Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I really enjoyed the first two Erin Entrada Kelly books that I read–AND I have a passion for words in general–which means that my expectations for You Go First were pretty high. Two kids struggling with middle school pressures and home difficulties connect over online Scrabble? Sign me up! After reading it, however, I realized that I didn’t just want Charlotte’s and Ben’s lives to “intersect” (the word given on the back of the book). I wanted more of a relationship between them, which technically wasn’t at all promised in the description. Instead, there’s more of a series of brief touches there; the bulk of the book is made up of Charlotte’s story and Ben’s story, which are alternately told. Both of those stories were hard to hear at times, especially with my own memories of friend and social struggles at that age still lurking in the back of my mind. On the other hand, they were consummately told and kept me reading. Ultimately, this is both a hard book and a hopeful book–and a well-written one. Whether or not you should read it, well–that’s probably up to you.