Another First Chance

Another First Chance explores all the different ways love can live on after tragedy in this speculative young adult novel by New York Times bestselling author Robbie Couch. It’s been one year since eighteen-year-old River Lang’s best friend died in a car accident. Every day, he passes by a depressing billboard that reduces Dylan to a cautionary tale, a texting and driving PSA. River knows Dylan was so much more than a statistic, but it seems like everyone in town has forgotten.

When River is caught improving (a.k.a. vandalizing) Dylan’s billboard, he’s blackmailed into joining the Affinity Trials, a research study observing teens who are “struggling socially.” During the Trials, he’s forced to spend time with his ex-best friend and Dylan’s former girlfriend, Mavis. Mavis is the only one who knows the truth about the night Dylan died.

River befriends a charming quarterback named Nash during the Trials, and romantic feelings start to surface. But strange developments within the study make River question the researchers’ true motives as they monitor his every move. When suspicions lead to a shocking discovery, River must decide how far he’s willing to go for another chance at first love.