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Kimberly Adams
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First Kindle Edition

by Kimberly Adams (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 326 ratings
It was 1990, and we were tying yellow ribbons around old oak trees.

And we were waiting.

The time I’d spent with Grant Butler was stolen. Each moment between us only fueled our need for each other. He was older, and forbidden by my parents.

And then he was gone.

Grant wrote to me from Saudi Arabia, and in his very first letter, he asked me to marry him. In his last letter, he promised to hold me in his arms on my graduation day.

His last letter ended in forever.

As I tried to move on with my life, I was consumed each day with the memories of a ghost... of my young love. My first love.

On August 26th, 1997, he was finally found... but I'd already lost him.

This is the story of our life.... and it's only just begun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: FOR CONTENT WARNINGS, CHECK THE AUTHOR'S WEBSITE.
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  1. Print length
    422 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    12 Sept. 2017
  5. File size
    2.7 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product description

About the Author

Kimberly Adams writes most genres from her picturesque farm in northeastern Ohio. She spends all of her time with her storybook husband and children, thankful for their happily ever after. Her published works include The Roam Series, The Movie Trilogy, The Fire Ballad Series, and stand-alone contemporaries. Learn more at www.ADAMSROMANCE.com

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B074S5MN1L
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ KIMBERLY ADAMS
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 12 Sept. 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.7 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 422 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 326 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Kimberly Adams

Kimberly Adams

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Kimberly Adams has been writing time travel romantasy, hilarious dramedy, and romantic contemporary fiction since 2012. Her beloved, fan-favorite Roam Series has entertained readers for over a decade.

Currently loving spending time with her family, she's enjoying more real life than fiction these days. Check out her latest at authorkimberlyadams.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
326 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book beautifully written and an amazing read from start to finish. Moreover, they appreciate the depth given to the characters, and one customer mentions feeling every emotion while reading it.

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14 customers mention ‘Story quality’14 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's story, describing it as beautifully written and an amazing read from start to finish.

"...It was truly stunning and in all the years that I have been reading, I don't think we've shed so many tears over a book. It is an absolute must read." Read more

"...This was such a beautifully written story and so heartbreaking, and that epilogue, it just broke me...." Read more

"...It's such a beautiful story with beautiful characters who you root so hard for but it's so tragic and it really did hurt my heart to read it...." Read more

"...It is beautiful, it is tragic, it is heartbreaking. This story is so well written with so much depth given to the characters, that you will..." Read more

9 customers mention ‘Heartbreaking story’7 positive2 negative

Customers describe this book as a beautiful heartbreaking story that evokes strong emotions.

"...It was breathtakingly beautiful, it was tragic, it was outstanding and by the time I finished the last page, I was a wreck...." Read more

"Well I'm still picking myself off the floor after this wonderful emotional ride...." Read more

"...This was such a beautifully written story and so heartbreaking, and that epilogue, it just broke me...." Read more

"...It is beautiful, it is tragic, it is heartbreaking...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Depth’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the depth of the characters in the book.

"...It's such a beautiful story with beautiful characters who you root so hard for but it's so tragic and it really did hurt my heart to read it...." Read more

"...This story is so well written with so much depth given to the characters, that you will feel every ounce of their pain and feelings in an impossible..." Read more

"...Beautiful story, wonderful characters - you won't be disappointed and you won't be able to put it down so make sure you keep the tissues handy." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Jo ReadsRomance
    5.0 out of 5 stars This was hands down one of the easiest 5 stars I've ever given.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 October 2017
    Verified Purchase
    No matter what I write in this review, it will not be enough to explain how epic this book was. It was simply in a league of its own. Nothing could prepare me for how much I felt during this story. It was breathtakingly beautiful, it was tragic, it was outstanding and by the time I finished the last page, I was a wreck. I was left desperate to share this phenomenal book with my book friends.

    Annie and Grants relationship was something special. They were true soulmates, sharing a connection so deep it was impossible not to get swept up in their romance. I loved their fierce love for one another so much. Annie's feelings transported me back to my own experiences of that giddy first love feeling and Grant, Wow!! He was such a gorgeous book boyfriend. So easy to fall head over heels in love with.

