Juliet and Ronan are both teenagers with issues in their lives. Juliet has arthritis and is struggling to feel like a ‘normal teenager’, convinced she is a burden to her family. Ronan has transferred to Juliet’s school following what happened with his brother Ciaran and is still plagued by guilt. Juliet and Roman meet in school but become only vague acquaintances. It is on the virtual platform, Chesslife, where they meet, unaware of their true identities. This is where a real bond begins to happen. Chesslife acts as an escape for them both, they can be whoever they want to be.
I had a real emotional connection to the main characters, whenever something happened; shocking, sad, happy, I felt for the characters. This story trapped me. After a few days of reading this, the words of the story still stuck with me. I wanted to know what happened and I was left wishing there was a sequel. but the ending made up for that.
There were a few chapters that I felt a bit disengaged but overall felt like I was on an emotional roller-coaster, happy and sad. It had some really laugh-out-loud parts where I couldn’t keep a straight face.
The First Move is something I will definitely be picking up again.
Reviewed by Sarah Rayner
Age Guide 13+
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