It’s time for the 9th Annual and my 7th year of sharing my First Book of the Year. Sheila at Book Journey hosts this annual feature and hundreds of other readers around the world share their first books with her.
What is First Book? Well, it is just like it says, it is the First Book you choose to read in the new year. It can be a book that you’ve been wanting to read, maybe a classic, or one you received as a gift this Christmas. Maybe it is something you’ve been meaning to read as part of your own self-improvement. It can be any book you’d like! It is YOUR FIRST BOOK.
I love seeing which book is the most popular choice and the wide variety of books that are chosen. I usually add a few to my own reading list!
This will be my seventh year participating but this year I struggled with which book to choose as my First Book. After looking through my shelves, I knew I wanted it to be something that would be a quick read and upbeat. My last few reads have been heavy and a bit depressing. So, I decided I wanted a lighter, more fun read.
Before I share this year’s book, here are the posts from my previous years.
2016 – A MANUAL FOR CLEANING WOMEN
2017 – THE TWO-FAMILY HOUSE
2018 – JUST BETWEEN US
2019 – I’D RATHER BE READING
2020 – THE ONLY PLANE IN THE SKY
2021 – ATOMIC HABITS
This year’s First Book is………
By: Kerry Winfrey
Published: June 11, 2019
Publisher: Berkley
Fiction
This book first came my way as an eBook for review, but I just never got to it. Then when the paperback was published, I received a book again. The universe was trying to tell me something, but I still didn’t pick it up. I had it in my list of reads for this summer, but again, I didn’t get to it. So, as part of my challenge for 2022 to read at least 22 books off of my to-read shelves, I chose a book that has been lingering on my TBR list for too long.
Here’s the premise:
Can a romcom-obsessed romantic finally experience the meet-cute she always dreamed of or will reality never compare to fiction, in this charming debut adult novel from Kerry Winfrey.
Annie Cassidy dreams of being the next Nora Ephron. She spends her days writing screenplays, rewatching Sleepless in Seattle, and waiting for her movie-perfect meet-cute. If she could just find her own Tom Hanks—a man who’s sweet, sensitive, and possibly owns a houseboat—her problems would disappear and her life would be perfect. But Tom Hanks is nowhere in sight.
When a movie starts filming in her neighborhood and Annie gets a job on set, it seems like a sign. Then Annie meets the lead actor, Drew Danforth, a cocky prankster who couldn’t be less like Tom Hanks if he tried. Their meet-cute is more of a meet-fail, but soon Annie finds herself sharing some classic rom-com moments with Drew. Her Tom Hanks can’t be an actor who’s leaving town in a matter of days…can he?
As a huge fan of the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan rom-coms, I am quite certain I will enjoy this fun novel. I don’t read romance novels often, but I feel like I need a light-hearted read right now. This is the first in a series of two books, the next being NOT LIKE THE MOVIES, which I have on Kindle. Winfrey has also written VERY SINCERELY YOURS, a stand-alone that was published in June of 2021 and also sounds like a good read. I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you about my First Book of 2022.
Sheila will be posting collages of all the great FIRST BOOKS readers are sharing. Click HERE to see them all. Maybe you’ll be inspired to choose your FIRST BOOK!
Posted Under Book Review, fiction, First Book, Kerry Winfrey, romance
I think you picked an ideal book for your first read of the year.
I also like how you recapped the past year’s selections. Now I need to see what books I chose…
This sounds like a fun one. I’m going to have to check it out. The title alone grabbed my attention. Happy New Year!