First Things First

By: Michael Young

Narrated by: Matthew Hamblin

Andy Burke is only 18-years-old and already head of his own company—if you can call a fancy drink stand at school a company. He has just one semester to see business boom, or he won’t touch a cent of his father’s millions.

Unfortunately for Andy, most everyone else wants to see him fail—everyone except a certain anonymous "angel" who always seems to know just the right piece of advice to keep Andy’s dreams alive. Even with help—Andy doesn’t know if he had can win against an opponent who doesn’t play by the rules. Slander, theft, and vandalism are all on the table for the other side, while Andy has to play fair, or risk losing everything.

As he struggles on, however, Andy realizes that perhaps his father’s challenge might by directing him to a different kind of inheritance altogether, one that is worth much more than any number of millions.

©2020 Michael D. Young (P)2023 Michael D. Young

Good idea, poor execution.

This is a coming of age story of a young man whose father wants him to gain an understanding and wisdom before he receives his inheritance. It's his 18th birthday and he speaks with his father, but he tells his son that he still has work to do. Andrew Burke has grown up surrounded by wealth and his father is trying to teach him the lesson that not everything will be given to him and the components of his faith that will help him as he grows. He is a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, which becomes the main tool for learning and it's here that he begins to strike out on his own. His best friend, Courtney, is one of the best things to ever happen to him and they become such close friends that it's automatic to reach out for advice and even to work on projects together. When their teacher announces that they will be participating in a business contest, Courtney really wants to partner with Andrew. This is where I felt the story going down a path that was difficult for me. Instead of any sort of romance for the best friends, it becomes a lesson in heartache. Instead of wanting to work with Courtney, Andy becomes interested in the girl who spills a red slushy on his shirt: what a cliche way to add angst to the story. He and Rachel work on the project, but they don't quite understand how it could be more successful. Of course, it's the best friend, Courtney, who acts as the secret angel and drops little notes on his desk to show him how to make the project a success. Courtney is so hoping that he'll be "in like" with her as she is with him, but no. When he comes to her rescue after a terrible experience with her mom on the reservation, Andy is in the perfect position to let her know how important she is to him. No, it doesn't happen. Rachel is not a nice person, but he still picks her. Once Andy realizes that she's a mean girl, you'd think he'd have the sense to get rid of her. The resolution doesn't quite fit the plot and emotion of the story, but the relationships are secondary to the primary purpose of steering the story toward faith and service in the church. It left something to be desired. Matthew Hamblin does a wonderful job with the narration. His well-modulated voice and perfect pace bring the story to life. 

Interesting Coming-of-Age Story

I enjoyed this story as it was touching and heartwarming; however, there was a little more proselytization than I was expecting based on the blurb. I liked Andy's character growth. Matthew Hamblin's narration was fine, and his performance kept my attention. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

Interesting listen

I found this story more sad than anything else. It’s oddly sweet and I suppose somewhat uplifting but I feel like it could have been executed a bit better. Narration was done well and it’s a fairly quick listen.

Christian lessons.

A nice little coming of age story. Growing up in the Church of Latter Day Saints. High school kids. A competition. Shanigans. A broken heart. A tragedy.
5 stars for the narrator, Matthew Hamblin. A nice voice and good pace had me into these characters.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this audiobook from the author through Story Origin.

Latter-Day Saint Coming-of-Age Realistic Fiction

Parents- PG- middle school and up - Trigger potential with losing loved ones
Language- None
Violence- PG- normal to genre nothing too graphic
Sexual Content- none

The story of an 18-year-old senior in high school trying to show his dad that he was ready for part of his inheritance to help pay for school and the start out in life. I loved seeing him learn, grow, and also try to navigate everything from friendship to family to romance. There are plenty of ups and downs to keep it both realistic and engaging. It's definitely geared to the Latter-Day Saint reader, while not overly preachy the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints do have a large role in the story.

Narrator- He did okay with the differentiations and was easy to listen to, but also a bit slow. I had a better time listening at 1.5x speed, normal speed is probably around 1.25x speed.

—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.