First, Best And Only

by Barbara Delinsky

First, Best and Only by Barbara Delinsky released on Dec 27, 2005 is available now for purchase.

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Family

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 27, 2005

About the author

I was born and raised in suburban Boston. My mother’s death, when I was eight, was the defining event of a childhood that was otherwise ordinary. I took piano lessons and flute lessons. I took ballroom dancing lessons. I went to summer camp through my fifteenth year (in Maine, which explains the setting of so many of my stories), then spent my sixteenth summer learning to type and to drive (two skills that have served me better than all of my other high school courses combined). I earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. The motivation behind the M.A. was sheer greed. My husband was just starting law school. We needed the money.

Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and as a photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. I did the newspaper work after my first son was born. Since I was heavily into taking pictures of him, I worked for the paper to support that habit. Initially, I wrote only in a secondary capacity, to provide copy for the pictures I took. In time, I realized that I was better at writing than photography. I used both skills doing volunteer work for hospital groups, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and on the MGH’s Women’s Cancer Advisory Board.

I became an actual writer by fluke. My twins were four when, by chance, I happened on a newspaper article profiling three female writers. Intrigued, I spent three months researching, plotting, and writing my own book - and it sold.

My niche? I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not-so-everyday challenges.

My novels are character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I’ve been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists. One of my latest, Sweet Salt Air, came out in 2013.  Blueprints, my second novel with St. Martin’s Press, became my 22nd New York Times bestselling novel soon after its release in June 2015.  Making Up, my work in progress, will be published in 2018.

2018? Yikes. I didn’t think I’d live that long. I thought I’d die of breast cancer back in the 1900's, like my mom. But I didn’t. I was diagnosed nearly twenty years ago, had surgery and treatment, and here I am, stronger than ever and loving having authored yet another book, this one the non-fiction Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. First published in 2001, Uplift is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes that I compiled with the help of 350 breast cancer survivors, their families and friends. These survivors just ... blew me away! They gave me the book that I wish I’d had way back when I was diagnosed. There is no medical information here, nothing frightening, simply practical advice from friends who’ve had breast cancer. The 10th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print. And the money I’ve made on the book? Every cent has gone to my charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/bdelinsky
Look for my photos on Instagram: instagram.com/barbaradelinsky

Reviews

[Elvan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh 1986 romance. Button flies, stirrup pants and hairy chested men. Oh and the women had luxuriant apex's. It was a furry time in the romantic fiction world. Sometimes it's fun to go back in time. Those over-blouses were comfortable. lol.

I've enjoyed many of Delinsky's books over the years but this one is from those early Harlequin years where the heroine is a whiny helpless thing and her strong man is all she needs to feel fulfilled. Or filled. Take your pick. Painful to listen to in 2015 but a blast from the past to be sure.

[Firedragonll · Rating 1 out of 5]

So far not finished, not impressed. In fact am finding this book annoying on many levels.

Still didn't like it when finished.

[Lindsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was probably the worst book I have ever read. I usually hate to give a bad book review and try to find at least one positive thing about a book that I like but my hands are tied on this.I can not find one decent thing to say. I am actually a bit disturbed by the flashback to when Marni was 17. For some reason I feel a bit grossed out about the idea of a 26 & 17 year old. I know it happens all the time but I could not dream of dating a 17 year old. I don't know, it just feels wrong on so many levels, and their "first time" together is so awkwardly written I had a hard time getting through it.

[Jackie Mceachern · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have enjoyed many of Barbra Delinksy's books so I signed out this audiobook from my library and didn't realize that it was a Harlequin Romance type from the 80s. That's not my kind of book at all so I don't really feel it's fair for me to review it. I finished it because I needed something to listen to on my work commute but didn't enjoy it. The characters didn't feel real to me at all.

[Shanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

If it wasn't an audiobook that I listened to while on my walks, I would have abandoned this story in the first few chapters. The story is long, drawn-out, and predictable compared to the other books I have been reading.

[Michelle Galati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marni cried too much, she was so whinny.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written. Meeting someone you cared about fourteen years ago might lead to discovery and romance.

[Dina Hanlon-Fritz]

Found this book in my collection, written in the late 1980s. Never read it so I picked it up. I couldn't put it down. Finished it in 2 days.

[Jodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this books up because I have read others by Barbara Delinsky and loved them. However, this book was based on a cheesy romance story that skips over a lot of details. Okay read but not the best chick-lit story I've read. The characters needed more depth in my opinion.

12/19/21 - It's funny how your state of mind affects your opinion of a book. I enjoyed it more this time I read it. If I read a book that was amazing, I will remember I have read it. I didn't remember this one at all but picked it up because I do like Barbara Delinsky. This was what I would call "mind candy" with a lot of fluff, but it was a light-hearted romantic read to me this time. I felt the main character's story line of re-meeting 14 years after a summer romance and falling in love to talking marriage in 3 weeks knowing the family hated him from that long-ago summer a little much to believe. However, that is how romance novels are when reading them. Just sit back and enjoy the light-heartedness and escape the real world for awhile.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marni Lange was just seventeen when she fell passionately in love with the irresistibly sexy Brian Webster. Then a tragic accident tore them apart. Fourteen years later, Marni is now a successful businesswoman, about to appear on the cover of a national magazine—and come face-to-face with the world-famous photographer profiling her...Brian Webster. As Marni struggles with her attraction to the man who haunts her past, is she now brave enough to follow her heart and fight for what matters most?
I have really been enjoying the books by Delinsky. Although i have only read a few, i will be reading more. She is a superb writer. 5 stars.

