Book Review: First Kiss (Then Tell)

Title: Fist Kiss (Then Tell): A Collection of True Lip-Locked Moments
Editor: Cylin Busby
Genre: Non-fiction, Young Adult
Rating: C-

Summary: A collection of relatively well known YA authors share true stories of first kisses in various forms and with various outcomes.

First Line: "'He likes you,' my friend Missy whispered to me as we sat on the curb, watching our guy friends skateboard down a concrete ramp."

Review: This is your typical short story collection. Some good, some bad, some redundant.

My favorites were:

• "Bad Reputation," by Cecil Castellucci (with implications regarding the influence of friends on the kissing dynamics);


• "Yeah, I Know," by Jon Scieszka (a down-to-earth guy's perspective that tells it like it is... smelling rubberbands?); and


• The she said/he said, "Our First Kiss (with each other)" by Shannon and Dean Hale.

There were two other stories, but (because they were so similiar), they cancelled each other out. Both "Pashin' or The Worst Kiss Ever" (by Justine Larbalestier) and "Lips, Tongues, and Dr. Pepper" (by Lauren Myracle) were cute to read (because they were so cringe-inducing), but they had the same theme. And, unfortunately for Myracle, Lauren's came later and seemed unnecessary. This showed that the book could have used tighter editing. Larbalestier (who is a really good author) didn't even write regarding her own first kiss--it was a friend's--so Busby should have worked to get something original and different (to give Myracle's room to breathe).

A good number of the other contributions were of the same theme: if you haven't kissed someone by 15, then you're destined to be a spinster. Therefore, do everything in your power to get that kiss under your belt. Not the best message in the world to be sending. Over and over again.

I did appreciate that they mixed it up with graphic contributions ("The Third First Kiss" by Amy Kim Ganter was my favorite of this group) and some in verse.