They say you never forget your first time.Elle Davis is a hopeless romantic, an epic daydreamer, and best friend to party girl Abi. Oh, and she’s also a twenty-three-year-old virgin. She has always dreamed of love at first sight and the fairy-tale ending; however, as the burden of her virginity increases, so does her sexual curiosity… inevitably stumbles across Mr Wrong. Following a chance encounter with a colleague, she decides to take the first steps…
Luke Simms is funny, sexy and cocksure with as much baggage as the lost luggage department at Heathrow airport. He doesn’t do commitment, but he does offer Elle the experience she craves.
Ben Newman is romantic, witty and drop-dead gorgeous. He is also chasing the fairy tale. But after a string of dating disasters, he’s ready to give up on the dream and end the search.
Find out if Elle saves Luke Simms from his mission of self-destruct or if she ends Ben Newman’s search for his fairy tale…
Warning
This novel contains strong language, particularly from a senior citizen who is old enough to know better, and a wild girl who frankly doesn’t give a f**k. There are also descriptions of sex, therefore this novel is only suitable for 18+
This is the first book in the Music and Letters series but can be read as a standalone.
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I would never have believed if I didn’t already know that this book is the debut novel by this author. The book was so well written and definite page turner as I read about the life of Elle Davis. Elle is such a caring and compassionate lady and a true romantic who seeks the perfect relationship and a future filled with love. Luke Simms is someone who has been on Elle’s radar and well let’s just say he isn’t the one for her. I’m not quite sure if I really dislike Luke or feel sorry for him but that’s my feelings towards him. The supporting characters that make up Elle’s friends complement her story brilliantly. Everyone needs friends and Elle has a perfect group of friends who are there for her through the good times and the bad. It is because of these friends that Elle meets Ben and I think I may have fallen in love with Ben myself. He is perfect, even though he has his own flaws and story to tell us.
This book has all the feels…. I laughed, cried and felt every emotion which I do love in a book. I’m hoping that we see more of Elle and Ben in future books and the next time they have a lunch date with Ben’s grandma, I hope that I’m invited too.
This was a great debut novel. From the first page, I was drawn into Elle’s story of trying to find her happily ever after. The amazing thing about this story and these characters is that the things they experienced were real and relatable. I felt every ounce of Elle’s indecision when it came to choosing between a man who needs saving and a man who seems perfect. I am definitely looking forward to reading about the other characters introduced in this book!!
I loved this book! A young inexperienced woman with two men in her life. A choice to be made. Think you’ve read this story before? Think again. Told almost entirely from Elle’s POV, it is two chapters told by each of the men’s POV that sets this book apart and makes it so very interesting. Add in fiercely loyal friends, exuberant family members and you have a winner!
Elle is a 23 year old woman.. who has somehow managed to hold on to her virginity. In her search for love, she is met with a lot of less than stellar men. Luke, her former boss and proven playboy is the first she lets in.. and he is a mix of loveliness and life lessons.
In walks the uber lovely Ben, gentleman through and through..
but not all is as it seems. Who to choose?
Stewart writes a story that is certainly anything but cookie cutter ordinary, it is sweetness incarnate, it’s beautiful and cute. And if it didn’t take place in a big city I could easily see it featured in a small town. Elle’s groups of friends is highly varied, and so are the men she meets, no one is a flat character, but each are featured in their own way, and I am highly looking forward to reading their stories.
A beautiful story, seemingly inspired by true events.. which makes it ring even truer.. In a world of insta-lust and hook-ups before or instead of dating, the true simpleness of new experiences, clumsily experienced and love sought is a fresh breath of air.
Lynsey M. Stewart’s debut story is full of real life wisdom, tender love, bitter heartache and juicy sexy times. And I cannot wait to see where the journeys of writing will take her, and us.
What a fantastic book! I saw so much of myself in Elle in her quest for finding love. Sometimes it’s difficult to see that the person you are with isn’t the one for you. Elle goes through a lot to realize the relationship she’s in is not healthy. There’s a lot of take away messages in this book but one of my favorites is that relationships shouldn’t be hard and if they are then maybe it’s time to walk away. Elle and her friends are what every girl/woman need in their life…they are there to tell her she’s being an idiot and to pick her up when she falls. Ben….good gosh….he’s perfect! Loved this book….off to download Abi’s book now!
