First Day of My Life

On GCSE results day, Frankie's ultra-reliable, best friend since forever Jojo doesn't turn up to meet her. Things get weirder as the day goes on and a baby is abducted in broad daylight. Jumping to conclusions, Frankie decides the two things are linked and determines to track Jojo down, but the only person who can help her is her ex-boyfriend, Ram.

Written in real time over the course of 24 hours, this is a breathtakingly tense and emotionally intelligent road trip thriller - a journey not just to find Jojo and the baby but back through the shared history of the characters and forward into a possibly terrifying future as the trio contemplate their diverging futures after leaving the safety and security of school.

From the dramatic opening Prologue - the emergency call reporting the theft of the baby - the reader is plunged into the mystery alongside Frankie, trying to answer the question - what might possess someone to steal a baby?

There are so many enormous secrets and lies, plot twists and turns and 'I didn't see that coming!' moments that this is a near impossible book to review without spoilers! Structurally, it is a masterpiece. Williamson presents the points of view of the three main characters in turn, showing the three sides to this morally complicated story, then skilfully brings all three together. Each chunk moves the narrative forward but is long enough for the reader to get to know the characters and make us care deeply about their emotional journeys.

Williamson excels at creating compelling and interesting, realistic and relatable characters: fiercely loyal, no filter Frankie, quiet, caring Jojo and all-round lovely Ram offering a valuable teen boy perspective, are all unforgettable. But she never shies away from putting her characters in morally complicated, super awkward situations, and showing them behaving badly, either. Just like in life, the adults in this story make terrible decisions too and don't always have all the right answers.

As with every Williamson novel, political and moral hot potatoes are planted fearlessly but responsibly. Readers are never patronised but constantly challenged to think through the issues for themselves: parenting in all its forms - surrogacy, same sex parenting, teen parenthood; the complicated, messy, sometimes jealous and possessive nature of female friendship; breaking the girl code.

While the Epilogue points to a not necessarily happy ever after ending, the message is nevertheless clear and uplifting - there is a way out of every situation, the future is hopeful and every day has the potential to be the first day of the rest of your life. Combining a constantly surprising plotline, compelling moral issues and completely credible characters, this is YA writing at its finest and a real treat to read: relatable, authentic and honest but also warm, empathetic, funny and full of heart.

A hugely readable page turner appealing to a wide range of readers, First Day of My Life would make a superb book club choice and will undoubtedly be a real word-of-mouth hit. Other outstanding and insightful YA novels exploring teen parenting and its impact on friendship and the future include Trouble by Non Pratt, The Baby by Lisa Drakeford and With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman explores teen parenting from the father's perspective.

368 pages / Reviewed by Eileen Armstrong, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 14+