    I don't want to say anything more about the story because it's one that you need to feel for yourself. But trust me when we I say that this love story will leave a mark on your heart that will never be erased. It was truly stunning and in all the years that I have been reading, I don't think we've shed so many tears over a book. It is an absolute must read.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Sue D
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wow the First by this author but definitely not the last!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 September 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Well I'm still picking myself off the floor after this wonderful emotional ride.
    I knew this was going to be a tear jerker but I had to keep stopping to use a tissue.
    Annie meets Grant just before her 16th birthday and Grant is just 18, and is about to join the marines. Annie's parents are against the relationship due to their age; however the pair fall so deeply in love they can't be kept apart.
    So begins a story that spans 4 decades, through thick but mostly thin their love remains strong to the end.
    I don't want to spoil anyone's enjoyment of this book, you really just need to read it. Someone else said 10 stars would not be enough and it just isn't. My only very tiny criticism would be that the ending/epilogue did seem a tad rushed, but half my joy is in a good epilogue so I'm a bit biased.
    I can't recommend this book enough, just have a box of tissues at the ready!!! Will definitely look for more by this author.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Rosiesromancereads_
    4.0 out of 5 stars So emotional
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 March 2018
    Verified Purchase
    WOW!!! I went into this book completely blind, and i am so glad i did because i just had no idea what was coming. This was such a beautifully written story and so heartbreaking, and that epilogue, it just broke me. I was a mess by the end, reaching for the tissues.
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  • grace hadden
    5.0 out of 5 stars This book hurt my heart
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 May 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This book is beautiful but it isn't for the feint of heart! It tore my heart out and stomped all over it again and again. It's such a beautiful story with beautiful characters who you root so hard for but it's so tragic and it really did hurt my heart to read it. It had such a strong emotional effect on me that I felt rung out by the end and for a while i wished I'd never read it. It's a brilliant book but if you are soft hearted like me I'd make sure you are feeling
    very strong before you pick it up lol.
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  • Viv
    5.0 out of 5 stars Oh My God 10 Stars would not be enough
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 September 2017
    Verified Purchase
    There are no words to describe what a journey this story takes you on. It is beautiful, it is tragic, it is heartbreaking.
    This story is so well written with so much depth given to the characters, that you will feel every ounce of their pain and feelings in an impossible situation.

    This is such a beautiful story. I can't stop repeating myself

    This is the first book I've read by this author and will definitely buy more of her books

    1 click now you will not be disappointed but truly enlightened
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Carolyn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Just wow!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 September 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Where to start?
    What an amazing beautiful heart wrenching read. I read a lot and some books are above good and just occasionally one comes along that is everything and stays with you for days after you have finished reading.....this is that book! Amazing read from start to finish so, so beautifully written I just could not put it down. My first book by this author but I most certainly will be reading more. Way more than 5 stars....oh have the tissues ready btw
    2 people found this helpful
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  • pennelopy7
    5.0 out of 5 stars What a story!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 April 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I write this with a lump still lodged in my throat. I haven't got words to describe just how much I've loved this story. I'm sad and angry and happy and all the emotion you can imagine I felt with these characters. I want to scream and cry and shout and I don't want the book to end. Well worth the read. Well done to the author x
    Helpful
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  • JB
    5.0 out of 5 stars A story of lost love and discovering that love gain - but not without a price
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Wow ..... I can honestly say that I have never shed a tear when reading a book..... until now. Beautiful story, wonderful characters - you won't be disappointed and you won't be able to put it down so make sure you keep the tissues handy.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful
    Reviewed in Australia on 5 November 2017
    Verified Purchase
    'First' had me from beginning to end.
    Beautifully written. With characters you can't help but fall in love with and hope that everything works out for them. Loved every page
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  • yvette jones
    5.0 out of 5 stars First
    Reviewed in Canada on 13 April 2020
    Verified Purchase
    A great story. It could be real for many people. War hurts in more places than the battlefront. A captivating read.
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  • Anne W
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bittersweet perfection
    Reviewed in the United States on 18 September 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Stunned, wowed, impressed, flabbergasted, maimed and shredded pretty much describes the range of my feelings at the end of this book.  I'm left with a painful ache in my heart for all that was lost and found, and lost once again.  Kimberly Adams, who is a new-to-me-author, chose to take this book one step too far in my humble opinion.  That last step was a real joy zapper!  And that, my fellow readers, is my one and only criticism and the reason for a one-star deduction.  Along with these characters, readers had already suffered enough emotional trauma throughout this story without having to take that one last defining step.  I didn't need OR want to go that far into the future.  I would have been totally and completely satisfied drawing my own conclusions without this particular ending.  With that being said, FIRST lives up to the hype and I highly recommend it!
     
