I should leave the singing to someone else (as I know that I have butchered the lyrics just a little bit and my voice is not helping me much), but I think that I might have your attention now… Because with the anniversary of this young book, Reena Jacobs has a series of surprises for you: The first one is that “I loved you first” has a new cover!
Book Synopsis:
Alexandria (Alex) Carmichael guards two secrets close to her heart.
One ― she’s in love with her best friend, Seth. Two ― he’s gay.
As a freshman in college, Alex looks forward to fun times with her best friend. When Seth decides cycling through girlfriends is the way to fit in with the straight crowd, Alex must make a choice: watch Seth give his affection to another while her heart breaks or come clean with her feelings and risk losing his friendship forever.
I LOVED YOU FIRST is a new adult love story told through the eyes of Alex, an African-American/Caucasian student, who takes a journey of self-discovery while watching her best friend come to terms with his sexuality.
Giveaway [International]: CLOSED
The celebration doesn’t end here, and the second surprise is that Reena is hosting a giveaway and you have the chance to win a book from the Book Depository ($15 value) and even $25 in books or Barnes & Noble Gift card. Enter the Rafflecopter below and make sure to come back and see if you are the lucky winner. Good luck!
Book Excerpt:
The last surprise is an excerpt from the book. Enjoy it!
Seth walked to me and took me by the hand. Warmth radiated up my arm, sending tingles straight to my heart and a smile to my face.
“This is what I wanted to show you.” He led me to the edge of the roof, the cement guard the only barrier to a deadly fall.
My stomach plummeted as I tried to convince my head I wasn’t going over the side.
“I found this place the first week we arrived,” Seth said. “I love it.”
He leaned over the edge, and I forced myself not to grab and scold him like a mother saving a child heading into the street.
“Up here, I can pretend I’m already on my way to Alpha Centauri.” Seth, the astronaut and visionary. Despite the slow advances in space travel, my buddy still believed we’d make it outside the solar system in our lifetime. He hopped atop the guard.
“Seth!” My heart fluttered as vertigo hit.
He looked down at me, held out his hand. “Join me, Wendy. A few happy thoughts and you too can fly.”
“No way. Wendy got a dose of fairy juice.”
Seth smiled. “Dust, Alex. It was dust.”
“Whatever. You won’t catch me up there in this lifetime.”
He faced forward and spread his arms. The wind caressed his blond hair as he tilted his head back. Spectacular was the word which came to mind—like the Greek god Hermes ready to take flight. I loved him all the more for his strength… his courage. If only I was the goddess to stand by his side instead of a shadow beneath his wings.
About the author:
“Reena Jacobs is just a writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she’s known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for “just one more purchase.” Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog.”
Connect with Reena online:
Email: reenajacobs[at]reenajacobs[dot]com | Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
This being said, happy midnight reading everyone!
“Whom did you love first? (e.g. a best friend, a colleague, a neighbor, etc.)”
I guess first I loved a guy I met online (we did meet in real life :P). Now I’m in love with a better guy, who I also met online! See a pattern here? Haha.
Online-love is a step further than book-love :p (as the last one is quite impossible).
I wish you all the happiness ;))
What do you value most about your best friend?
our friendship! 😀
Whom did you love first? (e.g. a best friend, a colleague, a neighbor, etc.)
a classmate of mine back in highschool? :))
Been there, done that :))
I first loved my childhood friend, who was also my first boyfriend back in middle school.
Whom did you love first? (e.g. a best friend, a colleague, a neighbor, etc.)
I’m too young for this!! I’m just 15 and my answer is no one yet. 🙂
Hehee, at that age I was falling in ..whatever that was.. like 3 times a day, and I loved that feeling. But it is good to take your time, you shouldn’t give your heart away too easily 😉
lol. I’m 15 too bbut I have to admit. I kind of agree with Ari 😛
I first loved a friend of mine. I don’t know if it was love, but yeah, I really really like him. 🙂 Yes, I still know him!
I loved Tuxedo Mask, now and forever XD But seriously? I had this crush on a guy in my grade, he wasn’t really worth it…
I loved my best friend Gavin first. We were best friends when I was three and he was four, and although he moved away within a year of us being friends, he will always be my first best friend, and always have a special place in my heart. Not love, in the romantic sense, but I cared about him, as deeply as a three-year-old can manage, and even now, if I were to see him again, he’d be like a brother to me.
