What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe First Time
Jon Kasdan · Film · 2012
If you loved The First Time, start with Awkward. (Lauren Iungerich, 2011) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 3 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The First Time across media.
If you loved The First Time, you crave the messy, deeply authentic emotional vulnerability that defines the chaotic experience of teenage discovery.
Books on the same thread
The Fault in Our Stars
John Green · Book · 2012
Shares a thread with The First Time: First Love.
Like The First Time, this story captures the intense, life-altering gravity of a young romance, grounding its existential weight in the specific, awkward intimacy shared between two vulnerable teenagers.
A Walk to Remember
Nicholas Sparks · Book · 2000
Shares a thread with The First Time: First love.
This narrative mirrors the star-crossed, transformative connection found in The First Time, focusing on how a chance encounter can fundamentally reshape a young person's perspective on love and life.
First Date
R.L. Stine · Book · 2006
Shares a thread with The First Time: First Love.
If The First Time hit, First Date shares the thread.
The Maze Runner (Book 1)
James Dashner · Book · 2014
Explores: Survival, Memory Loss, Conspiracy.
If The First Time hit, The Maze Runner (Book 1) shares the thread.
Series on the same thread
Awkward.
Lauren Iungerich · Series · 2011
Shares 3 threads with The First Time: Social Awkwardness, First Love, Coming-of-Age Story.
If you enjoyed the social awkwardness and teen angst of The First Time, you will appreciate how this show captures the humor and messy complications of navigating high school identity.
The O.C.
Josh Schwartz · Series · 2003
Shares a thread with The First Time: First Love.
Much like the chance meeting in The First Time, this drama explores how sudden shifts in social dynamics and unexpected relationships force characters to confront their own maturing identities.
Sex Education
Laurie Nunn · Series · 2019
Shares 3 threads with The First Time: Teenage Angst, Social Awkwardness, Coming-of-Age Story.
This series channels the same raw, unfiltered exploration of teenage relationship dynamics seen in The First Time, blending social awkwardness with the sincere, often messy pursuit of authentic connection.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, experimental storytelling, moral ambiguity.
If The First Time hit, The Truth shares the thread.
Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
Team Coco & Earwolf · Podcast · 2026
Explores: parasocial relationships, professional intimacy, self-deprecating humor.
If The First Time hit, Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend shares the thread.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The First Time a movie about high school students?
Yes, The First Time follows two teenagers from different high schools who meet by chance at a party. The film focuses on the spark of attraction that develops between them as they navigate their connection.
What is the premise of The First Time?
The First Time centers on a chance encounter at a party that leads to a romantic spark between two teenagers from different schools. The story explores how this initial attraction smolders and eventually ignites into a deeper connection.
Who directed The First Time?
The First Time was directed by Jon Kasdan. Released in 2012, the film depicts the developing relationship between two high school students who meet unexpectedly at a party.
When was The First Time released?
The First Time was released in 2012. Directed by Jon Kasdan, this film portrays the story of two teenagers from separate high schools who experience a sudden romantic spark after meeting at a party.