    But, oh how I did love these characters and their story!  There are no words to express the beauty and power of the deep love story between Grant and Annie.  The writing is flawless, exceptionally well-developed and spellbinding.  The journey felt natural and realistic.  Told in a two-part storyline with captivating and riveting imagery and detail, it's mostly narrated from Annie's point of view.  Still, you get enough input from Grant to make it a fair shake.  Part One melts your heart with the beginnings of new love when a senior boy vigorously asserts himself into a tenth grade girl's heart, and then Part Two tears them apart with his commitment to the U.S. Marines and deployment to Afghanistan.  There's a lot of ground to cover before the pieces are finally reconnected.
     
    In an epic love story that spans the years 1989-2017, beginning in high school where two normal teenagers, Annie Lake and Grant Butler, fall in love, this book covers multiple layers of life and love.  These two young lovers share magical “firsts” along with heartbreak and loss.  In all aspects it is exquisite, intriguing, and enjoyable to the very end.  The story has grit and plenty of raw emotion and enough passion to satisfy the most demanding romance lover.  Have Kleenex close at hand.  It is also one of the most beautifully and poignantly written storylines to ever have consumed me in one sitting.   After years of separation, their reunions, although bittersweet, are always the perfect culmination of heart and soul.
     
    Having a memorable hero is one of the best ways to set a romance novel apart from the rest of the pack, and Grant Butler was indeed a formidable character.   An all-around good guy, a sweet talking charmer with a side of devilish, too.  Of course, he's gorgeous, but Grant comes with a grungy side to him as well.  He's the epitome of everything we want in our book boyfriends.

    Hailed as the girl next door, Annie is feisty and refuses to be placed in a mold or transformed to the expectations of others.  Readers will easily identify with her.  She's smart and artistic.  Not one to go along with the crowd, but well-liked.  She's a good girl -- and a virgin.  

    While the hero and heroine are the undeniable center of this story, there are secondary players who impact the storyline in big ways, including friends and family members.  They add plenty of depth and spirit.

    The author is articulate, astute and precise, and she frankly blew me away with my first adventure into her writing world.  I am always hopeful for a happily-ever-after when I begin a new love story.  The author didn't disappoint -- even though it was bittersweet.  From this day forward, she will also be remembered as the author who -- without a doubt -- cured me of the need to beg for an epilogue.  From now on, I'm of the mindset that less is more and just leave me happy at the end of the last chapter, thank you very much!  Be careful what you wish for -- it might just backfire leaving you with an achy breaky heart that even alcohol won't mend.  One thing is for certain – Grant and Annie are characters who came to life on the pages, capturing my heart, and they won’t soon be forgotten.  
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  • Miss Morelli
    5.0 out of 5 stars Dieses Buch hat 10* verdient
    Reviewed in Germany on 25 April 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Unglaublich was für eine Perle unter so viel Kieselsteinen dieses Buch ist.
    Es hat mich so sehr bewegt, dass ich weinen musste und das haben nur 2 weitere Bücher in meinem Leben geschafft.
    Wunderschön geschrieben, bewegend. Eine ganz ganz dicke Leseempfehlung.
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  • Di
    5.0 out of 5 stars I think I love Grant too!
    Reviewed in Canada on 18 September 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Kimberly Adams is amazing at making you feel you are in the moment with the characters. It's a roller coaster that is more than worth it.
    Another incredible book from an incredible author! Was definitely worth the pre-order and wait!
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