Feels Like the First Time

by Kimberly Packard

Blink and your life’s halfway over. What if that happens literally?

College party girl Emily Murray bounces through majors and boys until an ill-advised art major leads her to a rebellious relationship with an aspiring rock star. When her father cuts off the college fund—and her boyfriend ditches her to chase a record deal—Emily spirals, hard.

One shaved head and emotional black out later, she wakes up thirty years in the future, living a life she doesn’t recognize as a successful therapist and engaged to a total stranger.

With no apparent way to rewind the clock, Emily scrambles to make sense of her new reality. With a wedding date looming and a competitive therapist threatening her fragile career, Emily is forced to question: Was this really the future she was meant for?

Witty, sharp and unexpectedly heartwarming, Feels Like the First Time, the highly anticipated follow up to This Time Around, is a love letter to our younger selves, reminding us that even when we feel lost, we often end up exactly where we need to be.

Genres: Romance

307 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 16, 2026

About the author

Kimberly Packard is an award-winning author of women’s fiction.

She began visiting her spot on the shelves at libraries and bookstores at a young age, gazing between the Os and the Qs. Kimberly received a degree in journalism from the University of North Texas, and has worked in public relations and communications for nearly 20 years.

When she isn’t writing, she can be found running, planning her next trip, asking her dog what’s in his mouth or curled up with a book. She resides in Texas with her husband Colby, a clever cat named Oliver and a precocious black lab named Tully.

Her debut novel, Phoenix, was awarded as Best General Fiction of 2013 by the Texas Association of Authors. Other published works by Kimberly includes a Christmas novella, The Crazy Yates, and the sequels to Phoenix, Pardon Falls and Prospera Pass, and her stand-alone titles, Vortex, Dire’s Club and This Time Around. She was honored as one of the Top 10 Haute Young Authors by Southern Methodist University in 2019 (she was most excited about the young part). Vortex was the 2019 winner of the Pencraft award in Women’s Fiction, and Dire’s Club, was awarded the 2021 General Fiction of the Year by the North Texas Book Festival. Her most recent novel, This Time Around, was an America Book Fest finalist in romance and winner of a 2025 Stiletto award from the Contemporary Romance Writers.

Reviews

[Jenni]

I slid into this story like Emily Murray stumbling through her twenties — messy, chaotic, and absolutely convinced she’s immortal. She’s bouncing between majors, boys, parties, and questionable choices like she’s collecting red flags for sport. And honestly? She’s giving “girl, you need supervision.”

Then life slaps her.
Dad cuts off the college fund.
Rock‑star boyfriend bails.
Emily spirals so hard she practically becomes a cautionary tale in a uni orientation video.

And THEN — because Kimberly Packard loves drama — Emily shaves her head, emotionally blacks out, and wakes up thirty years in the future living a life she didn’t choose, doesn’t remember, and absolutely does not recognise.

She’s suddenly:

a successful therapist

engaged to a stranger

respected

stable

and thirty years older with zero explanation

It’s giving:
“Congratulations babe, you skipped the entire character‑development arc and now you’re stuck with the consequences.”

Emily is stumbling through this new timeline like a chaotic possum in a Woolies car park — confused, panicked, trying to act normal while internally screaming. She’s got a wedding date looming, a rival therapist breathing down her neck, and absolutely no idea how she became this version of herself.

And the emotional chaos?
Oh babe.
It sneaks up on you.
You’re laughing one minute, then suddenly your chest hurts and you’re whispering “why is this so relatable.”
It’s witty, sharp, chaotic, and then unexpectedly heartwarming in that “I didn’t plan to cry today but here we are” way.

This book is a love letter to your younger self — the messy one, the lost one, the one who thought shaving her head would fix her life. It’s about realising that even when you screw up spectacularly, you can still end up exactly where you’re meant to be.

Emily’s journey is chaotic, funny, painful, and weirdly comforting.
It’s time‑warp emotional therapy disguised as a rom‑com.
It’s self‑growth without the lectures.
It’s chaos wrapped in hope.

A 4.5–5 star read — clever, heartfelt, feral, chaotic, and unexpectedly healing. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to hug your younger self and say, “Sweetheart, you’re going to be okay. Eventually.”

[Kimberly]

I love all my characters, even the ones we shouldn't love, but there is something truly special about Emily. She's that irreverent, funny friend we all have, the one who's down for anything - whether it's last minute drinks or hiding a body. But yet, beneath her confident smile is someone just trying to hold it all together. Throughout writing this book, she made me laugh, but her vulnerable moments made me cry harder. I hope you'll enjoy the ride with Em as you laugh with her, cry with her, and, ultimately, love with her.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews]

If you were in college in the 1990s, you will relate to this book! 

