I have never read James Patterson before. But I've heard both good and bad things about him. He has sold more best sellers than any other author. He's written critically acclaimed book series; his most famous being the Alex Cross novels. Along with the latter, he as also written the Women's Murder Club, and for the teens out their, the Maximum Ride series. However, in the more recent years, he has hired ghost writers to write the books for him, based on his outlines of course. This known fact does leave me questioning if he deserves his recognition in the Guinness Book of Records.

When I picked up "First Love" at my local bookstore, I didn't know what to expect. "First Love" was actually the first romance novel he ever penned, with the help of ghost writer, Emily Raymond and published in 2013. We'll I can tell you the book was... well I'll get to that later.

I am a sucker for romance novels, and this has to do with being single for too long, as a hopeless romantic. However, at the same time I am very critical of them. Most romance novels tend to follow the same formula, using elements that have been used so many times to the point where it comes to being reduced to a cliché. I like romance books like the "Fault In Our Stars" where the story is driven by other aspects of the character, and doesn't depend on only the romance to keep the reader's attention. However I have grown a distaste to the popular, "killing off one of the lover's" ending. I'm looking at you Nicholas Sparks.

Anyway, "First Love" is told from the perspective of our main character, Axi. Axi decided to run away from home with her best friend and crush, Robinson and travel around the country. Part of the reason is to spend time with her boyfriend-to-be and to just get away from real life. The story takes on a classic "road trip" kind of adventure. The pair travels around the country, usually stealing cars to get around, and along the way, stop at many major cities; Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Detroit, New York City, etc.) However, the book takes a drastic turning point when we discover why Axi has done it. The first was obviously to tell Robinson how much she loves him, which she does eventually, but it was also for something deeper. It turns out Robinson is dying of cancer, and then I get flashbacks to the Fault in Our Stars. To be fair, this book managed to make this cliché work. I won't go into details on it because I want you to experience the emotions I went through.

Throughout the story, we watch Axi and Robinson grow as a couple, and to be honest, their chemistry is pretty genuine. It gets a little sappy at times, but I really got the feeling they were in love as I read the book. We see them have their moments, and I'll be honest, the way they act as a couple is just adorable but emotional as well. But we also see them fight, how they tend to tick each other off, kind of like how a real relationship can be.

Now, the book does have its flaws. The first one is Axi's character. Axi is a little, one dimensional. She claims she is the "Good girl" type, always doing her work, getting good grades, being nice, etc.) But we only have her word on it. We never see what she was like before suddenly deciding to take her friend out on a road trip, because the book literally starts on the moment she makes this decision. It does shine through at some points in the book, especially her initial reluctance to steal cars, but that's about it. Another problem is her back story. The book tries to tie in the dread of Robinson dying with the knowledge that Axi lost her little sister two years before to cancer as well. Also as a result of her sister's death, her mother just left her and her father, and her father became alcoholic and ultimately neglectful of his surviving daughter. This would've been emotional if I actually knew about these people. This is literally glossed over within the first few chapters and almost never mentioned again. I would've liked to see what her little sister was like; what their relationship was like, or maybe a memory of what her family as a whole was like before the tragedy. This was a big miss of an opportunity on the authors part. That's another thing, there were a lot of events in the chapter that are so rushed that it seems to only focus on the interactions between our couple-to-be. One example is when they are in Los Angeles and decide to visit the hour of Axi's favorite author. There is barely a scene within that chapter, I would've wanted to see how they interacted, why Axi liked this author, or even read their conversation they had. I can understand if moment like these don't advance the plot, but they aid in shaping who the characters are and gives them more depth. The first few chapters of the book are so loosely tied together, we barely see what its like on their journey's between cities. One chapter had them being pulled over by the cops, only to have Robinson grab the cops gun, Axi handcuffs him, and force him at gunpoint into the back of his cruiser. I mean that scene was so out of place with the rest of the book, but I kind wish they got themselves arrested, to see how they could've gotten themselves out of a situation like that. The second half of the book does show a lot of improvement, so I can't say I hated the book for it.

Let me first make clear, I am not pointing out flaws in hopes you don't read the book, This is all based on my personal feelings towards a book I've read. This is based on my own personal criteria when it comes to a good story and while it might be biased in some ways, it also hopefully encourages discussion. Maybe you'll end up disagreeing with me. If you do good for you, and please tell me why you think so if you do.

Anyway, while their are flaws to the story, it does have redeeming features. Like I said, Axi and Robinson do give off the impression that they have been close friends for years, and when we see them become a couple, you really feel like they are in love. Also, the entire concept of the road trip, combined with Robinson's sickness makes a deep metaphor on Axi's conflict. She is in denial. Throughout the book, Axi talks about how she wants to be happy with Robinson, saying they'll be together forever, despite knowing Robinson not having long to live. The road trip seems to come off as Axi attempting to run away from reality, and her inability to come to terms with it. This was so deep and relatable.

The book has a massive amount of flaws, but it's better then most romance novel's I've read. I can't help but think it could've been a lot better. Not to say I didn't enjoy it. I was invested in the romance between the two characters, and it did have very emotional moments, and as embarrassing as it is, I was moved to tears by it.

Despite the flaws, I think this book is one of the more better romance stories out their. I am more than willing to give this book a 3 out of 5 stars. If you are a single hopeless romantic, like I am, and you need a good fix to channel your desire to for a perfect relationship vicariously, then this is a book worth checking out, just be ready with a box of tissues.

But these are just my opinions. Have you read the book? If so, what did you think? If not, do you want to read it? Comment below and have a fantastic week!!