Book Club: The First Last Kiss by Ali Harris

The Blurb

How do you hold on to a love that is slowly slipping away from you? Can you let go of the past when you know what is in the future? And how do you cope when you know that every kiss is a countdown to goodbye? This is the story of a love affair, of Ryan and Molly and how they fell in love and were torn apart. The first time Molly kissed Ryan, she knew they'd be together forever. Six years and thousands of kisses later she's married to the man she loves. But today, when Ryan kisses her, Molly realises how many of them she wasted because the future holds something which neither of them could have ever predicted...

The Review

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?

I don’t know where to start with this review! There is so much i want to say but i don’t want to give too much away! Its such a beautiful book that i so well written.

We start the book with Molly packing her things, preparing herself to move out of her house. The story jumps about in time, each chapter telling you about a different Kiss.  The First Last Kiss jumps about in time from Molly's teenage years through college, first jobs and her on/off relationship with Ryan. Those who prefer a linear narrative might struggle and I did find it was a book easy to put down in the first half. You have to keep picking up threads of different stories but it sucks you in as the book progresses. To begin with i was a bit worried i was going to find it too hard and confusing to follow, but any concerns soon disappeared.

The book portrays a very real life cycle of a relationship. The close-calls and arguments, the compromises and the realisation that growing up doesn't mean getting to live your dreams. Ryan isn't perfect but then neither is Molly. They have differences and Molly wants more from life than Ryan, something which drives a wedge between them. I really related to Molly as i often feel i want to achieve more or im not where i should be.

I kind of had an idea about what would eventually happen right at the start. Whilst it's not necessarily predictable, the tone of the current day chapters gave me an inkling. I did find that knowing Molly is alone at the start made me feel a little like I was waiting for the story to catch up. The last quarter was definitely the best for me but do be prepared to have hankies at the ready.

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.

The emotions in this book are very real and very vivid and extremely thought provoking and 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.
Ali 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 *, oh and make sure you have cookies or ice cream, you will need comfort!