Emily Murray has gone through a tragedy that we have all experienced, a breakup. She was sure that this was her soul mate, but anyone could have told her otherwise. Musicians can be flaky, and this one definitely was. However, she never expected to wake up thirty years in the future, engaged to another man, and a life she didn't expect. I can only imagine how hard it was to navigate this new life and wondered how she could go back in time. Technology grew by leaps and bounds, and even the mindset of the different generations, as we saw with the counselor who opened up shop just down the street. Her only constant is a fortune teller that she spoke to in the 1990s, and is trying to help guide her the best she can in the present. Will she make it back to her own time or is she destined to live in the present forever?

This novel was such a fun read, that I devoured it in a day. It is light-hearted, funny yet serious, and begs the question, how would you handle this situation if you were in Emily's shoes? I don't know how I would answer that question. The one thing it reminds us is that we are in charge of our own destinies. We have the power to make our lives what we want, no matter what is thrown at us. It is all about choices!

While this is a sequel/prequel to This Time Around, it isn't necessary to read it before this one. Granted I did several years ago, but I didn't remember anything about the book until I looked it up. Both are excellent books and well worth reading. 

We give this book 5 paws up.

[Makayla Woods]

I finished reading this book last night/this morning at 6a.m.... Another one of my favorites!!! It was so hilarious and the romance is now one of my favorites! I can't wait for the next book by this author!

12/9/23 and 12/7/24 I got to meet this author at an event! She was very kind and down to earth! She even signed my book, took a picture with me, and answered all of my burning questions!

If you loved this book, then I suggest:
All of the books by this author
The Seven Year Slip
The Dead Romantics
Sounds Like Love
Timeless by Alexandra Monir

[Enchanted Owl]

We first meet Emily in 1996 while she’s in college with a rock musician boyfriend. Emily is fully ready to take the leap and go with him and his band to L.A. when he tells her that she’s not going. After an emotionally charged and draining day, Emily does something drastic then succumbs to sleep from everything. When she wakes, she’s thrust into the future.

I went into this book thinking it would be like the first one I read of hers where the FMC slipped back in time, except this one was the opposite. The FMC in this one jumps forward. At first I was slightly confused but then quickly realized that this book done the opposite. Once again, I was hooked into this book just like the previous one. Definitely recommend reading this one. It’ll give you those feels that you felt as a teenager wondering if you were making the right decisions and choices in life and even as an adult. It’s a chaotic rollercoaster of emotions that mix the good and bad into this story and makes it so very hard not to keep saying “just one more chapter” then you realize you’ve reached the end.

[C.S. Kjar]

This romantic tale has an unusual twist. Instead of going back in time, this story jumps forward in time. How would you deal with new technologies you'd never seen or worked before? Could you blend into a new life in the future? Emily finds herself twenty years ahead in her life and completely unprepared to deal with her future self. She scrambles to fit in and misses all the years it took away from her.
Time travel forward in time is a new plot for me and what fun it was! Moving forward in time leaves you wondering what happened in between. Feels Like the First Time explores these questions in a wonderful, humorous way. This is a fun ride as Emily deals with changes on every level to fit into a life she has no memory of creating.
One star taken because of the f-bombs. If you don't mind those, it's a great story that I recommend you get. You won't be able to put it down.

[Lucinda]

"Feels Like the First Time" is the second book by Kimberly Packard that features a time slip.

At 20 years old, Emily feels aimless in her life. She's unable to settle on a major in college, and her dad has cut her off financially. When her musician boyfriend, Wick, gets a chance to break into the big time in Los Angeles, she dreams of a future with him. However, her hopes are shattered when he breaks up with her. After an unfortunate incident with an electric shaver leaves her almost bald and passed out in the bathroom, she awakens to find herself 30 years in the future.

In this new reality, Emily has a gorgeous fiancé who adores her and a successful therapy business, leading what appears to be a great life. However, she has no memories of the years that have passed. As she evaluates her current life, she realises that while things seem good, she desperately wants to return to her 20-year-old self to truly live out those formative years.

This is such a well-written novel, with wonderful characters who learn and grow. There is an authenticity to the interactions and situations.

[Karen Siddall]

An emotionally devastating breakup sends an aimless college junior 30 years into her future.

Feels Like the First Time is a warm and witty women’s fiction novel by veteran author Kimberly Packard in which an emotionally immature young woman is suddenly thrust into her own life 30 years in the future. It’s the Spring semester of 1996, and after a heated public argument with her father about her aimless college performance, Emily Murray runs to her musician boyfriend’s place to discover he and his band are packing up and heading for L.A., where a possible recording contract awaits. However, while she thought she would be part of that move, he did not and planned to slip away without an explanation. Devastated, she returns to her shared apartment, and in an emotionally impulsive act, shaves off all of her hair and blacks out. But rather than awakening to follicular mayhem, Emily comes to in a strange bed, with a gorgeous older man singing in the shower. She’s 30 years older, and it’s 2026.

