First Course

First Course

By Jenn Bouchard

Released June 21, 2021

When four life-altering catastrophes hit in just one day-including the loss of her parents in a tragic plane crash-twenty-four-year-old Janie Whitman retreats to her family's summer house in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Here she tries to provide stability for her older sister Alyssa and two young nieces by cooking them amazing food. Through a mix-up with the alumni office at her parents' alma mater, Janie meets a young high school guidance counselor named Rocky at a volunteer event, and their fast-tracked romance helps Janie to see possibilities beyond the life she had known just a few weeks prior. But with her ex-boyfriend (and former boss) making overtures beyond her wildest dreams, as well as Alyssa's estranged husband willing to do whatever it takes to win her back, the Whitman sisters are faced with big decisions. Despite the obstacles in their way, when Janie and Alyssa are tasked with establishing a lasting memorial for their parents, they just might find the second acts they are seeking.

Jenn Bouchard’s debut novel First Course was published by TouchPoint Press in June 2021. Her short stories have appeared in The Bookends Review, Litbreak Magazine, The Penmen Review, and Little Patuxent Review. A graduate of Bates College and Tufts University, she has been a high school social studies teacher for twenty-one years. An avid cook and devoted Red Sox fan, she lives in the Boston suburbs with her husband and two children.