Thank you to the author, publisher and Isn't It Romantic FB group.

What a good book. It's about family, love, tragedy and a whole lot more. I cried at the beginning when Alyssa and Janie's parent died in a plane accident and they both moved to Maine, their Summer house, after things fell apart in their lives.

So many good things in this book, and I laughed at some, and ended up crying at the end when they dedicated a center where their parents met and attended college.

So many good characters and especially one, their next door neighbor, Meredith, who made horrible food to bring over and was the nosiest woman. I laughed until I cried! ( )

Classic Hallmark-type love story. ( )

Charming story of sisters coming together in Maine in the aftermath of a family tragedy. The characters are fleshed out and feel real. Food is an ever-present backdrop, as the main character Janie is a fantastic cook. A neighbor who can’t cook to save her life, but thinks she’s a gourmet chef, provides comic relief. Janie deals with male admirers, old and new, and gets involved with her parents’ alma mater nearby. I would have been happy to spend more time with this bunch. ( )

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my thoughts in any way.

This book had an interesting premise, but was bogged down with unrealistic plot points, undeveloped characters, and the dreaded insta-love. ( )

A wonderful story of loss, betrayal, hardship, family, fortitude, and love. This story begins with a bang with the life of the main character, Janie Whitman, in tumult. She is going about her everyday business, enjoying her life when suddenly the bottom drops out for her with work, love, and family and she finds herself back at the family vacation home in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, with her sister and two young nieces, trying to put the pieces of their lives back together. Janie is the glue holding the family together as she cooks and cares for everyone. A call from her parent's alma mater is upsetting, but ends up being fortuitous as it brings someone into her life that helps her put her broken pieces back together. The story is very uplifting and quite funny even though the main storyline is sad and frustrating. The characters are very likeable and very believable and I really hated finishing the book because I wanted to know more about what happened in theirs lives. If you like stories filled with family drama, good friends, old and new love, resiliency, quirky characters, and lots of great food, you'll want to pick up First Course. I just hope there is a second course sometime because I would enjoy spending more time with Janie, Rocky, Alyssa, Patrick, et al at the table of life.
* I received this book from the publisher through LibraryThing's early reviewers for an honest review. ( )