Emily Murray is such a great character; I was in her corner from start to finish. She’s a fun, free-spirited girl with a sassy wit and a love for live music and her lead-singer boyfriend, Wick. Unfortunately, Wick is all about Wick, seeing Emily as only an accouterment to his current self-image as a struggling Austin, Texas, musician on his way to the top. He has no problem leaving her behind to pursue his big break in L.A. Emily, however, has had an emotionally undernourished childhood, the result of her suddenly single mother being thrust unprepared into the role of breadwinner when her marriage to Emily’s emotionally and physically distant father breaks up. But when she awakens in 2026, she finds herself engaged to Dr. Craig Harrison, the complete opposite of the men in her earlier life. He’s understanding, supportive, and only has eyes for her and her wellbeing. Their chemistry is palpable, even as she initially thinks he’s the product of her dreaming. But once she realizes she’s living in her own future, she begins to back away from this warm-hearted man, who in reality is a total stranger. As she falls for him, she worries she’s an imposter in her own life, living a lie, and she can’t do that to this good man.

There are several pivotal supporting characters in Emily’s life, in both timelines. There is the mysterious Astrid, the psychic Emily consults on a whim after her blow-up with her father, and who is still in business in her future. While Emily repeatedly returns to Astrid to beg for help getting back to her life in 1996, Astrid is actually a source of wisdom and good advice when Emily is considering her options and contemplating some suspect choices. There are also Emily’s lifelong friends, Josie and Sofia, and her loyal and wise assistant in her therapy practice, Monique. The story really celebrates the power and value of strong, supportive female friendships. In the end, Emily, who has grown into a gifted therapist, must learn some personal lessons of her own before she can live the life she was meant to live.

I recommend FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME to readers of women’s fiction.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Literary Life Book Campaigns.

[Karen Brooks - TheTxLitChic]

Feels Like the First Time
~Kimberly Packard

Feels Like the First Time by Kimberly Packard is a neon-lit dive back into the 90’s college scene, that gloriously chaotic era of grunge music, garage bands, late-night diner runs, and life choices that probably should have come with warning labels. While this is the follow-up to This Time Around, it can absolutely stand on its own, though I’d still highly recommend reading the first book for the full emotional experience.

Emily is your classic college student: convinced she has life figured out while simultaneously holding everything together with duct tape and caffeine. She’s navigating divorced parents with expectations she considers wildly unrealistic for HER future, all while changing majors often enough to make her father question every life decision he’s ever made. Her boyfriend, Wick, is the lead singer of a band teetering on the edge of making it big, and Emily is right there beside him, emotionally invested, physically exhausted, and carrying the sound equipment by herself. But when Wick signs that “big deal” and disappears without so much as a goodbye, Emily’s world gets flipped upside down and then hurled straight into the future. Literally.

Packard delivers a beautifully crafted cast of characters who balance each other perfectly on the page. Emily is sharp, self-aware, emotionally messy in the most believable way, and trying desperately to figure out how to balance independence with love. Wick is equal parts charismatic and infuriating, driven almost entirely by ego and ambition. Meanwhile, Josie and Sophia step in as the kind of supportive best friends every emotionally spiraling college student needs in their corner.

Packard’s writing flows effortlessly between timelines without ever feeling jarring or confusing. The humor and emotional depth are perfectly balanced, creating moments where you’re laughing one second and then suddenly staring into space thinking, wait... did that really just happen? This is very much a character-driven story rather than an action-heavy one, built on emotional honesty, nostalgia, and deeply relatable relationships. The plot twist leans less toward shocking drama and more toward emotional realism, where the quiet moments of realization and the painful lessons that come with learning to choose yourself first deliver the strongest impact.

Overall, Feels Like the First Time is a story about discovering whether you’re truly the main character in your own life, or just playing a supporting role in someone else’s.

I would like to thank Lone Star Literary Life and Kimberly Packard for the opportunity to Alpha/Beta/ARC for Feels Like the First Time. As always, all opinions and reviews are of my own volition. I have not been promised any compensation by the author or publisher for a fair and honest opinion.

[Maryann]

Feels Like the First Time is a wonderful love story with delightful people to invite into your reading space.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d like the time-travel aspect, as that isn’t a plot device I usually enjoy, but this one works! Emily is a quirky, loveable character and her reactions to waking up one morning 30 years into her future are great, although she could’ve been a little more alarmed about the situation and that hunky stranger in the shower. But then that would be my reaction as a much older woman and as more of her character was revealed, it made sense.

Plus the introduction to the humor that makes the story so much fun would’ve been delayed. In addition to how she responds to the situation that first day, figuring out what a smartphone is, as well as other technological advances that affect so much of daily life in the modern era.

How Emily comes to grips with her ‘new life’, introduces some interesting characters, like Astrid, the psychic she visits first as a nineteen-year-old, then thirty years later, and the reader meets Emily’s parents, who are well presented as unlikeable people is some ways, making them real. And we meet the best friend from before, who is still in the “now”, and much of how Emily pieces together the threads of her life are through conversations with Josie.