Hahaa, love has no age, right?
This reminds me of my first “love” too (or whatever that is when you are 3 years old).
Me and the boy next door (both too young to know what we were saying) even planned to get married, not that we knew what that even was, LOL.
I’ve never seen him since, bu it is cute though to remember those times ;))
I had this crush in Kindergarten of this guy who would smile at me when we had the buddy system to the lunch line…okay, maybe that isn’t “love.” But I thought it was cute.
Lilian @ A Novel Toybox
Kids don’t know our definition of love, but their hearts are full of this feeling anyways. And a very young ‘love’ is always really cute (both to see, or remember)
“Whom did you love first? (e.g. a best friend, a colleague, a neighbor, etc.)”
i loved a friend who was just awesome!
Friends might probably be the easiest to love (or so the books tell me 😀 )
I had my first crush on one of my classmates. And I value most about my best friend is her ability to make me laugh even when my life is messed up. 🙂
My first crush (and maybe the second one too) was on a classmate. It must be because you spend so much time with those people… and sometimes classes might get boring and you need to occupy your mind with something, LOL. Scratch that, I should give a good example to my young readers.
Till todays date i have never ‘loved’ any a best friend, a colleague, a neighbor, etc.
My first crush was my best friend from childhood. He was tall(for his age 😀 ) with blue eyes and an amazing smile.
Oh, blue eyes. I had a thing too for blue eyes and beautiful smiles ;))
Well, I thought I was in love in high school, but now I’m not so sure. 😉
Don’t worry, when you are in love you know it.
Just keep your heart open for the right person 😉
I think it was one of my friends in kindergarden 🙂 I still remember it, I had a huge crush on him xD
Hahaa, aren’t these crushes the cutest? ;))
I value loyalty above all else. :0)
Someone who I knew from very young and grew up spending alot of time with .
J K Rowling. Started from nothing and with hard work became who she is today. She did it with modesty and never took her success for granted.
Cry
Eeepp!!! I love your question! 😛
Lol. But the 1st person I loved first was my classmate. I was 12. I still like him though. But not as much. I’m head over heals over this one guy right now #lifeofateenagegirl 😛
I am glad you liked the question, sweetie.
Enjoy being in love, or whatever it is that you feel right now! 😉
The first person I loved was a classmate of mine. I was 12 and we sat next to each other in class.
I remember something like that, and as cliché as it must sound, me and that boy shared a biology class together. It is so cute and funny to remember those times tough ;))
My first love was with one of my classmates. I had a huge crush on him but the feelings it was not the same.
I value my best friend most because they accept me
My first love is my best friend, not in a romantic sense, in a platonic sense
You all are great for sharing your first loves with us.
My first romantic love took me by surprise. While visiting my dad over the summer, I was dating a guy just to pass the time before I went to basic training. I enjoyed his company so much, I’d extended my visit until November… one month before I was scheduled to leave. One evening, my family and I were having a dinner out, and I couldn’t get the guy off my mind… couldn’t wait to see him again. Then it hit me, I’d fallen in love.
I never wanted to love him. I just wanted to have a good time. A lifetime ago, and I still remember him with a smile. Love never dies. 🙂
Love always takes us by surprise. That’s the beauty of it, that’s why I love to be in love.
And it feels so good to look back to your past love life and smile 🙂
My first was my best friends boyfriend. Shortly after they stopped dating he and I started and within 3 days I knew I was in love with him even though it took me a couple of weeks to admit it to him. 3 years after we started dating we got married. In November we will be married 6 years!!
I wish you all the happiness in the world!
In two weeks I will be married.. 1 tiny year, but the happiest 😉
Who did I love first? The boy next door.
I was on a holiday and I liked the boy next door from the hotel I stayed, did that counts? LOL! Well, probably not but hey, one can dream!
Congratulations, Doodle Bug! It’s odd where we find those special someones.
@Sophia ~ I’ve always wanted a boy next door or a high school sweetheart. 🙂 Makes me want to turn back the hands of time and get me one. haha
Thanks for having me, Ari. By the way, I totally covet your blog. The light switch is way cool!
Congrats to our lucky winner, Tiffany W!
And thank you for this giveaway and your words, Reena!
And don’t worry, high school sweethearts are so overrated, been there, done that… but for a cute boy next door I think that I would try to turn back time as well :))