Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The Very First Bite by Cynthia Langston

3.5 Star

The Very First Bite chronicles the toils and triumphs of Lanie Albers, who has just ten weeks to mentally and physically prepare for the ultimate day of reckoning: her high school class reunion.

With twenty pounds of extra weight, a dead-end job and a boyfriend who won’t commit, the prospect of revisiting old classmates has Lanie reeling with panic. Not to mention the loose ends she’ll finally have to face, like Chad, her first love, for whom she suspects she might still have feelings. And Candace, her lifelong best friend, who abruptly ended their friendship seven years ago with no explanation.

By examining the ghosts of her past, Lanie begins to prepare for the revelations and confrontations of the big night. She also launches a desperate campaign to lose weight: an uproarious battle with fad diets and disastrous workouts, most of which lead her right back to the cookie jar.

Kaley - 3.5 Star

Have you ever read two books back to back that had very similar storylines? One was probably better, right? And I’d guess that there was a very good chance that the lesser of the two would have been more enjoyable had you not also experienced the other. This was the case for me with The Very First Bite by Cynthia Langston. I was listening to an audiobook of another novel that was very similar to this plot and I couldn’t help but compare the two. Why am I telling you this? Partly in case you’ve read Langston’s novel and are thinking, “Why didn’t she love this book like I did?” And partly because I really do think I would have liked this one more had I not been listening to the other book. I did enjoy reading this novel, it was just unfortunate timing.

The only other, teeny, thing is that Lanie kind of drove me crazy. She’s not exactly overweight but she wants to lose about twenty pounds. Cool, that’s great for her. What bothered me was her total cluelessness when it came to dieting. I don’t think this should be a big deal but it bugged me. All she needed to do is put down the Pop Tarts, pick up the vegetables, and put in some gym time. Not try every fad diet there is. Not only was it silly but it also got a bit repetitive.

I really liked the storyline with Candace, Lanie’s estranged best friend from childhood. Candace isn’t in Lanie’s life in the present day so the stories we get are all told in flashbacks. Not only did we get to find out more about their friendship but also what Lanie was like as a child, teen, and young adult, which gave more depth to her character. Exploring friendships is always enjoyable for me and this was the part of the novel I liked the most.

I wasn’t sure what would happen at the end of this novel and I loved that. It’s not often that you get a really unpredictable chick lit story. I didn’t know how her romantic life would play out or if Candace would come back into her life. I liked that there were just enough twists and turns to keep me guessing but not confused.

The Very First Bite by Cynthia Langston was a fun and enjoyable chick lit read. There were crazy character quirks, romantic issues, and entertaining adventures with friends. If you’re looking for an amusing read for the weekend, I suggest checking this one out.

Thank you to Cynthia Langston for our review copy. All opinions are our own.

Connect with Cynthia Langston:
Website
Facebook
Twitter

No comments:

Post a Comment

Share!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...