Through much of the story, Emily is conflicted about her feelings for her fiancé Craig. The initial alarm slowly changes to love, even though she has difficulty admitting that, and that part of the plotting works well. The back and forth as to whether she should forget about her past and just live in the future, with this wonderful man, or try to make her way back brings tension to the story that keeps a reader engaged. I read the book in just a couple of sittings, even though I was spending more time with breakfast than I’d planned. 🙂

Feels Like the First Time is a well-written novel that surpsises a reader along the way to a very satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy a story with romance, time-travel, humor, and a super cast of characters.

[Jennifer]

Most people have imagined a “do-over,” a chance to go back and make different choices in life. Few people over the age of ten imagine skipping thirty years into the future. For college party gal Emily Murray, her life feels over at twenty. Her rich lawyer father is on her case about the future she’s still not sure about. The man she loves moves on and leaves her behind, shattering her heart into messy pieces. Alone and despairing, she shaves her head, blacks out, and wakes up... thirty years later in what might as well be a mansion.

Emily doesn’t know what a smart phone is, the cars look like something out of a sci-fi movie, not to mention the T.V. She barely even recognizes the contents of her fridge, and she absolutely does not recognize the silver fox who shows up. If she can figure out her phone, she just might find the intel she needs to sort out her new life. Hilarity ensues as Emily struggles to get her bearings, all while keeping everyone in the dark so she doesn’t end up in the hospital.

What can I say about this nearly flawlessly structured story? Kimberly Packard is clearly a master of her craft. Even though this is a standalone sequel, it’s easy to pick up the threads and enjoy the ride as Packard brings us on a surreal journey to future’s past. The 90s intro felt authentic and nostalgic, without veering into stereotypical territory. Emily and her friends and family, especially Perfect Craig, felt like living, breathing people by the end.

My only non-issue was my annoyance with how perfect her future life seemed, even if it served as a perfect antithesis to how chaotic college-Emily’s life has become. But part of me wanted her to strike out and live a little more dangerously, maybe bring some of that 20-something energy into future-Emily’s life. And Craig, while totally swoon-worthy, was far too perfect at times. Again, he is the ideal foil for Emily’s emotional immaturity, of course. Have I said Packard is a brilliant writer yet? Don’t just take my word for it, dive into Feels Like the First Time and enjoy the ride.

[Jean Roberts]

It’s 1996. Nineteen-year-old Emily Murray is a college student who has had multiple majors, a controlling father set on her finding a career, and a budding rock star for a boyfriend. When a record scout signs the band, boyfriend Wick is off to L.A. and stardom. Em is thrilled. Is this the answer to her problems? She tells her bestie, Josie, that she’s following Wick to California. On a whim, she stops at a psychic who tells her she has a long journey ahead. Excited, she races to tell Wick she’s coming with him, but things do not turn out the way she envisions.
It’s 2026. Nineteen-year-old Emily wakes up in an unknown bed with a giant diamond engagement ring on her finger. There’s a sexy older man in the bathroom who seems to know her. Everything is different. Confusing. A woman arrives, wondering why she isn’t at work. Emily looks in the mirror and sees a face, her but older staring back. She’s gone forward in time. How will she get back to her own time!
Feels Like the First Time is a fun time-slip romance by author Kimberly Packard. I really enjoyed the 1996 references, and the imagined feeling of finding yourself suddenly 30 years in the future. Discovering cell phones and flat screen TVs, and laptops. I can only imagine how strange it might feel. I laughed when Emily tried to figure out how to start her car without a key.
I enjoyed Emily’s journey of self-discovery as she tries to come to grips with her ‘new life’, piecing together the threads that led her to this moment, all the while wishing she could return to her nineteen-year-old life. As her feelings for her fiancé Craig develop and she can almost picture herself staying everything changes again.
This was an entertaining, well-written read with laughs and a feel-good vibe. I thoroughly enjoyed it. A great summer/ beach read! I highly recommend it to romantics who love a great love story with a super HEA.

[Kelly]

Feels Like the First Time, the follow-up to Kimberly Packard’s This Time Around, was worth the wait. In this time-slip romance, Josie’s best friend, Emily, is the lead, and her adventure takes her from 1996 to 2026.

As someone of the same generation as Emily, it was a hoot to imagine what it would be like to be transplanted from my early twenties to my early fifties. Packard nails the distress of time travel using her signature humor, with observations that had me laughing out loud, such as: “Does my mom live with us?” (when first looking through her closet), “So everything else in the world got more advanced, except bronzer?” and “Are mullets still a thing in the future? That’s unfortunate.” Not to mention figuring out her smartphone and getting a crash course on all the people in her life using social media.

