Book Review: Another First Chance 

By Robbie Couch 

3 Stars 

Another First Chance is about coming of age, discovering yourself, and dealing with the deaths of loved ones.  

The story begins with River Lang and pans between him and his best friend, Dylan Cooper. River is a cheeky, extroverted high schooler with huge ambitions for himself and an amazingly philosophical mind. But when Dylan dies, all of this goes down the drain, and he becomes the reclusive, troubled kid who clearly needs professional help of some kind. From the patronisingly fake support of everyone around him, to the overly desaturated billboard that reduces Dylan to the kid who died while driving and texting, to his childhood friend Mavis’s silent treatment, a year has passed, and River still hasn’t confronted what’s happened.  

As we learn about the circumstances leading up to Dylan’s death through his own perspective, we also watch as River slowly fills up the gaping hole in his life.  

Robbie Couch’s story dives deep into the varying ways that different people deal with loss and heartbreak, ranging from Mavis’s apathy to Rivers’s denial. It’s very real with you, neither sugar-coating nor exaggerating the struggles that the characters go through.  

Though it is a heavy read at times, it’s also very wholesome in its depiction of friendship and love. The only part I disliked about it was when it fell into the YA-trap, trying to make friendship into romance. In reality, friends can and do fall in love, but rarely so; it was ill-fitting in a story that was never about romance to begin with, and it went against both characters’ personalities.  

Either way, Another First Chance is a beautiful story about loss, heartbreak, rage, and dealing with these very real feelings. Teenagers and those who have experienced loss would relate to this book, and I would recommend it to people who are preparing for or have experienced such a thing. 

Reviewed by Ayesha 

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