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First Time for Everything: A Novel
Current price:
$27.00
Publication Date: May 10th, 2022
Publisher:
Ballantine Books
ISBN:
9780593358702
Pages:
400
Description
A “big-hearted” (The Daily Beast), “LOL-worthy” (Cosmopolitan) debut about a down-on-his-luck gay man working out how he fits into the world, making up for lost time, and opening himself up to life’s possibilities
“Part of a new wave of authors releasing uplifting queer literature that casts its characters as the heroes of their lives . . . crammed with blossoming romances and glittery escapism.”—The Guardian
Danny Scudd is absolutely fine. He always dreamed of escaping the small-town life of his parents’ fish-and-chip shop, moving to London, and becoming a journalist. And, after five years in the city, his career isn’t exactly awful, and his relationship with pretentious Tobbs isn’t exactly unfulfilling. Certainly his limited-edition Dolly Parton vinyls and many (maybe too many) house plants are hitting the spot. But his world is flipped upside down when a visit to the local clinic reveals that Tobbs might not have been exactly faithful. In fact, Tobbs claims they were never operating under the “heteronormative paradigm” of monogamy to begin with. Oh, and Danny’s flatmates are unceremoniously evicting him because they want to start a family. It’s all going quite well.
Newly single and with nowhere to live, Danny is forced to move in with his best friend, Jacob, a flamboyant nonbinary artist whom he’s known since childhood, and their eccentric group of friends living in an East London “commune.” What follows is a colorful voyage of discovery through modern queer life, dating, work, and lots of therapy—all places Danny has always been too afraid to fully explore. Upon realizing just how little he knows about himself and his sexuality, he careens from one questionable decision (and man) to another, relying on his inscrutable new therapist and housemates to help him face the demons he’s spent his entire life trying to repress. Is he really fine, after all?
Praise for First Time for Everything: A Novel
“[There’s] a new wave of authors releasing uplifting queer literature that casts its characters as the heroes of their lives. . . . This summer, a host of LGBTQ+ romcom novels are coming out (excuse the pun), crammed with blossoming romances and glittery escapism.”—The Guardian
“[An] LOL-worthy debut.”—Cosmopolitan
“Big-hearted.”—The Daily Beast
“A journey of self-discovery that encompasses the perils of dating, the slog of working, and the alarming outcomes of therapy, lots and lots of therapy . . . It all makes for a delightfully funny story populated by characters that readers will really grow to care about.”—Manhattan Book Review
“Fry brings a refreshing voice to the queer coming-of-age novel with characters whose stories don’t revolve around trauma. Instead, everyday experiences are portrayed with drama and delight.”—The Washington Post (New & Noteworthy)
“Remarkable . . . This is a devastating and authentic story of gay shame. Meanwhile, in from the side swings a hilarious and heartwarming tale of self-acceptance and friendship. This is the modern gay novel, with the sass of a drag queen and the wisdom of a queer elder. I'm telling all my friends to read it!”—Adam Zmith, author of Deep Sniff: A History of Poppers and Queer Futures
“First Time for Everything is a wild novel about rage and joy. Danny Scudd is a young Londoner trying to discern between his persona and his truth. His journey is hilarious, tender, raw, and heart-stoppingly moving. I adored this powerful, wonderful book.”—Amanda Eyre Ward, New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters
“Properly laugh-out-loud, bitingly funny.”—Laura Kay, author of Tell Me Everything
“This is a book for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider—for all of us who have gone through the joyful, excruciating, and necessary journey of discovering the people we were always meant to be.”—Grant Ginder, author of Let’s Not Do That Again and The People We Hate at the Wedding
“Reading this book felt like hanging out with one of my queer besties. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t belong.”—Celia Laskey, author of Under the Rainbow
“I love that this book exists! The characters were so real to me that I’m still thinking about them (and wishing we were friends). . . . A very relatable journey of self-discovery.”—Radhika Sanghani, author of 30 Things I Love About Myself
“Funny, touching, and fabulous . . . a little slice of queer joy.”—Julie Cohen, author of Together
“Tender and funny . . . Throughout, this effervescent chronicle rings true.”—Publishers Weekly
“An entertaining, fast-paced read . . . a queer coming-of-adulthood story told with humor, tenderness, and quirk.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