The zingers and funny moments are balanced with poignant wisdom as Emily attempts to answer coming-of-age questions in a fifty-year-old body. She ponders the definition of maturity, what it takes to achieve dreams, and what it means to be an adult. She navigates big feelings about the neglect she experienced after her parents’ divorce, even as she’s faced with a man whose love for her contradicts her belief that “no matter how many people she surrounds herself with, ultimately she’s alone in the world.” And we are along for the ride as she struggles to figure out what normally takes a lifetime to discover—what real love looks like for you in the day-to-day trenches of life.

With the guidance of a sage and sarcastic psychic, Emily eventually accepts that what’s meant to be happens in its own due time. The resolution of Emily’s story, while bittersweet, rings true.

Feels Like the First Time is perfect for fans of time-travel romance and those who enjoy a transformative character arc.

[Joanne Easley]

Feels Like the First Time by Kimberly Packard - We meet Emily Murray as an aimless college student in 1996, uncertain of the direction of her life but loyal to her boyfriend. When her boyfriend’s band gets a chance at the big time, he breaks up with her, and she melts down, shaving off her hair and falling to the floor in her bathroom.

She awakens in a cushy bed thirty years in the future—with hair—and a huge diamond engagement ring. Disoriented and confused, with her mind stuck in 1996, she tries to make sense of her surroundings. She hears a man singing in the shower and studies the room, looking for clues. After finding a picture of her with a handsome man, she confronts the singer in the bathroom. She’s attracted to him despite what she thinks is a thirty-year age difference, until she looks in the mirror and sees what time has wrought. After he leaves to catch a flight out of an airport that hasn’t been built in her old timeframe, she finds a save-the-date card and learns she’s getting married to Craig in a few weeks, in 2026.

As Emily navigates the technology of current times and figures out how to perform her duties as a psychologist, with no memory of her schooling, she’s assisted by a well-crafted cast of characters, both from her past and her present. After all, she has a wedding to plan.
As the wedding approaches, Emily’s attraction to Craig increases, but then everything changes again, giving Emily a chance to get things right.

Feels Like the First Time is an enjoyable, well-written time-slip romance. Highly entertaining, the novel delivers a relatable main character with warmth and humor. Perfect for readers of romance who love happily-ever-after endings.

[Maida]

Emotional and original

Ms. Packard’s remarkable talent in giving a fresh twist to the classic theme of time-travel fiction is once again in full display in Feels Like the First Time. I read and loved the first book, This Time Around, and raved about it in my review, so I had huge expectations about this second book in the series. To say that I was completely satisfied is putting it mildly. Emotional and original, this book is one of my Top 26 Books of 2026.

I was in awe of the author’s audacity to tell the ending right smack in the middle of the story. While a happy-ever-after is guaranteed in Romance, the convention is that it’s always found at the end of the book. Ms. Packard’s skill in subverting the norm while staying true to the genre’s essence is truly admirable.

As in the first book, the fantastical element of the time jump feels absolutely believable, possible even. Emily’s characterization in both timelines comes across as authentic and relatable. Her reactions to the confusing events happening in both personal and professional life come across as natural, never over-the-top or underwhelming. Several times while reading, I found myself thinking that if I were in Emily’s situation, I would have done the same thing. She’s a lead character who is easy to sympathize with and root for. Her personality is well-rounded, with failings and strengths in equal measure. The same can be said about the support characters, starting with Craig, Monique, Josie, and Astrid. Even the ones who caused heartache to the heroine—Wick and Em’s dad—are not altogether hateful. Just a good balance that is desirable in a story.

As always, the themes of family, close friendships, and swoony romance will always earn my approval. Especially when woven in the evocative way as Ms. Packard did in this book.

[A.Borroel]

Feels Like the First Time feels like reading a time-travel and out-of-body coming-of-age experience (think Freaky Friday with some Back To The Future mixture) all over again. This story is an engaging blend of fiction, romance, and speculative time travel that explores a question many people have wondered: what if you could suddenly see the life your younger self eventually built? Rather than focusing on changing the past, the novel examines how our seemingly messy choices can lead to unexpected fulfillment
One of our author's greatest strengths is her characterization. Our main character, Emily Murray, is a directionless college student whose life falls apart after a failed relationship and a series of bad decisions. Emily is flawed, funny, impulsive, and relatable, making her transformation feel earned rather than forced. The side characters add warmth and emotional depth to the story, while the romantic story line complements rather than overshadows Emily's journey of self-discovery.

While the pacing occasionally slows during Emily's emotional reflections, the story remains compelling because the stakes are deeply personal rather than action-driven.

Overall, Feels Like the First Time is a heartfelt, humorous novel about growing into the person you're meant to become—even if that path looks nothing like you imagined. If you're into contemporary women's fiction with a touch of magical realism, then you'll find it an enjoyable and uplifting read. Readers who have read Packard's earlier novel This Time Around will also appreciate the connections between the two books, although this story can be enjoyed on its own.

Until next time, Happy Reading!

[Christie72 (Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews)]

Feels Like the First Time is the sequel to This Time Around, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first book!

