Review: The Very First Bite by Cynthia Langston

Title: The Very First Bite
Author: Cynthia Langston
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Self-published
Publish Date: August 20, 2012
Source: I received a copy from the PR; however, this did not affect my review.

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're a fiction fan.
• You like chick-lit.
• You're looking for a light read.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "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.

With twenty pounds of extra weight, a dead-end job and a boyfriend who won’t commit, the prospect of revisiting old classmates has Lanie reeling with panic. Not to mention the loose ends she’ll finally have to face, like Chad, her first love, for whom she suspects she might still have feelings. And Candace, her lifelong best friend, who abruptly ended their friendship seven years ago with no explanation.

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."

My Two Cents:

Oh, the high school reunion! For some people, just hearing those words can put your mind into overdrive. This is exactly what happens to Lanie. She's thinking about the person that she used to be in high school. She's thinking about her crushes and her best friend from high school that stayed her best friend through college and then suddenly seemed to walk out of her life for seemingly no reason.

"The Very First Bite" follows Lanie through the months prior to her high school reunion. This year will be my ten year high school reunion (where the heck does the time go???) and I loved reading about some of Lanie's thoughts as she goes into going to her reunion. Some of it resonated with me and some of it did not (thank goodness but more on that later). It's a fast read with a good dose of fun.

So part of the book had to do with Lanie's feelings about going to the reunion and reuniting with the people of her past. The other part has to do with how Lanie is feeling and looking going into her reunion. Lanie is worried about the weight that she has gained but she's by no means fat. She tries just about every fad diet in the book, which annoyed me. Why not just eat healthy and exercise? Any diet that requires you to eat a special diet cookie is probably really bad for you (not to mention gross! Just imagine how many chemicals there must be in there!). I didn't like these parts of the book at all. Yes, I understand wanting to lose weight. I totally get that. I wish that I could be as fit as I was in high school but that would mean going back to swimming 5-6 times a week (ain't gonna happen these days). Lanie's obsessing just got a little grating.

I liked the whole story line about Lanie's crush and her best friend. There is a great twist that I did not see coming. I love being surprised!

Bottom line: A great book for when you want a light read!