Also, Foster is so wonderfully open to new experiences and new people. I love that he opens Devon's eyes to the effects tragedy can have on teens even years after. Foster has experienced great loss in his life and is simultaneously not bitter and very bitter. He's an oddball, but he's just being true to himself and he owns it. Foster is sweet and so authentically himself that it's impossible not to love him. It was Foster's, and we, the readers, experience it through Devon. I'll get to Devon in a second, but I really didn't feel like this was her story. If you've seen any reviews or discussions of First & Then, I'm sure you've seen comments that Foster is the real star, and I am here to confirm it. Not going to lie, First & Then was a solid 3 star read for me UNTIL I thought of it in this light and had an 'ohhhhh' moment, which happened AFTER I closed the book! I love finding parallels like that in books, even if it's just my interpretation and not the author's intention. I really don't know if this was intentional on Emma's part, but I don't care. This is also evident in Devon's interactions with Foster. This is like getting a penalty and being set back several yards, making it more challenging for them to move forward. Later on, Devon and Ezra seem to be on the cusp of.well, something, but then a misunderstanding has Devon pulling back and asking to 'reset' their relationship. First down and Devon earns herself some respect (and for anyone who has read the book, later on we find out this was in fact a very pivotal moment for them). She gains maybe like three yards with that 'play,' but then Ezra tells her to go get a ball. Example: Devon asks Ezra to be her partner in gym. The same is true of Devon with Foster and Devon with Ezra. A football game is a lot of push and pull, both between the two teams as they switch places on offense and defense AND in an individual series (the entire time one team is on offense is one series). 'Whaaaa?' you might wonder, but go with me here. You win.Īlso, as I contemplated this title and its use in the book, I started to realize that Devon's relationship with both Ezra and Foster is a little bit like a football game.

My point here is points to whomever decided on that title.

So on a first down, teams usually have ten yards to go unless there's a weird exception caused by a penalty or a goal-line situation going on. For those of you who don't understand sportsball, football players on offense have four tries to move the football ten yards. I am a HUGE football fan, but even I didn't get the pun in the title until the very moment I finished the book and flipped it shut.

The very first thing I need to say about First & Then is about the title, and how delightful it is.

First and then emma mills