The Very First Bite by Cynthia Langston

Hi there!

Welcome back to the site that aims to please the bookish side of you every day of the week…Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers. 

Today, we’re stepping into the land of Chick Lit or Women’s Fiction as some prefer to label it; either way it equates to essentially the same makeup.  Single or non-permanently attached girl with a good group of friends making it through life’s ups and downs in a sometimes sweet, yet comical way.  Same thing here but add in a high school reunion, a focus on image that borders on *cough* annoying at times *cough*and an ending that will make you rethink your entire perception of the story…in a good way.  Shining the spotlight on today’s book of choice…

The Very First Bite

By

Cynthia Langston

9780615654096

About the book…

The fun of looking backward.
The fear of looking forward.
And the frantic, dreaded horror of looking down at the scale.

The Very First Bite chronicles the toils and triumphs of Lanie Albers, who has just ten weeks to mentally and physically prepare for the ultimate day of reckoning:  her high school class reunion…

…By examining the ghosts of her past, Lanie begins to prepare for the revelations and confrontations of the big night.  She also launches a desperate campaign to lose weight:  an uproarious battle with fad diets and disastrous workouts, most of which lead her right back to the cookie jar.

Truth be told…I read this book a few months back so some of the details are fuzzy HOWEVER the overall experience, no worries; I got this one. 

This is the second novel from Ms. Langston and while it was still a good Chick Lit read, I have to be honest…I preferred her first venture, Bicoastal Babe.  I’m not certain if it was just the amount of drama flying through the air or what exactly, but it just didn’t sit completely right with me.  There was oh-so-much yo-yo dieting to fit into the right dress, A LOT of emphasis on having the right guy on her arm, and BUCOO focus on figuring out just what went wrong with her friendship so many years ago that Candace (the BFF or rather former BFF) pulled up roots and left overnight never to be heard from again.  Okay, so the latter was interesting, especially when everything comes out at book’s end, but the first two I could have done with less of.  Sorry; I don’t know about you but I hear enough of that on a day to day basis let alone need an instant replay in my reading.  Anywho…

Lanie is likeable enough.  Chad, her high school love interest and the one she still carries a flame for, is certainly not all he’s cracked up to be, or rather built up to be.  Candace, the former and potentially on again BFF, is a hoot…and despite her momentary melt down back in the day, seems to be a good character at heart.  My favorite?  Ironically, Mark…the man who gets the short end of the stick for most the story but by book’s end, earns a place on the mantel in her heart.  Who’s heart and who else is on the mantel, shall remain a mystery…at least until you read it…but the wait is worth it to finally see an honest smile on, well someone’s face…and acceptance of life in all its flavors and forms.

In conclusion, a good addition to the Chick Lit genre, absolutely… but (in my opinion) not her best.  I’d say for newbies to the author’s writing, check this one out first to get your feet wet and then jump into her FIRST work knowing that the reading ride is that much sweeter.  Review copy received courtesy of author Cynthia Langston.  (THANKS!)  For more information on her current works as well as those in progress, be sure to stop by her site, friend her on Facebook, or follow along on Twitter.

Until next time…happy reading!