Feels Like the First Time

By Kimberly Packard

Romance / Time-Slip / RomCom

Publisher: Abalos Publishing

Publication Date: June 16, 2026

Synopsis

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.

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Review

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.

About the Author

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

When she isn’t writing, she can be found 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.

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