​

Even though this is a sequel, you can read it on its own. This time, we get to hear Emily’s story. The book starts in 1996, with Emily enjoying college life—maybe a bit too much. She’s trying to figure out who she is, switching majors and struggling to settle into a relationship. She does have a boyfriend who wants to be a rock star, but when he breaks up with her, things get worse after her dad cuts her off financially. After an emotional breakdown, Emily wakes up 30 years later.

​

Life in 2026 is nothing like Emily expected. She’s not using the art major she studied back in 1996. Instead, she’s a therapist, and the man she hears singing when she wakes up is a stranger—until she finds out he’s her fiancé, Craig.

​

As Emily tries to figure out what’s going on, it’s funny to watch her deal with the technology of 2026, like learning how to use a cell phone and a laptop. All these technological advances developed over time, so I cannot even imagine what it would be like to be in 1996 and wake up in 2026. I’m not sure how I would navigate the changes that occurred over 20 years. I also loved seeing her start to develop feelings for Craig. As their relationship grew, I kept wondering how the time slip would be resolved and if Emily and Craig would still be together, and I wasn’t disappointed.

​

At its core, Feels Like the First Time is a romance, but it’s also about self-discovery and how we grow from young adulthood into midlife. Kimberly Packard has written another great book.

[Book.Athlete]

From the very first chapter of *Feels Like the First Time* by Kimberly Packard, I found myself invested in the characters and eager to see how their story would unfold. This is a heartfelt romance that blends emotion, hope, and second chances into a compelling and satisfying read.

One of my favourite aspects of the novel was the character development. The main characters felt genuine, with realistic strengths, flaws, and vulnerabilities that made it easy to connect with them. Their relationship developed naturally, and I appreciated the balance of tender moments, heartfelt conversations, and emotional growth throughout the story.

Kimberly Packard has a warm and engaging writing style that kept the pages turning. The pacing felt just right, allowing both the romance and the characters' personal journeys to unfold in a believable way. I also enjoyed the supporting cast, who added depth and charm to the overall story.

Overall, *Feels Like the First Time* is a touching romance filled with heart, healing, and the reminder that love can find us when we least expect it. If you enjoy character-driven romances with authentic emotions and uplifting themes, I highly recommend giving this book a try.

What stayed with me most after turning the final page was the reminder that sometimes the most meaningful beginnings come after we've experienced an ending. *Feels Like the First Time* left me with a warm feeling and a renewed belief in second chances—and that's the kind of story that stays with me long after I've finished reading.

[FRANNIE]

Super fast and fun read!

I enjoyed this book! It was a perfect transition novel between my normal genres and was easy to follow. The chapters were short which makes for a great travel or on-the-go read and as someone who takes my current read everywhere it was definitely nice to have a book that I could paus every 3-6 pages for a break if need be!

Kimberly Packard's writing style is refreshing and engaging. She did great with the transition between settings and added just enough details to distinguish between the 90's and now without it feeling like a total 2020's cliche trope dump.

Emily was a good character. I liked her. She was funny and relatable in some parts but I felt like I couldn't really connect with her how I wanted to. Especially since a lot of people, author included, loved her. I felt like her background was not really expanded upon as well as her circle of VIP's. If a character's friends are so important to her then why don't we know more about them? Why not incorporate those relationships into the storyline more.

I also was not a fan of Emily's obsession with her ex and I felt like that whole part of the storyline could've been cut out and the plot would've progressed just fine. It was more of a fluff side-plot if anything.

Overall, I recommend this book for people who are fans of 13 Going On 30 and like sweet time-piece comedies. It will definitely make you laugh in some parts and you will feel all the feels with Emily in others. 4/5 Stars

[Beverly Finnie]

Emily has it all, just 1 problem she doesn’t know. Why because 1 minute she was 20 shaving her head with a broken heart and the next minute it’s 30 years later. She has no memories of the last 30 years and she only knows what she’s figured out. She has a fiancé who loves her. She got her Doctorate and runs her own therapy practice. However trying to navigate all that and not be figured out or have someone thinking she’s crazy is not an easy task. She knows the man in her life cares deeply for her but she doesn’t know what she feels for him. She also keeps comparing him to the one who crushed her heart(since to her that just happened yesterday.)
On top of all that she has a competitor poaching her clients, said it’s time she retires and lets him take over with a newer fresher approach. So she has it coming from all directions. It’s just a matter of what she discloses.
Can she save her relationship?
Does she get that lost time back?
If you love the movie 13 Going on 30 you are going to love Feels Like the First Time! While reading this book, I could even hear a soundtrack playing in my mind that would go perfectly with this story. I’m rooting for her to recover everything because if you’re anything like me, you can feel everything the character is facing while progressing through the story. It was a book I thoroughly enjoyed and didn’t want to put down. Till next time, Happy Reading!

