Review: First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky

  First Comes Love
  Author: Katie Kacvinsky
  Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books 
  for Children
  Publication date: May 8th 2012
  My rating: 3.5 stars

 

Like his name, Gray is dark and stormy. Dylan, a girl always searching for what's next, seemingly unable to settle down, is the exact opposite: full of light and life. On the outside, they seem like an unlikely couple. But looks can be deceiving and besides, opposites attract.

What starts as friendship, turns into admiration, respect and caring, until finally these two lone souls find they are truly in love with each other.

But staying in love is not as easy as falling in love. If Dylan and Gray want their love to last, they're going to have to work at it. And learn that sometimes love means having to say you're sorry.

Dylan is a free spirit looking for anything new to experience, and relishing the random in life. Noticing what others overlook, like Gray.  She is intrigued by him, notices him even though he does his best to blend in, and this is what makes him stand out even more to Dylan.

Gray, appropriately named, is in a cloud still reeling from the loss of his twin sister, he goes about life trying to keep everything and everyone out.  If he stays numb, he won’t get hurt.  That is until Dylan forces her way into his life, much to Gray’s annoyance.  His first impression of her is: awkward, bizarre, and disheveled.  She doesn’t care what people think, she was born with a “judgment proof shield.” Gradually, Gray’s feelings change from annoyed to fascinated.  Dylan opens life up to Gray again, getting him to look at the world again, and open up about his sister.  He starts to remember the good things and celebrate her life instead of remembering the pain, and this is exactly what he needs to heal.  Soon Gray looks at Dylan with fresh eyes and falls hard.  But can anyone hold down the free spirit that is Dylan? 

While I did enjoy this story, there was something I felt that was lacking.  At the heart of the issue is Dylan.  For some reason I didn’t connect with her character, she felt a little contrived, and I had a hard time feeling she could be an actual person.  I had no such problems with Gray.  Even though he was moody and prickly at first, you could easily see why.  I felt for him, I got him, and when he opened up and let Dylan in, I was in love! Dylan’s words: “I don’t let myself get attached to people, but Gray does.  That’s why he hardly lets anyone in.” Every quote that I was swooning over was from his head, his POV.  Let me tease you with one:

I stare down at her soft lips, puffy from all the scrubbing, and hesitantly run my thumb across them.  I feel Dylan shudder when I touch her.  Or maybe it’s me.  I hold her face in my hand and look in her eyes and she offers me the smallest grin, and that’s all I need.  My eyes fall back to her lips.  They look warm and soft and inviting.  My heart is pounding.  I close my eyes and lean down and press my lips against hers.

Even with my issues with Dylan, the writing in this story was beautiful, unique, and moving.  Ms. Kacvinsky’s descriptions were almost poetic without being over the top.  She clearly has talent, and I would like to pick up more of her work in the future.  I must say something about the cover, because that's what initially drew me into reading this story.  Isn't it the most swoon-worthy thing you ever saw?! *sigh*