The cover of author Stefany Valentine’s debut novel, “First Love Language” is shown above. The young adult romance was released on Jan. 14 and although the depicted relationships were sweet and heart-warming, the book ran fairly short. “The budding romance between Catie and Toby is both adorable and entertaining, leaving readers wanting more. However, it was a bit too fast-paced with little space for their relationship to develop properly, which left many questions unanswered,” Viewpoints Editor Isabella Gresham wrote. Photo fair use of Goodreads
Author Stefany Valentine released her debut novel “First Love Language” on Jan. 14, a heartwarming story that is guaranteed to leave readers satisfied with the engaging plot and lovable characters.
Stefany Valentine’s debut young adult romance novel “First Love Language” was released on Jan. 14 and is a lovable narrative featuring charming characters who each discover their identities.
The book is centered around a Taiwanese American girl, Catie Carlson, who, after the death of her father, moves to Salt Lake City, Utah, from San Diego, California with her sister Mavis and their stepmother. They all move in with Catie’s Mormon aunt, uncle and cousin, which creates tension as Catie’s family no longer practices Mormonism.
It’s a debut novel that draws romance lovers in and shows what it means to follow their hearts, despite the underdevelopment of the characters’ relationship
Catie wants to reconnect with her Taiwanese culture and find her biological mother, but both seem unlikely until she is offered an opportunity to work at a Korean salon.
At the salon, she meets the owner’s son, awkward, but sweet Toby Yoon-Hanson, who offers to give her free Mandarin lessons. However, there is a catch–in exchange, he wants help landing his long-time crush, Nichole Yung. Through this exchange, they become great friends and spend more time together. However, truths come out, and the exchange doesn’t end up exactly as pre-determined.
The budding romance between Catie and Toby is both adorable and entertaining, leaving readers wanting more. However, it was a bit too fast-paced with little space for their relationship to develop properly, which left many questions unanswered. As well, the characters developed incredibly strong feelings for each other quickly which felt slightly unrealistic.
An Instagram post from Stefany Valentine sharing the cover and synopsis of her debut novel, “First Love Language,” is shown. The young adult romance was released on Jan. 14 and allowed readers to connect with the characters through the discussion of many important themes. “Each of the many themes–culture, identity, sexuality, religion, grief and love–was executed well and written so any reader could relate to Catie somehow,” Viewpoints Editor Isabella Gresham wrote. Instagram post fair use of Stefany Valentine
The novel features accurate LGBTQ+ representations through many endearing and complex characters. For a debut novel, Valentine does an excellent job utilizing imagery to truly immerse the reader in the fictional reality and develop the many characters in such a short amount of time.
Each of the many themes, culture, identity, sexuality, religion, grief and love, was executed well and written so any reader could relate to Catie, improving readability.
“First Love Language” is an easy-to-read, adorable and beautifully written debut novel that draws romance lovers in and shows what it means to follow their hearts, despite the underdevelopment of the characters’ relationship.
