn't prevalent in the novel until the end but I almost wish there could have been more of her!

On the side of the relationship with Seth, I must admit that I wish we were able to see a little bit more of the relationship, more interaction before things changed between them. I felt like we had Alex telling us more about how close they were instead of us actually seeing it ourselves. I wanted to FEEL the connection of their bond. I think the impact on the story would have been much greater. But I did feel horrible for the situation Alex had gotten herself into and there was one powerful moment between them that made me ache and perhaps get a tad misty.

I Loved You First is so much more than a girl trying to come to terms with her best friend's homosexuality. It is about a girl gaining her independence and stepping out of the shadows. If you like coming of age stories, than this is definitely a book for you!

~Sara @ Forever 17 Books

More About the Author

As an avid reader, Reena is known to hoard books and beg her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog.

Find Reena online at:

website: http://www.reenajacobs.com
blog: http://www.reenajacobs.com/blog
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ReenaJacobs

Sign up for Reena's newsletter (Ramblings of an Amateur Writer) and automatically be entered into her monthly drawings: http://eepurl.com/hC5aI