I found this author last year after reading her story in the Rounding Third baseball anthology. Then I read her book, “A Novel Christmas,” and have kept up with her new releases since. I have been working on reading the back lists of my favorite authors, which let me to this debut book. This book is the first of a set of four books in the Music and Letters series but can be read as a stand alone.
In this book, Elle is a young woman finding her way at the beginning of her profession who has had very little romantic experience in her life. She has a big heart and a huge desire to right wrongs which led her to social work. These same characteristics make her vulnerable to relationships with wounded men. This story follows her journey as she learns to set boundaries and grows from her mistakes on her way to her HEA.
There were parts of this book that were pretty heavy emotionally as Elle figures it out. From a more mature perspective the reader can see the mistakes Elle is making, though she is unaware. The author is very good at writing deeply flawed characters who grow and this book is no exception.
This is an emotional story with a strong arc of growth that reminds me of Kelsey Kingsley’s “Holly Freaking Hughes” without the complicated family/lover dynamic. This book is well written and I highly recommend it for readers who like a deeper coming of age story.
It was a first good book by the debut author and looking forward to reading more stories from her. It was a rollercoaster of emotions but I enjoyed Elle’s story.
Elle hasn’t really believed in love and her confidence isn’t what it should be but slowly she’s really trying to make a good life. Being a social worker and having great friends in her life is something that really fulfills her. When she meets Luke there’s something about him that makes her want to try for more but he isn’t what he seems to be. After having so much heartbreak her friends suggest to go online and try to get her life back on track. And when she meets Ben, there’s this pull between them that makes her feel more than just friendship. But the past has a way of creeping in and when there’s an incident, she’ll need to find a way to see who’s really worth taking a chance on.
Lynsey Stewart is a new author to me and I was excited to give this book a go. I truly loved this story. It was sweet and funny, but also dealt with bigger issues. Loved all these perfectly imperfect characters. Looking forward to reading more from this talented author
Firstly I would like to say for a debut novel this is just spectacular, just how everything was put together and the story was just so special and beautifully written.
I loved how this story was based on loving someone for all their faults but it also showed we can’t change people if they don’t want to be changed. I also loved how this was based around virginity, I think sex is a super special part of a relationship and I think this book just showed you don’t have to sleep around and save it for that special someone.
I loved Elle she was so innocent and a little naive at times, but aren’t we all. She had such low self-worth and she never really had confidence and when you’re in a relationship that doesn’t help you love yourself and makes that self-worth worse then, you have to be strong and that’s exactly what Elle showed us and I love that in a character. I wanted to scream at Elle for being not confident and unsure but I think at some point every girl has these feelings but in the end it made her stronger and choose the right guy in the end
Luke, he is your arrogant piece of work that you want to change and feel really special because he chose you, but the way he was so self-destructive was so hard to read because I wanted to get into the book and help him myself, even though I disliked his character at the start I still felt the need that he needed fixing.
Ben was gorgeous, shy, sexy, thoughtful, caring and just your dream guy that all us single girls dream would love us. I feel for Elle that she didn’t believe that she was good enough and that really pulled her away from Ben. He was such a thoughtful character and all I wanted to do was just get in there and give him a big hug.
I love that this book made me , laugh, cry, it made me really feel like I was in the story and I can’t wait for more from Lynsey m Stewart I’m really excited.
5 Stars for this book and if you feel like a sweet and well written book then this is the one for you
Let Me Be Your First, has some “chic lit” overtones (which is not a bad thing) with some angst and lots of focus on Elle’s personal growth in parallel/addition to the romantic storyline. I would think a lot of readers should be able to relate to Elle’s struggle of wanting to find love, but making some mistakes and ultimately, needing to make the decision which was best/healthiest for her. At times, I’ll admit I wanted to shake Elle by the shoulders, but I wanted to throttle Luke more. The relationship between Elle and her friends was great to read about – and of course, I’m looking forward to reading their stories as well!
This was Ms. Stewart’s debut novel and I loved it. Elle is a twenty three year old woman who has managed to remain a virgin. At first it started out as a matter of principle, but then it became an embarrassment and losing it became an obsession. Elle reconnects with Luke, who was a crush from her early days in so I am work, and with whom Elle thinks she should lose her virginity. Then along comes Ben and things start to get a bit more complicated. I love how Ms. Stewart builds these characters and the rollercoaster of Elle’s quest to explore her sexual fantasies.