They Both Die at the End meets You’ve Reached Sam, in this heart-stopping speculative young adult novel from New York Timesbestselling author Robbie Couch that explores all the different ways love can live on after tragedy.
It’s been a year since eighteen-year-old River Lang’s best friend died in a car accident. And every day since, he’s had to pass by the depressing billboard that appeared as a result: a texting and driving PSA that reduces Dylan to a cautionary tale and River to the best friend of the dead kid at school. Dylan was so much more than a statistic, though, and River hates that everyone in town seems to have forgotten.
When he’s caught improving (a.k.a. vandalizing) Dylan’s billboard, River is blackmailed into joining the Affinity Trials — a research study that’s observing teens who are “struggling socially.” But as soon as he arrives, River’s social struggles only worsen as he’s thrown together with the last person he wants to spend an entire week with: his ex-best friend and Dylan’s former girlfriend, Mavis, who’s the only one who knows the truth about the night Dylan died.
During the Trials, River finds comfort in talking to Nash, a hot jock from a neighboring camp. Despite never having met Dylan, Nash’s charm, internal battles, and fascination with the universe remind River of his late best friend in the best possible way. As River starts to fall for the all-star athlete, feelings he never let himself explore begin to bubble to the surface. But so do bizarre developments within the Trials that make him wonder what researchers are actually studying while monitoring his every move. And when suspicions lead him to a bombshell discovery, River will have to decide just how far he’s willing to go for another chance at first love.
THE FACTS
📕 sensitive subject matter handled beautifully
📘fantastic characters, full-bodied and engaging
📙 well-paced, intriguing, emotional
THE GOOD BITS
I just finished reading “Another First Chance” by Robbie Couch at my local coffee haunt and I cried. Fortunately, the person who runs the coffee shop is a friend and not unaccustomed to me having over-the-top emotional responses while reading.
This book was a joy to read. That might be an unexpected response if you have read the summary of the story. There is tragedy in this book, but it is also a remarkable tale about learning to live with loss and what that looks like for people.
Dylan was River’s best friend for a lot of their lives. Then one revelatory night, Dylan was killed in a car accident while texting. River had sent a text moments before Dylan’s accident.
A year passes as River struggles to deal with a life minus Dylan – and the book opens on the anniversary of the accident. The people in Dylan’s life don’t seem to think he is dealing with loss the way he should be. Then Affinity sets up a trial at the school and with the odd help of a classmate who blackmails him – River signs up.
As the novel continues, the author slips in some visits with Dylan that lead up to the final moments of his life.
The Affinity Trials seem a little off from the moment River first walks back into the converted school. The participants are divided into teams and none of the tasks or surveys they are participating in seem consistent with anything River was expecting. Then he meets Nash who is a member of the football teams who is running a summer camp at the same time as the Affinity Trial. As River’s feeling grow for Nash, he finds himself questioning everything that is happening at the trial.
Oh! Folks, this is a good one. I was a little hesitant to read it at first because of the subject matter. I lost my best friend when I was young – and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to revisit the feelings. But ending-provoked-tears aside, this story is beautiful. I have to say I think it brought me a little more closer myself as I took this journey with River.
Robbie couch always writes strong characters, and balance is what Couch has mastered. His characters often face intense emotions and yet, the emotions don’t take over the narrative. The characters remail authentic, fully seated in the real world and I love that.
River is mourning the loss of his best friend, feeling lonely, and at the very same time he is isolating himself a little. It’s so relatable because sometimes when we most need support to assist us in processing a life-changing event, we “turtle” and try to muddle through. Each part of River’s journey is well-written and made me feel as though I was sitting and listening to River try and work things out. This really is a heart-warming novel.
There are some things I would love to write about…but I don’t want to spoil this novel for any potential reader. I didn’t read anything about it before I started, and I hope you all get that experience. Couch has fantastic pacing, and this story hits all the right peaks.
THE LINKS
🖊 Author
I purchased my own copy of Another First Chance. This is an unbiased review.
Kinzie Things 
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