What Came First by Carol Snow

Published by

Sarah Ann

on

September 4, 2011

This is the first novel I’ve ever read where I hated and despised all the main characters. But this book is addicting and irresistible.

In What Came First, three women fight over a young, lackluster California surfer guy named Eric Fergus.

First, there’s Vanessa: Eric’s nauseating, demanding, self-centered 29-year-old girlfriend who wants Eric to propose so they can settle down and have lots of babies along with a house, white picket fence, and the type of security that comes with marriage. Eric isn’t ready for kids, but Vanessa feels like she deserves that fancy engagement ring.

Next, we have Laura: a successful, driven lawyer and single mom of the smartest, most polite 8-year-old boy named Ian. Laura is prim and proper and barely has a personality. Yet, she’ll stop at nothing to get more sperm from her former sperm donor (Ian’s biological father) so she can give Ian a darling baby brother or sister.

Lastly, we have Wendy: an overweight, exhausted mom of wild twins who just won’t behave under any circumstances. Her husband Darren constantly plays RPG games on the computer and takes no interest in their children. Turns out the kids aren’t biologically his because he couldn’t get his wife pregnant.

Eric eventually learns the sperm he donated for extra cash years ago resulted in several children. Soon, chaos erupts and changes the lives of everyone involved forever.

What Came First is magnificently crafted and genuinely unpredictable. All the characters are incredibly colorful. Though they may be extremely unlikable, the characters’ stories are so entertaining and borderline horrific you’ll be dying to know what happens next.

Does Eric end up with Vanessa for good? Do Vanessa and Wendy have mental breakdowns? Does Laura ever get pregnant again? Do these women ever get together to hang out? These are questions I had after reading What Came First.

Other books by Carol Snow include:

Bubble World (2013)
The Last Place on Earth (2016)

Last Updated on December 30, 2025 by Sarah Ann

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