[Shannen]

The first book, "This Time Around", was AMAZING, which means my expectations for "Feels Like the First Time" were already pretty darn high. As soon as I read the synopsis, I immediately got the vibes from “13 Going On 30”. It was one of my favorite movies for a bit, so I dove into this immediately. I read the entire thing in a day (sorry not sorry, responsibilities) so I’m giving you the warning to clear your calendar. The characters are magnificently written, and the plot development makes you put the book down and stare at the wall for a hot minute. I loved watching Emily try to untangle this bizarre version of her life while wondering whether she actually wants to change it or figure out how she got there in the first place. And underneath all the chaos, there’s something surprisingly tender about getting to see her confront the younger version of herself and all the choices she thought had ruined everything. It’s witty and messy and emotional in a way that somehow never loses its warmth, which I really appreciated. Also, the whole idea of accidentally skipping thirty years of your life is terrifying because imagine waking up and realizing you have bills, a career, a fiancé, and absolutely NO memory of agreeing to any of it. If you loved "This Time Around", I’d absolutely pick this one up because it has that same heart but throws Emily into a much more chaotic and unexpectedly meaningful mess.

[Tara Johnson]

Feels Like the First Time is a romance driven women’s fiction story that blends time slip, self discovery, nostalgia, and emotional growth. It follows Emily Murray, a chaotic 1990s college student whose life unravels after her father cuts off her college funding and her musician boyfriend leaves her for a record deal. After an impulsive meltdown, she blacks out and wakes up thirty years in the future as a successful therapist engaged to a man, she’s never met. With no way back, she scrambles to understand this new life, facing a looming wedding, a rival therapist, and the unsettling possibility that this future might actually be hers.

Emily is messy, impulsive, funny, and deeply relatable, stumbling through both timelines with equal parts chaos and heart. Her younger self is reckless and emotionally raw, while her future self is competent but conflicted, unsure how she became this version of herself. Craig, her future fiancé, is steady, supportive, and warm, everything her past relationships weren’t. The supporting cast, including her lifelong friends, her assistant, and Astrid the psychic, adds humor, grounding, and emotional depth. This book is witty, heartfelt, and unexpectedly moving. The 90s nostalgia is charming, the time jump twist is refreshing, and Emily’s emotional journey lingers long after the last page. It’s chaotic, comforting, and a reminder that even when life feels wildly off track, we often end up exactly where we’re meant to be.

[Ayla Phipps]

Ooooo Kimberly Packard does it again. I said in my review for book one, This Time Around, that I couldn’t wait and hurried to book two. Less than 24 hours later I’m back and ooo lordy that was a rollercoaster. Emily’s story is the opposite of Josie’s in book one. Emily is young, she is in college and bouncing through life, fun of energy and with no steady grounding when she suddenly wakes up and it’s been thirty years. She doesn’t recognize her life, her career or her fiancé. Her youth was suddenly in the past and she is left trying to figure out what happened and how she ended up where she is. Is this what her life is meant to be or only what it will be if she keeps partying and bouncing through majors and boys with no true attachment? Emily faces that question and so much more in this amazing, original story about the quiet thoughts you never thought to ask. She is relatable in every way, she has ups and downs, flaws and strengths. Her friends and family are a mix of helpful and not so much just as in real life. I know when I was reading this one, I saw some similarities between Emily’s life and some of my friends and family that had a similar life before and where they are now questioning everything. All I gotta say is this duet so far, hopeful for more in this series, has diffidently joined my top ten list of favorite series.

[Celia]

Feels Like the First Time by Kimberly Packard is a time-slip story that is a companion to Packard’s previous book, This Time Around. Feels Like the First Time is about Emily Murray, a woman who spends her college years floating amongst relationships, majors, and questionable life choices. While she is experiencing a break up, and therefore a breakdown, she finds herself waking up 30 years in the future. She realizes that she’s constructed a pretty nice life for herself…so how did she get there?

I loved how this story blended contemporary romance with speculative elements while keeping personal growth and self-discovery at the heart of the narrative. The emotional moments hit hard, but they're balanced perfectly with humor, making for an engaging and enjoyable read.

I love romance novels, but I really love novels that have one or both main characters show personal growth. And in Feels Like the First Time, it is very much about looking back to your past and wondering (and appreciating) how all the messy decisions we make are what makes up our lives. Emily is relatable and enjoyable to read as she discovers (or re-discovers) who she is.

I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys seeing the full circle in novels - the growth and emotion of it all.

[Mandy]

After reading Kimberly Packard's This Time Around, I knew I absolutely needed to read Feels Like the First Time, and I was certainly not disappointed! While Josie's jump 30 years in the past was difficult, I feel like Emily's jump 30 years in the future would be so much harder. Can you imagine, mid-crisis, shaving your head because you are heartbroken and just plain broke, blacking out, and waking up 30 years older and not having any recollection of how you got there?! What would you do if your entire formative years just vanished? How would you reconnect the past to your future? I felt like this book was a little more heartfelt and emotional than the last. We encounter some of the same great characters and amazing world-building that I've come to expect from Kimberly Packard. Emily is so confident, loud, and full of life. But, beneath the surface is the vulnerable girl in all of us. Feels Like the First Time is witty, chaotic, humorous, and leaves you feeling vulnerable and raw. This book made me laugh and made me cry, and made me want to send a hug to my younger self and say, “No matter what happens, you're exactly where you're supposed to be.” I cannot wait to read more from Kimberly Packard!