[Rhonda B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barbara is one of my favorite authors so I thought this might be a book that would also endear me to her. Well, I am torn between a 4 star and a 3 but giving a 3 because of the sappy, not your typical strong company president character. There is a good story line about the strength of love that shines through even in the face of large obsticals to overcome. First loves are almost always strong, holding special places in our hearts.

[Gemma]

I found this rather dated. It was written in 1986, so that's to be expected. Still, the whole "I love you, and you love me, but my family doesn't think you're good enough for me so we can't possibly be together," makes me want to gag when it's in contemporary romance. Grow a backbone, girly, and fight for the man you love! This isn't the 1800s when a woman's family owned her.

[Brandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this as much as her other one. It was very predictable. I wish she had told more of what happened with Marni's brother and how that affected them all, especially Wes.

[Hope · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not one of Delinsky's best.

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh-don't bother. Dumb. I finished it because I like Barbara Delinsky though this is from the 80's and very Harlequin-ish.

[Lorena Reyes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recommended by librarian. Mushy romance ...

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marnie Lange
Brian Webster (Web)

Marnie is seventeen having just graduated from high school and getting ready to go to college when she meets Web, her brother Ethan’s new friend. Marnie hangs around Ethan and Web as much as she can and eventually she gets together with Web and they secretly date. Things go well until there is a tragic accident. The book picks up fourteen years later, Marnie is the President of Lange Enterprises and Web, now going as Brian Webster, is a celebrated Photographer. Marnie, reluctantly, is to be on the cover of the new magazine her company is publishing when she comes face to face with Web. This is a very good book. The characters have emotional issues going back to the accident to work through. They still have great chemistry, but can they put the past behind them to move forward to what they both want. I liked both Marnie and Web and how far both had come in their lives. Both Marnie and Web are resilient characters. I would definitely read other books by this author.

[Brandi True · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok... so I don’t remember if I actually finished this book. It started to get so sexual that I couldn’t listen in public anymore without blushing and sweating profusely.
Barbara Delinski does not SOUND like the name of fictional writer with soft-porn tendencies... but trust me... she’s got a dirty whore hiding inside her somewhere.
Oh... before you get too excited swiping open your Libby library app... the narrator sounds like a straight-up whining adult at times, so there’s a bit of a cancelling effect that will keep things in check... but not in a good way.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marni Lange and Web met and had a brief but intense romance 14 yrs ago. Then tragedy struck and everything changed. 14 yrs later they meet again and they have to resolve the issue from the past and see if there is anything b/w them now. They also face strong family resistance to them becoming a couple.

I found the plot to be too much of a stretch and it was predictable. This was an OK read but I don't think it is one of her best works. It may have been written earlier in her career and it hasn't aged well.

[Laura L. Gerling]

I'm glad I read Delinsky's more modern books first. Some of her early ones have an ick factor. First, Best, and Only is one of those. Reason? Even in 1986, no 26-year-old should be having sex with a 17-year-old. And then a line from Web, now 40: "If I wanted a 17-year-old now, I would have one." These concepts didn't age well at all. In reality, there was no reason for the age discrepancy. None. It would have been the same if Marni and Web had only had a difference of only a couple of years instead of 8 or 9. I don't rate the early books. I don't see a point.

[Michelle Odland · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried really hard to like this book. I’ve read this author before and usually there are good characters (at least one) and a storyline I could at least follow. I couldn’t. The cover should have Fabio on it welding a camera with the heroine cowering over whatever else she thinks is wrong. I like broken characters- typically they’re out to heal themselves, but “sunshine” literally just weeps and calls for her handsome hero. Couldn’t finish - 44% in.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was well thought out. I enjoyed reading a story where the main character woman was at a point in her life where she was well off. I think a lot of times in stories it's a classic the man is going to save her and I felt like this was different. I'm glad this book made it into my hands because it taught me that strong opinions and difficult topics can be worked through with the right person.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

At seventeen, Marnie fell in love with her older brother's friend, but a horrible accident kept them apart. NNow, fourteen years later, she's CEO of the family corporation and about to come face to face with Webb once again.

It's a beautiful, poignant tale of love, reconciliation and forgiveness told only the way Barbara Delinsky can. I listened to the audio book and enjoyed the mature telling by narrator Coleen Marlo!

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my type of book, I picked this up as a quickie travel book. I didn’t realize it would be more of a romance novel than anything else. That said, I stuck with it to find out what happened to the main characters. The weak story line, plot development and paltry dialogue was disappointing but maybe my expectations were too high.

[Lo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine, if very rushed (it's a second chance story and they’re back in love in like two weeks, after being separated for 14 years). Also you have to ignore the fact that the heroine was 17 the first time they got together, and also funny 80's stuff, but I am very good at ignoring things like that!

[Amanda Rayne Peterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a slow read, and I had trouble staying onto it. There are some moments that just capture your heart and feelings for the characters. I love the Vermont idea of cabin and landscape. I kinda find the business job a bit dull. Maybe it's just not in my area of interest.

[Ada Iaboni · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story with a bit of an unusual twist.
a good one to take on the beach.

[Corinne Driscoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book about first world problems, or should I say the 1% ‘s problems. Still it’s escapist and don’t we all need that? Unfortunately it’s the 1% we’re trying to escape!

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was prepared to not like this book grouping it in with all those other weak women romances, but was I pleasantly surprised!!

[Donnajo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Determination plus challenge

print owned shore book. A possible second chance at love. Can then move on from the past.