Rowena’s review of First Date by Krista McGee.
Main Character: Addy Davidson
Love Interest: Jonathan Jackson
Series: None
Author: Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads
Addy Davidson is the last girl in the country who wants to be on the new reality TV show to win a date to prom with the President’s son. She’s focused on her schoolwork so she can get a scholarship to an Ivy League college, uncomfortable in the spotlight, never been on a date, and didn’t even audition for it.
But she got selected anyway.
So she does her best to get eliminated on the very first show… right before she realizes that the President’s son is possibly the most attractive guy she has ever seen in person, surprisingly nice, and seemingly unimpressed by the 99 other girls who are throwing themselves at him.
Addy’s totally out of her comfort zone-but that may be right where God can show her the most about who she is . . . and who she was meant to be.
I went into this book thinking that it was going to be a bunch of fluff and I wasn’t wrong. This book follows Addy Davidson as she goes on a reality TV show (pressured into doing the show is more like it though) to try to win the chance to go to the prom with the President’s son. She gets roped into going on the show by her Principal and then her Uncle, who all said that it was God’s plan for her to do this. I thought that was strange since I can’t imagine God sitting up in Heaven thinking, “Yeah, I think this reality TV show is the perfect place for Addy Davidson.” Reality television shows with a whole lot of backstabbing and bullying isn’t something that I thought God would want a good Christian girl to be at, but well, that’s what Addy was told in this book.
So Addy goes to this reality show in hopes of saving her school. Saving it by getting some press so that people would want to go to that school and they’d pay tuition money to go there. That was another thing that I couldn’t believe. The Principal was basically whoring Addy out to get more money and students and I thought that was completely strange.
The book itself was an enjoyable read but there were quite a few things that got on my nerves about this book. If Christian fiction books are done right, they won’t come off as preachy but there were parts of this book where I thought it came off a bit preachy and I would put the book down. It wasn’t like that throughout the entire book but through enough of the book that I took notice. Now, don’t go thinking that I’m saying this book is all about preaching the good word because that’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying that there’s enough Christianity in this book to make a person that isn’t used to reading about that stuff in their fiction books to sit up and take notice.
It’s an enjoyable book with great characters. I really enjoyed getting to know Kara, Addy’s best friend on the show. Kara was a good friend to Addy and was there when she needed her because the other girls on the show were a bunch of bully’s and haters. I think I liked Kara better than I liked Addy. To me, Addy was too perfect. Even when she wasn’t being perfect, she was too perfect. I wish there had been more conflict with her character, everything came too easy for her and I was left hoping that she had things a little harder. Had that been the case, this book would have gotten a B instead of the C that it got.
It’s not a bad book but there was too much sunshiny goodness for me to enjoy it more than I did and I think that was why I didn’t connect with Addy more. I did really enjoy getting to know Jonathan Jackson and was happy that a friendship sparked between him and Addy. I enjoyed their little romance connection and was glad that I finished the book.
..and that’s your scoop!
This book was received through NetGalley.
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com
I have this book in my TBR pile too, and I hope I like it as well. I’m worried because you say you didn’t connect as much with Addy and that usually drives me up the wall.
But we’ll see. I’m glad is fluffy.
I loved this line from your review: “It’s not a bad book but there was too much sunshiny goodness for me to enjoy it…”
The line made me smile. Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts about this book.
Hey Alex!
Yeah, the book is definitely fluffy but Addy isn’t an unlikeable character, I just didn’t feel like I’d gotten to really know her throughout the book. I can’t exactly explain it but because of that, I didn’t like the book as much as I normally would have, had I connected with the main character.
Hey Rita! Thanks for stopping by, that line kind of doesn’t make sense but it’s exactly how I felt. =)
I’m so excited about this book-I LOVE fluffy goodness so I don’t think I’ll be too bothered by not getting to know Addy. I just want a fun fast read.
@Bookworm1858: Keep in mind, this is a Christian fiction book but it was still enjoyable. =)