[Amanda Kimble]

5 out of 5 Stars

Feels Like the First Time by Kimberly Packard

This isn't the first book I've read by the author. Feels Like the First Time follows This Time around, but we get to follow a different character. We still get to go back to the past but this time it isn't high school.

Emily is Josie's best friend and has been for a long time. This time she is taken back to her college days and she is given the chance to change it. Instead of going to LA with her current boyfriend, maybe she does something different. She's hoping she can get someone to notice her. The quote I chose for her is this: “Okay, if you promise you’ll tell me everything. I gotta go, I’m running late for Aiden’s hockey match.”

Craig has been in love with Emily since he met her. But life gets in the way and they go on different paths. Now that she's done been back to the past maybe he has a shot at winning her heart. The quote I chose for him is this: “That’s the thing about decisions, you’re guaranteed to piss someone off when you make one, but once you get used to the fact that you won’t please everyone, it’s quite liberating.”

[Ashley Hasting]

Feels Like the First Time was such a fun, heartfelt read! I loved getting to know the characters and watching their relationships unfold in a way that felt genuine, emotional, and easy to connect with. There’s something special about a story that can make you laugh, tug at your heartstrings, and keep you turning pages because you genuinely want to know what happens next.
The characters felt wonderfully real, especially as they navigated their feelings, past experiences, and the unexpected twists life threw their way. I really enjoyed watching the chemistry and emotional connection develop, and there were plenty of moments that made me smile and root for them.
This was one of those books that was easy to get lost in. It had romance, emotion, relatable characters, and just enough surprises to keep things interesting. By the time I reached the end, I was completely invested in their story and honestly wasn't ready to say goodbye.
A definite 5-star read for me! If you enjoy heartfelt romance, memorable characters, and a story that leaves you with all the feels, definitely add Feels Like the First Time to your reading list. 💕📚

[Beejai Bohls]

This book gets 5 stars and more. It reminds me of the movie 13 going on 30, only in this scenario it's 19 going on 49. It is crazy but in the best possible way. We meet Emily the FMC at college and she seems to be a complete hot mess. She has so many things going on and her boyfriend gets signed to a record label. So what does any 19 yr old in 1996 do, she decides she is going with him. He has different ideas and that sends Emily into a spiral. She wakes up in a bed she doesn't know, with a ring on her finger and man she has no idea who he is in a bathroom she isn't even sure is hers. Not to mention that it is 2026. This book had me laughing out loud at her trying to figure out how to start her car, text, just even looking at a TV. The book flows quickly as you get sucked into what she is doing, how she is behaving, what is she going to do, etc. As she starts to get used to this new life she still really wants to go back to the way it was. The question is does she and if she does, does she do anything different. I chose this book because the cover intrigued me with all the colors and fonts. I was definitely glad that I read it and I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Dani]

4 Stars

I really loved this romance. Working with the same time-travelling trope of her previous work, a young Emily is thrust forward several years into her life, where she is about to get married to a man who seems to think the world of her. It's too much for her to process, especially when only moments ago she was a young woman recovering from the heartbreak of losing her first love.
I really adored Emily as a character, although bless her, there were moments that she made things far more complicated than they needed to be and caused herself more heartbreak. Still, I appreciated that Emily was a young woman in a much older womans body, and therefore her responses would be more immature and emotionally driven. I loved Craig, and his connection to Emily was just so lovely to read.
I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a romance that is good fun, all about learning what true love feels like, and that no matter how long you have to wait for it, it's well worth it. I really think Packard writes wonderfully, weaving a memorable tale with memorable characters whose trials and triumphs will take you on an emotional rollercoaster.

[Francis]

Feels Like the First Time is a story about a young woman who suddenly skips forward 30 years of her life (think 13 Going on 30 except it's more like 20 Going on 50). She goes from a complete mess in the aftermath of a big breakup, watching the future she imagined slip away, to living in a future she had never imagined for herself.

This story will appeal to fans of stories with time travel and other magical realism elements. I think it would be a good read both for younger readers, imagining how their life could turn out, and older readers, to look at their lives now through the eyes of their younger selves.

There are plenty of lighthearted moments in the story, such as when Em is running around her future home trying to find a telephone while the annoying rectangle beside her bed keeps buzzing. I like the focus on friendship as well as romantic love, with Josie as a key thread tying Em's past and future lives together.

Feels Like the First Time gets four stars from me. An enjoyable read!